Sakuragi remembered Coach Takeda’s instructions.
Protect the paint.
Defend the rim.
Fight for every rebound.
On defense, that was all he needed to do.
Koyo Junior High’s center moved into the lane, trying to establish position for a box out.
At 181 centimeters tall, he was considered a big man in middle school basketball.
But today…
He had run straight into a wall.
Sakuragi planted himself firmly, stuck out his hips, spread his left arm, and sealed him behind his body.
The center felt as though he were trying to push an enormous boulder.
It didn’t move an inch.
He looked up at the back of Sakuragi’s head.
That blazing red hair burned beneath the arena lights like a ball of fire.
It was right in front of him…
Yet completely unreachable.
The ball swung around the perimeter twice.
Koyo’s point guard was locked down by Akiyama and couldn’t find an opening, so he swung the ball to the small forward.
The small forward caught it.
Shot fake.
Drive.
He attacked from the right wing.
His first step was quick enough.
But just as he reached the free-throw line— A towering figure slid into his path.
Sakuragi.
One smooth defensive slide completely cut off the driving lane.
The small forward instinctively looked up.
He saw Sakuragi’s broad frame.
His imposing height.
And that unmistakable flaming-red pompadour.
His confidence disappeared instantly.
He came to a sudden stop and whipped the ball back outside to the shooting guard.
The shooting guard caught it and fired immediately.
His shooting form wasn’t bad.
But his balance was slightly off, and the shot came out flatter than intended.
Clang!
The ball struck the back of the rim and bounced high into the air.
“Rebound!” Both coaches shouted almost simultaneously from the sidelines.
Sakuragi spun around.
He bumped the opposing center another half-step backward with his hips before lowering into a rebounding stance.
His eyes followed the descending ball.
The instant it dropped into range— He exploded upward.
Both hands reached high above his head.
Smack!
He snatched the rebound cleanly out of the air.
An effortless defensive rebound.
The moment he landed…
He didn’t look for his point guard.
He didn’t wait for an outlet pass.
Instead…
He pushed the ball forward himself.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The basketball pounded against the hardwood beside him like torrential rain.
His stride was enormous.
One of his steps covered the distance of nearly two from everyone else.
His blazing red hair streaked across the court.
To the spectators, it looked as though a ball of fire were racing from one end of the floor to the other.
“GET BACK ON DEFENSE!!” Koyo Junior High’s captain screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking.
Three defenders immediately gave chase.
Their sneakers squealed sharply across the hardwood one after another, like frightened mice scrambling for their lives.
Two Koyo defenders sprinted into the paint.
They planted themselves beneath the basket.
Feet spread.
Hands raised.
Ready to stop him.
Sakuragi never slowed down.
His eyes were fixed on only one thing.
The rim.
Even though he could see the two defenders closing in from the corners of his vision…
There was only one thought in his mind.
Dunk it.
One step inside the free-throw line— He took off.
Most players would struggle to even reach the basket for a layup from there.
Sakuragi simply flew.
His right foot slammed into the hardwood, his canvas shoe leaving two dark scuff marks on the floor.
The muscles in his thighs exploded with power like compressed springs.
His entire body shot into the air.
He stretched to his full length.
One arm extended high overhead.
The basketball gripped tightly in his palm.
The two defenders jumped.
But they jumped too late.
And nowhere near high enough.
The difference in elevation wasn’t just noticeable…
It was overwhelming.
The three collided in midair.
Bang!
A dull, heavy impact echoed through the arena.
The two defenders were knocked backward simultaneously…
Like doors blown open by a violent gust of wind.
Their hands couldn’t reach the ball.
They couldn’t even reach Sakuragi’s arm.
All they could do was watch helplessly as the orange basketball soared over their heads.
Then…
CLANG!!!
A thunderous one-handed dunk.
The rim bent violently beneath the force.
The iron hoop hummed with a deep metallic vibration…
Like a giant beast awakening from its slumber.
The net snapped upward with the ball before fluttering gently back into place.
The two defenders crashed back onto the floor.
Their legs gave out beneath them.
Both ended up sitting flat on the hardwood.
Supporting themselves with trembling hands, they looked up at the red-haired figure hanging from the rim.
The confidence had completely vanished from their eyes.
The arena exploded.
It felt as though a bomb had detonated in the stands.
A tidal wave of sound crashed toward the court from every direction.
“Another dunk!!” “He just posterized two defenders!!” “Is he really just a middle schooler?!” “What’s that redhead’s name?!” “Sakuragi!
Wakou Middle School’s Number 15!
Sakuragi Hanamichi!” “How have we never seen him before?!” “No idea!
I think this is his first official tournament!” Students leaped from their seats.
Some threw the flags they had been waving.
Some clutched their heads in utter disbelief.
Others grabbed complete strangers by the shoulders, shaking them excitedly.
The Wakou Middle School cheering section had completely lost control.
Even after their voices cracked, they kept shouting.
The referee froze.
For an entire second.
His whistle remained between his lips.
His raised arm hung motionless in the air.
In all his years officiating middle school basketball…
He had called traveling violations.
Reach-in fouls.
Technical fouls.
But never…
Never had he seen a middle school player grab a defensive rebound, go coast-to-coast, and finish with a poster dunk over two defenders.
Professional instinct finally kicked in.
Tweet!
The whistle pierced the air.
He signaled the call.
His right hand clenched into a fist.
His left palm struck his right wrist.
“Blocking foul!
The basket counts!
One free throw!” The Wakou student section went completely insane.
Several boys stood on their chairs, swinging their school jackets overhead.
Some whistled at full volume.
Others clapped until their palms turned bright red.
The entire Wakou bench erupted.
Every substitute jumped to his feet.
Towels whipped through the air like victory banners.
The four members of the Sakuragi Army looked even more excited than Sakuragi himself.
Takamiya stood on his chair, pounding his chest while unleashing a series of completely incomprehensible battle cries.
Ohkusu bounced up and down beside him, clapping frantically.
Noma shoved two fingers into his mouth and let out a piercing whistle.
Yanai Yuri sat quietly in the stands.
Her heartbeat accelerated once again.
This time…
It wasn’t that brief flutter she’d felt before.
Instead, it came in continuous waves.
Every time Sakuragi soared into the air…
Her heart seemed to rise with him.
Every time he slammed the ball through the hoop…
Her heart trembled.
She had never experienced anything like this.
She used to think basketball was boring.
Just a group of people chasing a ball around the court, running back and forth before finally taking a shot.
What was so entertaining about that?
Now she realized…
Basketball itself had never been boring.
The difference…
Was the person playing it.
Beside her, Kato Reina stared blankly at the court, her lips slightly parted.
It wasn’t as though she’d never seen someone dunk before.
She’d watched plenty on television.
But seeing someone explode from just inside the free-throw line…
Rise over two defenders…
And hammer the ball through the basket with her own eyes…
The impact couldn’t even be compared to watching it on TV.
She turned toward Yanai.
Yanai’s eyes sparkled brilliantly.
It was an expression Kato had never seen before.
At last…
She understood.
Now she knew why this young lady had become interested in that red-haired delinquent.
On the court, Sakuragi exchanged high-fives with every one of his teammates.
Smack!
Oda slapped his palm with a crisp, powerful high-five.
No words were needed.
Akiyama jogged over with a grin and gave him a playful pat on the waist.
Even the substitutes leaned across the sideline, stretching out their hands.
Sakuragi high-fived every single one of them.
By the end, his palm was tingling.
The grin on his face couldn’t have been any wider.
The referee handed him the basketball.
Sakuragi stepped to the free-throw line.
He bounced the ball twice.
Thump.
Thump.
The sound echoed softly through the gym.
He inhaled deeply.
Bent his knees.
Focused on the rim.
With a smooth flick of his wrist, the ball rolled off his fingertips in a high, graceful arc.
Swish.
Nothing but net.
The free throw was good.
The three-point play was complete.