June 22nd, 8 a.m.
A slightly old but well-kept bus sped steadily toward the Kanagawa Gymnasium.
Inside sat the Shohoku basketball team, heading to today's match.
But the mood in the bus was anything but normal. Everyone's expression was twisted—helpless, nervous, anxious, unsure. The atmosphere felt like a thick net tightening around them, making it hard to breathe.
"That bastard… late again… dammit…" Akagi Takenori's eyes were burning. His teeth ground with a menacing sound. A dark cloud seemed to surround him. Veins on his forehead bulged and twitched visibly.
Shohoku's players all shrank into the corners of their seats like scared sparrows, afraid to even breathe too loudly.
Yasuda Yasuharu trembled and mumbled, "Captain Akagi's really mad today…"
Shiozaki Tetsushi nervously gulped and whispered back, "Even when Aoi Kunisaku was late before, he never got this mad."
Kogure Kiminobu's face twitched, full of resignation. "Well, what do you expect? Today's opponent is Kainan. Win this, and we're going to Nationals. That's been Akagi's dream for years. Being late to a match this important? Of course he's pissed."
Sakuragi Hanamichi, sensing a rare chance to diss Aoi Kunisaku, rushed over to Akagi's side and laughed loudly. "Hahahaha! Hey, gorilla, don't worry! Even if that 'godless freak' doesn't show, I, the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi, will crush Kainan for us!"
Thud!
Without even looking at him, Akagi slammed his fist straight onto Sakuragi's head.
Sakuragi flopped to the floor. A huge, glowing red lump swelled on his head, steaming from the impact.
Kogure quickly rushed over and gently advised, "Sakuragi, now's really not the time to mess with Akagi."
"That damn gorilla…" Sakuragi mumbled miserably, holding his head as tears welled in his eyes.
Ayako looked at the chaotic scene and rubbed her forehead, speechless.
Just then, Ayako's phone chimed with a message.
When she saw the sender, her eyes lit up. She quickly shouted, "A message from Kanon!"
Everyone's heads snapped toward her in unison.
Ayako opened the text. As soon as she read it, her eyelid twitched.
Kogure immediately asked, "What did Kanon say? When are they getting here?"
Ayako let out a small sigh and read the message out loud. "Kanon says Aoi just woke up and is having breakfast now. Once he finishes eating, they'll head out. It takes about an hour from their place, so they should make it in time for the game."
Everyone twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Just woke up?
Still eating breakfast?
Miyagi Ryota muttered with a deadpan look, "Must be nice to live like that."
Mitsui Hisashi scoffed through his nose. His tone was hard to read—mocking, amused, or maybe just a little envious. "Kids these days sure know how to enjoy life."
Akagi looked ready to explode. Steam seemed to rise from his head, and his already dark face was now a furious red-black. It felt like he'd blow any second.
Kogure hurried over to Akagi and tried to calm him down. "It's okay, right? He's still coming. As long as he's here before tipoff, it's fine. I mean, we can't expect him to play on an empty stomach, right?"
In the corner, Rukawa Kaede muttered under his breath, "What an idiot…"
…
Elsewhere.
At a bus stop.
A sudden gust of wind blew through. Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon's hair were both messed up as they waited.
"We're gonna be late! What do we do, what do we do? Why isn't the bus here yet? We're totally gonna miss the game!" Kanon stared at her watch, stomping anxiously. Her eyes were red and teary.
Aoi stood beside her, completely relaxed. "Being a little late isn't a big deal. If those guys can't hold out a few minutes without me, they might as well forfeit now."
Kanon's face turned bright red with anger. "You're saying that again?! It's your fault we're in this mess! Today's game decides if we go to Nationals!"
"What do we do now?! The next bus won't come for another ten minutes. Captain Akagi is definitely going to explode. It's all your fault… stupid Saku-chan… dumb Saku-chan… useless Saku-chan…" Her voice grew more and more pitiful, nearly breaking into sobs.
Aoi Kunisaku slowly closed his eyes and casually picked at his ear, totally indifferent.
Just then, a car sped past them with a loud whoosh, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Cough cough cough cough…
Both Aoi and Shimizu Kanon choked and started coughing hard, nearly tearing up.
With dust-covered faces and angry expressions, they both glared after the car in sync.
Aoi frowned and cursed. "What the hell is that car's problem? Chasing death or something?!"
Kanon pouted and grumbled, "What a cursed day. First, we're late because of you, now we're stuck waiting for the bus, and even random cars are bullying us."
Screeech…
A piercing brake screech made them both jump.
That same car suddenly reversed and came back toward them.
Aoi and Kanon froze, then exchanged confused looks.
Aoi, unwilling to let it go, stepped forward ready to confront the driver.
He wasn't the type to just eat dirt and move on. Sure, he'd spoil Kanon all day, but with anyone else, he never held back.
But before he got close, the car door opened.
The first thing he saw… was a pair of long, slender legs wrapped in black stockings. Under the soft morning light, they shimmered with a subtle, sensual glow.
Uh…
Aoi paused, stunned for a second.
Kanon instantly became alert.
She narrowed her eyes. For a second, she completely forgot about the match.
Soon, the owner of those legs stepped out into full view.
Short hair, sharp features, probably in her twenties. She wore a fitted suit that looked smart and full of energy.
Aoi blinked again. She looked… familiar.
The woman's gaze never left Aoi, which made Kanon very uncomfortable.
Kanon immediately walked over and grabbed Aoi's arm, as if to declare her territory, staring at the woman warily.
The woman, as if completely ignoring Kanon, looked straight at Aoi and said, "Excuse me, are you Aoi Kunisaku from the Shohoku basketball team?"
Aoi didn't bother hiding it. He nodded. "Yeah, that's me."
The woman beamed. "Perfect. I've been wanting to interview you for so long but never had the chance."
Hearing that, Aoi finally remembered who she was.
Kanon cut in. "Um, and you are…?"
The woman smiled. "Hello, I'm a journalist from Basketball Weekly. My name is Aida Yayoi."
Ah, so she's a reporter!
Kanon finally relaxed a little. Still, she stayed on guard, just in case this woman tried anything funny with Aoi.
Aida Yayoi then asked curiously, "By the way, isn't today the Shohoku vs. Kainan match? You're a player, right? Why are you here?"
"Oh, that," Aoi scratched his head, about to explain.
Kanon jumped in before he could. "Saku-chan overslept and now we're late. We were just heading over, but we've been stuck waiting for the bus forever."
"Ah? Seriously?" Aida Yayoi looked a bit speechless. She wasn't even sure how to respond.
Late to such a big game? This kid sure had nerves of steel.
But then she remembered this wasn't the first time Aoi Kunisaku had shown up late, so maybe it wasn't that surprising after all.
"Well, in that case," Aida offered, "why don't you ride with us? We're on our way to the gym too. We can give you a lift."
"Eh? Really?" Kanon's eyes lit up.
If they took her car, they could probably make it in time for the match.
"Of course," Aida nodded. "I've been looking forward to Shohoku vs. Kainan. And I really want to see the showdown between Aoi Kunisaku and Maki Shinichi. If you didn't show up, something would be missing."
"Thank you so much." Kanon bowed politely.
Even if she didn't trust the woman completely, she couldn't skip basic manners.
Aoi, on the other hand, didn't bother with formalities. "Thanks."
Soon after, Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon hopped into Aida Yayoi's car and sped off toward the Kanagawa Gymnasium.