After Takato Riki left, the tension in the meeting room largely dissipated.
Ozawa Nobuo rubbed his temples and looked at Taoka Moichi, his tone much softer: "Taoka, Ryonan's lineup this year is indeed a pleasant surprise. Gu Jin and Sendoh's cooperation is becoming more and more tacit, and Uozumi has also become much more stable. At the National Tournament, I'm counting on you to break through Kanagawa's ceiling."
Taoka Moichi straightened his back, a confident smile on his face: "Chairman Ozawa, rest assured, everyone at Ryonan has been holding back, and we will not let you down."
...The Shinkansen sped along the tracks. Sakuragi Hanamichi peered out the window, watching the scenery rapidly receding, a look of impatience on his face: "Gu Jin, what exactly are you doing? Instead of training properly before the National Tournament, why drag me all the way to Aichi Prefecture? Is the ramen here better than Kanagawa's?"
Gu Jin leaned back in his seat, flipping through the match brief in his hand: "I'm taking you to see a formidable opponent, who might be our toughest rival at the National Tournament."
The roar from the gymnasium could be heard from a long distance away.
The Aiwa Academy players were scrambling on the court, while Meihou Industrial's number 15 player, like a moving small mountain, was repeatedly crushing their defense.
"Bang!" Another powerful dunk, and the hoop groaned in pain.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes widened: "Gu Jin, did that fat guy take drugs? He's too strong! The Aiwa guys are like paper!"
Gu Jin's gaze was fixed on that figure on the court: "Just having strength isn't enough. Sakuragi, look closely again, what else is special about him?"
Sakuragi squinted, examining him up and down for a long time, then suddenly slapped his thigh: "I know!"
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Tell me."
"His head is especially round! Like the Yokozuna I saw at a sumo match last time! He must have secretly used sumo techniques to knock people flying!" Sakuragi said seriously.
Three black lines slid down Gu Jin's forehead, and he raised a hand to give him a flick on the head: "Idiot! Watch the game!"
He pointed at Morishige Hiroshi, who had just completed a steal and fast break: "When Aiwa's guard passed the ball just now, he was clearly positioning himself under the basket, but it was as if he knew the route beforehand, instantly moving sideways to intercept the pass—such a huge body, yet his reaction speed is ridiculously fast. This kind of keenness is what's truly terrifying."
Sakuragi clutched his head, staring at the figure who was jumping again to block, his eyes gradually changing.
That block just now, Morishige Hiroshi's timing for the jump was absolutely precise, as if he could predict the opponent's shooting rhythm.
"Hmph, how fast can he be compared to me, the Rebound King?" Sakuragi said defiantly, but his fists quietly clenched, "When we meet at the National Tournament, I'll make sure he knows that Kanagawa's rebounds aren't so easy to grab!"
Gu Jin looked at the fighting spirit igniting in his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips. It seemed this trip to Aichi Prefecture was not in vain.
"Gu Jin, do you believe I'll knock him down in a bit?" Sakuragi Hanamichi stuck out his neck, flames crackling in his eyes—he had been itching for a challenge after watching Morishige Hiroshi rampage on the court.
Gu Jin glanced at him, his tone carrying a warning: "I advise you not to look for trouble."
He knew too well how outrageous Morishige Hiroshi's brute strength was in the manga, and he remembered that famous scene from the original manga.
Sakuragi, however, ignored him, stroking his chin and chuckling: "Just wait and see, watch how I show him the power of this genius!"
The final whistle blew, and Meihou Industrial defeated Aiwa Academy by a wide margin. Morishige Hiroshi was surrounded by his teammates as he walked towards the players' tunnel, sweat still trickling down his forehead, his massive body exuding a heavy sense of oppression with every step.
In the corridor, Sakuragi and Gu Jin happened to meet him head-on.
Without a word, Sakuragi walked over with his shoulders squared, adopting an attitude of "when rivals meet, the brave one wins."
"Sakuragi, don't go!" Gu Jin's shout had just left his lips, but it was already too late.
"Bang!"
Two shoulders collided solidly, like two giant rocks crashing together.
Sakuragi felt a huge force surge through him, his feet instantly lost balance, and his body uncontrollably fell backward, landing on the ground with an "ouch."
Morishige Hiroshi paused, looking down at Sakuragi sitting on the ground, his face devoid of expression, but his voice was honest: "Sorry, are you alright?" He didn't seem to realize how much force he had used, merely bending slightly and extending his hand to help him up.
Sakuragi clutched his shoulder, wincing in pain, and glared up at the "mountain of flesh" before him, a mix of shock and anger in his heart—this guy looked clumsy, but how could he be tougher than Boss Monkey?
Gu Jin quickly stepped forward, pulled Sakuragi up, and nodded to Morishige Hiroshi: "He's fine." With that, he dragged Sakuragi, who was still muttering, "It doesn't count, it doesn't count, I wasn't ready just now," and quickly left the corridor.
Morishige Hiroshi watched their retreating figures, scratched his head, and was pushed by his teammates to continue walking: "Who was that guy?"
"I don't know, probably here to watch the game."
At the end of the corridor, Sakuragi was still indignant: "Damn it! Next time, I'll definitely knock him flying!"
Gu Jin sighed helplessly: "Your body types aren't even in the same league, alright?" But he knew in his heart—now, Sakuragi had completely taken Morishige Hiroshi as his number one rival.
Sakuragi Hanamichi clutched his stomach, a righteous look on his face: "Gu Jin, I'm hungry!"
Gu Jin didn't even look up, flipping through the match handbook in his hand: "If you're hungry, eat. Aren't there bento boxes sold outside the gymnasium?"
"I didn't bring money!" Sakuragi said with an air of righteousness, as if it were a matter of course.
Gu Jin finally looked up, sizing him up: "Did you not bring money, or do you simply not have any money?"
Sakuragi immediately leaned in, playfully patting his arm: "Don't be so stingy! I heard that the subsidy the school gave you came yesterday—Fukuda kept mentioning it to me several times, saying it was a full 600,000 yen!"
He rubbed his hands, his eyes sparkling, "You won't spend it all anyway, so give me some to buy a luxurious seafood bento, just to celebrate our victory over Meihou in advance!"
Gu Jin looked at his greedy expression, both annoyed and amused, pulled out his wallet from his pocket, and handed over a few banknotes: "Spend it wisely, don't buy any more strange things."
Sakuragi snatched the money, bouncing twice in delight: "Gu Jin, you're such a good person! When I become the Rebound King, I'll share half the glory with you!" With that, he rushed like a gust of wind towards the bento stall outside the gymnasium.
Gu Jin watched Sakuragi's almost floating back, shaking his head helplessly—the 600,000 yen subsidy had indeed arrived, but yesterday he had already withdrawn 550,000 and left it with Yezi.
This habit hadn't changed since middle school.
Back then, they pooled their money and never calculated against each other.