Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

The moment the players from both sides walked out of the tunnel, the volume in the stadium instantly rose a notch.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stepped onto the court, the lights pouring down from above, blindingly white.

His gaze immediately swept towards the stands, where he saw that beautiful figure.

She wore a light-colored top and a dark-colored skirt, blending in with the surrounding school uniforms, but Sakuragi could spot her at a glance.

A grin spread across his face as he raised his hand and waved in that direction. Yuri Yanai waved back, her fingers slightly spread and gently waving in front of her.

Sakuragi's smile widened even further.

Next to him, Nozomi Takamiya held up a homemade support sign with the words "Sakuragi" crookedly written on it, shaking the sign vigorously in the air.

Da Nan stood on the chair and whistled, the whistle sharp and piercing, while Noma clapped his hands until his palms turned red.

Yohei waved the bottle filled with small steel balls.

The four of them yelled and screamed like four monkeys whose tails had been stepped on. But Sakuragi didn't even glance at them.

He only had eyes for that one person.

Da Nan gritted his teeth in frustration: "That guy can't even see us!"

In the guest seats, Coach Shigeichi Taoka crossed his arms and scanned the field with his eyes.

His target was clear: number 11, Rukawa Kaede, from Tomioka Junior High. That talented player who had caught his eye last year.

But during warm-up, his gaze was drawn to another color on the field. Red hair stood out starkly among a group of black and white heads.

Taoka squinted as he watched the red-haired man shoot. Catching the ball, bending his knees, jumping, releasing the ball—the movements were as fluid as a line; the angle of his elbow, the power of his wrist, the point of contact with the ball—everything was perfect.

Taoka's eyebrows twitched slightly. His posture was perfect, but he inwardly curled his lip in disapproval.

These days, young people are all about fancy hair. They dye their perfectly good hair red and style it into a pompadour. What kind of image do they have?

He shifted his gaze from Sakuragi and returned it to Rukawa. This one is better; quiet and peaceful, it's less stressful to watch.

On the other side of the stands, Haruko Akagi sat next to her classmate. From the moment Rukawa Kaede walked out of the tunnel, her gaze was fixed on him.

Haruko's heart skipped a beat. It always felt this way whenever she saw him. She'd been captivated by Rukawa Kaede the first time she saw him play basketball at the prefectural tournament last year.

It's not because he's handsome, although he is indeed very handsome. It's mainly because of the way he plays basketball.

That focus, that calmness, that feeling that the ball becomes different in his hands—it's like being under a spell.

She couldn't explain what it was, but her eyes just wouldn't leave him.

"Haruko, look, look! Rukawa Kaede is out!"

The classmate next to her excitedly grabbed her arm, his nails almost digging into her flesh.

"I saw it..." Haruko's voice was soft, her gaze never leaving her.

The girls' cheering squad from Fuqiu Middle School occupied an entire area of ​​the stands. They were dressed in matching cheering outfits, with hairbands of the same color tied in their hair, and holding colorful cheering sticks, looking as orderly as an army.

"Lucawa...! Lukawa...! Lukawa...!"

The screams grew louder and louder, and never stopped from the moment Rukawa Kaede appeared on the sidelines of the court.

The voices of dozens of girls overlapped, sharp, high-pitched, and filled with an almost fanatical excitement, making the air in the entire stadium vibrate.

In the stands, the four members of Sakuragi's gang looked at the sea of ​​cheerleaders opposite them, their expressions growing increasingly grim.

Takamiya put down the support sign, frowned as he looked at the group of screaming girls, and pursed his lips. "So noisy, what's so great about a guy playing basketball?"

Da Nan chimed in, his voice dripping with sarcasm, like he'd just eaten a whole lemon. "Exactly, nobody cheers when Sakuragi dunks."

Noma looked sour. "That's because they've never seen the world."

The three of them exchanged a glance, then turned their heads and looked at Sakuragi, who was warming up on the field.

"Sakuragi...! Crush that Rukawa Kaede over there...!" Takamiya cupped his hands around his mouth, his voice so loud it startled even himself.

"Let him see who the real ace is...!" Da Nan stood up, cupped his hands in a megaphone shape, and his face turned bright red.

"Go for it...! Use your dunk to dunk over him...!" Noma waved his hand vigorously.

Yohei sat on the far side, not joining in the shouting. He looked at the red-haired figure on the court, then glanced at the cheerleaders on the other side, and then at Rukawa Kaede, who was shooting hoops with a blank expression.

The competition hasn't even started yet, but he already feels that today is going to be very interesting.

The warm-up was over. Three whistles sounded, and both teams returned to their benches.

Teacher Takeda stood in front of the team members.

"Remember what I said before the game."

"Rukawa Kaede on the other side. Double-team him whenever he gets the ball. If two aren't enough, three. Don't give him any space to break through, don't give him any chance to shoot, don't give him any comfortable offensive opportunities."

"Go on stage."

Center circle. The referee stands between the two jumpers, holding the ball with one hand.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood at the jump ball position, knees slightly bent, arms raised, eyes fixed on the ball in the referee's hand.

His opponent was Rukawa Kaede; Rukawa Kaede was the one to jump ball for Tomioka Middle School.

The two stood facing each other, less than a meter apart. Sakuragi's red hair shone like a burning fire under the light, while Rukawa's black, tousled hair fell across his forehead, obscuring his eyes.

The two people are almost the same height and have similar builds.

Sakuragi stared at Rukawa for a moment, then gave him a confident smile.

"They all say you're amazing, but today I'll show you how amazing I am and defeat you."

Rukawa's eyelashes fluttered. His gaze shifted from the basketball to Sakuragi's face, lingered for a moment, then returned to the basketball. He let out a soft hum.

He'd encountered far too many people saying things like that. It happened at every game, before every jump ball. Some said, "I'm going to crush you today," others said, "Just you wait and see," and still others said, "You're nothing special."

Then the game ended, and everyone fell silent.

The referee held the whistle in his mouth.

"Beep..."

The ball was tossed high into the air. The orange-red ball spun and rose into the sky under the lights, pausing briefly at its highest point. All eyes were fixed on that ball.

The two figures were launched into the air simultaneously.

Sakuragi jumped even faster, his arms outstretched, fingers spread, his fingertips touching the ball's surface, and with a gentle flick, the ball flew towards his teammate Akiyama.

Rukawa's fingertips were still a few centimeters away from the ball. He jumped very high, higher than usual, but the red-haired guy jumped even higher.

Rukawa Kaede turned his head in mid-air, his peripheral vision catching sight of that tuft of red hair just above his eye level, like a rising flame. His pupils contracted slightly.

That bounces so fast.

This was the first time Rukawa Kaede had been surprised by his opponent's physical abilities during the match.

He didn't have time to think. The instant he landed, his knees bent to absorb the impact, and his toes immediately pushed off again, turning him around to defend.

Sakuragi had already sprinted forward the moment he landed. His stride was ridiculously long; one step was equivalent to one and a half steps for others.

Akiyama received the ball from Sakuragi, and without stopping, immediately launched a long pass forward. The ball's trajectory was high and flat, crossing midcourt, passing the free-throw line, and heading straight for the right side of the basket.

Sakuragi received the ball near the free-throw line, dribbled once, then gathered the ball, took three big steps, one step, two steps, and jumped.

Under the basket, Rukawa had already taken his defensive position. He arrived before Sakuragi, feet spread wide, arms raised high, body slightly leaning back, ready to meet the attack.

He was well-positioned, not out of position, and his arms were raised straight without being lowered; it was a clean defensive stance.

Sakuragi jumped, his body slightly turned to the side in the air, his shoulder aimed at the basket, his right hand holding the ball, his left hand protecting the side of the ball, and his whole body flew towards the basket like a cannonball.

The two bodies collided in mid-air.

"Bang."

The sound of muscles colliding was muffled, almost inaudible in the noisy stadium, but Rukawa Kaede could feel the power.

The energy traveled from his chest to his arms, from his arms to his shoulders, and from his shoulders to his entire body.

His body lost its balance in mid-air, his center of gravity shifted backward, his arm was knocked to one side, and his defensive posture collapsed the moment of contact.

Sakuragi, in mid-air, tossed the ball toward the basket with his right hand.

"Swish!" The ball goes in.

Sakuragi landed, leaning slightly forward to steady himself.

He turned his head and glanced at Rukawa Kaede lying on the ground.

Rukawa sat on the wooden floor, one hand supporting him on the ground. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes were fixed on Sakuragi, and something flickered slightly in his pupils.

This guy jumps faster, is stronger, and finishes at the basket more decisively than he imagined.

The referee didn't blow the whistle. It wasn't a defensive foul, much less an offensive foul; it was just a normal inside drive where the defender was knocked down.

The cheering squad from Fuqiu Middle School in the stands fell silent for a moment.

This was unprecedented for them. Their ace, their Lukawa, conceded a point over their opponent right at the start of the game for the first time.

Haruko Akagi sat in the stands, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt above her knees.

On the other side of the stands, Yuri Yanai sat in her seat and didn't scream like the people around her. Instead, she stared at Sakuragi on the field with shining eyes.

Kato Rena leaned back in her chair, watching Rukawa Kaede on the field. When Rukawa Kaede first appeared, her eyes lit up; he was handsome, exactly her type.

Then this handsome inside player was knocked down by Sakuragi. As a delinquent girl, she cared more about whether someone was "strong" enough, and Rukawa Kaede lost a lot of points in her impression.

On the court, Sakuragi and Oda gave each other a high five and quickly returned to defense.

Rukawa Kaede stood there, watching the red figure run away, flames burning in his eyes.

He wants to fight back.