The Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament ended amid cheers and laughter. In just over a month, the long-awaited National Tournament would begin. Shohoku High and Ryonan High, the two representatives of Kanagawa, were already sharpening their skills, preparing for the battles to come.
The next morning at Shohoku, the classrooms were alive with their usual pre-reading routine when, unexpectedly, the school broadcast—usually ignored like background noise—crackled to life.
"Hello, hello… Before we begin today's morning reading, let's congratulate the members of the basketball club and the judo club. Both bravely won their championships yesterday! We wish them continued success in the upcoming National Tournament, bringing glory to Shohoku High!"
As if to drill the point in, the announcement repeated three times in succession.
"The basketball team? Really?"
"Didn't they always get eliminated in the first round before?"
"They actually won the championship this year? No way!"
Classes that hadn't heard the news until now buzzed with excitement.
The judo club, led by Aota Tatsuhiko, had always been strong, so their victory wasn't surprising. But the basketball team? For years they'd been written off as mediocre, yet here they were, bringing home the title. No wonder the school broadcast made such a fuss.
In classes where the players were present, the reaction was less shock and more playful teasing—though this time with a good dose of envy.
Meanwhile, in the teachers' office, the school's portly principal waddled in, a rare sight. He approached the row of PE instructors with an uncharacteristic smile plastered across his face.
"Coach Anzai," the principal said with exaggerated warmth, "it must have been a tremendous effort to lead the basketball team to the championship."
"Ho ho ho… Not at all," Anzai replied in his usual kindly tone. "The credit belongs to the players."
"Ah, Coach, don't be so modest. This is your achievement!" the principal insisted. "In fact, with the basketball team performing so brilliantly, if there's anything you need, the school will fully support you." He thumped his chest, puffed with resolve.
Though he didn't understand basketball well, the principal certainly recognized a golden opportunity to promote the school's name.
Anzai chuckled softly, then said, "Well… there is a small request."
Later that afternoon, Shohoku's players were back on the court, already in training gear.
"Why are we practicing again today? Don't we deserve a break?!" Sakuragi whined loudly—again.
He was immediately silenced by Akagi's roar.
"Idiot! This is no time to relax! The National Tournament starts in just over a month. Our opponents will be the best in the country. If we let our guard down, we could be eliminated in the first round! The praise we received yesterday would turn into tomorrow's ridicule. Our goal is to dominate the nation! Remember that!"
With Akagi's iron words hanging in the air, no one dared protest.
But there was something different about today's practice—the crowd. Curious students crowded around the gym, eager to glimpse the team that had suddenly become the pride of Shohoku.
Among them were Kawai Mari from the journalism club and her two assistants, cameras in hand.
The attention rattled some players, who even fumbled routine drills. But others… thrived.
"Bang!"
"Woooah!"
"Bang!"
"Incredible!"
"Bang!"
"Oh my god!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi put on a one-man dunk show, rattling the rim again and again as the crowd erupted.
"Yeah, that's what a champion looks like!" someone shouted.
"Do it again, Sakuragi!"
Haruko cheered from the sidelines. "That was amazing, Sakuragi-kun!"
"Heh heh… Miss Haruko, for me, the Slam Dunk King, this is child's play!" Sakuragi preened, ready to go again—
"Thwack!"
Akagi's iron fist slammed down on his skull. "You idiot! Stop showing off and get ready to train!"
Sakuragi rubbed his head, muttering bitterly, "Damn Gorilla, always embarrassing me in front of everyone…"
Rukawa, unusually, didn't even bother to snipe back. He was already lost in his warm-up.
Kogure chuckled. "At least Sakuragi's motivated today."
"Tch. He just wants attention," Mitsui muttered flatly.
"Gather!" Akagi's command cut through the noise, and training resumed as normal. The crowd thinned, leaving only Mari and her assistants filming diligently.
During a break, Nango approached Akagi.
"Ryokufu High?" Akagi frowned. "They have a basketball team? Never heard of them. Isn't that Kano's school?"
"Yeah," Nango nodded. "The club was just founded this year, so they didn't enter the Prefectural Tournament. But they'll be competing in the Winter Tournament."
Akagi didn't look impressed. "Then a practice match with them doesn't sound very useful."
Nango smirked. "Normally, you'd be right. But Ryokufu's team is built from top players recruited nationwide. And… they sent one of their guys to train in the U.S. Rumor is, he even caught the NBA's eye. He just got back."
Akagi froze. NBA.
No true basketball fanatic could ignore those three letters.
"…Fine. We'll test them." Akagi's tone was calm, but the fire in his eyes gave him away.
Before he could say more, Mari stepped forward, purple lipstick shining. "Excuse me, Nango. Could we get an interview?"
"Hmm? Sure, but let's keep it short. I still need to train." Nango scratched his head, amused—this was the first time in either of his lives that someone had wanted to interview him.
"It'll be quick if you cooperate," Mari said playfully.
Akagi called out, "Nango—"
Nango cut him off with a grin. "Don't worry, Captain. It won't take long."
"Why him?!" Sakuragi exploded. "Why not me?!"
"Because he was MVP and Best Five," Miyagi muttered.
Sakuragi froze, seething silently. One day… I'll take them all!
Mari raised the microphone. "First off, congratulations on being named to the Best Five and winning MVP of the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament. How does it feel?"
Nango thought for a moment, then answered steadily. "Basketball is a five-man game. Even though I received those awards, it wouldn't have been possible without my teammates' efforts. I'm grateful to them all."
Mari blinked in surprise. His answer sounded like something straight from a sports broadcast.
She quickly followed up. "So, what's your next goal?"
Nango smiled and pointed toward the gym wall.
The cameraman panned over, revealing the bold calligraphy written by Ayako: Dominate the Nation!
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