Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

The first class in the afternoon after lunch break is physical education.

At Heguang Middle School, physical education classes are traditionally held separately for boys and girls, with two or three boys' classes grouped together.

Today's teams are Class 3, Class 5, and Class 6 of Grade 3, which are Sakuragi's classes, plus two other classes.

The playground was bustling with activity as a group of people stood there.

After warming up by running three laps under the teacher's guidance.

At this time of year, Sakuragi Hanamichi would do something he was very good at: he and the four members of the Sakuragi Army would find a shady spot under a tree, lie down on the grass, and start slacking off.

But today is different.

He couldn't explain why, but instead of walking towards the shade of the trees, he plopped down on the steps next to the basketball court and squinted at the court.

On the field, Class 3 and Class 6 are playing against each other.

There was a tall guy on the third class who was incredibly fast. The ball seemed glued to his hands as he darted left and right, tearing the sixth class's defense to shreds.

Oda Ryusei, the ace of the Wako Junior High School basketball team, is 183 cm tall and has some serious skills.

He dribbled past his opponent and drove into the paint for a layup, the ball cleanly swishing through the rim.

"Whoosh." The net bag shook gently.

A group of girls were gathered outside the barbed wire fence.

Screams erupted instantly.

"Oda-kun—so handsome—"

"Keep it up!"

"It's in! It's in! That was awesome!"

The group of girls stomped their feet excitedly, their voices so shrill they could pierce eardrums.

Sakuragi looked at the girls' reactions with a displeased expression.

On the court, Oda Ryusei had just scored a basket and was slowly running back, his chin slightly raised and a "I know I'm handsome" smile on his lips.

That expression, that posture…

"Tch." A disdainful snort came from the side.

Takamiya Nozomi squatted on the steps, looking at the court with a disgruntled expression: "So what if she can play basketball? What's so great about that? Are those girls blind?"

Da Nan nodded in agreement: "Exactly, look at his arrogant attitude, it makes me want to punch him."

Noma added insult to injury: "The key is that Oda isn't even as tall as Sakuragi, so what's with all the arrogance?"

Takamiya's eyes lit up: "That's right! Sakuragi is half a head taller than him just by standing there!"

All three of them turned their gazes toward Sakuragi.

Yohei sat on the far side, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up, revealing a standard "Yohei-style mischievous smile".

"Sakuragi," Yohei said slowly, "haven't you been dreaming about playing basketball a lot lately?"

Sakuragi's ears twitched.

"Want to go up and give it a try?" Yohei gestured with his chin towards the field. "You're so much taller than that Oda, go up there and beat him to a pulp. That way, lots of girls will cheer for you, and you might even get a lot of love letters!"

Takamiya immediately realized what was happening and slapped his thigh: "Right, right, right! Sakuragi, go for it!"

Da Nan got excited too: "Let's show that kid how powerful you are, the King of Fighters! Take him down!"

Noma grinned, his eyes crinkling: "This is going to be funny! This is going to be funny!"

The three of them were pushing and shoving each other from behind, laughing like it was New Year's Day.

Sakuragi was taken aback by what he heard.

Playing on the court? That tactile sensation from my dream is back—the texture of the basketball, the vibration I felt on my fingertips as it bounced back off the ground.

It seems... very familiar.

He stood up, not even bothering to brush the dust off his pants, and walked straight towards the court.

Takamiya paused for a moment, then asked, "He really went?"

Yohei smiled without saying a word, looking on with an expression of watching a show.

The PE teacher was standing on the sidelines with a whistle in his hand, busy substituting players. A boy from Class 6 was already panting heavily, his hands on his knees, his face flushed red.

"Teacher." A voice came from the side.

The PE teacher turned his head and saw a clump of red hair.

His expression froze for a moment.

Sakuragi Hanamichi.

He was a notorious problem student at Heguang Middle School, a notorious fighter, and the one who always slacked off in PE class. Despite his great height, he was never seen touching a ball.

"...What are you going to do?" the PE teacher asked instinctively.

"I want to play basketball," Sakuragi said simply.

The PE teacher, Takeda, paused, then looked him up and down. Had this troublemaker taken the wrong medicine today? He actually volunteered to play?

He hesitated for two seconds, looked at Sakuragi's height, and then glanced at the student on the field who was running so fast he was about to run out of breath.

"Alright, you go up." The gym teacher blew his whistle and shouted onto the field, "Yamamoto, you come down, Sakuragi, you're replacing him!"

The student, who was panting heavily, felt like he had been granted a pardon and practically crawled down.

Sakuragi walked onto the court, looked left and right, and his expression gradually froze.

The question is, what are the rules of basketball?

His mind went blank. What constitutes a foul? What counts as a point? Is it allowed to run with the ball?

But he still ran without the ball according to his experience in the dream, and while he was in a daze, a ball was passed to him from the side.

His teammates from Class 6 saw him standing outside the three-point line with no one in front of him, and the defenders from Class 3 didn't take the red-haired guy seriously at all.

The ball flew over with a whoosh and hit him squarely in the chest.

Sakuragi's hands move faster than his brain.

He stretched out both hands and caught the ball steadily.

The sensation was exactly the same as in my dream.

The surface of the basketball rubbed against his fingertips, its smooth curve fitting perfectly in his palm. He glanced down at the ball in his hand, then looked up at the basket.

The basketball hoop was not far away, and the net hanging on the iron ring swayed slightly in the wind.

Memories from my dream came flooding back like a tide.

Eiki Kawamura.

That short guy dribbles fast and shoots accurately.

His three-point shooting is very accurate.

Sakuragi's legs were slightly bent, and an instinctive rhythm came from his knees.

Raise your hand, lift the ball, tilt your wrist back, gently press your fingertips against the creases of the ball, and aim your elbow at the basket.

His pull-up jump shot was fluid and smooth.

From toes to knees to waist to elbows to fingertips, every joint felt as if it had been calibrated by the soul in my dream.

When he jumped, his body paused briefly in the air, and his wrist flicked slightly.

The ball slipped from my fingertips, spinning as it flew toward the basket.

That posture was graceful, relaxed, and picturesque.

On the sidelines, Yohei's water bottle hovered in mid-air, his mouth slightly open.

Gao Gong dropped his melon seeds on the ground, his eyes widening like copper bells.

Da Nan and Noma both leaned forward at the same time, stretching their necks out.

"That's... Sakuragi?" Takamiya's voice changed.

"He can actually play basketball?" Da Nan couldn't believe his ears.

Noma rubbed his eyes. "Am I seeing things?"

Yohei didn't speak, his eyes fixed on the arc in the sky.

Teacher Takeda was also stunned.

That shooting form... was so perfect.

From catching the ball to jumping to releasing the shot, the entire movement was seamless, with no unnecessary steps.

Even the star players on the basketball team might not be able to make such a beautiful shooting motion.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, the ball traced a high arc in the air.

Then... the ball fell behind the backboard.

Three things to avoid.

He didn't even touch the edge of the rim.

"Hahahahahahaha!"

Gao Gong was the first to burst out laughing, and rolled down the steps, landing on the ground twice.

Da Nan laughed until tears streamed down her face, clutching her stomach and squatting on the ground, slapping the floor repeatedly: "Three-No-Stick! Three-No-Stick, hahahaha!"

Noma went even further, sprawling on the steps, pounding his fists on the ground: "I thought he was going to score! That pose was so cool! But he missed all three! Hahahaha!"

Yohei also laughed, but not as dramatically as the other three; he just covered his forehead and shook his head.

On the court, Sakuragi maintained his shooting posture, his hand still raised in mid-air.

He slowly lowered his hand and looked up at the basketball hoop.

The movements are exactly the same as in my dream!

Why won't it go in?

He frowned and began to think about the problem seriously.