Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Inside the Shohoku basketball gym.

Akagi Takenori stood in the center of the court, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the people standing in front of him.

Of the first-year students, only five remain.

When school started, more than a dozen new students came to sign up, it was very lively, and when we ran laps, there was a huge crowd of people.

As a result, less than a month into training, most of them left. Some complained about the fatigue, some felt they wouldn't get a chance to play, and some were simply people who only had a fleeting interest. Once the novelty wore off, they were gone.

Kogure Kiminobu stood next to Akagi, his tone quite optimistic: "It's not bad. Five new recruits left this year is a lot. Last year, only four were left."

Akagi remained calm, his expression unchanged: "That's enough people. The prefectural tournament preliminaries are about to begin, so everyone be on your toes."

His gaze swept across the faces of each team member.

"Remember our goal is to qualify for the national tournament and dominate the country."

Ayako stood next to Akagi and took over the conversation, explaining things to the first-year students.

"The county-level competition has more than 200 teams just within the county, and to qualify for the national competition, you need to be in the top two in the county-level competition at the very least."

She held up two fingers and gestured in the air.

"Hainan, who have dominated for many years and made it to the national tournament every year; last year's runner-up, Shohoku; and last year's semi-finalist, Ryonan—these are all established powerhouses, each one tougher than the last."

Ayako withdrew her fingers, put her hands on her hips, and said, "If we want to get into the national tournament, we have to beat them. Good luck, everyone."

Sakuragi Hanamichi was standing at the very edge of the line, arms crossed, head tilted as he listened. When he heard "Hainan" and "Shoyo," his ears twitched.

"Hahaha..." Sakuragi stepped out from the team, hands on his hips, chin held high. "With this genius leading you this year, what are Hainan and Shohoku? Watch me defeat them one by one! Making it to the national tournament? That's no problem!"

Akagi glanced at Sakuragi.

In the past, if he had said something like that, Akagi would have shut him up immediately. A rookie from a year ago talking about defeating Hainan? Dream on.

But now, Akagi remained silent.

In the game against Ryonan, during the second half, they pulled off a 22-point comeback, and Sakuragi's performance was crystal clear to him. Assists, rebounds, defense, drawing fouls, and crucial points. This red-haired guy was already an ace-level player.

Kogure glanced at Akagi from the side. Having known Akagi for so many years, he knew that Akagi's silence was the best form of recognition.

Just then, footsteps were heard at the entrance of the stadium.

Ryota Miyagi walked in and stood at the door, his gaze sweeping across the entire stadium.

Then he froze.

Ayako stood by the court, holding a scoreboard, her ponytail tied high, revealing the back of her fair neck. She was talking to Yanai with a smile on her lips, her head tilted to the side.

Miyagi's eyes widened immediately.

Ayako.

During his hospitalization, Ayako was the person he thought about most. Her voice, her laughter, and the fierce expression on her face when she cursed—all of these things swirled in his mind, over and over again.

Then his gaze shifted slightly to the side, and he froze again. The tall, red-haired guy standing next to Akagi stared at Sakuragi for two seconds.

This person just helped him out of a predicament in the bicycle shed.

That redhead, that pompadour, that arrogant expression. And that tall girl next to Ayako. Miyagi's gaze darted back and forth between Sakuragi and Yanai, his mouth slightly agape.

What's going on? The two people who helped him out were actually from the basketball team?

"Miyagi!"

The second-year team members were the first to react. Yasuda ran a few steps to meet them, his smile almost reaching his ears. Shiozaki also came over and patted Miyagi on the shoulder.

"You're back?" "How are you feeling?" "Are you feeling better?"

Several people gathered around, chattering amongst themselves. Gongcheng, surrounded, greeted them with a smile.

His gaze swept through the crowd and landed on Ayako.

Miyagi's face flushed slightly, but he quickly suppressed it. He walked over and stood in front of Ayako, his voice lower than usual, stammering, "Ayako, I'm back."

Ayako looked at him, sizing him up. "Are you feeling better?"

"Alright." Miyagi straightened his chest, trying to look more energetic.

Akagi walked over and stood in front of Miyagi.

"Boss!" Gongcheng hurriedly greeted.

"It's good that you're back. The county competition preliminaries are about to start. Keep up the good work in training."

Miyagi nodded: "Mm."

Akagi turned and walked back to the center of the court. Miyagi's gaze followed him and then fell on the red figure.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was standing still, hands on his hips, tilting his head to look at Miyagi.

"Huh? You're on the basketball team too?" Sakuragi asked, his voice tinged with surprise.

Miyagi looked at him and nodded. Just as he was about to say something, Ayako walked over from the side.

"Let me introduce the first-year students. This is Ryota Miyagi, a second-year student and the team's starting point guard."

The eyes of the first-year rookies lit up, and they exchanged glances. A starting point guard—that meant he was a key player.

Sakuragi's expression changed from confusion to disbelief.

"Him?" Sakuragi's mouth twitched, his tone clearly showing distrust. "This little guy, his skills are probably about the same as Yasuda's, aren't they?"

Yasuda stood to the side, his expression suddenly becoming very subtle. He was being used by Sakuragi as a point of reference for "weakness," and he didn't know whether to be angry or amused.

Ryota Miyagi's face darkened instantly. His brows furrowed, and he glared at Sakuragi. He hated it most when people talked about his height, and this big red-haired guy had just crossed that line right from the start.

"Redhead," Miyagi's voice was low, each word squeezed out through clenched teeth, "you can't play ball just because you're tall."

Sakuragi was stunned for a moment when he heard this.

It wasn't because he was criticized, but because that sentence reminded him of something.

In my dream, Eiki Kawamura said something similar. Height isn't the deciding factor; technique, awareness, and effort are sometimes more important than height.

But Kawamura also said something else.

Sakuragi went through Kawamura's words in his mind, going over them completely.

"Height isn't the deciding factor," Sakuragi stroked his chin, his expression unusually serious, "but it's a factor in your potential."

"Redhead," Miyagi scooped up a basketball. "Come on, let's play one-on-one. Let me teach you. Strength isn't just about being tall."

Upon hearing this, Sakuragi's eyes lit up and he grinned.

"Alright!" His expression shifted from serious to excited. "This genius hasn't had a one-on-one match in ages! Perfect for stretching my muscles!"

The second-year players automatically vacated their half of the field and retreated to outside the sideline.

Yasuda's expression was a little subtle. He wanted to remind Sakuragi that although Miyagi wasn't tall, his strength was truly formidable.

He glanced at Akagi, who remained silent, standing calmly on the sidelines with his arms crossed, showing no intention of intervening.

Kogure pushed up his glasses and sighed.

Several first-year students stood around the field, their eyes wide open, waiting to see what would happen.

Even Rukawa Kaede came over, quietly preparing to watch the show.