"That's it! I'm never giving you guys a ride again!!"
Mito screeched to a halt in front of Ryonan High School. As soon as he parked his beloved bike, the Go Go Mito, Takamiya, Ohkusu, and the others jumped off one by one like dumplings rolling out of a pot.
"If my Go Go Mito breaks down, I swear I'll never forgive any of you!!" Mito stuffed his hands into his pockets, clearly annoyed.
Just then, a taxi pulled up at the school gate.
"That's all! Thank you, driver!" Chika jumped out of the car and was surprised to see Mito and his crew already there.
"Ah! Mito-nii?"
"Hey! Chika-chan! Good morning!" Mito and the others waved cheerfully.
"Wait, are you here to watch the game too?" Mito asked curiously.
"Of course! Today is the match between my brother's team and Ryonan High. As a lovely little sister, how could I miss it?" Chika said sweetly, lifting the HD digital video camera in her hands. "Look! I even brought the DV my dad sent from abroad. It has massive storage, so I can record the entire match without worry!"
"Oh? That's awesome!" Mito grinned as he took the DV. "This way we can keep all of Hanamichi's embarrassing moments forever!"
The group laughed loudly, clearly imagining the antics to come.
"Sister Chika, let us help with the filming. It'll be tiring if you're holding this up the whole game."
"Thanks! I'll leave it to you then~" Chika beamed.
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Eh? Chika-chan? Mito-san?"
Everyone turned to see Haruko and her two friends standing there, looking surprised.
"You're all here to cheer for Shohoku too?" Haruko asked.
"Hehe~ Honestly, most of them are here to watch Hanamichi make a fool of himself!" Mito said while flashing a peace sign.
Screeeeech—!!
A loud sound of tires skidding interrupted the conversation. A red car came to a dramatic stop at the school gate, leaving black tire marks on the road.
"Seriously!! Why is there always traffic when I'm in a hurry?!" yelled Aida Yayoi, slamming the car door in frustration.
"I—I don't know either... But at least we made it to Ryonan," said rookie Nakamura, scratching his head awkwardly.
"I swear, from now on I'm just taking a scooter. At least I won't have to deal with parking or traffic..."
Then, she spotted Chika.
"Eh? Chika?"
Chika waved cheerfully.
"Mito-san, who's this beautiful lady?" Mito asked curiously.
"She's Yayoi Aida, the editor-in-chief of Weekly Basketball. She's probably here to gather material for an article," Chika replied.
"Weekly Basketball? I love reading that!" Haruko gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
The group chatted merrily as they made their way to the second-floor stands of Ryonan's spacious gymnasium.
"Wow... Is this really Ryonan High's gym? It's so much bigger than Shohoku's! Even the hoops look new!" Haruko exclaimed in awe.
"Well, Ryonan is one of the top four teams in the prefecture," Chika explained. "So it's natural their school would invest in the facilities."
Chika's gaze drifted across the court and landed on a few girls wearing Shohoku uniforms.
"That's odd. Who are they?"
Haruko followed Chika's line of sight. The three girls dropped their bags on the floor and spun around like they were on stage. In a flash, they changed into cheerleading uniforms. Headbands tied around their foreheads read I LOVE Rukawa in bold letters.
"Alright, as the official Kaede Rukawa Fan Club, we must give our all to cheer for Master Rukawa!"
"Yeah!!"
The girls responded with passion, then began doing high kicks while chanting, "Rukawa! Rukawa! LOVE Rukawa!"
"Why are they here too..." Mito muttered as everyone else sighed in frustration.
Bang!
The door to the locker room opened, and the Shohoku basketball team strode out in their red uniforms.
"Ahhh! Brother, you look amazing!!" Chika waved both hands like a windmill.
"Hey! Hanamichi, you actually got a team uniform? I figured you didn't even own any clothes!" Mito cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.
Sakuragi's forehead twitched in irritation, but as soon as he spotted Haruko, he immediately softened and smiled like a goof.
"Haruko-chan~ You came to cheer for this genius too, right!? Just watch—I'm about to hit the court and crush Ryonan!!"
He was about to dash into the game when Oliver quickly stopped him.
"Idiot! Did you forget what Coach Anzai told us? We're not playing yet!"
"Oh... right."
Pouting, Sakuragi and Oliver slumped onto the bench.
---
Fifteen minutes earlier, in Ryonan's locker room...
"Now, we'll announce today's starting lineup and distribute uniforms," Coach Anzai said slowly and calmly.
"Oh! Uniforms! Give me mine! This genius is ready to shine!" Sakuragi leaped to his feet, only to be shoved back down by Akagi.
"Center—Akagi."
"Yes!" Akagi took a step forward.
"Uniform No. 4."
Coach Anzai handed him the jersey.
"My turn must be coming soon!" Sakuragi rubbed his hands eagerly.
"Small forward—Kogure. Number 5."
"Yes, sir!" Kogure stepped up and respectfully accepted the uniform.
"Not bad, Mr. Glasses! You're still not as talented as me, but at least you made it!" Sakuragi gave Kogure a heavy slap on the back.
"Power forward—Kaede Rukawa. Number 10."
"Mm."
Rukawa silently took the jersey.
"Hmph! So even Rukawa got a uniform... Doesn't matter. This genius will outshine him in no time!"
"Shooting guard—Shiozaki. Number 8."
"Me?" Shiozaki blinked, surprised.
"Point guard—Yasuda. Number 6."
…Silence.
Everyone turned toward Coach Anzai, stunned.
Sakuragi didn't make the starting five.
Neither did Oliver.
"WHAT!? WHY!?"
Sakuragi roared and stormed over to Coach Anzai, slapping his double chin dramatically.
Wham!
Akagi's iron fist landed instantly, knocking Sakuragi to the floor. Still, Akagi voiced his concern.
"Coach, why isn't Oliver starting? He's one of our top players!"
"Haha... Relax, everyone." Coach Anzai waved his hand calmly and looked at Oliver.
"Oliver, your biggest weakness right now... is stamina. Am I wrong?"
Oliver's eyes widened in surprise.
Coach Anzai had seen right through him—even though he'd only watched one practice match.
"You're right. I'm not great at long games," Oliver admitted.
"It's not that I don't want you to play. I just want you to play when you'll be most effective," the coach said, smiling.
"Oliver, the second half is yours."
Ah.
It clicked.
Coach Anzai planned to save Oliver for the second half—when the team might be trailing—and use his burst energy to turn the tide.
It was a perfect strategy.
"Understood. I'm ready when the time comes," Oliver nodded firmly.
Sakuragi, still sulking beside him, jumped up again.
"What about me!? What about my time!?"
"Haha... Sakuragi, you're our secret weapon. When the moment comes, you'll be unleashed."
"Secret weapon!? That's so cool! Awesome, awesome!!"
"I want a uniform too! And make sure my number is before Rukawa's!!"
"Big idiot," Rukawa muttered.
"What did you say!?"
"Okay, okay! Calm down!" Kogure intervened before another fight broke out.
---
In the end, both Sakuragi and Oliver received team jerseys.
Sakuragi Hanamichi—Number 10.
Oliver—Number 15.
Fun fact: Sakuragi snatched someone else's uniform, bumping Rukawa's number to 11.
With tactics assigned and roles clear, Oliver and Sakuragi sat on the bench while Akagi and the rest of the starting five stepped onto the court.
The much-anticipated practice match between Shohoku and Ryonan was about to begin!
Let the battle commence!
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