Slam Dunk: My physical abilities can be increased indefinitely.

Chapter 7 Midnight Diner, Uozumi's Question Looms in His Heart

Training ended close to nine o'clock.

Sendoh came out of the shower, his hair still dripping wet, and the collar of his T-shirt was soaked. Uozumi was leaning against his Toyota pickup truck, holding the car keys, talking to SUV about something.

Off-road's face was flushed; he was still sulking because he had been beaten more than ten times while defending against Sendoh today.

"Let's go, I'll take you home." Uozumi Okisendou shook his keys.

"No need, it only takes me fifteen minutes to walk back."

"Get in. It's on my way."

Sendoh didn't push any further, opened the passenger door, and got in. There was a fishy smell in the car, and a few scales were still stuck to the seats. The fish-themed restaurant needed to restock every day, and this car carried fish during the day and people at night.

Off-road was crammed into the back seat, and so was Grass; the three of them filled the beat-up little car to the brim. The engine shook twice when it started, and the exhaust pipe sputtered.

As the car drove out of the school gate, the light from the streetlights swept in through the car windows in sections.

"Sendoh, how did you manage that behind-the-back dribble and crossover today? I think your center of gravity was practically touching the floor."

"Just bend your knees deep enough. You always straighten your back before changing direction, that movement is so obvious, you can tell where you're going just by looking at your back."

Yueye paused for a moment, "Did I straighten my back?"

Uekusa whispered from the back seat, "It's done. It's obvious."

Off-road turned around and glared at the grass, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"I thought you knew it yourself."

"I know nothing! How could I know that I could be passed by Immortal Dao in one step more than ten times?"

There was a two-second silence in the car, then Uozumi chuckled, the sound muffled in his throat. Off-road was even angrier, turning to face the window and muttering under his breath, "I'll change it tomorrow, I refuse to believe it."

Sendoh didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside the car window. The streets of Kanagawa were quiet at night; most of the shops on both sides were closed, with only the white lights of the convenience stores still on.

The car turned into a small alley, and the tires lurched as they rolled over a small pothole. Uozumi pulled the car over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and turned to look at Sendoh.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"without."

"Come down, I'll make you something at my shop."

Sendoh glanced at Uozumi, then at Koshino and Uekusa in the back seat. Koshino's "I want some too" expression was so obvious, his eyes were practically glowing. Uekusa didn't say anything, but his hand was already on the doorknob.

The four people got out of the car and pushed open the glass door of the Uozumi Restaurant. A wooden sign hung above the door, engraved with the words "Uozumi," the paint worn away in many places. The restaurant was empty, but very clean; the tables were polished to a shine, and all the chairs were upside down on the tabletops. The kitchen lights were on, and a middle-aged man wearing a white apron was washing pots and pans—Uozumi's father.

Uozumi called out to his dad, "I brought my teammates over to grab something to eat." His dad didn't even look up, still washing the pot, and said, "You can use the kitchen, but don't make it too dirty."

Uozumi tied on an apron, rummaged through the refrigerator for a few pieces of tuna, and the sound of the knife slicing through the fish's belly was crisp and clean. Sendoh sat at the bar, propping his chin up as he watched Uozumi cut sashimi. Koshino and Uekusa sat side by side, Koshino already tapping the table with his chopsticks.

"Hey, your knife skills are pretty good," Sendoh said.

"I've been practicing for three years. If I stop playing ball, I'll come back to cutting fish."

Yueye added, "With your height, customers in the market would think you're selling whales."

Uozumi ignored him, arranged the sliced ​​sashimi on a plate, and pushed it towards him. Sendoh picked up a piece, put it directly into his mouth without dipping it in soy sauce. The fish was very fresh, with a slightly cool sweetness that melted on his tongue.

While eating, Yueye asked, "Uozumi-senpai, are you really not going to play basketball anymore? You're just coming back to open a shop?"

"Not necessarily. It depends on how far we go in this year's national competition."

Uekusa put down her chopsticks. "What if we conquer the whole country?"

Uozumi took off his apron and draped it over the back of the chair. "If we make it to the national championships, I'll play for another year." He paused for a moment, "But that's not up to me; it depends on Sendoh."

Sendoh paused, his chopsticks stilled. "Why are you looking at me?"

"You're the captain. If you say fight, I'll fight."

The shop fell silent for a second. The hum of the range hood filled the silence. Off-road and Uekusa exchanged a glance, neither speaking. Sendoh swallowed the sashimi in his mouth and looked up at Uozumi. Uozumi's expression was serious, not because he'd been drinking or was emotionally charged, but because he'd thought about it for a long time before speaking.

"Uozumi, you're not playing for me."

"I know. But I don't want to regret it after graduation." Uozumi sat down, the chair creaking. "Do you remember last year's Hainan game? In the last thirty seconds of overtime, you were double-teamed by three people, and you passed the ball to me. I was unguarded under the basket."

Sendoh certainly remembered. He missed the target; it was a miss. Ryonan lost.

"If I had scored that goal, we would have made it to the national championships." Uozumi's voice was very low, almost drowned out by the sound of the range hood. "After I came back, I lay in bed tossing and turning, just thinking about that goal. I thought about it for a whole year."

The off-road chopsticks stopped tapping. Uesugi lowered his head, staring at the soy sauce dish on his plate.

Sendoh put down his chopsticks. "There won't be any more of those balls this year."

Why?

"Because I'll get past the defender before you even receive the ball."

Uozumi stared at Sendoh for a few seconds, then smiled. He stood up, took several cans of oolong tea from the freezer, and tossed one to each of them. Koshino almost missed catching it; the can bounced on the table and rolled to Uekusa's feet.

"You guys," Uozumi said, opening a can and taking a sip, "don't feel pressured for the county tournament this year. If you lose, it's on me."

Off-road got impatient, "Why should it be your turn? I've lost my position several times too!"

Uekusa added quietly, "I also made two mistakes."

Sendoh leaned back in his chair, pulled the tab on his oolong tea, and heard the soft sound of the bubbles rising. "Stop arguing," he said. "If we lose, it's on me. I'm the captain."

All three looked at him at the same time. Sendoh's expression didn't seem like he was joking.

Uozumi was the first to speak, "When did you become so much like a captain?"

"Just now."

"Your appointment as captain came too suddenly."

You'll get used to it eventually.

Yueye raised his oolong tea canister and declared, "Let's toast Captain Xiandao with tea instead of wine! Lingnan will surely win the county tournament!"

Planting grass also raised its head, "Victory is certain."

Uozumi also raised the jar, holding it above his head, almost touching the chandelier on the ceiling. "Victory is certain."

Sendoh looked at the three of them, raised the oolong tea in his hand, and tapped it against the glass. The sound of metal clashing was crisp. The tea was cold and had a slightly bitter taste.

The system panel flashed briefly at the edge of my field of vision.

[Teammate trust level increased, PP +5]

Current PP: 13

He didn't look at it and put the jar down.

The conversation shifted to other topics, from Hainan's roster this year to Maki Shinichi's bench press weight during training camp and Jin Soichiro's three-point shooting percentage. Uekusa occasionally chimed in, while Uozumi listened and tidied the kitchen, washing and neatly arranging the used knives and cutting board.

Sendoh listened without saying much.

Uozumi hung his apron back up, turned to look at the others, and said, "That's about enough. We have training tomorrow." He looked at Sendoh and asked, "How are you getting home? I'll take you."

"No need, I'll walk back. It'll help me digest."

Sendoh stood up and put the chair back in its place. Off-road and Uekusa also got up, and Off-road yawned.

After walking for about five minutes, my phone vibrated. It was a text message from Yueye: "Regarding that back straightening thing we talked about in the car, could you take a look at it for me during training tomorrow?"

Immortal Dao typed two words: Okay.

I was jolted again. A text message from Uozumi: I meant what I said at the store earlier. I trust you to be the team leader.

Sendoh stared at the screen for a few seconds, then locked it and put his phone back in his pocket.

He didn't rush back. He bought a can of hot coffee from a vending machine by the roadside—the cheapest kind of canned black coffee, which was very bitter. He stood next to the vending machine, drinking his coffee, and heard the distant waves crashing against the breakwater.

The county competition is just around the corner.

Hainan.

Shinichi Maki.

He crushed the empty can, threw it into the trash can, and went upstairs.