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Chapter 71 – "Coach, I Want to Play Basketball"
Although Toyosaki Academy had won their match against Kitatoshima High, Makishima Shoma felt no joy.
He lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling, replaying the game in his head.
They had won, yes. But it was a win stitched together with sheer luck.
If Kitatoshima's ace hadn't twisted his ankle…
If their free-throw shooter hadn't bricked both shots…
If that final three-pointer hadn't fallen by some miracle…
Any one of those things going differently, and Toyosaki would have been crushed.
Shoma clenched his fist under the covers. We're not strong enough. Not yet.
The truth gnawed at him—Toyosaki's basketball team didn't have the raw power to compete with Tokyo's elites. Next round, they would face Seiryō High School, last year's Tokyo third-place team and a national qualifier.
When the news broke, he saw the hope drain from his teammates' faces. Even their coach told them, "It's alright not to overdo it next time. Don't force yourselves."
That was as good as admitting defeat.
Shoma shut his eyes tightly. Miracles didn't happen twice. If all they relied on was luck, they didn't deserve to play on the road to nationals.
For a moment, he thought bitterly: If only we had a Sendo… or a Rukawa…
But then he caught himself. That was just a coward's excuse.
It took him the whole night to swallow the reality—Toyosaki's journey might end here.
And yet… when he picked up his phone out of boredom and refreshed Whale-sensei's account, his eyes widened.
A new update.
"The eighth volume of Slam Dunk… it's out! The whole volume at once?!"
Shoma's hands trembled as he tapped the screen.
---
The story picked up where Volume 7 had left off—Mitsui Hisashi, once a star, now a delinquent, barging into Shohoku's gym with a gang of thugs.
Fists flew. Miyagi Ryouta and others were beaten down, but they didn't dare retaliate—if they fought back, Shohoku's team could be banned.
At the brink, Sakuragi Hanamichi and his "army" charged in. Hanamichi knocked out one of the strongest delinquents with raw power. For a moment, the tide turned.
But then, Akagi Takenori arrived.
The gym fell silent as Akagi strode straight up to Mitsui. Without a word, he slapped him. Hard.
Mitsui didn't fight back. He only stood there, shaking.
Confusion rippled through the team—until Kogure began to speak.
Piece by piece, Mitsui's past unfolded.
Two years ago, Mitsui had been the ace of Shohoku, MVP of the county finals. He had joined because he admired Coach Anzai, who had once encouraged him at his lowest point.
But then came the injury. His knee shattered his dream. He left basketball and sank into bitterness, hiding behind violence.
And tonight, seeing Miyagi—young, passionate, still burning with the love of the game—lit that jealousy and rage inside him. If he couldn't have basketball, he would destroy it.
Kogure's words, however, pierced through.
Then came Coach Anzai himself.
The same gentle, immovable man who had once told Mitsui, "If you give up, the game is already over."
Mitsui's walls crumbled. Memories rushed back. His voice cracked, his knees hit the floor, tears streaming down his face.
"Coach… I… I want to play basketball."
Shoma's throat tightened. Before he knew it, tears blurred his vision.
---
It took him thirty minutes to breathe normally again. He wiped his eyes, laughing bitterly at himself. Crying over manga at my age…
But something inside him had reignited.
Even if we lose, we must fight until the end.
Shoma copied Whale-sensei's link and sent it to his entire team's group chat. He added two quotes from Coach Anzai that burned like fire in his chest:
> "If you give up, the game is already over."
"Don't give up hope until the end."
His teammates began replying one after another, their hesitation melting into determination.
---
Meanwhile, at the Sawamura house.
Eriri sat in her room, frantically refreshing the page. Within an hour of upload, the eighth volume already had 100,000+ views and thousands of shares—shattering every previous record.
The comments were flooding in so fast she couldn't keep up. She pinned a few of the most liked ones to the top.
> [Igarashi]: As a retired basketball player, I'm honored to see such a manga in my lifetime. Whale-sensei, thank you. I'll buy every volume when it's published.
[Takeuchi Yuta]: The plot! The characters! Whale-sensei never disappoints. I follow both Attack on Titan and Slam Dunk—both masterpieces.
[Funaki Hayato]: …I used to be in a gang. I once had dreams too. If I had read this manga earlier, maybe I wouldn't have gone down this path.
[Mai Sakurajima]: This manga is incredible. I've been following it recently, and I recommend it to everyone!
Eriri nearly fell off her chair.
"Ehhh?! Mai Sakurajima herself commented? And retweeted it too?!"
She clutched her phone, grinning like a fool. If Lucien found out, he'd probably faint.
By the time she refreshed again, the view count had doubled to 200,000, and Whale's follower count had soared past 60,000.
Her heart swelled with pride. Lucien's going to be so happy… though I won't tell him yet. He'll get too cocky.
---
That night, the internet exploded.
#Slam Dunk#
#Coach, I Want to Play Basketball#
Both hashtags shot straight to the top of Japan's trending list.
People who had never touched the series clicked in out of curiosity—only to be swept away by Mitsui's redemption.
Some readers wrote essays about how they had once abandoned their dreams. Others compared Mitsui's story to real athletes crushed by injury. Some simply cried, confessing that they too wanted to start over.
---
Among the thousands of readers was a name that would soon become important:
Kazuhiko Aikawa.
Once a prodigy from Mizuko Private High, only 175 cm tall but with the leaping ability to dunk flat-footed. Basketball had been his life—until exams and future plans forced him to quit.
Now, in Tokyo at Toyosaki Academy, he buried himself in textbooks with his girlfriend, Mai Moritaka, both aiming for university.
That night, Mai sent him a link.
"Read this," she said simply.
Aikawa clicked—and found Slam Dunk.
Hours later, he slammed the book shut, heart pounding. His blood boiled. His hands ached to grip a basketball again.
Mai's voice came softly through the phone.
"Finished?"
"Yeah. It's… amazing. It makes me want to play again."
"That's why I showed it to you." Her tone was firm. "Ai, go play basketball."
"…What?"
"Let's take Toyosaki to the national competition."
Aikawa stared at the ceiling, stunned. Then slowly, a grin spread across his face.
Maybe Mitsui wasn't the only one who wants to basketball again.
End of the chapter
250ps=1 extra chapter and so on
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