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

The sun gradually set in the west.

Night falls in Hiroshima.

The first day of the competition came to a complete end on this sweltering evening.

The 59 universities that came here full of hope.

In just one brutal day, the dreams of 27 teams were shattered, and they had to pack up and go home.

This is the national competition.

There is no compassion, no pity, only the most primal law of the jungle.

And tomorrow, this giant meat grinder will be started again.

What Shohoku High School will face is the most terrifying ultimate monster in this battlefield.

……

"belch--"

A deafening burp exploded in the hotel room.

Sakuragi Hanamichi sprawled unceremoniously on the tatami mat, his belly bulging out.

The table was piled high with empty lunch boxes.

The enormous Hiroshima-style omelet was completely devoured, not even a crumb remained.

The air conditioner was blowing cold air, which finally reduced the sweltering heat after the initial victory.

"Hahaha!"

Sakuragi suddenly sprang up like a carp leaping into the air and darted to the wall like a rocket.

A crumpled fax paper was stuck crookedly on the wall.

The words "Congratulations on the victory!" were written in large letters with a marker.

The signature is Aida Hikoichi from Ryonan.

Ryota Miyagi and Hisashi Mitsui immediately went over.

These three guys, who are usually the most easily excitable, were arm in arm, laughing so hard their back teeth were showing, looking like they had won the lottery.

"Did you see that clearly?!"

"Let's see if those basketball 'experts' still dare to call us C-level!"

Sakuragi stood with his hands on his hips, his chin practically pointing to the sky:

"We utterly crushed that so-called A-grade Feng Yu!"

He counted on his fingers: "According to my genius conversion algorithm, we're now at least an AA-level strong team!"

"Definitely AA grade!"

"Those blind reporters will have to line up and kneel down to apologize to us tomorrow."

Miyagi stroked his chin and nodded repeatedly.

"In other words..."

"We're evenly matched with those Three Kings right now!"

Sakuragi's eyes lit up with excitement.

"It's Sannoh Industrial, you idiot."

"You can't even remember your opponent's name? You should at least take a look at the match schedule."

Mitsui Hisashi rolled his eyes and slapped Sakuragi's red hair on the head.

"Who cares about the Three Kings or the Mountain King!"

Sakuragi, clutching his head, yelled, "As long as this genius takes action, I'll send them all back to their hometowns to farm!"

"Bang!"

A fist the size of a clay pot slammed down, physically silencing Sakuragi's arrogant remarks.

Akagi Takenori stood behind the three of them with a dark expression, like an iron tower.

"You bunch of idiots! You've only won one game and you're already getting cocky?"

"Tomorrow will be the real battle!"

Sakuragi, clutching his head full of bumps, squatted on the ground, wincing in pain but still managing to talk back.

"Stop pretending, you gorilla!"

"While we were eating barbecue and watching the replay, I don't know who was laughing so hard their mouth was practically stretched to the back of their head!"

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

Akagi's dark face flushed bright red instantly, and he nervously clenched his fist to cover it up.

"I was thinking about tomorrow's tactics!"

In the corner, Lin Bei leaned against the windowsill, chewing on a mint.

Watching these lively characters causing a ruckus, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself: these guys really have a calm and collected mindset.

On the other side, Rukawa Kaede, wearing headphones, leaned against the wall pretending to be asleep, completely immune to the noise from the outside world.

"Ring ring—"

The bedside phone suddenly rang.

Yasuda, who was closest, quickly grabbed the microphone.

"Hello, this is the Shohoku High School basketball team... Ah? Please wait a moment!"

Yasuda covered the microphone, looking somewhat flustered: "Captain, it's for you!"

Akagi frowned as he took the microphone: "This is Akagi."

A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone: "I am Tang Ze from Shenze University of Physical Education."

"Coach Tang... Coach Tang Ze?!"

Akagi's eyes widened like copper bells, his back straightened abruptly, and his voice cracked.

The moment those four words were uttered, it was as if the room had been put on pause.

Sakuragi and his friends, who were arguing, immediately shut up and all turned their gazes toward them.

"Is Fukasawa Tai-tai?"

Mitsui lowered his voice, his face full of disbelief.

"The dominant force in college basketball?"

"They're here to poach you? Captain, you're amazing!" Miyagi winked wildly.

On the other end of the phone, Coach Tang Ze's tone was full of praise.

Congratulations on your successful start!

"I watched the match against Toyotama today; they were very spirited."

Thank you for your attention.

Akagi even softened his breathing, his tone extremely respectful.

"However, Akagi..."

"The main event, however, is tomorrow."

Tang Ze changed the subject abruptly, and one could feel the heavy pressure even through the receiver.

Akagi gripped the microphone tightly, the veins on the back of his hand throbbing.

"If you want to prove yourself on the national stage, tomorrow will be the best test."

Tang Ze's voice was deep and confident: "Sannoh Industrial... is very powerful."

The phone hangs up.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"That's so exaggerated..."

Kiminobu Kogure swallowed hard.

"Even the coach from Fukasawa Sports University values ​​Sannoh so much..."

……

Meanwhile, at a luxury hotel in downtown Hiroshima.

The heavy blackout curtains were drawn tightly shut, and the room was dark.

The fluorescent blue light from the large television screen shone on the faces of a dozen tall, buzz-cut teenagers.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

This is the King of Sannoh Industries.

Head coach Goro Domoto stood beside the screen.

"First, keep a close eye on the opponents you'll be responsible for tomorrow."

"Find out what they are good at and what they are afraid of."

"Try to understand their attacking habits and temperament."

"Once you've reviewed everything in your minds, we'll make specific arrangements."

Domoto pressed the play button, and a recording of Shohoku's game against Toyotama appeared on the screen.

"Zebei".

Domoto's gaze swept over the boy in the first row who was yawning.

"I'm here."

Sawakita Eiji rested his chin on his hand and responded lazily.

"Besides number 11, keep a close eye on number 16 as well."

"These two people are the biggest variables tomorrow."

Zebei then lifted his eyelids.

Looking at the extremely arrogant figure on the screen, a smile appeared on his lips.

"Don't worry, Coach."

Domoto didn't reply, but instead pressed the pause button: "Start the analysis."

Goro Domoto pushed open the door and entered the corridor.

Several media professionals wearing press passes had been waiting impatiently.

The senior reporter leading the group quickly came up to them with a big smile: "As expected of Coach Domoto, he's really taking this seriously even against a C-level team."

The reporter's pen flew across the paper as he wrote: "Based on this attitude of not underestimating their opponents, Sannoh will definitely be the champion this year."

Domoto Goro stopped in his tracks, facing the camera without even blinking.

"It's not so much about being cautious as it is about being cautious."

He said calmly, "Sannoh is indeed strong, but the players are high school students after all. Their mentality is unstable, so it's not surprising that something could happen."

He straightened his suit sleeves, exuding an air of absolute rationality.

"In a single-elimination tournament, there is no room for trial and error."

"I have to give it my all in every match, excuse me."

Watching Domoto's retreating figure, the reporter glanced at the recording pen and couldn't help but sigh:

"This is a true king."