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

"Both teams are holding back their trump cards, but the current situation is very unfavorable for Shohoku."

"The second reason is fatigue."

Taoka pointed to the panting Shohoku players on the field.

"Shohoku is the challenger, and they are always in a state of high tension."

"When facing a strong team like Shohoku that uses its height to constantly apply pressure, the physical and mental fatigue will increase exponentially."

"Listen up, Yan Yi."

Taoka's voice turned serious.

"If the score difference is in single digits, that is, within 9 points at the end of the first half, Shohoku might still have a chance to catch up in the second half."

"But what if it's a two-digit number..."

"The psychological pressure is completely different."

"Once the point difference becomes more than 10 points, the tension that Shohoku is under will break."

"The gap will only widen in the second half until it collapses."

Yan broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, his pen flying across the paper as he jotted down notes: "I see... Did this final attack decide Shohoku's fate?!"

Before the words were even finished, the offense and defense on the field had already reached a fever pitch.

Shohoku has possession of the ball for the final attack.

Ito Taku steadily controlled the timing, only starting the engine in the last 8 seconds.

The ball was handed to Hanagata without any doubt.

"Score another goal! Crush them completely!"

Hanagata, facing Akagi from behind, felt the heavy pressure coming from behind him.

"Akagi, your strength is indeed formidable, but..."

The flower shape suddenly swayed to the left, then turned to the right, leaning its body backward dramatically.

It's that fadeaway jumper again!

"Don't even think about it!!"

Akagi Takenori roared, his eyes turning bloodshot as he unleashed all his power.

He lunged forward without hesitation, his long arms almost completely blocking the bottom edge of the basketball.

"What?!"

Hanagata was surprised, not expecting that Akagi could jump so high despite having such great stamina.

Due to the interference, the flower shape's attack posture was slightly distorted.

"box!!"

The basketball slammed heavily against the back of the rim and bounced high into the air.

"rebound!!"

At that moment, everyone held their breath.

That rebound determined whether the point difference was 9 or 11 points, whether it was heaven or hell.

Hanagata Toru, Takano Shoichi, and Nagano Mitsuru.

The three tall men from Xiangyang jumped at the same time, blocking out the sky like three mountains.

Akagi has lost his position because of the cover he just sealed.

"It's over..." Haruko covered her eyes.

Just as those three large green hands were about to touch the basketball.

A red lightning bolt, without warning, tore through the restricted area filled with tall people.

Give me the ball!

Accompanied by a beast-like roar.

Sakuragi Hanamichi soared into the sky through the gap between the three.

His jumping ability reached its peak at that moment.

He seemed to defy gravity, his head even looking straight at the basketball hoop.

Above a group of people who are 190 centimeters tall.

Those red and black Jordan shoes seemed to be burning with flames.

*Smack!*

Sakuragi Hanamichi gripped the basketball tightly with both hands in mid-air, squeezing it as if he wanted to burst it.

"What?!"

The flower-shaped pupils contracted violently.

Sakuragi even performed a hovering combat maneuver in mid-air.

He forcefully knocked the three people from Xiangyang aside and then crashed to the ground.

"beep--!!"

The whistle blew at the end of the first half.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood between three tall players from Shohoku, holding the ball, his chest heaving and his nostrils flaring.

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes sweeping fiercely across the entire room before finally settling on Hanagata.

"Who gave you permission to...?"

"He grabbed the rebound over a genius?"

The entire room fell silent.

Then, a thunderous cheer erupted.

"Well done! Hanamichi!!" Yohei Mito was so excited he almost fell off the stands.

As Akagi watched the red-haired figure's retreating figure, his tense nerves finally relaxed, and a hint of relief appeared on his lips.

"That idiot..."

The score at halftime was 22-31.

9 points.

With a single-digit point difference, Shohoku held onto their last hope.

The Shohoku team dragged their heavy steps back to the bench.

Exhaustion was etched on everyone's face, and sweat dripped onto the floor like rain.

Although they managed to hold on to a single-digit point difference, the 9-point deficit still weighed heavily on their minds.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Just then, an untimely voice rang out.

"Oh, you're back?"

Lin Bei sat on a bench, holding a freshly opened bottle of mineral water, and handed it to Sakuragi who was walking over.

"That was a good rebound."

Sakuragi snatched the water and gulped down a large mouthful.

Then he wiped his mouth and glared at Lin Bei:

"Of course! This genius is the rebounding king!"

"but……"

"We're still far behind."

Sakuragi glanced at the scoreboard, his eyes dimming slightly.

Lin Bei smiled but didn't reply.

He stretched out a big yawn, and his joints cracked all over.

That languid air vanished in an instant, replaced by a heart-stopping tranquility.

Lin Bei tugged at his jersey collar and said to Coach Anzai.

"Coach, let me play in the second half."

For Lin Bei, sitting on the bench watching the score fall behind was more agonizing than running on the field.

Coach Anzai sat in a chair, holding a teacup in his hand.

They were not happy about Lin Bei's volunteering.

Instead, a white light flashed across the old man's glasses, and he slowly shook his head.

"Hehehe... Lin Bei, don't be in such a hurry."

"But..." Lin Beigang was about to retort.

Coach Anzai raised his hand to interrupt him, turning his gaze to the Shohoku rest area on the other side of the court.

There, Kenji Fujima was calmly giving his team members tactical instructions using a tactical board.

"Look, he hasn't even gone on stage yet."

Coach Anzai's voice was steady and deep.

"It's not time for a clash of titans yet."

"and……"

The old man turned his head and looked at the red-haired boy who was surrounded by the Sakuragi Army.

"We must trust our teammates, and trust Sakuragi."

Lin Bei followed Anxi's gaze.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was standing there, looking like a wilted eggplant.

He was still muttering to himself about not being able to make a big splash in the first half.

The members of Sakuragi's gang also came to Sakuragi's side.

"Flower arrangement! Cheer up!"

Yohei Mito slapped Sakuragi on the back.

"That buzzer-beating rebound was absolutely awesome!"

While stuffing potato chips into his mouth, Takamiya Nozomi mumbled incoherently in agreement:

"Exactly!"

"That last jump was just like a frog's leap!"

"They scared those giraffes in Shohoku to death!"

"Enough! Are you bunch of bastards here to mock this genius?!"

Sakuragi's face flushed slightly as he brandished his fists, ready to teach his troublesome friends a lesson.

Just then.

A gentle voice, like a spring breeze, dispelled the dark clouds above the cherry tree.

"Sakuragi-kun".

Haruko Akagi also ran down from the stands.

He clenched his fists and placed them on his chest, his big eyes shining with admiration.

"That rebound was absolutely amazing!"