On the first-year side, Kuwata and the others swarmed around Sakuragi as he finally stepped onto the court to replace the exhausted point guard.
"Sakuragi, we're counting on you now!"
"With your height, you're bound to dominate the paint!"
"Exactly! The rest of the game depends on you and Rukawa!"
Kuwata, Ishii, and Sasaoka showered Sakuragi with praise.
Their excessive expectations stemmed from Kazuto's outstanding performance, the point guard's dominance had naturally raised their hopes that the other highly-touted freshman would be just as incredible.
Moreover, Sakuragi's towering 188 cm frame was undeniably intimidating.
Hearing their flattery, Sakuragi swelled with pride.
He placed his hands on his hips and roared with laughter. "Hahaha! You fools finally recognize my genius! Just pass me the ball! I'll crush the Gorilla in one shot!"
Seeing Sakuragi's unwavering confidence, Kuwata and the others redoubled their praise.
"Huff..."
Standing nearby, Rukawa watched the quartet of idiots and exhaled deeply, feeling utterly drained before the play even started.
'Being stuck on a team with these four was truly a headache!'
As Sakuragi and his group chattered, the upperclassmen brought the ball up.
Sakuragi strutted forward, confidently taking Kazuto's place at the top of the key to guard Miyagi.
"You're guarding me?" Miyagi's grin widened instantly as he sized up his new defender.
Sakuragi's defensive stance clearly revealed him to be a complete novice.
His center of gravity was too high, his feet were planted flat, and he lacked focus.
His entire body was riddled with glaring weaknesses.
The difference between facing Sakuragi's porous defense and facing Kazuto's suffocating pressure was absolutely staggering.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate me, curly. You'll see my genius soon enough—"
Sakuragi, irked by Miyagi's dismissive smirk, was about to launch into another boast when Miyagi simply dropped his shoulder and blew right past him with a basic crossover.
"Ah!"
Seeing Miyagi breeze past him like he wasn't even there, Sakuragi panicked and immediately turned to give chase.
But before Sakuragi could even take two steps, Miyagi effortlessly drew the help defense and whipped a pass to Kogure on the wing.
With his defender out of position, Kogure squared up and sank the open jumper easily.
"Nice pass, Ryota!"
"Great shot, Kogure!"
"We're catching up! Keep pushing the pace!"
Kogure's clean score instantly boosted the upperclassmen's morale, filling them with renewed determination.
Watching Miyagi jog back on defense, Sakuragi wore a look of utter frustration and self-reproach.
"Why?! Why could Kazuto steal the ball from him so easily, while I get blown past like a statue?!"
Miyagi chuckled at Sakuragi's loud frustration but offered no explanation.
At that moment, Rukawa walked past Sakuragi to retrieve the ball.
"Focus, idiot," he muttered. "Don't hold us back."
"Rukawa you bastard, say that again and see what happens!" Sakuragi's anger flared instantly at the fox's words and he raised his fists, ready to throw a punch right there on the court.
Seeing Sakuragi's aggressive stance, Kuwata and the others quickly surrounded him, desperately trying to calm him down.
After the brief, chaotic interruption, Kuwata dribbled the ball forward to initiate the attack.
As soon as he crossed midcourt, Sakuragi eagerly raised his hand in the post and shouted.
"Kuwata, pass the ball! Pass it to me! I'm open!"
Hearing Sakuragi's loud demand, Kuwata hesitated, his face showing his dilemma.
Sakuragi's movements were far too obvious and telegraphed.
Miyagi, who was guarding Kuwata on the perimeter, was clearly sagging off, just waiting to intercept the entry pass.
If Kuwata passed to Sakuragi now, Miyagi would definitely steal it.
In that moment of hesitation, Rukawa darted past Kuwata, smoothly snatching the ball right out of the point guard's hands to take control of the offense himself.
"Ah! You actually gave it to the fox!" Sakuragi yelled in frustration as he watched Rukawa drive.
Sakuragi's loud outburst alerted Akagi and the sophomores, who immediately collapsed into the paint to tighten their defense on Rukawa.
Thwack!
Trying to force a contested layup against multiple defenders, Rukawa's shot was brutally swatted out of the air by Akagi.
The ball bounced hard off the backboard and fell directly into Miyagi's waiting hands.
"Fast break!" the point guard shouted.
At Miyagi's command, Akagi and the others immediately sprinted toward the first-years' basket.
As Sakuragi sprinted back on defense, he grumbled loudly at Kuwata, "Why didn't you pass to me?! What good does giving it to Rukawa do except get him blocked?!"
Kuwata looked dejected, feeling utterly wronged by the chaotic situation.
Boom!
Trailing the fast break, Akagi caught a drop pass from Miyagi and unleashed a thunderous Gorilla Dunk!
The ball slammed through the hoop with a deafening roar that shook the entire court.
"Nice finish, Captain!"
With another point scored, Akagi's momentum surged. "Let's erase this deficit in one go and crush them!" he roared, pounding his chest.
As the seniors' morale skyrocketed, the spirits of Kuwata and his teammates plummeted back down to earth.
Their eyes involuntarily turned toward the bench, looking at Kazuto, recalling how effortlessly he had orchestrated the offense and anchored the defense.
Without Kazuto's calm guidance, the freshmen had completely lost their coordination, lacking even a shred of teamwork.
"Kuwata, pass me the ball! Hurry!" Sakuragi yelled on the next possession, ignoring everything else as Kuwata brought the ball up.
Faced with Sakuragi's insistent, overwhelming demands, Kuwata reluctantly lobbed the ball into the post.
Sakuragi grabbed the ball and immediately put his head down, launching a reckless drive toward the basket completely alone.
Watching Sakuragi's chaotic, uncoordinated charge, Kuwata and the others felt a wave of exhaustion wash over them.
'This was just too messy!'
"Sakuragi, focus on teamwork!" Ishii called out.
"Sakuragi, don't do anything rash!" Sasaoka warned.
Unfortunately, Sakuragi paid absolutely no attention to their words.
As he drove deep into the paint, Sakuragi leaped high into the air, gripping the ball tightly with both hands as if preparing to unleash a monster dunk.
"You're still too green, kid!" Seeing Sakuragi's reckless dunk attempt, Akagi roared, stepping up and raising his massive arms like a brick wall to block the shot.
The crowd tensed, watching the collision unfold in mid-air.
Thud!
Under everyone's horrified gaze, Sakuragi didn't aim for the hoop.
Instead, he slammed the basketball squarely onto the top of Akagi's head with terrifying force!
Even Akagi's massive body couldn't withstand the direct impact.
His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed heavily to the hardwood.
The crowd stared in stunned silence.
Sitting on the bench and recalling Sakuragi's earlier boast, Kazuto's lips curled into a faint exhausted smile.
"Sakuragi-kun truly lives up to his word," he remarked teasingly. "He said he'd take down the Captain with one shot, and he actually did it."
Hearing Kazuto's dry humor, Ayako glared at him before she couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle nervously.
"You still have time to joke around?! We don't even know if Akagi-senpai is okay!"
Amid everyone's genuine concern, the captain slowly rose to his feet.
A massive, throbbing red bump was already forming on the top of his head.
His face was as dark as a thundercloud as he glared murderously at Sakuragi.
"G-Gori, let me explain!" Sakuragi stammered nervously, shrinking back under Akagi's furious gaze.
But Akagi gave him no chance to speak.
He lunged forward, immediately grabbing Sakuragi by the collar and roaring.
"I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON YOU'LL NEVER FORGET!"
The scene erupted into utter chaos once more, leaving Kogure and the others rubbing their temples with splitting headaches.
Ultimately, the violent farce caused by Sakuragi led to the premature end of the practice match.
However, despite the messy conclusion, the game had clearly revealed the basic strengths, weaknesses, and potential of each new player.
"Gather around!"
After the chaos subsided and Akagi was bandaged up, he immediately blew his whistle, calling everyone together.
Soon, the players assembled in a line, waiting for Coach Anzai's final evaluation.
"From today's scrimmage, I've gained a very clear understanding of your current abilties," Coach Anzai said, his gentle gaze sweeping over Kazuto, Rukawa, and the others.
"I won't dwell on the upperclassmen today. Let's focus on the freshmen."
He adjusted his glasses. "Kazuto and Rukawa's skills and game sense have already reached the level of regular varsity players. Therefore, they no longer need to participate in the beginner basic drills."
He looked at the rest of the line. "The other freshmen, however, in addition to their regular team training, will need to add extra basic fundamental drills to their daily routines."
Akagi nodded promptly. "Rest assured, Coach. I'll personally make sure they follow through with their training."
Sakuragi overheard Coach Anzai and Akagi's conversation, and his dissatisfaction immediately flared up.
"Old Man, why do Kazuto and the fox get to skip the basic drills, while I, a basketball genius, still have to do them...?!"
Wham!
Before Sakuragi could finish his complaint, Akagi slammed his fist down on the redhead's already bruised skull and roared.
"Shut up and listen, you idiot!"
Coach Anzai remained completely unfazed by Sakuragi's rudeness, maintaining his gentle, Buddha-like smile.
After a moment's thought, Kazuto stepped forward and raised his hand.
"Coach, Captain. While I appreciate the promotion, I am still technically a beginner. I believe I should continue with the basic training menu every day, just like Sakuragi and the others."
Kazuto's reasoning was simple: his base physical condition was still lacking compared to the others.
Adding extra foundational training each day would help naturally strengthen his physique without relying entirely on system buffs.
He also suspected that grinding basic training might trigger more hidden random missions.
"Alright, if that's what you want, you can join Sakuragi and the others for the additional basic drills every day," Akagi said, nodding approvingly at Kazuto's grounded request.
The boy's humble hardworking attitude was a stark refreshing contrast to Sakuragi's arrogance.
As Akagi finished speaking, Coach Anzai turned to Sakuragi.
"Sakuragi-kun, Kazuto has many admirable qualities as a player. You would do well to learn from his work ethic."
Sakuragi wore a highly reluctant expression and shot a glaring glance at Kazuto, but with Akagi's fist hovering near his head, he didn't dare argue further.
After giving a few final instructions regarding the training schedule, Coach Anzai offered a few more words of encouragement before waddling out of the basketball gym.
With Coach Anzai's departure, today's training session officially concluded and everyone grabbed mops to begin cleaning the gym.
"Kazuto, you're still recovering from heatstroke. You don't need to help with the cleaning today," Akagi said, showing rare consideration for Kazuto's physical condition by exempting him from the chores.
"Go home and rest."
Kazuto didn't refuse Akagi's special consideration; his muscles were screaming in protest anyway.
"Thank you, Captain. I'll head back now."
After saying goodbye to everyone, Kazuto went to the locker room to change out of his sweaty practice gear and prepare to return to his new home in this world.
To his surprise, as he emerged from the locker room with his gym bag, he encountered Ayako, who was pushing a cart full of basketballs toward the storage room.
"Kouhai, want a ride? We can negotiate the price," Ayako teased playfully as she saw him approach.
Before Kazuto could respond to her joke, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and answered.
"Kazuto, your father and I have an unexpected business dinner tonight. You'll have to take care of dinner yourself," a warm, magnetic voice said through the receiver.
It was his mother in this world, Maeko.
"Understood," Kazuto replied calmly.
After hanging up, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned to Ayako.
"Senpai, do you happen to know any good places to eat around here?"
"Let me think..." Ayako paused briefly, tapping her chin. "I know a great, authentic sushi place not too far from the school. I can take you there to try it if you want."
"Thank you, Senpai. I'd appreciate that."
Kazuto thanked Ayako and waited for her to finish her managerial duties before following her out of the school gates.
As they walked side-by-side toward the sushi restaurant, Ayako glanced curiously at Kazuto.
"Kouhai, why did your family choose to move to Japan? What do you think of it here so far?"
"It's great," Kazuto replied simply. He paused before adding smoothly.
"As for why we came to Japan... maybe it was just destiny so I could meet you and everyone else on the team."
"You're quite the smooth talker," Ayako teased, shooting him a playful glare before breaking into a radiant, genuine smile.
"Since you're so good with your words, I'll treat you to dinner tonight to celebrate your successful debut."
"Then I won't be polite," Kazuto replied, accepting her generous offer without hesitation.
They continued walking and chatting amiably, hurrying toward the restaurant as the sun began to set.
To Kazuto's surprise, the restaurant Ayako led him to turned out to be quite close to his own house.
Soon, they stood outside a cozy, traditional sushi restaurant.
Kazuto smiled faintly and remarked, "I didn't realize this place was so close to my house. I guess I'll be coming here often."
"You live nearby?" Ayako asked, her face lighting up with pleasant surprise.
"I live right around here too! We must be pretty close neighbors. Where exactly is your place?"
Kazuto pointed up the street toward a small, forested hill and the luxurious gated villa complex nestled within it.
"I live up there."
"Marufuji Villas?!" Ayako's beautiful eyes widened in shock as she looked at where he was pointing.
"I never would have guessed your family lives in the most exclusive neighborhood in the city. But considering your parents run a massive international business syndicate, I suppose it's not too surprising."
Kazuto smiled but didn't comment further on his family's wealth.
The two entered the warm sushi restaurant and took a seat at the bar, ordering several plates of fresh fish.
After placing their order, Ayako excused herself to use the restaurant's payphone to call home and let her family know she wouldn't be back for dinner.
Returning to her seat beside Kazuto, she picked up her tea and asked curiously.
"Kouhai, I jog through the Marufuji Mountain trails every morning before school. How come I've never seen you up there?"
"I just moved here at the beginning of the summer," Kazuto replied. "I spent most of the vacation studying Japanese indoors, so I rarely went out."
Ayako nodded understandingly, sizing up his lean body.
"You're a bit too frail right now, especially if you want to keep up with Akagi's training. If you're willing, you should join me for my morning runs every day."
[Ding! Random Mission Triggered: Morning Workouts Together. Accumulate 10 days of joint morning exercise with Ayako to earn a 5-Point Attribute Card (Stamina).]
'This triggers a mission too? This system is really random,' Kazuto thought.
Hearing the System notification in his mind, Kazuto smiled warmly at Ayako.
"Sure, Senpai. I'd love to join you for morning runs every day."
As they talked, their sushi arrived on wooden boats, looking incredibly appetizing.
They spent the rest of the evening eating and chatting about the upcoming practice match against Ryonan.