Chapter 16 Kidnapping Mitsui
"Miyagi! You got lucky last time, shorty. This time you're not running anywhere. I'll smash every tooth in your mouth myself."
Mitsui Hisashi's voice was low and venomous. He stepped forward, closing the distance until his forehead nearly touched Miyagi's. His eyes were bloodshot, the smell of cigarettes clinging to him — the unmistakable aura of a delinquent who had long since fallen away from the court.
"Hah! Try it, Mitsui!" Miyagi Ryota snapped back without retreating. Though nearly half a head shorter, his stance was firm, fists clenched. The fearless point guard of Shohoku did not back down from anyone.
Behind Mitsui, Horita and his gang cracked their knuckles, eager for violence. Behind Miyagi, Shohoku's first-years tensed, ready to jump in. The air itself seemed ready to explode.
"Oh? So this is it… the legendary scene."
From the side, Sakuragi Hanamichi stroked his chin dramatically, eyes darting between the two.
"One's a former MVP sharpshooter… the other's Shohoku's speed demon point guard. If these two wreck each other before practice even starts… Shohoku's road to the nationals is finished before it begins!"
For once, Sakuragi's instincts were dead-on.
Just as Mitsui raised his arm — whether to shove or strike — Sakuragi moved.
A burst of red.
Before anyone could react, Sakuragi dove in from Mitsui's blind side, lowered his center of gravity like a wrestler, and wrapped both arms around Mitsui's waist.
"HEAVE—HO!"
With monstrous raw strength born from his delinquent-fighter days, Sakuragi hoisted Mitsui clean off the ground, slinging him across his shoulder like a sack of rice.
"?!"
Everyone froze.
Mitsui's world flipped upside down — the ceiling spinning, Sakuragi's back filling his vision.
"YOU IDIOT! PUT ME DOWN!!" Mitsui thrashed, punching Sakuragi's back, but the red-haired gorilla didn't even flinch.
Horita and the others stared blankly for a heartbeat… then erupted.
"HEY!! RED-HAIRED FREAK!! STOP!!"
They charged after him.
Miyagi, who had been ready to brawl, blinked in disbelief.
"…What the hell is this idiot doing now?"
Students heading home stopped in shock as Sakuragi sprinted through the corridor — a furious ex-basketball ace on his shoulder, a gang of delinquents chasing behind.
At the school gate, four familiar figures happened to witness the chaos.
"Yohei! Look! Isn't that Hanamichi?!" Takamiya shouted.
"…Is he carrying a person?" Noma squinted.
"That's Mitsui Hisashi, the infamous third-year delinquent," Oonan muttered.
Mito Yohei smiled, hands in his pockets, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Heh… this'll be fun. Let's follow."
Sakuragi burst into the gymnasium doors.
BANG!
He stormed onto the court — the scent of polished wood and old sweat instantly filling the air — and unceremoniously dumped Mitsui onto the center floor.
THUD!
Mitsui skidded slightly, catching himself on one knee, head spinning.
Without pause, Sakuragi turned and slammed the gym doors shut, cutting off Horita's gang just as they reached it.
"OPEN UP!!"
"HAND MITSUI OVER!!"
Fists pounded the metal doors from outside.
Inside, the early-arriving basketball club members froze mid-warmup. Basketballs stopped bouncing. Sneakers stopped squeaking.
Kogure Kiminobu adjusted his glasses, eyes widening.
"…Mitsui? Is that really you?"
Mitsui slowly lifted his head.
The court.
The hoops.
The lines he had once practiced on daily.
The smell he had not allowed himself to remember.
His expression twisted — guilt, longing, bitterness, shame — all crashing together.
"…Tch."
Sakuragi dusted off his hands proudly, stepped beside Kogure, and pointed at Mitsui as if presenting a prize.
"Kogure-senpai! I found a genius basketball talent outside! He looks like a natural! Since our team needs players, I brought him here! What do you think?!"
Silence.
Kogure: "…"
Team members: "…"
Mitsui: "…You absolute moron…"
Because of course — this "new talent" was once Shohoku's star player.
Outside the gym, Horita's gang ran straight into Sakuragi's own crew.
"You! You're with that red-haired bastard! Tell him to open the door!" Horita roared.
Mito leaned lazily against the wall.
"Who says we're with him? We're just spectators."
Takamiya puffed out his chest.
"Yeah! Wanna fight about it?!"
Tension flared — until a heavy presence fell over them.
"You brats. What are you doing at the gym entrance?"
A voice like iron.
Akagi Takenori stood there — tall, immovable, eyes cutting through the scene. The captain of Shohoku.
Everyone stiffened.
Takamiya forced a laugh.
"Ahaha… Akagi-senpai! Just… playing around with these guys! Right?"
He shot Horita a desperate wink.
Horita swallowed hard.
"Y-yeah! Just joking around…"
Akagi narrowed his eyes but said nothing more.
"If you want to mess around, do it somewhere else. Don't block the gym entrance."
He pushed open the door.
Inside, Akagi's eyes immediately locked onto the figure kneeling at center court.
Mitsui Hisashi.
Once his teammate.
Once his equal.
Once Shohoku's hope.
Mitsui looked away instantly — unable to meet Akagi's stare.
Akagi looked from Mitsui… to Sakuragi's proud "I solved everything" grin… to the stunned team around them.
Even Akagi Takenori, man of steel, was momentarily speechless.
"…What… is going on here?"