Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

After school, Yohei, Takamiya, and the other two walked together towards the school gate, preparing to go to work.

Just as the four of them reached the bicycle shed at the school gate, a classmate caught up from behind and said, "Yohei! A few thugs from another school came to the school gate just now, and they looked like they were heading towards the basketball club!"

Yohei paused for a moment.

Takamiya Nozomi's round face scrunched up: "From another school? Who are you looking for?"

"I don't know," the classmate shook his head, "They don't look like good people, there are several of them."

Da Nan and Noma exchanged a glance, their expressions both turning somber, after all, Sakuragi was also in the basketball club.

Yohei didn't say anything, turned around and walked towards the basketball court. Takamiya and the other two followed without saying a word.

Inside the basketball court, Sakuragi Hanamichi stood near the free-throw line, holding a basketball and gesturing at Miyagi Ryota.

"Wrist, flick your wrist," Sakuragi said, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, the ball slid from his fingertips, arcing through the air and swishing into the net.

"It's not about pushing with your arm, it's about using your wrist. Your movement just now was too stiff; your fingers didn't flick the ball when it went out, so the direction was off."

Miyagi stood to the side holding a ball, his brows slightly furrowed.

His expression was a little unnatural; being taught how to shoot by a first-year student made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

But he didn't refute it, because Sakuragi was right.

In that one-on-one match a couple of days ago, Sakuragi pointed his finger at him and said he "had no shooting ability." After thinking about it for a long time, he realized that Sakuragi was right. His offensive skills were too limited; he could only drive to the basket. Against truly strong teams, he would be too easily targeted.

Miyagi took a deep breath, bent his knees slightly, flicked his wrist, and the ball went out. The arc was okay, but the force was a bit too weak, and it bounced back off the front edge of the rim.

"Your wrist! Your wrist!" Sakuragi shouted from the side, his voice so loud it shook the entire arena. "Your wrist is too tight, relax!"

Miyagi gritted his teeth, picked up the ball, and shot it again. This time it was a little better; the ball spun twice on the rim, but still rolled out.

"You've improved," Sakuragi nodded, hands on his hips. "Better than before. Let's try again."

Miyagi glanced at him, said nothing, picked up the ball, and continued practicing.

At the other end of the court, Rukawa Kaede was doing strength training.

He lay face down on the wooden floor, hands on the ground, body stretched into a straight line, doing push-ups one after another.

His movements weren't fast, but each one was precise; his chest almost touched the floor before he pushed up. His forehead was covered in sweat, and the collar of his T-shirt was soaked, but he didn't stop.

Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two...

His arms were trembling slightly, but he gritted his teeth and kept going.

The humiliating one-on-one match against Sakuragi, coupled with Coach Anzai's words, kept swirling in his mind: the importance of physical confrontation and stamina. These two words were like two thorns, stuck in his heart.

Just then, the basketball court door was pushed open from the outside, followed by a flurry of footsteps.

The person walking at the front had long, center-parted hair, wearing Shohoku's school uniform with two buttons undone at the collar.

Hisashi Mitsui.

A playful smile played on his lips as his gaze swept across the stadium before finally settling on Ryota Miyagi.

He walked over, scooped a basketball from the hoop, held it with one hand, and spun it twice in his hand.

Tilting her head, she said in a light, casual tone, "Oh, Miyagi. Why don't you let me join you?"

The air in the stadium suddenly turned cold.

Yasuda was packing up the basketball on the sidelines when he saw Mitsui enter with a group of people, and he almost dropped the ball. He took a half step back, his gaze darting back and forth between Mitsui and Miyagi.

Yuri Yanai sat next to Ayako, her gaze sweeping over Mitsui and then over the seven or eight people behind him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You can't wear shoes in here," Yanai couldn't help but say as he walked over. "Also, please leave. Outsiders aren't welcome here."

Mitsui turned his head and saw Yanai. His pupils contracted slightly, and the smile on his lips froze for a fraction of a second. What was the eldest daughter of the Yanai family doing here?

Mitsui's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but his chin remained raised and did not lower.

"This is a private matter between Miyagi and me," Mitsui said, his voice lower than before, but his tone remained firm. "Ms. Yanai, please don't meddle in other people's business."

Yanai's eyes narrowed even more, and the corners of her mouth turned down slightly.

When Sakuragi Hanamichi heard Mitsui say "Don't meddle in other people's business" and saw his girlfriend being rebuked, he felt like someone had lit a fire on his butt and instantly exploded.

He strode over from the free-throw line, blocking Yanai behind him, his eyes wide like copper bells, shooting out lightning-fast glints as he stared menacingly at Mitsui's face.

"Hairy monster, are you looking for death? Didn't you hear me? You're not welcome here, please get out."

Sakuragi's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, the muscles in his arms were taut like stones, and he looked like an enraged bull, ready to charge at any moment.

Yasuda rushed over and grabbed Sakuragi's arm. He wasn't very strong, so it was a struggle for him, and he was practically hanging on Sakuragi's arm.

"Sakuragi! You absolutely mustn't fight!" Yasuda's voice trembled, but he emphasized each word. "Fighting in the basketball club will get you suspended! If it gets out of hand, the basketball club will be shut down!"

Kogure Kiminobu also ran over from the sidelines, grabbed Sakuragi's other arm, his glasses almost slipping off his nose, and said urgently, "Calm down, Sakuragi! Remember, the prefectural tournament is about to start!"

Ryota Miyagi stepped forward. He walked up to Mitsui, almost a head shorter than him, but his gaze was level with Mitsui's chest, not looking up at him, and his tone was very calm.

"This is a basketball court, don't disturb others. I don't want to fight with you. Please leave. If you have something to say, talk outside."

Mitsui looked at Miyagi, and that playful smile returned to his lips.

He tossed the ball into the air, where it spun twice before falling back down. He caught it with one hand, slapped it, and the thud was particularly jarring in the quiet stadium.

"Oh dear, but I'm here to cause trouble."

Mitsui's voice carried a hint of smugness, "As long as a fight breaks out in the basketball club, the club will be disbanded. Forget about the games; I'm doing this on purpose."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly flicked his wrist, sending the ball flying through the air towards Miyagi's face.

Miyagi instinctively raised his hands to protect his head. The ball hit his arm, and Mitsui took the opportunity to kick Miyagi in the stomach with considerable force. Miyagi was kicked back two steps, bent over, and clutched his stomach with both hands, his expression contorting.

"Miyagi!" Ayako cried out in fright and rushed over to support Miyagi.

Sakuragi's eyes reddened.

"You fucking..."

His body lunged forward like a lit cannonball. Kogure grabbed his waist from behind, and Yasuda grabbed his arm; the two of them held him tightly. Kogure's glasses were knocked askew, and Yasuda's face turned bright red.

"Calm down! Calm down! Sakuragi, calm down!" Kogure's voice changed.

「鬆手！我要揍死他！」樱木的声音大得整个球馆都在震，胳膊一甩，木暮整个人被带得离地了半秒，差点飞出去。

Mitsui looked at Sakuragi, who had been pulled back, and his smugness deepened. He straightened his collar, preparing to say something...

Suddenly, the sole of a basketball shoe appeared in his field of vision, growing larger and larger.

Before Mitsui could react, he was kicked hard in the chest by a tremendous force. As if he had been hit by a motorcycle, his feet left the ground, and he flew backward, his back slamming heavily onto the floor. He slid half a meter before coming to a stop.

His mouth was agape, his eyes were wide open, and his expression changed from smug to utter bewilderment.

Yuri Yanai landed gracefully, with her right foot forward and left foot back, her knees slightly bent, her center of gravity firmly planted, like a cat landing without making a loud noise.

Her school uniform skirt swayed in the air, her long black hair floated up and then fell back down, the movements so fluid they were like dancing.

But the force of that kick was anything but elegant.

Mitsui lay on the floor, clutching his chest, coughing twice, his face clearly showing his confusion about what had just happened.

As soon as Yohei and his three friends arrived at the stadium entrance, they witnessed this scene.

Yanai leaped into the air and delivered a beautiful and graceful "heart-piercing kick".

Mitsui was kicked away by Yuri Yanai, his whole body flying into the air before his back slammed onto the floor with a dull thud.

Yohei and the other three had their mouths agape, wide enough to fit a fist.

After landing, Yanai glanced at the doorway and saw Yohei and his three companions.

Her expression was devoid of any extra emotion, carrying an unquestionable sense of command: "Close the door."

Yohei's reaction was so fast it was like a conditioned reflex.

"Oh!" he responded, turned around, grabbed the iron handles of the basketball court door with both hands, and pulled hard.

The two iron gates slammed shut with a clang, and the latch clicked shut, dimming the light in the basketball court.

Takamiya, Okusu, and Noma were still standing there, stunned.

Yohei had turned around, his expression changing from surprise to a "the show is about to begin" smile.