Sekiro High vs Kadooka Junior High - Pregame

Monday morning arrived with a sense of excitement for Sekiro Junior High's basketball team. Despite the friendly nature of the match against Kadooka Junior High, the players were eager to make a statement. The starting five—Akira, Hiroshi, Renji, Mitobe, and Daichi—along with the reserve players—Kazuya, Takeo, Kenta, Kaigo, Koganei, and Noriaki—were all gathered, waiting for Akira, who was running late.

"My bro is late... Maybe he's in trouble?" Kenta said, tying his shoes with a hint of concern.

"Nah, Akira has this habit," Kazuya chimed in, finishing bandaging his hands. "He was always late for our extra training."

"What? You had extra training with Akira?" Hiroshi asked, his surprise evident.

"Me too," Renji confirmed, his tone nonchalant.

"What?!" Hiroshi's eyes widened, clearly shocked.

"It's not good... I hope he has a good reason for being late," Hiroshi said with a serious expression.

Daichi, always one for mischief, chuckled. "It's time to teach these freshmen a valuable lesson."

Suddenly, a hurried figure emerged from the bushes surrounding the school. Akira, breathless and disheveled, appeared, puffing as if he had run a marathon.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I was late!" Akira exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency.

Today everything went wrong. Yesterday, I was practicing my shots in dirty clothes, and I accidentally knocked my alarm clock off the table. I thought it was working, but it wasn't. I woke up super late. Thank goodness my mom yelled at my dad for leaving the towel on the bed, otherwise, I would have missed the bus completely. And when I went to get dressed, I realized I forgot to give my clothes to my mom to wash. I'm wearing yesterday's clothes.

Akira's attempt to cover up the smell with his father's perfume had only made things worse. The perfume bottle had slipped and broken, causing a noticeable scent that he hoped would be masked by the bus's air conditioning. To top it off, he had taken the wrong container from the night before, leaving him without his usual snacks.

Hiroshi, with arms crossed, gave Akira a skeptical look. "What justification do you have for your delay, Akira?"

Think of an excuse! Akira's mind raced, trying to find a plausible story. "We're out of orange juice!"

"…Orange juice?"

"Yeah…"

"And your mother made you buy it? I understand you; my mom is a monster when I forget to do the things she says," Kaigo added, going back to his nap with a nonchalant shrug.

Hiroshi sighed in resignation. "Okay, we don't have time. Let's go at once."

As the team boarded the bus, Akira sat next to Kenta, who was unusually subdued.

"Hey, everything okay?" Akira asked, noticing Kenta's downcast expression.

"You had brother training sessions with Kazuya and Renji..." Kenta paused dramatically. "But you didn't practice with me."

"Oh, come on..." Akira tried to salvage the situation. "You have to understand that they needed it more than you, Kenta! You're already at a very high level!"

Kenta's face lit up with a bright smile. "You're right! Good one!"

They arrived at Kadooka Junior High, and as soon as the bus stopped, Coach Yamamoto took the lead.

"Guys! We're in enemy territory, which means there will be provocations. Don't fall for it; we came here to play basketball," Yamamoto said, his voice firm.

"Yes!" the players responded in unison.

The team moved through the sprawling Kadooka campus, larger than Sekiro's, with many students casting them wary looks.

"I want to go home," Kaigo muttered, his face reflecting his unease.

Upon arriving at the gym, they were greeted by a sea of spectators. The opposing team was already warming up, and Akira locked eyes with Kadooka's number 8, who was practicing his shooting with impressive precision.

"He's got a good shooting style," Akira thought, noting the skill evident in every release.

In the locker room, Sekiro's team started changing into their game uniforms. Coach Yamamoto gathered everyone around for a final briefing.

"So, the game will have a different dynamic than usual," Coach Yamamoto began, pulling out his clipboard. "We will use a strategy I'm calling... 2 heroes per time!"

The team exchanged puzzled looks. What kind of strategy was this?

"We'll take turns having two players as 'heroes' at a time. Hiroshi will be the focus player of the moment," Yamamoto explained. "We have eight heroes: Renji, Daichi, Kenta, Takeo, Kaigo, Noriaki, Koganei, and finally, Akira. Each will get a chance to showcase their strengths."

The players were confused. What was the advantage of this strategy? It seemed like they would lack cohesion.

"I'm using this match to discover each person's effective weapons. Use the time you have to perform well," Yamamoto added.

Akira was skeptical. It didn't feel like traditional basketball, but he was excited about the opportunity to showcase his skills.

It's been a while since I played to really put on a show. I'm looking forward to the audience watching my plays. Let the game begin!