That mid-air steal...
It was so explosive that it forcefully hit the reset button on the roaring arena.
And then…
It blew up.
A second ago, Kiyota Nobunaga had been standing there with his nose in the air.
Now he was flat on his backside, eyes vacant, questioning his entire existence.
Meanwhile, that red-haired "amateur" stood there gripping the ball in one hand, proud as a rooster fresh off a victorious fight.
"WOOOOOOAH!!!"
The roar nearly tore the roof off.
"Holy crap! Who is that redhead?!"
"He just ripped the ball straight out of Kiyota's hands? That's a Kainan starter!"
"That's brutal! That jumping ability makes no sense!"
In the stands, the Sakuragi Legion nearly tore their seats apart from excitement.
Takamiya Nozomi's belly jiggled wildly as he waved his arms:
"Did you see that?! That's Hanamichi! That's OUR Hanamichi!"
Ohkusu Yuji cupped his hands like a megaphone and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Hanamichi! That was awesome!"
"Give those Kainan rich boys a taste of commoner power!"
Mito Yōhei stood with his hands in his pockets, a crooked smile on his lips:
"This guy… as long as he doesn't lose his head, he's actually legit."
At center court.
Sakuragi Hanamichi felt like he was floating on clouds.
Every pore in his body was screaming with excitement.
It felt better than chugging an ice-cold soda in the middle of summer.
"WAHAHAHAHA!"
His laugh rang out, wild and unrestrained.
Clutching the ball—his trophy—he looked down at Kiyota with utter arrogance:
"See that, you wild monkey?!"
"This is the power of a genius!"
"In front of my absolute strength, your flashy tricks are nothing but a joke!"
With adrenaline flooding his system, Sakuragi's brain short-circuited.
He completely forgot this was an official game.
To fully show off his glory, he hugged the ball and stepped forward, intending to shove it right in Kiyota's face.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Kiyota, who had been doubting life just moments ago, suddenly lit up like a spotlight.
He sprang up and pointed at the referee, his finger nearly poking the man's nose:
"Ref! Look at him!"
"He's traveling!"
"WHISTLE!"
The sharp sound cut through the air like a bucket of ice water dumped over everyone's heads.
The referee made a rolling motion and declared expressionlessly:
"Red #10! Traveling violation!"
"Kainan ball!"
…Huh?
Sakuragi's laughter stopped abruptly—like a chicken being strangled mid-scream.
He froze in place, still holding his pose.
The arrogance on his face cracked bit by bit, turning into a stiff, ridiculous blankness.
"Tra… traveling?"
He blinked, looking down at the ball in his arms, then at the referee's dark expression.
The roaring cheers from moments ago—
Gone.
Replaced by absolute silence.
Then...
"Pfft…"
A leak of laughter from somewhere.
And then..
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The entire arena exploded with laughter.
The same crowd that had just worshipped him like a god now slapped their thighs in hysterics.
"What the hell was that?! Cool for three seconds?"
"Beautiful steal, trash dribble!"
"Is this redhead a genius or a comedian?! My abs hurt from laughing!"
Shohoku's bench.
Kogure Kiminobu's raised fist froze awkwardly mid-air as he adjusted his glasses to hide the embarrassment.
Coach Anzai remained as steady as a Buddha, lenses gleaming.
Only… his white mustache trembled slightly.
At the far end of the bench, Makino Juro buried his face in a towel in despair.
"I don't know him…"
"I seriously don't know this idiot…"
"He survived all that special training just to mess up like this…"
His muffled groan came from beneath the towel, feeling like all his dignity had been dragged through the mud.
After all those extra training sessions—
And the moment Sakuragi got cocky, he forgot the rules entirely.
Too real.
This was the Sakuragi Law:
His coolness and stupidity always existed in a perfect 1:1 ratio.
On the court.
Kiyota laughed so hard tears streamed down his face, pointing at Sakuragi:
"WAHAHAHAHA! Red-haired monkey!"
"You really are a top-tier idiot!"
"Thanks for the gift! We'll take the possession!"
"I'll consider that play your tribute—no need to thank me!"
Sakuragi's face turned the color of liver.
Steam practically rose from his head.
Social death.
Complete social death.
In front of Haruko…
He'd made such a rookie mistake!
"Damn it… this referee is definitely targeting me…"
He gritted his teeth, wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself.
He didn't even dare look toward the sidelines, afraid of seeing disappointment in her eyes.
At that moment.
A large hand landed on his backside with a loud smack.
The force nearly sent him flying.
"Ow ow ow! Which bastard dared to sneak attack this geniu—"
He turned angrily—
And met a dark, stern face.
The Gorilla.
Akagi Takenori.
But...
No rage.
No iron-fist punishment.
Instead, in those bell-like eyes…
There was a hint of approval.
"Stop sulking like an idiot!"
Akagi barked, his tone harsh—but unmistakably approving:
"That play just now—great steal!"
"That's the kind of momentum we need!"
Sakuragi froze.
Staring at Akagi, wondering if his ears were broken.
The Gorilla… praised me?
No insult?
No punch?
"Heh… hehe…"
His lips uncontrollably curled upward.
All the embarrassment from moments ago vanished instantly.
A warm surge shot straight to his head.
Scratching the back of his head, he grinned foolishly, eyes squinting into slits:
"Hehehe… of course!"
"You should know—this genius is the man destined to carry Shohoku's future!"
Akagi rolled his eyes as Sakuragi instantly bounced back to full health.
A true single-celled organism.
But mentally?
A monster.
Give him sunlight, and he shines.
Give him a ladder, and he'll climb to the sky.
"Don't get carried away! Get back on defense!"
Akagi roared as he turned and ran.
"Yes, Captain!"
Sakuragi shouted, happily trailing behind.
While retreating, he elbowed Akagi's waist and whispered:
"Hey, Gorilla…"
"Judging by your face, you're pretty confident, huh?"
"That's Kainan—the so-called kings. You're not scared?"
Akagi stared straight ahead, his gaze as hard as stone.
"Scared?"
"I've waited three whole years for this day."
"There's no such word in my dictionary."
He glanced at Sakuragi:
"What about you? Don't go weak in the knees and wet yourself out there."
Sakuragi smirked arrogantly, hands on his hips even while running back:
"Tch!"
"What kind of stupid question is that?"
"In this genius's dictionary, there are only two words—"
"'Win'… and 'Genius.'"
Watching their fiery backs—
The atmosphere in the stands began to change.
"Hey… do you feel that?"
"Shohoku's momentum… it's different now."
"That redhead might be a clown…"
"But that stunt just now?"
"He lit a fire under Shohoku."
END OF CHAPTER
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