Fukuda Sogo Academy, basketball locker room.
Haizaki Shogo hummed a strange little tune as he packed his bag, sneaking a glance at Fukuda Sasaki.
The current team captain, Sasaki, was looking at Shogo with an expectant gaze that almost made him shiver. That odd intensity made Shogo feel extremely uneasy.
My god! Could Sasaki really want me to… pick up his soap or something?
Just imagining it made the scene unbearable. Shogo could practically feel the air around him grow cold and eerie.
After a while, unable to ignore the strange look any longer, Shogo spoke, his voice somewhat cold.
"Something you need?"
"Um… um, Shogo-kun… could you give me some guidance?"
The sudden request made Sasaki stiffen, a slight tremor running through him. He had clearly been startled.
Fortunately, Sasaki recovered quickly, realizing that the intensity of his gaze had probably been too obvious.
"Guidance? Guidance on what?"
"Guidance on defense. I want to stop stronger opponents for you, Shogo-kun."
Hearing this, Shogo looked directly at Sasaki.
A little over 1.8 meters tall, short hair, steady gaze, full of energy—a player reborn, as Coach Kudo described him.
Still, he looked a bit awkward, even more earnest than Shogo, with a naive expression.
"Serious?"
"Yes! Please, Shogo-kun, I'm counting on you!"
The indoor court was empty.
Even Shimizu Rena, who usually waited for Shogo, had left. A whole afternoon of recruitment had exhausted her; she had gone home early to rest.
"I'll attack, you defend. Let's see your defensive skills."
"Understood, Shogo-kun! Pleased to work with you!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The basketball bounced irregularly in Shogo's hands. Sasaki crouched slightly, arms out, swaying gently to anticipate breakthroughs from any direction.
His defensive stance was decent, properly formed. Shogo faked a move and easily scored with a smooth dunk.
"Your defense is already good, but your reaction speed is too slow."
"Thank you! Shogo-kun, your approval means a lot to me."
Shogo said nothing, dribbling again, faking past him once more before slamming in another dunk.
"I noticed your eyes keep following the ball. That unconscious habit is bad for our current team tactics."
"Shogo-kun, I don't quite understand. Could you explain it in detail?"
Seriously? Didn't I make myself clear? Shogo thought. Fine, I'll say it again.
"If our team used ordinary tactics, following the ball to judge and then defend could work."
"But right now, our team's principle is full-coverage defense—defending players, not the ball. So your eyes shouldn't follow the ball; they should stay on the player."
Sasaki looked puzzled at first, but after Shogo made a few more baskets, his eyes lit up.
"Shogo-kun… I think I understand what you mean."
"Good. Keep practicing like this. Guarding one player is effectively neutralizing them."
"Understood. Thank you, Shogo-kun!"
"That's it for today."
Shogo waved, and they returned to the locker room together, changed, and left the school.
By the time he got home, it was already late.
With his mother accompanying him, Shogo finished his meal bite by bite, then slung the basketball over his shoulder and headed out for a walk.
At the nearby court, people were scattered—neither too many nor too few.
Night runners and players dotted the space. Thinking about Sasaki, Shogo considered a new idea.
If Sasaki could truly break his old defensive habits, perhaps letting him guard Kuroko Tetsuya would be highly effective.
For teammates who defend only players, not the ball, focusing entirely on one person and changing habits… could Kuroko really be "sealed"? A living opponent, eyes locked on him, ignoring everything else… would Kuroko vanish from the court?
A small smile tugged at Shogo's lips.
Heh… the future is worth looking forward to.
After a two-hour swim that drained his last reserves of energy, Shogo went to bed with anticipation in his heart.
A new day dawned, vibrant and full of youthful energy.
In the classroom, amidst Rena's chattering, Shogo learned how successful yesterday's recruitment had been.
Thanks to her, over twenty new members had joined, injecting fresh vitality into the basketball club.
Rena spent the entire afternoon tirelessly guiding and instructing the new recruits.
After listening, Shogo lightly patted her head with a teasing smile.
"Our super-cosmic ultra-invincible beautiful girl, Shimizu-chan, does great work!"
"~~Shogo-kun…"
Rena rolled her eyes but turned back to organize her books for class.
A short while later, she handed him a rose-red notebook. Shogo took it, slipping an energy bar into her free hand.
Startled at first, Rena paused, but when she realized what it was, her hand retracted, smiling brightly.
Opening the notebook, Shogo admired the neat, clear handwriting. The words "Team Spirit" leapt off the page.
Are all girls in this world this adorable?
In the afternoon, the bell rang for the sixth period.
Shogo was called to Coach Ichiro Kudo's office to discuss the events of the previous day.
"About Fukuda-kun yesterday… thank you, Shogo-kun."
"Yesterday? You haven't returned yet?"
"No. I agree with your perspective. It fits our current tactics perfectly. That was my oversight—thank you for pointing it out in time."
Shogo just shook his head, insisting it was only his personal opinion.
"We'll work on defense. Offense is in your hands, Shogo-kun. Winning through offense is our path to victory."
"Coach, winning through offense gets the game. Winning through defense gets the championship."
Coach Kudo nodded in acknowledgment.
Watching Shogo leave, the coach's eyes shone with hope.
Looking out at the blue sky, he smiled softly. With you, Haizaki Shogo, even if our team is weak and our tactics strange, we now have hope, a chance to win. Everything else doesn't matter.
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