The wooden floor of the Ryonan Gymnasium echoed with the rhythmic thud of a basketball. Gu Jin was demonstrating 1v1 Center of gravity control to Sakuragi Hanamichi, kneeling and saying, “Don’t go on your tiptoes when defending. Root yourself to the ground—yes, just like that.”
Other teammates on the sidelines were busy with their respective tasks: Uozumi repeatedly practiced boxing out under the basket, Sendo idly dribbled the ball while leaning against the hoop stand, yet his fingertips kept the ball as steady as if glued to his palm, while Koshino and Ikegami practiced two-man pass-and-cut drills.
“Gather!” Taoka Moichi’s whistle suddenly cut through the air, and he walked to the center of the court, holding the registration list.
“I just received news that almost all the main players from strong schools like Hainan and Shoyo have signed up.
This includes Maki Shinichi from Hainan, and Fujima Kenji from Shoyo, not a single one is missing.”
Ikegami Ryoji stroked his chin, a hint of surprise in his eyes: “Maki Shinichi from Hainan? Don’t they, Hainan, usually disdain participating in events outside of regular matches?”
“Because the Sports Association will rank individuals this time.” Taoka Moichi lifted his chin, a touch of mockery in his tone, “Isn’t he known as Kanagawa’s number one? He’s participating simply to solidify that title.” He then changed his tone, pointing sharply at Gu Jin, his eyes remarkably bright, “But this time, he’ll have to give up that title—Gu Jin will take him down.”
The basketball on Gu Jin’s fingertips paused, and he was about to speak: “Coach, there are too many Expert this time, nothing is set yet…”
“Enough of that!” Taoka interrupted directly, patting his shoulder with a large hand, “Excessive ‘modesty’ is not a good sign.”
Sendo suddenly tossed a ball, and Gu Jin raised his hand to catch it steadily. “Maki Shinichi’s drive is indeed difficult to defend.” Sendo walked closer with a smile, spinning the ball on his fingertips, “But if Gu Jin wins, the topic in Kanagawa will probably change protagonists.”
“And there’s me, the genius Sakuragi!” Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly sprang out from the side, his elbow almost hitting Gu Jin, “The turn-around shot Gu Jin taught me, I’ve already mastered it! This time, everyone will witness the power of a genius!”
“Fix that traveling mistake you just made first.” Uozumi frowned and tapped his back, but as he turned, he secretly glanced at Gu Jin—clearly also anticipating this showdown.
Ikegami looked down, adjusting his wristband: “With Fujima Kenji also participating, pretty much all the notable Expert in Kanagawa are gathered.”
Sendo walked towards the center of the court, spinning the basketball, the ball tracing a smooth arc on his fingertips. “Since everyone’s here, it’s definitely worth playing seriously.” He suddenly looked up at Taoka, a slight curve to his lips, “But Coach, if we really win, can we add a soft-boiled egg to our training meal?”
“If you win, forget a soft-boiled egg, you can have ten bowls of rice!” Taoka yelled, sticking out his neck, but as he turned, he secretly loosened his tie—the anticipation in his eyes was impossible to hide, “Now, everyone to your positions! This afternoon, we’ll do extra practice on zone defense. Anyone who slacks off will run twenty laps around the court!”
The basketball hit the floor again, and this time, the sound carried an unusual sense of anticipation.
The lingering warmth of the training session still enveloped the court, and Sendo tossed the ball to Gu Jin: “How about a one-on-one practice with me? Just five shots.”
Gu Jin stood still, dribbling the ball, his fingertips pressing out a deep thud: “Perfect, let’s test it out.”
“Then you have to go all out. I want to see what new things you’re hiding,” Sendo said with a smile.
Gu Jin just smiled.
After rock-paper-scissors, Gu Jin got the ball first.
Upon receiving the ball, Gu Jin immediately lowered his shoulder and stood firm, a typical triple-threat stance—the ball protected at his chest, his left foot extended forward, knees slightly bent, ready to move at any moment.
At this moment, the lights of Ryonan Gymnasium shone brightly on the floor, and Sendo had already lowered his center of gravity, his gaze fixed on the hand holding the ball.
Just as the two were fully focused, the Ryonan Gymnasium door was pushed open with a “click.”
Aida Hikoichi had just stepped through the door, holding his camera, when Aida Yayoi tugged at his sleeve.
The two stood by the door, not daring to move. Hikoichi excitedly said, “Sis! It’s Sendo-senpai and Gu Jin! It looks like they’re going to do a one-on-one practice!”
Yayoi didn’t speak, she just quietly opened her interview notebook and nudged him with her elbow: “Don’t make noise, just watch first.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Jin moved.
He feinted half a step forward with his left foot towards Sendo’s left front, his toes barely touching the ground before pulling back, while simultaneously dribbling the ball back with his right hand.
Hikoichi couldn’t help but lean into Yayoi’s ear: “He stepped forward and then pulled back, is he just messing with Sendo-senpai?”
Yayoi glared at him, but also whispered back: “He’s not messing around, he’s testing Sendo’s center of gravity—look, Sendo’s foot moved half an inch just now.”
Sure enough, the moment Sendo’s center of gravity shifted slightly, Gu Jin suddenly pushed off with his right foot, as if gliding across the floor, cutting towards the middle. His elbow almost brushed Sendo’s waist as he dribbled, and when he reached the basket, he flipped his wrist, and the ball slipped under Sendo’s armpit, grazing the backboard and falling into the net.
“It’s in!” Hikoichi almost shouted, quickly covering his mouth, then excitedly told Yayoi, “That move was like he squeezed through a crack! It was even more agile than a guard’s drive!”
Yayoi was already writing in her notebook: “The key is his timing in pulling back, perfectly catching Sendo when his center of gravity hadn’t stabilized—this kind of rhythm is rarely seen in the prefecture.”
Sendo smiled as he picked up the ball: “That step of yours is like a loach. My turn.”
He dribbled the ball towards the three-point line, then suddenly changed direction with his left hand, the ball sliding close to the ground past Gu Jin’s side, immediately followed by a behind-the-back crossover to his right hand and an accelerated drive.
“Wow! Sendo-senpai’s behind-the-back crossover!” Hikoichi’s eyes were wide, “I didn’t see him move that fast even in the last practice match!”
Yayoi stared at Sendo’s footwork: “He deliberately slowed down the rhythm at the beginning, waiting for Gu Jin’s center of gravity to settle before suddenly accelerating—this is using rhythm to deceive the defense.” As she spoke, Sendo had already scored with a layup, and as he landed, he even raised an eyebrow at Gu Jin.
“1-1.” Hikoichi quickly kept score in his mind. Seeing Yayoi draw an arc in her notebook, he asked, “Sis, what are you drawing?”
“Sendo’s dribbling trajectory,” Yayoi pointed it out to him, “From his left hand to his right, it barely left his body, the defense couldn’t steal it at all.”
In the subsequent exchanges, their conversation never stopped.
When Gu Jin scored with a bounce-pass change of direction, Hikoichi gasped: “The ball bounced off the ground at just the right height to catch, that’s amazing!”
Yayoi added: “He deliberately controlled the force of the bounce, coordinating it with the timing of his stride—it was calculated.”
When Sendo tied the score with a fadeaway jump shot, Hikoichi excitedly clapped his camera: “His body was almost parallel to the ground during the fadeaway! And it still went in!”
Yayoi, meanwhile, said: “Core strength supports body balance, and stable wrist power—that’s talent plus training.”
By the last shot, when Gu Jin set the score at 5-3 with a turnaround hook shot, Hikoichi had already filled the back of his interview notebook with stick figures shooting, and Yayoi’s notebook was on its third page.
As Gu Jin bent over, catching his breath, he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see the siblings.
Hikoichi ran over, holding his camera: “Sendo-senpai! Gu Jin! Your playing just now was amazing! I took over twenty photos, every single one could be a cover!”
Aida Yayoi also walked over and handed him her notebook: “Hello, I’m Aida Yayoi, a reporter for the Basketball Daily. I’m here to do player evaluations before the Public Welfare Cup. Watching your match just now, I noticed many details worth noting—like Gu Jin’s footwork utilizing his center of gravity, and Sendo’s rhythm changes. Could I bother you for a few minutes to chat?”