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

The reporters in the audience went crazy.

That's MVP!

So many people are fighting tooth and nail for this stuff, and that guy named Lin Bei not only didn't come, but he even complained it was too heavy?!

"Snap, snap!"

The film roll burned wildly.

Tomorrow's headline is here!

Why did Shohoku's main players collectively disappear?

Shocking! A man with squinty eyes swept both awards, dominating the podium!

……

A week later.

The streets of Yokohama are sweltering.

The cicadas' chirping was so loud it was heart-wrenching, it made you want to fight.

Two figures walked one after the other on the asphalt road.

The man in front of them had dark skin and exuded a calm and composed aura; it was none other than Maki Shinichi.

Behind him, a boy wearing a hat was jumping around like a hyperactive monkey.

"Amu! Amu, slow down!"

Kiyota Nobunaga was holding an ice cream that was almost melting into water, and he was covered in sweat.

Mu Shenyi stopped and turned around, his dignified face filled with helplessness:

"Kiyota, it was you who insisted on coming along."

"ha?!"

Kiyota Nobunaga's eyes widened, and he declared confidently, "I was scouting enemy positions!"

"Because that guy is the kind of guy who needs to be defended!"

"The one watching him is naturally me, Kiyota. It's necessary to investigate my future rival."

Maki Shinichi sighed, looking at his overly energetic ace rookie: "Who considers you a rival..."

"What?! Am I not worthy?!" Kiyota instantly bristled, his voice so loud that passersby turned to look.

"Shut up."

Maki Shinichi pressed Kiyota's head down.

In front.

A shop with flamboyant decor and flashing neon lights.

A huge loudspeaker blasted upbeat electronic music, and a long line formed at the entrance.

The air was thick with the smell of cheap tobacco and a restless energy that sent adrenaline soaring.

"Pachinko...Pachinko?!"

Kiyota Nobunaga's chin nearly smashed through the earth's core.

He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating due to heatstroke.

Lin Bei, the god of death on the basketball court, and Sakuragi Hanamichi, who clamored to dominate the whole country.

He's standing in front of a billiards room, clutching a number plate, looking on with anticipation.

There were also a few guys nearby who didn't look like good people.

The Sakuragi Army is assembled.

"this……"

Kiyota Nobunaga's worldview collapsed.

"Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!!"

"The national tournament is just around the corner! And they're playing pachinko?!"

Kiyota roared and charged forward.

"Hey! You red-haired monkey over there! And that wretched Lin Bei!"

That shout was extremely penetrating.

Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was in line, twitched his ears and turned his head.

"Hmm?"

He was holding a bottle of Ramune soda he had just bought when he saw Kiyota rushing towards him and paused for a moment.

He then flashed an extremely smug smile.

"Hahaha! Aren't these wild monkeys from Hainan?"

"What? You want to play too? This thing requires intelligence; someone as ordinary as you definitely can't do it!"

Sakuragi pointed at Kiyota and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"Who wants to play this?!"

Kiyota rushed up to the two of them, jumping up and down in anger.

"You guys are high school students, right?"

"Can high school students even come to a place like this?!"

"Does winning the county competition give you the right to be arrogant?"

"Shouldn't we be sweating it out in the gym right now?!"

Lin Bei leaned lazily against the doorpost, playing with a few shiny little steel balls in his hand, making a crisp clinking sound.

He glanced at the furious Kiyota, then looked at Maki Shinichi, who was slowly walking over from behind.

"Oh, isn't this a middle-aged man?"

Lin Bei yawned, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. "What, taking the kid out for a walk?"

"puff--"

The fat guy next to him, Takamiya Nozomi, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Yohei Mito couldn't help but chuckle, pointing at Shinichi Maki: "Ah, is that the coach from Hainan?"

Shinichi Maki: "..."

He took a deep breath and told himself to stay calm and not to stoop to the level of these problem children.

"What are you doing here, Lin Bei?"

Maki Shinichi's voice was deep and carried an inherent sense of pressure from someone in a superior position.

"As you can see."

"It cultivates one's character and, incidentally, improves dynamic vision and hand-eye coordination."

Lin Bei pointed to the noisy shops behind him.

"Nonsense!"

Kiyota Nobunaga pointed at Lin Bei's nose, "This is decadence! You're wasting your talent!"

"I thought Shohoku would be really competitive, but I didn't expect them to get so cocky on their first appearance in the International Championship!"

"If this were Hainan, we would never be as lax as you! That's the difference between a true king and a nouveau riche!"

The people queuing around them started pointing and whispering.

The smile on Lin Bei's face gradually faded.

He straightened up, and his previously languid demeanor instantly changed.

At that moment, Kiyota seemed to see a dozing lion suddenly open its eyes.

"Don't waste your breath, you defeated opponent."

"Since you've lost, just shut up."

"How we train and how we relax is the privilege of the winners."

Lin Bei's voice was very soft, but it was like a slap to Qing Tian's face.

"you--!!"

"I'm just trying to give you a friendly reminder!"

"If you don't want to become a disgrace to Kanagawa, get back to practicing!"

Kiyota's defenses crumbled instantly, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

"what?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi was displeased and took a step forward, casting a huge shadow over Kiyota.

He pressed his hard, iron-like forehead against Kiyota's, their noses almost touching.

"You wild monkey, are you questioning this genius's abilities?"

"How about we have a one-on-one fight right here?!"

"Come on! I'm not afraid of you, you red-haired monkey!"

The two men were like fighting cocks, and it looked like they were about to have a full-blown brawl in front of the pachinko parlor.

"Thump!"

A crisp sound—the sound of a fist making intimate contact with a skull.

"it hurts--!!"

Kiyota Nobunaga's originally fierce expression instantly crumbled.

He crouched down, covering his head with his hands, tears welling up in his eyes.

Maki Shinichi withdrew his fist, his somewhat anxious face etched with weariness.

This isn't a team leader from Hainan; he's clearly an old father taking his unruly kids on a spring outing.

"You'd better know when to stop."

Maki Shinichi sighed, his tone a mixture of authority and helplessness.

"Don't put on an air of superiority and lecture others."

"Kiyota, aren't you a rookie in the national tournament yourself?"

"Amu..."

"You're really being disrespectful. I'm just upholding the dignity of the King of Kanagawa..."

Kiyota Nobunaga squatted on the ground drawing circles, looking as aggrieved as a 200-pound child.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Hurry up, or we'll miss the Shinkansen!"

Mu Shenyi raised his hand and glanced at his watch, his brows furrowing.

"Shinkansen?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was just grimacing, suddenly felt his ears twitch and his radar instantly activated.

He blinked his innocent big eyes and leaned closer with a curious look, as if the tense atmosphere from before had been completely erased.

"Hey, middle-aged men, where are you headed?"

"Could it be a senior citizen tour group?"

Shinichi Mu looked at the red-haired problem child in front of him, his temples throbbing.

Although he lost to Shohoku, he actually acknowledged the talent of this novice with freakish physical abilities.

If only this guy weren't so talkative.

He stopped and gazed into the distance, trying to recapture a bit of his imperial composure.

Do you know about "Aichi Star"?