A few days later, in the evening, the Ryonan High School basketball gym still held the heat of the day's training, and the sweat marks on the floor were stretched long by the setting sun.
Taoka Moichi leaned his tactical board against the hoop stand, his brows furrowed, and his voice was a few shades deeper than usual: “Everyone, stop for a moment.”
The players, who were practicing shuttle runs, stopped at the sound. Sakuragi Hanamichi casually threw his towel over his neck, his red hair swaying slightly with his breathing: “Coach, what’s wrong? Are you going to praise me? Haha, this genius knew it.”
“Sakuragi, don’t mess around. The coach has something to say.” Gu Jin interjected in time to stop him. He could see the seriousness on the coach’s face.
Taoka’s gaze swept over everyone, “Tomorrow, we are playing against Seirin High School.
You might not have heard that name, but I watched the game footage from yesterday — they play very ‘dirty’, it’s not a skill issue, it’s intentional.”
Koshino Hiroaki’s hand, wiping sweat, paused, his expression a bit grim: “Coach, I’ve heard of Seirin.
That school is in Yokohama; it’s notoriously chaotic. Many students are involved in gangs, fights during class are common, and even teachers can’t control them.
I heard their basketball club was started by a few delinquents. Their usual training consists of group fights or going out to engage in illicit activities.”
“Delinquents?” Sakuragi Hanamichi’s eyes lit up. He rolled up his sleeves, “That’s perfect! This genius will show them what fists are... no, what basketball is!”
“Don’t be impulsive.” Sendoh Akira leaned against the hoop stand, spinning a basketball with his fingertips, “Playing is playing, don’t follow their rhythm.”
Though his words were light, his eyes were sharper than usual — he had also watched yesterday’s footage and clearly saw Seirin players intentionally elbowing opponents’ ribs and tripping them by hooking their ankles.
Gu Jin leaned near the three-point line, unconsciously tapping his knee with his fingertips.
He recalled occasionally hearing people outside of school mention Seirin High School before:
At the school gate, a few boys with dyed yellow hair were always loitering. The girls’ school uniform skirts were ridiculously short, and their backpacks had metal chains. They walked in groups on the street, whistling and provoking anyone they disliked.
Once, passing by an arcade near their school, he even saw a few boys in Seirin uniforms cornering younger students and robbing them.
“In any case,” Taoka tapped the tactical board, “in tomorrow’s game, protecting yourselves is the top priority. Uozumi, when you guard the inside, watch out for their dirty tricks;
Sendoh, when dribbling, don’t give them a chance to get close;
Fukuda, when driving to the basket, look up and watch where you’re going, don’t get ambushed;
Sakuragi, when rebounding, don’t just focus on jumping, keep an eye on the people around you;
Gu Jin, your defensive range is wide, pay more attention to whether they are intentionally bumping into people with excessive force.”
He paused, his voice as heavy as if a stone was weighing it down: “Remember, we are here to win, not to get into a fight with delinquents. But if they go too far…” Taoka’s gaze swept over the players’ strong arms, “Don’t let them think Ryonan is easy to bully.”
“Once they make the first move, do not hesitate. I will take responsibility for any consequences,” Taoka Moichi said with a determined look.
The Ryonan High School vs. Seirin High School game was scheduled as the first match in the afternoon.
The next afternoon, the Kanagawa Prefecture gymnasium was filled with a strange smell of cheap cigarettes and sweat.
The stands were already packed with people, mostly students in Seirin uniforms. The boys had multicolored dyed hair, and the girls wore heavy makeup, chewed gum, and occasionally let out a piercing burst of laughter.
As the Ryonan Team walked into the player tunnel, they heard a commotion from the stands.
A few boys in Seirin uniforms were pushing a group of kids who looked like middle schoolers towards the back rows of the stands. One green-haired boy kicked a chair and yelled, “Get out! This row is our Big Sister’s spot, so be smart and get lost!”
The pushed middle schoolers turned pale with fright, clutching their backpacks and hunching their shoulders as they retreated. One girl’s braid was even yanked by the green-haired boy, making her eyes red with pain.
“Hey! What are you doing!” Sakuragi Hanamichi was about to rush over but was held back by Uozumi.
“What? Red-haired guy? Want a beating early?” A few delinquents on the stands bared their teeth.
“Sakuragi, don’t be impulsive. We don’t provoke trouble first.” Uozumi’s voice was deep, but his eyes were as cold as ice — he saw a girl with a perm and big wavy hair sitting in the front row of the stands. Her school uniform jacket was open, revealing a T-shirt with a skull print underneath. She was sitting with her legs crossed, cracking sunflower seeds, and a cold smile hung on her lips as she watched the boys bully people.
“That’s Seirin’s Big Sister, Kotozuki Misaki,” Koshino leaned over and whispered, “I heard she’s absolute in school; even the teachers are afraid of her.”
No sooner had he spoken than a whistle suddenly blew on the court.
The Seirin Team players were entering from the other side. One boy wearing jersey number 4 walked directly to the spot below Misaki and bowed obsequiously.
That boy had a buzz cut, a blurry tattoo on his arm, and a swaggering look in his eyes. He was Seirin’s starting point guard, Sato Retsu.
“That number 4 is Sato,” Koshino’s voice was even lower, “I heard he’s Kotozuki Misaki’s boyfriend, and he’s the most arrogant on the team. In yesterday’s game, he intentionally sprained an opponent’s ankle.”
Sato Retsu seemed to notice the Ryonan Team’s gaze, looked up, and swept his eyes over them, pausing on Sendoh’s face, then landing on Sakuragi’s red hair. He suddenly smiled at Kotozuki Misaki and mouthed, “Wait and watch the show.”
Kotozuki Misaki raised an eyebrow, spat a sunflower seed shell onto the ground, and let out a light, mocking scoff.
The Seirin students in the stands joined in the laughter, and some started throwing empty drink bottles towards the Ryonan Team, “Hey! Red-haired guy, don’t cry for your mommy later!”
“That tall guy, be careful our Sato-bro doesn’t dislocate your arm!”
Sakuragi Hanamichi was trembling with anger but was pulled back by Fukuda: “What’s the use of arguing with them? We’ll just beat them down on the court later.”
Taoka Moichi took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and clapped his hands: “Warm-up. Don’t let these distractions affect your performance.”
The Ryonan players turned and walked onto the court, the laughter and whistling continuing behind them.
During a break in shooting, Gu Jin glimpsed Sato Retsu making faces at Kotozuki Misaki, his finger subtly pointing towards the Ryonan Team, as if saying something mocking.
When the referee blew the whistle signaling both teams’ starters to take the court, Sato Retsu intentionally bumped Sendoh and muttered, “Pretty boy, I’ll make you cry later.”
Sendoh didn’t stop walking, only turned his head to glance at him, the coldness in his eyes like an ice pick, which inexplicably startled Sato Retsu.
Before the jump ball, Uozumi Jun stood in the center circle, his gaze sweeping over Seirin’s starting lineup — everyone’s eyes held a fierce aura, as if they were ready to fight at any moment, rather than play basketball.
The moment the referee tossed the ball, Sato Retsu suddenly spat in Sakuragi Hanamichi’s direction, his movement quick and concealed.
Sakuragi Hanamichi’s eyes instantly turned red.
This game was destined to be anything but peaceful from the very beginning.