"What happened, Youhei?" Sakuragi asked him.

     The black-haired boy looked about at everyone, then blurted out.

     "They kidnapped Rukawa!"

      "WHAT?!?"

      Instantly, Youhei was surrounded by all players of the Shohoku basketball team, plus their manager Ayako.

     "Who?. . . Where?. . . When?. . ."

      Youhei shut his eyes tightly. It was easy to drown in that sea of questions. Sakuragi gestured for everyone to quiet down and, frowning, looked at his friend.

    "Start from the beginning, Youhei."

   For a few moments, Youhei was busy collecting with his thoughts, then began.

    "It was a little over half an hour ago. I was driving here to watch your practice. . . Then I spotted him. . . Rukawa, as usual, was with his bicycle. I think he was cycling here. . . But then. . . Then a car stopped not five feet from Rukawa. Then some people jumped out. One man knocked Rukawa down from his bicycle, and two others.  I think that they used chloroform, because he fainted after resisting for all of two seconds. . . They dragged him into the car and drove away. . ."

     "You remember what kinds car it was? License plates? Colour? Where they were going?

     Where it all happened. . .?"

      Youhei listened attentively to the many questions, then nodded.

     "It happened on South street about half of hour ago. . . I took his bicycle and rushed here. The car was black and it was a 'Nissan' or something like that. I don't know for sure. It happened a few hundred yards away from me, so I don't remember it all proper-like, so I can't tell you anything about the license plates."

      Ayako exchanged glances with Sakuragi and asked. "Youhei, are you sure that that was Rukawa? As you said, you were kinda far away."

      Youhei snorted.

    "Usually, that's not a crowded street. And as for Rukawa. . . Where else are there lots of tall, dark-haired boys with bicycles and dressed in the Shohoku High school uniform in *Kanagawa*? Besides, if that wasn't him then he would be here, wouldn't he?"

    "Heck, we have a problem here," Mitsui said, agreeing. "We hafta find Rukawa."

     Everyone nodded, agreeing with him. Ayako looked closely at them. "So, what ideas do we have?"

     To be continued...