"Defense, Yasuhara! Stay low, feet shoulder-width apart!" Momoharu demonstrated the proper defensive stance. "You're standing too upright. That's why players blow by you!"
"Like this?" Yasuhara crouched lower, his form improving.
"Better. Now slide—don't cross your feet!"
Across the court, Sora was running through shooting drills with Kenji and Chiaki. The motion offense was starting to take shape, players beginning to understand their roles.
"Chiaki-senpai, when you see the defense cheat toward me, that's when you attack the rim!" Sora called out. "Don't settle for the pass!"
"Got it, coach," Chiaki said with his usual lazy grin.
Sora caught the pass from Nabe, squared up beyond the three-point line, and rose for his shot—
His right foot slipped.
The ball clanged off the rim—a rare miss for Sora.
"Kurumatani!" Momoharu jogged over immediately. "You okay? Did you roll your ankle?"
"No, I..." Sora looked down at his feet. "I heard a weird sound."
He lifted his right foot and his heart sank. The side of his basketball shoe had completely torn, the rubber separating from the fabric.
"Damn," Kenji observed. "Those shoes are done."
Sora stared at his ruined sneaker. These were the shoes he'd worn during the Shinmaruko game, the shoes he'd practiced in for months. They were practically falling apart even before today.
"I'll have to get them repaired," he said quietly.
"Or buy new ones," Momoharu suggested. "Those look beyond repair."
"I'll try repair first. Money's tight right now."
---
Sora visited five different shoe repair shops. Each one gave him the same answer:
"These are too far gone. You need new shoes."
"The structural damage is too severe. Better to buy replacements."
"I could try, but they'd fall apart again within a week."
As the sun began to set, Sora found himself in front of a sixth shop:
Sports Nanao.
It was smaller than the others, tucked between a convenience store and a ramen shop. The lights were on, but the entrance looked empty.
One more try, Sora thought, pushing open the door.
"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone here?"
He heard a commotion from upstairs—shuffling, a small yelp, then the sound of feet rapidly descending stairs.
"Coming! Sorry! I was—KYAA!"
A small girl appeared at the top of the staircase, moving too quickly, her foot catching on the last step.
She tumbled forward directly toward Sora.
"Whoa!" Sora tried to catch her, but the size difference and momentum sent both of them crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
"Ow ow ow..." The girl pushed herself up, sitting on Sora's chest. "I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy! Are you hurt?!"
Sora blinked up at her. She was tiny—even shorter than him, probably around 145cm—with short brown hair, large expressive eyes, and an energy that seemed barely contained in her small frame.
"I... I'm fine," Sora managed. "Are you okay?"
"Yes! I mean, no! I mean—" She scrambled off him, bowing repeatedly. "I'm so sorry! Welcome to Sports Nanao! I'm Nao Nanao! How can I help you?"
Sora stood up, brushing himself off. "I need my basketball shoes repaired." He held up the torn sneaker.
Nao's eyes widened as she looked at him properly for the first time. "Wait... you're... you're Kurumatani-kun! From Kuzuryu High!"
"You know me?"
"I saw you at the entrance ceremony! And I..." Her face flushed. "I watched your game against Shinmaruko High. You scored 54 points! It was amazing!"
Sora felt his own cheeks heat up. "Oh... thank you. That's really nice of you to say."
"Let me see the shoe!" Nao took it from him, examining it carefully. Her enthusiasm dimmed. "Oh... this is really damaged. I'm not an expert at repairs—my father usually handles that—but this might be beyond fixing."
"Can you try?" Sora asked hopefully.
"I... let me get my dad. One second!" She disappeared into the back room.
While waiting, Sora browsed the shoe selection. Most were far outside his budget. He finally found a clearance section with less expensive options.
Nao returned with an older man—presumably her father—who examined the shoe with a professional eye.
"Son," Mr. Nanao said gently, "I could repair this, but it would cost almost as much as a new pair, and these would only last a few more weeks. You'd be better off buying new shoes."
Sora's shoulders slumped. "I... okay. Thank you anyway."
"Wait!" Nao grabbed his arm. "Don't worry! I'll take full responsibility for repairing them! Free of charge! My dad taught me the basics—I can practice on your shoes!"
"Nao—" her father started.
"Please, Dad? I want to help! Kurumatani-kun needs shoes for basketball!" She turned to Sora, her eyes shining with determination. "I saw your game. You play with such passion! Such dedication! I want to support that! So please, let me try!"
Sora was overwhelmed by her earnestness. "I... are you sure? I don't want to cause trouble—"
"It's no trouble! I insist!" She bowed deeply. "And Kurumatani-kun, I want to wish you good luck! I hope you make it to Inter-High! I'll be cheering for you!"
Sora felt his face burning. Is she... does she like me? Is this what that feels like?
"T-thank you, Nanao-san. That means a lot."
As he left the shop—still wearing his ruined shoes—Sora's mind was spinning.
-----
That Evening - Kurumatani Residence
"Grandma," Sora said during dinner, his expression unusually serious. "What is love?"
Yone choked on her tea. "WHAT?!"
"Love. Like, romantic love. How do you know if someone likes you? Or if you like someone?"
"Sora, what brought this on?!"
"There was this girl today, and she was really nice, and she offered to fix my shoes for free, and she said she'd cheer for me, and I felt really weird and—"
"SORA!" Yone's face was red. "Go take a shower! Then go to sleep! We are NOT having this conversation!"
"But Grandma—"
"SHOWER! NOW!"
As Sora trudged to the bathroom, Yone sat alone in the kitchen, a small smile on her face despite her embarrassment.
He's growing up. Yuka, your son is becoming quite popular with the girls...
------
Next Day - Basketball Gym
Sora arrived slightly late to practice, having stopped by Sports Nanao to drop off his shoes. What he found in the gym made him stop in his tracks.
Chiaki was actively participating in warm-ups. Not his usual lazy half-effort, but actual, energetic warm-ups.
"Chiaki-senpai is... moving?" Sora said in disbelief.
"You're late, Sora," Momoharu called out, grinning. "And yeah, something amazing happened. We have a new manager."
"A manager?"
"Yep! And she's—"
"Kurumatani-kun!"
Sora turned to see Nao bounding toward him, wearing a Kuzuryu High tracksuit and carrying a clipboard.
"Nanao-san?! What are you doing here?!"
"I'm the new basketball team manager!" She beamed at him. "Isn't it wonderful? Now I can support you properly!"
Chiaki sidled up next to Sora, his expression unusually animated. "Isn't she great? Finally, someone who appreciates our hard work!"
"Let me introduce myself properly!" Nao stood at attention. "I'm Nao Nanao, first-year! I'll be managing equipment, scheduling, player wellness, and doing my best to support this team to Inter-High!"
Kenji, who'd been watching with his usual skeptical expression, spoke up. "Why would you want to manage a team of delinquents? We have a bad reputation."
Nao's eyes found Sora, and her cheeks colored slightly. "Because I like basketball."
Sora felt his face burn red.
Chiaki, standing behind Sora, completely misread the situation and assumed Nao had blushed while looking in his direction. His already energetic demeanor kicked into overdrive.
"Well then, Manager!" Chiaki struck a dramatic pose. "We'll work extra hard to be worthy of your support!"
"Please do!" Nao pulled out her clipboard. "Now, I've been observing your practice patterns, and I have some suggestions—"
"Let's start practice!" Momoharu called out, saving them from an immediate tactical discussion.
As the team ran through their new motion offense drills, Nao watched intently, taking notes. Her analytical eye caught things that impressed her—Sora's shooting was genuinely elite-level, Kenji's isolation scoring was remarkable, Chiaki's court vision was exceptional.
But she also saw the weaknesses. The beginners were improving but still significantly behind. The team lacked depth. And most concerning—maintaining their current pace for an entire tournament would be unsustainable.
-----
Thirty Minutes Into Practice
The gym doors opened, and Madoka entered with the girls' basketball team.
"Madoka-senpai!" Nao's face lit up. "I was hoping to see you!"
"Nao-chan! I heard you became the boys' team manager!" Madoka gave her a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"
"You two know each other?" Sora asked.
"We went to the same middle school," Nao explained. "Madoka-senpai was the star player, and I was the team manager!"
"Nao was the best manager our team ever had," Madoka said proudly. "She knows basketball inside and out."
"Then Manager," Kenji said, "what's your assessment of our team?"
Nao's expression became serious. She looked at her clipboard, then at each player.
"Honestly? Kurumatani-kun is exceptional. His shooting, his basketball IQ, his court vision—he's elite-level. Natsume-kun is also exceptional—his isolation scoring and ball handling are beyond prefecture-level skills."
Both Sora and Kenji looked pleased.
"Hanazono Chiaki-senpai is great—his playmaking and basketball IQ are impressive."
Chiaki's grin widened.
"But," Nao continued, her voice gentle but firm, "at your current level, you won't win Inter-High. In fact, just to win a couple of games in the preliminaries would require Kurumatani-kun and Natsume-kun to burn themselves out completely."
The gym went silent.
"What are you talking about?" Kenji's voice was cold. "We've been working hard. We have a system now—"
"I'm not underestimating you," Nao said quickly. "I'm being realistic. You have three elite players and a couple beginners. Against average teams, that might work. But against elite teams—teams with five or six prefecture-level players, with depth, with experience—Kurumatani-kun and Natsume-kun would have to score 40-50 points each, every game, just to keep it close. That's unsustainable."
"She's right," Madoka said quietly. "I've watched elite tournament teams. They have rotation players who could start on most teams. They have coaches with decades of experience. They have systems refined over years."
"So what are you saying?" Momoharu asked, his expression dark. "That we should give up?"
"No!" Nao shook her head vehemently. "I'm saying you need more. More players, more development time, better conditioning. But most importantly, you need experience against strong competition."
"How do we get that?" Sora asked.
Madoka smiled. "I have an idea. Nao, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"A practice match?" Nao's eyes gleamed.
"Exactly." Madoka turned to address the boys' team. "I challenge you to a friendly match. Our girls' team versus your boys' team. Right now."
"You're joking," Kenji said flatly.
"I'm serious. Nao says you need experience? We'll give you experience. Our girls' team went to the Inter-High preliminaries last year. We know what tournament basketball looks like."
"We'd destroy you," Yasuhara said with false bravado.
"Then prove it." Madoka's competitive fire was showing. "Or are you scared to lose to girls?"
Momoharu looked at his team, then at Sora. "Captain's decision?"
Sora thought about Nao's assessment. She was right—they hadn't faced real competition since Shinmaruko, and that had been a practice game where Shinmaruko hadn't run their full system.
"We accept," Sora said. "But we take this seriously. We play our motion offense, our real defense. No holding back."
"Same here," Madoka agreed.
As both teams prepared, Nao pulled Sora aside.
"Kurumatani-kun," she said quietly, "I didn't mean to discourage you earlier. I just want you to understand what you're up against."
"I know," Sora said, surprising her with his calm acceptance. "You're absolutely right. We're not ready yet. But that's why we practice. That's why we compete. We'll get ready."
Nao's eyes widened. "You... you're not upset?"
"Why would I be upset at the truth?" Sora smiled. "You're trying to help us. That's what a manager does, right?"
Nao felt her heart skip. He's so... mature about this. So focused on improvement rather than ego.
"Your shoes should be ready in three days," she said. "I'm working really hard on them!"
"Thank you, Nanao-san. That means a lot."
As Sora jogged to join his team, Nao found herself smiling.
In the stands, Alisa Kujou sat hidden behind a pillar, having come to "observe the budget allocation's effectiveness."
She watched Sora interact with the energetic manager, watched the small girl's obvious admiration for him.
In Russian, she muttered: "Конечно у него уже есть поклонница. Конечно она милая и энергичная. Почему меня это беспокоит?" (Of course he already has an admirer. Of course she's cute and energetic. Why does this bother me?)
She told herself it was just academic curiosity.
She was a very poor liar.
----
Both teams lined up. The girls' team starting five: Madoka, and four other skilled players from last year's preliminary team.
The boys' starting five: Sora, Kenji, Chiaki, Momoharu, and Yasuhara.
"Let's go!" Madoka called out. "Let's see what you've got, boys!"
Sora took the ball at the top of the key.
Nao's right. We're not ready for Inter-High yet. But we will be.
And this is where we start.
He attacked.