Miyagi checked in for Nango, and the rest of the game was handed over to him.
Even though Miyagi wanted to compete with Mitsui for a starting spot, he knew this match wouldn't mean much—Takezono was simply too weak to be a proper benchmark.
The moment Nango stepped off the court, the Takezono girls unleashed their last venom. They glared at him with tearful resentment, jeering as if that could hurt him.
Nango just shrugged.
"Ah… being invincible really is lonely."
His casual tone only enraged them further. Of all the players they had ever seen, Shohoku's No. 13 was the most hateful—not only ruthless on the court, but also completely immune to their heckling.
"Achoo!" Nango rubbed his nose and smirked. They must really hate me right now. Well, it can't be helped—it's a game.
Coach Hayama, seeing Nango subbed out, also replaced his starters with reserves. But instead of gaining experience, the subs looked like lambs being led to the slaughter.
"Nango, come sit here," Coach Anzai called.
Nango immediately obeyed and took the seat beside him.
"In a game, you must respect your opponents," Coach Anzai said calmly. "Don't do that again."
Nango blinked, surprised. "Ah… I see. That was a bit much. It won't happen again. Thank you, Coach."
To him, Anzai always seemed to be teaching lessons beyond basketball—about life itself. Nango couldn't help but wonder, Am I… a bad person?
The game ended to the sound of Takenozono girls sobbing in the stands.
Final score: 92–47.
After both teams rotated in reserves, Takezono managed to close the gap slightly, sparing themselves from total humiliation.
Shohoku's box score told the story:
Rukawa Kaede: 14 points
Mitsui: 12 points
Akagi: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks
Sakuragi Hanamichi: a shocking 20 points, 16 rebounds, 1 block
The two big men, Akagi and Sakuragi, dominated the paint, freeing up the perimeter for Mitsui and Rukawa.
And then there was Nango: just 8 points and 5 rebounds, but an astounding 21 assists—all while barely breaking a sweat.
Coach Hayama shook hands with Coach Anzai, then hurried off to tend to his crushed players. He deeply regretted scheduling this scrimmage. His plan had been to use underdog Shohoku as a warm-up and confidence boost before the Prefectural Tournament. Instead, his team left in shambles. Now, saving their morale would be a battle in itself.
As Nango watched Takezono's players drag themselves away, he silently cheered them on: Be strong. After all… you still have many more losses ahead of you.
Realistically, their roster was even weaker than Shohoku's had been two years ago. At least back then, Akagi was already one of the top three centers in Kanagawa. Takezono had no such anchor. Unless some miracle newcomers appeared, their fate was set.
The next morning, before Nango even entered the school building, Sakuragi's booming laughter echoed down the hallway.
Surrounded by his loyal "Sakuragi Army," he strutted proudly.
"What's going on with Sakuragi?"
"Haven't you heard? The basketball team won yesterday, and he played amazing—scored a ton of points!"
"No way?! Him? That good?"
"Yeah! That's why he's all fired up."
Everywhere he went, whispers followed. Sakuragi soaked it in, grinning wider with each passing comment.
Then—
"Sakuragi!"
A clear, sweet voice rang out.
"Haruko!" Sakuragi spun instantly, homing in on the source.
Haruko, smiling brightly, ran up. "Sakuragi, you were incredible yesterday! You played wonderfully!"
"Is that so? Hehehehe…" Sakuragi scratched his head, suddenly shy and bashful, his heart soaring.
Only in front of Haruko could the self-proclaimed genius act so modest.
Nango, watching from a distance, smiled faintly as he walked into the classroom.
"Youth really is something…"
Name: Nango Koichiro
Age: 15
Weight: 89 kg
Environment: Japanese High School League
Abilities
Layup: 83
Mid-range Shot: 80
Three-point Shot: 70
Dribbling: 87
Passing: 84
Potential (Current / Max)
Height: 192 / 196
Wingspan: 199 / 206
Strength: 66 / 75
Agility: 63 / 80
Speed: 69 / 85
Jumping: 73 / 85
Jump Speed: 78 / 85
Stamina: 74 / 80
Potential Points: 0
Bonus Money: 0
Overall Rating:Ruthless against weak opponents
Since joining the team, Nango's stats had climbed rapidly. Yet he wondered—what was the true limit of ability and potential? Was it capped at 99, 100… or was there no ceiling at all?
If there's no limit… just how strong could I become?
Still, that was a question for the future. For now, his days were simple: basketball and weight training, again and again.
That evening, after practice, Nango pulled Sakuragi aside for extra drills. Out of pride, Rukawa stayed too.
With Sakuragi riding high from yesterday's performance, he surprisingly didn't bicker much with Rukawa. For once, he even thought, This guy isn't all that special.
Seizing the chance, Nango had them run small plays and coordination drills.
Afterward, his stomach growled.
"Rukawa, want to grab something to eat before heading back? My treat."
Rukawa opened the gym door and yawned. "No. Going home to sleep."
"Alright, see you tomorrow. Sakuragi, how about you?"
"Oh, oh! Let's go for ramen! There's this great shop, I'll show you!"
"Ramen it is, then."
Inside the shop, Nango watched in disbelief as bowl after bowl disappeared into Sakuragi.
"Uh… Sakuragi… are you finished? Want another bowl…?"
Sakuragi patted his bloated stomach, letting out a huge burp. "Ahhh, full! Thanks for the treat, Nango."
Nango forced a smile at the mountain of empty bowls.
"You're welcome… I did keep you training late, so… yeah."
By the end, Sakuragi was practically glowing, and Nango… well, Nango's wallet was crying.
Sakuragi slapped him on the shoulder warmly.
"Nango, you're such a straightforward person!"
Nango nearly choked.
Me? Straightforward? You're the one who just ate half the shop! Are you Naruto? Luffy? Goku?!
Too tired to complain, he just sighed. Five minutes of eating, thirty minutes of waiting—and a wallet much thinner than before.
Walking home, Nango decided to tease.
"Sakuragi, you and Haruko seem closer these days. Something good going on?"
Sakuragi's face flared red. "Huh? Hahaha! Does it look like that? Hahaha!"
Nango was about to press further when they suddenly heard the sounds of a man and woman arguing up ahead…