The entire arena had already been completely ignited by Ryonan's offensive assault.
"Too strong! Sendoh is just too amazing!"
"The other four players besides Sendoh are playing so comfortably!"
"It feels like everyone on Ryonan has gotten stronger!"
"Is this the magic of an elite point guard?"
"He's basically giving the whole team a buff!"
The players from Kainan were breathing heavily, and for the first time, confusion appeared in their eyes.
The defensive system they had always been proud of was being dismantled piece by piece by Sendoh's unpredictable, almost supernatural passing.
"Damn it! How can this happen?! We're the undefeated Kainan!"
Kiyota Nobunaga stared at the scoreboard, gritting his teeth.
"BEEP!"
The referee's whistle rang.
"Kainan High requests a timeout!"
Coach Takato finally couldn't sit still anymore.
If he didn't call a timeout now, this game would be ended by Sendoh alone.
...
At the reporter's booth.
Aida Yayoi was rapidly writing notes in her notebook.
The sound of her pen scratching against the paper was quick and excited.
"As expected…"
She raised her head, her eyes burning as she stared toward Ryonan's bench.
At the man standing there with his arms crossed and a smug expression—
Taoka Moichi.
"Coach Taoka saw this from the very beginning, didn't he?"
"What?"
Nakamura looked completely confused.
Aida Yayoi took a deep breath, her tone full of certainty.
"Sendoh's talent."
"As a forward, Sendoh is already one of Kanagawa's top scorers."
"But Coach Taoka probably realized long ago…"
"Sendoh's terrifying court vision and calm mind are too valuable."
"If he is limited to only being a finisher, that would simply be wasting a god-given talent."
She pointed toward the tall figure on the court.
"Anyone can see it now."
"Sendoh is far too suitable for the point guard position."
"Perhaps…the position where Sendoh can display one hundred percent, or even two hundred percent of his talent…"
"Is point guard!"
"This is Ryonan's deepest hidden weapon."
Aida Yayoi's evaluation was extremely high.
...
The Ryonan bench was filled with celebration.
The players rushed onto the court like they were welcoming a hero.
"Great job, Sendoh!"
"Those passes were incredible!"
Taoka Moichi was so excited that his face turned red. He heavily slapped Sendoh's shoulder.
"Good! Very good! This is exactly the rhythm!"
"Sendoh, you really didn't disappoint my expectations!"
Sendoh accepted the towel someone handed him and wiped away the sweat on his face.
That same relaxed smile remained on his face.
He picked up the water bottle and took a drink.
But his eyes passed through the crowd and locked precisely onto a certain direction in the stands.
There.
Makino Juro was yawning, watching him with a bored expression.
Their gazes met in midair.
Sendoh slightly raised his eyebrow.
A trace of amusement flashed in his eyes.
...
In the stands.
Makino Juro seemed to understand Sendoh's meaning.
The corner of his mouth slowly curled into a meaningful smile.
"Interesting."
"But…"
Makino Juro looked at the two people on the court and thought to himself:
"Looks like both of them know this state won't last forever."
"So they're saving their decisive moves for the second half?"
...
"PA!"
The folding fan slammed heavily into Coach Takato's palm.
That crisp sound echoed through Kainan's lifeless timeout area.
It sounded like a slap across everyone's face.
Kiyota Nobunaga shrank his neck.
The complaints that had almost left his mouth were swallowed back instantly.
The other players all lowered their heads.
Sweat dripped from their chins, quickly creating dark marks on the floor.
Only Maki Shinichi sat upright.
A white towel covered his head.
His chest rose and fell violently like a bellows.
Nobody could see his expression.
But the pressure coming from him was even heavier than being scolded.
"What?"
"You're already lowering your heads?"
Coach Takato didn't shout.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that made people uncomfortable.
He slowly walked in front of Maki Shinichi and looked down at the man known as the "Emperor."
"An eleven-point gap…"
"And that's enough to crush your pathetic pride?"
Maki said nothing.
But the fingers gripping his knee pads tightened violently.
His knuckles turned white.
Coach Takato gave a cold hum.
He opened his folding fan again and slowly waved it.
"I know what you're thinking."
"Shohoku?"
"Thinking about that monster named Makino Juro?"
"Or are you thinking about how badly we lost last time?"
"Do you think after losing to Shohoku…"
"Kainan's era is already over?"
"Now even Ryonan, that eternal second-place team, can step on our necks?"
Jin Soichiro suddenly raised his head.
His eyes trembled.
Kiyota Nobunaga clenched his teeth, his fists tightening.
"Idiots."
Coach Takato coldly spat out two words.
He bent down and moved closer to Maki's ear.
His voice became low, almost like psychological hypnosis.
"After we returned, I watched that game's footage ten times."
"And I reached only one conclusion."
"We only lost because of luck."
Maki Shinichi suddenly pulled off the towel covering his head.
His bloodshot eyes stared directly at his coach.
"Luck?"
"That's right."
Coach Takato's gaze remained firm.
"That Makino Juro…"
"He is a once-in-a-century 'variable.'"
"Shohoku won because they used up ten years of their future luck just to encounter a monster like him."
At this point, Coach Takato suddenly turned around.
His folding fan pointed directly at the spiky-haired figure laughing and chatting across the court.
"But Ryonan is not Shohoku."
"Sendoh Akira is very strong."
"But he is still within the category of 'human.'"
"And you, Maki Shinichi."
"You are the man standing at the top of the pyramid within the realm of common sense."
"Losing to a monster is not shameful."
"But if you can't even defeat a normal challenger like this…"
Coach Takato's eyes sharpened like blades.
They pierced directly into Maki's heart.
"Then you are not worthy of carrying the name 'Kainan' anymore!"
Maki's pupils shrank.
His heart felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed it tightly.
His blood roared all the way to his head.
Luck…?
No.
Maki knew very clearly.
Juro's strength was real.
That terrifying ability wasn't luck.
But right now…
He desperately needed this reason.
He needed a flame hot enough to burn away the shadow called "fear" inside his heart.
"Whoosh…"
Maki slowly exhaled.
Then suddenly stood up.
The slight slump in his posture disappeared.
The pressure of the Kanagawa Emperor returned.
"Let's go."
Only two words.
His voice was hoarse.
But hard as steel.
"Let them know…"
"Kainan is still Kainan."
...
"BEEP!!"
The whistle sounded.
The game restarted.
The Kainan players stepped back onto the court.
The noisy atmosphere in the stands strangely became quieter.
Everyone felt it.
Something had changed.
The atmosphere.
The man wearing jersey number 4 had completely erased his previous frustration.
What replaced it was a suffocating level of focus.
"Oh?"
In the stands, Makino Juro raised an eyebrow.
Spinning a bottle of mineral water in his hand, he smiled.
"That old fox Takato actually has some tricks."
"A few words, and he managed to call his soul back?"
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer