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

Heavy breathing.

Sweat streamed down his jawline, splattering onto the floor.

The score of 8-4 on the scoreboard should have been a shot in the arm for Shohoku.

But at this moment, it felt like a dull knife, slowly cutting into his sensitive pride.

Rukawa Kaede single-handedly defeated Aichi Star.

Ryota Miyagi broke the speed limit.

Even that loud, red-haired monkey was suppressing the opponent's heavy tanks in the paint.

"just me……"

"I was like an invisible man in this game!"

Mitsui Hisashi gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with malice.

He was not reconciled.

As a former junior high MVP and the sharpest outside spearhead of Shohoku, he absolutely cannot tolerate becoming a spectator in a shuttle run!

The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.

In this team that's gone berserk.

A bomb called "mental imbalance".

The fuse has already been lit quietly.

"We must put it in!"

"Use three-pointers to completely tear apart Aiwa's defense!"

Shohoku launched another positional attack.

Ryota Miyagi controlled the ball steadily at the top of the arc, using hand gestures to observe the defensive formation.

Mitsui Hisashi made a move!

He suddenly lowered his center of gravity and started from the bottom corner.

Taking advantage of Akagi Takenori's extremely solid screen in the waist position, he prepared to circle out to the three-point line to receive the ball.

But just as he was about to pass Akagi's broad frame,

A figure squeezed through the narrow gap between Akagi and Rukawa, sticking to Mitsui's right side like a piece of chewing gum!

Aiwa Academy, No. 8, Shun Kageyama.

A player who was previously virtually unknown.

It doesn't have the dazzling brilliance of Moroboshi, nor the explosive power of Iron Gate Mountain.

But his eyes held a deathly stillness, like those of a venomous snake.

"Bang!"

The two players engaged in a violent physical collision while running off the ball.

Mitsui Hisashi felt a tingling and numbness in his shoulder; the other person's bones were as hard as iron.

"Don't waste your energy."

"Your breathing is off; you definitely won't be able to score today."

Kageyama Shun's voice was extremely low, carrying a cold mockery, as it drilled into Mitsui's ears.

"What did you say?!"

Mitsui Hisashi's fiery temper surged straight to the top of his head.

"Stop looking down on me! Give me the ball!"

He suddenly made a run to create half a step of space and reached out to Miyagi for the ball.

Without hesitation, Miyagi dribbled the basketball in a precise straight line and shoved it steadily into Mitsui's arms.

Catch the ball, turn around, and jump.

The movement was executed in one smooth motion; it was the standard posture he had practiced thousands of times in his dreams!

However, the moment the basketball left his fingertips, Mitsui Hisashi's heart skipped a beat.

"No...the curvature is wrong!"

"Clang—!"

The piercing sound of hammering echoed through the Hiroshima Stadium.

The basketball slammed heavily against the front edge of the rim and bounced high into the air.

"rebound!"

Akagi roared and prepared to jump.

But Ai and center Kenji Tsurumi, with their terrifying 215cm wingspan, stole the ball first.

"Back up!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi, unusually calm, shouted without any outburst of anger or complaints.

He immediately turned around and sprinted towards the backfield.

Lin Bei, standing on the sidelines, raised an eyebrow slightly.

This kid finally understands what energy-saving mode is.

But Mitsui stood frozen in place, staring blankly at his slightly trembling right hand.

"Why was that shot so stiff?"

On the sidelines, the Shohoku bench.

Coach Anzai rested his chin on his hands, his eyes behind his glasses looking extremely serious.

"Mitsui-kun..."

His brow was furrowed, and his voice carried an unusual worry.

"His excessive desire to score caused his muscles to tense to the extreme, completely deforming his shooting form."

Those two wasted years were like a time bomb buried inside Mitsui.

Previously, he could cover it up with his excellent touch and talent.

However, under the intense competition at the national top four level, and with the huge gap brought about by his teammates' consecutive superhuman performances, he was still in the process of competing.

The countdown to this bomb has begun!

Love and Academy score.

The score became 8-6.

Possession of the ball returned to Shohoku.

Miyagi dribbled the ball up the court, his brows gradually furrowing.

The defenses of love and harmony have changed!

It's no longer a loose marking, but a suffocatingly intense rotation!

Rukawa attempted a strong drive, but Moroboshi and another guard immediately collapsed, forming an impenetrable defensive barrier.

Akagi held a key position in the paint, while Tsurumi Kenji and Tetsuyama positioned themselves in front of and behind him, employing an extremely aggressive fronting defense.

Shohoku's pride and joy, the pick-and-roll, was shattered by love and the precise, gear-like rotation.

"Pass it! Pass the ball to me!"

Mitsui Hisashi waved wildly from beyond the three-point line.

The defense around him seems to have weakened?

Although Kageyama Shun followed him, he quietly increased the distance by one and a half steps!

That's why Ai and the coach were nodding in satisfaction on the sidelines.

Release the prisoners, but not the attackers!

This is a psychological trap specifically designed for Mitsui Hisashi at this moment.

They saw through Mitsui's eagerness to prove himself and deliberately cut off other players' routes to receive the ball.

Miyagi was tricked into passing the ball to Mitsui, who was in a bad position and had lost his composure!

"Catch!"

With the 24-second violation looming, Miyagi had no choice but to pass the ball to Mitsui at a 45-degree angle on the right.

Mitsui received the ball but didn't even have time to adjust his steps.

As if he had anticipated this moment, Kageyama Shun suddenly lunged forward, raising one hand high to completely block Mitsui's view.

"I can get in... I'm Mitsui Hisashi, the Man of Flame!"

Mitsui forcibly rose from the ground.

My muscles ached so badly they seemed to be screaming, and the strength in my calves couldn't reach my upper body at all.

"Clang—!"

The second strike of the iron!

"Damn it!" Mitsui stumbled as he landed, nearly falling over.

"I told you, your touch today is colder than the fish that RT-Mart has been killing for ten years."

Kageyama Shun ran past him expressionlessly, casually tossing out a single sentence.

These words completely ignited the powder keg in Mitsui's mind.

The next two minutes became a nightmare for Mitsui Hisashi alone.

Give me the ball!

"Give me another chance! I'm sure I can make it!"

Shohoku's offense has completely fallen into a trance.

No matter how Akagi tries to position himself inside, no matter how Rukawa tries to create open spaces.

The moment Mitsui touches the ball, he becomes like a gambler who has lost his mind, with only the basket in his eyes.

"Mitsui! Keep your pace steady, don't rush to shoot!"

Akagi Takenori sensed something was wrong and, in his anxiety, veins bulged on his forehead as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

But Mitsui wouldn't listen.

The sounds around me are fading.

All that remained in his mind were the two years he had wasted among hoodlums.

Fighting, smoking, and living in a daze—those were the humiliating parts of his life he most wanted to erase.

"If only I hadn't wasted those two years..."

"I absolutely refuse to miss a shot like that!"

Extreme self-blame and struggle turned into the most blind act.

Third time asking for the ball!

Left bottom corner!

Kageyama Shun didn't even bother to extend his hand, he just stared at him coldly.

There was no hollow sound when it entered the net; it was a complete miss!

The basketball flew straight over the rim and hit the timer behind the backboard!

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

"What happened? Shohoku's sharpshooter has gone cold?"

"Three consecutive misses and one airball—this was pure free win!"

"Aiwa's defense is terrifying; it completely disrupted his rhythm!"

The murmurs from the stands were like a resounding slap across Mitsui's face.

"The climax of the match is coming..."

Lin Bei's eyes gradually sharpened on the sidelines.

On the court, a chain reaction of despair erupted completely within the Shohoku camp!

Aiwa Academy seized the opportunity presented by Mitsui's repeated failures.

Like a swarm of sharks that have smelled blood, they launch a swift counterattack!

Dai Moroboshi demonstrates the absolute dominance of the Star of Aichi.

He faced Rukawa's defense during a fast break.

He scored a 2+1 with a highly deceptive Euro step, forcefully regaining his composure!

Then came the next positional battle.

Moroboshi Dai made a no-look pass, and the inside player Tetsuyama used his massive body to push past Sakuragi and complete a brutal two-handed mechanical dunk!

"boom--!"

The basketball hoop shook violently, and the referee blew his whistle.

Score: 8:12!

Love & Academy has overtaken them!

"Beautiful! That's it!"

"Crush them!"

The Love and Academy bench erupted in cheers, towels waving like a white wave.

The players on the field were in high spirits, giving each other high-fives like crazy; they were absolutely unstoppable.

In contrast, Shohoku's offense completely stalled.

The entire team seemed drained of energy, shrouded in a suffocating gloom.

Mitsui Hisashi braced himself on his knees, panting heavily.

Sweat blurred my vision, making the bright red scoreboard indistinct.

He became the biggest culprit for the team's defeat.

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.

"Is that all...?" the audience in the stands whispered among themselves.

"In the end, they lacked the necessary foundation. When they encountered the real top four in the country, their weaknesses were exposed and they collapsed instantly."

"It seems that beating Sannoh... might have been just luck."

However, just when everyone thought that Xiangbei's morale had been crushed.

A slow, deliberate clapping sounded from the end of the Shohoku bench.

"Slap... slap... slap..."

The applause wasn't loud, but it carried an eerie, penetrating force.

They forcefully tore a hole in the noisy stadium.

Everyone instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

Lin Bei leaned back lazily in his chair.

"Pooh."

He tilted his head slightly and precisely spat the tasteless chewing gum into the trash can at his feet.

He then stretched, his bones making a sickening "crack" sound.

He shook his head, then burst out laughing, his eyes revealing undisguised arrogance.

"I'll do it."

Lin Bei stood up and casually tore off his long-sleeved training uniform.

The black and red number 16 jersey was visible underneath.

That terrifying aura that had been restrained was now released without reservation!

The surrounding air temperature seemed to drop to freezing point instantly.

Even Ayako, who was about to hand over a towel, couldn't help but shiver.

Lin Bei didn't look at Mitsui, who was in despair, nor at Ai and the others, who were celebrating.

He simply walked with precise steps straight to the technical table.

"referee."

Lin Bei tapped the surface of the technical desk. The sound wasn't loud, but it carried an absolute sense of pressure.

"Shohoku, requesting a substitution."

He turned his head and, across half the court, locked his gaze on Dai Moroboshi, who was celebrating.

"The game is over."

Lin Bei licked his slightly chapped lips.

"Now, I'm going to start the killing."