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

Kazunari Fukatsu was wiping the sweat off his neck with a towel.

Hearing this, he stopped what he was doing and turned his head.

He looked at Aida with his perpetually expressionless face, and after a second, nodded.

"Sure."

The corners of Aida Yayoi's eyes twitched slightly.

She wasn't quite used to Fukatsu's strange verbal tic.

But she quickly got back into work mode.

"Everyone agrees that your school is currently the absolute strongest in high school basketball."

"So, throughout the entire national tournament, which team do you think will pose a real threat to you?"

Aida Yayoi handed over the recorder, her eyes filled with anticipation.

She thought Fukatsu would officially mention established powerhouses like "Meihou Industrial" and "Aiwa Academy".

Kazunari Fukatsu stared at the microphone for two seconds, his calm eyes showing no emotion.

No.

His voice was as calm as if he were stating "I'll have lunch tonight" naturally.

Aida Yayoi was stunned.

That's it?

That's incredibly arrogant!

Even though you're in first place, aren't you even willing to pretend to be humble?

Just as Aida Yayoi was frantically trying to figure out how to respond and defuse the awkward situation, Fukatsu Kazunari suddenly pulled out a smile that was even uglier than a grimace on his expressionless face.

"Haha, just kidding."

Fukatsu Kazunari stared straight at Aida Yayoi.

"All the participating teams are threatening."

"We won't underestimate our opponent."

"..."

Aida Yayoi's lips twitched violently.

She had the illusion that a flock of crows flew overhead.

Her hand holding the recorder froze in mid-air, completely unsure of what expression to make.

"Fakatsu, you're playing tricks on the reporters again!"

Suddenly, a thick arm reached out and grabbed Fukatsu's neck.

Masashi Kawada, stroking his bald head, stood like an iron tower in front of Yayoi Aida.

He grinned, revealing his white teeth, and his rugged face showed apology.

"Ms. Aida, I'm so sorry."

That's just how he talks, don't mind him.

"It's...it's okay." Aida Yayoi chuckled dryly, taking the opportunity to back down.

Masashi Kawata loosened his grip on Fukatsu, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

A sharp glint flashed in those large, bell-like eyes, like a raptor sizing up its prey.

"Ms. Aida, I heard that you watched many of the Kanagawa Prefecture preliminary matches."

Masashi Kawata lowered his voice slightly, but it carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

"Excuse me, Shohoku...?"

"What kind of team are they exactly?"

Aida Yayoi was slightly taken aback.

Unexpectedly, Sannoh's key inside player would take the initiative to inquire about Shohoku's situation.

Masashi Kawata scratched his chin, his brows furrowing slightly, and glanced at the university team drinking water on the sidelines.

"The coach specially invited alumni to participate in tomorrow's match."

"Use their height and skills to create a hypothetical Shohoku team for targeted training..."

Kawada paused, his tone becoming extremely serious.

"But when a fight broke out, I always felt something was off."

"The feeling of that game just now was completely different from the feeling we got from watching the Shohoku videotapes over and over again."

"Their center, Akagi, is strong, but I'm confident I can control him."

"That red-haired newcomer has an exaggerated jumping ability, but his technique is too rough."

Masashi Kawata narrowed his eyes, and the image of that monstrous figure in the videotape—wearing the number 16 jersey and with a languid gaze—appeared in his mind.

"What really makes me feel uncomfortable... is that guy named Lin Bei."

Kawada's voice carried a hint of extremely rare apprehension.

"The senior students simply couldn't simulate the oppressive presence of number 16 on the court."

"That guy's playing style... I can't quite put my finger on it."

Hearing Kawada's assessment of Hayashi, Aida Yayoi sighed with deep empathy.

"Because they were originally different teams."

Aida Yayoi closed her notebook and looked intently at the two Sannoh core members in front of her.

"Those senior students may have solid skills, but they are college students after all, and their playing style has developed a fixed tactical system and the composure of adults."

Aida Yayoi's eyes became unusually sharp.

"College students are too 'rational' and of course they can't perfectly simulate the wild, chaotic and destructive characteristics of Shohoku."

After listening, Masashi Kawada fell into deep thought.

"So that's it, it's because it lacks that unreasonable 'wildness'...."

The dry humor on Kazunari Fukatsu's face completely vanished.

He turned his head and looked at Coach Domoto, who was sitting on the bench by the field, remaining silent.

"Coach." Fukatsu's voice rang out in the empty arena.

"Let's watch Shohoku's videotape one more time tonight."

Domoto Goro stood up.

The renowned general who led the Mountain King to build his dynasty stood with his arms crossed, his gaze as steady as a mountain.

His face showed no joy after a resounding victory, only an almost obsessive calmness.

"Fakatsu, you think the same way I do."

Domoto Goro strode over and clapped his hands at the entire Sannoh crew.

"Everyone, pack your gear and get to your rooms immediately."

Domoto's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

"Tonight, we're going to break down the Shohoku video footage frame by frame."

"yes!"

The generals of the Mountain King responded in unison.

They quickly shouldered their sports bags and filed towards the players' tunnel.

Not a single person complained of being tired.

No one showed any disdain because they were about to face a C-level team.

This team, hailed as the strongest since the school's founding, is terrifying not only because of its overflowing talent.

More importantly, it lies in their ascetic discipline and their extreme thirst for victory.

In just one minute, the bustling stadium was completely empty.

The basketball court lights were still on, and only Goro Domoto and Yayoi Aida remained on the court.

Aida Yayoi looked at Domoto and couldn't help but speak.

"Coach Domoto, Shohoku is indeed very strong; they even defeated Toyotama."

"But you just showed the ability to crush college All-Stars."

"Is it really necessary to be this cautious when dealing with a team that's making its national debut?"

Domoto Goro stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, his deep gaze fixed on the crisscrossing sneaker scratches on the floor.

"Ms. Aida."

"I dare say that if it were a conventional positional game, Shohoku's overall basketball skills would never be more mature or perfect than those college alumni."

Domoto Goro raised his head, his eyes revealing a chilling sharpness.

"However, basketball is never just a simple accumulation of statistics."

"In the eyes of that boy named Lin Bei, I saw a violence and an unfathomable abyss that even Ze Bei never possessed."

"As long as that number 16 is on the field..."

"The Shohoku team is full of variables that defy all common sense."