After the team disbanded, Nango noticed Sakuragi standing in place and nudged him with his elbow.
"Hey! Wake up! Time to head back."
Sakuragi pursed his lips, then replied somewhat shyly,
"You guys go ahead. I want to stay and practice by myself."
The four members of Shohoku stared at him in disbelief.
Sakuragi… volunteering to stay behind for extra training?
This was practically unheard of. In the past, he was always the first one to complain and the first one to leave.
Coincidentally, Fukuda, who had been standing behind Shohoku, also chose to remain and continue practicing. Influenced by him, Sugadaira—who hadn't even gotten a chance to play—quietly made the same decision.
They've really been fired up this time…
Nango smiled and reminded him,
"Alright. Just don't forget to eat dinner later."
"You guys go first," Mitsui said. "I'll practice a bit more too."
"Mitsui?" Akagi looked over in surprise.
He knew better than anyone that a certain someone's stamina wasn't great, and extra practice was usually something Mitsui avoided.
As for Rukawa Kaede, who always spoke little but acted decisively, he silently picked up a basketball, walked to an empty half-court, and began practicing mid-range jumpers.
No explanation needed.
Nango and Akagi exchanged glances.
Nango shrugged. "Guess I'll stay too."
Akagi rubbed his temples, speechless.
"These idiots… Why aren't they this enthusiastic during regular practice?"
Still, since four of his teammates had chosen to stay, Akagi—as captain—naturally remained as well.
Seeing Shohoku stay behind caused many players who were about to leave to stop in their tracks.
If people more talented and accomplished than you are working this hard, what excuse do you have not to?
In the end, more than half of the entire Youth Team stayed for extra practice.
"Heh."
Anzai Jitsurei walked over to Hyuga Yuichi, smiling.
"Yuichi, when you go to dinner later, help remind everyone."
"Leave it to me," Hyuga said, patting his chest.
Truthfully, Anzai didn't want them doing extra training.
Today's scrimmage had already been intense. More practice meant slower recovery, stiff muscles, and a higher risk of injury.
But seeing their enthusiasm—especially on the first day of camp—he chose not to stop them.
Still, tomorrow's training plan would need adjustment.
At the very least, there could be no more high-intensity scrimmages.
They needed rest.
Sakuragi approached Nango with bright, determined eyes.
"Nango, please teach me more. I want to stay here."
Facing possible elimination, Sakuragi finally took the initiative to ask for guidance.
But Nango was momentarily stumped.
"Sakuragi… I honestly don't know what to teach you right now. Let me think."
He wasn't lying.
Basketball fundamentals came down to four things: dribbling, passing, shooting, and defense.
Sakuragi already possessed all of them.
Further improvement depended on repetition, refinement, and discovering skills that suited his own body.
Everyone can dribble.
But how many can slice through defenders like AI?
Everyone can shoot.
But how many can release in 0.4 seconds?
Everyone plays defense.
But only a few can clamp opponents like a machine.
Talent, physique, and comprehension differ.
You can't simply copy others.
You must find your own path.
"Start with your triple-threat stance," Nango finally said.
"Master that, and your offense will become much more dangerous."
After thinking for a moment, he added,
"And observe Rukawa Kaede carefully. Practice seriously."
Nango remembered certain plot developments from the original story.
But he wisely left out the rest:
If you don't practice three times harder than him, you'll never surpass him.
This time, Sakuragi didn't explode.
Instead, he looked suspicious.
"Stinky Fox?"
"Yeah," Nango nodded. "Your body types are similar. You might learn something."
Nango had already thought it through.
Sakuragi didn't have to be stuck in the paint forever.
At under 190 cm, pushing him toward the perimeter made sense.
If he developed as a small forward, his athleticism alone would make him terrifying defensively.
Which also meant…
Sakuragi would eventually need to learn three-point shooting.
A future 3-and-D monster.
With his plan taking shape, Nango smiled mischievously.
"Thwack!"
"Thwack!"
Rukawa missed two consecutive shots.
Even he couldn't keep completely calm.
He turned around sharply.
"Big idiot, what are you staring at?"
"I—I'm not!" Sakuragi snapped.
"Don't talk nonsense! Who's looking at you?!"
Following Nango's instructions, Sakuragi had been practicing triple-threat stance.
Rukawa happened to be working on pull-up jumpers off the triple threat.
Naturally, Sakuragi secretly observed him.
Unfortunately, he got caught.
"Tch…"
Rukawa turned and started walking to another court.
"Rukawa! Wait!"
Nango called out.
Rukawa stopped, casually tossing the ball in one hand.
His eyes asked: What?
Nango smiled.
"Wanna play one-on-one?"
Rukawa instinctively wanted to refuse.
But then Nango added,
"I won't play offense. Only defense."
"Same rules as this morning?"
Rukawa's eyes sharpened.
He hadn't forgotten the 21–0 humiliation.
There was no way he believed he still couldn't score even once.
"Fine."
Nango turned and winked at Sakuragi.
"Sakuragi, help us retrieve the ball."
He wasn't doing this for himself.
He wanted Sakuragi to openly watch and learn.
Which meant Rukawa had to suffer a little.
"Got it!"
Sakuragi clenched his fist, praising in his heart:
Nango! You're a genius!
"Oh?"
Sendoh, who was feeding balls to Fukuda nearby, noticed the scene and smiled.
"Interesting…"
Gradually, the noise of the gym faded.
More and more eyes turned toward them.
The National Tournament MVP.
Versus the rookie ace closest to Sawakita Eiji.
A matchup rarely seen—
Even in dreams.