Japan had three major sporting events every year.
The summer national tournament, the autumn National Sports Festival, and the winter selection tournament.
The autumn National Sports Festival did not include basketball, focusing mainly on track and field events and the like.
The winter selection tournament, meanwhile, was a nationwide talent selection event.
Players who performed well would receive the opportunity to attend national-level training camps.
If they performed excellently in those camps, they would have the chance to enter the national youth team pipeline, such as U15, U18, and so on, changing their lives from that point forward.
However, this selection mainly targeted high school and university players.
Therefore, for middle school players, they only needed to focus on the national tournament throughout the year.
In Japan, most schools began in April.
Two months after the start of the school year came the national tournament preliminaries.
The preliminaries would last for roughly a month.
In other words, they began around June, and the final stage would take place in July and August.
One month before the prefectural tournament began, Hayato Takahashi arranged a total of four warm-up games for the team.
That meant they would need to play one warm-up game every week before the prefectural tournament started.
As for their first warm-up game, their opponent was a team from Kanagawa.
Yukino stated that the coach’s requirements were rather high.
The teams that matched what he wanted were basically all concentrated in major regions.
From the very beginning, he had set his sights on teams from regions like Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Kyoto.
That day.
After basketball club activities ended, the coach did not let the players disperse immediately.
Instead, he gathered everyone together.
“Yukinoshita, please hand out the materials.” Yukino nodded, holding a stack of papers and handing them out to the players one by one.
Hibari accepted a copy from Yukino and discovered that it contained information on their warm-up opponent.
Although Yukino didn’t possess Satsuki Momoi’s ability, she had still done the work very seriously.
The opponent’s tactics over the past three years, roster changes, and other details were all investigated clearly.
“You did a great job.
As expected of you, Yukino.” “Everyone already knows what I’m capable of.
You don’t need to praise me specially.” Yukino’s beautiful eyes swept over him, then she continued handing out the materials.
Seeing this, a club member with ulterior motives couldn’t help praising her as well, hoping to taste the young lady’s side-eye.
In the end, Yukino only gave him a faint nod.
Favoritism!!!
The club members roared in their hearts.
The difference between Yukino’s attitude toward Hibari and toward everyone else was far too obvious!
Twin tails, tsundere…
those were all bonus points!!!
“After you go home, I expect you to memorize everything in these materials.” “Especially you few: Eikichi Nebuya, Chiji Kato, Kazuki Shimakai, Kai Ito…
and you, Hibari.” The moment these names were spoken, the basketball club instantly fell silent.
Unless something unexpected happened, this would be the starting lineup for the upcoming warm-up game.
This meant that Hibari and the other four had already taken the lead in the competition for starting spots.
If the others could not put up a strong enough performance over the next month to convince the coach, then this list would automatically become Chiba Middle School’s starting lineup for the national tournament.
Most eyes turned toward Hibari.
Although they had been mentally prepared, hearing that Hibari had actually entered the starting lineup still left many people unwilling to accept it.
Especially the original starting number four and some of the second- and third-year club members.
A new genius had joined the team.
That was good.
But when the new genius stole your position, that was not good!
…
After leaving the basketball club, Hibari held the materials in his hand, still unable to suppress his excitement.
A starter for a team that had reached the national top sixteen…
Yukino could sense his joy.
One month ago, Hibari had still been a boring guy who stood in front of convenience stores chewing on straws, ranked at the bottom of his class.
Now, although his grades still hadn’t improved much, he had transformed into a starting player for Chiba Middle School.
Yukino was happy for him.
Mm…
just a little.
Only a little.
Not that much, really!
“Wait here for me for a moment.
Don’t leave.” After sending her home, Hibari was just about to leave when Yukino called him back.
Hibari agreed.
He didn’t dare go inside and only waited at the entrance.
He didn’t want to see that tigress of a Yukinoshita mother.
It wasn’t that Yukino’s mother treated him badly.
On the contrary, she treated him very well.
Yukino’s mother generally looked at other people as though she were looking at flowers and grass.
Even Hayama, that central air conditioner, received the same treatment.
Hibari was different.
Every time they met, he would be lectured for quite a while.
It was really annoying!
Before long, Yukino walked out holding a box and handed it to him.
“This is for you.
Congratulations on becoming a starter.
Also, it’s payment for the trouble of taking care of the kitten.” “There’s a gift too?” Hibari opened it with a smile and discovered a pair of Air Jordan 21s inside!
The Air Jordan line was a brand under Nike.
Ever since it was first released in 1985, it had been loved by many basketball fans.
By this year, the series had already reached its twenty-first generation.
In other words, this was the latest model this year.
Yukino didn’t understand basketball particularly well, but she had heard that many boys who played basketball idolized Jordan, so she bought them.
“Do you like them?” “Mm.
I like them very much.” Looking at the pure black sneakers in the box, Hibari grew even happier.
This generation of Air Jordans drew inspiration from Jordan’s Bentley.
The shapes on both sides of the toe box resembled the grille of a car, with rounded and flowing lines.
Made with full-grain and luxurious goat leather, they looked extremely high-end.
Therefore, this generation of Air Jordans emphasized elegance and luxury.
“As long as you like them.” Yukino did not say those words out loud.
She only watched him with a smile.
“Then…
I’ll go home now.
See you tomorrow.” “Mm.
See you tomorrow.” Hibari put away the shoes, waved, and rode his bike home.
…
Three days later.
Hayato Takahashi led the team from Chiba Prefecture to Yokohama in Kanagawa.
Although Chiba Middle School had reached the national top sixteen last year, the impression they gave people was more like that of a nouveau riche team.
Their history had no achievements worth showing off.
In contrast, their opponent today, Yokohama International Middle School, had failed to enter the national tournament last year and had unfortunately been eliminated in the final four competition of the prefectural tournament.
However, they were still a team from Kanagawa, and their history had once been glorious.
They were a genuine basketball powerhouse.
Therefore, this warm-up game was arranged to take place at Yokohama International Middle School.
One hour before the game began, Hayato Takahashi arrived with the team.
Compared to Chiba Middle School, Yokohama International Middle School looked much more “advanced.” Its architectural style and every other aspect were very modern.
Perhaps because it was an international school, its students were different from those of a prefectural school like Chiba Middle School, giving it the refined feeling of an elite academy.
Yokohama International’s basketball club even had several hundred spectator seats.
They were seriously rich!
This was Japan, not an American university.
Whether it was the national tournament or the Winter Cup selection tournament, games would be held in proper arenas.
The several hundred spectator seats in Yokohama International’s basketball club were clearly prepared for the noble young masters and ladies of their own school.
“Their gym actually has spectator seats.” Eikichi Nebuya and the others were all right.
They had at least played in an arena that held ten thousand people.
But the first-year players like Hibari were different.
Before the game had even started, they were already nervous.
Forget them.
Even Hibari himself felt uneasy.
He had never played basketball under the gaze of so many people.
If he made a fool of himself, it would be very embarrassing.
…
Please add this book to your library!