"Excuse us!"
At 2:00 p.m. sharp on Saturday, the Shoyo team, led by Coach Urano, arrived at Shohoku High School's gymnasium.
"Welcome!"
Mitsui and Miyagi immediately stepped forward to greet them.
Hanagata looked around and whispered to Fujima beside him,
"Where's Akagi?"
"I'm not sure," Fujima replied calmly. "I'll ask later."
Coach Urano caught the murmuring behind him. It only confirmed his earlier suspicion:
Shohoku had changed.
"I'm sorry to trouble you today," Coach Urano said with a polite smile.
Mitsui bowed first before replying respectfully,
"Not at all, Coach. We're the ones troubling you by making you come all this way. We hope you'll excuse our lack of proper hospitality."
After brief pleasantries, Shoyo went to change into their uniforms. Both sides began warming up.
Sakuragi scratched his head.
"Weren't they different before? Am I remembering wrong?"
Mitsui replied, "It's like shaving your head to show determination. They're showing how serious they are about the Winter Tournament."
Miyagi nodded.
"They definitely came prepared for this match. We can't let our guard down."
Sakuragi puffed out his chest.
"With Genius Sakuragi here, victory is guaranteed!"
Nango, however, was focused elsewhere.
"By the way, do you know their coach? Is he new?"
Compared to Shoyo's dramatic appearance changes, Nango was more interested in this new variable.
Mitsui answered,
"That's Coach Urano. He's been with Shoyo for years. I heard he missed the Prefectural Tournament due to health issues."
Nango quickly pieced things together.
"So Shoyo ran into us during the knockout stage while he was absent… He probably planned to return for the round-robin finals."
Miyagi nodded.
"That makes sense."
"Alright," Mitsui clapped his hands. "Let's warm up."
"Okay!"
Everyone grabbed basketballs and spread out across the court.
Coach Urano stood near the sidelines, observing.
"Is that Nango?" he asked Shoyo's manager quietly.
Without Akagi, the 193-centimeter Nango stood out immediately among Shohoku's lineup.
After receiving confirmation, Coach Urano continued studying him.
"Excellent physique. He doesn't look like a freshman — and certainly not like a point guard. He resembles Maki from Kainan."
"Fujima."
Coach Urano subtly signaled him.
Fujima understood immediately. Dribbling casually toward Nango, he pretended to warm up beside him. After sinking a three-pointer, he asked lightly,
"Where are Akagi and Coach Anzai?"
Aside from their official match, Fujima had never interacted with Shohoku. This was the only way to gather information.
Nango answered calmly. It wasn't confidential anyway — the National Sports Festival was approaching. Everyone would know soon enough.
"Retired?!"
Fujima's surprise was genuine.
He tossed up another shot before returning to his teammates.
Takano blurted out,
"Akagi retired now? Even without a university recommendation, shouldn't he at least finish the Winter Tournament?"
"Keep it down," Hanagata said, equally stunned. "But… why retire now?"
"Who knows," Hanagata added after a pause. "Perhaps that's the choice of someone who has already reached the summit."
The third-years fell silent.
Compared to them, Akagi had succeeded — leading his team to the top of high school basketball.
They, on the other hand, were still fighting desperately for one final chance.
In that light, it was difficult to question his decision.
And truthfully…
It benefited them.
After warm-ups, both teams made brief tactical adjustments.
Then Nango stepped into the center circle to prepare for the jump ball against Hanagata.
After experimentation, Shohoku had officially placed Nango at center. This allowed Sakuragi to continue focusing on defensive coverage, where his explosive athleticism remained indispensable.
The referee raised his whistle.
The ball soared into the air.
Nango and Hanagata leapt almost simultaneously.
But Nango reacted faster, tapping the ball cleanly toward Miyagi.
At the same moment, Rukawa and Sakuragi sprinted down opposite wings, initiating Shohoku's signature fast-break opening.
However—
Shoyo reacted immediately.
Takano and Nagano chased them down, cutting off the lanes.
Miyagi caught the ball and prepared to pass, but Fujima closed in instantly — not to steal, but to block the passing route.
With the fast break stalled, Miyagi pulled the ball back.
Shoyo's defense settled quickly.
Shohoku was forced into half-court offense.
Miyagi passed to Nango, who was positioned beyond the three-point line. Miyagi then cut sharply around him. Fujima, trailing behind, was briefly slowed by Nango's positioning.
Seizing the moment, Nango returned the ball.
Miyagi lowered his body, accelerated past Hanagata, and finished with a clean layup.
"Nice!"
Captain and vice-captain bumped fists.
Sakuragi shouted from the side,
"Way to go, Ryota!"
Although their opening fast break had failed, scoring so smoothly in their first set play significantly boosted Shohoku's morale.
Meanwhile, Coach Urano sat calmly on the Shoyo bench.
His expression remained composed.
But his eyes moved constantly between Shohoku's five starters.
Calculating.
Analyzing.
Evaluating.
Shohoku had changed.
And so had Shoyo.
This match was no longer just practice.
It was a test.