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

A flame instantly ignited in Rukawa Kaede's eyes.

That's the hunter's desire when he sees his top prey: "I'll blow him to bits."

After arranging the four pairings, Coach Anzai paused for a moment and took a sip of tea.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was already impatient; he was jumping around like a gorilla with its butt on fire.

He even brought his big face close to Coach Anzai's, his nostrils flaring:

"Dad! What about me?"

"What about me? What about this genius?!"

"Should I go and defend against that broom-haired Sendoh?"

"That monkey boss will do too."

"Only a genius like myself can handle this task of turning the tide!"

Coach Anzai chuckled, a sharp glint flashing in his glasses.

At that moment, Takenori Akagi reached out a large hand and pressed down on Sakuragi's restless head like pressing a basketball.

He forcibly turned his gaze toward the rest area of ​​Ryonan.

"Idiot, look over there."

Sakuragi followed Akagi's finger and looked in that direction.

On the bench in Ryonan, sat a guy with a peculiar style.

The man had long, messy hair and narrow, slightly droopy eyes.

Thick lips, and a gloomy expression as if he had just been owed five million.

He was looking down, staring intently at the floor, radiating an unsettling aura, as if he had his own "keep away" background music playing.

Akagi said in a deep voice, "That's Ryonan's starting power forward, Fukuda Kichijou."

"Fukuda?" Sakuragi blinked, looking completely bewildered.

"That's right."

"He didn't play in the practice match."

"I heard he was suspended because his offense was too strong but his defense was too weak, plus his personality issues."

"But now he is a sharp knife hidden in Ryonan's sleeve."

"Sakuragi, your mission is to completely shut him down."

Akagi released his grip, his expression becoming unusually serious.

Sakuragi looked disgusted.

"Huh? This gloomy guy?"

"This genius can do it with just one finger..."

Just then, the guy named Fukuda seemed to sense something and slowly raised his head.

His gaze cut through the crowd and landed precisely on Sakuragi Hanamichi.

It was a look of extreme longing for attention, an extremely hungry look.

It's like a wolf that's been starving for three days and three nights suddenly spotting a piece of juicy pork belly.

Fukuda slowly moved his stiff neck, making a cracking sound.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was stunned for a moment.

Then, the corners of his mouth suddenly turned upwards, revealing his signature, provocative, wicked grin.

"Hmph, so his name is Afu."

Sakuragi clenched his fist, a fierce fighting spirit burning in his eyes—the instinct of a wild beast.

"Although he seems like an insignificant nobody..."

"But since it's Father's arrangement, this genius will reluctantly revert you to your original form!"

"Let me show you what true genius defense looks like!"

"beep--!"

The referee's long whistle pierced the sky.

"The match begins! Starting lineups from both sides enter the field!"

Lin Bei sighed, stood up from the bench, and casually patted Sakuragi's butt; it felt nice.

"Let's go, you red-haired monkey."

"Don't hold us back, or I'll sell your new sneakers on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace) and use the proceeds to buy Coke."

"You bastard Lin Bei! What did you say?! That's my treasure! If you dare touch it, I'll fight you to the death!"

The five members of Shohoku walked side by side to the center of the court.

The decisive battle is about to begin.

……

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!"

On the radio, the commentator's voice was distorted by the static.

But it carried a restless energy that seemed ready to tear the roof off, directly shattering the noisy crowd in the stadium.

"Now we're about to begin the grand finale of today's county competition!"

"On one side is the biggest dark horse of this tournament, the team that fought their way in—Shohoku High School!"

"On the other side is last year's top four, the powerhouse team with 'genius Sendoh'—Ryonan High School!"

In the stands, Yohei Mito raised an eyebrow and nudged Nozomi Takamiya, who was stuffing popcorn into her mouth, with his elbow.

"Hey, Takamiya, did the county-level competition used to be this fancy? With introductions too?"

"Hmm... I don't know."

Takamiya Nozomi struggled to swallow the mouthful of carbohydrates, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster's.

"Is it because Shohoku's roster this year is just too overpowered?"

"There's that simpleton in flower arrangement, and Lin Bei and the others."

Yohei looked thoughtfully at the crowd below the court: "It's like an NBA All-Star game... But the atmosphere is definitely getting heated."

At that moment, the spotlight in the center of the stadium suddenly shone.

"First up, in their red jerseys—Shohoku High School!"

"Number 4, Center, Takenori Akagi!"

As the announcement blared, Takenori Akagi stepped out of the ranks with a dark expression.

His physique made him look less like a high school student and more like a moving black iron tower, with each step he took on the floor seemingly accompanied by a "thump-thump" sound.

"Oh! Oh! The gorilla is here!"

"Akagi! The man who dominates the paint!"

In the front row of the audience, a sophisticated woman with short, neat hair pushed up her glasses and twirled her pen rapidly.

She is Hikoichi Aida's older sister, Yayoi Aida, a well-known journalist.

"Akagi Takenori..."

She circled the name heavily in her notebook, "This beast is finally about to break free of its cage."

"Next up, number 7, defender, Ryota Miyagi!"

Ryota Miyagi rolled up his wristband, a signature wicked smile playing on his lips.

The moment he stepped out of the line, he naturally reached his hand to the side.

"Fertile land!"

Ayako waved a folding fan in her hand, her eyes unusually devoid of murderous intent, filled only with gentleness:

"Go! Take us to the national competition!"

Miyagi was stunned for a second.

His eyes immediately lit up, and he looked like he'd been injected with a ton of adrenaline.

"Snapped!"

He and Ayako gave each other a high five, and the crisp sound made him feel even better than when he scored a goal.

"Leave it to me, Ayako!"

Miyagi turned around, raised one hand, and basked in the cheers.

That was his background music.

In the blink of an eye, it went online.

"Number 10, Power Forward, Sakuragi Hanamichi!"

As soon as the name was announced, the sound waves in the audience instantly rose eight octaves, but it was mixed with a lot of "Holy crap" and exclamations.

"Hey, is that red-haired guy Sakuragi?"

"I heard he's a monster rookie?"

"He looks so fierce, are you sure he's not a gangster?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had originally wanted to strike a cool pose, had veins throbbing on his forehead after hearing these comments.

Just then, a heavenly sound came from the corner of the stands.

"Sakuragi-kun—!"

"Keep it up—!"

Haruko Akagi cupped her hands together and waved frantically, her cheeks flushed like an apple.

Sakuragi, who originally had a fierce and menacing look, suddenly changed his style and became a chibi-style two-headed figure.

"Oh ho ho ho! Haruko-san is watching me!"

"This genius feels like his chakra is about to overflow!"

She twisted into a noodle shape as if floating on air, her face flushed with two suspicious red patches.

"Number 11, Small Forward, Rukawa Kaede!"

"Aaaaaahh ...

If the previous cheers were enthusiastic, then this one was like a zombie apocalypse.

The screams of Rukawa Kaede's fan club were enough to pierce eardrums, and the neatly arranged "Rukawa's Destiny" banner was instantly unfurled, creating an atmosphere comparable to a fan meeting.

Rukawa Kaede walked onto the stage expressionlessly, his eyes cold.

He ignored the screams around him, his gaze sweeping across the court and locking onto the languid figure in the Ryonan rest area.

On the bench, Kogure adjusted his glasses:

"Rukawa's killing intent is really strong today."

"Yes." Kakuta shrank his neck.

"In his heart, Sendoh was probably the only prey."