Shohoku seized the early momentum thanks to Sakuragi Hanamichi's thunderous alley-oop.
Takezono quickly regrouped, running their offense through Oda. Despite being just a freshman, he was already the team's core—trusted by the coach, captain, teammates, and adored by the girls. To them, Oda was Takezono's own Sendoh… albeit a cheaper version.
Facing Sakuragi, who guarded him seriously, Oda's lips curled into a smirk. That dunk was just luck. His defense is full of holes. Stopping me will be child's play.
He sneered, "Sakuragi, you're ten years too early to guard me!"
"What did you say?!" Sakuragi roared. In his mind, Oda had already lost with that earlier dunk, so why was he still acting arrogant?
Oda baited him with a fake drive to the left. Just as planned, Sakuragi lunged in that direction. Smirking, Oda slipped the ball through Sakuragi's legs—nutmeg!
From the bench, Nango twitched. Too flashy…
Oda's speed was impressive for a power forward. In a few strides, he reached the paint and went up for a layup. "Shohoku, watch this!"
"Smack!"
Out of nowhere, Nango came flying in, swatting the shot into the stands.
Coldly, he said, "Didn't you want us to watch your performance? Keep showing off, then."
Originally, Nango had planned to play casually, letting Sakuragi take the spotlight. But humiliating him with a nutmeg? That crossed the line.
For Nango, you could beat your opponent with skill, and even use clever tricks. But to humiliate them—that was unforgivable. From this moment, Oda was his target.
"Damn it…" Oda clenched his fists. Being blocked was one thing, but being mocked afterward burned worse.
Takezono's captain, Daimyo, quickly patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Oda. Well done."
"Yes, Captain."
But the girls in the stands had already made up their minds.
"That number 13 is so mean!"
"Yeah, how dare he bully Oda like that?"
"Barbarian! Jerk! Get out of here!"
The chorus of complaints grew louder, though to Nango—who'd seen far worse atmospheres—it was nothing more than background noise. The rest of Shohoku, however, shuffled awkwardly. None of them wanted to get caught up in Takenozono's cheer squad's wrath.
Unexpectedly, Sakuragi grabbed Nango's arm. His voice was serious. "Don't interfere. This is between me and Oda."
Even in his clumsy way, Sakuragi could tell Nango was trying to help him. But if Nango fought for him, it wouldn't feel like his victory.
Nango smiled faintly. "Sakuragi, the name on the front of the jersey matters more than the one on the back. Don't act on impulse."
"???"
Sakuragi blinked. He spun Nango around once, then snapped, "Our jerseys don't even have names on the back! What are you talking about?"
"…Ah. Then pretend I didn't say anything."
Nearby, Rukawa Kaede sighed. Idiots. Idiocy really is contagious. I need to stay away from them.
The game continued. Takezono inbounded the ball, sending it straight back to Oda. He glanced at Nango, who was staring at him—and even winked.
"This bastard…" Oda gritted his teeth. Nango lingered nearby, close enough to make every move feel like two-on-one defense.
Frustrated, Oda settled for a jumper. Sakuragi fell for his fake, but Oda's shot clanged off the rim. Akagi secured the rebound and immediately passed to Nango, who was already sprinting.
"Attack!" Nango roared.
"Roar!" Sakuragi and Rukawa exploded into Takenozono's half, one left, one right.
Captain Daimyo shouted desperately, "Get back! Stop them!"
But amateur-level basketball always had one weakness: transition defense was slow.
Nango was met by Kenichi Uzaki, number 8, who stretched out a long arm. "You won't get past!"
Nango smoothly swung the ball behind his back and slipped by him as if gliding.
From the bench, Miyagi's eyes widened. "For someone that tall… his dribbling is terrifying."
Another Takezono defender, Yoshihide Miura, rushed to cut him off, but he was a step late. Nango crossed half-court and suddenly launched the ball high toward the rim.
The crowd gasped. Too high! That's a turnover! No one can catch that!
But they forgot about one person.
Sakuragi Hanamichi soared into the air, catching the ball perfectly before hammering it into the basket!
"Thud!"
The dunk rattled the gym. For a few seconds, there was stunned silence.
"W-whoa! Isn't that too much?"
"That redhead… how can he jump that high? Is he a high jumper?!"
"Sakuragi-kun! That was amazing!" Haruko jumped up, overjoyed.
"Haruko, calm down!" Fujii and Matsui quickly pulled her back down, noticing the icy stares from Takezono's girls.
Meanwhile, Sakuragi basked in the glory, grinning from ear to ear. Every pore of his body felt alive. This was what he wanted—to shine in front of Haruko!
He turned to the one who made it possible. "Nango!"
He walked over and raised his hand. Nango smiled and high-fived him.
The Sakuragi Gang nearly fainted.
"Did I just see that?" Takamiya stammered.
"Sakuragi actually… initiated a high-five?" Okusu gripped the railing like the world was ending.
"This is it… the end of the world," Noma muttered.
But Yohei just smiled. "No… this is Sakuragi becoming a real basketball player."
That silenced the group. They should have been happy, but instead, they felt a bittersweet distance—as if Sakuragi was slowly drifting away from them.
Akagi, meanwhile, was deeply impressed. To earn the trust of the whole team in such a short time—even Sakuragi—Nango really is captain material. Maybe more so than me.
The heavy weight on his shoulders eased a little.
On the other end, Oda's face twisted. Once could be luck. Twice? No way. Has he really been practicing? But if I lose to Sakuragi—who just started basketball—it'll be humiliating! I can't lose. I won't lose!
While Oda burned with pride, Daimyo and the coach thought differently.
Both dunks had been by Sakuragi, yes. But the one orchestrating everything… was Shohoku's number 13. How would they deal with him?
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