Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 398 Arrogance at first, obsequiousness later, only makes one a laughingstock!
When Sendoh discovered Maki, Maki also discovered Sendoh sitting under a tree fishing.

Upon seeing Sendoh, Maki slightly changed direction and rushed towards Sendoh.

Just then, the immortal's hand suddenly felt heavy, as the fish had taken the bait.

For a fisherman like me, fishing is the most important thing. Sendoh didn't look at Maki anymore and focused on catching the fish.

Amu stood on the narrow surfboard, seemingly becoming one with the waves.

His body swayed with the rise and fall of the waves, every movement appearing so natural and fluid.

He was like a dancer on the sea, weaving between the crests and troughs of the waves, skillfully using each surging wave to rush towards the immortal path.

In just a few breaths, Amu quickly approached Sage.

Just then, Sendo felt the time was right, and with a strong pull on his fishing rod, a grouper slightly larger than his palm flew out of the sea.

Unfortunately, Amu happened to rush nearby.

During its 'flight', the grouper was still struggling violently.

pop~
The grouper flicked its tail, and by sheer coincidence, it hit Amu in the face.

So sudden was the blow that Amu's mind went blank, he lost his balance and fell off the surfboard into the sea.

Fortunately, the water wasn't far from the shore, and Amu managed to stand up.

"Cough cough!"

Amu coughed violently twice, then felt a sharp pain in his cheek and instinctively covered his right cheek.

If Kogure saw this scene, he would definitely think of the crooked-mouthed dragon king covering his face.

Maki never expected that his attempt to greet Sendoh would result in him being humiliated on the spot.

A true physics-based slap in the face!
Sendoh was also taken aback by this situation and was stunned for a moment.

What I fear the most is that the air will suddenly become quiet!
"Did you do it on purpose or accidentally?"

Amu rubbed his cheeks, his resentment running high.

At that moment, Sendoh's fishing rod sank again, and the grouper tried to escape.

Sendoh instinctively lifted the rod and reeled in the line to prevent the grouper from escaping.

This caused Sendoh to make mistakes in his haste and speak without thinking.

"I did it on purpose, it was an accident... cough cough, it was an accident."

By the time Sendoh realized what was happening, it was too late.

"Humph!"

Amu snorted coldly, ignored Sendoh, picked up his surfboard, and left.

Sendoh opened his mouth as if to explain, but didn't know how.

Because it was such a coincidence!
Watching Maki's departing figure, Sendoh felt that even the grouper in his hand no longer tasted good.

After getting ashore, Amu headed towards the bustling beach.

As he approached, he spotted several familiar figures.

Rukawa Kaede going beachcombing, Mitsui building sandcastles, Fujima playing baseball, Mike Okita buried in the sand...

By the way, Ming Gaoguang is still continuing his performance art.

Mike Okita was on the verge of tears; at that moment, he wanted to go back to America!

When Amu discovered them, the others also noticed Amu, after all, 'Uncle Amu' had a very distinctive appearance.

In addition, it is also related to Amu's swollen right cheek.

"What are you doing here, Amu?"

Mitsui and others were amazed, considering that Maki was no longer a player at Hainan High School.

When Amu was mentioned, Mitsui and the others couldn't help but think of a recent news item about Hainan High School.

Not long ago, because Hainan Affiliated High School failed to make it to the joint finals, Gao Touli, the meritorious coach of Hainan, still could not escape being purged by the school.

In fact, the Hainan school authorities have been quite restrained, giving Coach Gao many opportunities.

This can be compared to the situation at Toyotama University.

During his tenure, Coach Kitano led Toyotama to the quarterfinals of the national tournament. However, due to the failure to advance further, he was dismissed by the school on the grounds that the tactical system did not fit.

In contrast, Coach Gao has not led Hainan Affiliated High School to any national competitions for the past two and a half years.

Moreover, Hainan Affiliated High School's performance has been getting worse and worse, and now they haven't even made it to the joint finals.

However, considering Coach Gao's past contributions, the Hainan school authorities still showed him some respect and allowed him to resign voluntarily.

The Hainan school can be considered to have parted ways with Coach Gao peacefully.

In fact, Coach Takato's dismissal was also related to Amu.

Given the strong foundation of Hainan High School, if it weren't for Amu's transfer, they might have made it to the joint finals.

In this way, Coach Gao Tou will still have the opportunity to continue coaching.

Amu didn't want too many people to see his disheveled state, so he didn't bother to say hello and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, staring ahead with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

Maki discovered Kogure enjoying the bliss of having two wives.

At this moment, Kogure was enjoying being fed by the girls.

He has always adhered to the "four no's principle": no initiative, no refusal, no responsibility, and no promises.

This is a typical attitude of the "Four No's Man," which is essentially a behavioral pattern of avoiding emotional responsibility and maintaining an ambiguous relationship.

Bah, scumbag!

At this moment, even Amu couldn't help but feel jealous.

As a high school athlete bursting with hormones, he really wanted to, but unfortunately, the circumstances didn't allow it.

It's because he, like Akagi and Uozumi, has the face of a middle-aged man!

"Hey, Mu!"

Ayako's reminder led Kogure to also spot Maki.

Maki had no choice but to stop and turn around to look at Kogure.

"Kogure, the champion of this national tournament will definitely be our Hainan... Aihe Academy!"

Amu's gaze was firm, and his words revealed an unwavering confidence, as if he could already see the moment of victory.

However, he almost said the wrong thing at the end.

He is no longer a member of Hainan High School. He is despised by Hainan students and has been labeled a coward, a traitor, and other names. Some students even burned Amu's jersey in public.

In short, Amu is enjoying the treatment that gOat will receive in the future.

"Amu, I accept your challenge!"

Kogure responded with a solemn expression.

Aiwa Academy is indeed powerful, with an undeniably strong lineup including Dai Moroboshi, Mikoshiba, Maki, and Hiroshi Morishige.

However, compared to Aiwa Academy, Shohoku's lineup is much stronger.

Because of Kogure, the gap between the two sides may be even greater than the gap between Sannoh Industrial and Shohoku in the original story.

Amu turned his head, preparing to leave this unpleasant place.

Suddenly, a familiar figure came into his view.

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki!
At that moment, Coach Kazumi Kawasaki ran over, panting, his face beaming with excitement.

"coach!"

Meiko spotted Coach Kawasaki Kazumi, and was so startled that he quickly pushed over the cylinder and two overturned bowls on Mike Okita's body.

With the 'help' of the famous high-profile, Mike Okita finally escaped his misery.

At the call of the two, the remaining Buri players quickly gathered.

"Coach, what brings you here?"

"Phew, good news!"

Kazumi Kawasaki took a few deep breaths, then loudly announced, "Our team has qualified for the national tournament playoffs!" Surprised? Unexpected?
As soon as Kazumi Kawasaki finished speaking, the entire beach erupted in cheers, with Buri players jumping for joy and hugging each other in celebration.

Not far away, Amu's expression was stiff.

He never expected that the fourth-place finisher in Kanagawa would be able to participate in the joint finals.

Thinking about this, he regretted leaving Hainan High School.

If he hadn't left, Hainan High School would very likely have qualified for the national competition.

"Coach, could it be that our Kanagawa Prefecture..."

After the celebration, Ebinayoshi thought of a possibility.

"That's right, Kanagawa Prefecture has become the host of the national tournament!"

The national tournament's host competition has officially concluded, with Kanagawa Prefecture emerging victorious.

"All of this is thanks to Professor Anzai!"

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki knew very well that if Coach Anzai hadn't intervened, the outcome would have been uncertain.

After officially becoming the host, Shohoku secured a spot in the national tournament, while its additional tournament spot was given to Takezato.

This makes perfect sense!

After all, it's not feasible to have fourth-placed Takezato play in the main tournament while third-placed Shoyo plays in the qualifying rounds.

However, given Buriram United's strength, there's not much difference between the playoffs and the main tournament; it's just a matter of playing a few more matches.

These matches will also allow Buriram United to further refine the team's cohesion and let the players adapt to the intensity of the games in advance.

The teams that can participate in the playoffs are generally not weak, but they are not as strong as Buriram United.

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki clapped his hands, signaling everyone to quiet down.

The Buri players fell silent and all looked at their coach.

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki continued, "It seems that now is not the time to relax. We need to start preparing immediately. Everyone must go all out and never underestimate our opponents in the playoffs."

The players nodded in agreement; they didn't want to suffer an unexpected setback, which would only lead to disappointment.

For a moment, the Buri team's eyes were filled with anticipation for the future.

"Yes, Coach!"

The players agreed in unison, each one brimming with fighting spirit and passion.

They're here for the national competition!
As Amu watched all this, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him.

"I'm not wrong, the world is wrong!"

Amu strengthened his resolve and silently turned to leave.

Buri FC also left, but they did not underestimate their playoff opponents and are ready to participate in the playoffs in their best condition.

Kogure and the others were not disappointed and continued playing music and dancing.

……

On this very day, Aida Hikoichi finally arrived at his destination—Osaka Prefecture!

Not long ago, he volunteered to scout other strong teams.

Since Sannoh, Hakata, and Aiwa have already finished their prefectural tournaments, only Daiei Gakuin, Jimbo Dai Affiliated High School, and Rakuan remain.

When faced with the choice, Aida Hikoichi chose Daiei Academy without hesitation.

Besides being stronger than Daiei Academy, it is also related to Aida Hikoichi's junior brother, Okawa Teruo, from his middle school days.

Teruo Okawa sent a letter to Hikoichi Aida, in which he said that he had entered Daiei Academy as a formal player and that Daiei Academy was strong enough to advance to the national tournament.

To put it simply, Teruo Okawa is showing off to his former older brother.

It must be said here that Teruo Okawa did not join Toyotama as in the original work, but instead chose Daiei Academy.

This is related to Toyotama losing players. With the departure of Coach Kitano, Minami, and Kishimoto, Toyotama's performance plummeted, and they were replaced by Daiei Academy.

Therefore, Teruo Okawa chose Daiei Academy.

After entering the stadium, Hikoichi Aida met Teruo Okawa without any trouble.

"Da Chuan, how did you grow so tall!"

At first glance, Aida Hikoichi appeared quite surprised and envious.

Teruo Okawa was a full head taller than Hikoichi Aida, clearly exceeding 1.8 meters in height.

"Haha, Yan Yi, don't be envious. I only grew 20 centimeters in two years."

Not only was Teruo Okawa a bit like Versailles, but he also boasted in front of Hikoichi Aida, making many offensive remarks to him, and at the end he even gestured with his hands to show the height of the two of them.

Aida Hikoichi frowned, feeling quite displeased, but he still remembered why he had come here.

"Da Chuan, how are your results?"

"We have already secured the Osaka championship, and this year we will strive to go even further in the national tournament."

Teruo Okawa was very excited; he was already imagining his performance in the national tournament.

The problem is, he might not even get a chance to play.

"Yan Yi, I remember you're a backup player for the Shohoku team?"

When talking about the potential players, Teruo Okawa's eyes showed a hint of disdain.

Despite being the national champions, Shohoku High School has an abundance of potential players.

"Da Chuan, I won't be a backup player for a while."

"No way, you can't even keep up with the backup players?"

Teruo Okawa feigned surprise, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He didn't want to see his former older brother doing better than him.

"You're wrong, because you're about to become a regular starter for Shohoku!"

Aida Hikoichi raised his head and puffed out his chest, revealing a proud expression.

Before leaving, Coach Anzai promised him that he would be given a starting spot in the second half of the year.

This spot naturally belongs to Kogure!

He's going to America, so there will naturally be a vacancy.

Given Aida Hikoichi's importance to the team, giving him a starting spot is entirely justified.

"Nani!"

Teruo Okawa could not hide his shock.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

As a former teammate, Teruo Okawa certainly knew Hikoichi Aida.

With Aida Hikoichi's mediocre physical attributes, how could he possibly become a regular player for Shohoku?

Therefore, he believed that Aida Hikoichi was lying to him.

"Yan Yi, you're lying. With your abilities, there's no way you could have become a starter for Shohoku!"

"Da Chuan, do you think I would lie? This is a promise our coach made himself."

Aida Hikoichi immediately refuted this, and to convince Okawa, he even pulled out a group photo with Coach Anzai, Kogure, Mitsui, and others.

Teruo Okawa kept flipping through the photos, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"Daikawa, I'm not afraid to tell you, our coach has always valued me highly. By the way, Kogure-senpai even personally taught me how to play. I'm a completely different person now."

Hikoichi Aida was secretly pleased and continued to rub salt into the wound.

Wealth and honor do not return home, just like walking in brocade at night!
In fact, under Kogure's guidance, Aida Hiko only grasped a little bit of the basics, but it was enough to greatly increase his strength, at least not inferior to Okawa Teruo.

Teruo Okawa stubbornly insisted, "Our captain also taught me how to play!"

Hikoichi Aida looked at Teruo Okawa with surprise, then shook his index finger and said, "Do you think they are players of the same level?"

Compared to Kogure-senpai, Tsuchiya Jun is nothing!
Teruo Okawa was speechless. He wanted to refute, but he couldn't find a reason.

Even he himself believed that Kogure was superior to Tsuchiya Jun.

After this incident, Teruo Okawa's attitude became noticeably more respectful, making Hikoichi Aida feel as if he had returned to his junior high school days.

His initial arrogance followed by obsequiousness only makes him a laughingstock!
(End of this chapter)