Chapter 009: Let's Use Them to Get a Feel First and Kick Off Our Summer with a Big Win!
A week had passed since Mirai obtained the "Almost Never Airballs" skill. During this time, the basketball club had completed its recruitment, and the first-year newcomers had begun Ōdai's signature hellish training regimen.
However...
None of the familiar faces Mirai had been hoping for appeared among the first-years.
This was an expected outcome.
After all, the named players from Kuroko's Basketball were at least second-years like him by now.
As for the Slam Dunk players...
Most of the familiar ones were in Kanagawa.
At this moment.
Ōdai Middle School's gymnasium.
Given its proximity to Teikō Middle School, it was understandable that Ōdai's basketball players weren't known for their natural talent. Those with even modest talent would flock to Teikō, the nation's strongest powerhouse middle school.
Consequently, under Coach Akira's leadership, Ōdai's basketball club had always adhered to the philosophy of compensating for lack of talent with rigorous physical training.
One could imagine...
Just how much the first-year newcomers were complaining.
But before joining the club, Coach Akira had clearly explained everything and conducted trials of the same intensity. Thus, those who remained had mental preparation. Still, preparation was one thing—complaining was another, especially today.
"Coach!"
"The club has an external practice match today, right?"
"With this training intensity, will the seniors even have energy to play this afternoon...?"
"That's right!"
"Exactly!"
Watching from not far away, the second and third-year players smirked mischievously, thinking the newcomers' calculations were clever but futile against Coach Akira.
Unexpectedly, however...
"Reasonable point~"
"Let's do free training then~"
The coach's easy acquiescence surprised not only Mirai but also the other key players, especially the third-years who knew the old man's temperament all too well.
"On one condition..."
"If you're confident you can improve as much as Hoshiumi has over the next two months, then you can train independently anytime!"
As expected...
The same old stubborn geezer.
The newcomers fell silent: "..."
Some hadn't seen Ōdai's match against Seiei, while others had. But regardless of whether they'd witnessed that storm of three-pointers...
All were now speechless.
The club entrance test day had already hammered them with Mirai's prowess.
Three-point shooting drills...
90 out of 100? Seriously?
60 consecutive shots? Seriously?
That level of skill...
Was overwhelming.
Their gazes shifted toward the court where the main players practiced, zeroing in on the white-haired figure wearing jersey number 12. Mirai watched the newcomers with amused interest.
His spiky, slightly messy white hair stood out vividly under the lights, resembling a freshly burst shuttlecock~
But his eyes...
So intense!
The newcomers shuddered.
While inwardly marveling, "This senior is so cool," they felt their hearts racing, thinking that compared to physical abilities, mastering even a fraction of his shooting skills seemed far more achievable.
"Besides, the senpai always says things like 'It's all about hard work and sweat'~
So...
As long as I work hard!
"What are you spacing out for? Everyone, start running!"
Coach Akira's merciless voice shattered the rookies' naive fantasies.
"Uh..."
"Yes! Coach!"
The rookies' shoulders instantly slumped.
Resigned, they picked up their pace and threw themselves into another round of training.
...
Meanwhile.
In Tokyo, on the bus from Iwaori Middle School heading to Ōdai.
The bus moved steadily. Inside, Captain Mibayashi Kōji was chatting with his teammates gathered around him about their upcoming opponents, Ōdai Middle School. He grew slightly more serious only when discussing Ōdai's small forward Imatsu Shinshu and their exceptionally tall center Ōbokigi Tarō, but...
Overall, the mood remained light.
After all, in his view, this year's Ōdai simply didn't carry enough weight.
"Although we didn't face Ōdai in last year's preliminaries, we did scout them specifically. After their third-year players graduated, only Imatsu and Ōbokigi among the second-years showed real promise..."
"As for us..." Kōji scanned his teammates, a confident smile spreading across his face. "Our goal this year is to secure a seeded spot for the National Tournament! Only the championship or runner-up position will satisfy us!"
"Ōdai is definitely no match for us!"
"However..."
"Since they're also a defense-oriented team, using them to get into our rhythm and starting Iwaori's summer with a big win—thinking of it that way, they make for a decent opponent."
"Right, Tsugawa?"
Up front in the bus, a boy with the same shaved head as the one from Seiei Middle School who'd been crushed by Mirai turned around, flashing a confident grin.
"Heh~ Of course!"
...
On the afternoon of Iwaori Middle School's visit to Ōdai, Mirai was filled with anticipation—even more so after spotting the familiar bald head and hearing the familiar name.
Then...
Then Coach Akira benched him.
Even though Mirai was visibly stronger than Ōdai's current starting third-year shooting guard, that starting position wasn't something Mirai could overturn based on a single game's performance.
Coach Akira knew full well that promoting Mirai to the starting lineup immediately would boost the team's strength, and the third-year starters probably realized it too.
But these things couldn't be rushed.
Whether considering the bonds among the third-year teammates or their pride as seniors, Coach Akira wanted the second-year Hoshiumi Mirai to steadily prove his worth through game performances, letting everyone recognize the reality before gradually earning more playing time.
That way, Mirai could integrate into the team more naturally.
And so...
Mirai could only cross his arms and wait impatiently on the bench for now.
At this moment.
At the second-floor railing stands of Ōdai Gymnasium, the student group that had been consistently following the basketball team had come to watch the match again. They had already heard about the sudden explosive performance of that second-year player on the team.
Why only heard about it...
Because the vast majority of them hadn't made it through the fourth quarter of the Ōdai vs. Seiei match and had left the gym early, thus missing Mirai's astonishing performance of scoring 28 points in just 5 minutes. Later, just hearing the descriptions filled them with regret. They had thought that by coming today, they could witness the brilliance of this second-year rising star and make up for last time's regret.
But...
As the match was about to begin, Ōdai's starting lineup filed into the court... It was clearly the same old lineup as the previous game, uniformly dominated by current third-year players.
"Hey..."
"No way, Hoshiumi is on the bench?"
Among them were also students who hadn't been paying much attention to Ōdai's basketball team lately.
"Imatsu is the basketball team's captain now—he wouldn't lie, right? He said there's an incredibly amazing second-year, even comparable to Teiko's Generation of Miracles!"
"Huh?"
"Really?"
"It's true, we just saw it last week! His three-pointers are amazing!"