On the first day of school, as night fell, at the coach's office of Fukuda High Basketball Club, Kudo Ichiro, who had applied to join the high school section, held a stack of membership application forms in his hands. As he looked at those forms, his hands trembled.
The events of three days ago kept replaying in his mind, and now his opportunity had come.
Three days ago, in Fukuda High's principal's office:
"Kudo-kun, are you serious?"
"Principal Watanabe, I'm dead serious. If I can't win the championship, I'll leave the school."
"Kudo-kun, Fukuda High can accommodate you. It's not a heartless place, but we just hope you won't lose so badly."
"Principal..."
"Go, give your promise your best shot."
Ending the reminiscence, Kudo Ichiro took a deep breath and, holding the application forms, began to examine them one by one.
Beside him, he had already taken out two application forms that stood out.
One was written in incredibly neat and elegant handwriting, belonging to Rina. The other application form had bold and carefree handwriting, spelling out the name Haizaki Shōgo.
Then, Coach Kudo took out a few more special application forms.
Suzuran Karasu, from Ryōnan Junior High, specialized in the center position, one of the five Emerging Talents.
Taigasawa Yano, from Tamamizu Junior High, specialized in the center position.
Kimura Tensho, from Tianwei Junior High, specialized in the power forward position, one of the five Emerging Talents.
Harano Shinichi, from Rokumonsen Junior High, specialized in the point guard position.
Coach Kudo had extracted these four application forms, placing them together with Shōgo's application form.
These four individuals were players Coach Kudo knew of; why did he know them? It was all due to the player data sheet collected by Rina earlier.
After Rina had collected the data, she shared it with Coach Kudo once. Seeing the data for the first time had shocked him immensely, followed by a surge of excitement.
Now, in Coach Kudo's hands, he had information about these four individuals: their positions, specialties, and even their skills. Coach Kudo had a good sense of their abilities.
And this credit entirely belonged to Rina, the basketball manager, who hadn't officially joined the team yet.
Thinking of the detailed information Rina had compiled and the special ability "Weakness Attack" designed for her by Shōgo, and looking at the application forms in his hands, Coach Kudo's excitement grew.
The National High School Basketball Tournament, with them on board, should secure a place for them. Fukuda High School would find its place.
Ring! Ring!
The bell for the end of the sixth class rang, accompanied by a soothing tune.
Once again, Rina, now sitting in front of Shōgo, turned around immediately after the teacher left the classroom and excitedly said, "Shōgo-kun, let's go to the basketball club together. Today is the first day of reporting."
"Got it, Rina-chan."
Shōgo tidied up his desk, slung his bag over his shoulder, and followed Rina, moving leisurely.
High school life in Japan seemed enjoyable, with plenty of beautiful girls everywhere.
The campus environment was good too, filled with fangirls, and the entire campus was incredibly clean, which made Shōgo feel comfortable.
The Fukuda High School basketball team, as he remembered it, was still quite formidable. It had reached the semifinals of the Inter-High Tournament before, with overall solid strength.
Hideki Ishida and Kazuhiro Mochizuki were also in the high school section, boosting the team's strength by several notches. Shōgo felt that he had great potential.
Furthermore, the Inter-High, set to begin soon, should provide a platform for Fukuda High to compete with the "Generation of Miracles" teams.
Thinking about this, Shōgo felt exhilarated! It seemed like his entire body was surging with enthusiasm.
Not long after, following Rina, Shōgo arrived at Fukuda High's basketball club.
Inside the gymnasium, the second and third-year teams stood on one side, while the new first-year members stood on the other.
As Rina and Shōgo entered the gym, everyone's gaze turned toward them.
Facing everyone's direct stares, Shōgo squinted his eyes, took a step forward, walked ahead of Rina, and led her in, confidently walking.
Inside the gym, Shōgo and Rina saw the familiar figure of Coach Kudo, which surprised them both.
"Shōgo-kun, Rina-kun, we meet again!"
"Coach Kudo, hello!"
"Coach Kudo!"
Seeing the puzzled look on Shōgo and Rina, Coach Kudo explained.
"I'm the basketball coach for the high school section now. Shōgo-kun, Rina-kun, please take care of me."
Both Shōgo and Rina were delighted. They were well acquainted with Coach Kudo and held him in high regard for his abilities.
Especially for Shōgo, his impression of Coach Kudo was that he was synonymous with being cold-blooded, extreme, and decisive. Along with his excellent basketball tactics and leadership skills, Shōgo's confidence in Fukuda High soared again.
Just as Shōgo was getting lost in his thoughts, a familiar voice sounded from behind.
"Shōgo-kun, we meet again."
"Arata-kun!"
It was Arata Sasaki who spoke. Rina was surprised by Arata Sasaki's presence, and seeing Arata, greet him, Shōgo rarely displayed a smile, nodding in acknowledgment.
People like Arata were ordinary yet stubborn; often, Shōgo felt lucky around them, but sometimes he felt he was being lazy.
At this moment, Shōgo suddenly felt that Arata was like a catfish, capable of thriving anywhere and acting as a catalyst that drove the team forward.
Unlike predators who were superior to their teammates, Arata was the underdog, a bottom-feeder who tirelessly worked. It was likely that the efforts of these bottom-feeders could become one of the driving forces that propelled the entire team to improve together.
Understanding all of this, Shōgo suddenly felt he had elevated himself to a new level.
At this point, Coach Kudo had taken out paper and a pen, stood in front of all the players, and began his speech.
"I'm Kudo Ichiro, and from now on, I'm your head coach."
"We have a scrimmage in a while, first-year players against the second and third-year players. It'll last for three days, and it's your chance to show your skills."
"Remember, you're all reserve players for now. There are no starters."
"I'll select outstanding and well-performing players from this scrimmage to be starters in the upcoming matches."
"My selections will be fair, just, and transparent. Do you all understand?"
Coach Kudo's speech brightened the eyes of the thirty-odd first-year players who had just joined. Being able to become starters in their first year and participate in the national championship felt fantastic just to think about.
Simultaneously, the capable second and third-year players also looked intrigued because the rise of new players might lead to Fukuda High's overall strength bursting forth, allowing them to progress even further.