Nango's reasoning—backed by "motive, witnesses, and evidence"—was flawless on paper, yet Kogure still couldn't bring himself to decide. He hesitated, torn between fear of consequences and the chaos in front of him.
Rukawa, silent as always, stepped forward. "Senpai… I think Nango has a point."
Because Rukawa rarely spoke, his words carried weight. Everyone turned to look.
Good brother! Loyal! Nango gave him a mental thumbs-up.
Even Sakuragi's opinion shifted. He had thought Nango was just another arrogant guy, but this cunning side… he liked it. Finally, an excuse to swing his fists.
Sakuragi clamped an arm around Kogure's neck. "Glasses Guy! We're helping the school, clearing out outsiders, keeping the campus safe! No problem at all!"
"S-Sakuragi… let me go first!" Kogure gasped, struggling for air.
Meanwhile, Nango turned to Tetsuo, who was still frozen in shock. "Hey, what are you standing there for?"
Tetsuo blinked, thrown off by the reversal. "Who the hell are you talking to?"
Nango grinned. "Haruko! Shut the door! Don't let these guys escape!"
"Eh?!" Haruko froze, wide-eyed. The thugs also stared in disbelief. Escape? Are we vegetables to you?!
Nango pointed like a commander. "Sakuragi! Rukawa! Miyagi! Go."
"Heh, about time!" Sakuragi cracked his knuckles, grinning from ear to ear.
"Finish it fast. I need to practice," Rukawa muttered, already stepping forward.
The delinquents rushed.
Tetsuo, fists like sandbags, barreled at Nango. The others charged Shohoku's players.
Wham!
Nango's kick sent Tetsuo staggering back. "And who said you deserve the name Tetsuo?"
Tetsuo was big, about Sakuragi's size, but against Nango's 192 cm, 90 kg frame, he was outclassed. Each hit landed heavy, and Nango's taunts only made it worse.
Nearby, Rukawa floored the scrawny Ryu with one clean strike.
"Ryu!" his cronies cried.
"Ryu what Ryu?" Miyagi sneered. "That stick's so skinny he needs milk before bed!" Fired up by Nango's example, Miyagi joined in, venting his anger with gusto.
Nango added fuel to the fire. "No running! Tie them all up and hand them over to the school later!"
"You bastard!" Tetsuo roared, but another blow sent him crashing down.
Nango loomed over him, voice booming. "No one ever taught you not to mess with athletes? Fine—I'll teach you."
From the sidelines, Haruko and the others trembled. So this is how Nango, Sakuragi, and Rukawa fight? Terrifying…
When the dust settled, Mitsui and his gang were beaten, sprawled across the gym floor.
Nango crouched beside Ad, who had just regained consciousness. "Hey, do you know what you did wrong?"
Ad lowered his head, groaning. "We… shouldn't have messed with the Basketball Team."
Mitsui snapped. "Pathetic! What do you think we are, huh?!"
Nango tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hmm… punching bags that deliver themselves?"
"You—!" Mitsui's face turned red with fury.
"Hahaha! One more word and I'll shove a sock in your mouth," Nango cut him off.
He then called toward the door. "Miss Haruko! Please fetch the sports teacher and Coach Anzai. We'll keep an eye on these guys."
"R-Right!" Haruko and the others bolted out.
At the mention of Coach Anzai's name, Mitsui's body trembled. He lowered his head, hiding behind his hair.
Nango's sharp eyes caught it. "If you knew this would happen, you shouldn't have started it."
Looking over the defeated delinquents, Nango felt smug. Picking a fight with athletes? That's like a thief targeting a sports academy—it's suicide.
Since Miyagi's return, Nango had thought hard about how to handle Mitsui's intrusion. Then it hit him—Coach Anzai. A former national player, respected throughout Japan. With Anzai's reputation, even a brawl could be smoothed over with a single word. What seemed catastrophic to Kogure was, in truth, a minor incident.
As long as Anzai's standing wasn't tarnished, the problem was solvable. And thanks to Mitsui foolishly dragging outsiders in, Nango could spin it into an external threat rather than internal strife.
Crisis averted.
As for Mitsui's future, Nango didn't bother protecting him. Whether he returned to the team or not didn't matter. Shohoku would rise under his leadership regardless. Still, if Mitsui came back, the team's firepower would only grow.
The only real victim? Poor Noma Chuichiro. By the time the Sakuragi Gang showed up, the fight was already over.
"Did I get beaten for nothing?!" Noma wailed, realizing he'd suffered without even a chance for revenge.
What had dragged on for an entire afternoon in the original story ended in less than thirty minutes—all thanks to Nango's scheming.
After tying up loose ends, Shohoku simply patched themselves up, grabbed some medical supplies, and… went back to practice. Business as usual.
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