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

Miyagi's interest was piqued, and he leaned closer.

"The media just loves to create sensationalism."

"We wiped out the Hainan team, who else can...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Miyagi's expression froze.

Mitsui's fingers, which were turning the pages, seemed to be glued on.

In the magazine, Shohoku's first-round opponent was:

Osaka representative, Toyotama High School.

That's understandable, considering it's a national competition.

What really sends chills down your spine is the name of that position in the second round.

Representative of Akita Prefecture, Sanno Industrial Co., Ltd.

"This...this is a setup, isn't it?"

Mitsui's throat was dry, as if he had swallowed a handful of sand, and his voice was hoarse.

"First we'll play Toyotama in Osaka, and after that, it'll be... that Sannoh?!"

The atmosphere in the carriage instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Even Rukawa Kaede, who is usually oblivious to what's going on around him, seemed to sense the oppressive atmosphere.

He removed his blindfold and glanced coldly at the name on the magazine cover.

He didn't speak, but his eyes sharpened.

"What are you all doing?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi picked his nose, looking completely bewildered.

Seeing everyone's deathly pale faces, he was very annoyed:

"Is that Feng Yu guy really that good?"

"It's just an Osaka team. This genius is the man who even knocked the emperor of Kanagawa, Shinichi Maki, flying!"

"idiot!"

"Look who our second opponent is!"

Open your eyes wide!

Mitsui suddenly looked up and shoved the magazine into Sakuragi's face.

Sakuragi frowned, staring at the bolded characters and reading aloud, "Three...Three Kings?"

"It's Sannoh! You idiot!"

"Sanno Industrial! Sannoh from Akita Prefecture!"

"That undefeated legend!"

Mitsui practically roared it out.

"Tch, what's with all this talk about three kings and four kings?"

"It sounds like a shop selling mountain produce, so rustic."

Sakuragi pouted, looking disgusted.

"Ding-dong—"

Just then, the train's loudspeaker announced a sweet female voice, saving Sakuragi's life from being strangled to death by Mitsui.

"Attention passengers, we have arrived at Osaka Station."

"The train will stop here for ten minutes..."

Osaka.

The name of this place now sounds less like the end point and more like an execution ground.

Because their first opponent, Fengyu, was the local tyrant.

The train stopped, and the huge steel dome blocked out the sunlight, casting a shadow.

Akagi stood up, his massive body blocking the light in the corridor, like a silent mountain.

He looked out the window at the bustling crowd, his voice low and menacing:

"Sakuragi, you simply don't understand."

"Sannoh Kogyo from Akita was last year's national champion."

The group of people were taken aback.

Akagi turned around, his gaze sweeping over each of his teammates, and said, slowly and deliberately:

"Not only last year, but the year before that too."

"Of course, the year before last was the same."

Dead silence.

The only sound was the sharp screeching of the train as it entered the station, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, piercing the eardrums.

Three-peat.

These three words signify absolute dominion.

This means that for the past thousand days and nights, all the high school students have been looking up at their thrones, but no one has been able to shake them in the slightest.

"Really...?"

Miyagi's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"So, as soon as we win the first battle, we'll immediately have to fight the final boss?"

This schedule is practically sending Shohoku into a meat grinder.

They didn't even give them a chance to catch their breath.

"That's not all."

Kogure, pale-faced, pushed up his glasses and added:

"The magazine said that this year's Sannoh tournament is the strongest ever."

"We've retained last year's core members and added some super rookies."

"This is an invincible fleet... with no blind spots."

Apart from Lin Bei and Sakuragi, who were still oblivious to the situation, everyone else looked extremely grim.

Even the highly ambitious Mitsui fell silent at this moment.

That's Sannoh! A name that resonated throughout junior high, the nightmare of every young basketball player.

Just then.

Coach Anzai, who had been silent all along, slowly stood up.

His round body looked remarkably stable in the aisle.

"Hehehe..."

His signature laughter rang out, carrying a strange, comforting quality.

"I'm going to the restroom."

The old man walked with his hands behind his back, taking measured steps toward the connecting area between the carriages.

Their steps were steady, and they weren't intimidated at all by that so-called "group of death".

Watching the coach's retreating figure, Ayako couldn't help but ask, "Coach, why didn't you tell everyone first?"

If I had known the schedule earlier, at least I would have been mentally prepared and wouldn't have been so caught off guard.

Coach Anzai stopped in his tracks, his glasses reflecting a wise light under the lamp.

"Ayako-san."

"I don't want them to bear unnecessary pressure, nor do I want them to be intimidated before the battle even begins because of so-called 'strong enemies'."

The old man's voice was soft, yet it clearly penetrated everyone's ears.

"Instead of wasting time fearing your opponent, think about the outcome of battles that haven't even happened yet."

"You should focus your energy on yourself."

"Honing your skills is more important than anything else."

The carriage fell silent again.

The suffocating sense of despair seemed to dissipate somewhat with his father's words, but the heavy weight still pressed on his heart.

"Oh."

A soft laugh broke the silence.

Lin Bei crushed the empty Coke can in his hand with one hand, making a crisp "crack" sound.

"Dad is right."

"Whether it's Sannoh or Haiwang, the ball is round, you'll only know after you've played it."

He stood up, stretched out a big yawn, and his joints cracked all over.

Mitsui blushed and retorted stubbornly:

"Stop nagging! Who's worried!"

"I was just... just analyzing tactics!"

"This shows a high level of tactical importance!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi finally finished processing the information.

He stroked his chin, nodding thoughtfully, "So that Three Kings guy is really that powerful..."

Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes shining like light bulbs: "So, after winning against the three kings, who will be your opponent in the third match?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Where exactly does this guy's brain circuitry lead?

While everyone else is worried about how to die in the second round, he's already thinking about the victory celebration in the third round?

"It's Sannoh! Sannoh!"

Mitsui was furious. "Not the Three Kings! You illiterate!"

"Oh, they're all the same!"

Sakuragi waved his hand impatiently, "Quickly, tell me, who's the third unlucky guy?"

Lin Bei leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling, and casually uttered a name: "Aihe Academy, last year's top four in the country."

"Love and Academy?"

"Oh? Is it that Aichi Star?" Sakuragi blinked.

Mitsui and Miyagi were both stunned, several pairs of eyes staring at Sakuragi as if they were looking at an alien.

"You actually knew that?"

Mitsui was shocked.

This complete novice, who can't even recite the rules, actually knows about Moroboshi Dai?

"Hmph."

Sakuragi proudly raised his chin and put his hands on his hips.

"Of course!"

"This genius's intelligence network spans the entire country!"

Actually, he was just thinking about his experience of going to Aichi Prefecture to watch a game.

The man carried out on a stretcher, Moroboshi Dai, and...

Sakuragi's gaze fell on a corner of the magazine.

The words "Mingpeng Industrial" came into view.