Chapter Sixty-Eight: What It Means to Be the Ace
"We... lost again?" Kise Ryota's legs gave out, his body collapsing uncontrollably onto the floor.
"Kise?!"
Hearing the commotion, Kaijo's players turned around. Kasamatsu Yukio and Hayakawa Mitsuhiro rushed to his side first.
"No strength left..."
"Dammit!"
"This is so pathetic..."
Kise Ryota raised his fist, weakly pounding it against the floor.
"Can you stand?" Kasamatsu Yukio extended his hand, speaking calmly. "Just hang in there a little longer."
"Kasamatsu-senpai... I... I..."
"You already did great." Kasamatsu Yukio gripped Kise Ryota's arm, helping him up. "Besides, this doesn't mean everything's over."
"The regional tournament—we'll win it all!"
Kise Ryota bit his lip, his face wet with sweat or tears—he couldn't tell which.
"Both teams, line up!"
"Bow! Thank you for the game!!"
Shohoku's players beamed with victorious joy.
"Sakuragi, it's so good that you didn't impulsively go for the dunk," Kogure Kiminobu said as they walked toward the sideline. "I didn't expect you to notice their intentional foul strategy."
"Did he really notice?" Mitsui Hisashi looked skeptical.
"Intentional foul? Hahaha, of course I saw through it!" Sakuragi Hanamichi scratched the back of his head, his laugh betraying guilty undertones. "Yeah, that thing—completely within my calculations!"
Shohoku's players wore expressions of "just as we thought."
"So why did you pass to Kogure-senpai in that moment?" Miyagi Ryota narrowed his eyes, wanting to know Sakuragi Hanamichi's true reasoning.
He was genuinely curious. Honestly, he'd have understood if Sakuragi had shot directly from that position—after all, Sakuragi's mid-range accuracy this game approached 60%.
The last thing he'd expected was a pass.
"Uh..." Seeing no one believed in his wisdom, Sakuragi came clean. "We were only up 1 point at that moment. I figured hitting a three-pointer would be more secure."
He paused before adding proudly, "Plus, even if Four-Eyes missed, this genius would definitely grab the rebound. Either way, we couldn't lose."
"!!!" Shohoku's players were shocked.
Such reasonable logic! Such normal thinking!
Hard to imagine Sakuragi Hanamichi could generate that kind of strategic thought in the moment. For an instant, even Rukawa Kaede's gaze toward him changed.
"Hey, what's with those expressions?!" Sakuragi Hanamichi glared at them.
"Nothing, nothing," Kogure Kiminobu smiled warmly. "Sakuragi, well done!"
"Hahaha, of course!"
In the stands, Ryonan's players rose to leave.
Though the game between Shohoku and Kaijo had ended, the high-level performances from both teams still lingered in their minds.
"Yagami, I understand now why you and Sendoh saw potential in Sakuragi Hanamichi." The first to speak was surprisingly Fukuda Kicchou. "But I won't lose to him."
"Well, you're different types of players after all," Yagami Sorato considered. "Fukuda-senpai, I'm really looking forward to your offensive performance."
"Right. I'll score," Fukuda Kicchou replied simply.
Since Fukuda Kicchou had opened the conversation, Yagami Sorato decided to seize the opportunity to share his thoughts.
"Ikegami-senpai, you're thinking about how to handle Mitsui-senpai, right?"
"Correct. I noticed his stamina seems to be a major issue," Ikegami Ryoji said gravely. "I'll pressure him defensively from the opening tip, limiting his three-point attempts."
"Right, but—you can't just focus on his three-pointer."
"What do you mean?" Ikegami Ryoji frowned.
"Mitsui-senpai was the middle school MVP. Don't treat him as just a spot-up shooter," Yagami Sorato explained. "Compared to Kainan's Jin-senpai, Mitsui-senpai still has significant ball-handling ability."
"If you only guard his three, you might end up worse off."
"Ball-handling ability?" Ikegami Ryoji pondered silently.
Though this game hadn't showcased that aspect of Mitsui Hisashi's game—in fact, he'd been somewhat suppressed by Kaijo's Moriyama Yoshitaka through three quarters—if Yagami Sorato said so, there was no reason to doubt it.
"Uozumi." Ikegami Ryoji looked toward Uozumi Jun, who'd seemingly known about Mitsui Hisashi from middle school.
"Akagi..." After watching this game, Uozumi Jun's mind held nothing else.
Akagi Takenori had finished with 26 points and 18 rebounds—truly the cornerstone of Shohoku's victory.
Yagami Sorato also found this difficult to handle. Shohoku's interior with just Akagi Takenori and Sakuragi Hanamichi had the potential to surpass even Shoyo's "Four Towers" frontcourt.
Ryonan's interior wasn't weak offensively, but comparing overall strength, Shohoku likely held the advantage.
Sendoh Akira was also considering this problem. Looking purely at rebounding ability, Ikegami Ryoji and Fukuda Kicchou's rebounding didn't even match Hayakawa Mitsuhiro's. If Ryonan got crushed on the boards, the game's outcome would be genuinely uncertain.
A complete novice from just over two months ago had become the key to Shohoku's victory over Kaijo—the target of Ryonan's concerns.
Sendoh Akira increasingly felt that lately, basketball seemed more interesting than fishing.
"How did you feel watching the game?" Coach Taoka approached from another section of the stands. He'd deliberately avoided sitting with the team, wanting them to experience the match with a more relaxed mindset.
"Though there's no practice after we return today, necessary film review can't be skipped."
"The prefecture finals are in three days. During this time we'll thoroughly study this brand-new Shohoku. Remember—they're not the only ones who've gotten stronger!"
"YES!!!"
As Ryonan's group exited the arena, Yagami Sorato's gaze inadvertently swept across the shadowed area by the gymnasium's side entrance. His steps paused—an unexpected figure lurked there.
"Yo, little Yagami!"
Yagami Sorato followed the voice. Kise Ryota leaned against the wall, still wearing his Kaijo uniform, blonde bangs plastered damply against his forehead.
"Truly a model—right after losing, you're already in the mood to pose by the entrance," Yagami Sorato said casually.
Kise Ryota's cool smile froze, his entire demeanor deflating. "Give me a break. I just barely recovered."
"What's this about?" Yagami Sorato asked. Ryonan's players also stopped to observe.
"I was waiting for you." Kise Ryota's expression turned serious. After carefully choosing his words, he said, "There's something... I think maybe I can get an answer from you."
"We'll go ahead. Catch up after you're done chatting." Sendoh Akira patted Yagami Sorato's shoulder before leading the team away.
"Got it."
Yagami Sorato nodded, walking toward Kise Ryota. "So, what is it?"
Kise Ryota didn't answer immediately, his eyes gazing toward the sky with a complex expression.
"I'm leaving." After silently counting to three, Yagami Sorato immediately turned around.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Kise Ryota called out. "Can't you let me build up to it?"
"I thought you'd been building up to it while waiting outside," Yagami Sorato said. "Besides, I just gave you three seconds."
"..." Kise Ryota momentarily had no response.
"Want me to give you my email so you can send it when you're ready?" Seeing Kise's silence, Yagami Sorato offered again.
"I—" Kise Ryota took a deep breath. "You were watching our game from the stands, right?"
"Obviously." Yagami Sorato gave him a look reserved for idiots.
"Don't push it—"
"Get to the point!"
"Right." Kise Ryota looked down at his Kaijo uniform before finally voicing his question. "Do you think I should have passed?"
Kise Ryota's question was vague, but Yagami Sorato knew exactly which play he meant.
When Kaijo still led by 2 points and Kise Ryota faced a triple-team from Sakuragi Hanamichi, Rukawa Kaede, and Miyagi Ryota—the forced shot he'd taken then.
Sakuragi Hanamichi had contested that attempt. Shohoku seized the opportunity to complete the comeback, and the game's momentum reversed from there.
"Who were you thinking of passing to?" Rather than answer directly, Yagami Sorato asked back.
"Hayakawa-senpai, I guess," Kise Ryota said hesitantly. "He was open on the right wing at that moment."
"If I'm not mistaken, Kaijo's very next offensive possession featured Hayakawa-senpai turning it over," Yagami Sorato said. "So even if you'd passed to him then, it wouldn't necessarily have resulted in points."
"True." Kise Ryota didn't deny it. "But the probability of scoring would've been higher than my forced shot."
"Do you really believe that?" Yagami Sorato stared at him seriously.
"?!!"
Kise Ryota suddenly felt completely transparent—seen through entirely. That's right. Those were just his "false" words.
"At that moment, I believed my shot would definitely go in..." Kise Ryota said slowly.
"That's why I'm struggling—whether I should have passed in that situation."
"Heh, what an idiot." Yagami Sorato scoffed, not intending to answer as he turned to leave directly.
"Hey! You're not going to answer?" Kise Ryota called out. "What about you? Would you pass? Or shoot it yourself?!"
After asking, Kise Ryota immediately felt his question was stupid. Yagami Sorato played point guard most of the time on court—of course he'd choose to pass.
"I'd shoot it myself, obviously." Yagami Sorato's calm voice carried back.
"What?!!" Kise Ryota thought he'd misheard. "What if you miss and the team loses?"
"Then we lose," Yagami Sorato said coldly. "If my lack of ability causes the team to lose, that's the responsibility I have to bear."
"But if you passed, you might win!" Kise Ryota protested. Precisely because winning was possible, that's why the choice tortured him, wasn't it?
"You said 'might,' right?" Yagami Sorato turned around, looking at him coldly.
"Whether you pass or not doesn't matter. Either choice is normal. It's just that whoever takes that crucial shot must bear the responsibility."
"The ball's in my hands. I believe I can make it. So I'll take the shot!"
"Then... what about my question?" Kise Ryota stood frozen.
"Whether you pass or shoot yourself—either's fine," Yagami Sorato said. "The question you asked is the most foolish thing."
"Doubting your own on-court decisions—even if you make shots, you're just getting lucky."
Yagami Sorato's gaze remained calm yet piercing. Looking at this "Generation of Miracles" member before him, he asked seriously:
"Are you really Kaijo's ace, kid?"
"If Kasamatsu-senpai had taken that final shot, he'd never ask such a question."
Yagami Sorato's words were like cold daggers, stabbing one by one into Kise Ryota's heart.
What does it truly mean to shoulder an ace's responsibility?
Kise Ryota had always believed that as long as his skills were strong enough and he scored enough, he'd naturally be the ace. From his first day at Kaijo, everyone had told him he was the team's future—the ace.
But in reality—was he the one most unable to accept losing, most afraid to admit defeat?
"One more thing," Yagami Sorato said before leaving, delivering his final words. "What you should be thinking about isn't what choice to make in crucial moments—it's how to prevent your team from facing such moments in the first place."
"If you can't win the game alone, pass earlier, idiot."
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