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

"We won!!!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi raised his hands high, beginning his premature victory celebration.

"My first victory, genius! Wahahaha!"

The Shohoku supporters in the stands also began to cheer and hug.

"Idiot! It's not over yet!"

A low shout.

Rukawa Kaede charged towards the backcourt like a cheetah.

The moment Lin Bei scored the penalty, he turned and ran without hesitation.

There wasn't even a celebratory gesture.

Because he saw the path to immortality.

The man's eyes still held a hint of death.

"Serve quickly!"

Taoka Shigeichi was jumping up and down on the sidelines.

Jun Uozumi grabbed the basketball and, without even going to the baseline, slammed it forward with all his might.

This was a gamble-like long pass.

The ball flew across the halfway point like a cannonball.

Sendoh Akira catches the ball.

At this point, there are 4 seconds left.

Without pausing, he received the ball and accelerated, cutting into the heart of Shohoku like a blue lightning bolt.

Stop him!!!

Akagi roared under the basket.

But the path to immortality is too fast.

He dribbled past the celebrating Sakuragi and the unprepared Kogure.

All that's left is the basketball hoop.

3 seconds left.

As long as he makes a layup, Ryonan can win the game!

"Don't even think about it!"

A dark figure suddenly appeared from the side.

Rukawa Kaede!

He gritted his teeth, squeezed out the last bit of strength from his body, and stood in front of the immortal path.

"Rukawa Kaede..."

A hint of admiration flashed in Xiandao's eyes, but he did not hesitate in the slightest.

Sudden stop, change of direction.

Rukawa Kaede was pushed back half a body length.

Sendoh leaps.

Just then, another figure appeared on his other side.

Linbei!

"Seriously, do they have to force me to work overtime until the last second?"

Lin Bei, his face contorted in pain, jumped up as well.

Although he didn't jump very high, his long arms blocked Sendoh's passing lane.

To the left is Rukawa Kaede.

To the right is Linbei.

Two ghosts are knocking on the door!

Sendoh was in the air, his body sandwiched between the two men.

There was no space to pass the ball.

There was no angle for a layup.

There are 1 seconds left.

"We have no choice but to submit."

Sendoh twisted his waist forcefully in mid-air, using his astonishing core strength to throw the ball through the gap between the two defenders.

A powerful pull-up jumper!

The poses are beautiful, but the difficulty level is ridiculously high.

Everyone's heart stopped beating.

My eyes followed the ball.

The basketball hit the front edge of the rim.

"jump."

It bounced up.

Fall.

It bounces up again.

Then he spun around the basketball hoop.

At last……

It slid out of the basket.

"beep--!!!"

The final whistle blew.

The red light is on.

The score was 89-90.

The sound of the ball hitting the ground was drowned out by the deafening cheers.

"We won..."

Akagi Takenori's eyes instantly reddened when he saw the score.

That Shohoku team that always loses...

That Shohoku team that was ridiculed...

We defeated Ryonan!

They beat last year's semifinalists!

On the field.

Sendoh landed, stared blankly at the basketball rolling away for two seconds.

Then, he smiled helplessly and scratched his spiky hair.

"Ah... I lost."

"What a pity."

Although he said he regretted it.

But there was no gloom in his eyes; instead, they were full of anticipation for the future.

the other side.

The moment the whistle blew, Lin Bei felt as if his bones had been removed, and he collapsed onto the floor.

"Finally... I'm off work."

"System, I want to redeem an iced cola."

"Immediately, right now!"

He lay sprawled out, staring at the ceiling.

"Master!!!"

Before Lin Bei could catch his breath, a mountain of flesh pressed down on him.

Sakuragi Hanamichi pounced on him, snot and tears all over him.

"We won! I'm a genius! Hahaha!"

"Get away... I'm suffocating..."

Lin Bei rolled his eyes.

He felt like he had just dodged the immortal's deadly attack, only to die in his disciple's embrace.

Rukawa Kaede stood to the side, his hands supporting his knees, panting heavily.

Sweat dripped onto the floor.

He glanced at Lin Bei, who was pinned down by Sakuragi, and then at Sendoh in the distance.

"next time……"

Rukawa Kaede clenched his fist.

"I will win even more decisively."

Sidelines.

Taoka Shigeichi stood there dumbfounded, the half of the tactical board slipping from his hand.

"We lost..."

"I actually lost to Shohoku..."

"No, I lost to..."

His gaze fell on the figure of number 16 lying on the floor.

The one who looks the laziest and least motivated.

But he was the guy who delivered the fatal blow to Ryonan at the crucial moment.

"Lin Bei..."

Taoka Shigeichi gritted his teeth, yet had no choice but to concede.

"Shohoku, things are about to change this year."

Coach Anzai sat in his chair, chuckling.

The lenses of his glasses reflected the light, obscuring the gleam in his eyes.

"Hehehe..."

"It looks like this summer is going to be very interesting."

Lin Bei finally managed to push Sakuragi away with great effort.

He sat up, feeling like all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.

A pleasant system notification sounded in my mind.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission]

[Reward: All attributes +1]

Lin Bei smiled.

It's not just because of the rewards.

Even more so because...

"It's so nice not having to mop the floor anymore."

The echo of the whistle still seemed to linger in the air above the Ryonan Gymnasium.

The scoreboard showed a bright red 89:90.

It's like an incredible miracle, deeply imprinted on everyone's retina.

After a brief silence, an explosive uproar ensued.

The players then lined up at midfield.

Although it was just a practice match, the smell of gunpowder in the air was even stronger than in the actual match.

Takenori Akagi stood at the very front of the group.

His forehead was still covered with tape, and sweat mixed with dried blood.

It made him look like a general who had just returned from the battlefield.

Opposite him was Jun Uozumi, who was also panting heavily.

The gazes of the two giants collided in mid-air.

The previous tension has disappeared, replaced by an emotion called "acceptance".

"You've won this time, Akagi."

"But I will get my money back with interest at the county competition."

Uozumi stretched out his huge palm, his voice low and tinged with resentment.

Akagi grasped that hand and squeezed it hard.

"I'm available anytime."

"But next time, Shohoku will still win."

The two released their grip and each moved on to their next opponent.

The procession was moving slowly.

Finally, Rukawa Kaede stood in front of Sendoh Akira.

Rukawa Kaede's usually cold face was now filled with determination.

Sweat dripped down his sharp chin, his eyes fixed intently on Sendoh.

Sendoh, however, reverted to his signature lazy smile.

He extended his hand, his tone as casual as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

"Well played, Rukawa Kaede."

"That last shot was a beautiful defense."

Rukawa Kaede looked at the hand extended in front of him.

I didn't hold it.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

Rukawa Kaede raised his hand and patted that hand.

It wasn't a high-five; it was more like a declaration of war.

The people around were stunned for a moment.

Rukawa Kaede withdrew his hand and coldly uttered a sentence:

"Next time, I'll defeat you outright."

"It's not about luck, nor is it about teamwork."

It's one-on-one.

After saying that, he walked towards the next person without looking back.

Sendoh stared blankly for a second as he looked at his reddened palm.

Then the smile on his lips deepened.

"What an unlovable junior."

"But...it's very interesting."