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

"Splash!"

Miyagi kicked a pebble away in frustration.

He stopped, his hands tucked tightly into his large trouser pockets, his shoulders slumped.

There was not a trace of the unruly aura the Special Forces usually displayed on the court.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Ayako stopped walking, her paper fan ceasing its waving.

As the team manager, she knew this boy all too well.

From the moment she started watching the videotape, Miyagi's emotions were on the verge of breaking.

Miyagi lowered his head, staring intently at his basketball shoes.

The night breeze couldn't dispel the dryness in his voice.

"call……"

Miyagi Nagashi exhaled and dropped his disguise.

"Ayako, tell me... why are all my opponents so strong?"

Sakuragi, standing behind the artificial hill, was stunned.

In Sakuragi's eyes, Miyagi will always be that audacious "Ryo" who dares to go head-to-head with the center.

But now, the voice is filled with confusion and fear.

Ayako didn't say anything, she just looked at him quietly.

"The one who will beat Shoyo is Kenji Fujima."

"That guy is amazing; he can see right through me."

Miyagi rubbed his face vigorously, his voice filled with anxiety.

"The one attacking Hainan is Amu... that guy is like a charging wild bull!"

"One impact and my bones would fall apart."

"I ran for my life, but he was like an iron wall, and I couldn't get over it no matter how hard I tried."

"In the end, Lin Bei always had to clean up my mess."

Ayako frowned slightly, but continued to listen attentively.

"And this time..."

Miyagi swallowed hard, his voice strained, "It's the captain of Sannoh, Fukatsu Kazunari."

The moment the name was mentioned, even Sakuragi behind the artificial hill felt the air grow colder.

That top point guard, like a precision gear, who could even completely suppress Amu.

"and……"

"These guys... damn it! Each one of them is at least 10 centimeters taller than me!"

Miyagi gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

Height is the cruelest physical law in the world of basketball.

At this moment, it felt like a mountain pressing down on the back of this 168cm tall boy.

"Oh shit……"

He muttered a curse under his breath, his back completely bent over.

The cherry tree behind the tree was quiet.

He often jokes about Miyagi's height.

Only at this moment did he understand how much pressure Miyagi carried with each breakthrough, standing among those monsters over two meters tall.

The night breeze carried the moisture from the artificial lake, smearing the early summer heat onto people's faces like paste.

Ryota Miyagi's head drooped so low it almost fell into his chest, his eyes fixed on his toes.

Those sneakers felt as heavy as if they were filled with cement.

As soon as the image of Kazunari Fukatsu's deadpan face flashes through my mind, that monster who is as flawless as a precision instrument, I can't help but think of him.

His speed, which he was so proud of, was practically a joke.

168 cm.

This number was like a curse, suffocating him.

Ayako didn't say anything, but looked at him with her arms crossed.

There was not a trace of sympathy in those beautiful eyes, only sparks of disappointment and frustration.

Suddenly, she raised her fan and brought it down.

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound was like a firecracker going off in the quiet garden.

The paper fan struck with pinpoint accuracy, landing squarely on Miyagi's curly-haired head.

"Holy crap!"

"Ayako, you murdered your husband... oh no, why are you hitting me!"

Miyagi clutched his head and jumped up and down, his face contorted in pain.

"What are you so discouraged about?"

"Miyagi Ryota!"

Ayako stood with her hands on her hips, her paper fan poking Miyagi's nose, her eyebrows raised in anger.

"So what if there's a height difference? So what if there's an iron wall?"

"Is this still the same special operations captain who dared to fight Mitsui and was fearless?"

Miyagi froze, her hand trembling slightly as she covered her head.

Ayako took a deep breath, her tone softening slightly, but every word was like a nail:

"Miyagi, have you forgotten?"

"When you played against Shohoku in the prefectural tournament, facing Kenji Fujima, what were you bragging about to me back then?"

Kenji Fujima.

The name was like a bucket of ice water, instantly waking Miyagi up.

yes……

At that time, Fujima was also a star in Kanagawa, and a big shot he looked up to.

But was he afraid at the time?

not at all.

Once the floodgates of memory opened, all the images came flooding back.

During the county competition, he stared into Cai Zi's eyes and boasted loudly.

"If I take him down, I'll be the best point guard!"

Thump. Thump.

My heart started pounding again, and my blood was heating up once more.

"yes……"

Miyagi slowly lowered his hand, and his previously hunched back gradually straightened.

The confusion in his eyes faded, replaced by a ferocity like that of a wild dog.

"If I can beat Fukatsu... I'll be the best point guard in the country!"

Ayako looked at the small flame that had rekindled in his eyes, and a smile finally appeared on her lips.

She was just about to strike while the iron was hot and say something gentle.

Just at this crucial moment when the atmosphere was ambiguous and pink bubbles were about to overflow.

"Hahahaha!"

A burst of maniacal, demonic laughter erupted.

Immediately afterwards, a huge red figure, with the momentum of a "tiger descending the mountain," pounced out directly from behind the artificial hill!

"Ugh—!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi's arm, thicker than a thigh, locked around Miyagi's neck from behind.

The immense inertia nearly carried Miyagi, who had just regained his confidence, away.

"Little Liang! You've been caught by this genius!"

Sakuragi grinned so wide his eyes disappeared, looking like a big monkey who had just snatched a banana.

With his other hand, he frantically ruffled Miyagi's hair.

"Hahaha! I knew you were being so indecisive, turns out you haven't won her over yet!"

"You scared me to death! I thought you were going to betray the 'Single Dog Alliance' and find a partner on your own!"

The tragic, passionate, and fervent emotions that had just been brewing were now fully formed.

Under Sakuragi's double blow of physical and mental damage, it was shattered into nothingness.

Miyagi's entire face turned a deep liver color.

Half of it was from being strangled, and the other half from being choked.

"Sakuragi?!"

"You idiot, what are you doing here!"

Ayako was startled and almost dropped the folding fan.

"Flower arrangement? Didn't you go back to your room to sleep?"

Miyagi desperately pried open Sakuragi's iron grip, turned his head, gritted his teeth, and roared in a low voice:

"You bastard... why did you have to cause trouble at this time!"

"My 'self-inflicted suffering' plan! Ayako was about to feel sorry for me, just one last step away!"

"A self-inflicted injury ruse?"

"oh--!"

"So you were just pretending to be pitiful to get Ayako's sympathy!"

"That's despicable! As a righteous, single genius, I absolutely cannot tolerate this kind of sneaking around!"

Sakuragi was taken aback, then suddenly realized what was going on, pointed at Miyagi and laughed like a goose.

"Who said you're part of the singles' alliance?! Get the hell out of here!"

The two instantly began to wrestle.

The suffocating pressure of the pre-match battle was completely washed away by this pointless brawl between elementary school kids.

……

A few minutes later.

The three of them walked along the cobblestone path, playfully bickering as they made their way to the hotel entrance.

The summer nights in Hiroshima are stifling and oppressive, while distant neon lights paint the city in a kaleidoscope of colors.

"Alright, stop fooling around, we have a competition tomorrow."

Ayako gave each of them a fan, stopping the two childish kids who were still trying to trip each other up.

Just as we were about to walk out of the green belt and reach the small square in front of the hotel.

All three braked suddenly at the same time.

Under the dim yellow streetlights ahead, three long shadows were cast.

The moth, oblivious to its own danger, crashed into the light bulb, making a "pattering" sound.

The three of them stood there silently, the atmosphere heavy as if they were at a funeral.

"Aren't those... the gorillas?"