"YES! This is fantastic!"
Eri was so happy she almost jumped for joy. For her, this was truly a stroke of luck.
What was Eri doing now?
Mike Okita and his teammates exchanged glances, completely baffled about what their young lady was up to this time.
The situation was simple. Eri had just received the results of the practice match between Shohoku and Shoyo, along with the news of Akagi's retirement.
The once formidable Shohoku had previously left people with no hope of challenging them. But now that Akagi was gone, it suddenly gave everyone a glimmer of hope.
Ryokufu High School wasn't the only team that learned this news.
Inside the gymnasium of Ryonan High School, the team members had just finished running laps and hadn't even begun their formal training yet.
Echizen suddenly spoke up, looking quite smug.
"Do you guys know something? Shoyo and Shohoku had a practice match over the weekend, and Shoyo lost again."
"This result isn't surprising, is it?" Uekusa curled his lip. "Back in the Prefectural Tournament, Shohoku was already one step ahead."
Echizen smiled mysteriously.
"Heh heh… but did you know that Akagi, Shohoku's senior captain, has retired?"
"Nonsense!" Uekusa immediately refuted. "How is that possible?"
Like Uekusa, the others also questioned the news, voices rising with doubt.
Even Uozumi was taken aback. Although he knew Echizen wouldn't make such a ridiculous joke, he still asked seriously,
"Echizen… are you serious?"
Seeing that he had successfully captured everyone's attention, Echizen finally stopped keeping them in suspense.
"Of course it's true. My junior high school classmate is on the Shoyo team. He told me personally over the phone yesterday."
Not only had Akagi retired, but even the vice-captain Kogure had stepped down. Both of them had decided to focus on preparing for their college entrance exams, just like Ikegami.
In addition, Coach Anzai had missed yesterday's practice match due to health issues. Coach Urano had temporarily returned and arranged the game.
The news was so shocking that the team members took a moment to process it before discussing it.
"Shoyo lost even without Coach Anzai and Akagi on the court? That's ridiculous!"
"What's so strange about that? Even without Akagi, the rest of Shohoku is still very strong."
"Yeah… I always feel like no matter how hard we try in the Winter Tournament, we still won't be able to beat them."
"How could that be?" Sendoh, who had been silent until now, suddenly laughed. "Hasn't their overall strength dropped significantly?"
Hikoichi scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"It might sound rude to say this, but we only lost Ikegami-senpai. Shohoku, on the other hand, lost both Akagi-senpai and Kogure-senpai."
"That's right. It's still too early to determine who will win the Winter Tournament."
Uozumi clenched his fist. Whether it was confidence about the Winter Tournament or regret over losing Akagi as a rival, it was hard to tell.
"Do you think my decision to retire was too selfish? Too hasty?"
Akagi looked at Kogure with a serious expression.
Kogure was stunned for a moment before replying.
"How could that be? Why would you think that?"
Akagi sighed.
"Haruko told me about the match. Even though it wasn't a particularly difficult game, Shoyo still caused the team quite a bit of trouble."
Kogure understood Akagi's feelings.
Both of them had poured countless emotions into the basketball team. Those feelings couldn't simply disappear just because they retired. Even though they no longer went to the gym, they still followed the team's progress closely.
But Akagi had already made the decision to retire.
Now that he had a chance to reconsider, would going back really be the right choice?
Kogure wasn't entirely sure either, so he simply offered some reassurance.
"Don't worry. Even though we've both retired, the team still has plenty of reliable younger players."
Even if they fall behind sometimes, they'll always find a way to fight back and win.
This practice match should be no different.
Seeing Akagi's tense expression finally relax, Kogure smiled.
"So you don't need to worry like an old man."
"No way!" Akagi waved his hand dismissively. "I was just a little concerned. Anyway, let's get back to work."
Akagi shooed Kogure away with a wave.
"Kakuta, Yasuda, Shiozaki, Ishii, Sasaoka… these names are giving me a headache."
As Nango read the players' names from the sidelines, his voice gradually lowered.
The substitute lineup was simply too weak.
Although they had won yesterday's game, there were still many issues worth reflecting on.
Nango had already expected the team's strength to decline after losing Akagi. But seeing it happen so clearly in the match still worried him.
Overall, as long as Shohoku's starting five were on the court, they held an absolute advantage.
But the moment one of them got into foul trouble, the situation immediately became dangerous—just like in yesterday's game.
And that was only against Shoyo, who wasn't considered a particularly threatening opponent.
If they were facing teams like Meihou Industrial or Kainan Affiliated High School, both he and Sakuragi would likely get into foul trouble sooner or later. At that point, the outcome of the game would become much more uncertain.
When it came to the starting lineup, there weren't many teams that could compete with Shohoku.
However, they couldn't keep relying on the starters for the entire game. That would easily lead to injuries, and not everyone had the stamina to endure such pressure.
That's why the bench lineup was extremely important.
But at the moment, only Kakuta could hold the paint, and only Yasuda could somewhat stabilize the perimeter.
Fortunately, there was still plenty of time before the Winter Tournament.
Shohoku still had room to grow.
Another issue that required serious thought was his "dispute" with Mitsui.
Yesterday had only been a practice match, so Nango had no reason to argue with Mitsui.
But what if it happened during a knockout game?
Should he give up a valuable offensive opportunity just to let Mitsui test the waters?
Nango knew the answer.
But people were sentimental—especially when it came to teammates who had fought side by side.
"What are you thinking about so seriously?"
Kano suddenly appeared behind Nango and slapped him on the back.
Nango turned around and noticed Haruko standing beside Kano.
He quickly recovered and laughed.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about what kind of training we should do later. What have you two been up to?"
"Hmph. All you guys do is train all day."
Instead of answering, Kano pretended to be angry.
Nango naturally understood that this was the moment to appease his girlfriend, so he quickly said,
"How about we go out and have some fun sometime?"
Before Kano could reply, Haruko suddenly blushed and silently walked away.
Nango touched his earlobe in confusion.
"Why is she shy when we're the ones talking?"
Kano seemed to have a vague idea but wasn't entirely certain. He changed the subject and laughed.
"Haha! I'll go ask her. Don't forget what you promised me!"
"Of course. I won't forget."