Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 280 The 4 AM Squad

After returning to Kanagawa, Kogure resumed his life of wearing a three-piece suit.

He gained a lot during the training camp, not only earning three titles but also mastering the most advanced basketball concepts.

Time passed slowly, and soon, there was only one week left until the national competition.

pop~
In the Shohoku basketball gym, Ayako raised her paper fan and slapped it hard on Miyagi's forehead.

"Miyagi-kun, please concentrate! You've missed several shots already!"

Ayako put down her paper fan, her brows furrowed.

To improve the team's strength, she would urge Miyagi to practice shooting whenever she had time.

However, it was all for naught; Miyagi thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Ayako.

In order to spend more time with Ayako, Miyagi kept his mind on her, which limited his progress in shooting.

While scratching the back of his head, Miyagi shamelessly said, "Aya, if I can master shooting, will you agree to go on a date with me?"

As soon as Miyagi finished speaking, Ayako's expectant gaze instantly changed, her pretty face turning fierce, as if questioning Miyagi about how he could make such a rash request.

Not far away, Kogure and Mitsui also heard it. They couldn't help but exchange a glance, feeling disappointed by Miyagi's frivolous behavior.

slap~
Ayako didn't say another word. She raised her paper fan again and, with an elegant yet resolute gesture, slapped it hard on Miyagi's forehead.

This time, the force was significantly greater, so much so that the sound was exceptionally crisp within the basketball court.

"Miyagi-kun, I misjudged you. I never expected you to be this kind of person!"

After saying that, Ayako stormed off the basketball court.

"Acai!"

Miyagi was clearly devastated, clutching his hair in anguish and collapsing to his knees.

He knew he had said the wrong thing, and this would definitely cause Ayako's impression of him to plummet.

Kogure shook his head, thinking, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't use it!"
"Miyagi, Ayako meant well by supervising your shooting practice, but you treated it as a transaction. You're so disappointing."

Besides, this is a basketball court, not a place for romance!

Kogure wore a serious expression and spoke quite sternly.

Miyagi was filled with remorse, realizing that his words and actions had been too rash.

"Captain, I know I was wrong!"

"To teach you a lesson, I'm punishing you by making you run one hundred laps!"

As captain, Kogure naturally has the right to punish the players.

Of course, for the sake of team unity, Kogure rarely resorted to corporal punishment.

While Miyagi does play a role in the team, he is not indispensable.

Even without him, Shohoku would still be a top contender for the national championship.

"Mitsui, I'm leaving things here in your care. I'm going to find Ayako!"

After punishing Miyagi, Kogure entrusted the team to Mitsui since Coach Anzai was not present.

As captain, reassuring the players and team manager are also part of his job.

"I'll take care of things here, so you can go without worry!"

After Kogure left, Mitsui looked up at Akagi.

"Gorilla, it seems I'm the second-in-command!"

Mitsui stood with his hands on his hips, beaming with pride.

Akagi raised his right fist and walked towards Mitsui.

"Hey mistress, haven't you been beaten up in a long time? Have you forgotten what a fist as hard as a casserole dish looks like?"

"Akagi, I was just kidding, don't take it seriously."

Mitsui broke out in a cold sweat and quickly turned tail and ran, making a tactical retreat.

Akagi immediately gave chase, but failed to catch up with Mitsui.

After chasing for a while, Akagi had to stop.

Because his horse wasn't as fast as Mitsui's!
However, Akagi still gave Mitsui a death stare.

The two are teammates, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to beat Mitsui up.

At that moment, Kogure found Ayako in a pavilion.

Ayako wasn't wearing a hat, and her long hair was loose, making her look more charming than usual.

"Ayako, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little angry!"

Ayako was clearly still angry with Miyagi.

Of course, she wouldn't be interested in Miyagi.

Instead of choosing outstanding players like Kogure and Mitsui, she chose the short, poor, and ugly Miyagi. She's not blind.

“It’s good that you’re angry! How about this, I’ll find you an iron fan. People like him need to be stricter, lest he take advantage of the situation again.”

Kogure came up with a terrible idea: to replace Ayako's paper fan with an iron fan.

He believed that Miyagi would be grateful to him.

Miyagi: ? ? ?
Puchi~
Ayako couldn't help but laugh at Kogure's terrible idea, her bright eyes fixed on him.

"Captain, you said it yourself, I'm really looking forward to your iron fan."

"Don't worry, I always keep my word!"

Kogure patted his chest and agreed, saying that although iron fans were relatively rare, such handicrafts still existed.

After a pause, Kogure seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, how did Rukawa perform in the national junior high school tournament?"

After the training camp ended, Rukawa embarked on his journey to the National Junior High School Tournament. Kogure had been keeping a close eye on things; two days prior, he had spoken with Rukawa by phone and learned from him that Tomioka Junior High had successfully advanced to the finals.

Today is the day when the finals of the National Junior High School Championships will be held.

"My junior, Mizusawa, contacted me around noon. Tomioka Junior High has successfully won the national junior high school championship, and Rukawa even won the MVP award. I really envy those guys!"

At this point, Ayako smiled brightly.

Fuchiu High School is also her alma mater, and she is proud of their victory in the national junior high school competition.

The only regret is that Ayako is no longer a member of the Tomioka Junior High School basketball team.

As for the junior student Mizusawa she mentioned, she was naturally referring to Mizusawa Ichiro.

Given Rukawa's personality, it's almost impossible for him to call her to share the good news.

However, during her conversation with Mizusawa Ichiro, she learned that Rukawa Kaede had encountered a formidable opponent in the finals and was almost defeated.

That school has a tall, strong center with excellent physical attributes.

Fortunately, Rukawa has changed his playing style and is now connecting the team's offense from time to time. Otherwise, if he had continued to play one-on-one like last year, he might have lost this game.

Kogure once told Rukawa that a one-man team might win a game, but it wouldn't go far.

Rukawa has always respected Kogure and regarded his words as the highest principle.

This can be seen in the training camp.

During the training camp, Rukawa Kaede accidentally learned about the "4 AM Squad" and took the initiative to join.

Thus, the "4 a.m. Squad" gained another member.

Therefore, Kogure would occasionally wake Rukawa in the middle of the night, but Rukawa did not get angry about it.

Later, on one occasion when it was Mitsui's turn to wake up Rukawa in the middle of the night, Kogure was fortunate enough to stop him in time, otherwise Mitsui would have been beaten up by Rukawa on the spot.

In Mitsui's words, this is a typical case of differential treatment!
It's obvious that Rukawa Kaede has become a big fan of Kogure.

"You don't need to be envious. Before long, our Shohoku team will also win the national championship!"

Kogure spoke with certainty, his tone full of confidence.

Last year, Shohoku was able to win the Winter Tournament championship with a weak roster.

With Shohoku's roster fully assembled this year, there's no need to say more.

Even if Sannoh Industrial's strength has steadily increased compared to last year, it doesn't necessarily mean they will be a match for Shohoku.

"Isn't Mizusawa Ichiro in the hospital?"

After the finals of the prefectural junior high school tournament, Kogure gave Rukawa a tip, suggesting that he take Mizusawa Ichiro to the hospital for a check-up.

Rukawa listened to Kogure and did as he was told, eventually discovering that Mizusawa Ichiro's legs showed signs of developing joint tuberculosis.

However, if the surgery goes smoothly, Ichiro Mizusawa is very likely to recover and will not be unable to play baseball again like in the original story.

When Mizusawa Ichiro's illness was mentioned, Ayako's smile immediately faded, replaced by a hint of sadness.

"To avoid any regrets, junior student Mizusawa insisted on participating in the national junior high school tournament. In his words, this was his best chance to win the national championship."

Next year, Rukawa Kaede will graduate from junior high school.

Without Rukawa Kaede, Mizusawa Ichiro will be left to carry the team alone. Forget about winning the national junior high championship; Tomioka Junior High might not even qualify for the prefectural junior high tournament.

Kogure did not comment on Mizusawa Ichiro's rash behavior, because if he were in Mizusawa Ichiro's shoes, he might have made the same decision.

"Once he comes back, you and Rukawa should urge him to have the surgery as soon as possible."

"That's what I think too. Luckily, the senior discovered Mizusawa's problem in time. Otherwise, if he had contracted joint tuberculosis, Mizusawa would have had to give up his beloved basketball."

As the team manager, Ayako was well aware of the significant impact joint tuberculosis had on the players.

Once a player contracts this disease, their athletic career can be ended prematurely.

At this moment, Kogure stood up and said, "Alright, it's getting late, we should head back!"

Ayako did not refuse and decided to travel with Kogure.

Ayako and Kogure chatted and laughed along the way.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on them, and Ayako would occasionally glance at Kogure, noticing that his profile looked exceptionally handsome in the sunlight.

For a moment, Ayako was mesmerized.

Noticing that Ayako had stopped, Kogure casually said, "Ayako, stop daydreaming."

"I don't understand the style!"

Ayako grumbled discontentedly as she followed Kogure back to the basketball court.

Kogure shook his head; how could he not see through the girl's thoughts?

Inside the basketball court, under Mitsui's supervision, Miyagi was panting as he ran laps around the court.

Seeing Ayako and Kogure walking into the basketball court chatting and laughing, Miyagi felt uneasy, as if he were being cuckolded.

He stopped instinctively, wanting to lean over and ask Ayako for forgiveness.

"Miyagi, don't stop!"

As Mitsui's stern voice rang out, Miyagi had no choice but to continue his miserable laps.

Kogure turned to Ayako and said, "Ayako, you don't need to supervise Miyagi's shooting practice anymore. Once he's had enough setbacks, he'll naturally start practicing on his own."

"Captain, I'll listen to you."

Ayako naturally did not refuse. She glanced at Kogure, then at Miyagi, and felt that the gap between people was too great.

Sometimes, the difference is even greater than the difference between humans and dogs.

Miyagi, who was running laps, overheard their conversation and immediately deflated.

He had a great opportunity, but he failed to seize it, and it slipped through his fingers.

At that moment, Miyagi was filled with remorse.

(End of this chapter)