A clear, bright voice sounded from above.
Makino Juro opened his eyes helplessly. The first thing he saw was a pair of brand-new basketball shoes.
His gaze slowly traveled upward.
A boy stood there with neat, short hair.
That once long, unkempt hairstyle was now completely gone—cut clean to reveal sharp, well-defined features.
There was still a bandage stuck to his chin, and a bruise at the corner of his mouth.
But in his eyes…
That long-lost spark had finally returned.
"Hey, could you grab the ball?"
The boy pointed at the basketball by Makino Juro's feet, a faint, confident smile on his lips.
Makino Juro wiped his sweat with a towel and stood up, casually flicking the ball upward with the tip of his foot.
The basketball obediently popped into the air and dropped right into the boy's hands.
"Nice haircut, former MVP," Makino Juro said lazily.
"Tch."
"Shut up."
Mitsui Hisashi awkwardly touched his freshly cut hair and turned his head aside.
Just then, Sakuragi Hanamichi walked over, holding a ball.
He circled Mitsui three times, his face full of disbelief.
"Hey… who are you?"
Sakuragi poked Mitsui's shoulder with a finger.
"This is the basketball club. No random people allowed—"
"Huh? That voice sounds kinda familiar…"
A vein popped on Mitsui's forehead.
"Idiot! It's me! Mitsui!"
"Mitsui?!"
"That long-haired old lady?!"
"What the hell happened to you?!"
"Did Yohei and the others beat you stupid and you went for plastic surgery?!"
Sakuragi's eyes widened as he staggered back, dramatically pointing at him.
BAM!
Mitsui finally snapped and lunged forward, locking Sakuragi in a chokehold.
"I just cut my hair! CUT MY HAIR! You red-haired, single-celled organism!"
"Gah—ow ow ow! You violent maniac!"
"If you're joining the basketball team, call me senpai!"
"I joined earlier than you!" Sakuragi shouted, clutching his neck.
"Hah? You, a complete amateur, want to be my junior? Dream on!"
The two instantly started wrestling like grade school kids.
Nearby, Miyagi Ryota dribbled past, shaking his head helplessly.
Then he looked toward Ayako, who was quietly laughing—
and instantly switched to a flattering expression.
"Ayako, did you see that dribble just now? Pretty cool, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, very cool. Now go practice."
Ayako waved her paper fan with a smile.
The entire gym was filled with a lively, carefree atmosphere.
Makino Juro watched the scene while continuing his conditioning drills.
"So noisy…"
"…but yeah, this feels more like it."
…
Afternoon. Training was halfway through.
The gym doors opened, and a graceful figure walked in.
Akagi Haruko carried two large bags filled with lemon honey water and towels.
"Everyone, great work!"
Her voice was like a spring breeze, instantly sweeping away the heavy smell of sweat.
"Haruko-saaaan!!"
Sakuragi, who had just been fighting Mitsui moments ago, instantly transformed into a pink whirlwind and teleported in front of her.
"You came just to see me, right? I knew it!"
"My genius charm has completely captured your heart!"
He twisted his body shyly, his face red as a tomato.
"Ah, Sakuragi-kun, you've been working hard too."
Haruko smiled and handed him a bottle of water.
But her gaze…
slipped past him and into the court.
Rukawa Kaede had just finished a set of dunk drills.
Sweat drenched his body as he lifted his jersey to wipe his face, revealing his toned abs.
"Rukawa-kun… so cool…"
Haruko's face flushed instantly, hearts practically sparkling in her eyes.
Sakuragi froze on the spot.
Crack.
The water bottle in his hand crumpled flat.
"…Damn fox…"
However, Haruko didn't look at Rukawa for long.
Her gaze shifted again—to the corner.
There, Makino Juro was doing frog jumps.
"Ah! Makino Juro-kun is here too!"
She jogged over excitedly and crouched in front of him, her eyes filled with admiration.
"So this is Makino Juro-kun's training method?"
"I heard you defeated Sendoh Akira with pure speed!"
"That's amazing… even frog jumps look cool when you do them…"
Sakuragi's petrified form cracked—
and shattered into pieces.
Losing to Rukawa was one thing. That guy was… slightly handsome.
But losing to Makino Juro…
Damn it—this guy was ridiculously handsome too!
What the hell?! Since when is the supporting character better-looking than the protagonist?!
"Master!!"
Sakuragi roared in grief.
"Stop stealing my spotlight!!"
Makino Juro was startled and turned his head—only to see Haruko's pretty face right beside him.
"Hm? Is it time to eat already?"
"..."
Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, the calendar flipped to May 19th.
Today was the Kanagawa Prefectural Qualifiers for the National High School Tournament.
4:00 AM.
The sky was still dark. The streets were empty, illuminated only by dim streetlights.
Inside Sakuragi Hanamichi's room—
"AHHH! I can't sleep! I seriously can't sleep!"
Sakuragi shot upright from his bed, massive dark circles under his eyes.
Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was the game.
In front of a roaring crowd—
he, Sakuragi Hanamichi, delivered a game-winning dunk.
Then Haruko rushed forward and hugged him, while Rukawa and Makino Juro knelt before him, calling him "Boss"…
"Hehehe…"
He let out a foolish laugh, then smacked his own face hard.
"No! I'm a genius!"
"How could I lose sleep over such a small game?!"
"There's just too much energy in my body—I need to release it!"
He jumped out of bed, put on his Air Jordan 6, and rushed out the door.
At the park.
Sakuragi ran like a tireless machine, sprinting around the fountain again and again.
"I'm a genius! I'm the secret weapon!"
"Defeat Kainan High School! Defeat Shoyo High School!"
"Conquer the nation!"
By the tenth lap, he was gasping for air, hands on his knees.
"Hanamichi-kun?"
A surprised voice called out.
Sakuragi looked up sharply.
In the faint light of dawn.
Haruko stood not far away, dressed in a pink tracksuit, holding a dog's leash.
"H-Haruko-san?!"
"Y-you're out running this early too?"
He immediately straightened up, trying to suppress his heavy breathing and strike what he thought was a cool pose.
Haruko walked over with a gentle smile.
"Yeah… I was a little nervous, so I came out for a walk."
She looked at his sweat-soaked face.
"Are you nervous too, Sakuragi-kun?"
"Hah? Nervous? No way!"
Sakuragi laughed loudly.
"This genius is just doing some pre-game warm-ups!"
"You know, geniuses always have to sweat more than ordinary people!"
Haruko couldn't help but giggle at his forced bravado.
"Sakuragi-kun… you're really reliable."
That smile nearly melted his heart.
She sat down on a bench and patted the seat beside her.
"Sakuragi-kun, do you know?"
"This year's Shohoku… is really strong."
Sakuragi obediently sat down, ears perked up.
"Look."
She began counting on her fingers.
"At center, there's my brother—he's the number one center in the prefecture, the pillar of the inside."
"At power forward, there's you, Sakuragi-kun—our secret weapon, with incredible rebounding and athleticism."
"At small forward, there's Rukawa-kun—he may be cold, but his skills are top-tier."
"At shooting guard, there's Mitsui-senpai. Even though he was MVP in middle school… his three-point shooting lately is terrifyingly accurate."
"At point guard, there's Miyagi-senpai—his lightning-fast speed leaves everyone behind."
At this point, her eyes sparkled brightly.
"And most importantly…"
"We also have Makino Juro-kun."