Chapter 280 - Fanfare
(1)
The Universiade basketball finals.
I never thought we'd actually make it this far.
Our opponent in the finals is America.
The strongest opponent we've faced so far.
But the Japanese national team has overturned the pre-tournament predictions and won until now.
The Japanese national team's boosters are also fired up.
The American national team took the court first.
What's going on with the Japanese national team?
Did something happen?
The boosters were murmuring too when the Japanese national team finally appeared.
Everyone gets excited together.
"There's only one thing we can do, though."
Yukari-san says.
"We've gotta cheer them on properly!"
Yui-san says.
"Huh?"
Yui-san seems to have noticed something.
"What's wrong?"
I asked Yui-san.
"Nah, isn't the American team kind of weird?"
Huh?
I look at the American team.
I've been watching their games up until now, but I don't see anything weird?
It doesn't seem like they're all substitute players either.
"The guy Aita-kun was talking about, Michael, isn't in the lineup."
Sure enough, the players were being announced, but they never once said Michael.
Is that all?
...Ah!
"The starting lineup is all white guys."
"Airi-chan noticed too?"
"I just noticed."
"Does that mean they're going easy on us?"
Yukari-san said.
"No, I've heard a rumor about that."
Yui-san says.
"A rumor?"
"Apparently the American national team's coach is a white supremacist."
"You mean he's discriminating?"
"That's what it comes down to."
What would they do if they lost doing something like that?
Wouldn't it just be something to get criticized for?
Or maybe they're just arrogant, thinking they're the best?
"The game's starting."
Yukari-san says.
As we watch, the jump ball is tossed.
The American team taps it with overwhelming height.
The game has finally begun.
Toya-kun gets on his man.
What happens when Toya-kun gets on his man.
They casually pass the ball around even from high positions, trying to feed it to the center.
And they quickly realize that was a mistake.
Toya-kun jumps high and catches the ball.
Amidst the cheers, Toya-kun immediately slips past the opponent with his dribble.
The opponent runs back at full speed.
America uses a man-to-man full-court press.
Toya-kun's dribbling is fast.
But the opponent also tries their best to get in front of Toya-kun.
Then Toya-kun slams on the brakes. The opponent loses their balance.
America probably never even considered Japan from the start.
They probably never imagined he'd shoot from just past the half-court line.
They jump to block, but they're no match for the height of Toya-kun's jump.
Toya-kun shoots from an almost free position.
It goes in beautifully.
The Japanese national team's defense is also a man-to-man full-court press.
They slowly penetrate and pass the ball to Toya-kun, who is naturally positioned low.
With a defense that claims every ball that enters Toya-kun's area as his own, he steals the opponent's passes.
Even if they think it won't happen twice, Toya-kun shoots. Even if they're on guard, no one can stop Toya-kun's super quick-release 3P.
Minami's defense isn't losing either. A defense worthy of the name "Ace Killer."
If they're going to lose under the basket, don't let them get under the basket.
It's probably the Japanese national team's strategy.
Boos rain down from the friendly boosters onto the American national team.
America scores repeatedly with dunks by feeding the center, while Japan sinks 3Ps on the fast break.
The point difference only widens.
With an overwhelming advantage, the 1st quarter ends.
(2)
Pssh
The sound of a gunshot with a silencer is heard.
From this position, it shouldn't have reached the players.
I lift the man's left arm up, grab his chin with my other arm, kick him in the solar plexus, and fall with him.
Before the man can pick up his gun, I kick it away.
I grab the arm of the man trying to pull another gun from his coat and throw him.
The man does a backflip, lands, grabs his gun, and fires at the same time.
I dodge it, pick up the kicked gun, and aim at almost the same time as the man.
Seeing the man grin, I jump sideways and dodge the bullet.
Upon landing, I sidestep again to dodge the next shot. I close the distance in one bound.
I dive into his space, knock aside the gun muzzle pressed against my forehead with my own gun, and press my gun under his chin.
"That's checkmate, isn't it?"
"Not yet, Nozomi-kun."
The man's kick lands in my stomach.
My breath catches for a moment.
"This is the end, Nozomi-kun."
Feeling the gun aimed at the back of my head, I dodge in an instant, grab his gun arm, and throw him.
As he does a backflip, he fires three shots—"pssh, pssh, pssh"—I dodge them and jump to his landing point, sweeping his legs.
I grab the chin of the off-balance man, drive my knee into his solar plexus, grab his gun arm, and slam him to the floor.
Pinning his shoulders with both knees, I take his gun.
It seems the security guards have rushed over, hearing the gunshots.
But if they come now, it'll be bad!
"Freeze! Drop the gun and put your hands up!"
It seems the police have arrived too.
No, the criminal isn't me!
I raise my hands up while still holding the gun and turn around. Taking that opening, the man bends his arms, grabs my waist, and shakes me off.
I fall backward but still aim the gun at the man. He kicks my arm, and the gun rolls towards the police officer.
As I try to get up, he steps on my right arm and pulls out another gun from his coat.
"I'll engrave your name forever. That was quite interesting. Goodbye, Nozomi-kun."
Just as the man is about to pull the trigger, I grab his leg and shake him off.
The man fires as he loses his balance. The bullet grazes my cheek.
"Nozomi!"
I hear Emi's scream.
"It's dangerous here, Emi!"
Emi screams, ignoring that.
"What are you doing!? That man is a wanted criminal! Subdue him now!"
The police officers, who hadn't grasped the situation, snap back to reality at Emi's scream and start moving.
That will only make things worse.
"A noisy woman. I'll finish you off first."
The moment the man aims his gun at Emi, something snapped inside me.
Emi will be killed. I have to save her.
With that single thought, I acted.
I grab the man's wrist, twist his arm, and with his arm fully extended, I throw him with a shoulder throw.
The man's body arcs through the air and is slammed to the ground.
The gun leaves the man's hand.
I didn't miss him trying to pull something from his coat with his other arm.
In that instant, I stomp on his chest.
I slam my other hand down on the elbow of the arm I'm holding. I hear a crack.
The man groans in pain.
I can't let my guard down yet.
I stop the security guard trying to subdue him, and in that moment, the man grabs my leg and shakes me off.
The man aims his gun at me as I lose my balance.
I extend my legs, trap his gun arm between both feet, and twist my lower body.
The man drops the gun.
It seems he's out of bullets.
I don't miss him bending down to pick up the gun.
I swing my leg and strike the man's medulla oblongata hard.
While the man is staggering, I move away from him.
Both his arms are injured; he shouldn't be able to use a gun anymore.
"Please surrender peacefully."
I say to the man.
The man says to me.
"You're the first to push me this far... Be proud. Goodbye, Nozomi."
The man aims the gun at his own temple and tries to pull the trigger.
One more time, with all my strength.
I close the distance with the man at a speed I've never felt before and snatch the gun from him.
I grab the man by the collar, sweep his legs to knock him down, and point the gun at him.
"It's not you who judges you, it's the law of this country. Hattoryu."
After confirming the man has calmed down, I hand him over to the police officers.
I've used up all my strength.
Maybe it was the relief of neutralizing the man, but the strength left my body and I collapsed on the spot.
The one who supported me was Emi.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Emi was worried about me.
"It's just a scratch, no problem. More importantly, I'm sorry for putting you in danger, Emi."
I couldn't look cool until the very end.
"You did more than enough. You took down that Hattoryu all by yourself."
"...I wanted to finish it off coolly."
"You were plenty cool."
"...I'm a bit tired, so I'll rest."
Saying that, I fall asleep.
I kept my promise to protect you.
All that's left is for you to seize victory.
(3)
The game was about to end the 3rd quarter.
The opponent's number 15's movements are amazing.
He shows quick and bold, yet powerful and precise plays.
In fact, we haven't won a single quarter against Japan so far.
The key man for everything was the number 15 player.
When the 3rd quarter ends, everyone falls silent.
Everyone is bewildered by the impossible situation.
The coach is also holding his head.
If we keep going like this, we'll lose.
We've already reached an irrecoverable point.
The outcome is decided.
To that coach, the captain Malik makes a suggestion.
"Please put Michael in the game."
"No, Michael is not playing."
"If you put Michael in, the game is still undecided."
Malik pleads.
Malik also says to me.
"Don't give up, Michael! You want to play against him, don't you!? Your eyes are telling me so."
If I could, I would. But I'm black...
"Race doesn't matter! The talented ones seize glory. That's America!"
The other members also recommend me.
Some players even say, "If you don't put Michael in, I'm quitting."
The coach says.
"If Michael plays and we lose, how will you take responsibility?"
"I will never play for the national team again."
"Don't forget those words."
The coach said that and sat down on the bench.
"Anyway, let's concentrate the passes on Michael."
"Michael will score for us."
Everyone says so.
I stand on the court for the first time in this tournament.
Cheers erupt from the boosters.
Alright, let's begin, Japanese national team.
It might be too late, but the real game starts now.
The final quarter began with Japan's attack.
My mark is, of course, number 15.
He's short in height.
Because he's short, he's troublesome if he drives.
The ball goes to number 15.
I take a defensive stance.
His dribble is low and hard to defend.
But my reach is longer.
I go for a steal on his ball.
He brings the ball behind his back, switches it to his other hand, and slips past with a dribble.
As he goes for a layup, our center Charles jumps to block. He dodges with a double clutch and goes for the shot.
I block that ball and slam it against the backboard.
We have the advantage on rebounds.
And a smooth fast break is executed.
Japan immediately counters with a fast break.
And the ball goes to number 15.
Round two.
He shoots immediately upon receiving the pass.
I was watching that play too.
A super quick-release 3P with a high arc using a fadeaway.
If our jumping ability is equal, I, being taller, have the advantage.
But I block that shot beautifully.
However, number 15 quickly grabs the loose ball.
He grabs the ball and quickly tries to shoot another 3P.
But it was a feint.
He quickly drives past me, who jumped for the block.
I chase after him immediately.
He leaps from the free-throw line.
No way...
He pulled off an Air Walk.
Next is our attack. Number 15 marks me.
His defense gives me no room to break through.
His true strength might actually lie in his defense.
I try to actively drive into his defense, using my physical advantage.
But his defense is not weak.
The moment I release the ball, he steals it.
Turnover.
He tries to dunk again.
I jump to block.
But he slams the ball against the backboard.
Number 10 catches that rebound in mid-air and goes for an alley-oop.
Damn, playing against him gets me excited.
Our attack again.
The ball comes to me.
'Break down number 15 completely.'
Maybe that was the intention.
Then I just have to live up to that expectation.
I fake a shot. He doesn't flinch. Then I'll just shoot.
I shoot using the same method as him.
The ball swishes through the net.
He was dumbfounded.
On the opponent's attack, the ball also concentrates on number 15.
'Settle this between the two of you.'
That was probably the intention.
He tries to quickly slip into my space using his physical disadvantage. In an extremely low stance.
Two of my teammates come to help.
We won't let him shoot inside.
He doesn't hesitate to pass the ball behind him.
Waiting behind him was, surprisingly, the center.
Number 15 sets a screen on the three of us.
Number 6, the center, shoots a 3P.
It was a beautiful 3P.
And so we continued our back-and-forth battle.
(4)
I blocked his 3P.
Michael's athletic ability is certainly high.
He uses his physical advantage to drive into my defense repeatedly.
And he also pulls off an Air Walk.
A rival.
That was exactly it.
I felt frustrated. But at the same time, it was fun.
I also use my physical disadvantage to attack, exploiting holes in his defense.
If I can't make 3Ps, I have to stack up 2Ps.
I want to avoid turnovers at all costs.
I drive into the paint and go into a layup posture.
Naturally, the opponent jumps to block.
But I shoot while still in the layup posture.
According to the rules, blocking a ball that is descending from its highest point is a violation.
"With your jumping ability, senpai, a scoop shot can never be stopped."
The advice I received from Sakura-san, which I practiced as a secret weapon, paid off.
Michael was also stunned.
The back-and-forth battle continued.
America's attack continues.
The formations utilizing Michael are not easily broken.
Michael shoots a 3P.
I confirm his intention to shoot and jump to block.
The ball hits my hand.
I chase the loose ball with him.
His body gets between me and the ball.
He gets the loose ball.
I get into defense.
He sticks out his tongue and tries to drive past me.
He easily breaks my defense and penetrates the paint.
Yusuke and Goro form a double team, but they are helpless against his Triple Clutch.
The game, which seemed balanced, began to tilt in America's favor.
But even so, we somehow managed to keep it a seesaw game.
Both sides are trading blows without defense.
I can't make 3Ps either.
Then I'll absolutely never let him make a 3P.
I leave the inside to my teammates and thoroughly prevent his 3Ps.
There's little time left.
It's enough time to hold on.
That's how it looks from the outside.
But Michael's presence felt like an intention not to let that happen.
The combination of Malik and Michael had that much offensive power.
Being entrusted with both offense and defense is tough, as expected.
Perhaps anticipating this, America's offense is concentrated on Michael.
He breaks through my defense many times.
Still, Masato sends me passes.
'Defeat Michael!'
Passes filled with that intention.
I make shot after shot to live up to that expectation.
It's fun.
This is my first time facing such a strong opponent.
But such fun times don't last.
The ball comes to me.
This will probably be the last attack.
I fake a 3P. He doesn't jump. Then I just have to break through.
I charge into his defense.
His defense is in a low stance.
He immediately responds to my direction of movement. I fake and circle around to the opposite side.
His reaction was slow.
An opportunity came.
I leap.
I dodge the defense with a Triple Clutch and make the shot.
That seemed to become the clutch shot.
The opponent's attack starts immediately, but the buzzer sounds mercilessly.
The game is over.
It's the moment we won the gold medal.
We, who had the advantage, barely won by 2 points.
(5)
The game ended.
We lost.
After the lineup, I call out to the number 15 player.
"Do you speak English?"
He tilted his head slightly and answered.
"A little."
I smiled and said to him.
"It was only 10 minutes playing against you, but it was the best memory. Thank you."
"Let's play again."
He said that.
"Unfortunately, there won't be a next time. That's the promise."
He tilts his head.
"Can you tell me your name? I'm Michael Curry."
"Toya Katagiri."
"Then, will you shake my hand one last time?"
He agreed.
And we each returned to our benches.
Amidst the jeers, eyes gathered on me.
I couldn't meet everyone's expectations.
The coach opens his mouth.
"A promise must be kept, right?"
A cold, single statement was handed down.
Malik tries to say something, but I stop him.
It's all my responsibility.
"My team didn't need Michael."
Everyone protests at those words. But the coach continues.
"But it seems the team called America doesn't need me. I'll take full responsibility. If I had put Michael in from the start, the game's flow would have changed."
Everyone is speechless at those words.
"Pay back today's debt at next year's Olympics."
It seems the promise of "let's play again" can be kept after all, Toya-kun.
Next time, I won't lose.
(6)
The three of us were crying.
Japan won.
A gold medal!
All three of us were excited, hugging and crying.
We were cornered in the last quarter after the opponent's substitution, but we still held on.
The national anthem plays, and the gold medals are hung around everyone's necks.
We were applauding.
"We did it, Airi! We really became the best in the world!"
"Yeah!"
"Toya-kun's dream came true!"
"Not yet!"
"Huh?"
Yukari-san asks back.
"Apparently Toya-kun intends to win a gold medal at the Olympics too."
"Toya-kun can do it, I'm sure!"
Yui-san said for me.
"He'd better, or I'll be in trouble."
"Why?"
Yukari-san asked.
"Because he said he'd go see the top of the world."
"He already saw it, didn't he?"
"For Toya-kun, the top of the world is the Olympics."
"Well then, first up is next month's Asian Championship!"
Yui-san says.
"Yeah!"
"Well, shall we all go to the waiting room?"
"Yeah, let's!"
We headed to the waiting room.
(7)
The waiting room was in an uproar.
Everyone was shouting with joy.
"Everyone did a great job. Good work!"
When the coach started speaking, everyone quieted down.
"But most of the people here probably don't see this as the finish line."
Next year's Olympics. To get there, we have to win next month's Asian Championship.
"Don't think the surprise attacks using Toya like we've done so far will work. Aim to level up, everyone. Congratulations for today."
When the coach said that, the excitement started again.
I was getting hyped up too.
I left the waiting room in high spirits, and Airi was waiting.
I got on the bus with Airi and was taken to the hotel.
I've already checked out.
After receiving my luggage, Airi took my arm and said.
"Well, let's go home?"
Huh? Isn't there a party for everyone tonight?
"Toya-kun, were you listening? Because of your situation, they decided to play it safe and send you straight home today."
I didn't hear about this!
"That's how it is. Well, see you later, Toya."
Masato! You set me up!!
"Go home safely, you're famous in a lot of ways."
Even Aya... .
"Toya! Make sure you go straight home!"
I felt like I'd been given a death sentence by the coach.
My mood plummeted instantly.
"Don't make that face! Maya-san said she'll cook a feast and wait for us!"
Airi's face is super bright.
I see, at home, huh... .
Goodbye, my Hakata ramen.
"Let's come eat ramen together again sometime!"
"...Yeah, you're right."
And so I was taken to Hakata Station and took the express train from Hakata Station back to my hometown.
When I arrived at the station, I took the bus and went home.
"Congratulations, Toya!"
"Great job, Toya! We were watching on TV!"
"...Congratulations, Toya-kun."
"Toya-kun~ Congratulations~"
My parents and Airi's parents welcomed us.
After that, we were treated to a feast... there was no ramen, though.
We drank alcohol and partied until late at night, then I took a bath and went back to my room.
Airi is taking a bath.
During that time, I heard the full story of the dealings with Egoist.
Ishihara-kun is amazing. Couldn't he work as an assassin too?
Will I get an email from him with "XYZ" or something one of these days?
Everyone is going to celebrate with me tomorrow.
It'll probably double as a party for everyone.
Airi came back.
She's carrying something with warm steam rising on a tray.
Oh, and of course, she had alcohol ready too.
"Here, Toya-kun. It's not the real thing, though."
What Airi brought was tonkotsu instant ramen.
I eat it happily.
"Is it good?"
"It's delicious~"
"Yay~"
I'm always reminded of this.
Airi's smile is the best seasoning.
After finishing the ramen and drinking some alcohol, we decided to go to bed early.
I'll hear the details tomorrow night.
I was finally able to achieve one goal.
But the next difficult challenge awaits.
The matches where I can't afford to lose a single battle continue.
Today was actually dangerous too.
Just thinking about what would have happened if Michael had played the full game sends a chill down my spine.
But I was also excited. I wanted to play a game against a player like that.
Though I don't want to lose.
Airi next to me is sleeping soundly, probably tired.
Holding Airi's sleeping face in my arms, I poured all my love into the goddess of victory, savored the joy of victory, and fell asleep.