Takenori Akagi
Time flew by, and the day of the game soon arrived. With a uniform voice of "Excuse me," Kitamura's team members entered the basketball gym of Takeishi Junior High School. One of the big man was quite eye-catching, much higher than their peers. Coach Yamada was also surprised; he didn't expect that there was such a center in the little-known Kitamura Junior High School.
As for Mitsui he was of course very excited. This big man was none other than the future captain of Shohoku, Kanagawa's number one center Takenori Akagi! In the third year of junior high school, he was already 190cm tall and could dunk with both hands on the spot which amazed everyone. Tokuo swallowed a big mouthful of saliva when he saw this. After all comparing himself to Akagi the gap was glaringly evident.
Tokuo wasn't afraid of losing to Akagi. In fact losing wasn't a big deal. Even Tokuo's basketball skills were taught to him by Mitsui. He was just worried that if he couldn't restrain Akagi well, he might become a burden on Mitsui. Mitsui seemed to sense his worries patted Tokuo on the back, and assured him that he would be the center in this game while encourage Tokuo to move forward.
"Mitsui..." Tokuo was very concerned, but Mitsui waved his hand and ignored him, greeting the players of Kitamura Junior High School. As Takeishi's star player Mitsui's reputation was still very high and many people stopped to greet him. Of course this didn't include Akagi who said hello to Mitsui for practice. He snorted and remarked that everyone was just students of the same grade and had nothing to fear.
Takami Tetsu was a shooting guard with a short head and bright eyes at the same time, he was also the captain of the basketball team, a very persistent person who loved basketball. He felt a bit embarrassed about his center's performance but Akagi was such an arrogant person so he could only greet Mitsui apologetically.
Mitsui didn't care about this at all. He understood Akagi's issues very well. He even competed with Akagi himself in the first year of high school. This is also the reason why Mitsui played center. He had to defeat Akagi and teach him in advance at least in the first year of high school. Akagi was too unskilled he dribbled and hit his feet and was poor at free throws. So Takami is so embarrassed about Akagi. The two, who also loved basketball and were captains had a very harmonious relationship.
Takami was well aware of the strength of his junior high school and he was very satisfied to compete with opponents of Takeishi's caliber. Even if he couldn't qualify in the end, he would have no regrets in the summer. He could learn a lot from playing against the strongest and since it was a practice match there would definitely be opportunities to train new players. He would also have ways to cultivate the next generation.
In addition to Takami and Akagi, a thin man on the team also caught Mitsui's attention. This boy was doing pre-court warm-ups but his dribbling was average his body was very thin and he wore glasses. He couldn't even make a shot and could only pick it up again to take a shot. No matter how you looked at it, he was just a novice but Mitsui took him very seriously.
"Maybe he noticed the prying eyes of others and the man with glasses looked up embarrassedly and became even more excited when he found out it was Mitsui. "Bro, Mitsui-san, I'm sorry to make you laugh. I don't have any basketball talent so I just exercise my physical strength. That's all."
"It's okay, Kogure" Mitsui blurted out.
Kogure was stunned. How did Mitsui know his name? Mitsui also noticed the slip of the tongue but he quickly made up for it with superb eloquence. "I know you very well, and I checked the information because I was going to play a practice match with you. Your starting center, Akagi is great but his free-throw shooting is very poor. I also know that you are a good friend of Akagi who joined the club with him, and you have been a hard-working player for the past three years."
Kogure blushed a little and this kind of praise from Mitsui Hisano who was well-known in the Kanagawa basketball world made him feel a bit flattered. The intelligence gathering ability revealed in Mitsui's words made Kogure even more impressed that he could remember even a small character like himself. He was indeed from a wealthy family.
"It's hard to say. I don't have much talent, but I was very moved when I saw Captain Takami and Akagi-san's hard work and love of the sports, so I gradually became a little immersed in it."
"Haha, this is nothing. Everyone's reasons for playing basketball are different but Kogure, you know sweat doesn't lie. You will definitely succeed if you keep training," Mitsui encouraged.
"Yes, thank you very much!" Kogure choked up. This was the first time he received recognition and positive comments from others. He was very weak so at first he just wanted to find a sport to improve his physical strength. Of course, his skills were not very good. Akagi was his only friend, and Akagi himself knew very little about many techniques. He could even hit his feet when dribbling. Captain Takami was very good but he was also very busy. The other players also needed a captain. According to the coach, he couldn't even remember his own name, so Mitsui must be right. For Kogure, it was undoubtedly like a ray of light in the darkness.
"Kogure, don't talk to the enemy; we are going to compete." Akagi came over with a serious expression, but his face was so stern that it was intimidating. Mitsui wanted to say hello to Akagi properly and extended his hand. "Hello, Takenori Akagi."
Although Hisashi Mitsui acted very friendly, Akagi turned a blind eye to Mitsui's kindness. "I will lock you up in the game. We are just students in the same grade," Akagi said arrogantly and dragged Kogure into the line up. Mitsui could only shake his head helplessly. It seemed that he had to completely defeat Akagi first before Akagi would face up to his shortcomings.
However isn't this the meaning of this game? Mitsui laughed again thinking of this. He clapped his hands and gathered the players together. Since it was a practice match, the coaches of both sides did not make any arrangements and left everything to the two captains.
"The starting lineup is still the same, but I will play the center, and Katsumi will play the shooting guard. Ikegami and Tokuo forward."
"Mitsui, there is a big man on the opposite side, are you really going at it?"
"It's okay. Although basketball is much more about physical fitness, it's still a hundred years too early for him to beat me." The confident smile on Mitsui's face also inspired his teammates.
Although he was very confident Akagi certainly won the jump ball. After all his height was at stake here, and Mitsui had only been reborn for a short time, and he hadn't trained his jumping and muscles much.
On the opposite side Takenori Akagi was surprised that Mitsui, the famous Kanagawa super scorer was actually playing center in this game but he wouldn't think so much after the official start. Akagi had already decided to educate Mitsui well at the center and let him know that basketball is not like a child's play where he can change his position and play well.