On Sunday, Shōgo declined the invitation from Coach Rei to practice swordsmanship together, and he left home carrying a basketball amidst his mother's nagging.
The previous night, he had already called Satsuki and Daiki to arrange basketball practice together.
At the basketball court, Shōgo approached Daiki and Satsuki, both dressed in white and black, and started chatting.
"Aren't you supposed to wait for me? Why did you two come early?"
"Shōgo-chan, it was Daiki who wanted to warm up in advance, so... we... decided to come early."
Shōgo looked at Satsuki, who was wearing white. She was becoming more beautiful as time went on, her figure more attractive, and her personality better.
Ugh! Daiki, that blockhead, is a wasted talent!
"Shōgo, stop chatting and warm up, I can't wait anymore."
"Hehe, alright, I'll be right there, just let me jog a couple of laps."
Shōgo handed his clothes to Satsuki and asked her to hold them. He then jogged a few laps around the basketball court before joining Daiki.
Taking the basketball handed to him by Daiki, Shōgo dribbled the ball while asking him a question.
"Daiki, if it were you, could you refrain from scoring a single basket throughout the entire game?"
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said, literally."
"Perhaps, as long as it leads to victory in the game, it doesn't matter what I do on the court."
Shōgo fell silent. For someone as naturally talented as Daiki, it's unlikely he ever experienced suppressing his desire to score throughout an entire game.
"You're right, as long as it's for victory, everything else comes second."
After saying this, Shōgo aggressively moved into the paint and started dueling with Daiki.
Under the basket, the sound of them taking turns scoring echoed one after another, each trying to outdo the other.
"Shōgo, I admire you for being able to take away others' skills. It's something I've never been able to do."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Isn't it?"
"Heh, I admire you even more. Your style is unique, and aren't you going to let me see it?"
"You'll see it when I make it to the finals of the national championship!"
Shōgo looked at Daiki in front of him. At that moment, he felt that Daiki was truly charismatic, even more so than in anime.
That terrifying talent, just thinking about it makes Shōgo shudder. Even with his skill of devouring abilities, he still feels the immense pressure coming from Daiki.
Free-flowing style, unpredictable shot selection, wildness, the free-willed zone... there are so many things Shōgo envies about Daiki.
Tetsuya also developed techniques later on, but the guy in front of him can probably decipher them after just one look. Can you say he doesn't understand the principles of those techniques? Can you say he can't imitate them?
This guy conceals so much with his unique style, and that's one of the reasons why Shōgo admires Daiki.
A person who lives for his basketball, not envious of others' skills, not jealous of others' abilities, wholeheartedly plays his basketball and develops his techniques.
An unpredictable shot style can cover up many things and reveal many others.
The difficulty of an unpredictable shot covers a wide range of skills.
Shooting accuracy, shot flexibility, various shooting postures... Shōgo even dares to speculate that the guy in front of him might be able to shoot three-pointers from anywhere on the court.
It's just that's not the basketball he enjoys, not the style he likes, so he doesn't do it and doesn't want to do it.
Everyone says he's the ace of the Miracle Generation, which already says a lot.
It also indicates that the other members of the Miracle Generation, including the former Shōgo, have no objections to Daiki being the ace. This also implies a lot.
In terms of scoring, can Shintaro Midorima, who shoots threes as soon as he gets the ball, compare to Daiki?
Even Seijūrō isn't sure if he can outplay Daiki, which shows that the others can't fully comprehend his strength either.
This is Daiki right in front of him, the ace of the Miracle Generation, the strongest basketball talent in all of Japan.
"Hey, hey, hey!!! You seem a bit absent-minded, Shōgo-chan."
"Heh, oh, I was thinking about something, realizing that I'm still quite naive."
"Naive?"
"Yeah, a bit naive!"
"Shōgo, I'm starting to look forward to you more and more. The old you wouldn't have admitted to being naive."
"Is that so? I guess I've grown up a bit, just like you."
"Hahaha!! Why talk so much? Come on, let's continue!"
Throughout the afternoon, both Shōgo and Daiki had a great time. Having a peer to practice and play basketball with made them feel like they were in a heavenly paradise, everything felt wonderful.
After parting ways with Satsuki and Daiki, Shōgo returned home alone.
"Daiki, I feel like Shōgo-chan was a bit different today, somewhat melancholic, like how you used to be."
"Is that so? I didn't notice, maybe it's just an illusion."
"Daiki, are you going back to school to practice?"
"No, it's not interesting."
"Daiki..."
"Let's go!"
"Oh!"
Satsuki was defeated again by Daiki. Not daring to challenge her childhood friend, she followed him as they walked back home.
And Shōgo?
He had been feeling somewhat suppressed these days.
First, he couldn't find good teammates, and he felt a sense of loss, thinking that stopping Teiko's three consecutive championships was beyond hope.
Second, he was disappointed by his group of novice teammates. They trained together for so long, but in the end, they couldn't hold back. Although it had little to do with him, when he placed himself in the position of a basketball team member, he cared about the team's unity, discipline, team spirit, team culture, and various other aspects.
Who wouldn't want their team to be unbeatable? Is everyone getting along well?
Suppressing his feelings like this wasn't a solution. So, Shōgo had no choice but to play basketball with Daiki to relieve some of the pressure.
Feeling the pressure Daiki brought on him, he could soberly recognize his shortcomings.
It was like when he had challenged himself back in the days he was in Teiko, the same way he had told his former self, "You still have a long way to go."
So, all the reasons boiled down to him still having a long way to go.
If he were strong enough, he wouldn't need to consider others' actions. He could single-handedly dominate the entire court.
It's not poison, it's not a lack of team spirit, it's just the frustration that comes from inadequate abilities.
The weak seek strength in numbers, the strong can plunder recklessly. When facing someone stronger, even the strong will willingly seek the comfort of a group.
Basketball is like this, life is like this, and the principle is that simple!
Understanding all of this, Shōgo climbed into bed and fell asleep. He has to continue training tomorrow!