Full-time comic artist

"Mmm!" Kikuchi Hidemi nodded repeatedly, her gaze towards Yamamura softening.

She said, "The college basketball tournament starts at the end of this month. Shall we watch the games together?"

"Of course!" Yamamura Moromichi replied quickly, afraid that she might take back her words.

He felt a warm glow inside, thinking that it wasn't a big deal to praise Higashino Hibiki occasionally.

Akino Mirai was a genius to begin with.

Just then, the match began.

The players entered the court, representing the Meiji basketball team and the Nippon Sport Science University basketball team.

"The Meiji basketball team is really hardworking," Yamamura remarked. "They've played friendly matches against many schools and won them all. They seem to be the favorites to win the championship."

Seeing the Meiji University players' high spirits, Yamamura recalled their game against the Tokai basketball team.

It was indeed a fierce competition, and it also introduced him to Hidemi Kikuchi, making him fall in love with basketball.

The charm of sports lies in the players' hard work and never-give-up spirit, guided by the principles of "fairness, impartiality, and openness."

These college students, free from the constraints of personal gain, are better able to exemplify this point.

Kikuchi Hidemi watched this scene with a serious expression; she too hoped for her team to win.

But recalling Meiji University's strength, which was comparable to the top four in Tokyo, and considering the arduous training camp, she became apprehensive.

Please take care of me.

On the court, Meiji basketball team captain Toyonan shook hands with the other player with a smile.

"Please take care of me." Yoshimura Teru, captain of the sports university basketball team, shook hands with a friend.

The match is about to begin.

……

Kanto University Basketball League.

This is a student union formed by university student councils in the Kanto region, and it is also the organizer of university basketball games.

Every year around this time, things get busy.

"There are an unusually large number of spectators this year." At the meeting, looking at the data, a member of the student union said in surprise, "The first round of the competition has a lot of spectator reservations, more than double the number at this time of year in previous years."

He was eager and full of motivation.

“More and more people are liking basketball,” another person said, adjusting his glasses with a happy expression. “If this continues, it might reach the level of baseball. Maybe in the future, basketball can become the highest-level student sport, just like Koshien!”

"I'm really looking forward to that day!"

"However, it's still impossible after all."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Laughter erupted in the room.

How could any sport possibly be as popular as baseball?

Even those who love basketball think it's impossible.

"The increase in basketball popularity is mainly due to the influence of 'Slam Dunk'," the president said, glancing at the members on either side. "It's not because of our efforts, but because the manga artist's work is very interesting, so we still have to keep working hard. There's still a long way to go in promoting basketball in Japan."

The members present all nodded silently.

Just then, someone knocked on the door; it was the association's secretary.

"Director Masamura of the Japan Basketball Association has important matters to discuss."

"Please invite him in," the chairman said.

Shortly after, Masamura Satoru, who was in his forties, walked into the meeting room and said, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you."

“We just finished here, so it’s not a problem,” the chairman asked. “Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Masamura?”

"The Basketball Association asked me to pass on a message," Masamura said. "Regarding this year's college basketball tournament, it should have been the responsibility of the colleges. However, the Basketball Association wants to make a proposal that we invite Mr. Akino Mirai to be a special guest at this year's tournament. It might have a great effect."

Seeing the students' excited expressions, he smiled smugly and continued, "This time, the Slam Dunk manga has surpassed 200 million copies sold. The Basketball Association is very shocked by the powerful appeal of Mr. Toriakino."

"Mmm-hmm." Many people nodded in agreement.

"I queued for four hours at the book signing event before I finally got Mr. Tori Akino's autograph."

"You're lucky. I held my pee for two hours and almost peed in my pants in the end."

"The teacher's comics are very interesting, so everyone likes them."

They whispered among themselves, and the president tapped on the table, which finally quieted them down.

"Ahem," Masamura Satoru coughed twice and continued, "If Tori Akino is invited to be a special guest, it will be a good thing for the audience and for us. It will probably sell more tickets... cough, attract more audience."

"We understand the Basketball Association's thoughts," the president said softly, taking a sip of his drink. "Please wait a moment; we need to discuss this further."

"Yes, thank you all for your help."

The basketball association's board members left the meeting room, and the president's smile faded.

"Is the primary consideration being self-interest, rather than gratitude?"

He scoffed at the adults' ideas.

“But,” someone raised their hand, “everyone would be happy if Mr. Toriakino participated. Maybe he would also be looking forward to watching the game up close.”

The president stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"That's right, I also hope that Mr. Tori Akino will be the special guest. Our school's basketball team will be very excited!"

"It might give the teacher some inspiration."

"This basketball tournament will definitely be memorable."

Members of the student union began to speak.

“Let’s vote by raising hands,” the chairman said. “Those who agree, raise your right hand.”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone raised their right hand, including himself.

“Then it passes unanimously,” the president said with a smile.

Afterwards, they discussed which matches to invite Higashino Hibiki to, and finally decided that the two most important matches would be the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament final and the national tournament championship and runner-up match.

……

Tunghai University Gymnasium.

The basketball team members did not rest, but practiced the formations taught by the coach.

"The national competition is about to begin," Baba patted his chest. "My heart has been racing lately, and I'm so nervous. It's awful."

“Me too,” Kobayashi nodded. “Even though everyone worked very hard, it was still inevitable to feel nervous when it came time to verify the results.”

“There’s no need for that,” Yagami said sternly. “We’ve worked harder than anyone else, sweated more than anyone else, and we have to win! We have to dominate the nation!”

"Oh! To dominate the whole country!" Everyone cheered, and their morale visibly increased.

Just then, the basketball team manager ran over.

"Breaking news! The results of the friendly match between Meiji University and the Sports University are in!"

She was so tired she could hardly breathe, but she still managed to get herself to say it.

The two strong teams had been eagerly awaiting their result, but what was the outcome?

"78:124!" The manager stood up and shouted, "The Sports University has won decisively!"

Instantly, everyone present widened their eyes.

"That mighty Meiji University is actually trailing by so many points?" Baba groaned in disbelief. "Just what kind of monsters are the sports university's basketball team?"

Chapter 156 University Basketball League and "Goodbye, Sports Boy"

Late November.

Yamamura Morimichi had just finished reading a manga magazine and went out with some reflections in his heart. Today was the first round of the basketball tournament.

Because the sports university was one of the top four teams last year, it is participating as a seeded team and does not need to participate in the preliminary rounds.

After discussing it with Kikuchi Hidemi, Yamamura decided to go watch the match at Tokai University in Japan.

As he drove his Mercedes, he reminisced about the content of the Slam Dunk manga.

The Shohoku basketball team easily defeated Miura Dai by a huge margin of 114 to 51.

In this match, Rukawa's weaknesses were exposed. He is not yet used to trusting his teammates, plays a very individualistic style, and only relies on his own personal ability to solve problems. He has not connected the team. Compared to Sendoh, Rukawa is still very immature.

Mitsui Hisashi returned to the court, sinking several three-pointers, which drew cheers from the crowd.

Some people recognized him as former MVP player Hisashi Mitsui.

Miyagi's appearance orchestrated the team's offense, and Shohoku's huge point difference was largely due to his efforts.

The troubled children all performed exceptionally well, showcasing their unique and formidable strengths.

Sakuragi was the only one who fouled out with five fouls and didn't score a single point; it was utterly embarrassing.

In the second game against Kadono, Sakuragi was quickly ejected after committing five fouls, which immediately drew boos from the crowd.

After the game, Shohoku defeated Kazuno 160-24, an easier victory than against Miura Dai.

Shohoku's dark horse status has begun to attract more attention.

Shohoku's future rival, a member of Kanagawa's top four teams, and Toru Hanagata of the Shoyo basketball team, are all watching this game closely.

As the exciting match was about to begin, the hearts of the villagers were filled with excitement.

Although he was thinking about something, it was a weekday and there were very few cars on the road. In addition, he drove very steadily, so no accident occurred.

He picked up Hidemi Kikuchi, who had no classes, at the entrance of the Japan Sports University.

The female college student standing nearby watched her classmate get into the Mercedes-Benz with disdain on her face, but inwardly she was very envious.

Kikuchi Hidemi was a simple-minded person and didn't pay any attention to this, continuing to chatter away with the village.

Shancun drove to the competition venue, parked in a nearby parking lot, and walked for ten minutes to reach the stadium.

There were already a lot of spectators, with only a third of the seats empty. By the time the game was about to start, there were basically no empty seats left.