Kuroko's Basketball template: the king of slacking off, Shohoku's strongest sixth man.

There was no clichéd sparks flying.

There was no overly dramatic or tense atmosphere.

Across half the court, Sendoh twitched the corner of his mouth.

He flashed that signature smile.

That expression contained three parts helplessness, three parts approval, and four parts a feeling that only those of the same kind could understand...

"Stop pretending to be dead, get up and party!"

"Oh."

Lin Bei scoffed lightly, unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted his head back, and poured water down his throat.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes revealed a sly glint in them that said, "You've already figured this out."

He then looked away as if nothing had happened, and even raised his leg a little higher.

"Is this guy... issuing a challenge?"

Lin Bei thought to himself, "What do you mean?"

He adjusted to a more ergonomic paralyzed posture and continued his "sideline AFK career".

As long as the salary is paid properly, you can sleep on the bench.

Meanwhile, on the Shohoku bench.

Takenori Akagi slammed onto the bench like an iron tower.

A thick towel covered his head, and his whole body radiated an intense heat that kept strangers at bay.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Heavy breathing echoed under the towel, like a heavy engine forced to cool down after being overloaded.

"Gorilla! How's it going!"

"Wasn't that 'Super Invincible Whirlwind Layup' I just made absolutely awesome?!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi's loud voice has a built-in amplification effect.

That large, irrational hand slapped Akagi's shoulder repeatedly, completely oblivious to the danger.

"Shut up, you idiot."

Akagi didn't lift the towel; his voice came out muffled.

Gone was his usual irritability; instead, he exuded a reassuring calmness.

He was forcing himself to "cool down".

That dunk was really satisfying, and it shattered the psychological trauma Uozumi had inflicted on him.

But he knew very well that this was a competition, not a personal show.

As the captain, he was the pillar of Shohoku High School.

If he continues to act impulsively, this group of talented but somewhat dim-witted "problem children" will definitely go off track and crash.

Too much rigidity leads to breakage; he needs to remain steady.

"Let the captain have a moment to calm down, Sakuragi."

"That shot was really beautiful."

Kogure Kiminobu handed Sakuragi a bottle of water, adjusted his glasses, and gently smoothed things over.

"Haha! Of course!"

"Dude with glasses, you have excellent taste!"

"It doesn't look like that fox!"

Sakuragi immediately shifted his focus, put his hands on his hips, and began to boast to Ayako about his "moment of genius."

……

In the stands, the Hainan University affiliated team.

Mu Shenyi crossed his arms.

His gaze was fixed on the Shohoku captain, who was wearing a towel, with the intensity of a hawk's.

"Coach Taoka's timeout was perfectly timed."

Coach Gao Touli, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, tapping his palm lightly with the folding fan in his hand.

"If it had been a minute later, Shohoku's momentum would have ripped the roof off."

"Oh? The coach thinks so too?" Maki Shinichi tilted his head slightly.

"That first-year student named Lin Bei, although he hasn't played yet, his moves earlier have already thrown Ryonan's rhythm into chaos."

"And now..."

Takato narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto Akagi.

"With Lin Bei removed as the biggest 'outlier,' the core of Shohoku is Akagi."

"As long as Akagi holds his ground, Shohoku will be an impenetrable fortress."

"Therefore, Taoka's primary task now is not to score points, but to 'destroy' them."

"To interrupt the momentum that Akagi has just built up."

Kiyota Nobunaga scratched his head, "But Coach, didn't that red-haired monkey just score a goal? Shouldn't we just ignore him?"

Gao Touli smiled contemptuously and snapped his folding fan open.

"That beginner? Just a lucky shot."

"In the face of true tactical competition, luck... is the least valuable consumable."

……

Ryonan's bench.

Low pressure permeated the air, making it seem as if it had solidified.

The players were panting heavily, sweat dripping onto the floor and shattering into eight pieces.

Jun Uozumi lowered his head, his hands gripping his knees tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the excessive force.

Being dunked on by his arch-rival Akagi and then toyed with by Sakuragi, an amateur, was a nuclear blow to his pride.

"Fukuda!"

Taoka Shigeichi's stern voice suddenly boomed out like a thunderclap.

Fukuda Kichijou, who was drinking water, suddenly shuddered and spilled water all over himself.

He looked up in alarm, and his eyes, which always held a mixture of longing and inferiority, were instantly filled with fear.

Is he going to be replaced?

Because we missed defending against that red-haired guy?

"Don't look at me like that, like I'm a pushover!"

"I didn't say I was going to replace you."

Taoka Shigeichi frowned, his tone stern.

Fukuda breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was still in his throat.

"Listen, Fukuda."

Taoka Shigeichi crouched down, bringing his line of sight to Fukuda's.

He spoke extremely fast, with an undeniable sense of pressure.

"Akagi Takenori's defense under the basket is top-notch in Kanagawa and even the whole country."

"Admit it, you can't win a head-on confrontation right now."

Fukuda bit his lip.

Although he was unwilling, the scenes of his previous setbacks were still vivid in his mind, and he couldn't refute them.

"but!"

Taoka abruptly changed the subject, his gaze becoming sharp as a knife.

"Basketball is not a one-on-one game like in the ancient Roman Colosseum."

He suddenly turned his head to look at the silent Uozumi beside him.

"Uozumi! Lift your head!"

Uozumi shuddered and slowly raised his head.

His eyes still held a hint of confusion and defeat, like a defeated rooster.

"How long are you going to stay so down?"

"Just because that red-haired kid scored a goal by luck?"

"You're the captain of Ryonan!"

"If you go down, this match can be forfeited right now!"

Taoka's spittle almost landed on Uozumi's face.

"Coach, I..." Uozumi opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.

Listen carefully.

Taoka rudely interrupted him and took the tactical board.

I drew several bold lines on it with a marker, the ink penetrating the paper.

"Akagi is currently riding high on his momentum; a direct confrontation would be suicide."

"Uozumi, from now on, get rid of that damn captain's airs!"

"Drop the airs?" Uozumi was taken aback.

"That's right."

Taoka's eyes burned with the ruthlessness of a gambler.

"You don't need to compete with Akagi to see who scores more points, nor do you need to prove that you are better than him."

"I only need you to do one thing: be a human shield!"

"Find a way to trip Akagi up!"

"To be Fukuda's assistant!"

Fukuda and Uozumi both widened their eyes at the same time, their expressions completely out of control.

Should the captain be made to assist Fukuda?

"As long as Shohoku continues to use man-to-man marking, we'll exploit this time difference."

Taoka slammed his finger on the tactics board.

"The whole team sets up the ball for Fukuda!"

"Uozumi is in charge of melee combat and restraint, while Sendoh is in charge of supplying ammunition."

"Fukuda, use your off-ball movement to tear Shohoku's defense apart!"

"But……"

Hiroaki Koge couldn't help but interject.

"That Lin Bei..."

"Lin Bei hasn't even entered the arena yet!"

Taoka Shigeichi waved his hand to interrupt.

His gaze swept over the seemingly harmless figure in the Xiangbei rest area, who even looked like he was about to yawn.

A hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes, but more than that, it was a desperate gamble.

"As long as that lazy kid is still sitting on the bench, Shohoku's outside shooting is like a sieve."

"Rukawa needs to keep an eye on Sendoh, Mitsui Hisashi's stamina is a huge problem, and Miyagi Ryota is too short."

"This is our opportunity!"

"There is one minute left in the first half."

Taoka Shigeichi stood up and clapped his hands together forcefully.

A crisp "snap" sound jolted everyone awake.

"Keep the score close!"

"We absolutely cannot let the score difference widen to double digits!"

"Did you all understand?!"