"Actually, there isn't much to do. It'll be much easier if the two of you work together."
Haruko nodded repeatedly and carefully wrote down everything Ayako had just said in her notebook.
"The third thing to announce is that Haruko and Kano will officially join the team, taking over my duties."
Faced with an increasingly heavy academic workload, top student Ayako had no choice but to devote more energy to her studies.
"That's about it. I'll be coming less often from now on."
Ayako turned around, pointed her thumb at the team members on the court, and said softly,
"I'm entrusting these problem children to you two."
Haruko froze for a moment before her cheeks flushed red.
"I-I'll do my best!"
Kano's lips curled slightly upward, giving him a nonchalant expression.
The two had completely different attitudes toward the job.
Haruko genuinely loved the Shohoku basketball team her brother played there so she worried about whether she could shoulder the responsibility.
Kano, on the other hand, was clearly just accompanying her boyfriend, waiting for him to finish training so they could go home together.
"Yasuda! Over here!"
Normally, teams returning from vacation focused on recovery training, but Shohoku played a full-length match on the very first day.
For them, winning the national championship was not the end of their journey, but a new beginning.
To stand on the podium again, they needed to work as hard as ever even harder than before.
Because the team had lost its greatest pillar Akagi Takenori.
Without the 197-centimeter "Black King Kong," only Miyagi remained in the starting lineup from before.
This change significantly reduced the average height of Shohoku's once-intimidating starting lineup, and finding a replacement center would become a major challenge.
Sakuragi shook off Rukawa Kaede's defense with a mix of pushing and running, briefly creating space and successfully receiving the ball. He turned and fired a mid-range shot.
Smack!
Nango seized the opportunity and swatted the ball away.
"Damn it! Nango, you tricked me!" Sakuragi reached for the ball but couldn't touch it.
"Who tricked you? You were the one who rushed it!"
Nango laughed and sprinted forward, while the agile Miyagi was already crouching to collect the ball.
In the next second, Miyagi threw a long pass ahead. Nango caught it easily with his long arms, took two steps, and leapt for a layup.
"Don't even think about it!"
Beep!
Sakuragi chased him down quickly but only managed to hit Nango's arm, a foul.
Before stepping to the free-throw line, Nango rubbed his arm and reminded him,
"Sakuragi, avoid fouling when chasing defenders, or you'll hit the foul limit quickly."
"I understand."
Sakuragi listened carefully and even repeated the words twice under his breath.
This trip with the Youth Team had greatly influenced him. His attitude toward basketball had already changed a lot before, but now the transformation was even more obvious.
As if he had finally found the path he wanted to walk, he had made up his mind to play basketball seriously.
Nango and the others were completely unprepared for such a huge change in him, but it was undoubtedly good for both Sakuragi and the team.
Nango had even begun considering his professional future. If Sakuragi wanted to go pro, he would need to change his own playing style and position.
The reasoning was simple.
If he continued playing inside, Sakuragi currently only 189 cm tall would most likely never reach 200 cm.
That height was slightly insufficient even by Asian standards, so for Sakuragi's future, he needed to gradually develop perimeter skills.
…Unless he suddenly grew 25 centimeters in a year like Big Kawata.
"Why did you stop? Keep running!"
"What's wrong with you? Do you want to lose at the Winter Tournament again?!"
Coach Takato, dressed in a purple-and-white training uniform, stood on the sidelines holding a folding fan and shouting nonstop.
Despite their exhaustion, the players obediently continued running.
Kiyota wiped the sweat-soaked headband and wrapped it around his wrist, complaining to Jin beside him,
"Coach has become even stricter than before…"
Jin kept his eyes forward and dragged his heavy steps onward, but his gaze remained firm.
"If we don't train like this, we will lose again."
"That's right — didn't you want to defeat those three guys from Shohoku?" Maki said as he ran past Kiyota.
The words startled Kiyota, reminding him of watching Sakuragi, Rukawa Kaede, and Nango shine from the stands in Hiroshima.
Damn it… I won't stay behind you forever.
Kiyota gritted his teeth, his face turning fierce as he clenched his fists and followed his seniors.
For Hainan, the trip to Hiroshima had been deeply disappointing.
Watching Shohoku win and Ryonan perform brilliantly only increased the regret of those sitting in the stands.
They also failed to achieve their original goal Coach Takato hadn't found any promising talent to recruit.
Of course, poaching players from other teams was unreliable. The only solution was intense training and hoping for talented freshmen next year.
Therefore, Coach Takato had begun keeping an eye on outstanding junior-high players, ready to approach them at any moment.
Unfortunately, once Maki graduated, Hainan would lack a true leader.
Jin, a second-year, was too easily targeted.
Kosuge's abilities were still insufficient.
Kiyota, the best first-year, had potential — but his small stature was a fatal weakness for now.
All they could do was hope he ate well, slept well, and grew a few more centimeters.
Coach Takato felt a headache coming on.
This year had been his worst since taking over Hainan Affiliated High School… and worse still, the situation might continue.
After all —
Shohoku held three trump cards.
Summer had barely convinced Takasago not to retire; otherwise, their already weak interior defense would have collapsed.
And now they faced the rising Shohoku, the steadily improving Ryonan, and Shoyo — whose entire third-year lineup remained intact.
For the first time in years…
Coach Takato wasn't confident of victory.