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

Kishimoto was so angry that he was trembling all over.

Just as he was about to curse, the coach covered his mouth tightly and forcibly dragged him away.

As Feng Yu and the others left, the tension in the carriage not only did not dissipate, but intensified.

"Grade C..."

Mitsui Hisashi stared at the magazine on the table, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and a fierce fighting spirit burned in his eyes.

"What a C grade."

"It seems that in other people's eyes, we are just a bunch of fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered."

Takenori Akagi sat down again.

He looked out the window at the scenery rushing past, his gaze even more resolute than before, as unwavering as a rock.

"Then let them watch."

Akagi's voice was steady and powerful, each word like a nail driven into the ground.

"Let them see with their own eyes how this so-called C-level team can smash their proud A-level reputation to smithereens."

He adjusted his posture, found a comfortable angle, closed his eyes, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"A bunch of idiots who only know how to look at data."

"Just wait and see if you're proven wrong."

The train roared past.

Carrying this group of undervalued "C-level" players, they rushed towards that battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder.

We've arrived in Hiroshima Prefecture.

……

In August, Hiroshima is as hot as an airless steamer.

The cicadas were chirping their hearts out in the trees, the asphalt road was sizzling and dripping with oil, and the air in the distance was distorted and deformed by the high temperature.

Here you can find Hiroshima-style bonfire and Itsukushima Shrine.

But this summer, this city belongs to only one kind of creature.

High school basketball player.

The automatic doors at the Hiroshima Station exit had just slid open.

A wave of heat, a mixture of antiperspirant and male hormones, hit me.

Takenori Akagi took the lead, his 1.97-meter frame resembling a moving red and black iron tower, each step making a thud on the floor.

Behind him, Rukawa Kaede had a bag slung over one shoulder, his eyes scanning the surroundings with the indifferent gaze of a sleepy cat.

Miyagi Ryota chewed gum, his hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning every tall person passing by like radar.

Mitsui Hisashi lowered the brim of his hat, but couldn't hide the fiery urge to stir up trouble in his eyes.

With his signature red bald head, Sakuragi Hanamichi looked around like a hyperactive child:

"Haha! Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki! Here comes the genius!"

Lin Bei, walking at the back, was holding a can of Hiroshima-limited citrus soda, his eyelids drooping, looking rather lazy.

When this group of people get together, their styles are quite eccentric.

But that fierce aura he exuded from the county competition completely dominated the entire arena.

"Is that Shohoku?"

"I heard they wiped out Shohoku and Ryonan..."

"Tch, they don't look like they have three heads and six arms, except for that gorilla."

The whispers of passersby reached his ears, but Akagi didn't even lift his eyelids, only glancing up at the blinding sun.

"Let's go to the battlefield."

……

Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium.

Beneath the enormous dome, hormone levels were off the charts.

Fifty-nine of the nation's top teams filled the venue to capacity.

The floor wax mixed with the unique sweat smell of a teenager, a smell that could send your adrenaline soaring.

"Swear an oath!"

The broadcast blared.

Standing at the front row, the members of Sannoh Industrial, dressed in pure white jerseys, were all expressionless, like precision war machines fresh off the assembly line.

The moment they stood there, the air pressure around them seemed to drop several bar.

That's the absolute dominance accumulated from years of topping the charts, enough to suffocate anyone who even glances at it.

The oath-taking ceremony has ended.

The Shohoku team arrived at the match schedule at the entrance.

The school names, written in black lines on a white background, are densely packed like tree roots, eventually pointing to the golden "Victory" at the top.

"Found it."

Ryota Miyagi tapped his finger in the lower left corner, "Shohoku, Kanagawa".

Right next to them is "Osaka Toyotama".

But that's not the most mind-bending part.

All eyes continued to move upwards, and in the second round, four bold black characters appeared as if a boulder had crashed down.

Sannoh Industrial Co., Ltd.

Looking further to the right, there are potential opponents in the fourth round.

Love and Academy.

"hiss--"

The other teams watching from the sidelines gasped in shock, looking at Shohoku as if they were looking at a group of dead men.

"Holy crap, this is just too unlucky!"

"First, they'll face Toyotama Osaka; second, the national champions. Even if they win by sheer luck, will they still have to fight the Aichi Stars next?"

"It's confirmed, this is the legendary 'group of death'."

"Shohoku's luck is terrible. Did they not check the almanac before leaving home? They've had a hellish start."

The murmurs buzzed around like flies.

Akagi stared intently at the four characters "Sannoh Industries," his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Even with prior mental preparation, seeing this "life-or-death" schedule still sends shivers down your spine with the overwhelming sense of suffocation.

"And this too."

Mitsui Hisashi suddenly pointed to position 60 on the far right of the table.

There was no school name there, only a line of text: [Special Invitation Challenge Team (Mystery Guest)].

"What's with the planes? Didn't it always come in 59 years?"

"Who cares about demons and monsters?"

"We're going to win anyway."

Rukawa Kaede coldly interrupted, his gaze fixed on the words "Sannoh," his eyes filled with a fierce fighting spirit.

"It seems your luck really is terrible."

A deep, magnetic voice came from behind, carrying an innate Versailles-like quality.

The Shohoku team turned around.

A group of tall figures wearing purple coats were standing behind them.

The leader had dark skin and deep-set features; he was none other than Maki Shinichi, the former king of Kanagawa.

Behind him followed Kiyota Nobunaga, a "wild monkey" with a ponytail, and Jin Soichiro, who looked completely harmless.

Hainan was assigned to another half of the zone, also known as the "Paradise Group".

"Amu."

Akagi turned around, and their gazes collided in mid-air, sparks flying.

"We've been grouped with Sannoh and Aiwa."

"This is truly hell mode."

"Akagi, don't get knocked out in the first round."

Maki Shinichi crossed his arms, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Hehe! We're doomed!"

Your national tournament trial pass has expired!

"Going home in the first round is truly heartbreaking!"

Kiyota Nobunaga, unable to contain himself any longer, jumped out and pointed at the Shohoku team, making faces at them:

"Wild monkey! What did you say?!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi instantly bristled, veins bulging on his forehead.

"This genius is destined to dominate the entire nation!"

"Whether they're mountain kings or water kings, we'll blast them all away!"

Kiyota nimbly jumped backward:

"Hehehe! Bragging doesn't cost anything!"

"That's the invincible legend, Sannoh Industrial!"

"It seems we won't have a chance to face each other in the finals, after all, you don't even have the right to meet us."

Despite his sharp tongue, Kiyota's eyes showed no contempt.

Having been thoroughly beaten in the county tournament, he knew very well how tough this Shohoku team was.

Because he understood this, he realized even more how hopeless this grouping was.

"qualifications?"

Lin Bei, who had been silent all along, suddenly chuckled softly.

With a "hiss," he pulled the tab on his soda with one hand, and the bubbles billowed.

"We have to defeat them eventually."