Capítulo 16: Sacrifices
Ding ling ling!
The school bell rang, and Shōgo, with his left hand supporting his chin and his right hand twirling a pen, watched the teacher's departing figure.
His thoughts began to stir, and the red rose ponytail in front of him always exuded an inexplicable allure, tempting him to reach out and touch it.
Rina turned her head and stared at Shōgo lazily with her rose-red eyes. Her voice was gentle and refreshing, like a spring breeze.
"Shōgo-kun, shall we practice fencing together today?"
"Sure, but Rina, why are you so passionate about fencing?"
"Fencing is great. It helps to maintain a good physique and shape one's spirit. Moreover, Shōgo-kun, practicing fencing with you is always enjoyable!"
"I see. I might not be able to join you as often from now on. Sigh!"
"Why not, Shōgo-kun?"
"I don't know. Let's see how it goes!"
Seeing Shōgo's somewhat despondent sigh and expression, Rina could already guess the reason behind his low spirits.
He had worked so hard to improve his physical fitness, but he ended up with a bunch of weak and inexperienced teammates, unable to enjoy a fulfilling basketball experience.
"Shōgo-kun, I find myself interested in basketball too. Will you teach me how to play?"
"Forget it! You'd make a good team manager and assistant, and you'll attract a lot of popularity."
"Shōgo-kun..."
While the two were chatting and joking, a middle-aged man's voice came from outside the door.
"Shōgo-kun, can I talk to you?"
Rina, showing great understanding, said, "Shōgo-kun, I'll wait for you at the school gate."
With that, she left the classroom, giving space and time to the middle-aged man, whom Shōgo immediately recognized as the school's basketball coach.
The coach entered the classroom and casually closed the door behind him.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Kudo Ichiro, the head coach of the junior high basketball team. Nice to meet you, Shōgo-kun."
"Hello, Coach Kudo. Is there something you want to discuss?"
Shōgo knowingly asked, wanting to see the coach's attitude and intentions.
"Shōgo-kun, you can probably guess my purpose."
"I can indeed, but Coach Kudo, don't you already know what the basketball team at Fukuda Junior High School is like? I don't need to say anything, right?"
"I understand your disappointment, Shōgo-kun, but what I want to say is that even weeds have their role."
This metaphor of Coach Kudo's, which showed great self-awareness, surprised Shōgo, making him more focused as he observed the man before him.
A coach who could openly acknowledge the weaknesses of himself and his team in front of others was not ordinary.
"So, what role do the weeds play?"
"Weeds are easy to wither and catch fire, turning into ashes. But the most tenacious weeds can be reborn from the ashes."
"But even if they're reborn, they still can't win, can they, Coach Kudo?"
"With you here, we don't need them to win. As long as they ignite themselves and turn into ashes."
Shōgo furrowed his brow, feeling somewhat shaken. What kind of person was this coach?
To calmly and confidently suggest that they don't need to win and that players should ignite themselves and become ashes was such a cold-blooded remark.
"Oh, and how do they ignite themselves?"
"Man-to-man defense, full-court running, don't receive passes, don't pass the ball, minimize mistakes, focus on defense."
Sitting in his chair, Shōgo nearly stumbled as he got up. This coach's ideas were extreme and ruthless.
He was suggesting that the whole basketball team should only focus on defense, abandon offense, and suppress any desire to score for a year.
Offensive responsibilities would only fall on Shōgo, which would reduce turnovers, and defensive steals, and pressure the opponent.
However, this kind of play would consume tremendous physical energy for the entire basketball team and extinguish their desire to score.
This was akin to having each of them burn themselves out one after another. It was also a test of Shōgo's offensive capabilities, a kind of affirmation and trust.
This middle-aged coach, with a seemingly composed and balanced demeanor, had such ruthless and extreme ideas.
"They can do it?"
"Shōgo-kun, if you want to win, if you want to achieve glory, sacrifices must be made, some must be buried, and some must bow down. Do you have this determination?"
Shōgo didn't answer but looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window.
Today, someone taught him a lesson about glory, sacrifice, and the determination to win a basketball game.
"I understand, but I hope your players have that determination."
"They will. Those who lack it don't deserve glory."
This statement was so ruthless, clearly meaning that those who don't obey should get lost; the basketball team can't accommodate them.
"Tomorrow, I'll report to the basketball team."
"Great! Thank you, Shōgo-kun! I hope you can lead them to see a higher level of beauty. Only when tall weeds have a strong desire to be reborn from ashes can they grow higher."
Soon, Coach Kudo, satisfied with the answer he received from Shōgo, left enthusiastically, giving the impression that he was about to do something big, which made Shōgo's heart tremble.
He had just finished the somewhat indifferent and ruthless conversation and felt somewhat shocked. His mind was not fully focused when he left the classroom.
At the corner of the stairs, Shōgo suddenly turned and said, "Come out."
A teenager wearing Fukuda 's basketball team uniform stepped out. He was over 180 cm tall with short hair.
The person in front of him was the current basketball team captain, Arata Sasaki. Looking at the young man in front of him, Shōgo asked calmly.
"Did you hear everything?"
"Yeah!"
"What do you think?"
"Shōgo-kun, even though it's hard to accept, I agree with the coach's perspective and tactics. We can do anything for victory."
"Can you do it?"
"I don't know about the others, but I'll do it. I won't hold you back. Please guide us, Shōgo-kun."
After saying that, basketball team captain Arata turned and left. His departing figure seemed resolute, as if he had already made up his mind.
In a way, Shōgo was shaken and touched. These two individuals were somewhat similar to Kuroko, as both were willing to make sacrifices for the team.
This was the tragedy of the weak. Only through sacrifice could they gain compensation in another aspect.
So, was he, Shōgo, prepared for it?
Prepared for scoring!
As he walked out of the school gate, Rina jumped out from behind, attempting to startle Shōgo.
However, he managed to grab her as soon as she jumped out, then made a funny face, sticking his tongue out at her.
Rather than being scared, Rina ended up being teased. She looked both aggrieved and embarrassed.
"Let's go, Rina-chan. Let's practice fencing!"
"Okay!"
With some thoughts on his mind, Shōgo didn't continue teasing Rina. Instead, he walked and contemplated the situation of Fukuda's basketball team.
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