Outside the Shohoku High gymnasium
"Shohoku's basketball team might not be well-known, but their captain, Akagi, is strong. I need to investigate him thoroughly."
"And also, Rukawa Kaede, who transferred from Tomigaoka Middle School, and the point guard Miyagi—they both need to be noted in detail."
A slender boy with a notepad in hand approached the gym, murmuring to himself.
This was Aida Hikoichi, a first-year student from Ryonan High. His hobby? Compiling detailed profiles on every promising basketball player.
His arrival didn't draw anyone's attention.
At that moment, everyone inside the gym had their eyes locked on one person—Tsuda Shoichi.
To be precise, their attention was fixed on the ball he had just released.
"Huh? Looks like they're running a scrimmage," Aida muttered with curiosity as he stepped inside and glanced toward the court.
When he saw Shoichi's shooting form, his eyes widened in amazement. "Such a beautiful shooting motion. Every detail is textbook perfect. Is he from Shohoku too? But… why is there no record of him in my notes?"
Puzzled, Aida quickly flipped through his notebook, desperately searching for any information about this mystery player.
Meanwhile, on the court
"Fall back on defense!"
Just as the ball left Shoichi's fingertips, he turned and sprinted back toward his team's half, not even sparing a glance at the arc of the shot.
Rukawa and the others exchanged confused looks. What was he doing?
Even if he missed the shot, shouldn't he at least try for the rebound before heading back?
But before they could dwell on their confusion, shock spread across their faces.
Could it be… that the moment Shoichi let the ball fly, he already knew it would go in?
…
"Shoichi seems very confident in that shot," Ayako said, her bright eyes gleaming with admiration.
Coach Anzai remained expressionless, but the deepening smile on his face said more than words ever could.
Sakuragi, on the other hand, looked a little bitter. "Shoichi, are you done yet? Hurry up and let this genius take the court already."
"This guy's getting cocky…" Akagi muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed. He raised his voice and called out, "Focus! Get ready to rebound"
But before he could finish his sentence
Swish!
The ball sank cleanly through the net, not even grazing the rim.
It was a perfect swish.
"Wha—he actually made it?! That was incredible, Shoichi!"
"We're pulling ahead! Seven-point lead now!"
"With Shoichi on the court, we've got this in the bag!"
…
Cheers erupted as Kuwata and the others celebrated the score with wide grins and pumping fists.
Rukawa didn't say anything, but there was a clear shift in his eyes as he glanced at Shoichi. A flicker of recognition.
"If he's really just a beginner," Rukawa murmured to himself, "then he's going to be a terrifying opponent."
Without another word, he sprinted back to defense and soon came up beside Shoichi.
Akagi's expression grew serious as he watched Shoichi sink that shot. "That kid's scoring ability… it's even more dangerous than I expected. This game just got tough."
"Agreed," said Kogure, offering a wry smile as he gave Rukawa a sideways glance. "I thought Rukawa was the only troublesome one among the first-years. Turns out, Shoichi is even harder to deal with."
"Akagi… do you think we can still win this practice match? I'm starting to lose hope."
Akagi said nothing. His silence spoke volumes.
…
Outside the court
"Shoichi's shooting touch is pretty sharp," Ayako said with a playful smile, tapping her chin. "The gap's widening… If Akagi can't shut him down, they might actually lose this scrimmage."
Sakuragi groaned, looking thoroughly frustrated. "What the hell? Why are they winning so easily without this genius on the court?"
"Shouldn't they be getting crushed right now, waiting for me to make a dramatic entrance and save the day?"
Ayako rolled her eyes so hard it looked like they might fall out. She shot him a glare of pure exasperation. This guy is hopelessly full of himself.
Ignoring her, Sakuragi cupped his hands and shouted toward the court, "Hey, Gorilla! Glasses Guy! What are you doing out there? How are you losing to Shoichi and Rukawa when I haven't even played yet?"
Akagi and the others instantly had dark lines on their faces. If looks could kill, Sakuragi would've been pounded into the hardwood right then and there.
This idiot… always saying the exact wrong thing at the worst time.
Not far away, Aida caught every word of Sakuragi's loud rant.
"So his name is Shoichi, huh?" he muttered, eyes narrowing with curiosity. "From the way that red-haired guy was talking, it sounds like this Shoichi is really something."
"This guy's an enigma… Could he be Shohoku's secret weapon?"
With that thought, Aida scribbled furiously in his notebook, all of his focus now locked onto Tsuda Shoichi.