Basketball miracles

Chapter 175 [The Confident Captain Akagi]

Akagi Takenori met Sakuragi Hanamichi ahead of schedule today, before Akagi Haruko even had a chance to introduce him to her brother. Although Sakuragi has red hair and looks like a thug, Akagi Takenori finds him very agreeable.

The reason is simple: Shohoku's interior defense is severely lacking, and Sakuragi's height is clearly suited for the power forward position. Previously, Shohoku's interior defense relied entirely on Takenori Akagi, and he didn't even have a qualified backup.

Without Sakuragi, Shohoku's starting power forward would be the 180cm tall Satoru Kakuta. What would be the point of playing like that?
Xiao Tu felt deeply regretful; the two would definitely not be able to have a one-on-one match in the gym anymore. Sakuragi wouldn't pull down Akagi's pants, nor would he pull off a stunning self-alley-oop dunk to make a name for himself.

Now Sakuragi calls Akagi "brother" whenever he sees him, even more affectionately than Li Kui would be to Song Jiang, which gives people goosebumps.

I was wrong. What did I do?
In this situation, am I out of gossip to share?

Mitsui Hisashi will no longer bring a group of people to cause trouble for the basketball team. Why do I feel like there are many episodes missing from this story?
When Xiao Tu first decided to attend Xiangbei High School, he wanted to relive his youthful memories. He wanted to be an observer and revisit the story, but after only a few words, the story had already changed from what he remembered.

Oh well, if I gain it, I'm lucky; if I lose it, it's my fate.

Even though Xiao Tu had practiced three different martial arts styles, he didn't want to fight with Japanese high school students; that would be too low-class.

After chatting for a while, everyone returned to their classrooms as class was about to start.

Sakuragi and Haruko are first-year students, and since their classrooms are quite far apart, their legs ended up running in circles. The difference from the manga is that this time, Akagi Takenori gets lunch.

In the afternoon, Xiao Tu continued to create a butterfly effect.

Since he and Mitsui Hisashi were both third-year students, they didn't need to wait for freshman registration and were invited by Akagi Takenori to directly participate in the afternoon basketball team training.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was also invited to visit the basketball team's training session, and he came with Haruko.

Xiao Tu couldn't help but laugh when he saw Sakuragi's blushing face; he looked dazed and silly, like a lovesick fool.

However, this red-haired guy wasn't a thug; his dream was simply to go to and from school with the girl he liked, and he was very innocent.

Even when Duan Yu first met Wang Yuyan, he wasn't this exaggerated, was he?
No, Duan Yu peed himself...

Xiao Tu called Uchida Yuki and invited her to the school so they could have dinner together after practice. He had a feeling they would be playing late that day and didn't want Uchida to be waiting at home.

Only five former members of the Shohoku basketball team remain, and the three second-year players are not yet skilled enough. They can't even play half-court 3v3 during practice, so Akagi eagerly invites Xiao Tu and the others to join them.

Akagi's usual one-on-one opponent is Kakuta Satoru, who is 180cm tall. What kind of training can he possibly get from that? Kakuta Satoru's physique doesn't even look as strong as Xiao Tu's, and he's slightly stronger than Mitsui Hisashi.

When Akagi was a freshman, he was a rough guy who could dribble and hit the ball with his feet. But with the coach not paying attention, he practiced on his own and managed to become the best center in Kanagawa. He was really hardworking.

Everyone introduced themselves, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. Shohoku always gets eliminated in the first round, and Takenori Akagi was practically dying to see Hisashi Mitsui, but he didn't say a single arrogant word like he did with Sakuragi.

Xiao Tu curiously looked at Yasuda Yasuharu, who was 165cm tall, and Shiozaki Tetsushi, who was 170cm tall.

These two guys would never make it onto a basketball team in the US. Their high school coach would probably say, "They can play basketball? Are you kidding me?"

In the practice match between Shohoku and Ryonan, these two players were able to start, and their strength surpassed that of the three first-year rookies.

Kogure Kiminobu is pretty good. He's 178cm tall, and although he's slender, he excels at catching and shooting. In the manga, Shohoku has no substitutes; the only reliable one is Kogure, who can replace Mitsui Hisashi as a shooter.

With the addition of Xiao Tu and others, the team now consists of eight players. The three newcomers are all over 8 meters tall, making Shohoku's future look bright.

The four members of Sakuragi's gang also came to watch Sakuragi Hanamichi play basketball. No one introduced them, but Xiao Tu could recognize them just by their appearance.

The handsome and reserved one is Yohei Mito, the blond one is Yuji Oonan, the one with the mustache is Chuichiro Noma, and the chubby guy with glasses is PDD...

This PDD's full name is Takamiya Nozomi. He is not a Chinese time traveler, otherwise he would have found it very strange to see Xiao Tu.

The team's manager, Ayako, arrived late, making the stadium even more lively.

Haruko behaved alright when she saw Xiao Tu, but Ayako's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she greeted him as if they were old friends. "Hello, Xiao, you're even more handsome than the rumors say."

"I just reported for duty, what rumors could there be?"

"The whole school knows that a super handsome American exchange student has arrived, and everyone is talking about you," Cai Zi said, practically pressed against Xiao Tu.

Cai Zi had a hot figure, with a prominent bust and buttocks. Xiao Tu had never seen anyone with a better figure than her in school. Moreover, she had curly hair, full lips like Xin Zhilei, and a unique and pretty appearance.

Yuki Uchida immediately felt a pang of jealousy, grabbing Xiao Tu's arm to assert her ownership, and giving Ayako a disapproving look. Ayako paused for a moment, then asked, "And who is this?"

“My younger brother,” Xiao Tu said with a smile.

Yuki Uchida pouted angrily and patted Xiao Tu on the back.

Xiao Tu immediately changed his tune: "I was just kidding, she's my girlfriend, Yuki Uchida."

Yuki Uchida greeted everyone, and it was then that many people realized she was a girl. It was indeed difficult to tell; she was about the same height as Yohei Mito, and her hairstyle was very similar to Kogure's.

Ayako asked curiously, "You're not from our school, are you?"

Xiao Tu introduced her, saying, "She's a signed artist who has already debuted. Her androgynous style makes it easier for her to film TV dramas, and you'll see her on TV in the future. What's the name of her company again?"

“Burning Production. You’ve been there so many times, how come you still can’t remember?” Yuki Uchida laughed.

I can't remember, because Xiao Tu is going to help Uchida Yuki with Versailles.

The crowd erupted in an uproar. They rarely had contact with celebrities, let alone female celebrities from famous Japanese companies.
Xiao Tu's introduction boosted Uchida Yuki's confidence. She was destined to be a big star; she shouldn't be jealous of high school girls.

This isn't bragging; Yuki Uchida's contract states that she will definitely be filming dramas in the future. She's not an ordinary entertainer at all; she debuted through connections.

In today's arena, Xiao Tu and Yuki Uchida are the absolute stars. Sakuragi Hanamichi would never attempt a dunk in this situation, only to bump his head on the backboard.

Haruko stood obediently beside Sakuragi, too shy to speak in the crowd. Like the rest of Sakuragi's gang, she was now just another face in the crowd…

After chatting for a while, Takenori Akagi suggested starting training.

Shohoku's success today is a result of the sacrifices of Akagi and Kogure. The coach rarely comes to the gym, and Akagi single-handedly takes on most of the coaching and training duties, demonstrating his dedication and responsibility.

After warming up, Akagi asked Xiao Tu, "Xiao, do you want to have a one-on-one match with Kogure first, and let us see your skills?"

Mitsui suggested, "Akagi, why don't you go and fight him one-on-one? He beats me like it's nothing. You'll never know how good he is until you experience it for yourself."

Akagi immediately got fired up. "Are you really that strong? You're an outside player, can you handle a one-on-one against me? I definitely have the physical advantage."

The stronger his teammates, the closer Akagi is to his dream of dominating the nation. His only slight annoyance is that Xiao Tu is a foreigner, making it seem like the Shohoku team has hired a foreign player.

Akagi was eager to know if he could defeat the American high school students; if he won, he would feel a great sense of accomplishment. It was common knowledge that American basketball was the best in the world, and the Japanese national team wasn't even top-tier in Asia; they didn't even have a professional league domestically.

Xiao Tu said calmly, "I mainly play point guard, but I can play center as a substitute. However, I suggest we have a closed-door sparring session after practice. With so many people watching, you might lose face."

Akagi's fighting spirit was ignited. He confidently raised his head and smiled, "I'm not a sore loser, and I don't think you can beat me."

Xiao Tu sighed, wondering where Akagi Takenori's confidence came from.

You can afford to lose, because you have absolutely no experience in winning; you've only ever lost.

You think you're so great just because you crushed Jun Uozumi in your last matchup?

Yu Zhu knew his place; he knew he was just a big, clumsy guy. Later, he even gave up basketball to become a cook, and he was still slicing radishes off your head during the national tournament.

Xiao Tu explained, "I play from the outside, so I'm a mismatch against you, and you definitely can't defend me. Never mind, it seems you don't believe me, but you'll see after playing for a while."

Akagi asked, "What rules?"

"Let's use your usual rules. We'll take turns attacking, and whoever scores ten points first wins."

Kogure Kiminobu stood next to Mitsui Hisashi and asked, "Mitsui, is Xiao very strong? Who do you think will win between Akagi and him?"

Mitsui Hisashi rolled his eyes: "Of course Akagi is no match for him. I doubt anyone in all of Japan could beat Xiao."

"You're saying he's the strongest high school student?"

"I'm talking about all Japanese basketball players. You'll understand once you watch those two play for a while. They're not even on the same level as us."

(End of this chapter)