Just as Aota Tatsuhiko was preparing to switch tactics
planning to continue tempting Sakuragi Hanamichi with Akagi Haruko's photo
A strange sound suddenly drifted over from the distance.
"Hu… hu…"
It was the sound of bicycle wheels turning, accompanied by slow, rhythmic breathing.
A bicycle was wobbling its way toward the school gate.
The speed wasn't fast, but its trajectory was bizarre—moving in a perfect S-shaped path.
The person on the bike wore a black school uniform with a single-shoulder bag.
Black bangs covered his eyes, and his head kept bobbing forward.
It was Rukawa Kaede.
He was asleep.
Sleeping while riding a bicycle.
A miraculous skill that completely defied common sense—and probably several traffic laws.
Yet somehow, on Rukawa, it felt oddly reasonable.
"Is that… Rukawa Kaede?"
Mito Yohei's mouth fell open in shock.
"Watch out!"
The bicycle was about to slam into a telephone pole by the roadside.
As if guided by some kind of radar, Rukawa subtly tilted the handlebars—perfectly avoiding the pole.
Then he rode straight toward Aota Tatsuhiko, who was standing in the middle of the road in a daze.
"Hm?"
Aota abruptly turned his head.
BANG!
With a loud crash, the bicycle's front wheel slammed squarely into Aota's rock-solid backside.
Under the force of inertia, Rukawa flew off the bike.
Yet he didn't panic.
He didn't even open his eyes.
Midair, he adjusted his posture like a cat—
and landed steadily… sitting on Aota's broad back.
"Hu…"
Rukawa shifted slightly—
and continued sleeping.
Aota Tatsuhiko: "..."
Sakuragi Hanamichi: "..."
The Sakuragi Army: "..."
The entire scene fell into dead silence.
The veins on Aota's forehead bulged and wriggled like angry earthworms.
"W-What… what the hell is this thing?!"
"That's that annoying fox!" Sakuragi shouted, pointing at Rukawa.
At that moment
A deep engine roar broke the awkward silence.
A black sports car slowly pulled up in front of the school gate.
Its body gleamed like polished obsidian, reflecting sunlight like pure money.
The window slowly rolled down.
Revealing a sleepy face wearing earphones.
It was Makino Juro.
A half-finished milk carton dangled from his mouth. His half-open dead-fish eyes scanned the ridiculous scene in front of him.
Rukawa was sprawled on Aota's back.
Even after crashing his bike, he still hadn't woken up—completely immersed in dreamland.
In Makino Juro's eyes appeared unmistakable envy.
No—
It was practically jealousy.
"Tsk."
Makino Juro took a sip of milk and sighed from the bottom of his heart.
"What an enviable talent…"
"I wish I had the ability to fall asleep anytime, anywhere."
"Even crashing a bike won't wake him up…"
"Is this the ultimate level of slacking off?"
With a reluctant sigh, Makino Juro parked the car.
He pushed open the door, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and looked at the chaotic scene before him.
Sakuragi was jumping around while yelling at Rukawa.
Aota was roaring, trying to throw the person off his back.
Rukawa was still sleeping peacefully.
Yohei and the others were watching like it was free entertainment.
Makino Juro yawned, tugged the earphone cord, and shut out the noise from the outside world.
"A new day… another day full of trouble."
"System, is there a skill like 'Multiple Shadow Clones' available for exchange?"
"Attending classes is exhausting…"
While muttering to himself internally, Makino Juro quietly circled around the crowd—
trying to sneak into the school without attracting any attention.
However.
"Ah! It's Master!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi's loudspeaker-level voice instantly locked onto him.
"Master! Your car looks awesome!!"
Makino Juro stumbled.
Feeling countless gazes suddenly focus on him, he helplessly covered his face.
"I knew it…"
"In this basketball team…"
"Trying to be a background character…"
"…is harder than winning the national championship."
The farce finally came to an end when the class bell rang.
Although Aota Tatsuhiko was unwilling to give up,
all he could do was roar one last time:
"The Judo Club's doors will always be open for you!"
Then he left, dragging away his swollen backside after being rammed by Rukawa's bicycle.
As for Rukawa—
after waking up, he acted as if nothing had happened and walked into the campus… while half asleep again.
For Makino Juro, an entire day of classes felt like a form of torture called imprisonment.
Math class.
Makino Juro rested his chin on his hand, dead-fish eyes staring at the formulas on the blackboard that looked like an alien language.
"Haa…"
A yawn was halfway out before he forcefully swallowed it.
Because the teacher on the podium was pushing up his glasses, the lenses reflecting light while staring straight at him.
"Since I can't sleep, then…"
Makino Juro's mind moved slightly.
He opened the system panel.
On his personal panel were twelve attributes:
[Dribbling: 69 Passing: 70 Steals: 66 Basketball IQ: 96]
[Mid-range Shot: 68 Three-pointer: 52 Rebounds: 66 Blocks: 68]
[Strength: 65 Speed: 77 Stamina: 50 Vertical Leap: 72]
(For high school players, the maximum is 100.)
Aside from his Basketball IQ, which reached an impressive 96, the rest of his attributes were merely average.
His stamina was especially pitiful—only 50.
Of course, that had a lot to do with the fact that he rarely exercised.
And these were already the stats after gaining one point from defeating Ryonan.
Although during games he could switch to the Generation of Miracles character panels, doing so consumed enormous stamina.
With his current endurance, he probably couldn't even finish half a game.
Against Ryonan High School, he had only played slightly more than half the match.
That was after drinking a stamina potion.
Even then—
they had only beaten Ryonan by one point.
"Sigh…"
"So even with cheats… my stamina still can't keep up."
"And that was only Ryonan."
"If it were Kainan University Affiliated High School or Sannoh Industry High School…"
"…could we still win?"
So for the sake of a better life in the future—
and for the sake of being able to slack off properly.
Makino Juro decided that he needed to work twice as hard.
....
Finally.
"DING-DONG!"
The dismissal bell rang like heavenly music.
Makino Juro practically launched himself like a rocket, grabbed his bag, and sprinted out of the classroom.
He moved so fast that he left a faint afterimage in the air—his speed almost reaching 90 points.
"Student Makino Juro! The cleaning duty—"
Before the class monitor's voice could even reach the doorway, Makino Juro had already disappeared down the hallway.
At the same time.
Sakuragi Hanamichi walked out of class humming a horribly off-key tune.
"Hmmm~ I'm a genius~"
The afterglow of yesterday's victory over Ryonan still lingered. He felt like even the wind followed him when he walked.
He was just about to head to the rooftop to find his lazy Master Makino Juro and collect today's "meal fee"
(which basically meant running errands and freeloading food).
But just as he turned the corner of the staircase—
"Ah! Sakuragi!"
A crisp and melodious voice rang out, like the song of a lark.
Sakuragi froze instantly.
His heart rate skyrocketed from 80 beats per minute to 180.
That voice…
Could it be…?!
He slowly turned his head, quickly forcing an overly bright, slightly distorted smile onto his face.
"M-Miss Haruko!"
Akagi Haruko stood at the staircase holding several textbooks, a gentle smile on her face.
The glow of the setting sun fell upon her, outlining her figure with a golden halo.
An angel.
She was absolutely an angel.
Sakuragi felt like his nosebleed might erupt any second.
"Perfect timing—I was just about to look for you," Haruko said as she walked over, her eyes sparkling.
"I watched yesterday's game!"
"Sakuragi, you were amazing!"
"Especially that screen, and that rebound!"
"You looked just like someone who's been playing basketball for years!"
"No wonder you're the team's secret weapon!"
Haruko didn't hold back her praise at all.
BOOM!
Inside Sakuragi's mind, it felt as if a gigantic firework had exploded.
His entire body floated lightly, as if he were about to ascend to heaven.
Sakuragi placed his hands on his hips, grinning from ear to ear.
"WAHAHAHA! Not at all!"
"That was just a tiny fraction of this genius's ability!"
"As long as Miss Haruko is watching…"
"I can jump even higher!"