Eiichi Harada immediately agreed with delight when he heard that, as though afraid she might change her mind.
After Sanae left, Eiichi Harada packed up his equipment and went to the parking lot. He had just gotten into his car when he saw Sanae walking toward the lot with a man. As they drew closer, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Number 9, Shirasawa!"
Then he watched the two get into the same car and quickly drive away. Eiichi Harada could not help nodding in amazement.
"They sure move fast... who needs photos? As if she won't get to see everything in a little while."
That evening.
News of Shohoku's crushing victory over Miuradai had already begun to spread. In Kanagawa Prefecture, people had previously known only two teams capable of beating an opponent by sixty points: Kainan and Shoyo. The two players currently acknowledged as the strongest in Kanagawa, Shinichi Maki and Kenji Fujima, played for those respective teams and were known as Kanagawa's twin jewels.
It was precisely because of those two that Kainan and Shoyo had remained among the top teams year after year. But who was Shohoku's ace? Takenori Akagi? Yet during the previous two years with Akagi leading them, Shohoku had struggled to win at all, never mind win by such a huge margin. How had they suddenly become so much stronger?
Since the game had drawn little media attention, the news first spread through spectators who had been there. And the answer that spread left many fans finding it hard to believe: Shohoku's ace was a newcomer, number 9, Shirasawa, who had scored 18 points and dished out 19 assists in just one half.
If he was not the ace, who was? Hisashi Mitsui, who had scored 35 points? But most of his points had been spoon-fed to him by Shirasawa. Those passes had been downright miraculous! Hadn't Basketball Weekly already run a story on him, comparing him to Ryonan's Sendoh? Looking at it now, they really had been right.
The era of Shinichi Maki and Fujima might be coming to an end. The next era would most likely belong to Shirasawa and Sendoh. As fans began discussing it, newspapers and magazines also took notice. All the opening-game buzz suddenly shifted to Shohoku, leaving Tsukubu without so much as a share.
That was when Sanae Nakagawa made her move.
She had not expected things to go so smoothly either. Before she had done much of anything, Shirasawa's name had already begun to spread. She quickly used her media contacts to circulate the news and fan the flames, announcing that she had news material including photos and a detailed account of the game, along with a complete profile of Shirasawa.
Most importantly, Basketball Weekly had none of it. Any outlet that got its hands on the material could get a step ahead of Basketball Weekly. As for why she was not giving the material to her own magazine, Sanae's answer shocked everyone.
She had resigned.
While Sanae's resignation was causing an uproar in media circles, Hisashi Mitsui walked out of an orthopedic hospital.
Three years earlier, shortly after joining Shohoku, he had faced Akagi in an intrasquad practice game. But just as he was getting into it, an accident happened. Without any collision, Mitsui injured his knee and collapsed on the spot, unable to get up. An attending physician at this very hospital had treated him then, saying his knee joint had been overloaded and that he needed a month of rest before returning for a follow-up. The doctor had warned him repeatedly, but the young and reckless Mitsui had not taken it to heart at all. He figured that if it was nothing serious, why should someone as fit as him lie around? Besides, the prefectural tournament was about to begin. He could not leave his teammates to fight alone. He had to fulfill his promise to conquer the nation! So barely two days later, he had gone back to team practice.
Basketball was already hard on the knees, and Mitsui's injury quickly worsened. Before long, he collapsed in front of his teammates again. That fall kept him down for three whole years. Only today, worried that his knee might cause trouble again during the prefectural tournament, had Mitsui summoned the courage to return to this hospital and see the same attending physician. This time, he received encouraging news: after nearly three years of rest and recovery, his knee injury had completely healed! Mitsui felt a little dazed, unsure whether those three empty years had been right or wrong... but in any case, Hisashi Mitsui was back!
After leaving the hospital, Mitsui felt that even the air was much fresher. The weight on his mind had finally lifted. Now he had dependable teammates, so he did not have to put too much pressure on himself. Shirasawa's presence, in particular, made games simple and fluid, saving him plenty of needless running. All he had to do now was gradually regain his form. Returning to his peak would definitely be no problem!
Just then, a loud roar rang out! The urgent sound of a motorcycle came from the distance. The engine's roar alone conveyed the rider's wild streak. Mitsui could not help running to the roadside for a closer look. Sure enough, it was Tetsuo! Ever since that violent incident, Mitsui had been unable to contact Tetsuo and had only learned how he was doing through Tetsuo Hotta. That day, Tetsuo's group had been taken away by the police and detained for three days. Tetsuo, however, had gone to the hospital first and spent nearly a week there before being transferred to the police station. That showed just how badly Shirasawa had beaten him... His second-in-command, Ryu, had reportedly gone to the hospital that day too, coming out with his arm in a cast. Afterward, Tetsuo had seemingly vanished, and no one had seen him again. His former second-in-command, Ryu, had gradually taken over his territory as well. Only today had Tetsuo finally reappeared.
The engine sputtered as Tetsuo pulled his motorcycle over to the roadside. He did not seem surprised by this chance encounter with Mitsui. Mitsui, on the other hand, felt an awkwardness he could not quite describe. After all, as the instigator of that violent incident, he had chosen to join them when he could not beat them... although that had been his original intention, he had indeed landed his big-brother figure Tetsuo in the hospital and then detention. Even the loss of Tetsuo's territory might have been connected to it.
Tetsuo calmly lit a cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke, still carrying that same unruly air. "You cut your hair?"
Mitsui had hesitated for ages without speaking, and the question caught him off guard. "Yeah... Tetsuo, I-"
Before he could finish, Tetsuo interrupted him with a slight smile. "I think this hairstyle suits you better. You look a little more like an athlete now."
Mitsui lowered his head. Tetsuo's meaning was clear: he had not taken that day's events to heart. His generosity only made Mitsui feel guiltier. "Tetsuo, I heard you disappeared recently. What happened? Was it connected to that incident?"
Tetsuo took a deep drag on his cigarette. Instead of answering Mitsui's question, he focused on the hospital report in his hand. "What's that about? Are you hurt?"
Mitsui shook his head and said with feeling, "No. You know I had a serious knee injury. I came for a follow-up today. The report says I've fully recovered."
Tetsuo smiled faintly, and his smile showed that he was genuinely happy for Mitsui. Ever since they had met, Tetsuo had always looked out for him. Perhaps it was because Tetsuo was someone without much of a dream. Compared with intangible things, he preferred freedom and an unrestrained life. But in Mitsui, he had seen something he lacked, another kind of life, and more "what ifs"... Mitsui's ability to put everything aside, return to the basketball team, and keep chasing his dream was, instead, a comfort to Tetsuo. It was as though Mitsui was walking another path on his behalf too.
The engine roared! Tetsuo tossed away his cigarette butt and started his motorcycle again. He waved casually. "See you, sports boy."
The next day, several newspapers and magazines in Kanagawa simultaneously published reports on Shohoku's game against Miuradai in their sports sections. Every story focused on Shohoku's strongest newcomer, Shirasawa. Naturally, the most frequently used photo was that "world-famous painting"!
Kazuo Araki certainly could not have expected to get a share of the fame himself... even if he did look rather bedraggled.
Practically everyone who read the sports news that day saw Shirasawa's face.
The editors at different outlets took different angles and wrote in all sorts of styles. But however eye-catching their headlines were, their central message was much the same: the newcomer Shirasawa had brought the weak Shohoku team to its feet overnight!
One report was even bolder, dragging several current stars directly into the discussion.
"Twin titans! Kanagawa's next rulers!"
The accompanying photos were of Shirasawa and Sendoh.
That was quite a rash claim, yet it was tantalizing all the same. That said, Shirasawa's appeal was not limited to his basketball skills and that "world-famous painting."
He also had an exceptionally handsome face.
For that reason, Sanae simply provided several media outlets with casual photos of Shirasawa and his basic information. The timing could not have been better. There was usually little major news at this stage of the prefectural tournament, since the strong teams would only begin making their push in the quarterfinals.
Then Shirasawa suddenly appeared, naturally becoming the focus of discussion. With Sanae pushing things along behind the scenes, the buzz shot up. Fans also found something new to look forward to in these otherwise unremarkable group-stage games. They all wanted to see just how far this newcomer who had burst onto the scene could go.
If he really could create a miracle and break Kainan's sixteen-year monopoly... then they would truly be witnessing history.
In fact, Sendoh had attracted some attention the previous year too. But first, he lacked Shohoku's "underdog comeback" backstory, and second, no one had worked as hard as Sanae to promote him behind the scenes. Yayoi Aida had wanted to promote Sendoh, but between Sendoh's own easygoing nature and Yayoi's lack of Sanae's boldness, it had ultimately produced only a small ripple on a calm surface.
At that moment, Yayoi Aida was sitting in the meeting room, watching her boss fly into a rage.
In just one morning, Shirasawa's name had spread throughout their circles. When Basketball Weekly learned the previous night that Sanae was the source, they had initially been delighted, thinking they had landed another exclusive. Who could have imagined that Sanae would turn around and hand in her resignation!
Not only had she resigned, but she had also distributed all the information about the game. What should have been Basketball Weekly's exclusive had instead become something everyone but them had... In this sudden media battle, Basketball Weekly had become the sole loser.
Losing once was no great matter. The real problem was that, judging by Sanae's approach, this new talking point, Shirasawa, would probably be entirely in her hands from now on. She was clearly using Basketball Weekly's shelter to pave her own way and branch out.
Put plainly, the message was simple: Basketball Weekly did not have it, so their chance had come.
Precisely because of that, news about Shohoku and Shirasawa would most likely appear in different media outlets every day from now on. Compared with Basketball Weekly's weekly publication, that level of exposure was vastly greater. If Shirasawa really could maintain his momentum and keep leading Shohoku to victory... Basketball Weekly would be under enormous pressure.
The president slammed a hand on the table, making even the teacups jump. "What is Sanae Nakagawa trying to do? Set up shop on her own?!"
His voice trembled with anger. "I will never let her get ahead in this industry!"
Yayoi Aida frowned slightly.
She had gone to the Tsukubu game with Sanae and had noticed nothing unusual about her at all. The two had even competed over their articles on the practice game between Shohoku and Ryonan. Nor had she heard any whispers in their circles lately.
Besides, Sanae should have known perfectly well that doing this would anger the president and damage her reputation, probably making it difficult for her to stay in the industry. So what exactly was she after...
Could it be... that her ambitions aren't in this industry at all?
As Yayoi pondered, the president suddenly slammed a hand onto her desk.
"Yayoi!" The president glared. "You're going to Shohoku's next game! Take more people! Surely Sanae Nakagawa can't keep the entire Shohoku Basketball Team under her control?!"
"If Shohoku and Shirasawa make waves again next game, you must grab that story back for me!"
"Especially Shirasawa. An exclusive interview! I want an exclusive interview!"
Shohoku High School.
Amid this sudden media storm, the Shohoku Basketball Team was undoubtedly the biggest winner.
Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure had barely entered the campus when their schoolmates surrounded them.
"Akagi, you're freaking awesome!" one boy shouted excitedly. "Our basketball team has finally hit the big time!"
"Exactly! I bought three newspapers this morning, and all of them had stories about us!" Another boy waved the newspapers in his hand. "Shohoku has never had this much glory!"
"Go for it, Captain Akagi! Win the championship and make our school a basketball powerhouse too!"
"We'll come cheer you on at every game from now on! Go, Akagi!"