Stepping out of the school gates, the sky was completely pitch black. Summer had already passed, and the early autumn nights were beginning to carry a hint of chill.
Because their body temperatures reacted differently, even though they were both athletes, Rukawa had already thrown on his basketball team jacket, while Hanamichi was still in short sleeves and shorts.
The two of them walked one behind the other, one dressed for the heat and the other for the cold, one with black hair and the other with red. They looked like two disconnected worlds, yet when pieced together, they exuded a strange sense of harmony.
Rukawa was headed to pick up his bicycle, but Hanamichi had no intention of waiting for him and simply walked off on his own.
His mind was currently consumed by what was on the videotape and what Rukawa had said to him.
During those four months of playing basketball, Hanamichi had learned to grab rebounds and avoid fouls from Akagi Takenori, practiced the lay-up with Haruko, learned how to get past opponents and prevent others from getting past him from Mitsui, learned pump fakes from Ryota, and even studied the flying slam dunks of Sendoh and Afo. However, he had never once properly learned anything from Rukawa.
The only time Akagi Takenori had asked Rukawa to demonstrate shooting form, it had ultimately ended in a fistfight between the two of them.
Now, this person who had always looked down on him—and whom he had always looked down upon in return—had proposed becoming his partner. Hanamichi deeply suspected that the meals at Rukawa Kaede's house must be exceptionally terrible, causing him to be given an ordinary bento just so he would lower his pride and cooperate with him!
*Rumble~~~~~~~~*
His empty stomach pulled Hanamichi back to reality. He had better find somewhere to fill his belly first.
Oh, that's right, he also had to figure out what to make for tomorrow's bento.
Damn that fox. He had somehow gotten him hooked for no apparent reason, and just thinking about it made Hanamichi feel like he was getting the short end of the stick.
The next day at noon, before Yohei even had time to react, Hanamichi grabbed his bento and bolted out like a streak of smoke.
By the time Yohei came to his senses, all he saw was a bento box left behind on his desk by Hanamichi—the extra portions he had promised to share with them yesterday.
Since there was food to be had, it didn't matter what the kid was up to; the members of the Sakuragi Legion happily tucked into their lunch.
Meanwhile, up on the rooftop, as Hanamichi shoveled food into his mouth from his bento box, he kept feeling like something was deeply bizarre, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Rukawa sat an arm's length away from him, quietly eating the lunch Hanamichi had made.
Not a single word passed between them, an atmosphere that made Hanamichi feel like he was going to get indigestion.
Yet, did he really expect himself to chat with Rukawa while eating?
Hanamichi imagined that harmonious scene and shuddered violently twice.
Forget it. Better to just eat in silence.
The early autumn noon was neither too cold nor too hot, occasionally stirred by a light breeze. On the quiet rooftop, the only sound was the occasional rustle of tree leaves stirred by the wind.
After finishing his lunch, Hanamichi felt exceptionally cozy and suddenly wanted nothing more than a nap.
He abruptly remembered there was another person here. Would it be kind of awkward if he just fell asleep like this? After all, after all... after all, who knew? Anyway, taking a nap on the rooftop hiding out with the fox was something he felt too embarrassed to even tell anyone about.
With that thought, he turned his head, intending to say something to Rukawa.
To his surprise, the fox beside him was already asleep, blowing snot bubbles.
Hanamichi was practically fuming! He genuinely wished there was no such agreement as being partners between him and Rukawa, because then he could march right over and beat the crap out of him fair and square!
On his first day back at club activities, all of Hanamichi's focus had been on the triumphant return of the genius, so he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings.
Today, after school, when he returned to the basketball gym to practice and let out an "Oh?" during their warm-up laps around the court.
Once they finished running and started stretching, he nudged Mitsui with his foot: "Mitsui, how come there are so many people watching from the sidelines?"
Mitsui said with a beaming, triumphant grin, "Only just noticing? Ever since we came back from the national tournament, didn't you know the Shohoku Basketball Team has become famous?"
Hanamichi asked in disbelief, "So, all these people are supporters of the basketball team?"
Mitsui shook his head. "Not at all. Only a small fraction of them are team supporters."
That only confused Hanamichi further: "Then what are the rest of them here for?"
Mitsui hooked an arm around Hanamichi's neck, pulling him down so they were at eye level, and pointed rather discreetly toward one faction of people in the stands: "Look, that group over there aren't supporters of the team, they're supporters of..."
Before Mitsui could finish, Hanamichi immediately understood: "That bunch belongs to the Rukawa Fandom."
"Spot on." Mitsui pointed toward another faction. "And that group over there supports another player."
Hanamichi stared for a long time without recognizing a single face: "Who is it?"
Mitsui jutted his chin toward Captain Miyagi. "They're supporting our little captain."
Hanamichi said with envy, "Turns out Ryota is this popular now too?"
"Yeah. Our Captain Miyagi is now a top-tier point guard on the national level," Mitsui said with reflected pride.
"Then what about this huge crowd over here? Who are they supporting?" Hanamichi asked, pointing at yet another faction.
Mitsui arched an eyebrow sky-high and let out a couple of huffs through his nose.
Seeing that Mitsui wouldn't speak, Hanamichi poked him with an elbow and asked again, "Whose supporters are they?"
Mitsui put on a solemn expression, gave Hanamichi's shoulder a hearty pat, and said with an earnest, profound tone, "Hanamichi, my boy, don't get discouraged. After all, you haven't been playing basketball very long yet, so it's normal that you don't have much popularity. But as long as you keep playing and put in outstanding performances in future games, one day you'll have this many supporters too."
Hanamichi blinked, rolled his eyes around twice, and finally caught on: "Those are all for you—for you, Xiao San?!"
Mitsui looked ready to strut like a peacock as he burst into laughter. "Isn't it obvious? I'm the guy who scored 25 points in a single game, Shohoku's undisputed ace, hahahaha!"
"You two, hurry up and get over here for passing drills! What are you whispering about over there?!" Captain Miyagi finally voiced his objection.
Just then, Hanamichi heard a loud *clang*, followed by a chorus of awed "Oohs" from the spectators on the sidelines. Immediately after, the signature mass shrieks of the Rukawa Fandom erupted.
Damn that fox, showing off again!
Hanamichi turned his head to see Rukawa just landing back on the ground after his hands released the rim. Without even asking, that show-off of a fox had obviously just dunked.
Rukawa cast an unfriendly glare at Hanamichi and Mitsui, who still had his arm slung over Hanamichi's shoulder.
"Big Idiot, what are you wasting time messing around during practice for?!"
Across half the court, the two of them locked eyes, each feeling that the other was thoroughly grating on his nerves. Their meeting gazes practically generated crackling electric currents.
Miyagi hurriedly stepped in to play peacemaker, terrified that these two loose cannons would start brawling on the court again.
"All right, all right, let's start our passing drills. Rukawa, you'll pair up with..." Miyagi prepared to divide everyone into groups, scanning his surroundings. Just as he was about to speak, Rukawa cut him off.
"I'm with the Big Idiot," Rukawa stated in a tone that brooked no argument.
Hanamichi leaped up. "I don't want to be with the fox! Mitsui, I'll practice with you."
Caught off guard, Mitsui let out an "Huh?", and just as he was agonizing over what to do, Rukawa spoke up again: "Big Idiot, are you scared you won't be able to catch my passes?"
"What? Who's scared of you! Bring it on." Hanamichi was simply a pure firecracker; just a single spark was enough to set him off.
Seeing that these two ancestors wouldn't be coming to blows just yet, Miyagi and Mitsui breathed sighs of relief. They exchanged bitter, wry smiles, both suddenly finding themselves missing Akagi Takenori and Kogure Kiminobu.
Rukawa held the basketball and began to run; Hanamichi immediately matched his pace, keeping stride side-by-side. Rukawa casually passed the ball over, Hanamichi caught it, dribbled, and passed it back, thus beginning their practice in a proper, orderly fashion.
After finishing the basic drills, Rukawa stood straight, bouncing the ball as he said to Hanamichi, "Ready? Let's start for real."
Hanamichi rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and grinned. "Bring it on! You think I'm scared of you?"
Rukawa said nothing more. His expression tightened, the tempo of his bouncing accelerated, and he began dribbling toward the basket.
He approached the rim with athletic, powerful strides, leaped high into the air, and lofted the ball high. Hanamichi, following right behind, narrowed his eyes, rapidly adjusted his footing, extended his long arms to securely catch the ball, and then spun around to pass it right back to Rukawa.
This coordination was simply stellar; there was no trace of Hanamichi's long layoff, and his play was fast approaching peak form.
Hanamichi tilted his chin up at Rukawa with a smug look of triumph.
Rukawa said nothing and resumed dribbling.
This time, Rukawa attempted a more challenging pass. Dribbling rapidly, he suddenly came to a dead stop and sent the ball flying toward Hanamichi in a gorgeous arc.
Moving in sync without the ball, Hanamichi acted as though he had anticipated it all along. He caught the ball effortlessly and returned it to Rukawa with a fluid, dashing motion.
Truly magnificent. Someone in the watching crowd started to applaud.
Mitsui crossed his arms as he watched the two of them, caught Miyagi's eye, and both nodded in approval.
On the third round, it was Hanamichi's turn to initiate. Dribbling on the run, he crossed half-court and executed a bounce pass; the ball skimmed across the floor, and Rukawa leaned down to catch it before lofting it high back to Hanamichi. Hanamichi sprang into the air, caught the ball aloft, and landed firmly on his feet, completing a flawless passing drill.
This time, over half the court broke into applause, and quite a few people on the sidelines even shouted out: "Good shot, Sakuragi-kun!" "Well played, Sakuragi-kun!" "You're amazing, Sakuragi-kun!" "Keep it up, Hanamichi!"
Even though the voices of the Rukawa Fandom were extremely loud, Hanamichi still heard the many cheers of encouragement meant for him, and he beamed with the joy of a child.
"Hahahaha, Xiao San, did you see that? This genius has supporters too! Hahahaha!"
Hearing the chorus of cheers for Hanamichi left Rukawa feeling somewhat irritated, and seeing Hanamichi's smug, idiot-grin sent that irritation straight through the roof.
Coldly, he snapped, "Satisfied just from passing a few balls? Without sinking shots, even the most perfect passes are useless."
Just as Hanamichi was basking in the warm, pleasant spring breeze, Rukawa poured a bucket of freezing cold water straight over his head, driving him to the verge of explosion.
He rushed forward, intent on a fight, but Miyagi and Mitsui, standing close by, lunged forward to drag him back for dear life: "Hanamichi! Calm down, stay calm!"
With a violent jerk, Hanamichi flung the two men hanging onto him away, snatched a ball from the ground, and hurled it forcefully toward Rukawa.