As the Autumn National Athletic Meet approached, it was finally time for training camp.
The training site was set in a scenic resort, surrounded by lush green mountains and clear waters. The environment was pleasant, and it came with a dedicated basketball gym.
Apparently, this was the usual training location for Kanagawa each year.
The selected players arrived one after another.
First came Ryonan.
Sendoh Akira, Uozumi Jun, and Fukuda Kicchou.
Next was Shoyo.
Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru.
Then Kainan.
Maki Shinichi and Jin Soichiro.
Last was Shohoku.
Akagi Takenori, Mitsui Hisashi, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Rukawa Kaede, Aoi Kunisaku, Ayako, and Shimizu Kanon.
Ayako and Shimizu Kanon needed to be mentioned separately.
Initially, the two girls were not part of the lineup.
But for some unknown reason, the two of them were eventually selected as the team managers for this training camp.
It was said that they were personally recommended by Taoka Moichi.
The exact reason remained unclear.
Maybe it was because only Shohoku had a female manager.
Or perhaps there were other considerations.
When the two girls received the notice, they didn't hesitate at all and accepted right away.
When Shohoku's group arrived, they immediately drew everyone's attention.
Of course, most eyes landed on Aoi Kunisaku.
Sendoh: "Finally here, huh."
Maki Shinichi: "Still the same as ever."
Fujima Kenji: "Shohoku's presence is completely different now."
Uozumi Jun: "Akagi..."
Fukuda Kicchou: "..."
Jin Soichiro: "I'm really looking forward to playing alongside them."
Hanagata Toru: "..."
…
In no time, everyone quickly wrapped up what they were doing and headed toward the gym.
Soon, the spacious gym fell silent as the shuffle of feet ceased. Everyone had assembled in an orderly fashion, their expressions filled with focus for the training ahead.
Taoka Moichi and Takato Riki walked side by side to the front of the group, their pace steady and presence imposing. Every step they took carried a sense of weighty expectation.
Ayako and Shimizu Kanon followed lightly behind, backs burdened with heavy medical kits. Their faces were serious, ready to handle any emergency at any time.
Taoka Moichi, being older, was the first to speak.
"Alright, I won't say anything unnecessary. You should all know clearly that this competition is unlike any before. You were once rivals, but from now until the end of the Autumn National Athletic Meet, there's only one role between you—teammates. I hope you keep that in mind."
Takato Riki raised a brow slightly. His sharp gaze swept across each player, eyes gleaming with confidence. He smiled boldly and spoke with a powerful voice.
"This year's Kanagawa team is the strongest lineup we've ever had. We have a great shot at winning it all. I don't think any of you want to get knocked out halfway, right? Like Coach Taoka said, now you're teammates. Whether it's practice or in the actual games, I want you to unite as one and crush every opponent in our way. We've got only one goal—championship."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
Takato Riki and Taoka Moichi exchanged a look.
Taoka Moichi cleared his throat and continued. "Then let's begin the training. But before that—"
He stepped aside, eyes turning to Ayako and Shimizu Kanon. He raised a hand to signal everyone to look over.
"Before we start, let me introduce you to two people we've specially invited."
He gestured first toward Shimizu Kanon, palm open and formal.
"This is the former team manager of Shohoku and current team captain, Shimizu Kanon."
Shimizu Kanon stepped forward in her sneakers. Her white sports jacket swayed lightly with her steps.
She stood tall, bowed deeply to the group, her bangs falling slightly over her eyes, then spoke.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Shimizu Kanon. I look forward to working with you."
As soon as she finished, the gym fell into utter silence.
Though everyone had more or less heard rumors about Shohoku's personnel changes, seeing a girl serve as the captain of a national champion team was still quite a surprise.
They were all curious—what kind of qualifications or abilities could lead to a woman becoming the captain of such a powerhouse team?
Standing beside Akagi Takenori, Uozumi Jun leaned in and lowered his voice. His throat bobbed as he asked, "Akagi… what's going on with your Shohoku?"
Akagi Takenori answered flatly, "This was the unanimous decision of the Shohoku team. She's qualified."
Uozumi Jun looked even more stunned.
He hadn't expected Akagi to speak with such conviction.
He couldn't help glancing a few more times at Shimizu Kanon. His heart felt like it was being scratched by cat claws. The curiosity only deepened—what kind of ability did this girl have, to earn the absolute trust of someone as strict as Akagi?
Others around, who had been eavesdropping, also began thinking the same. Everyone was curious about how Shimizu Kanon could become the captain of a national champion team.
Taoka Moichi noticed the reactions but didn't explain anything. Instead, he raised his hand and motioned for Ayako to come forward, continuing the introduction. "This is Ayako, the team manager of Shohoku."
Ayako briskly tightened her ponytail, stood straight, and bowed deeply. Her tone was sharp and clear. "Nice to meet you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me."
Taoka Moichi then turned to the two girls. "Well then, we're counting on you."
Shimizu Kanon and Ayako exchanged a knowing look and each pulled out thick folders from their backpacks.
The rustle of turning pages echoed as the two weaved through the players, distributing neatly organized documents to each person.
When the final paper was handed out, Shimizu Kanon clapped her hands softly to draw everyone's attention. Then she said, "This is the training plan I put together based on each of your current conditions. I've noted your strengths and weaknesses, and things to pay attention to during training. Please complete it all according to the instructions."
Everyone looked down at the papers in their hands. Shohoku's players were already used to this, but the others stared wide-eyed, their jaws nearly dropping.
The level of detail in these documents was insane.
Height, weight, shooting preferences, drive tendencies—those were standard. But even how many bowls of rice they ate, what drinks they liked, whether they stretched their left or right arm first during warm-ups—everything was written down clearly.
And even more outrageous: someone liked sneaking out for oden at midnight, someone twirled a pen when nervous, and one guy had such thick armpit hair it required regular shaving—yes, that was all listed.
Fujima Kenji stared at the profile on himself and couldn't help saying, "This is insanely detailed. Some of this, I didn't even notice myself."
Maki Shinichi narrowed his eyes at the words on his page, fingertip brushing the edge of the sheet. "So this is one of Shohoku's hidden cards…"
Sendoh Akira widened his eyes and jabbed at a line. "This is too much!"
He could already feel it—playing Shohoku was going to be exhausting. Not only did they have to go against strong players, now they had to beware of monsters like Shimizu Kanon off-court too.
He could already picture the despair on teams' faces when they faced Shohoku.
Uozumi Jun stared at his profile sheet, speechless for a long time.
His life before this suddenly felt so simple, so innocent.
'Akagi… you really are lucky,' Uozumi thought to himself.
Now, everyone finally understood how Shohoku had won the national championship.
It wasn't just about Aoi Kunisaku's freakish strength.
There was also a completely overlooked off-court monster like Shimizu Kanon behind the scenes.
Taoka Moichi and Takato Riki watched the players' reactions closely, exchanging a look filled with meaning.
They'd each been handed full sets of these profiles too.
Takato Riki's expression was layered and complicated as he looked at the information for each player.
His throat moved twice. Then he turned and stared at Taoka Moichi. "You knew about this all along, didn't you?"
Taoka Moichi gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I only noticed a few signs. Shohoku hid her too well. If it hadn't been by chance, I wouldn't have known they were holding such a powerful card."
Takato Riki's eyes deepened. "This isn't just a hidden card. This is a weapon. With someone like her, Shohoku's matches from now on will be a nightmare for their opponents."
He was full of admiration.
This training data that Shimizu Kanon put together had blown him away.
With all his years as a coach, he immediately recognized the extraordinary talent behind it.
He couldn't imagine how someone like this even existed.
It completely shattered his expectations of what was possible.
sigh…
In the end, Takato Riki let out a heavy sigh. His shoulders drooped slightly as he muttered, "Getting old… times really have changed."
Taoka Moichi nodded in agreement.
Then, everyone began moving on with their tasks.
The players started training according to the plans Shimizu Kanon had laid out.
Soon, the gym filled with the sound of bouncing balls and squeaking sneakers.