After the sleepover, life at Shohoku went back to "normal"—if your definition of normal involves being stalked by reincarnation dreams and dragged into spontaneous push-up contests by Sakuragi.
But something shifted.
Me.
I'd been drifting through this second life like a cloud.
Now I felt… anchored.
Like there were people I wanted to play for.
🌸 Scene 1: A Walk with Haruko
It happened two days after the sleepover.
Everyone had gone home. The sun was setting behind the gym, throwing long orange shadows across the court. I stayed late, shooting hoops by myself.
That's when I heard her voice.
"You always shoot alone?"
I turned. Haruko stood at the gate, holding a notebook, her hair tucked behind one ear. She smiled gently.
"You're… really good, you know."
I laughed. "Tell that to the bench I've been warming."
"I mean it. You don't just play. You understand the game. Even more than Rukawa sometimes."
My heart stuttered a little. Why did her words feel heavier than they sounded?
She stepped closer.
"You remind me of someone."
"Akira Shindai."
My eyes widened. "...What?"
She nodded. "I used to watch his games. With my cousin. He played… with heart. The kind that makes people believe."
I looked away, gripping the ball tighter.
She tilted her head. "Weird, huh? You even shoot like him."
"...Yeah," I muttered. "Weird."
We stood there quietly.
Then she said:
"If you're ever tired of being alone… you don't have to be."
And just like that—she left.
Leaving me with one question pounding louder than my heartbeat:
Did she… know?
🏀 Scene 2: Sakuragi's "Training Arc" Begins (God Help Us All)
The next morning, Sakuragi burst into class with his arms crossed and his nose in the air like a shonen villain.
"I HAVE MADE A DECISION."
Everyone: "Please don't."
"I SHALL ASCEND—EVOLVE—BECOME THE STRONGEST FORWARD IN HISTORY!!"
Translation: he wanted a training montage.
So we did.
📋 The Sakuragi Special Training Plan™ (by Kudo Hirata)
Day 1:
Footwork drills: he tripped on his own shoelaces.
Cone drills: kicked the cone, blamed gravity.
Layups: 4/10, shouted "I AM THE DUNK KING" after each miss.
Day 2:
Push-ups: collapsed after 7.
Watching tape: fell asleep on the VCR.
Ran suicides? Hid behind a water tank.
Me: "You have zero discipline."
Sakuragi: "I HAVE PASSION!"
Yohei (sipping soda): "He's got that in spades, at least."
⚡ But Then… Progress?
On Day 4, he got through the entire footwork drill.
On Day 5, he made 7 clean layups in a row.
And on Day 6…
He beat Rukawa in a one-on-one.
No joke. Real move. Real basket. Rukawa even muttered "...not bad."
Sakuragi? He cried tears of glory.
"KUDO! YOUR TRAINING HAS UNLOCKED MY INNER BEAST!"
I stared at him.
"You just used a spin move like I told you."
"EXACTLY! MY INNER BEAST LOVES SPINNING!"
📓 Final Thoughts
Haruko's kindness.
Sakuragi's chaos.
Memories of Akira flickering in every pass and pivot.
I used to think this second life was a joke.
But I'm starting to believe…
Maybe I'm not here to escape who I was.
Maybe I'm here to finish what he started.