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

Those audience members who once mocked him as the "King of Exiting the Show" and an "Outsider" are now gone.

At that moment, everyone stood up and generously applauded the red-haired boy.

This is recognition of the strong.

It's a tribute to that earth-shattering dunk.

Sakuragi was stunned.

He stared blankly at the roaring stands, at the crowd cheering for him.

An unprecedented electric current flowed through his body, causing his simple heart to pound violently.

Is this... what it feels like to be a hero?

"Hehe...hehehe..."

Sakuragi scratched the back of his head, his cheeks flushed, and a silly grin reappeared on his face.

"As expected, everyone has discovered my genius!"

Just then.

A hand was placed on his shoulder.

Rukawa Kaede stood on the field, his eyes still cold, but his tone was unusually serious.

"Leave the rest to me."

Sakuragi's eyes widened as if he could see the sun rising in the west.

"Hmph! If you lose, this genius won't let you off!"

"I will not lose."

Rukawa Kaede turned around, his back view showing aloofness and determination.

……

The highest point of the stands.

Several figures dressed in purple coats were watching all of this with solemn expressions.

Affiliated to Hainan University.

King Mu Shen crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on Lin Bei, who was being helped off the field by his teammates.

"That rookie point guard's interception and pass at the end was the key to killing the game."

"To maintain such a calm mind and accurate predictions even when physically exhausted..."

"What a terrifying fellow," Maki Shinichi said in a deep voice.

"It seems the landscape of Kanagawa is about to change."

A majestic voice rang out.

Gao Touli, the coach from Hainan, appeared behind the group at some point.

He waved his folding fan, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"Kenji Fujima has done more than enough as a player and coach."

"But unfortunately..."

Gao Touli's folding fan snapped shut with a sharp sound.

"Two incredible 'monsters' have emerged in Shohoku."

"Especially that kid named Lin Bei, his existence completely disrupted the conventional tactical system."

"Fujima's era has come to an end."

Kiyota Nobunaga, standing beside him, opened his mouth wide, wanting to retort, but found his throat too dry to speak.

Even Coach Gao Tou said that...

Is that guy who only sleeps really that strong?

On the other side.

Sendoh Akira of Ryonan stroked his chin, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"That's really interesting."

"Looks like this year won't be boring."

……

Lin Bei felt like a lump of mud, unable to even lift his legs.

"Hey, Sakuragi."

Lin Bei called out weakly.

"what?"

"This genius is very busy right now, enjoying the cheers." Sakuragi kept blowing kisses to the audience.

"Carry me on your back."

"Huh? What did you say?" Sakuragi stared wide-eyed.

"I can't walk anymore, carry me back."

Lin Bei said matter-of-factly, "I was the one who passed that ball to you just now."

Sakuragi pursed his lips, looking disgusted.

"Tch, this genius got in by sheer skill."

Despite saying that, Sakuragi still squatted down.

"Come on up!"

"What a troublesome guy! Just this once!"

Lin Bei didn't stand on ceremony and immediately lay down on Sakuragi's broad back.

"Wow, it's pretty sturdy."

"Nonsense! Those are the back muscles of a genius!"

This scene was both comical and heartwarming.

A giant man with red hair was carrying a boy who appeared to be asleep on his back.

Amid cheers from the crowd, he slowly walked back to the bench.

This moment seemed to be frozen in time forever.

Brain and body.

Intelligence and talent.

This summer, the most perfect fusion was achieved.

There are 40 seconds left in the game.

With Fujima no longer able to contain them, Shohoku replaced him with the defensively reliable Kogure.

Although they lost Linbei's organization and Sakuragi's rebounding, Shohoku's momentum had completely overwhelmed Shoyo.

"Defense!!"

Takenori Akagi roared under the basket, like an insurmountable gatekeeper.

"Defend this ball at all costs!!"

Mitsui Hisashi gritted his teeth, dragging his heavy legs, and clung tightly to his opponent.

Using his speed, Miyagi Ryota disrupted Shoyo's passing like an annoying fly.

Rukawa took over the offense, delivering a sharp breakthrough pass to Akagi for a layup.

70: 60.

The difference has reached double digits.

Xiangyang completely broke down.

Kenji Fujima stood on the sidelines, watching the numbers flashing on the scoreboard, and tears finally welled up in his eyes.

He knew it was all over.

"beep--!!!"

As the final whistle blew.

The entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.

The score was 70-62.

Shohoku High School defeated last year's second-place seeded team, Shoyo High School!

"We won!!! We won!!!"

The Shohoku players rushed onto the court and surrounded Akagi and Coach Anzai.

Lin Bei lay on Sakuragi's back, listening to the deafening cheers around him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

A strong feeling of drowsiness washed over me.

This time, he can finally get a good night's sleep.

"Well done, everyone..."

He muttered something to himself, then his head lolled to the side and he lost consciousness completely.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the mission]

[Rewards being processed...]

The system notification sounded in his mind, but Lin Bei could no longer hear it.

In the stands.

Mu Shenyi stood up, straightened his collar, and his eyes were sharp as knives.

"Let's go."

"Go and get ready."

"The opponent for the final has been determined."

The final round of the Kanagawa Prefecture tournament.

Shohoku, here we come!

……

The commotion in the stands finally subsided like the receding tide.

The red numbers on the scoreboard were still glaring: 70:62.

That arrogant Shohoku, that powerhouse team that claimed to be the second strongest in Kanagawa.

And so they fell at the feet of a group of "bad kids" wearing white jerseys.

The audience left reluctantly, but the discussion continued.

The topics were nothing more than that red-haired dunk and that rookie point guard who took over the game in the final moments.

Passageway entrance.

The students from Ryonan High School were preparing to leave.

Taoka Shigeichi stopped and looked back at the direction of the Shoyo rest area.

There, Kenji Fujima had a towel over his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

There were no heart-wrenching cries, only a suffocating silence.

"Coach, let's go."

Sendoh Akira had his hands in his pockets, a casual smile on his face as always.

"Um."

Taoka Shigeichi withdrew his gaze and let out a heavy sigh.

The sigh was long, tinged with regret and a sense of shared sorrow.

Taoka shook his head, put his hands behind his back, and walked out, his voice low as if he were talking to himself.

"Fujima is a promising talent..."

"He is both a star player and a team coach."

"This burden is too heavy for a high school student..."

"It's just too heavy."