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

The night was as thick as ink that couldn't be dissolved.

A dilapidated community basketball court in Kanagawa.

The wire mesh was rusty, and the backboard was covered in peeling paint.

Only that red basketball hoop held the last line of defense.

"when!!"

The basketball slammed against the front of the rim and bounced into the night sky.

Finally, it rolled helplessly into the grass, making a rustling sound.

"Huff... huff..."

Sakuragi Hanamichi rested his hands on his knees, his lungs feeling like they were being pulled by a broken bellows.

Sweat dripped down his signature red hair, splashing onto the cracked cement floor and spreading out as dark dots.

"Damn it..."

He straightened up, wiped his face haphazardly, and stared intently at that damned basketball hoop.

It was so close.

That feeling was clearly right at my fingertips, like looking through a window paper that could be easily pierced.

When playing against Hainan, that kind of extreme focus—the whole world went silent, and all you could see was the basket...

Zone.

The "entry ticket to the monster" that lazy master mentioned.

"Tch, Lin Bei, that guy who only knows how to sleep..."

Sakuragi pictured Lin Bei wearing an eye patch and drooling in his mind.

Yet he can blatantly use his "cheat mode" on the court at will, which is incredibly annoying.

"She's clearly a lazy person who finds even warming up tiring, so why does she get in so easily?"

"Is there no justice in this world?!"

Sakuragi angrily crawled into the bushes to retrieve the ball.

He closed his eyes, forcing his brain circuits to cool down using the breathing technique Lin Bei had taught him.

Inhale—exhale—

Slow down your heartbeat and let your distracting thoughts go away.

All I can think about is the ball...

Only the ball... only...

"Woof!!"

A piercing bark rang out, and Sakuragi's hand trembled as the basketball slammed precisely into the instep of his foot.

"Ouch! O ...

Sakuragi hugged his leg and hopped around on one leg, his "peerless master" aura shattered.

"Sakuragi-kun?"

A soft, sweet voice, like a marshmallow, drifted from outside the barbed wire fence.

Sakuragi Hanamichi froze on the spot.

That sound...

Could this be... a summons from an angel?

He turned around abruptly, and under the streetlight, Haruko Akagi was holding a small white dog and looking at him with some surprise.

She was dressed in simple loungewear, carrying a convenience store bag, and she shone under the light.

"Haruko...Miss Haruko!!"

Sakuragi immediately stood at attention.

He grabbed the ball with one hand and struck what he considered an incredibly cool pose.

Showing off eight perfectly white teeth:

"It's so late, and you're out here... uh, practicing?"

"Wait, walking the dog?"

Haruko walked into the court with her dog on a leash, her gaze falling on Sakuragi's soaked vest.

"Sakuragi-kun, have you been practicing all this time?"

Her eyes sparkled, a unique filter used to view basketball-playing boys.

"Well... well, hahaha!"

Sakuragi scratched the back of his head, his cheeks burning, but he had to keep a straight face:

"For a genius like me, this level is merely a light snack!"

"Do you understand 'aiding digestion'?"

"Geniuses always have to put in a tiny bit more sweat than ordinary people!"

Haruko covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyebrows curving into crescents, her charm off the charts.

"Sakuragi-kun really works hard."

She took a few steps closer, took a bottle of sports drink out of the bag, and handed it to her.

Here, have some water.

"My brother went to America, and everyone is worried about our inside game."

"But seeing how hard Sakuragi-kun is working, I feel... Shohoku will definitely be fine."

Sakuragi took the bottle of chilled drink, his heart pounding so hard it felt like his ribs were about to break.

This isn't water, it's nuclear fuel!

"Of course!"

Sakuragi pounded his chest loudly:

"With the gorilla out, the inside game is in the hands of this genius!"

"I'll train myself to develop that Zone that Master mentioned, and then..."

"Zone?"

Haruko tilted her head, looking completely bewildered.

"Ah, that's the super powerful state that guy was talking about!"

"Once I activate that, I can score points like that lazy master and beat my opponents until they're begging for mercy!"

Sakuragi danced around excitedly, gesturing like a big monkey.

Haruko looked at the overly energetic red-haired boy in front of her, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"I believe Sakuragi-kun can do it."

"Because you're a genius."

Crit!

This straight shot completely overheated Sakuragi Hanamichi's CPU.

He stood there grinning foolishly for a full five minutes.

Even after Haruko walked away and her figure disappeared around the corner, he was still chuckling to himself.

In the shadow of a roadside bench not far away.

Several boys dressed in casual clothes were secretly observing.

The boy wearing the baseball cap pulled the brim down low.

Looking at the red figure on the field, who seemed to have been injected with adrenaline and started sprinting back and forth again, his tone was complex:

"It's so late, and that guy's still practicing? Is he made of iron?"

Beside him, Fukuda Kichijou crushed the empty coffee can in his hand, his gaze gloomy.

In the previous match, he was made extremely embarrassed by this red-haired novice.

His pride made it hard for him to accept being thoroughly outmatched by a beginner.

"Let's go."

Fukuda stood up, took a three-point shot, and the empty can went into the bucket with precision.

"Ah Fu, aren't you going to say hello?"

"Don't bother him."

Fukuda put his hands in his pockets, turned around and disappeared into the night, his voice muffled.

……

It's 8:30 PM.

Shohoku High School Basketball Gymnasium.

"Run! Step by step!"

"Don't go shopping like an old lady!"

Ayako's paper fan left afterimages as she waved it. Although Akagi was not there, the intensity of the devilish training only increased.

"Miyagi! Pass the ball faster! Haven't you eaten?"

"Mitsui-senpai! Don't leave anyone open on defense!"

The squeaking sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor echoed throughout the room.

Everyone looked like they had just been pulled out of the water.

But the equipment room in the corner of the stadium was pitch black.

Only a sliver of light shone through the crack in the door, illuminating the figure sitting on the vaulting box.

Sakuragi Hanamichi hugged his knees, curling up into a self-isolating mushroom.

The air was filled with the smell of rubber and old wooden floors; this was a storage room for spare basketballs and mops.

"That gorilla guy went to America..."

Sakuragi muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously picking at the leather edge of the vaulting box.

When Akagi was around, he thought the gorilla was too talkative.

They would resort to "iron fist punishment" at the drop of a hat, and force him to practice tedious basics.

But now Akagi Shin is gone.

The once crowded and noisy inner circle suddenly became empty and chilly.

It's like a roof that someone was originally holding up for you.

Suddenly the pillar was removed, and the sky collapsed.

"No, I'm a genius..."

Sakuragi whispered a message to himself, trying to convince himself otherwise.

"Although Lin Bei is ridiculously strong, he's extremely lazy. Expecting him to fight in the paint is less useful than expecting Anzai to dunk."

"That damned fox, Rukawa Kaede, only knows how to show off; all he cares about is scoring points."

"The guy with glasses is too skinny, he can't handle it..."

"Mitsui and Miyagi... those are even worse."

Sakuragi suddenly looked up, and in the darkness, his eyes shone with an eerie light.

So, it's just me now.

"Since you're a genius, you should live up to the dignity of a genius."

With great power comes great responsibility...

"Oh no, that's Spider-Man."