The night was as thick as ink, so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve.
Somewhere in Kanagawa stood a run-down neighborhood basketball court.
The chain-link fence was rusted. The paint on the backboard had long since peeled away.
Only the red rim remained, stubbornly holding the last line of defense.
CLANG!
The basketball slammed into the front of the rim and bounced high into the night sky.
Then it rolled weakly into the grass with a rustling sound.
"Haah... haah..."
Sakuragi Hanamichi bent over with his hands on his knees, his lungs working like a pair of broken bellows.
Sweat slid down his trademark red hair and splashed onto the cracked concrete, leaving dark circular stains behind.
"Damn it..."
Straightening up, he wiped his face roughly and glared at the cursed hoop.
Just a little more.
The feeling was right there, at his fingertips.
Like a sheet of paper separating him from something he could almost touch.
Back during the match against Kainan...
That state of absolute concentration.
The world had gone silent.
Only the basket existed in his vision.
Zone.
The so-called "entry ticket to the world of monsters" that his lazy master kept talking about.
"Tch. That sleep-loving bastard, Makino Juro..."
The image of Makino Juro appeared in Sakuragi's mind.
Wearing an eye mask.
Drooling in his sleep.
Yet somehow able to activate his ridiculous cheat mode whenever he wanted on the court.
It was infuriating.
"He's so lazy he can't even be bothered to warm up."
"So how can he enter Zone whenever he feels like it?"
"Where's the justice in that?!"
Grumbling, Sakuragi pushed into the grass to retrieve the ball.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down using the breathing technique Makino Juro had taught him.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Slow down his heartbeat.
Clear away distractions.
Only the ball.
Only the ball.
Only—
WOOF!!
A sharp dog bark exploded beside him.
Sakuragi jumped in shock.
The basketball slipped from his hands and landed squarely on his foot.
"OW OW OW OW OW!!"
Hugging his injured foot, he hopped around on one leg.
The aura of a peerless master he had painstakingly built up shattered instantly.
"Sakuragi-kun?"
A soft, marshmallow-like voice drifted over from beyond the fence.
Sakuragi froze on the spot.
That voice...
Could it be...
A heavenly summons?
He whipped around.
Under the glow of the streetlamp stood Akagi Haruko, holding a small white dog on a leash.
She looked at him with surprise in her eyes.
Dressed casually and carrying a convenience store bag, she seemed to glow beneath the light.
"H-Haruko-san!!"
Sakuragi immediately snapped to attention.
Holding the basketball in one hand, he struck what he believed was an earth-shatteringly cool pose.
His eight dazzling white teeth flashed in a perfect smile.
"Out this late too?"
"Uh... practicing?"
"No, wait—walking your dog?"
Haruko stepped onto the court, her gaze settling on his sweat-soaked tank top.
"Sakuragi-kun, have you been practicing all this time?"
Her eyes sparkled.
The special filter reserved only for basketball players.
"W-Well, hahaha!"
Scratching the back of his head, Sakuragi felt his cheeks heating up.
But his pride wouldn't allow retreat.
"For a genius like me, this is just a little post-meal exercise!"
"You know, digestion!"
"Geniuses simply sweat a tiny bit more than ordinary people!"
Haruko covered her mouth and giggled.
Her crescent-shaped eyes carried enough destructive power to wipe out entire civilizations.
"Sakuragi-kun really works hard."
She stepped closer and pulled a sports drink from her bag.
"Here. Make sure you stay hydrated."
"My brother went to America, so everyone has been worried about our inside game."
"But seeing how hard you're working..."
"I feel like Shohoku will be fine."
Sakuragi accepted the cold bottle.
His heart pounded so hard it felt ready to break through his ribs.
This wasn't water.
This was nuclear fuel.
"Of course!"
He pounded his chest loudly.
"With Gorilla gone, leave the paint to this genius!"
"I'll master that thing Master mentioned—Zone—and then..."
"Zone?"
Haruko tilted her head in confusion.
Looking adorably clueless.
"Yeah! It's this super amazing state that guy talks about!"
"Once I unlock it, I'll be just like that lazy master!"
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
"I'll score nonstop and beat opponents until they start calling me Daddy!"
Sakuragi waved his arms around wildly like an overexcited monkey.
Haruko watched the energetic red-haired boy before her.
Her eyes were so gentle they seemed capable of dripping water.
"I believe you can do it, Sakuragi-kun."
"Because you're a genius, aren't you?"
Critical Hit.
A direct shot to the heart.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's CPU immediately overheated.
He stood there grinning idiotically for a full five minutes.
Even after Haruko disappeared around the corner, he continued chuckling at empty air.
"Hehehehe..."
Meanwhile, in the shadows beside a nearby bench...
Several casually dressed boys were quietly observing.
One boy lowered the brim of his baseball cap.
Watching the red-haired figure sprinting up and down the court as though injected with rocket fuel, his voice was complicated.
"It's this late and he's still training?"
"Is he made of iron?"
Beside him, Fukuda Kicchou crushed an empty coffee can in his hand.
His expression darkened.
During their previous game, he had been completely embarrassed by that red-haired amateur.
His pride still struggled to accept being thoroughly dominated by someone who had only recently learned basketball.
"Let's go."
Fukuda stood up.
With a smooth motion, he shot the crushed can toward a trash bin.
Swish.
Perfect.
"Fuku, not going to say hello?"
"Don't bother him."
Hands in his pockets, Fukuda turned and disappeared into the night.
His voice sounded strangely heavy.
That night, 8:30 PM.
Shohoku High School Basketball Gym.
"Move your feet!"
"Stop walking around like an old lady shopping for groceries!"
Ayako's paper fan blurred through the air.
Even without Akagi around, the intensity of training had only increased.
"Miyagi! Faster passes! Did you skip dinner?"
"Mitsui-senpai! Don't lose your man on defense!"
The squeaking of sneakers echoed endlessly.
Everyone looked like they had just been dragged out of a swimming pool.
But inside the equipment room in the corner of the gym...
Darkness reigned.
Only a thin beam of light slipped through the doorway.
It illuminated a lone figure sitting atop a vaulting box.
Sakuragi Hanamichi sat hugging his knees.
Curled up like a depressed mushroom.
The room smelled of rubber and old wood.
Basketballs, mops, and spare equipment were piled everywhere.
"That Gorilla actually went all the way to America..."
Sakuragi muttered.
His fingers absentmindedly picked at the leather lining of the vaulting box.
Back when Akagi was around, he had always complained about how annoying Gorilla was.
Constant lectures.
Constant Iron Fist Punishments.
Endless fundamental drills.
But now that Akagi was really gone...
The paint that used to feel crowded and noisy suddenly seemed empty.
Cold.
Lonely.
Like a roof someone had always held up for you.
Only for the supporting pillar to disappear without warning.
"No."
"I'm a genius..."
Sakuragi muttered to himself.
"Juro's ridiculously strong, but he's terminally lazy."
"Expecting him to bang around in the paint is about as realistic as expecting Coach Anzai to throw down a dunk."
"That stupid fox Rukawa only cares about looking cool and scoring points."
"Glasses-kun is too skinny to hold the line..."
"Mitsui and Miyagi?"
"Even less likely."
Sakuragi suddenly lifted his head.
In the darkness, his eyes shone frighteningly bright.
"So that only leaves me."
"If I'm really a genius..."
"Then I have to carry the responsibilities that come with being one."
"With great power comes great responsibility..."
He paused.
Then scratched his head.
"Uh... wait."
"That's Spider-Man."
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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