"Because I'm a basketball player!"
After saying this, Sakuragi stormed into the classroom, muttering curses under his breath. He was rambling on about something like, "That heaven-defying judo guy is keeping me from seeing my beloved Haruko..." and so on.
Akagi and Kogure stood frozen in shock, while Oliver simply shrugged with a smile.
No matter how hard Aota tried to recruit talent, it was useless now.
Because Sakuragi had already fallen in love with basketball—long ago, in fact.
"Wow, I never thought I'd hear Sakuragi Hanamichi say that!" Kogure finally reacted, slapping Akagi's back enthusiastically. "That's great, Akagi! Now Sakuragi will stay on the basketball team!"
"…"
"…Akagi?"
Kogure had to call out several times before Akagi snapped back to reality.
"Hmph! What a boring farce. Let's go, Kogure."
Akagi turned and quickly walked up the stairs.
"Ah, ah, ah…"
Kogure chuckled and shook his head, turning to Oliver with a knowing smile.
"What a dishonest guy. He's clearly thrilled inside."
"Hahaha, isn't that exactly what gorillas are like?" Oliver replied with a grin.
"Shh!" Kogure pressed a finger to his lips. "Better not let the captain hear you."
Kogure nodded slightly, waved goodbye to Oliver, and jogged after Akagi up the stairs.
And just like that, the incident with the judo club was over. Ignoring Aota, who was still standing there stunned, Oliver turned and headed back to the classroom.
---
Class ended soon after, and Oliver and Sakuragi made their way to the gym for practice. Today, Akagi seemed particularly intense—his voice was louder than usual, and his enthusiasm was contagious.
It appeared that Sakuragi's passionate declaration had truly inspired him. However, his training regimen for Sakuragi became especially harsh, resulting in poor Sakuragi getting knocked around quite a bit more than usual.
Time flew by during their rigorous practice, and eventually, Akagi clapped his hands to gather the team.
"Tomorrow is Saturday. It's time for our practice match with Ryonan High School!"
"Everyone stay sharp! We're going to defeat Ryonan!!"
"Yeahhh!!!" the team roared in unison.
"Alright! Get a good rest tonight. Dismissed!"
As practice ended, the team dispersed, chatting among themselves and slowly making their way out of the gym.
"Sakuragi, stay behind for a bit."
Just as Sakuragi was about to leave with Oliver, Akagi called him out.
"Me?" Sakuragi asked, pointing to himself, feeling guilty.
Something's not right. This gorilla has been targeting me all day. There's no way this ends well…
"Actually… something just came up at home, so I really should—"
"Sakuragi."
Akagi picked up a basketball and walked over to him.
"We'll need your strength for tomorrow's match against Ryonan."
"???"
Sakuragi looked at Akagi suspiciously.
This is off. Way off.
Usually, this gorilla doesn't even glance at me. What's with the sudden warmth? Could this be a doppelgänger?
Sakuragi walked around Akagi, inspecting him from every angle.
"Stop circling me!"
Akagi growled and hit Sakuragi on the head with his iron fist. Yep, definitely the real Akagi.
Wait a second—could it be? Has he finally recognized the true power of this genius?
Sakuragi clutched his aching head, grinning to himself.
Yes! That's it!!
"Hahahaha! I guess I have no choice then… Let me, the genius, help you win this match!"
Sakuragi laughed arrogantly, then turned and waved to Oliver.
"You go on ahead, Oliver! No need to wait. It's rare that this gorilla actually wants my help, so I'll stay and entertain him for a while!"
"Alright, good luck," Oliver said with a chuckle, waving as he left the gym.
"Alright, ape—what are we doing next?"
Bang!
Before he could finish, Akagi smacked him again.
"Call me Captain!"
"Hmph…"
Sakuragi grumbled, holding his head as he followed Akagi toward the hoop.
"Did Oliver teach you how to rebound?"
"Huh? Yeah, sort of. You gave me the basic idea too."
"Hmm…"
Akagi crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"For tomorrow's game, I want you to be in charge of rebounding. But Ryonan won't be easy to deal with."
He raised a finger.
"Rebounding starts with positioning—before the ball even comes down. If you can get into the right spot, even someone who isn't very tall can snag a rebound."
"Got it."
"Second, you must be careful when trying to grab the ball midair. Not every ball is worth reaching for. If it's already falling above the hoop, you can't touch it."
"If you do, it'll be an interference violation. Regardless of whether the ball goes in or not, the points will count. So pay close attention."
"Third, once you get the rebound, secure it with both hands and hold it in front of your chest. This protects the ball and allows you to look for an opportunity to pass. Only then can we transition into offense."
"Understood?"
"Uhh…"
Sakuragi's brain was clearly overheating.
"Ugh… Can't we just talk about this instead of doing it?"
Akagi sighed and tossed him the ball, positioning himself in front of Sakuragi.
"Let's just practice. Your body will remember better than your brain."
---
Meanwhile, Oliver yawned as he strolled toward the front gate of Shohoku High.
There, Qianhua was already waiting, waving excitedly when she saw him.
"Brother! Over here!!"
"Chika? What are you doing here?" Oliver asked, surprised.
"Hehe… I wanted to buy a new pressure cooker for the house. I was planning to check out the big supermarket down south. Since I passed by here, I figured I'd wait and ask you to come along!"
Qianhua stuck out her tongue playfully.
Oliver sighed, half-smiling.
"Let me guess. You want me to help carry stuff again?"
"Oh~ How can you say that? Chika came because she missed her big brother~!"
Yeah, right…
Oliver shook his head.
"Alright, alright. You're always busy cooking, so it's only fair I help with things like this."
"Yay! Thank you, brother!"
Qianhua jumped with joy.
"But!"
Oliver raised an eyebrow.
"We're not doing what we did last time—buying that talking toy duck and those 'magic' crystal stones. We ended up with bags of junk!"
"W-Well…"
Qianhua coughed, clearly caught.
"Not this time, I promise. Just the pressure cooker. We'll go straight home afterward!"
"…Really?"
Oliver eyed her skeptically, but decided to go with her anyway.
After all, she was buying something useful—and he'd just keep a close eye on her to avoid unnecessary surprises.
---
So the two of them boarded the famous Enoshima Line, a well-known scenic route in Kanagawa Prefecture and a recognizable spot for fans of Slam Dunk.
"Come to think of it, Ryonan High is in this direction…"
Eventually, they reached their destination around 7 PM. The area was crowded with evening shoppers. To prevent Qianhua from wandering off, Oliver held her hand tightly.
"Hehehe… Ryonan's over here, right?" Qianhua giggled, clearly enjoying being led around.
Oliver just sighed and continued walking ahead, pulling her gently.
"We've got a practice match with Ryonan tomorrow. It's a good chance to scope things out a little."
"Eh? A practice match? With Ryonan??"
Qianhua's eyes lit up with curiosity, and her hair practically stood on end.
"What time is the match? Chika wants to come watch too!"
"Hahaha, you love sleeping in so much—think you'll even wake up for it?"
Oliver laughed as they arrived at the mall's entrance.
Next to it was an open-air baseball field, illuminated by bright spotlights. The athletes glistened with sweat under the lights.
"Wait… that guy in the center…"
Oliver suddenly came to a stop, making Qianhua bump into him and rub her forehead in protest.
"Why'd you stop all of a sudden?"
But Oliver didn't respond. His gaze was locked on a tall figure in the middle of the field—a young man with spiky hair wearing a sports vest, his athletic frame standing out among the players.
"Why is he here?"
That guy…
It was Akira Sendoh.
The ace player of Ryonan High School.
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