Basketball miracles

Chapter 174 [The plot begins, then the plot collapses]

After the third period in the morning, Xiao Tu began to consider whether to skip class and go home to play with Uchida Yuki.

He won't learn much in high school; spending time in class is a complete waste of time. He'd be better off going out on a date. Yuki Uchida is probably bored at home watching TV too.

Suddenly, a loud running sound came from the stairwell. Xiao Tu looked up at the window and saw a tall man with red hair practicing sprinting in the stairwell, with several people following behind him who couldn't hold him back.

"Hey! Hanamichi!"

"This is a third-grade classroom!"

"Stop making a scene!"

Hearing the shouts outside the classroom, Xiao Tu decided he didn't want to leave anymore.

Oh my, this is where the comic's plot begins, and the main character has officially made his appearance!

So, is Sakuragi Hanamichi going to have a conflict with my classmate next?
Should I intervene or not?
Xiao Tu was happily watching the drama unfold when Mitsui Hisashi left his seat with his two followers and went outside. Mitsui was determined to intervene; he couldn't tolerate the first-year students being so arrogant outside the classroom.

Xiao Tu sighed; he couldn't ignore it any longer.

He knew about Mitsui Hisashi's weaknesses.

If this guy gets into a fight with Sakuragi Hanamichi and gets slapped and loses a few teeth, the main characters of the basketball team will become enemies before they even get to know each other.

The four members of Sakuragi's gang couldn't dissuade him, so they left together. Regardless of how dirty the floor was, Sakuragi started doing sit-ups in the hallway, grinning foolishly the whole time.

Xiao Tu found the comic book very interesting, but seeing it in real life... he suspected that the kid had a serious mental problem.

Xiao Tu walked over and looked at Sakuragi. He had regular features and strong lines, but he looked a bit dull.

He remembered that Takashima and Tokuda would come up and start a fight, and then Sakuragi would grab Tokuda by the collar and lift him into the air.

Before any conflict could occur, Xiao Tu stepped forward and spoke first. "Red-haired kid, what's your name?"

"Sakuragi Hanamichi, nice to meet you!" Sakuragi answered loudly, his smile making him look even more like a fool. He was taken aback when he saw that the person speaking to him was a foreigner.

"Good, that's energetic." Xiao Tu praised Sakuragi and smiled, "But if you want to exercise, you should go to the playground downstairs. Running outside the third-year classroom to exercise makes you an easy target for people to see as a provocation. Especially since you have dyed your hair red, you look like a delinquent."

Sakuragi Hanamichi may be a bit reckless, but he's not stupid. He stood up and saw the unfriendly expressions on Takashima and Tokuda's faces, immediately realizing his behavior was inappropriate.

Xiao Tu then asked, "Sakuragi-kun, you're so tall, are you a basketball player?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he blushed slightly at the thought of Akagi Haruko. "Yes, I like basketball."

"I'm an American exchange student named Sebastian Shaw, you can call me Shaw. This is Mitsui Hisashi, we're both on the Shohoku basketball team. You're a freshman this year, right? Once you join the basketball team, we'll be teammates."

Sakuragi was even happier and immediately nodded and greeted the two of them. "Hello, I'm Sakuragi Hanamichi, nice to meet you."

Mitsui Hisashi had been somewhat annoyed watching Sakuragi Hanamichi running in the hallway. But now, upon hearing that the other was a rookie on the basketball team, his expression softened.

Sakuragi's physique is perfect for basketball; he looks incredibly skilled.

Mitsui Hisashi's two henchmen waved their hands. "Don't look like you're about to fight, this kid's one of us."

Xiao Tu only said a few words, and all the conflict was over. Sakuragi even gained two older brothers to protect him in the basketball team.

Xiao Tu glanced at Takashima and Tokuda, and sighed inwardly: You two really should kowtow to me. How many beatings have you avoided because of me?
The conflict in the third-grade classroom hallway is the beginning of all the conflicts in "Slam Dunk".

Then, Horita Tokuo invited Sakuragi's gang to fight on the rooftop. However, when Sakuragi and the others arrived at the rooftop, Horita and his underlings had already been beaten unconscious by Rukawa.

Sakuragi and Rukawa got into a fight because of Akagi Haruko, ending with Rukawa bleeding from the head and Sakuragi bleeding from the nose. Because of this unpleasant first meeting, the two became rivals and refused to pass the ball to each other during matches.

The butterfly effect caused by Xiao Tu doesn't stop there; the female lead also arrives.

"Sakuragi Hanamichi!" Haruko Akagi, carrying a lunchbox, recognized Sakuragi's red hair and immediately greeted him.

Sakuragi turned around, his face flushed, and saw no one else in his eyes.

Xiao Tu sized up Akagi Haruko. She was wearing the Shohoku girls' school uniform, had flowing black hair, delicate features, and a pure and lovely face. Her only flaw was that she was a bit short, only a little over 1.5 meters tall.

Haruko Akagi's prototype is definitely not Joey Wong, who is widely rumored to be the future Chinese internet celebrity. Old Joey is too tall; she's all legs.

What are you doing here? Do you have any third-grade friends?

"Yes, I have...I have friends. What about you, Haruko?" "My brother is in Class 6, Grade 3." Haruko said shyly, "I wanted to bring him a lunchbox, but...I get nervous whenever I'm in a third-grade classroom..."

At that moment, Mitsui Hisashi suddenly spoke up. "Are you Akagi's sister?"

Haruko Akagi asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Mitsui Hisashi from Class 3. I used to play basketball with your brother. You two are so different. I've remembered you ever since I met you."

"Ah, you're Mitsui-senpai, hello. My brother said you're coming back to the team this year. He was so excited after receiving the coach's call that he couldn't sleep all night."

Xiao Tu stood by and watched the drama unfold.

Wow, so you all know each other.

That's true. Mitsui Hisashi has actually been keeping an eye on Akagi Takenori all along; he even went to watch the prefectural tournament with crutches during his first year. Akagi Haruko, of course, also goes to watch her brother's matches, but she and Mitsui Hisashi don't usually interact much.

Mitsui Hisashi was so famous during his junior high school years that Akagi Takenori must have talked about him with his sister. Coach Anzai wasn't completely indifferent either; he called and spoke with Akagi Takenori.

How did a conflict turn into a relationship?

Xiao Tu felt that things were developing in a strange direction, and he had missed seeing many famous scenes.

Originally, Sakuragi Hanamichi wanted to say hello to Akagi Takenori, but Akagi Haruko was too shy and didn't even bring him a bento before dragging Sakuragi back to the first-year classroom. The two of them ran in circles.

There was no conflict between the two sides. Horita Tokuo also arrived and, after being introduced by Mitsui Hisashi, greeted Sakuragi in a friendly manner.

Xiao Tu truly couldn't understand the thought process of these high school students. Horita Tokuo's reason for challenging Sakuragi's gang to a fight was simply to show off and demonstrate his status as the school bully leader.

When Mitsui Hisashi said that Sakuragi would become a teammate on the basketball team, the delinquents immediately assumed that he was one of their own.

It's a pity, I really wanted to go to the rooftop to watch the game.

I wonder if Haruko Akagi could actually send a shockwave at Hanamichi Sakuragi with her mouth in real life and knock him flying.

But this is good, because it would be awkward for me to watch the game, since there's something wrong with my team.

I can't exactly help Tokuo Horita fight against Rukawa or Sakuragi's army, can I? Wouldn't that make me a villain?
There are so many cases of violence in Japanese high schools, what a bunch of idiots. After graduation, none of them could pull off anything; they all obediently found jobs and worked like slaves to make a living. Even Genji Takiya, who used to grease his iron whip, ended up becoming a barber.

Class 3 is very close to Class 6. Mitsui Hisashi went to find someone, while Akagi Takenori and Kogure Kiminobu, the bespectacled guy with super-strong air-hanging ability, came out of the classroom together and greeted the others.

Besides Rukawa Kaede and Miyagi Ryota, all the main players on the basketball team were present today, and their heights were quite striking. In the 1990s, Japanese high school students were generally not tall; anyone over 1.8 meters was considered exceptionally tall.

Xiao Tu sized up the team's two captains. Kogure had a gentle demeanor and was a handsome man with glasses.

At 197cm tall, Takenori Akagi is nearly two meters tall with shoes on. He's not particularly muscular; he's tall and thin, after all, he's only a 17-year-old high school student.

What puzzled Xiao Tu was Akagi's appearance and skin color.

He has thick eyebrows, thick lips, and very dark skin; this guy is clearly a Black man!

How could he and Haruko Akagi be related by blood? Even if they were, they would be half-siblings.

Xiao Tu started imagining that after Akagi Takenori's mother became pregnant, his black father promptly ran away. Then, Haruko's father, true love conquers all, bravely became a "backup plan" partner, and later the two had Haruko.

Only after Mitsui Hisashi introduced Xiao Tu did he come to his senses and shake hands with Akagi Takenori.

"Hello, I didn't expect to see such a burly high school student in Japan. Just as Mitsui said, Japanese high school basketball is no joke." Xiao Tu wasn't a low-key person, but he knew how to speak to get along with people better.

With just one sentence, he immediately won Akagi Takenori's favor.

The same goes for others. The Japanese are prone to idolizing foreign things, yet they feel proud when they see Americans speaking Japanese.

Akagi said, "Welcome to the Shohoku team. Your Japanese is really good. Do you live in Japan?"

"No, I have a good talent for languages ​​and I learn quickly."

What position do you primarily play?

"Point guard." Xiao Tu looked at the slightly agitated Akagi and felt that the manga plot had fallen apart.

(End of this chapter)