Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

The Monday morning sunlight streamed in through the windows as usual, and students entered the classroom one after another. Some yawned, some flipped through their textbooks, and some took a nap at their desks.

When Sakuragi Hanamichi stepped into the classroom, the class fell silent for a moment.

The boys who were chatting and laughing stopped talking and their eyes followed the red figure from the doorway to the last row.

Sakuragi's walk was different from usual. Normally, his steps were large and heavy, as if he were stepping on springs, with each step carrying an air of "What are you looking at?"

Today his steps were heavy, his shoes dragged on the ground, making a rustling sound, as if he were dragging something.

He put his schoolbag on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. The chair leg scraped against the floor with a short creak, and then he sat there.

It's been three days.

Since the game ended on Saturday, the same image has been replaying in his mind: that sly fox Rukawa Kaede from Fuyuka Middle School receiving the ball outside the three-point line, then pulling up for a jump shot, and the ball goes in.

The final whistle blew. The scoreboard read 60 to 61. He remembered standing in front of the bench, looking at that number, watching the Tomioka Junior High team rush towards Rukawa Kaede, and watching his teammates' backs as they walked off the court.

If only his shoes hadn't broken. If those canvas shoes could last a little longer, even just a few more minutes, he could continue grabbing rebounds, maintaining his position, and blocking Rukawa's path.

If Heguang Middle School can avoid being defeated at the last minute and successfully enter the finals, they can win the county championship.

When the four members of Sakuragi's gang walked into the classroom, they immediately spotted the listless red head in the last row.

Takamiya Nozomi nudged Oonan with her elbow, and Oonan gestured with her chin towards Sakuragi. The three of them exchanged glances. Yohei walked at the very back, placed his backpack on his seat, and then headed towards Sakuragi.

The four of them gathered around Sakuragi's desk. Da Nan was the first to speak, patting Sakuragi on the shoulder.

"Hanamichi, well, he just lost to Tomioka Junior High, right...?"

"Bang."

Da Nan's forehead collided squarely with Sakuragi's, causing Da Nan's body to sway to the side, his eyes rolling upwards, and him to fall to the ground. A large bump appeared on his forehead, steaming.

Yohei, Takamiya, and Noma all took a few steps back at the same time. It started again—the signature headbutt of the flower arrangement school.

Noma shrank behind Takamiya, his voice so low that only a few people around him could hear it.

"Hanamichi only lost to Tomioka Junior High and that Rukawa Kaede, why is he reacting so strongly?"

Sakuragi's ears twitched, and he teleported to Noma's side, his gaze like two knives stabbing into Noma's face.

Noma's smile froze.

"Bang."

Noma lay down as well, side by side with Dainan on the ground, in almost identical positions... Both of them were breathing evenly and sleeping peacefully.

Nozomi Takamiya and Yohei quickly covered their mouths and retreated away from Sakuragi, fearing they would be the next victims.

The classroom was silent for a few seconds. The students in the front row didn't dare to turn around, but their necks were stiff and their ears were perked up.

In the front row of the classroom, two boys were engrossed in flipping through comic books. Their voices weren't loud, but they could be heard clearly in the quiet classroom.

"Look at this, this fox spirit has become so powerful, she can send people flying with a single swipe of her tail."

The words "vixen" drifted from the front row of the classroom, through rows of desks, through the chalk dust floating in the air, and precisely into Sakuragi's ears.

fox spirit?

Sakuragi's ears twitched again.

Fox spirit = fox = Rukawa Kaede!

"Bang."

Another victim has fallen.

Another boy stared wide-eyed at Sakuragi, dropped his comic book, and stood there with his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

Sakuragi glanced down at him to make sure he hadn't said anything like "vixen" or any word containing the word "fox," then turned and went back to his seat.

Seeing this, Yohei's eyes lit up, as if someone had lit a lamp in his mind.

Tomioka. Rukawa Kaede. Fox.

These three words are the trigger switch. They can't be mentioned, because mentioning them will trigger Sakuragi's headbutt reaction, like a conditioned reflex.

It was a day spent in a daze. Sakuragi didn't hear a word the teacher said on the podium. His mind kept replaying the lost game, the game-winning shot, and his torn cloth shoes.

As the school bell rang, students poured out of the classrooms, and the corridors quickly filled with people, the noise like a pot of boiling soup.

Sakuragi packed his schoolbag and walked out of the classroom in a daze, like a walking corpse... He walked through the corridor, down the stairs, past the playground, and then stopped at the entrance of the school basketball court.

The basketball court was closed. The iron gate was locked from the inside, and darkness and silence emanated from the cracks, a stark contrast to its former brightly lit and bustling atmosphere.

Sakuragi then suddenly remembered that the game was over.

Coach Takeda said that after the prefectural tournament, the third-year players will start preparing for their high school entrance exams. Therefore, basketball club activities will be suspended, and the focus will be on preparing for these exams.

Sakuragi stood at the door for quite a while.

A breeze blew by, carrying the warm scent of approaching summer, ruffling the hair on his forehead. He lowered his head, turned, and walked away.

When they reached the school gate, four familiar figures were waiting there. Takamiya leaned against the gatepost, Da Nan squatted on the ground rubbing his forehead, Noma stood beside him touching the red mark on his forehead, and Yohei stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall.

"Hanamichi, let's go play pachinko, it's been so long since you've played with us." Takamiya leaned over and spoke first, his tone light and cheerful, as if he wanted to "change the mood".

"I'm not in the mood," Sakuragi said in a muffled voice.

Da Nan stood up from the ground and dusted off his pants. "Shall we go play video games?"

"I'm not going."

Noma tentatively suggested, "Shall we go get something to eat? It's on me today."

I'm not hungry.

The three men's attempts to persuade him were like water splashed on a stone; not a drop penetrated.

They glanced at each other, their faces bearing the same expression... Damn it, this guy hasn't recovered yet.

Yohei didn't say anything, he just looked at Sakuragi.

He had known Sakuragi for so many years, and he had seen his indifference after being rejected by girls, his resentment after losing a fight, and his quiet contemplation while sitting alone on the rooftop.

But he had never seen Sakuragi like this before... It wasn't anger, it wasn't resentment, it was a kind of frustration that seeped into his bones.

Yohei opened his mouth, as if to say something.

Before he could speak, a figure walked over and blocked Sakuragi's path.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a green polo shirt.