"Levels of Commitment" is the thirty second chapter in Ahiru no Sora.
Chapter Summary[]
It's the second day of the training camp, and the basketball team heads out for an early morning running workout. Alongside Sora and his colleagues, Nao also invites Madoka. At the end of their running session, Nao instructs them to do some stretching exercises that will help them in cooling down their physiques. On-court training is divided into two phases. Morning training from 9 am to 11:30 am, and Afternoon training from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm. Currently, the training camp's emphasis is on footwork, also known as the continuous stop and dash shuttle runs.
The inexperienced teammates, which include Yasuhara, Chucky, and Nabe, mid-way through exercise get exhausted. Sora tries to explain to them in his way how to do shuttle runs properly. Yasuhara and Nabe get even more confused about his explanation. Meanwhile, Kenji, in comparison to others, is doing shuttle runs at a much faster pace. Upon watching, Nabe tells Chucky that Natsume isn't human and questions how they can work out like him. Kenji then advises them that their knees and toes aren't properly pointed in the same direction. He further explained that they should keep a steady pace, and if they turn too fast without stopping correctly, they will lose their balance.
Kenji, Sora and Yasuhara practicing
Upon seeing Natsume's advice and their ongoing intense training sessions, Madoka is amazed at their teamwork and believes that Sora and his teammates can indeed become a better team at the time of the Inter-High Preliminaries. At the end of their workout, Nao instructs the inexperienced members Yasuhara, Chucky, and Nabe to do light training that will help them in improving their skills. After dinner, a tired Sora heads towards the schools' gym, and this time is uncertain about completing his daily quota of 1000 baskets. Upon entering sees, a focused Natsume doing layup practice and agility workout. Sora requests Kenji to join and assist him in passing the ball as he goes for a layup. Natsume refuses his assistance and advises Kurumatani to focus on his training by improving his shooting accuracy skills. Seeing Sora's shooting form, Natsume is impressed and questions himself that maybe he should have accepted Sora's offer of assistance. However, after two hundred 3-pointers, Sora gets exhausted and tired. Kenji then asks Sora what does he thinks about the team as a whole. As soon as Kurumatani is about to answer, Yasuhara joins and asks them for help to improve his dribbling skills. Then the three of them practice together.
Characters[]
- Chiaki Hanazono
- Sora Kurumatani
- Yasuhara Shinichi
- Ryuuhei Nabeshima
- Masahiro Saki
- Kenji Natsume
- Nao Nanao
- Madoka Yabuchi