After a while, he twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a cryptic smile.
"That's interesting..."
Hey! Haruko!
In the classroom of Class 3, Grade 1, Matsui suddenly appeared from behind Haruko and patted her on the shoulder.
Haruko, who was lost in thought, jumped in fright and turned around, scolding, " Matsui! What are you doing!"
Matsui glanced in the direction Haruko had been staring blankly, then chuckled, " Shirasawa didn't come again today? Oh well, no wonder, he's a big celebrity now."
She counted on her fingers. "Almost every newspaper with a sports section has had news about him these past few days."
Then she nudged Haruko with her elbow and chuckled in a low voice, "Quite a few girls at our school are eyeing him, Haruko, you'd better watch out!"
Haruko's face flushed red, and she hurriedly tidied her hair.
"Why should I be paying attention! Shirasawa and the basketball team are the hottest topics in Kanagawa right now, so it's normal for them to be getting attention."
Matsui narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. "Oh? What are you looking at? Are you checking if that seat is dusty?"
"I... I..."
Haruko stammered, her face turning even redder, and finally she stomped her foot.
"It's just covered in dust! I'll go wipe it clean for Shirasawa!"
Shirasawa didn't go to school today, but this time it wasn't because he overslept.
He's sitting in Sanae's car right now.
After the match against Takahata, Shirasawa's popularity was unstoppable, and various media outlets used the photos taken by Eiichi Harada.
They eventually compromised on the matter of the photographer.
After all, Eiichi Harada's skill level is undeniable; he has now become Shirasawa's personal photographer.
Of course, his fees are not cheap.
However, for Sanae, the money was well spent.
Because of these actions, Shirasawa's image, in addition to his ball skills, also became the focus of everyone's attention.
Some sportswear brands were the first to get restless.
With his good looks, great charisma, and current popularity, why wait to take advantage of this trend and have him do events and endorsements?
So in the past two days, people have started contacting Shirasawa one after another.
But all the calls eventually ended up with Sanae Nakagawa.
His identity as a "player's personal agent" was thus exposed.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
Sanae became the first player agent in the country, and Shirasawa naturally became the first basketball player in the country to have an agent.
Now, any brand or media outlet that wants to work with Shirasawa has to get Sanae first.
Contracts are no longer handled with the same unilateral clauses or verbal agreements as they were with players in the past.
Everything must be agreed upon with Sanae before signing, and it must be strictly implemented.
Shirasawa officially embarked on the path of commercialization as a player.
Today is the day to complete our first business activity.
This was also the first pot of gold the brokerage company made.
Yayoi Aida finally understood all of Sanae's previous actions.
She admired the girl's courage and boldness.
However, she was convinced that it wouldn't work out.
Not only Yayoi Aida, but many media colleagues also have a negative view of the "player agent" model.
The current commotion is simply due to Shirasawa's immense popularity.
But this is by chance.
After all, Shirasawa hadn't encountered a true superstar yet, and Shohoku hadn't faced a truly strong team.
Once the myth is shattered, everything before our eyes will vanish like a bubble.
Even if we assume, for the worst, that Shirasawa continues to be popular...
It would be difficult for the two of them alone to maintain this model.
You're asking for too much? Fine, we'll just find someone else to represent you.
After a while, those brands will naturally join forces temporarily for the sake of their own interests.
If this goes on for too long, Sanae definitely won't be able to hold on.
Meanwhile, the two parties involved, Shirasawa and Sanae, who are at the center of the storm, have already quietly begun to devise a second plan.
The list of the top 16 finalists for the Kanagawa Prefecture tournament has been officially released.
The battle for a spot in the Round of 16 in Group C begins today!
The two teams facing off are Shohoku and Tsukubu.
The winner will advance to the quarterfinals and earn the right to challenge Shoyo High School, the seeded team in Group C.
Tsukubu was one of the top eight teams last year. They had a bye in the group stage and have only played two qualifying matches so far.
They were originally considered a favorite to advance to the quarterfinals this year.
But then Shohoku emerged as a dark horse, drawing everyone's attention.
As a result, not many fans paid attention to Tsukubu's performance.
In fact, Tsukubu successfully completed the generational transition this year, and the strength of their lineup has increased rather than decreased.
Led by captain Tomokazu Godai and newcomer Koichiro Nango, they swept through the group stage.
But this inevitably Shohoku.
Shohoku's two consecutive astonishing 100-point victories completely overshadowed Tsukubu's triumphant performance.
Tsukubu also won both games by a large margin, winning by 31 points in the first game and by 34 points in the second.
In previous years, this would have been an achievement to be proud of.
But now... they have a bit of pent-up frustration inside.
Everyone was watching Shohoku to see if they could continue their dominant 100-point winning streak.
This really frustrated the entire Tsukubu team.
They were determined to stop Shohoku in the round of 16.
They want to reclaim the attention and limelight that rightfully belong to them.
It seems that all the newcomers this year have a common problem.
To put it nicely, it's confidence and personality.
To put it bluntly, they're all incredibly arrogant.
Nobunaga Kiyota of Kainan, Kaede Rukawa of Ryonan, Hanamichi Sakuragi of Shohoku, and Tsukubu, Koichiro Nango, are all typical examples.
Of all the Tsukubu team, the one who disliked Shohoku the most was definitely Koichiro Nango.
"Crush Shohoku!" and "Defeat Shirasawa!" have almost become his daily slogans.
However, this reason has little to do with the team's advancement.
The main reason was that he felt Shohoku and Shirasawa had stolen all his thunder.
Koichiro Nango has an exceptional physique; his talent in both static and dynamic situations is top-notch. He's a natural-born basketball player.
But his playing style has little to do with whether he likes it or not.
I joined the basketball team purely because basketball is the most popular sport right now, and it's the best way to attract girls' attention.
It's a real shame he didn't go to Takezono High School...
Otherwise, with his abilities, there wouldn't be any chance for Oda Tatsumasa Oda.
He eventually joined Tsukubu, having been " Kazumi Kawasaki.
Kazumi Kawasaki is the youngest head coach in the high school league and is considered a rising star in coaching circles.
His teacher was none other than Coach Mitsuyoshi Anzai of Shohoku.
Like Coach Anzai, Kawasaki was also a player who transitioned to coaching, so he has a knack for understanding players' minds.
It was under his guidance that Tsukubu made it into the top eight in the prefecture within two years.
It's worth noting that before reaching the quarterfinals last year, Tsukubu had no well-known players on their team.
It can be said that Kazumi Kawasaki.
Especially the team leader Tomokazu Godai, who was only a second-rate player when he first joined the team.
After being coached by Kawasaki for a year, he underwent a complete transformation and became the core of the team that led them into the quarterfinals.
Kazumi Kawasaki certainly has a unique talent for manipulating players' psychology.
He discovered Koichiro Nango and brought him to Tsukubu with just a few words.
After a holiday of training, Nango is now able to stand on his own.
As a close friend of Kawasaki, Sanae initially wanted to bring Shirasawa to Tsukubu because she valued his ability to develop players.
But in the end Shirasawa went to Shohoku.
Looking back now, this is probably Kazumi Kawasaki's biggest regret.
stadium.
There are still two hours until the match starts.
As usual, Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure were the first to arrive; whether it was training or a match, they always took the lead.
" Akagi, today's match feels a bit different," Kogure suddenly said as the two walked into the arena.
Akagi snorted. "What's the difference? It doesn't matter who the opponent is; it's a match we have to win anyway."
Kogure shook his head and laughed, "Stop beating around the bush, Akagi, you know what I mean."
As soon as he finished speaking, as if to confirm his words, he looked up and saw the person who had come.
"See, whoever you say comes to life. No wonder you came from our Kitamura Junior High School Basketball Team, your strict self-discipline hasn't changed at all." Kogure said, stopping in his tracks with Akagi.
Approaching them was none other than Tomokazu Godai, the captain of Tsukubu.
Akagi maintained his serious expression, showing no sign of a smile even as Godai approached.
You'd never guess they were teammates.
That's right, Akagi, Kogure, and Tomokazu Godai were all on the Kitamura Junior High School Basketball Team for all three years of junior high.
Everyone was still quite naive back then.
Even Akagi wasn't the dominant " Gorilla " he is now, wreaking havoc in the paint.
During their middle school years, Tomokazu Godai's skill level was similar to Kogure's, and their height and build were also similar, so he could offer Akagi very limited assistance on the court.
From middle school onwards, Takenori Akagi has always been a lonely loser...
Even with considerable skill, it's rare to taste victory.
So back then, the three of them often got together for extra practice.
But everyone has a different personality and completely different goals.
Akagi pushes himself to become stronger and stronger because of the goal in his heart.
Kogure followed Akagi willingly.
But Tomokazu Godai was filled with jealousy.
He was jealous of Akagi's natural physical attributes and his performance on the field.
He made defeating Takenori Akagi his goal.
Even by the time he graduated from junior high school, Godai hadn't accumulated enough experience to rival Akagi.
Upon graduation, Akagi and Kogure invited him to join Shohoku so they could continue playing basketball together and improve together.
But Tomokazu Godai refused.
The reason is simple: he wants to go to a place where there is no Akagi, become strong enough, and then come back to defeat Akagi.
Akagi didn't mince words, replying directly, "You'll never have a chance."
Just one sentence caused the three people who had trained together for three years to go their separate ways.
After entering high school, Tomokazu Godai trained very hard, but his progress was slow.
In contrast, although Shohoku's record was a complete mess, Takenori Akagi's outstanding performance earned him a lot of praise.
The gap between the two actually widened.
During that period, Tomokazu Godai almost gave up playing basketball altogether.
He felt that he might not be cut out for basketball. After all, Takenori Akagi's physique was a gift from God, and no matter how hard he practiced, he probably wouldn't even be able to touch the edge of him. Just thinking about it was quite disheartening.
But at this critical juncture, he encountered a key figure.
The newly Tsukubu coach, Kazumi Kawasaki, took office at this time.
Coach Kawasaki has a keen eye; within a few days, he realized that Godai had potential and was someone who could be developed, so he began to mentor him personally.
As a result, Godai's skills improved rapidly, and the Tsukubu team's performance also improved.
On the Shohoku hand, despite having Akagi as a formidable weapon, Shohoku's team record remained dismal and showed little improvement.