NTR Kousuke

Chapter 27

And finally, the match against the third-years begins.

After that, a short interval before the match against the OBs.

The third-years, including Sahori, came with seven players, so they rotate with seven for 4 quarters, meaning a regular full game.

We also face them with the best lineup from yesterday, the 12 players who received uniforms.

Usually, including bench members, it's about 10 to 14 players, but it depends on tournament rules.

Except for fouling out with 5 fouls, substitutions are free, so with back-to-back games, it feels like everyone will definitely get a chance to play.

With a doubleheader and being at peak fatigue on the last day of training camp, we're pretty exhausted.

But then, Sahori starts complaining,

Sahori "We've only got 7 players here! You guys should play with 7 too!"

Former Captain "Sahori! That's enough! With a doubleheader, we have to account for players who might not be able to play due to fatigue or issues. The challenge is figuring out how to fight under fatigue with different lineups!"

The former Captain was scolded by the OBs for letting Sahori run wild too much, so he probably doesn't want any more trouble.

Doesn't Sahori understand that this is the active generation's training camp?

The match begins!

The starting lineup is all second-years, our current best members.

The third-years, after morning and afternoon practice, have shaken off their morning stiffness and look almost at their best.

Sahori "Hell yeah!"

Sahori reacts loudly every time he scores.

It's motivating when he's on your team, but when he's the enemy, it's really annoying.

The third-year team uses counters and fast breaks, patterns we've seen for a long time.

But,

Captain "Switch it up! Pass the ball around! Show them our ingenuity!"

From the moment the generation changed, we've likely been preparing a defensive yet organized, stable playstyle, holding our own against the third-year team.

Even if our offensive power is low, our defense is solid, and when we cut or steal the ball, we can score with fast-break counters!

Fast breaks are part of our team concept so far, so we're used to them.

However, relying entirely on fast breaks to overpower them highlights our weakness of low offensive power and having many smaller players, so we need to control the pace of the game with variation, and the lack of an ace like Sahori who can score on his own is an issue.

It's a nearly even match.

The third-years want a high-scoring shootout, but the second-years stick to a low-scoring, deliberate offensive and defensive style.

The third-years get impatient! Sahori's individual skills and height start to overwhelm us, gradually widening the point gap.

Beep!!

Substitution time, with me as PG and Koji as SF coming in.

The Captain, who's good at mid-range shooting, slots into SG, increasing our offensive options. It's a formation we used the day before yesterday too!

It's exciting to see the game shift with my passes!

With my slightly smaller build, my height and power are limited.

So, I fight the third-years with speed, precision, and a playstyle that uses my head!

Koji is an all-rounder, but he provokes Sahori to increase his movement, targeting his weakness of lacking endurance!

I also throw passes just out of Sahori's reach to bait him into reaching for them!

As a result, Sahori's running amount visibly increases lol

It's only the second quarter, and he's already starting to tire out.

Even when he was active, his stamina was low, and after retiring, it's probably gotten even worse.

As he tries to head to the bench,

"Huh? You're running away?"

Koji "Come on, show us first-years something amazing!"

Sahori "Don't underestimate me! I'll break through!"

Come on, you don't have that kind of speed or endurance left, do you?

Sahori was this team's strength, but also its weakness.

Things like counters from Sahori's forced attacks! Or Sahori losing the ball and us scoring on a fast break! Those scenes kept happening.

Sahori, who looked down on us first-years, got outplayed by us, got scored on by the new team's fast breaks, and in his rage, his play became even more disjointed.

In the end, Sahori became the weak link, and from there, the point gap widened. By the third quarter, whether he got bored or gave up, Sahori stopped saying anything and was substituted out.

With no more weak links on the third-years' side, the game became even, but the active team won by a 10-point margin!

Sahori left without saying a word.

I thought he'd get angrier, complain, or be selfish, but he quietly left without anyone noticing.

We only noticed after the match against the OBs.

And after the interval, it's time for the match against the OBs.

Is it because it's the second game? Because it's the last day of training camp? Because they're older?

Whatever the reason, the match against the OBs is a game that makes us realize just how amazing our seniors are.

Height, speed, strength—they have it all in individual ability, and tactically, whether they analyzed us or not, the attacks that worked earlier don't work at all.

It's a pretty crushing defeat, and afterward, we're left in a daze.

"Thank you very much!!"

We bow, but the frustration is unbearable.

The OBs give us a summary, pointing out good plays and bad plays.

If we list every little detail, there's no end, but they pointed out issues with our variety and scoring ability.

Overall, they praised our current defensive and organized game management as good!

In some situations, we were able to use individual skills for fast breaks during the game, and attacking Sahori, who became the team's weak link, was a good move.

...Huh? Sahori? That's when everyone noticed that Sahori had been gone for quite a while.

Oh well.

Airi-senpai, even though they parted ways, was worried about her ex-boyfriend Sahori and felt sorry for him.

She'd been worried since yesterday about whether he'd come to the training camp, or if, after retiring, he'd throw a tantrum for not being able to play well.

In the end, those of us who played on the same team knew that Sahori's endurance and cardiopulmonary function were his weaknesses.

Even with his strengths, he ultimately lacked practice. If he's going to improve, it should start with his cardiopulmonary function, right? He needs stamina.

I,

Airi is worried, since yesterday. Sahori needs to work on his cardiopulmonary function!

That's what I thought, and when I mumbled it to everyone, they burst out laughing.

Finally, the training camp is over. It was a long, tough 3 days!

We clean up the gymnasium, mop the floors, and by the time everything is done, it's evening.

Finally heading home. It was just 3 days, but I want to get back!

Tomonaga-san and Airi-senpai mentioned that LINE came by, but I ignored it.

When I got home, I ate a huge meal, didn't study, and passed out by 8 PM.

Without studying or thinking about anything, my mind completely empty, I slept like a log.

The next morning, I was surprised at how much I'd slept.

I slept until noon.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since I slept without thinking about anything.

...I'm always overthinking things.

Shou said something in that wild way of his,

Shou "My part-time job manager said, thinking too much is just as important as not overthinking, ya know!"

Shou is working hard, so I've got to work hard too and not lose to him!

My summer of training is reaching its final stretch.