To dominate the nation, you cannot afford a single weakness.
"Looks like we're going to have to put some real effort into straightening out Atsushi Murasakibara."
"With you in charge, Coach, that won't be a problem."
"Heh. Cut the flattery," Coach Shirogane scolded with a laugh.
"I'm just telling the truth."
...
"Hm?"
After finishing his paperwork, Coach Shirogane glanced up—and realized the sky outside had already darkened.
But at this hour… why were the gym lights still on?
Curious, the old man walked over and gently pushed the door open a crack.
Inside, two boys—one silver-haired, one blue-haired—were battling fiercely on the court, sweat pouring from their bodies.
At the sidelines stood a pink-haired girl, eyes sparkling like stars, smiling sweetly as she watched.
It was the iron trio: Sota Hanyu, Daiki Aomine, and Satsuki Momoi.
"Again!"
"I'm definitely beating you today!"
"Dream on! Not in this lifetime—accept your fate, Daiki!"
"Tch! Shut up!"
Sweat streamed down their faces, their jerseys soaked through, yet neither showed the slightest sign of stopping.
"..."
Coach Shirogane said nothing, but his wrinkles bloomed with a wide smile.
Sanada had mentioned that these two had made extra training a daily habit—they were always the last to leave the gym.
And it showed.
Basketball demands talent—but talent without effort is meaningless.
Coach Shirogane had seen too many "fallen prodigies" in his lifetime.
Geniuses who got cocky and drifted—only to vanish into mediocrity.
But there was another kind of person.
One blessed by heaven and driven by obsessive passion and effort.
Those were the ones destined for the summit.
Just imagine—
someone stronger than you, more talented than you,
who also works ten times harder.
How do you beat someone like that?
And as a teammate…
they become your strongest shield.
Coach Shirogane quietly closed the door.
He had a powerful feeling—
These two boys would one day shake the entire basketball world.
Why?
Because this was a man's sixth sense.
The old coach came quietly, and left just as quietly—
not taking a single cloud,
not disturbing the blazing youth inside.
Inside the gym, Hanyu and Aomine were completely immersed in the thrill of offense and defense.
Exhilarating.
Electrifying.
This feeling—meeting a true rival—
was even better than chugging an ice-cold cola in midsummer.
"Ha… ha…"
They didn't know how long they had played until their bodies finally protested,
and that burning soreness surged through them.
"Let's stop here today. We'll continue tomorrow," Hanyu said, panting.
"Fine! I'll crush you tomorrow!"
...
The Next Day — Club Activity Time
With the All-Japan Middle School Tournament drawing closer, training intensity was cranked to the maximum.
Even the hardened second- and third-years were pushed to their limits—
not to mention the first-years like Hanyu.
As the players trickled into the gym, Shuzo Nijimura scanned the crowd with a dark expression, searching for one person.
Haizaki Shōgo.
Skipped practice again?
Looking for death?!
That delinquent might be hopeless—but under Nijimura's watch,
even dragons had to coil and tigers had to bow.
"Hey! You seen Haizaki?" Nijimura snapped.
"N-No…"
"Midorima, he's in your class, right?"
"Hmph."
Shintarō Midorima pushed up his glasses and snorted.
"Why would I waste my time on trash like him?"
"I don't know."
"Damn it! Disappearing at a time like this—Haizaki, just you wait!"
Nijimura couldn't even remember how many times he'd beaten that idiot.
But the guy never learned.
"That kind of cancer—just kick him off the team," Aomine muttered.
"..."
Kick him out?
Nijimura had never seriously considered it.
As captain, he had a responsibility to guide his juniors.
Seeing Haizaki's raw talent… he couldn't bear to watch it rot away.
Sigh.
Nijimura ran a hand through his hair.
When did he turn into a nagging mother?
"Enough. Warm up. I have something important to announce later."
"Yes!"
Everyone scattered to begin training.
Hanyu had been training almost exclusively with the first-string squad lately.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
What looked like an iron wall of defense to others
was nothing but paper in front of him.
One simple change of direction—
and his defender was completely lost.
But soon, he was trapped in a front-and-back pincer.
"Heh. Interesting."
Hanyu planted his foot—
Stop.
Rise.
Release.
Perfect, fluid, textbook.
As a small forward, scoring was his duty.
Don't be fooled by his drives—
his pull-up jumper was lethal.
As for his three-pointers…
that was a different price altogether.
The two first-string seniors didn't even react in time.
"Swish!"
A clean, crisp net.
"Nice!"
Hanyu clenched his fist in encouragement.
"That little punk…"
The seniors glared at him, wanting to bite his head off.
You're strong, fine.
But must you treat us like circus monkeys every day?!
Do you have no respect for your elders?!
"Uh…"
Sensing murderous gazes, Hanyu scratched his head in confusion.
Why do I feel like everyone wants to eat me?
"Ahhh! Hanyu is so handsome!"
"Hanyu, look at me! I'll give you monkeys!"
The fangirls exploded in screams—
the Hanyu Fan Club was still going strong.
At the side, Momoi puffed out her cheeks, jealousy bubbling in her eyes.
"Those seniors are nothing! Go, Hanyu—charge!" another troublemaker shouted.
That was the final straw.
The seniors' rage meters went off the charts.
Being humiliated was bad enough—
but in front of this many girls?!
You're really trying to kill us, aren't you?!
Just as chaos was about to erupt—
Sanada, the eternally icy assistant coach, strode in.
"Tweet!"
"All players, assemble!"
At the whistle, everyone snapped into formation.
"There's less than a month until the All-Japan Tournament.
From today onward, the head coach will personally lead special training."
The gym exploded.
"Wait—seriously?! The head coach?!"
"No… not last year's nightmare again…"
"Gulp."
Seeing the seniors' pale faces, Hanyu and the others were baffled.
They looked like they'd seen a monster from a horror film.
Is it really that bad?
Could the legendary coach be some kind of beast?
As Hanyu turned to ask—
A hand suddenly patted his shoulder.
"It really is time you came to say hello."
He turned around.
Standing there was an elderly man with silver hair, smiling kindly—like a gentle grandfather next door.
"My name is Kōzō Shirogane."
He calmly called out the names:
Hanyu, Akashi, Aomine, Midorima, and Murasakibara.
Everyone froze.
We've never met—how does he know us so well?!
The coach smiled.
"As a head coach, knowing your players is basic."
As he slowly walked to the front, Nijimura whispered that the coach often observed from the second floor.
Hanyu Sota finally understood and nodded.
Looking at that kind, gentle face…
he should be a pretty easygoing elder, right?
Hanyu couldn't help muttering,
"Coach really looks… nice."
The moment the words left his mouth—
The air froze.
The surrounding upperclassmen stared at him like he was an idiot.
Yes, he is a good coach.
But "nice"?
Their eyes were filled with pity.
Kid, you're far too naive.
You'll soon learn how to spell the word "hell."
Coach Shirogane slowly scanned the team and nodded in satisfaction.
"You all look energetic. Relaxed, even."
Then
The tone shifted instantly.
With a casual wave of his hand, the old man announced that the real special training would now begin.
The intensity would be raised…
"Just a tiny bit."
As for the reason?
Simple and brutal:
"You're young. Strong. You won't die no matter how hard I train you."
Hanyu's mouth twitched violently.
Is that even something a human being should say?!
What do you mean "you won't die"?!
Inside the massive gym, heavy breathing echoed everywhere.
Sneakers screeched against the wooden floor,
"screech—screech,"
mixed with suppressed groans from the boys.
At this moment, even Teiko's elite first-string squad
looked like dead dogs.
Facts proved one thing—
When Coach Shirogane said "you won't die,"
he was absolutely not joking.
Hanyu felt like his lungs were about to explode.
First came endless warm-up laps.
Then position-specific torture.
Then a chaotic all-grade scrimmage.
And at the very end—
Full-speed laps.
Oxygen deprivation made his vision spin.
He felt like he could collapse at any second.
Akashi and the others were pale,
too exhausted to even waste energy speaking.
Haizaki Shōgo, that troublemaker,
lay spread-eagle on the floor, completely dead.
This idiot had been enjoying himself at the arcade—
until Nijimura dragged him back like a chicken.
Someone from the second-string had ratted him out.
Then Coach Shirogane personally "took care" of him.
Haizaki cursed that snitch ten thousand times in his heart
while gasping for air.
Coach Shirogane strolled over, hands behind his back,
still wearing that harmless smile.
"You still have the strength to curse?
Looks like you're not trained enough."
"Since you're so energetic, let's add a bonus twenty minutes.
If you don't get up… we'll double it to thirty."
The moment he heard that—
Haizaki shot up like a spring-loaded carp,
moving so fast everyone was stunned.
Then the coach's gaze drifted to Hanyu.
"What scenery are you enjoying, Hanyu?"
"Do you want ten extra minutes too?"
Hanyu's eyelid twitched violently.
This was a disaster from the sky!
Ten more minutes?!
That would literally kill someone!
Their laps now had a time limit—
slow once, and you get ten extra.
And those didn't count toward normal training—
you had to make them up afterward.
Hanyu couldn't even remember how many times his legs had moved.
His lower body no longer felt like his own.
But his mind had only one command:
Run.
You must run.
He had already gone overtime several times.
Add the penalty laps, and after training he still owed forty laps.
Then—
The voice that made his soul tremble called his name.
The assistant coach.
Hanyu's whole body jolted.
That usually meant more punishment.
I'm done for. Barbecue time.
But—
With a flat expression, the assistant said:
"Regular training is over."
Huh?
No punishment?
It's… over?
For a moment, Hanyu felt like he'd ascended to heaven.
He almost jumped in joy.
Then the assistant dumped cold water on him:
"Don't get happy. You still owe forty laps."
His heart plunged into the abyss.
"Rules are rules. Start now."
Hanyu didn't even get to protest.
Because if these forty were slow too…
would it become infinite loops of death?!
Coach Shirogane noticed the commotion and smiled.
"Any problems?"
Hanyu instantly surrendered.
"No problem!"
He took off running.
Coach Shirogane nodded in satisfaction and turned away.
Hanyu was crying inside.
This isn't a gentle grandpa—
this is a devil wearing human skin!
Of course, he only dared to complain in his heart.
Say it out loud, and he'd probably earn a "bonus package" of extra training.
Finally… evening arrived.
When training ended,
it felt like the entire world went silent.
After saying goodbye to Aomine and Momoi,
Hanyu dragged his lead-filled legs home.
He collapsed onto the sofa,
not even wanting to move a finger.
His thighs burned like they'd been run over by a truck.
His arms were numb.
And this inhuman torture… was only daily training?
From then on,
the entire Teiko basketball team lived in a living hell.
Every afternoon,
a group of zombie-like boys could be seen shuffling out of the school gates.
Before they realized it—
The All-Japan Middle School Tournament preliminaries had arrived.
When Hanyu heard the news, his eyes lit up.
Since there was a real match…
Surely that devil coach would finally show mercy, right?
Aomine looked just as hopeful.
With a tournament coming up,
they had to conserve energy—didn't they?