"Hmm… ugh…"
The drunken coach groaned, stumbling from the table toward the restroom. After relieving himself, he shuffled back, barely able to keep his eyes open.
"Alright, you guys better have finished eating—huh?"
He rubbed his eyes.
The table was completely empty. Not a single player in sight.
"What the heck…? Where'd everybody go?"
Confused, the coach looked around the restaurant, then caught sight of a group gathered on the open-air basketball court just beyond the window.
"…What are those brats doing?"
He blinked blankly, staring in disbelief.
---
Meanwhile, on the street basketball court—
Oda had already assembled his team: him, a guard, and a small forward—three players, ready for battle.
"I feel kinda bad… Aren't you all on the same team? This mess is really our fault," Mito said, scratching his head apologetically.
"It's fine. We were partly to blame too," Oliver replied calmly. "Let's just treat this like a friendly match."
Then he turned to Mito and asked, "By the way, can you actually play basketball?"
"Me?"
Mito blinked in confusion, then chuckled.
"I mean, I know the basic rules. I can dribble a bit… but that's about it."
"Perfect. You're in."
"Huh?"
Mito stared in shock, pointing to himself.
"Yep. You, me, and Sakuragi. We'll go 3v3 against them."
"Wait, wait—really? I barely know what I'm doing!"
Mito was stunned. He hadn't expected to be drafted onto the court.
"Wahahahaha! Don't worry, Yohei!" Sakuragi declared triumphantly. "I'll carry us to victory! Because I'm a genius!! Wahahahaha!"
Still grinning from ear to ear, he looked totally convinced of his own greatness.
"So… what do we actually do?" he asked dumbly a second later.
"You still don't know anything?!" Oliver exclaimed, his eye twitching.
He took a deep breath and began explaining slowly.
"Alright, listen up. Basketball is about getting the ball into the opponent's basket. It's that simple."
"Since this is 3v3, we're only using half the court. But even then, you still need to know the basics."
"First—no punching anyone! Especially you, Sakuragi. Keep your fists to yourself."
"Tch, I know that. I'm a basketball genius, remember?"
Sakuragi looked away guiltily.
This guy...
Oliver sighed. Based on everything he'd seen so far, if he didn't spell it out, Sakuragi might very well knock someone out and dunk the ball over their unconscious body.
"Second: once you pick up the ball, you can't run anymore. You have to dribble while moving. And you can't dribble with both hands at the same time. Once you stop and grab the ball with both hands, you either shoot or pass. No more running."
"Uh… okay…"
Sakuragi furrowed his brow, smoke practically rising from his head.
"…You are actually listening, right?"
Oliver looked at him with a headache growing.
"In short: no hitting people, no running with the ball, and no double dribbling. Just remember those for now. Got it?"
"Understood."
"Learned it!"
Sakuragi and Mito gave him matching thumbs up.
"Good. Now, Sakuragi, you've got an extra mission."
"Eh? What else do you want this genius to do?"
"Rebounds."
Oliver's tone turned serious.
"A rebound is when someone misses a shot and the ball bounces off the rim or backboard. Your job is to grab that rebound and pass it to your teammates."
"…I don't wanna!"
"???"
Sakuragi puffed out his cheeks, sulking.
"That's boring. I don't wanna pass. I want to be the star! Rebounds don't even score points!"
This guy...
Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose.
Watching the anime, Sakuragi was funny and endearing. But teaming up with him? Total headache.
No wonder Akagi resorted to the iron fist of discipline.
"Listen carefully, Sakuragi. There's a saying in basketball…"
Oliver raised a finger and spoke solemnly:
> "Whoever controls the rebounds controls the game."
He couldn't help but smile. Quoting Captain Akagi like this felt amazing.
Anyone who's ever played seriously knows the truth: rebounding is everything.
Shooting can miss. Plays can break down. But if you control the boards, you get second chances—and second chances win games.
> "He who gets the rebounds wins the world!"
"Controls the rebounds… controls the game…"
Sakuragi repeated the phrase softly, processing it.
Oliver clapped him on the shoulder.
"That's right! Not everyone can pull down a rebound. But you can. Because you're a once-in-a-generation basketball genius!"
"Because I'm a genius… because I'm a genius…"
The words echoed inside Sakuragi's head like a spell, swelling his already massive ego to critical mass.
"WAHAHAHAHA!! I see! Rebounding is crucial! In that case, this genius Sakuragi Hanamichi will lend you a hand!"
He struck a pose, hands on hips, laughing loudly.
Mito rolled his eyes.
So gullible...
---
"W-What's going on?!"
The coach stumbled over, still reeking of alcohol, eyes wide as he stared at the group on the court.
"Why would you leave a full table and come out here to play basketball!?"
Uh-oh.
The team froze.
If the coach found out they skipped dinner and nearly started a fight, they were doomed.
"Uh, well… we were full, so we thought a little exercise might help digestion…"
"Yeah, yeah! We ran into some friends of Oliver's and hit it off! So we decided to play a friendly match to build team spirit!"
The players scrambled to cover, even though they were all mentally cursing themselves.
Friends?? We were this close to brawling!!
"Oh? A 3v3 setup, huh?"
To their surprise, the coach seemed intrigued.
"Well, since you're playing anyway, why not make it official? I'll be the referee."
"Coach?!"
They tried to stop him, but it was too late.
"Come on, don't be like that. Just think of it as some good post-meal fun."
Waving them off, the coach marched confidently onto the court.
"I'll officiate this match. Yamashita, you're keeping score!"
Yamashita groaned and pulled out a dusty scoreboard from his backpack with a sigh.
"Players, take your positions!"
Oliver, Sakuragi, and Mito stepped onto the court, facing off against Oda and his teammates.
When Oda saw Sakuragi's smug expression, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Then he pulled a 500-yen coin from his pocket and handed it to the coach.
"Call it. Heads for you, tails for us."
"No problem," Oliver replied.
Unlike regulation games, 3v3 matches usually skipped the tip-off. Instead, possession was determined by a coin toss—another hallmark of classic streetball culture.
"Alright, Mito! Sakuragi! Let's destroy these guys!!"
Sakuragi's gang shouted from the sidelines.
"We won't lose to some amateurs! Oda! Teach that loudmouth what basketball really is!"
The official team members shouted back.
"This is a five-goal game! First team to score three points wins!"
"Let's do it!"
The coin was tossed.
Everyone held their breath.
Clink!
The coin hit the ground. The coach bent over and flipped it in his palm.
"Tails! Oda's ball!"
"Game start!!"
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