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

Akagi did not turn around.

His gaze was fixed on a GG sign in the distance, but his eyes were unfocused.

silence.

Just when Kogure thought Akagi wouldn't answer, Akagi suddenly spoke up.

His voice was hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor.

"Mitsui."

"What?" Mitsui asked irritably.

"Were you nervous during the junior high school finals?"

Mitsui was taken aback.

nervous?

This word has nothing to do with the arrogant Mitsui Hisashi.

But after thinking about it, he still pursed his lips:

"There's probably some."

"After all, it's the final."

"But it'll be fine once you're on the field."

Akagi finally turned around.

The moonlight shone on his face, which was as resolute as a rock, yet it revealed a hint of paleness.

He raised his hands.

Those big hands, steady as a rock whether it's blocking shots or dunking.

It is trembling slightly at this moment.

The amplitude wasn't large, but it seemed particularly jarring in the deathly silent room.

"This is the first time I've ever experienced this."

Akagi looked at his hands with a complicated expression, as if he were looking at a pair of unfamiliar hands.

"His whole body was shaking uncontrollably."

"No matter how hard we try, we can't suppress it."

Kogure and Mitsui both widened their eyes at the same time.

Shock.

incredible.

In their eyes, Takenori Akagi is the totem of Shohoku, an ever-standing black pillar.

No matter how bad the situation is, as long as Akagi is standing under the basket, the sky won't fall.

But now, this pillar is actually shaking.

"Akagi..."

Kogure opened his mouth, his throat dry.

He knows Akagi too well.

From the beginning of high school, this man dreamed of dominating the country.

Endure ridicule, endure loneliness, and even play with ankles swollen like buns.

Now, the dream is right at our feet.

This immense anticipation, mixed with the fear of failure, became an unbearable burden, crushing the 18-year-old's nerves.

"Hey, Akagi."

"Are you scared?"

"Afraid of losing to that Nan Lie?"

Mitsui frowned, his tone unusually serious.

Akagi took a deep breath, clenched his fist tightly until his knuckles turned white, trying to stop the trembling.

But it didn't work.

The muscles seemed to have a mind of their own, and continued to spasm slightly.

"Maybe."

Akagi gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"I've waited too long for this day."

"The closer I get, the more I fear it's all a dream."

After saying that, Akagi suddenly stood up straight, and his dejected aura instantly disappeared.

He reverted to being the stern captain, though a deep turmoil still lingered in his eyes.

"Never mind, I'll go for a run."

Akagi grabbed his coat and strode out of the room.

The door closed.

Mitsui stared at the closed door, his expression somewhat unnatural.

"Tch. Even he gets nervous?"

"That guy who's like a stone."

Kogure sighed, took off his glasses and wiped them: "Because this is his entire youth."

Mitsui remained silent.

He picked up the crumpled magazine again, and looking at the "C grade" rating, his eyes gradually turned fierce.

"In that case, we absolutely cannot afford to lose tomorrow."

"If the captain's dream of the past three years is ruined in the first match..."

Mitsui snorted coldly, "Then I won't let myself off the hook."

……

Outside the hotel.

The night breeze carried a hint of heat.

Takenori Akagi ran wildly down the street.

His steps were heavy, each one like an outburst of pent-up emotions.

He was struggling with himself, struggling with that weak and trembling self.

"Stop shaking! You bastard!"

"You're the captain of Shohoku High School!"

"You're destined to be the man who conquers the entire nation!"

He roared inwardly.

Sweat soaked through his T-shirt, and his breathing became rapid.

Just as he turned the corner and prepared to sprint, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the shadows.

Extremely fast!

Caught off guard, Akagi slammed on the brakes, his body lurching as he cried out, "Who?!"

The dark figure didn't stop, maintaining a steady, slow jogging pace.

The streetlights lengthened his shadow.

The man turned around, holding a half-finished can of Pocari Sweat, his face bearing that signature lazy expression.

"Yo, Captain."

It's Lin Bei.

He was wearing a black vest, revealing an incredibly muscular physique, with sweat trickling down his neck and into his collarbone.

Clearly, he had been running for a long time.

Akagi was stunned: "Lin Bei? You...you're actually running?"

This is even more unusual than the sun rising in the west.

Lin Bei, the king of slacking off who would rather lie down than sit, actually took the initiative to practice extra in the middle of the night?

Lin Bei shrugged, tilted his head back, and took a swig of his drink, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for some fresh air."

He glanced at Akagi's still slightly trembling hand and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"The hotel air conditioning is too cold, so I came out to sweat it out."

"But Captain, why are you acting like you've seen a ghost?"

Akagi instinctively hid his hands behind his back and coughed awkwardly, "Is...is that so?"

Lin Bei didn't call him out on it. He turned around and continued jogging, his voice drifting over lightly: "Let's go together."

Akagi hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to follow.

Two figures, one tall and one strong, ran side by side through the streets of Hiroshima late at night.

Only the sounds of footsteps and breathing echoed.

After running for a while, Lin Bei suddenly spoke up: "Captain, do you know why Feng Yu is an A-rank?"

Akagi frowned: "Because they were in the top eight last year."

"No."

Lin Bei shook his finger.

He looked up at the dark road ahead.

His gaze became unusually deep at that moment, exuding a chilling aura.

"It's because they're ruthless enough."

"They treat winning like hunting and the stadium like a slaughterhouse."

"And we..."

Lin Bei turned to look at Akagi, his eyes gleaming with the light of a apex predator.

"In other people's eyes, we are just fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered."

Akagi's heart skipped a beat, and he slowed his pace: "A fat sheep..."

"That's right."

Lin Bei laughed, a laugh that was arrogant and overbearing.

"If you see yourself as prey, of course you'll tremble."

"Because when prey faces hunter, its instinct is fear."

He accelerated suddenly, instantly widening the distance between them.

The sound carried on the wind, clear and powerful, like a heavy hammer striking Akagi's heart.

"But I am not the prey."

"Akagi, you're not one either."

"Starting tomorrow, we will be the wolves who have broken into the sheepfold."

"They're the ones who should be trembling."

Lin Bei's figure flickered in and out of the streetlights.

That powerful confidence infected Akagi instantly, like a virus.

Akagi stopped and looked at Lin Bei's unusually tall but not broad back. He glanced at his own hands.

The trembling... stopped.

Instead, there is an explosive force clenched into a fist.

"A wolf...?"

Akagi took a deep breath, and the suppressed fear in his chest instantly transformed into a boiling fighting spirit.

Screw the tension.

Screw the C rating.

He raised his head, his eyes regaining their steely resolve, and a ferocious smile spread across his lips.

"That's right."

"I am a wolf."

"Lin Bei! Wait for me!"

Akagi roared and strode off like a heavy tank loaded with ammunition, rumbling as he chased after it.

The two figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the night.

Only two firm footprints remain, leading to tomorrow.

Leading to that hellish arena called "Dominating the Nation".