Night had fallen over Shohoku High School.
The campus was quiet, with only occasional echoes coming from the gymnasium.
Most of the players had already gone home. Only the captain and vice-captain Hisashi Mitsui and Ryota Miyagi were still inside, continuing their practice.
Kaede Rukawa had been the third-to-last to leave.
He didn't really understand why the atmosphere felt strange today, but he also didn't care enough to think about it. After finishing his practice, he simply changed clothes and headed home.
"Phew…"
Miyagi picked up his jersey from the floor and wiped the sweat off his body. Then he glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was getting late.
He turned toward Mitsui and asked,
"Mitsui, are you still practicing? It's getting pretty late."
Mitsui, who was also shirtless, didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he shot the basketball in his hands. The ball spun around the rim a few times before finally dropping through the net.
Only then did he turn around.
"You go ahead," he said calmly. "I'll lock up the gym later. I'm going to practice a little longer."
"Alright… I'll head out then."
Miyagi draped his clothes over his shoulder and walked toward the door.
But after only a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
For some reason, he turned around and walked back.
Mitsui picked up another ball and shot again, looking puzzled.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you were leaving?"
Miyagi scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled.
"I guess… I'll practice a bit longer too."
Mitsui smiled.
"Alright. Then we'll leave together later."
The two of them stood on the same half-court, quietly shooting basket after basket.
The rhythm of the bouncing ball echoed through the empty gym.
After a while, Miyagi suddenly spoke.
"Even though I was mentally prepared… being captain is really harder than I imagined."
Mitsui froze slightly.
He held the basketball in his hands instead of shooting again and sighed.
"Yeah… especially when the team has so many talented players."
Miyagi looked surprised.
"Mitsui, are you troubled by that too?"
Mitsui rubbed the surface of the ball thoughtfully.
"Yeah."
He paused before continuing.
"Last week, during the game against Shoyo… I confidently told Nango to trust us more."
"But after that, my own performance wasn't very impressive either."
Miyagi fell silent.
After a moment, he admitted quietly,
"My performance wasn't great either."
Mitsui shook his head.
"You did much better than me. That steal you made was basically the game-winning play."
Mitsui sat down on the floor.
Seeing this, Miyagi sat down as well. The two faced each other as they talked.
"It was just luck," Miyagi said. "Even if I hadn't stolen the ball, we still would've won in the end."
"After all… Nango was there."
Mitsui gave a bitter smile.
"Yeah… Nango alone is enough."
"He's skilled, physically gifted, gets good grades… and he even has a beautiful girlfriend."
"…"
That last sentence dealt critical damage.
Miyagi took a long moment to recover.
Mitsui continued with a self-deprecating laugh.
"How could someone like him need a useless senpai like me telling him what to do?"
"That's really embarrassing…"
He shook his head and stood up, giving up on further practice.
"Let's go. Time to head home."
Meanwhile…
"Ah! He just got back. I'll hand him the phone right away. Please wait a moment."
Mrs. Taoka put down the phone and called for her husband.
Kenta Taoka had just returned home from practice with the Ryonan High School Basketball Team.
Their training schedule was always intense, so it was normal for him to come home this late.
"Taoka-senpai, this is Coach Takato. Sorry for calling so late."
As soon as he heard the voice of Riki Takato, Taoka's brows immediately furrowed.
"Calling this late… what do you want?"
Takato didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"Have you heard about Akagi's retirement?"
"Yeah," Taoka replied. "I only found out recently."
He held the receiver between his shoulder and ear while gesturing to his wife that he wouldn't be eating a late-night snack.
For a moment, neither side spoke.
Taoka already understood the other man's intention.
He simply waited for Takato to bring it up first.
Finally, Takato said,
"Since Akagi retired, a center position has opened up. Why don't we let Takasago from our team take that spot?"
Just as I expected…
Taoka smiled faintly.
"I believe the position should go to someone with better chemistry with the team. Therefore, I recommend Sugadaira from our school. He has played alongside Uozumi and Sendo for more than a year."
Takato's voice turned colder.
"I disagree. Chemistry can be developed, but individual strength can't be built overnight."
And so, the two coaches began arguing back and forth.
They were fighting for the final spot on the Kanagawa Prefecture representative team for the National Sports Festival.
Just like in the original storyline of Slam Dunk, the coaches of the Kanagawa selection team would be these two.
Naturally, achieving good results for Kanagawa was their responsibility.
But both coaches also had their own motives.
They wanted to use the tournament as a training ground for their players.
There was still a long time before the Winter Tournament.
During this period, teams rarely played practice games.
Weak opponents offered little training value, while strong teams were unwilling to reveal their strength to future rivals.
That was why the National Sports Festival was so important.
It allowed players to stay in competitive form and also gain experience by playing alongside other outstanding athletes.
Which made that final roster spot extremely valuable.
Both coaches wanted to secure it for their own disciple.
On the road home…
Mitsui suddenly shouted in frustration.
"Why did I ever become a delinquent?! I must have been an idiot!"
Miyagi glanced at him and tried to comfort him.
"Senpai, there's no point regretting the past. That's already over."
"I know that!" Mitsui snapped.
"But I still can't accept it! Damn it! If only I didn't have that blank period!"
Once upon a time, Mitsui had also been a prodigy.
If he had never wasted those years, perhaps he might have become the true "Star of Kanagawa."
Now that he had rediscovered his love for basketball, the regret only felt stronger.
Miyagi suddenly sighed.
"If only I were taller…"
He looked up at the night sky as if praying to every god in existence.
Mitsui couldn't help but respond,
"Height is something you're born with."
"Thanks for the explanation," Miyagi replied through gritted teeth.
Mitsui laughed.
The teasing improved his mood slightly.
Soon, the two arrived at a crossroads.
"I'm going this way," Mitsui said.
"Yeah. I'm going the other way."
Their homes were in completely opposite directions.
"See you tomorrow then," Mitsui said, waving casually.
"See you tomorrow."
Miyagi turned and began walking away.
After a few steps, Mitsui suddenly called out again.
"Miyagi! Are you practicing tomorrow?"
Miyagi didn't turn around.
He simply raised his right hand and made an OK gesture.
"That brat… couldn't even say a word."
Mitsui smiled faintly.
Then he turned and continued walking home.