Inside the gymnasium of Shoyo High School, Fujima and his teammates anxiously surrounded an elderly man.
"You should rest at home a while longer. We'll train hard, so you don't need to stay here watching us."
Fujima's unshaven beard made his originally handsome face look somewhat unkempt, shattering the fantasies of the female students who secretly admired him.
The old man stood about 180 centimeters tall, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, with a blue tie neatly fastened around his neck.
His thick dark eyebrows and sharp nose bridge made him look intimidating, but his round face softened the impression slightly.
His calm, watery eyes revealed clear displeasure. Ignoring Fujima, he continued flipping through the notebook in his hands.
Fujima panicked and stepped forward to support him, but the old man brushed his hand away.
"I'm fine now. You don't need to worry about me!"
Hanagata hesitated.
"Coach Urano, but…"
The old man was none other than Masakuni Urano, the head coach of Shoyo.
He glared at them and roared,
"But what? Instead of worrying about me, think about how you're going to defeat Shohoku and Hainan!"
Coach Urano had been a famous athlete in his youth. He was older than Coach Takato and Coach Taoka, but younger than Coach Anzai.
Because of illness, he spent the summer National Tournament in a hospital bed. When he learned Shoyo had lost to the so-called "easy target" Shohoku in the qualifiers, he felt deep frustration at his own helplessness.
He had originally expected this year's Shoyo to defeat Kainan and enter Nationals as champions.
His confidence came from believing that Kainan — whose interior defense relied mainly on Takasago and Maki — could not match his carefully trained lineup of four big men plus Fujima.
Coach Urano suddenly said,
"I've arranged a practice match for next week. Your opponent is Shohoku High School."
"Shohoku…?"
The moment the name was spoken, the players' concern turned into visible tension.
Coach Urano watched their expressions calmly. Everything was exactly as he expected.
On the surface they were full of fighting spirit, but shadows still lingered in their hearts.
That was precisely why he arranged this match to reignite their courage.
"Are you already afraid just hearing another school's name?"
He looked at the third-years Fujima with his beard, Hanagata with new glasses, Hasegawa with shaved hair, and Nagano and Takano with shaved eyebrows.
"I doubt you changed your appearances on a whim."
Coach Urano said quietly,
"Fujima, this is your last chance to reach Nationals. Don't leave any regrets."
He opened the notebook and showed everyone the page — the box score from their summer loss to Shohoku.
Seeing the glaring score, Fujima's heart tightened. His expression turned resolute.
"I understand."
Coach Urano nodded calmly.
"Then begin practice."
"Yes!!"
The third-years answered the loudest almost a roar.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Sendoh walked into the gym with a relaxed smile, showing absolutely no remorse.
The Ryonan players exchanged knowing looks they were already used to their ace's habits.
No matter how unreliable Sendoh seemed normally, once he stepped onto the court, he became the most dependable person there.
"Sendoh! Late again?! Go run laps!"
"Yes, yes… I'm going…"
No matter how much the players tolerated him, Coach Taoka still had to shout to maintain discipline.
After scolding Sendoh, Coach Taoka called his favorite player Uozumi aside.
"Don't only think about passing. More often, you must think about scoring yourself. Your inside offense is the foundation of your career."
"I understand."
Since discovering the benefits of passing, Uozumi had begun giving the ball away even when he had clear scoring chances.
It gave Coach Taoka a headache he feared the giant had forgotten how to attack.
During the following practice, Coach Taoka patiently guided the team while simultaneously putting them through brutal training.
Even though he was satisfied with their summer performance, he refused to grow complacent.
His goal was clear:
Make Ryonan a consistent Nationals contender.
National champions?
For now, that was unrealistic but not impossible in the future.
"200!"
After sinking the final three-pointer, Nango picked up his training vest and shouted,
"Rukawa, I'm heading out! Remember to lock the locker room!"
Without waiting for Rukawa Kaede's response, he grabbed Kano's hand and walked away.
He already knew Rukawa had heard him the guy simply wouldn't reply.
Kano handed him a sports drink and muttered,
"Now I understand why you come home so late every day."
Nango took a sip and chuckled.
"Didn't I tell you? I stay behind to train."
"I thought you were alone. I didn't expect Rukawa trains this hard too."
"Yeah. About as much as me."
They walked into the parking shed.
Kano tilted her head.
"Not really. He stayed longer than you."
"I train in the mornings before school too even if it's just conditioning," Nango said while unlocking his bicycle. "You know how much Rukawa sleeps? The entire grade calls him the 'sleeping prince.' He only trains heavily at night."
And I'm not idle at night either… fighting the system.
Of course, he couldn't say that aloud.
"Right…"
Kano helped steady him and asked softly,
"Has Mr. Lance contacted you again?"
Nango shook his head.
"He called once. Said he'd come watch my games, but nothing else."
Lance's inaction puzzled him. Still, regardless of the mysterious "vampire's" plans, he was determined to study abroad.
The only question was how.
"I wonder what path Sawakita took…"
He muttered to himself, then stopped thinking about it.
Barring accidents, he still had two tournaments left — the National Sports Festival and the Winter Tournament.
He wanted to win both.
A perfect ending before leaving Japan.
Whether he would share Sawakita's regrets or achieve success… depended on what came next.
But Nango believed in himself.
And in his teammates.