"See you in the university league, Godai!"
"Must!"
After all the players had left the field, Tomokazu Godai was still standing at the entrance to the players' tunnel, staring blankly at the empty stadium and the Tsukubu team name.
Kazumi Kawasaki walked up to him.
"Only with farewells can there be new beginnings."
" Godai, you're an excellent player. I wasn't lying to you this time."
Tomokazu Godai smiled.
"Coach, this time I truly believe it."
In the stadium lobby, Kenji Fujima and Hanagata, who were leaving the court, ran into Shinichi Maki and Soichiro Jin.
The four of them met briefly. Last year in the county tournament, Shinichi Maki led Kainan to victory against Fujima's Shoyo, and the two teams went on to the national tournament as champions and runners-up.
It's a pity we couldn't meet again in the national competition.
Fujima was injured during the round of 16 match against Toyotama, leaving Shoyo without their core player, and ultimately they were eliminated in the round of 16.
The topic of Fujima's injury remained a subject of much discussion, and in the end, the word "if" was added before Fujima's name.
Kainan did make it into the national top four, but they are still a bit far from winning the championship.
Both teams are eager to go further in the national competition this year.
Of course, they also see each other as potential rivals in the national competition.
After all, back in Kanagawa, no one could stop the two of them.
But this year, things seem a little different.
With the composure of a victor, Shinichi Maki spoke first.
"How's your injury, Fujima? The quarterfinals are just around the corner."
Fujima's face remained expressionless; he knew, of course, that Shinichi Maki wasn't concerned about his injuries.
This is a roundabout way of saying that I'm referring to Shohoku.
The meaning is clear: Shohoku is very likely to defeat you.
" Maki, you should take better care of yourself. I'll beat you this year."
Shinichi Maki smiled faintly.
"You can say those things when you get to the semifinals. You've seen it yourself, Shohoku is really pushing themselves this year."
Fujima gave a soft snort.
" Shohoku and you are the same."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Hanagata nodded to the two of them and then left.
Soichiro Jin smiled helplessly.
" Fujima really has the aura of a coach."
" Maki, who do you think will advance, Shohoku or Shoyo?"
Shinichi Maki's face was full of confidence.
It doesn't matter who advances.
At the same time, at the Ryonan High School gymnasium.
I've lost count of how many days Kaede Rukawa has skipped class...
Ever since he left the team midway through the game between Shohoku and Miuradai, he has practically lived in Ryonan's basketball gym.
During the day, I practice with the whole team, and after that, I have to practice extra until late at night.
Even a training fanatic like Moichi Taoka couldn't stand it anymore and advised him to take a break.
But Kaede Rukawa wouldn't listen at all. Watching himself grow stronger little by little every day was more important to him than anything else.
Another ball went into the net. Kaede Rukawa was already soaked in sweat.
The reason he's working so hard is, of course, Shirasawa.
Every outburst from Shirasawa felt like a stone pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.
The thought of defeating Shirasawa burned ever brighter in his heart.
He was even starting to get impatient...
Shohoku locker room.
After the match, Sanae, as usual, came to the locker room to arrange media interviews.
Shohoku successfully advanced to the top eight in the prefecture today, naturally generating a lot of news and discussion.
The most crucial match, without a doubt, is the upcoming game against Shoyo.
Before the start of this year's county tournament, Shoyo was the absolute favorite to win the championship.
Last year, Kenji Fujima already demonstrated an exceptional level of skill, only losing to Kainan in the semifinals of the tournament and taking second place.
However, Shoyo faced a significant disadvantage last year: internal conflicts.
The head coach and the school administration were at odds, which directly led to turmoil in the basketball team, and on many occasions even normal training could not be guaranteed.
At that time, some of the third-year players on the team were also disheartened.
It was under those circumstances that Fujima single-handedly carried the team.
With his exceptional personal skills, he led the team forward.
In some matches, the coach couldn't come for various reasons, so Fujima stepped in himself.
He works as a player while also taking on the role of a coach.
Despite their bumpy journey, Shoyo managed to secure second place in the prefectural tournament. Later, after the national tournament, these events came to light, and everyone realized just how difficult things had been for them. Without those internal conflicts, it's hard to say how far Fujima and Shoyo could have gone.
However, the situation is different this year. The third-year students left the team, and the players from the same year as Fujima became the core members, finally stabilizing the team. Fujima also rightfully became a player-coach. As a result, Shoyo was naturally favored by the outside world.
But then, Shohoku suddenly emerged from nowhere, beating everyone they encountered in the group stage. Shirasawa was even more outrageous, becoming Kanagawa's most popular star as a rookie. The media swarmed to report on it, and Shohoku's popularity quickly surpassed that of Shoyo, making them the favorite to win the championship—or more accurately, the number one challenger to Kainan.
So right now, all the news is focused on the rivalry between Shohoku and Shoyo. But honestly, the media is hoping Shohoku wins. Shohoku is on fire right now, and if they beat Shoyo, the buzz will be incredible. Conversely, if Shoyo wins, wouldn't all those articles praising Shohoku be a slap in the face?
A quarter-finalist team has been hyped up for a whole month, which is laughable. Even if Shoyo wins, they'll at most be considered "well-deserved," which isn't anything special. The media is essentially gambling, betting on Shohoku to win, because if they do, everyone will have a job.
So tomorrow's newspapers and magazines probably won't be too kind to Shoyo... but that's all directed at the team. Although Shirasawa and Shohoku are tied together, they're each doing their own thing. Sanae's job as their agent hasn't been in vain; she's managed to elevate Shirasawa to a level of commercial value that most players don't get.
Regardless of Shohoku's final result, as long as Shirasawa doesn't underperform, the media will still be happy to praise him. When asked about his opinion on the Shoyo game today, Shirasawa answered very decisively.
We're sure to win.
Well, that's just adding fuel to the fire for the media. But among the reporters who came today, there was still no one from " Basketball Weekly ". It's partly because Shohoku doesn't like them, and partly because they're waiting—waiting for Shohoku to lose to Shoyo.
At that point, this industry leader can casually declare, "News not only needs to be fast, but also forward-looking." All previous negative impacts can be wiped clean, and its position might even be more secure.
After the interview, Coach Anzai gave a few brief instructions and then dismissed the team. He told everyone to have a good rest for the day, and to train as usual the next day to prepare for the quarterfinals.
Shirasawa encountered a happy dilemma. Sanae and Ayako had made plans to go to the gym together, and insisted on dragging him along, calling him their "protector." Shirasawa agreed without even thinking...
Two women with amazing figures, wearing tight sports vests and yoga pants, are straddling you – isn't that blissful? As for troubles, they're probably just not having enough eyes to see them all.
Hanamichi Sakuragi also had his share of good things to do. He really stole the show today, even upgrading his own title, constantly referring to himself as " Hanamichi Sakuragi, the genius Rebound King "... He bragged about it in the locker room for ages, and even Akagi didn't get angry, letting him run wild all day.
Sakuragi originally wanted to drag Shirasawa to play pachinko, but Shirasawa was "too eager to refuse"... so Sakuragi went by himself, but his mood wasn't affected at all. As soon as the team disbanded, he hummed a little tune as he walked out.
When a person is lucky, everything goes smoothly. As soon as he stepped out of the locker room, Sakuragi saw the person who made his heart rate instantly soar to two hundred.
"Leaf... Yoko?"
That's right, it's Yoko Shimamura. She finally appeared in front of Sakuragi today. After the game, Yoko lingered in her seat for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to come over. But when they actually met, she was so nervous that her fingernails almost dug into her palms.
From the time Shohoku played against Miuradai, Yoko came to every game, secretly watching Sakuragi. She couldn't quite explain her feelings for Sakuragi, but it all started when Sakuragi fought for her and Oda. The reason she was standing here today was because Sakuragi was injured during the game—which finally gave her a plausible reason.
Sakuragi froze for a second, then ran happily to Yoko. His face flushed red without him realizing it; he was more nervous than ever. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, so he just stood there scratching his head and grinning foolishly.
Yoko shyly raised her head, her watery eyes looking at the wound at the corner of Sakuragi's eye.
" Sakuragi, is your injury... alright?"
Hanamichi Sakuragi felt his heart was about to jump out of his throat; his joy was impossible to hide and was written all over his face.
" Yoko... are you worried about me?"
Sakuragi's direct question made Yoko's cheeks flush instantly. She nodded gently and said in a soft voice, "I saw you go back on the field later, and I was worried your wound would reopen, so..."
One of them scratched his head and grinned foolishly, while the other lowered his head and pursed his Miyagi. The atmosphere was both sweet and bittersweet, making Miyagi, who was pretending to tie his shoelaces not far away, shake his head. He had very sharp ears and heard every word of the conversation. He was mentally cursing Sakuragi for being such an idiot, completely forgetting how he had acted when he confessed his feelings.
Hanamichi Sakuragi finally grasped the key point, his eyes lighting up. " Yoko! You really have been watching every one of my games, haven't you?"
These words directly exposed Yoko's innermost thoughts. She nervously bit her lip, but quickly relaxed her shoulders and looked up at Sakuragi earnestly. "Hmm... Sakuragi, you're really amazing."
Early the next morning.
"I never expected that even an iron tree like Sakuragi could bloom."
"Exactly, I still think he's bragging."
"Sigh... Is Sakuragi's record of heartbreak really coming to an end? It feels a little strange..."
Takamiya and Okusu walked along, sighing with admiration, while Yohei Mito silent with a smile, though he had already noticed something amiss.
Hanamichi Sakuragi's mouth was agape all morning; he was in a daze, his mind filled with Yoko. Actually, the two of them hadn't really said anything yesterday. Yoko had only admitted to watching him play basketball, being happy for him, and saying she would continue to come and cheer him on. But for Sakuragi, that was enough to make him ecstatic for days.