Next Opponent

It's Monday again.

Most students had a wild weekend, and almost all of them looked like they hadn't slept, yawning as they entered campus.

Shōgo was no exception. He stayed up late last night playing with the puppy.

Yawning and squinting, Shōgo took his seat. Rina, who had a cheerful expression of "I'm glad to see you," turned around to greet him.

"Good morning, Shōgo-kun!"

"Good morning, Rina-chan!"

Today, Rina wore a white sailor uniform paired with a violet hooded coat, adding a touch of depth to her youthfulness.

Without many words, Shōgo took the workbook passed to him by Rina from the front and handed her two heart-shaped special edition Amity chocolates. He placed them on her fair and empty palm and spoke in a lazy voice.

"Rina-chan, two small gifts for you, consider us even now!"

"Hehe!! Thank you, Shōgo-kun."

The joyful Rina in front of him had a sweet expression, leaving Shōgo shaking his head. People who loved him, those eternal promises repeated again and again.

As the bell rang, the sixth period ended, and the quiet campus became lively.

Various clubs were passionately engaged in training or competitions, and crowds surged in every corner of the campus.

Following the stunning girl in front of him, Shōgo placed his hands behind his head, enjoying the hustle and bustle, reveling in the liveliness.

That unique aura of being somewhat detached from the worldly hustle and bustle was one of the characteristics of the strong. Sometimes, they didn't quite fit in with ordinary people.

As the days went by, Shōgo's strength, agility, endurance, jumping ability, and explosiveness all greatly improved. He even made significant progress in his basketball skills and sense of the game.

In this school, in the school's basketball club, and in the club's gymnasium, his talents were indeed not fully demonstrated.

But Shōgo understood that this was an illusion. He was still far from his peak. There were formidable forces abroad, and powerful individuals were abundant.

Some were naturally gifted, dominating the court without peers; some were even stricter and more scientific in their training regimen than him. Fully aware of this, Shōgo didn't act pretentiously or sigh. He simply accumulated his strength quietly.

Shōgo aimed to become an indomitable soaring dragon that would take flight at any moment, a dazzling phoenix that would stun the world with a single cry.

On the basketball court, all the team members gathered to discuss their next opponent.

Among the crowd, Coach Kudo's voice sounded hoarse and grave.

"Our next opponent is Yokoizumi Junior High. While they may not have outstanding players, their overall strength surpasses ours. If we don't give it our all, victory will be difficult to achieve."

"Although they are strong, we have our trump cards. I believe we can win."

"I want to emphasize not just this match, but what comes after. Once we defeat Yokoizumi, we'll face the strongest champions of the National Junior High School League in the 1/16 Round: Teiko Junior High. Are you prepared?"

No one on the basketball team spoke. Everyone was stunned by this news. To them, this was grim news.

Including Shōgo, who had been warming up by twisting his waist. He never expected to encounter Teiko so soon. To face Teiko head-on in the 1/16 Round was unexpected.

His waist, which had twisted, suddenly became sore due to his stunned state.

The prickling soreness brought Shōgo back to his senses. He stretched his muscles while contemplating.

His strength was sufficient, but the team's strength wasn't enough. To face Teiko now meant they had no chance of winning unless he...

Squashing the thought, Shōgo focused on warming up and continued his drills.

Their upcoming opponent was Yokoizumi. Defeat Yokoizumi first.

Moreover, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. If Daiki joined the game, he might be able to see the hidden aspects of his game.

With this thought, Shōgo regained his motivation, making his warm-up and training much more proactive.

In the following practice matches, he continually sparred with his teammates, honing their defensive skills and stamina. It made Shōgo feel that things weren't so utterly boring.

Looking at the basketball team captain, Arata, who was taking the initiative to defend against him, Shōgo felt a glimmer of hope.

"Swoosh!"

The basketball traced a parabolic arc and sank into the net. The intrasquad scrimmage ended, and everyone started to pack up.

Shōgo, who was also preparing to leave for his sword training, was called out by Captain Arata.

"Shōgo-kun, can you practice with me for another half an hour?"

Seeing Arata's earnest and eager expression, Shōgo nodded and took the basketball to face Arata in practice.

Arata's eyes were filled with determination, perseverance, and longing. He was like wild grass that had grown out of ashes, full of desire for victory and a passionate love for basketball.

Such a pity!

After training with Arata for so long, Shōgo hadn't discovered any special talents that could be developed. Arata was an extraordinarily stubborn, ordinary person.

But even now, he was still full of desire for victory, never giving up.

Basketball in the net, bouncing onto the backboard and rolling out of bounds.

"Let's stop here for today. You've completely exhausted yourself, Shōgo-kun."

"Thank you for your effort, Shōgo-kun."

Shōgo shook his head, pulled Arata, who was sitting on the ground, and helped him into the locker room.

Once changed, Shōgo left the campus. Rina had been waiting at the school gate for some time.

"How long have you been waiting, Rina-chan?"

"Not too long. I was organizing some materials in the classroom earlier."

"Oh, how's the data collection going?"

"There's still a lot to do, but I'm refining the data. I'll need your guidance, Shōgo-kun."

"Hehe!"

Shōgo showed an "I should be the one saying that" expression to Rina and playfully bantered with her as they headed to the fencing hall.

...

Inside the fencing hall, on the practice platform.

Shōgo's opponent was the head coach of the fencing hall, a former national team member who had participated in international competitions.

On the platform, the two faced off, exchanging swift and sharp thrusts, straightforward and fast.

After a long time, they stopped and put down their foils, removing their headgear.

"Not bad, Shōgo-kun. You've improved again, and your spirit and determination were excellent today. How about considering joining the training camp to prepare for the national fencing team?"

"Spare me, coach. I'm not cut out for that. My heart isn't in it."

"Oh, your heart isn't in it? Then where is it?"

Shōgo awkwardly smiled, pointing towards two beautiful girls sitting and resting on another platform.

"See, my heart is over there."

"Hahaha! Youth is wonderful. If you decide, feel free to find me."

Shōgo, still having some energy left, didn't pay any attention to the head coach who was practicing with him. He hopped down from the platform and eagerly followed the two girls, being an attentive follower.