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

"At the national tournament, I'll protect Dad's heart with my rebounds!"

"As long as I don't make a mistake, Dad won't get upset!"

"As long as you don't get excited, you won't faint!"

"This is a genius's perfect plan!"

"Hahaha! Aren't I clever?"

Looking at Sakuragi's carefree smiling face, Maki Shinichi couldn't help but smile.

Although the logic is touching, it's like a perfect essay with zero logical reasoning.

But that sincerity makes it impossible for anyone to laugh at it.

"but……"

Mu Shenyi changed the subject, his gaze becoming serious.

"Sakuragi, Hayashi Kita."

"Since you're going to Aichi Prefecture..."

"Then prepare yourself mentally."

As Maki Shinichi gazed at the fleeting scenery outside the window, his voice was deep and powerful, as if he were reciting some kind of prophecy.

"I'm not the only monster in the national tournament."

"Moroboshi Dai of Aichi, Toyotama of Osaka, and Sannoh Industrial, which stands at the top..."

"The world that is about to unfold will overturn your understanding."

Upon hearing this, Lin Bei did not show the solemnity that Mu Shenyi had expected.

Instead, he stepped on the gas.

The roar of the engine rose again, like a battle cry.

The GT-R was like a black bullet, speeding towards the distant horizon.

"Does this defy common sense?"

Lin Bei looked into Mu Shenyi's eyes in the rearview mirror, a wild smile curling at the corners of his lips, his gaze brighter than the car headlights.

"That's perfect."

"I want them to see too."

"Who is it that is subverting whom?"

……

The courtyard in the afternoon.

The cicadas' chirping was so shrill it sounded like they were sawing the air apart.

The heatwave flowed down the green tiles and white walls.

Even the "thud" of the startled deer striking the stone bowl sounded unusually dry.

Inside, the air was filled with the fragrance of rushes.

Anzai Mitsuyoshi, dressed in a loose, dark blue cotton robe, sat cross-legged in front of a low table.

That face, which usually smiled like Maitreya Buddha, was pale and sickly, but its eyes remained as gentle as ever.

Across from him sat a young man, looking very serious.

The kid's back was ramrod straight like a javelin, his hands gripping his knees tightly.

Those perpetually sleepy eyes were currently struggling with a tea stem sticking up in the teacup.

The air was so quiet it felt almost sticky.

Coach Anzai took a breath and blew away the foam: "I'm so sorry..."

The old man's voice was hoarse and slow, like an old bellows: "I will recover as soon as possible, and I will try my best not to miss the national competition."

The young man didn't respond.

His black hair covered his eyebrows and eyes, and only his fingers, which were clenched on his knees, were slightly white, his fingertips digging desperately into the seams of his pants.

He's bad at talking.

Before I arrived, my senior, Ayako, insisted on giving me a fruit basket and taught me a bunch of auspicious sayings.

Phrases such as "Get well soon" and "We're waiting for you."

At that moment, everything was stuck in my throat.

It's like swallowing a dry piece of bread—you can't swallow it down, and you can't spit it out.

Silence remained.

Coach Anzai put down his teacup, his gaze filled with affection.

This child appears as a block of ice, but inside lies a live volcano.

"So..."

Anzai broke the awkward silence by leaning slightly forward.

"Rukawa, what do you want to tell me?"

Rukawa Kaede suddenly looked up.

The languidness in those long, narrow phoenix eyes had vanished, leaving only an almost obsessive ambition.

That's the look in a wolf cub's eyes when it sees meat.

……

Nagoya.

The preliminary round venue in Aichi Prefecture.

The asphalt road was oozing oil from the sun, and the air was filled with the hot, dusty smell.

But this did not diminish the popularity of the IH tournament Aichi Prefecture finals.

Outside the stadium, a huge crowd surged, and the cheers vibrated in our ears even through the thick concrete walls.

"boom--!!"

The beast-like roar of the engine tore through the noise.

A black GT-R cut in like a sharp blade, executed a beautiful drift, and came to a steady stop in the VIP seat.

The car door popped open, and four people with completely different appearances stepped out one after another.

The crowd erupted in chaos.

"Holy crap! That's... Maki Shinichi?!"

"The Emperor of Kanagawa! He's even more imposing in person than in magazines!"

"Why is he in Nagoya? Who's that next to him? That red-haired guy looks fierce!"

Several students wearing jerseys were so excited that their faces turned red, and their eyes looked like they had seen a living god.

After all, in the world of high school basketball, Shinichi Maki's face is a walking "inspection-free gold medal".

"Is this Captain Mu?"

"Even a place like Nagoya has fans?" Kiyota Nobunaga followed behind, listening to the exclamations around him.

"Wild monkeys."

"This genius is destined to be a 'top star'!"

"What's so special about this little scene?"

"From now on, fans will have to block my way and beg me for autographs!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi walked with his hands in his pockets, exuding an air of arrogance, his nostrils practically pointing to the sky.

At this moment, several passing girls blushed and whispered among themselves:

"Look at that red-haired guy next to Maki Shinichi..."

"Wow, so tall! Is she a model?"

"He looks really fierce. Could he be a bodyguard? Or a new thug recruited by the Hainan team?"

"Definitely! Anyone who can walk alongside Emperor Mu must be a formidable character!"

The sound wasn't loud, but Sakuragi Hanamichi's ears were like radar.

"What?!"

"Who's the bodyguard?!"

"I'm from Shohoku, the champions! Sakuragi Hanamichi of Shohoku!!"

"The future rebounding king!"

"That middle-aged man was just a defeated opponent of mine! Don't you understand?!"

Sakuragi stopped abruptly, veins throbbing on his forehead, and suddenly turned to roar at the girls.

The girls were terrified by the sudden roar and screamed as they ran away.

"idiot……"

Lin Bei walked at the back, his sunglasses covering most of his face.

He seemed more like a rich kid inspecting work than a player.

"Sakuragi, with your kind of straight-man talk, you're destined to be alone forever."

Lin Bei patted Sakuragi's stiff shoulder and smiled playfully.

"Stop arguing!"

Sakuragi was furious.

"This generation of female fans has terrible taste!"

"How dare they mistake this genius for a lackey from Hainan! Unforgivable!"

Mu Shenyi walked in front, completely ignoring the crosstalk performance behind him.

When taking these problem children out, the bottom line is that they must not fight.

"hurry up."

Mu Shenyi raised his hand to check his watch, his expression slightly serious.

"Judging from the sound, the competition has already started. If you're late, you'll miss the best part."

As you walk through the passage, a rush of cold air mixed with the smell of sweat and the sound of rubber rubbing against each other hits you.

That smells like the battlefield.

"Hey, middle-aged man."

Sakuragi glanced around and pointed at the people in the posters on the wall.

"Is that 'Aichi Star' thing really that amazing?"

"Is it worth making a special trip for you?"

"Moroboshi Dai".

When Maki Shinichi uttered the name, his tone was unusually solemn:

"Aihe Academy third-year student, all-around shooting guard."

He stopped and glanced back at the two first-graders behind him:

"If Shohoku wants to make it in the national tournament, he is an insurmountable obstacle."

"Pshaw, what's so great about this mountain?"

Sakuragi curled his lip, looking disdainful.

"Compared to this genius, you're nothing but a small hill!"

"Whether a star is big or small, smash them all away!"

Lin Bei pushed up his sunglasses, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

Moroboshi Dai?

The tragic emperor in the original work.

A top-four team in the country.

As a result, he was used as a stepping stone by a first-year monster and was completely destroyed.

"It's good to get out and relax."

Lin Bei spoke casually.

"But Maki..."

"Sometimes, the collapse of a mountain can happen in an instant."