Evening.
The golden glow of sunset bathed the land of Hiroshima in soft light, like a sheer golden veil laid across the city.
Near Hiroshima Central Gymnasium.
A small inn named "Chidori-sou."
Under Coach Anzai's lead, the Shohoku basketball team checked into Chidori-sou.
This would be their temporary base for the duration of the national tournament.
As arranged, the boys all stayed in a shared dorm room, while the two girls had a separate room to themselves.
Once they entered their rooms, everyone got busy settling in.
Some time passed.
Akagi Takenori sat quietly by the window, elbow resting on the sill, chin in hand, staring blankly outside. His gaze was distant, his mind clearly somewhere else.
Night gradually fell outside. The streetlights lit up one by one.
Mitsui Hisashi was lying sideways on the floor, flipping through the latest issue of Basketball Weekly, grumbling, "What's with this rating? 'C to S'? That makes no sense! Either we're a C or we're an S. What the hell is 'C to S' supposed to mean?"
Just then, Kogure Kiminobu came back from the bath, his hair still damp. Hearing Mitsui complain, he said, "I think the 'S' might be referring to Aoi Kunisaku."
Mitsui paused and gave it some thought. That actually made sense.
But then he frowned and said, "So basically, without that guy, we're a C-tier team."
Kogure chuckled awkwardly. "I was just guessing. Maybe I'm wrong."
Mitsui stopped replying and went back to scanning the magazine. He muttered, "Kainan's rated A, and so is that Toyotama team we saw today. Are they really that good?"
"Mitsui…" Akagi suddenly spoke, still staring out the window.
Mitsui and Kogure both looked over.
Akagi didn't turn around. His body trembled slightly as he said, "Back in junior high tournaments… did you ever get nervous?"
Mitsui blinked, then thought for a moment before replying, "In the nationals, maybe a little."
Akagi's trembling grew more obvious.
He stood up and walked toward the door. As he walked, he muttered, "This is a first for me."
Both Mitsui and Kogure froze. They could tell something was off.
Akagi opened the door and stepped out, still speaking as he went. "I'm going out for a run."
Watching Akagi's back disappear down the hallway, Mitsui said in surprise, "So even he gets nervous, huh?"
Kogure sighed lightly. "Not surprising. He's dreamed of playing in the nationals all this time… and now it's finally here."
…
Outside the inn.
The night was deep and dark.
Akagi jogged slowly along the street, trying to shake off the tension that clung to him.
As he ran, a sharp thump-thump sound reached his ears.
He instantly recognized it.
Basketball bouncing.
This late at night… someone's still practicing?
Akagi frowned in confusion.
Driven by curiosity, he jogged toward the sound.
Not far away, there was a streetball court.
When Akagi arrived, the first thing he saw was a lone figure drenched in sweat, practicing on the court.
He widened his eyes in surprise.
It was Aoi Kunisaku.
Thump…
Thump…
Thump…
Aoi moved like the wind. His movements were lightning-fast. All Akagi could catch were fleeting blurs of motion.
"So fast," Akagi murmured in awe.
Even though it wasn't his first time seeing Aoi's speed, it still stunned him every time.
CLANG!
With a thunderous crash, Aoi leapt high and slammed the ball into the hoop.
He landed smoothly and, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, turned to glance at Akagi outside the court.
He'd clearly known someone was watching.
"Something up?" Aoi asked calmly.
Akagi snapped out of it and quickly answered, "No, I was just passing by."
Aoi gave him a once-over and said, "If that's all, then get in here. Let's play."
Hearing that, Akagi's eyes flew wide open. A shock surged through his chest.
Play one-on-one… with Aoi?
Images of getting crushed flashed through his mind.
This probably won't end well…
"What, scared? Gonna chicken out?" Aoi smirked. His eyes gleamed with disdain.
Akagi's expression darkened. That fighting spirit rose in his chest.
Gritting his teeth, he stepped into the court.
…
Soon, they stood face-to-face on the streetball court.
A one-on-one showdown—whether intense from nerves or not—was about to begin.
Akagi Takenori took on defense, while Aoi Kunisaku prepared to attack.
The air was thick with silent tension.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
Aoi dribbled rhythmically, his eyes calm and blank, staring at Akagi, who was fully focused and locked in a defensive stance.
Suddenly—THUMP!—the bouncing stopped.
Aoi shot forward like an arrow from the string.
Whoosh—
Without any wasted motion, he bolted past Akagi's side like a flash of blue lightning.
Akagi's eyes widened in shock. "I couldn't even see it clearly."
He'd seen Aoi break through defenders countless times. But only now, facing him one-on-one, did he fully grasp how terrifying that speed was.
CLANG—
A clean, echoing slam. Akagi snapped back to reality and slowly turned his head.
By the rules of one-on-one, possession changed. Now it was Akagi's turn to attack, and Aoi to defend.
Akagi quickly got into rhythm, dribbling while sharply scanning for an opening to get past Aoi.
But before he could make a move—
SLAP—
Aoi's hand shot out like lightning—fast, precise, ruthless. He slapped the ball clean out of Akagi's hand.
Akagi froze. His mind went blank.
"When did he…?" He was stunned.
Aoi took the ball again.
Thump, thump, thump...
He activated once more, appearing before Akagi in a blink.
Akagi's vision blurred. Then, Aoi's figure suddenly dipped.
"That's... a step-back…" Akagi's pupils contracted. He lunged to contest, but it was already too late.
Aoi rose up with the ball and shot before Akagi could jump.
The ball traced a clean arc in the air, sailing right over Akagi's head.
Nothing but net.
Aoi glanced at Akagi with a smirk. "Captain Akagi, that was kinda pathetic."
Akagi's face turned red.
Even with his dark skin, his embarrassment and frustration were obvious. "Cut the crap."
Possession flipped again.
Akagi went into a triple-threat stance, keeping some distance while scanning Aoi for gaps in his defense.
But no matter how he looked, Aoi seemed full of openings. Yet he didn't dare to strike.
He knew—those weren't gaps. They were bait.
In short, Aoi had no openings.
Seeing Akagi hesitate, Aoi's lips curled up. He chuckled softly. Then his figure vanished from Akagi's view.
What?
No good.
Akagi's chest tightened with panic.
SLAP— Next thing he knew, the ball was snatched from his hands—right from the triple-threat stance he'd used to shield it.
"So fast!" Akagi's heart trembled.
He'd been extra cautious. Yet he still couldn't react.
Only now did he truly understand the despair those who faced Aoi must've felt.
In front of him, he was just a toddler who couldn't even walk.
The match continued.
Time ticked by.
The game was completely one-sided.
Akagi's speed had never been his strength. In front of Aoi, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even touch his jersey.
Aoi crushed him on both offense and defense.
Whoosh—
CLANG—
Swoosh—
With a final Formless Shot, Aoi sank one last basket over Akagi's desperate defense.
Akagi landed on the ground, gasping hard, drenched in sweat.
Meanwhile, Aoi remained composed. He looked like the match hadn't affected him at all.
He glanced up at the sky, then turned to leave.
Before walking off, he looked over his shoulder and said flatly, "The way you look right now is just sad. Maybe switch with Sakuragi for tomorrow's game. At least that way, you won't be shaking in fear in front of Toyotama."
With that, Aoi strode out of the street court and vanished into the night.
Akagi stared in the direction he'd left, face darkening by the second—almost to the point of green.
"That bastard… Talking nonsense like that... When did I ever get scared… Dammit!" Akagi ground his teeth, raging inside.