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

"A gift?"

Miyagi paused for a moment, then pointed to his own nose: "Mine?"

"Stop talking nonsense and follow along."

Lin Bei yawned and walked straight out the door.

Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately followed.

With an expression of someone who'd been there all along, he patted Miyagi on the shoulder:

"Let's go, Xiao Liang."

"Although my master is lazy, he has quite the flair for spending money."

……

Half an hour later.

It's still that luxury sportswear store that Lin Bei acquired.

Ryota Miyagi held a pair of red and black Converse Conquests, his hands trembling slightly.

He had seen these shoes countless times in magazines.

These were also the "chick-chasing boots" he had always dreamed of.

"Really...really giving it to me?"

Gong Cheng looked up at Lin Bei, who was sprawled on the VIP sofa drinking cola, and felt a dryness in his throat.

"Um."

"Remember, this is an advance on your salary."

"If you pass me a few good balls in the next game, that'll be your way of repaying me."

Lin Bei didn't even lift his eyelids.

Miyagi looked at the new shoes in his hand.

Then he glanced at Sakuragi next to him, who had a look on his face that said, "I knew this would happen."

Suddenly, I felt that being this dead-fish-eyed apprentice was a good idea.

It seems...not bad at all?

"Thank you... Master."

Miyagi's voice was very soft and hesitant.

"Speak louder! Haven't you eaten yet?!" Sakuragi shouted from the side, trying to intimidate him.

"Shut up, you red-haired monkey!"

……

It was already late when I left the shoe store.

My stomach rumbled in protest at just the right moment.

The three of them randomly chose a ramen stall on the roadside and sat down.

Steaming hot ramen was served, the white mist blurring the view.

Perhaps it was the relaxation brought by carbohydrates, or perhaps it was the guilt of receiving a gift earlier.

Somehow, the conversation turned to Miyagi liking Ayako.

Miyagi also started talking.

"actually……"

Miyagi stirred the noodles with his chopsticks, his eyes becoming melancholy, like a poet who had experienced many vicissitudes of life.

"Ayako... she doesn't even look at me properly."

Upon hearing this, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was slurping noodles, suddenly stopped.

A wave of shared sorrow welled up in those usually vibrant eyes.

Sakuragi put down the bowl, her voice choked with emotion.

"I understand..."

"Miss Ye Zi...she has fallen for Xiao Tian from the basketball team."

"This is the fiftieth time I've been rejected."

Miyagi stared at Sakuragi in shock: "Fifty times?!"

"Yes." Sakuragi nodded sadly. "And you?"

"I only have this one, but I've been rejected ten times." Miyagi sighed and held up one finger.

The air suddenly became thick and heavy.

Two boys who were just moments ago full of vigor.

At this moment, they looked like two little dogs soaked by the rain, hugging each other and crying under the dim light of a ramen stall.

"Waaaah! So you're one of those unfortunate souls too!"

"Redhead...no, Hanamichi! I understand your pain!"

"Good fields! We must stay strong!"

The two held each other's hands tightly, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

A mournful background music seemed to be playing in the background.

Lin Bei sat beside him, watching this scene, his lips twitching.

He quietly moved his bowl of noodles to the side, afraid that some unknown liquid might splash in.

"that……"

"The noodles are going to clump together."

Lin Bei couldn't help but interject.

The two of them stopped crying abruptly.

Four swollen, red eyes looked at Lin Bei at the same time.

That look in his eyes carried an urgent desire for recognition.

"Master!"

Sakuragi sniffed. "You must have been rejected a lot, right?"

Miyagi also joined in.

"Yes, Master!"

"A guy like you who sleeps all day and looks completely unmotivated, no girl would like you, right?"

"Just say it! Let's balance things out!"

The two looked at Lin Bei expectantly.

Lin Bei put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

He looked at the two of them with clear and innocent eyes.

"Huh? Rejected?"

Lin Bei scratched his head, seemingly trying to recall.

"No."

"It was always the girls who wrote me love letters or waited for me at the school gate to bring me lunch."

"I'm so annoyed..."

"..."

"..."

The ramen stand fell into a deathly silence.

You can even clearly hear the sound of the water boiling as the boss cooks the noodles.

Sakuragi and Miyagi's expressions froze on their faces, tears still clinging to the corners of their eyes.

But his eyes had changed from sadness to anger.

Pure, murderous rage.

"Go to hell!!"

"All the popular girls out there, explode!!"

The two men sprang up simultaneously, locking Lin Bei's neck from both sides.

Give me back my tears!

"I'm going to shove your handsome face into the noodle soup!"

"Cough cough... Let go... You're murdering your own teacher..."

That night, the ramen stand was filled with an atmosphere that was both joyful and menacing.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Shohoku Basketball Gymnasium.

When Takenori Akagi pushed open the door, he was so shocked by the sight before him that he almost dropped the kettle he was holding.

At this time of day, these two troubled children would probably be mocking each other or even fighting.

They are currently practicing passing on the field, arms around each other's shoulders.

"Hanamichi! Catch!"

"Alright! Ryota! Watch my genius dunk!"

"Well done! You truly are my good brother!"

"Hahaha! You're not bad either!"

The two seemed to be surrounded by pink bubbles, with lilies blooming in the background.

The cheesy display of brotherly affection made Rukawa Kaede, who had just entered, shiver and silently distance himself from them.

"What... what's going on?"

"Weren't they supposed to have a duel yesterday?" Kogure pushed up his glasses, looking bewildered.

Ayako was equally bewildered. "Could it be that I've been possessed by an alien?"

All eyes turned to Lin Bei, who was training to the side.

Lin Bei shrugged.

Don't look at me.

"That was the great friendship of the Heartbreak Front Alliance."

"Ordinary people wouldn't understand."

Although no one understood what had happened, the team's atmosphere was incredibly high.

Miyagi's return filled the gap at point guard, and Sakuragi's physical attributes made him a force to be reckoned with in the paint.

Rukawa Kaede remains sharp, while Akagi anchors the paint.

Add to that the unfathomable Lin Bei.

This year, Shohoku seems to have real hope.

however.

Storms often come without warning.

Training will begin in the afternoon.

Takenori Akagi is not here today because he has to take a makeup exam.

Kogure is leading everyone in warm-up exercises.

"Bang!"

A loud bang.

The basketball court door was kicked open violently.

The heavy wooden door slammed against the wall with a sickening groan, and dust fell in a flurry.

The once bustling venue instantly fell silent.

Backlit.

A group of thugs walked in.

The man in the lead had long hair, a cruel smile on his lips, and a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers.

Hisashi Mitsui.

Behind him followed a burly man with a cold face.

Iron Man.

Behind him followed a group of delinquents, including Tokuo Horita, who reeked of tobacco and carried a strong sense of malice.

"Yo."

"Is this... the basketball team?"

"Why does it smell so strongly of sweat? It's disgusting."