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

Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium.

Before I even stepped inside, the sound of the noise hit my chest.

The noise created by thousands of people shouting at the same time caused the glass in the venue to vibrate at a high frequency.

The air was thick with the scent of hormones.

This is not a competition, this is a battlefield.

"There are...there are just too many people..."

Photographer Nakamura looked like a salted fish struggling in a can of sardines, clutching his lens tightly, his glasses fogged up with white mist.

He felt that he wasn't there to work, but to undergo a tribulation.

"Ms. Aida, this is even more intimidating than a professional league match!"

Nakamura wiped his glasses, looking so embarrassed he wanted to cry.

Aida Yayoi walked ahead, her high heels clicking loudly.

She had specially changed into a more powerful business suit today, clutching her interview notebook in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Hearing Nakamura's complaint, she stopped in her tracks.

He glanced back, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness at not being able to carry the team.

"Nakamura, have you done your homework?"

She raised her chin, gesturing for Nakamura to look around.

The fans in the stadium had such fanatical eyes that they looked like they wanted to devour someone.

"They're not just here to watch the game, they're here on a 'pilgrimage'."

"Pilgrimage?" Nakamura was stunned, like a dumbfounded goose. "Worshiping gods?"

Aida Yayoi sighed, her slender finger pointing to the highest point of the stands.

Under the spotlight, a huge purple flag hangs down, swaying gently with the airflow from the air conditioning vents.

There are only two large, gold-plated characters on it, which are domineering and unreasonable.

[Ever-Victorious]

Below is a line of small, steady print: Basketball Department of Hainan University Affiliated High School.

"Sixteen years."

Aida Yayoi's voice deepened, tinged with a hint of reverence.

"This flag flew over Kanagawa for sixteen years without ever falling."

"They have qualified for the national tournament for sixteen consecutive years. In Kanagawa, they are the sky, an insurmountable wall."

"Therefore, people call them—King of Hainan."

Nakamura's mouth was so wide open it could fit a light bulb:

"They've been champions since... since that early on?!"

This kind of dominance is suffocating just to hear about it.

"This was supposed to be the script for this year: Hainan would defend their title, and Shohoku would take the challenge."

Aida Yayoi looked at the other side of the passage with a complicated expression.

"But this year, someone tore up the script."

The image of the boy who always looked like he hadn't woken up yet came to mind.

"Shohoku is eliminated, and Ryonan has also lost."

"Shohoku, this dark horse, is charging forward, stepping over the bones of the old era."

Nakamura swallowed hard and asked cautiously:

"So...can Shohoku win?"

"They seem to have a lot of momentum."

Aida Yayoi did not speak.

"I can't see through it."

Aida Yayoi shook her head, her tone grave.

"That first-year student, Lin Bei, is like a bottomless black hole."

"You thought that was his limit, but he just pulled out a new weapon."

"This match is likely to be a clash of titans."

……

The locker room of Hainan Affiliated High School.

The air conditioning was blasting, and there was no smell of sweat in the air, only a chilling, oppressive atmosphere.

"Click".

Gao Touli pushed open the door and entered, shaking a folding fan.

The room was deathly silent.

These guys are used to the calm before the storm.

"to be honest."

Gao Touli closed the folding fan with a crisp sound.

"Today's opponent is neither Shohoku nor Ryonan."

"It's Shohoku, which surprised me."

"Especially... that Lin Bei."

Gao Touli narrowed his eyes, revealing a shrewdness like a fox.

The atmosphere in the locker room seemed to freeze for a moment when that name was mentioned.

Analyzing the video footage these past few days has been sheer torture.

The guy wearing the number 16 jersey was just strolling around the whole court, looking like he hadn't woken up yet.

But once he gets the ball, his unpredictable dribbling breakthroughs and occasional absurd three-pointers are simply a bug.

"Tactics against him..."

Before Gao Touli could finish speaking, the shower room door was suddenly violently pushed open.

"boom--"

A wave of heat, mixed with white mist, surged out, as if a steam engine had been turned on.

A man came out.

His bare upper body was muscular and bony, with water droplets clinging to his bronze skin; every muscle exuded explosive power.

He had a white towel covering his head.

Although the face was not visible, the oppressive feeling, like a ferocious beast being unleashed, instantly filled the entire room.

Shinichi Maki.

The emperor of Kanagawa.

He ripped the towel off.

A terrifying fighting spirit burned in those hawk-like eyes.

"Coach, hasn't the match started yet?"

The sound is deep and has its own reverberation.

Gao Touli was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Hahaha! Don't be in such a hurry, Maki."

"It's still early."

At the same time, I secretly praised it in my heart:

This is Shinichi Maki!

Regardless of who the opponent is, this beast retains its primal hunger for victory.

"About that Lin Bei..." Gao Touli tried to steer the conversation back to the main topic.

"unnecessary!"

An arrogant voice suddenly interrupted.

On the bench, first-year student Kiyota Nobunaga jumped up like a monkey.

"Those lazybones just haven't met me yet!"

He pounded his chest loudly, then turned to look at Jin Soichiro, who was wrapping bandages around his chest:

"Right, Senior Shen?"

"I could easily stop this kind of opportunistic guy all by myself!"

Jin Soichiro looked up, a helpless expression on his handsome face: "Nobunaga, don't be careless, he... is very strange."

"cut!"

"That's because he hasn't experienced the defense of a 'super rookie'!"

Kiyota, with his nostrils flared and a smug look on his face, declared, "As long as I'm around, he won't be able to throw a single ball comfortably!"

Shinichi Maki ignored the newcomer's clamor.

He silently put on the number 4 jersey, a symbol of glory.

To put on clothes and tie a belt.

The slow, deliberate movements instantly transformed the atmosphere in the locker room from "preparing for battle" to "going into battle."

"Let's go."

Maki Shinichi's voice wasn't loud, but it was undeniable.

"Go and tell them who the true master of Kanagawa is."

……

Shohoku locker room.

Compared to the domineering atmosphere of Hainan, this place is more like a gathering of outlaws.

The air was so stuffy you could wring water out of it.

Akagi Takenori stood in the middle, his rugged face taut as iron.

Rukawa Kaede dribbled the basketball in his hand, seemingly trying to find his rhythm.

Mitsui Hisashi's hands were trembling violently, but his eyes were filled with fire.

Ryota Miyagi chewed his gum, his fists clenched tightly.

Only Linbei.

This guy was leaning against the cabinet, dangling a half-empty bottle of Gatorade in his hand.

His eyelids were drooping, as if he could fall asleep at any moment.

"Everyone."

Akagi spoke, his voice hoarse yet deep:

"Don't think that Hainan is invincible."

"Although they are legends, invincible generals..."

He suddenly raised his voice, which trembled slightly:

"But we've been dreaming about how to win this day!"

"We used to be separated from Hainan by a huge chasm, but today..."

Akagi stretched out his giant hand.

"We're not here to challenge you!"

"We're here to dethrone the king and trample him underfoot!"