"Bastard!!"
Sakuragi steadied himself, his anger igniting in an instant.
He spun around sharply, fists clenched so tightly they crackled.
It looked like he was about to charge in and unleash a full set of his self-proclaimed "Sakuragi Meteor Punch."
"Sakuragi!!"
"Stop! Do you want to get ejected?!"
From the sidelines, Akagi Takenori roared.
That shout hit like a tightening curse.
Sakuragi froze mid-motion.
Grinding his teeth, he glared viciously at Murasame, nostrils flaring as he snorted hot air.
"Hmph. Lucky you."
He picked up the ball and stomped toward the free-throw line, still fuming.
The entire arena fell silent.
This… was the first free throw of Sakuragi Hanamichi's life.
Standing at the line, the basketball in his hands suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
"A free throw…"
He swallowed hard.
In practice, he'd only focused on dunks and rebounds. Free throws…?
That lazy guy Makino Juro had never taught him this at all!
"As long as I throw it in, it counts… right?"
His heart pounded.
He raised the ball—his posture stiff like a robot.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose.
The air around him felt frozen.
Four seconds.
Five seconds…
"BEEP!!"
The referee's whistle cut through mercilessly.
"Five-second violation!"
"Huh?!"
"What violation?! I didn't even shoot yet!" Sakuragi was dumbfounded.
"That's exactly why it's a violation, you idiot!!"
From the stands, Uozumi Jun couldn't take it anymore and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!"
The Miuradai players burst into laughter.
"Is this guy here to entertain?"
"He doesn't even know the rules!"
"And he calls himself Shohoku's secret weapon? What a joke!"
Mockery surged like a tidal wave.
Sakuragi's face flushed crimson, like liver—humiliated beyond belief.
"Damn it… damn it…"
Miyagi Ryota walked over and patted his back.
"Don't worry about it. Just shoot faster next time."
Mitsui Hisashi passed by and added fuel to the fire:
"How embarrassing. Don't say you know me when you're outside."
Rukawa Kaede drifted past coldly:
"Idiot."
Only Makino Juro stood beyond the three-point line, casually rubbing his stomach.
"If this drags on any longer, the cafeteria's tonkatsu is going to sell out…"
He sighed, glancing at Sakuragi, who looked like he was about to explode.
But then he thought—
This was Sakuragi Hanamichi, after all.
If he didn't go through social death, how could he grow stronger?
…
Second free throw.
Sakuragi's eyes changed.
The laughter from before still echoed in his ears.
"A genius… cannot be humiliated!"
A spark suddenly flashed in his mind.
If he couldn't make the shot…
Then he'd do it the genius way!
Instead of aiming for the hoop, he gripped the ball with both hands and hurled it with all his strength at the backboard—
"BANG!!"
A thunderous sound rang out.
The ball slammed against the backboard and rebounded.
Everyone froze.
What kind of move was that?
Giving up?
But in the next instant—
A red figure shot upward like a rocket.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's explosive jumping ability was on full display.
"A self-pass rebound?!"
Even Coach Anzai widened his eyes in surprise.
"Now! Genius dunk!!"
Sakuragi roared mid-air, reaching for the ball—
Ready to smash it into the hoop and wash away his shame.
However.
Just as he was about to dunk—
A black figure burst in from the side.
Higher than him.
Faster than him.
A pale yet powerful hand pressed directly onto the ball.
"CLANG!!"
A deafening crash.
The ball was slammed straight into the hoop.
Both landed at the same time.
Sakuragi was still frozen in his dunking pose—
But his hands were empty.
Beside him, Rukawa casually flicked his wrist, expression cold.
The arena fell silent for a second.
Then—
An earth-shaking roar erupted.
"RUKAWA KAEDE!! FOLLOW-UP DUNK!!"
"So cool!!"
Only Sakuragi stood there—
Completely petrified.
Then… he cracked.
"DAMN FOX!!!"
"That was MY ball!"
"Why are you stealing my spotlight?!"
He grabbed Rukawa by the collar, tears practically bursting out.
Rukawa looked at him expressionlessly.
"You were too slow."
"AAAAH! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Watching the two start fighting again, the Miuradai players were utterly dumbfounded.
"W-What kind of team is this…?"
From afar, Makino Juro watched the scene, the corner of his mouth finally lifting into a faint smile.
"It's noisy…"
"But this is Shohoku."
He glanced at the scoreboard.
18 : 18
Tied.
Miyagi stole the ball—Rukawa drove in for a layup.
20 : 18!
Shohoku took the lead.
Makino Juro's brows furrowed slightly.
In those usually half-lidded, lifeless eyes, a rare emotion surfaced—
Urgency.
His stamina wouldn't last until the end of the game.
He needed to score more while he was still on the court.
"Alright. The farce ends here."
His gaze sharpened.
The lazy aura around him vanished instantly.
In its place—
A chilling edge that made hearts tremble.
[Aomine Daiki Template — Activated]
[Skills Unlocked: Formless Shot, Super High-Speed Dribbling]
[Stamina Consumption Doubled]
[Aomine Daiki Basketball Panel]
[Dribbling 98, Passing 82, Steal 92, Basketball IQ 96]
[Mid-range 99, Three-point 85, Rebound 80, Block 85]
[Strength 90, Speed 99, Stamina 60, Vertical 97]
Except for stamina, all attributes switched to Aomine Daiki's elite-level stats.
Using a character template was fundamentally different from using a single skill.
A single skill couldn't fully replicate a Generation of Miracles player's strength.
It only boosted the corresponding attribute.
For example:
Using "Super High-Speed Dribbling" temporarily raised his dribbling and speed to 98.
Using "Accelerated Passing" boosted passing to 98.
But activating the full template.
Though it consumed more stamina.
Granted access to the player's complete stat profile (except stamina).
The prerequisite for activating a template:
Stamina must reach 60.
This was his first time activating a full template.
…
Although Shohoku had taken the lead.
Miuradai played like cockroaches that refused to die.
Their technique was rough, but through brute force and dirty tricks, they dragged the game into a broken, chaotic rhythm.
"Too slow."
"Time to send them home."
Makino Juro sighed and tugged at his collar.
As if to breathe—
Or to remove some kind of seal.
The moment Miuradai scored and Shohoku prepared to inbound—
Makino Juro didn't lazily drift forward like usual.
Instead.
He walked straight up to Miyagi Ryota.
"Ryota."
Miyagi was about to push the ball upcourt when he paused.
"Huh? What is it, Makino Juro?"
Makino Juro pointed at the ball in his hands, tone as casual as asking for a light.
"Give me the ball."
"Huh?"
Miyagi blinked, caught off guard.
"Now? But the play is—"
"From now on, every possession goes to me."
Makino Juro cut him off.
His black eyes stared calmly—
Without the slightest hint of joking.
"I want to end this early."
Miyagi stumbled, nearly dribbling the ball onto his own foot.
…Huh?
He stared at Makino Juro's serious expression, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
But for some reason—
When their eyes met...
A chill ran up his spine.
That wasn't a request.
It was a declaration.
Like the suffocating stillness before a storm.
"…Got it."
Miyagi took a deep breath and nodded.
Instead, excitement surged in his eyes.
"Then I'm counting on you… Ace."
END OF CHAPTER
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The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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