The following day, Sunday, marked the second game of the back-to-back schedule.
The moment Sakuragi Hanamichi stepped out of the players’ tunnel with his teammates, his eyes instinctively searched the stands before the rest of him even reacted.
In an instant, they found her.
Today, Yanai Yuri had traded her light gray skirt for a flowing white dress.
Amid the sea of spectators, she stood out like a brilliant ray of light, drawing Sakuragi’s attention immediately.
She was once again seated beside her best friend, with the four members of the Sakuragi Army shamelessly squeezing into the seats around them.
At the moment, the four boys had gathered around Kato Reina, whispering among themselves with conspiratorial expressions.
Without realizing it, Sakuragi slowed his pace.
His teammates walked past him until Oda gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“Come on.
What are you spacing out for?” Just as Sakuragi was about to move again, the girl in white looked up.
Their eyes met perfectly.
Yanai smiled warmly and waved.
Her lips moved.
Although he couldn’t hear a single word from that distance, he could easily read them.
“Good luck, Sakuragi-kun.” Sakuragi immediately beamed, waving back with all his enthusiasm before turning and sprinting toward the court.
On the opposite side of the arena…
Akagi Haruko was sitting in the stands with several classmates, watching Shonan Fourth Middle School’s game.
“Haruko, did you hear?” One of her classmates leaned closer, lowering her voice while her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Wakou Middle School has an incredible new player this year.” “Really?
Who?” Haruko tilted her head curiously.
“It’s him.” The girl pointed toward the court, where a red-haired player was warming up.
“Number 15—Sakuragi Hanamichi!
Yesterday against Koyo Junior High, he threw down multiple dunks.
He even had an alley-oop dunk…
and a poster dunk over two defenders!” Haruko followed her finger.
The redhead was practicing shots beneath the basket.
Every movement was smooth and fundamentally sound.
His shooting form looked polished, his wrist snapped naturally on release, and every shot left his fingertips with beautiful backspin.
He towered over nearly everyone else on the floor, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, the muscles in his arms clearly visible.
And of course…
That blazing red pompadour made him impossible to ignore beneath the arena lights.
“He can dunk?” Haruko exclaimed in surprise.
“Like Rukawa Kaede?” Being able to dunk in middle school basketball was already extremely rare.
“Not just barely dunk,” her classmate said excitedly, gesturing wildly with both hands.
“I mean the kind that goes CLANG!
The whole rim shakes!
Everyone was talking about him yesterday.
Wakou Middle School is way stronger than last year—they’re one of the biggest favorites to win the championship!” Haruko nodded quietly, her eyes remaining on the red-haired player.
She couldn’t help remembering someone from last year’s prefectural tournament.
Rukawa Kaede.
Number 11 of Tomigaoka Middle School.
Their second-year ace.
When Rukawa played, every movement was clean and effortless.
Whenever he rose for a jumper, his body leaned slightly backward in midair like a bird spreading its wings.
The basketball would leave his fingertips…
Swish.
The crisp sound of the net had stayed in Haruko’s memory ever since.
She couldn’t help wondering…
Who was stronger?
This redhead…
Or Rukawa Kaede?
The game began.
For the opening tip, Sakuragi’s opponent was actually two centimeters shorter than yesterday’s center.
The referee tossed the ball into the air.
The instant it reached its peak, Sakuragi exploded upward.
It was as if springs had been installed beneath his feet.
With a gentle flick of his fingertips, he directed the ball cleanly into his teammate’s hands.
Meanwhile, the opposing center’s heels hadn’t even left the floor.
Wakou Middle School’s offense remained exactly the same as yesterday.
Feed the ball inside.
Let the Twin Towers handle the rest.
Sakuragi established deep position in the low post.
The defender behind him felt as though he were trying to stop a moving fortress.
His feet slid helplessly across the hardwood while the soles of his shoes squealed in protest.
The pass came inside.
Sakuragi caught it.
Turned.
Rose.
The defender slapped hard across his forearm.
Tweet!
The whistle sounded.
But the ball had already left his hand.
Bank shot.
It dropped cleanly through the basket.
“Basket counts!
One free throw!” Standing at the line, Sakuragi dribbled twice, took a deep breath, and released the shot.
The ball bounced softly around the rim twice…
…before falling in.
The students from Shonan Fourth Middle School began to feel uneasy.
The remainder of the game became another showcase for Wakou’s Twin Towers.
On defense, Sakuragi and Oda transformed the paint into an impenetrable fortress.
Every drive toward the basket ended the same way.
Near the free-throw line, players would suddenly run into either Oda’s broad chest…
…or Sakuragi’s enormous outstretched arms.
There were almost no offensive rebounds to be had.
Whenever Sakuragi spread his arms beneath the basket, it felt as though a two-meter exclusion zone had appeared around him.
The moment a shot bounced off the rim, his knees bent instinctively.
It almost looked as though an invisible string connected him directly to the basketball.
On offense, the coach of Shonan Fourth Middle School shouted himself hoarse from the sidelines.
“Double-team him!
Double-team Number 15!” But the problem remained the same.
Double-team Sakuragi…
…and Oda was left completely open.
Leave Sakuragi one-on-one…
…and he scored effortlessly beneath the basket.
The players from Shonan Fourth Middle School ran all over the floor like puppets on strings, always one step too slow.
As the game wore on, frustration became increasingly obvious.
Some players repeatedly shook their heads.
Others stood with their hands on their hips, gasping for breath, their eyes empty.
One guard had the ball stolen by Akiyama while bringing it up the floor.
He didn’t even bother chasing after it.
He simply bent over with his hands on his knees, staring blankly at the hardwood.
His entire expression seemed to say only five words.
“I don’t want to play anymore.” The coach quickly called a timeout.
He gathered everyone together, clapping loudly while delivering an impassioned speech.
The players formed a circle.
Some drank water.
Some wiped away sweat.
Others simply stared silently at the floor.
The coach’s voice grew louder and louder, trying desperately to reignite their fighting spirit.
But nothing changed.
That crushing feeling…
“We’ve already done everything we can…
but we simply can’t beat them.” No motivational speech could erase it.
From the stands, Akagi Haruko watched the entire first half in silence.
Her eyes never stopped following the streak of red on the court.
When Sakuragi grabbed rebounds…
…he resembled a wild beast.
His timing.
His positioning.
The violence with which both hands seized the basketball.
Everything about him radiated pure instinct.
When he blocked shots…
…he became an immovable wall.
The opponent could clearly see him standing there.
Yet they still charged in…
Only for the ball to disappear somewhere into the distance.
And whenever he dunked…
…he exploded like a bomb.
The rim trembled.
The backboard shook.
It felt as though the entire gymnasium vibrated.
He was completely different from Rukawa Kaede.
Rukawa was a blade.
Thin.
Fast.
Cold.
One slash…
…and before the opponent even realized they’d been cut, they had already fallen.
Sakuragi, on the other hand…
…was a warhammer.
Heavy.
Violent.
Scorching hot.
Every swing shook the earth itself.
The moment his opponent was struck…
…they already knew they had lost.
Beside her, Haruko’s classmate shook her arm excitedly.
“Look!
Look!
He dunked again!
Oh my gosh, he jumps so high!” Haruko was jostled back and forth…
Yet her eyes never once left the white Number 15 on the court.
His style was completely different from Rukawa Kaede’s.
But…
Both of them were extraordinary.
She couldn’t decide who was stronger.
She only knew one thing.
If those two ever met on the same court…
…it would undoubtedly be an unforgettable game.
The final buzzer sounded.
71–35.
Wakou Middle School won by an overwhelming 36-point margin.
The cheers inside the gymnasium refused to die down.
After watching their school dominate two games in a row, Wakou’s students were even more excited than they had been yesterday.
“Sakuragi!” “Sakuragi!” “Sakuragi!” His name echoed throughout the arena once again.
Sakuragi sat on the bench, trying his hardest to maintain a cool expression.
Unfortunately…
The corners of his mouth kept curling upward.
Unable to resist, he turned toward the stands.
Yanai Yuri immediately noticed him looking over.
She smiled gently…
…and waved.
The grin on Sakuragi’s face instantly blossomed.
Watching that bright, utterly foolish smile bloom across his face whenever he looked at her, Yanai couldn’t help smiling herself.
He really was…
far too amusing.
Beside her, Kato Reina watched the two smiling at each other across the entire court.
She slowly covered her face with both hands.
Peeking through the gaps between her fingers, she looked at Yanai…
Then at Sakuragi…
Then buried her face even deeper.
Sigh…
This young lady…
…was completely hopeless.