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

The group moved to the courtyard corridor.

The moonlight was pale, the wind rustled through the bamboo forest, and the background music had a dark, eerie filter.

"Cough cough."

Sakuragi cleared his throat, and the flashlight beam shone from his chin upwards, making him look exactly like a red-haired demon.

"The hotel owner told me..."

"On the mountainside behind, there is a long-abandoned 'Severed Head Shrine'."

His voice was low and his tone sinister.

"Severed... decapitated?"

Haruko's face turned pale instantly, and she shrank behind Ayako like a frightened little rabbit.

"That's right."

Sakuragi was very satisfied with the effect and continued to make up... no, to tell the story.

"Legend has it that during the Warring States period, a warrior was beheaded here, but he didn't know he was dead."

"Every full moon night, the headless warrior would wander the mountain paths with his sword, grabbing passersby and asking them the same question..."

Sakuragi suddenly stopped.

His eyes were fixed on the darkness behind Haruko, his pupils contracting sharply.

"Ask, ask what?" Takamiya Nozomi's potato chips no longer tasted good.

Sakuragi suddenly leaned closer to the group and yelled, "Ask—did you see my head?!"

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Haruko screamed and threw herself into Ayako's arms, trembling.

"Idiot Hanamichi!"

"You scared Haruko!" Ayako said, trying to comfort Haruko while glaring at Sakuragi.

Sakuragi, who was initially feeling smug, panicked when he saw Haruko crying.

"Eh? Haruko-san?"

"That...it's actually fake!"

"There are no ghosts in this world!"

"Hahaha! I was just joking!"

However, once fear is planted, it will take root and sprout wildly in the mind.

"Really... just a joke?"

Lin Bei, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up quietly.

He leaned against a pillar, fiddling with a coin in his hand.

His gaze fell upon the pitch-black forest behind the mountain, and a meaningful smile curved his lips.

"But just now..."

"It really looks like I saw will-o'-the-wisps floating by halfway up the mountain."

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Everyone's necks stiffened as they turned towards the back of the mountain.

It was pitch black there, like a gaping maw waiting for its prey.

"Don't try to scare me!"

"Lin Bei, you're definitely black inside!"

Mitsui forced himself to maintain his composure, even though his calves were already cramping.

"Whether it's just a scare tactic or not, why don't you go and see for yourself?"

Lin Bei shrugged, looking completely indifferent.

"Since this is Shohoku's training camp, isn't courage also part of one's ability?"

"If you're afraid of even this little bit of darkness, how can you possibly dominate the entire country?"

"If we get booed twice during away games, will we wet our pants?"

That statement was absolutely devastating.

This elevates the farce to the level of team honor and men's dignity.

"Who, who's afraid!"

Takenori Akagi stepped forward.

As the team leader, he must not show any weakness.

Even though he was actually most afraid of these supernatural and ghostly things.

"Let's go! The Shohoku Courage Contest officially begins!"

"Yay!"

The four members of Sakuragi's gang suddenly jumped up excitedly.

Yohei Mito smiled broadly, but there was a knife hidden in that smile no matter how you looked at it.

"Since it's a competition, there needs to be a referee."

"The four of us won't participate."

"We'll wait for everyone at the finish line, which is the shrine, and take photos for you as souvenirs."

"Photograph?"

Why take photos so late at night?

Miyagi looked at the group of men with suspicion.

"Of course, it's to record everyone's heroic deeds!"

"These are precious memories of my youth!"

"Don't worry, we will definitely capture the most 'authentic' side of everyone."

Oonan Yuji patted the camera on his chest.

Looking at his best friends, Sakuragi instantly understood the deep meaning in Yohei's eyes, thanks to their years of tacit understanding.

"Leave it to us, we'll make sure they're completely destroyed."

"Okay! It's settled then!"

"Two people per group! The result will be decided by drawing lots!"

"Set off!"

……

Ten minutes later, at the back entrance of the mountain.

The simple torii gate, with its shimenawa rope wrapped around it, fluttered in the night wind.

The stone steps were covered in moss, and the dense cedar forest on both sides made it impossible for moonlight to penetrate, making it a perfect filming location for a horror movie.

The Sakuragi Army had already slipped away.

They carried large and small bags, from which peeked out pale masks and red paint.

"Hehehe..."

As Takamiya Nozomi applied pale foundation to her face, she let out a lewd laugh.

"If Rukawa gets so scared he wets his pants later, we absolutely have to film a close-up!"

"That moment when that expressionless face completely collapses could fetch an astronomical price!"

"And gorillas."

Chuichiro Noma puts on a long-haired female ghost wig and smears ketchup on the corner of his mouth.

"Today, we must let him experience the harsh realities of society!"

Yohei Mito was adjusting his DSLR camera, the lens flashing a cold light in the darkness:

"Don't go too far."

"It wouldn't be good if we scared someone into having a heart attack."

He said that, but then took out a dry ice canister that produces smoke.

"But... since it's about building courage, a little bit of excitement is to be expected, right?"

"After all, this is to enhance Shohoku's 'mental strength'."

The group exchanged smiles, their tacit understanding of their illicit collusion reaching its peak.

At the foot of the mountain, the lottery results were announced.

Group 1: Takenori Akagi and Konobu Kigure.

This group is the most stable, but also the most boring.

Akagi held a flashlight, looking serious as if he were on patrol.

"Akagi, relax, this is just a game."

Kogure pushed up his glasses and followed behind with a wry smile.

"Hmph, whatever it is, I'll give it my all!" Akagi's flashlight beam trembled like someone with Parkinson's disease.

Group 2: Ryota Miyagi, Hisashi Mitsui.

This set is simply a disaster.

Both of them were afraid of ghosts, but both were too proud to admit it.

"Hey, Ryota, you go first."

"Huh? You're the senior, right? You should be the one protecting me! Don't you know the importance of respecting elders and caring for the young?"

"Enough talk! The point guard's job is to lead the way!"

"Shooting guards should be the ones charging into battle!"

The two pushed and shoved each other, looking back every few steps as they entered the woods, embracing each other at the slightest sound of wind or rustling.

Group 3: Rukawa Kaede, Lin Bei.

This set of paintings has the most unique style.

Rukawa Kaede was wearing headphones, his hands in his pockets, seemingly unconcerned about the darkness around him.

Lin Bei, on the other hand, had a look of schadenfreude on his face, and even took out a bag of sunflower seeds from his pocket.

"Click, click."

The sound of people cracking sunflower seeds echoed along the quiet mountain path, creating a jarring contrast.

"Hey, fox."

"If you see a female ghost later, remember not to hit her face; she's a precious experimental specimen."

"idiot."

"There are no ghosts."

Rukawa Kaede coldly uttered two words.

But his hands, which were in his pockets, clenched into fists, and there was no music playing in his headphones.

Group 4: Sakuragi Hanamichi, Akagi Haruko, Ayako.

Originally, it was a pair.

But Haruko was so scared that she refused to let go of Ayako.

Sakuragi stubbornly insisted on being paired with Haruko, thus creating a strange trio.

"Miss Haruko! Don't worry!"

"With this genius around, no demons or monsters dare to approach!"

"My Iron Head Technique can even send monsters flying!"

Sakuragi walked at the very front, thumping his chest loudly.

"R-really?"

Haruko gripped Ayako's arm tightly, her voice trembling.

"certainly!"

Sakuragi turned around and gave what he considered his coolest smile.

Even under the blinding white light of the flashlight, he looked scarier than a ghost.

"I'm the future basketball king!"

"Even a mere ghost would steer clear of me!"