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

The sky was gradually darkening.

In a secluded alley in Hiroshima, the red lanterns of an izakaya sway in the summer breeze.

The shop was filled with the aroma of grilled skewers and the rich scent of sake.

Two elderly men with gray hair sat side by side in front of the bar.

"ha--"

Coach Kitano downed the sake in his glass in one gulp.

After swallowing the spicy liquor, I breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned his head to look at Coach Anzai, who was holding a teacup and standing as steady as a mountain, and shook his head with a smile.

"Anzai, I really didn't expect you to still be a coach."

"I heard you quit your college coaching job and disappeared. Who would have thought you'd go and teach high school students?"

Kitano popped a edamame into his mouth, his face full of emotion.

Coach Anzai, holding a teacup, his glasses reflecting the dim light, smiled but didn't say a word.

"Your students played really well today."

Kitano's gaze was somewhat unfocused.

"If I were still at Toyotama, our students could have a good, satisfying match on the field, that would be so much fun... What a pity."

Coach Anzai took a sip of tea, a complex emotion flashing in his deep eyes.

After a few drinks, the two paid the bill and left.

The streets were deserted, with only the occasional taxi speeding by, stirring up a gust of sultry summer wind.

The two old-school basketball players walked side by side, taking slow steps.

"Kitano." Coach Anzai suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think... we should show the children the Sannoh video tonight?" Anzai's voice sounded a little heavy in the night wind.

Kitano was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, his face crinkling with wrinkles.

"What? Afraid they'll be upset if they see this?"

"Yeah, those guys from Sannoh, just looking at their physiques is enough to give you a psychological trauma."

It's not that I'm afraid of setbacks.

Coach Anzai continued walking with his hands behind his back, saying, "I was just asking casually."

"It's normal to have worries." Kitano followed slowly.

"On one side is the absolute overlord, and on the other side is a rookie in the national competition. The difference in strength is obvious."

"It's not shameful to watch the video and be so scared that you can't sleep."

Kitano paused, looking at Anzai's broad back, a smile playing on his lips.

"However..."

"Judging from the way your boys behaved today, they don't seem like fragile glass hearts that break at the slightest touch."

Coach Anzai stopped in his tracks.

The cicadas in the roadside trees were chirping their hearts out.

He turned around, and his signature smile appeared on his kind face, like that of Colonel Sanders.

"Oh ho ho ho... I understand."

Coach Anzai nodded. "Thanks."

……

Half an hour later, in a hotel room in Xiangbei.

Everyone assembled.

The crowd, who had been making a ruckus just moments before, now sat around the television, the atmosphere a bit tense.

The door was pushed open, and Coach Anzai's massive frame squeezed in.

He was holding a black videotape with four large characters written on a white label: Sannoh Industrial.

"Sit down, everyone."

Coach Anzai inserted the videotape into the machine and picked up the remote control:

"After reading this, let's discuss our strategy for tomorrow."

The screen flickered twice, and a match between Sannoh and Hainan from last year popped up.

Akagi clenched his fists instinctively, and even his breathing became heavier.

Rukawa Kaede stared intently at the screen, his eyes sharp as if he wanted to stab someone.

It looked like this oppressive feeling was about to engulf everyone in the room.

Suddenly, a red-haired bald man jumped up, pointing at the screen and shouting.

Sakuragi, his face flushed with excitement, grabbed Miyagi by the neck:

"If we can just beat these guys tomorrow, we'll be a genuine AAA team!"

"Right, Dad!"

His disruption shattered the tense atmosphere in the room.

Lin Bei leaned against the corner of the wall, rubbing his temples helplessly, almost bursting out laughing.

This red-haired monkey is truly the cure for all sorts of flashy and oppressive things.

Coach Anzai pushed up his reflective glasses, his broad chin trembling slightly.

That reassuring laughter rang out again.

"Oh ho ho ho..."

Looking at this group of "problem children" who showed no sign of backing down.

Coach Anzai nodded emphatically.

"Of course."

……

The revolving door of the luxury hotel in the city center was pushed open, and a gust of cold air rushed out.

Domoto Goro walked at the very front.

Behind him were all the players from Sannoh Industrial High School, dressed in white tracksuits and sporting buzz cuts.

They left silently, yet with a suffocating sense of oppression.

Outside the hotel lobby,

Several sports reporters who hadn't left yet were squatting by the roadside smoking.

Seeing this scene, a veteran reporter's hand holding a cigarette trembled, and he didn't even notice the ash falling onto his trouser leg.

He quickly grabbed his camera and went to meet him, his voice filled with disbelief:

"Coach Domoto? It's so late, are you... still going to practice?"

"yes."

Domoto Goro stopped in his tracks, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses deep and unfathomable.

"We can't afford to lose tomorrow's match. Let's warm up and keep our muscles excited."

The reporter swallowed hard, glanced at his watch, and realized it was already evening.

To beat Shohoku, a team rated C, this absolute champion team still needs to practice late into the night?

"This...this is way too cautious, isn't it?" the reporter chuckled dryly.

"To be honest, with Sannoh's strength, even if they played with their eyes closed tomorrow, Shohoku still couldn't win."

"When a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength."

Domoto interrupted him calmly, "In my dictionary, there are no absolute weaklings."

"In preparation for tomorrow's competition, I asked a few alumni to help the kids practice a little."

"Alumni?"

The reporter was stunned.

Are they alumni of Sannoh?

Just then, several black taxis slowly pulled up at the intersection.

The car door opened, and several unusually tall figures emerged one after another.

The dim streetlights cast their oppressive shadows.

The reporter looked in the direction of the light and nearly popped his eyes out.

The half-smoked cigarette in his mouth fell to the ground with a "plop".

"That...that is..."

The giant with a buzz cut walking at the front had broad shoulders like a moving wall.

The young men behind him were all muscular and walked with a steady gait.

His every move exudes a sharp aura honed from years of battling in high-level games.

The reporter's breathing became completely erratic, and his heart pounded wildly.

His voice trembled and changed tone:

"Coach Domoto...they're not just ordinary alumni, are they?"

"If I'm not mistaken, those guys... are all superstars in college basketball right now!"

These are monsters who could dominate the college basketball scene if picked up individually.

They were all transported to the streets of Hiroshima by a single phone call from Goro Domoto!

Domoto Goro burst out laughing when he saw the reporter's shocked and distorted face.

"You have a good eye."

Domoto turned his head and looked at the group of university stars walking towards him, his voice particularly cold in the night wind.

"They are the Shohoku team I imagined for tomorrow's game."

A gust of wind blew through the room, making the reporter's scalp tingle.

To deal with an unknown C-level team.

Sannoh actually used an all-star lineup as their hypothetical opponent?

This almost pathological obsession with victory.

It's terrifying.

……

Meanwhile, at another hotel.

The main lights were off in Xiangbei's room.

Only the dim blue light from the television screen flickered on everyone's faces.