"Shirasawa."
Uozumi and Kaede Rukawa murmured these two names almost simultaneously.
Standing beside them, Sendoh watched with a somewhat helpless smile. These two were his dear teammates. He really could not understand where their deep obsession came from.
So they had lost a game before. What was the big deal? They had lost to Shoyo and then Kainan last year too, and he had not acted like this.
Basketball should have been something relaxing, something to enjoy.
There was nothing a fishing trip could not fix.
And if there was, then go fishing again.
At courtside, Coach Taoka stood to greet them. Given Coach Anzai's seniority, most high school basketball coaches were his juniors. Wherever he went, he was an honored guest.
"Thank you for making the long trip," Moichi Taoka said with a bow. "I hope we can put on an exciting game today."
Coach Anzai gave a couple of "Ho, ho" chuckles. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two returned to their respective seats.
Coach Taoka had barely sat down when Hikoichi leaned over, looking nervous. He lowered his voice and discreetly pointed toward the other side.
"Coach, that redhead is Shohoku's mysterious ace, Hanamichi Sakuragi!"
"And number nine is Shirasawa, the one who beat Kaede Rukawa in the middle school finals!"
Hikoichi Aida let out an "Huh?" and hurriedly looked down to flip through his notebook, muttering, "That's not right. Where did this number seven come from? Who's he?"
Coach Taoka nodded slightly, his gaze settling on Hanamichi Sakuragi. The kid's build alone was intimidating enough. He certainly needed special attention. As for Shirasawa, Taoka was even more familiar with him-he had attended that middle school final, knew what Shirasawa was capable of, and had even come close to recruiting him into Ryonan.
Now those two were joining Takenori Akagi, and Ryota Miyagi had returned too. This year's Shohoku was nothing like last year's. Moichi Taoka felt this practice game could not have come at a better time. His gaze shifted toward Coach Anzai on the opposite side as he thought, Coach Anzai, you probably agreed to this game to size us up too.
That suits me fine. Let's get a feel for each other.
Five minutes remained before the game began.
Both teams returned to their benches for their coaches' final instructions. Shohoku kept the same starting lineup as the previous game: Takenori Akagi at center, Hanamichi Sakuragi at power forward, Kiminobu Kogure at small forward, Ryota Miyagi at shooting guard, and Shirasawa at point guard.
This was already the strongest lineup Shohoku could field.
To put it bluntly, they did not have even one more player who could play.
Holding his tactics board, Coach Anzai looked over the starters before him. Every one of them had fire in his eyes. "Keep this up," he said evenly. "Remember, you are the strongest."
They all nodded. Coach Anzai continued, "Ryonan will definitely attack hard from the start. Akagi, Sakuragi, you two collapse inside and protect the basket. Don't let them get in easily."
"Kogure, provide help defense and slow down their drives."
"Xiao Bai, Miyagi, the perimeter is yours."
"We'll start this game with defense. I won't say much about offense. Keep moving off the ball, and Xiao Bai will seize the opportunities when they come." With that, Coach Anzai looked at Shirasawa, his eyes full of trust.
Shirasawa nodded.
On the other side, Moichi Taoka announced Ryonan's starting lineup for the first time: Uozumi at center, Sendoh at power forward, Kaede Rukawa at small forward, Hiroaki Koshino at shooting guard, and Tomoyuki Uekusa at point guard.
No one was particularly surprised by the lineup, except that Sendoh had moved to the four, leaving small forward to Kaede Rukawa. But that made sense. At 190 centimeters, Sendoh had the height of an inside player and the skills of a guard. That was what made him so formidable.
And compared with Shohoku, Ryonan had far greater bench depth. Third-year Ryoji Ikegami was a defensive specialist renowned throughout Kanagawa. Sugahira, another third-year and a center, stood out among the reserves with his towering, beanpole-like height. Every extra inch was an advantage.
With more cards in his hand, Moichi Taoka naturally had more flexibility in his lineups. Today's starters would not necessarily become his regular lineup.
After setting the lineup, Moichi Taoka began explaining their opening approach. "Attack!" he said decisively. "If there's one thing Ryonan has plenty of now, it's firepower. I want you to blow Shohoku apart in the first half and go into the second with a lead of more than thirty points!"
The players nodded confidently. Only Sendoh kept drinking his beverage, looking distracted.
Moichi Taoka shook his head helplessly. Words alone could not stir Sendoh's desire to win. The only way to make him give his all was to put him against an evenly matched opponent-and across all of Kanagawa, only Kainan's Shinichi Maki could currently do that.
Even their own super rookie, Kaede Rukawa, was still a little short. Besides, Sendoh clearly was not in form today. His mind was probably already elsewhere. To him, this was ultimately just an unimportant practice game.
Seeing that he could not count on Sendoh, Moichi Taoka promptly changed targets. "Kaede Rukawa," he raised his voice, "you'll lead the offense!"
Kaede Rukawa did not answer. Instead, he looked across the court and fixed his gaze on Shirasawa, who was lounging on Shohoku's bench just like Sendoh.
A chill spread from him.
"All right," he replied curtly.
Tweet-!
The whistle blew, and both teams' starters officially took the court.
At courtside, Yayoi Aida and Sanae had reserved seats as specially invited media. Yayoi Aida was already in work mode, pen in hand and ready to take notes. She did not even glance at her younger brother Hikoichi-everything else could wait until work was done.
Beside them, the young assistant set up the camera and made the final adjustments. Sanae, however, looked utterly relaxed, her suit jacket draped over her shoulders, an air of elegance in her languor. A cup of coffee sat before her as she watched the court with a smile.
She hardly looked as though she had come to work, a stark contrast to the completely absorbed Yayoi Aida beside her. Still, she really was the most eye-catching person in the gym at that moment.
The game had yet to begin, and plenty of spectators were already glancing her way, deliberately or otherwise. After all, who did not enjoy looking at someone attractive? Even getting an ear twisted and a scolding from a girlfriend would be worth it... Surely looking was allowed?
On the court, Takenori Akagi and Uozumi walked to the center circle. Their eyes met, sparks practically crackling between them. Neither said a word, yet their auras grew fiercer, as though they had already exchanged countless moves in their minds.
Kaede Rukawa's gaze was icy too, locked on Shirasawa the entire time.
By comparison, Shirasawa seemed much more magnanimous.
But Kaede Rukawa was in no mood to appreciate anything beautiful. Shirasawa's indifferent attitude only irritated him further. Today, he had just one thought: teach Shirasawa a harsh lesson and collect on that last "not taking a shot" incident, with interest.
Just as the entire gym held its breath for the tip-off, a sudden burst of loud laughter rang out.
"Hey, Ryonan! I told you I'd knock you flat!"
"And you, Kaede Rukawa! You're about to see what a genius looks like!"
"In today's game, let this genius, Sakuragi..."
Clang!
Before he could finish, Akagi could no longer stand listening. He turned and silenced him with an iron fist. The spectators at courtside were thoroughly amused, as though they were watching a monkey act. No one could figure out what was inside that redhead's brain. Faced with such unprovoked arrogance, quite a few people could no longer hold back their laughter.
The atmosphere that had just been building for the game turned into laughter throughout the gym in an instant, mixed with scattered boos. Kaede Rukawa, who had been called out, frowned in disgust. Aside from Shirasawa, he could not be bothered with anyone on Shohoku's team, so he simply kept them out of sight.
Hikoichi Aida, however, sprang excitedly to his feet.
"It's happening! Sakuragi's prophecy has begun!"
"He said he'd really show his stuff in this game! There's no mistaking that presence!"
"Sakuragi!! Go for it! I'm watching you!"
Moichi Taoka immediately flew into a rage. Forgetting his image as a coach, he copied Akagi and delivered a blow.
"Sit down and behave! Whose side are you on?!"
The referee's whistle sounded just in time, finally ending the little farce. He tossed the ball into the air.
Takenori Akagi and Uozumi roared simultaneously, their long pent-up fire erupting at that instant! Gritting their teeth, they leaped with all their strength, both reaching for the basketball overhead.
Almost simultaneously, two large hands struck the ball. A lightning-fast contest of strength followed.
"Aah-!"
With another furious roar from Uozumi, the basketball was forcibly knocked away from Akagi's hand and flew toward Ryonan's half!
Uozumi had won this round.
Takenori Akagi landed with a deep frown. It seemed he was far from the only one who had improved. Uozumi's progress was even more startling.
Tomoyuki Uekusa secured possession and began organizing Ryonan's first attack. But Shirasawa darted forward, meeting him head-on and blocking his path.
Uozumi's hard work this year had finally paid off. Moichi Taoka nodded in satisfaction at courtside. Last year, Uozumi had looked like a helpless freshman against Akagi, who had handled him however he pleased. Uozumi had been held almost scoreless throughout the game and had remained dejected for a long time afterward.
This could not help reminding Moichi Taoka of when Uozumi had first joined Ryonan. Fresh out of middle school, Uozumi had carried the title of "the nation's tallest middle schooler." In the middle school league, his two-meter height had been practically unstoppable. Most opponents could only describe him with words like "beast" and "monster." It was then that Moichi Taoka had decided on his future plan to build Ryonan around Uozumi.
But after entering high school, Uozumi discovered that everything had changed. He had ruled the paint in middle school, yet here he was as clumsy as a wooden post. The sudden increase in intensity left him completely lost, and his teammates' mockery even made him consider giving up basketball. It was Moichi Taoka who had helped him work through his troubles and regain his form, not only keeping him on the team but also helping him grow rapidly and finally secure his place as Ryonan's captain.