Maki shook his head.
"It's completely different."
"Makino Juro overwhelmed them with pure strength, but Minami…"
Maki took a deep breath.
"Do you know what people in our circle call him?"
A bead of sweat rolled down Kiyota's cheek as he swallowed nervously.
"What do they call him?"
…
At the same time, on an outdoor basketball court.
The scorching sunlight roasted the ground until waves of heat rose from the surface.
A group of people were running laps around the court, drenched in sweat. Their heavy breathing rose and fell in waves.
Leading the group was Fujima Kenji, followed by Hanagata Toru, Uozumi Jun, and Sendoh Akira.
Uozumi wiped the hot sweat from his face and panted.
"Judging by the schedule, today should be Shohoku's first game in the National Tournament, right?"
Sendoh slowed his pace to regulate his breathing.
"Yeah. Their opponent seems to be Toyotama from Osaka."
Hanagata froze for a moment before looking toward Fujima.
Fujima did not respond.
He simply continued running mechanically, sweat dripping steadily from his chin.
Deep within his eyes, complicated emotions churned.
"Shohoku… You absolutely cannot underestimate Toyotama's desire to win."
"That kind of obsession can turn a person into a madman."
Fujima clenched his teeth.
"Especially that bastard… Minami Tsuyoshi."
Fujima's thoughts instantly returned to last year's National Tournament.
Shoyo versus Toyotama.
The entire arena had been boiling with excitement.
Wearing Shoyo's green jersey, Fujima drove into the paint with the ball. Facing the defense, he twisted his body in midair and forced up a difficult layup.
The basketball kissed the backboard and dropped through the net!
And-one!
The Shoyo bench erupted in celebration. His teammates waved their towels wildly.
Fujima landed with a smile and prepared to run back on defense.
But a Toyotama player suddenly drifted close to him like a ghost.
Minami Tsuyoshi.
The two were standing extremely close.
There was not the slightest trace of love for basketball in Minami's eyes.
Only a sick, obsessive fixation on victory.
His gaze did not look human.
It was more like that of a venomous snake, its tongue flicking in and out.
"You're pretty impressive. Becoming an ace while still only a second-year."
Minami's voice was cold enough to feel like ice scraping against skin.
At that moment, Fujima felt a bone-chilling cold run through him.
…
Back in the Hiroshima Sports Arena, the game had already reached its climax.
Rukawa Kaede held the ball outside the three-point line.
Minami spread his arms and stuck to him like glue, his eyes just as sinister as they had been the previous year.
"You're too arrogant for a first-year," Minami sneered in a low voice.
Rukawa did not even spare him a glance.
He lowered his center of gravity and made a probing move to the right.
Minami remained unmoved.
Rukawa immediately pulled the ball back, then forcefully exploded past him from the left!
He was too fast!
Rukawa's shoulder was about to slip past Minami's defense. He was already preparing to stop and rise for a shot.
At that very moment, Minami's expression changed completely.
A savage cruelty that he did not even bother to hide flashed through his eyes.
Instead of retreating, he suddenly stepped forward and completely sealed off Rukawa's driving lane.
Rukawa was moving too quickly to stop.
All he could do was force himself into a jump.
Minami jumped after him.
But his movement was not aimed at the ball at all!
In midair, he subtly twisted his body and swung his right arm in a wide arc.
His elbow was like a sharp iron hammer.
It smashed forward with vicious force!
Bang!
The dull impact of bone colliding with flesh made everyone's teeth ache.
Minami's elbow struck Rukawa squarely in the left brow.
Time seemed to slow down.
Rukawa completely lost his balance in midair. Sweat mixed with streaks of crimson blood and scattered beneath the arena lights.
Then...
Bam!
Rukawa crashed heavily onto the floor.
The basketball rolled weakly toward the sidelines.
Rukawa curled up and clutched his left eye. Bright red blood poured through the gaps between his fingers.
Drop by drop, it splattered across the spotless court.
The sight was horrifying.
The cheers from the entire arena were cut off as if someone had strangled them.
A deathly silence instantly descended over the stands.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he roared.
"Rukawa!"
"He did that on purpose!"
He charged forward, with Miyagi Ryota and Mitsui following close behind.
Just as Sakuragi was about to throw himself into the fight, Akagi grabbed him and held him back.
The Shohoku bench completely exploded.
Kogure pointed at the court and shouted angrily.
"He absolutely did that on purpose! That was a dirty hit!"
Ayako covered her mouth in horror.
Behind his glasses, Coach Anzai's eyes darkened completely.
Makino Juro, who had been sitting on the bench, pulled off his towel.
The lazy look in his eyes sank to the bottom of an abyss.
A terrifying, murderous aura radiated from his body.
"If you want to play dirty, then I'll show you…"
"What it means to live without a shred of virtue, loving nothing but murder and arson."
Juro stared at Minami on the court.
He was so angry that he actually laughed.
The Toyotama players gathered around without the slightest concern.
Kishimoto Minori curled his lips and sneered.
"What do you mean, 'on purpose'?"
"Watch your mouth!"
"It was just an accident. Basketball is a physical sport. Things like this are normal when the game gets intense."
Minami stood where he was and looked down at Rukawa.
There was not even a trace of guilt on his face.
Only a cold indifference that made one's blood boil.
Far away, on the outdoor court, Fujima suddenly stopped running and looked toward the distant sky.
"Shohoku… Please, don't let anything happen."
"That lunatic will do anything to win, no matter how filthy it is."
…
At the Kainan spectator area inside the Hiroshima Sports Arena.
Kiyota Nobunaga was trembling with rage. He pointed at the court and cursed.
"Is this basketball or murder?! That was an intentional foul!"
Jin Soichiro's brows drew tightly together.
"That was an incredibly dirty move."
Maki watched as the medical staff rushed onto the court.
His voice sounded especially cold amid the surrounding uproar.
"Minami Tsuyoshi."
"People call him the Ace Killer."
"He wins by crippling the opponent's primary scorer."
"Last year, Fujima from Shoyo was carried off the court because of him."
"That is Toyotama's despicable survival rule."
The court had already descended into chaos.
Sakuragi roared like an enraged lion.
"Cut the crap!"
"You might be able to fool everyone else, but you can't fool me, Sakuragi Hanamichi!"
Minami glanced at him coldly.
"That was normal defense. He ran into me himself."
Miyagi immediately rushed forward, grabbed Minami by the collar, and cursed.
"Bullshit! Your elbow was swinging like a windmill! Do you think the referee is blind?!"
Toyotama's Iwata Mitsuaki shoved Miyagi away.
"Shorty, you looking for a fight?"
"This genius will crush all of you!"
Sakuragi charged forward like an enraged bull and slammed into Iwata.
The situation instantly spiraled out of control.
The referee desperately blew his whistle.
"Everyone separate! If anyone throws another punch, you're all being ejected!"
The medical staff pressed gauze tightly against Rukawa's wound.
Blood quickly soaked through the white cloth.
Rukawa abruptly shoved their hands away and staggered to his feet.
His right eye locked onto Minami.
A beast-like ferocity burned within his gaze.
He did not say a single word, but the fury radiating from him was enough to burn straight through anyone who stood in his way.
Akagi held tightly onto the rampaging Sakuragi.
The referee ran over and decisively signaled a flagrant foul against Minami.
Minami raised one hand without any expression on his face.
Beside the Shohoku bench, Makino Juro turned and walked toward the scorer's table.
His voice was cold enough to freeze the air.
"Coach, I'm requesting a substitution."
Coach Anzai raised his head and looked at him.
"Juro, are you going in?"
Makino Juro nodded.
His eyes remained fixed on Minami.
"Rukawa Kaede needs emergency treatment."
"I'm going in to teach them what true cruelty looks like."
"Go," Coach Anzai said. "Be careful."
Makino Juro stepped onto the court.
Coming toward him was Rukawa, who was being helped off the floor.
Rukawa gritted his teeth and forced out a sentence.
"I can still play."
Makino Juro reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
His tone left no room for argument.
"Go stop the bleeding. Leave the rest to me."
Standing on the hardwood floor, Makino Juro casually rolled his neck.
A series of sharp cracks came from his bones, making everyone's teeth ache.
He raised his eyes toward Minami in the distance.
Deep within his gaze, a faint purple-gold light began to glow.
"The Ace Killer?"
Makino Juro curled the corners of his mouth into an extremely savage smile.
"Today, I'm going to pull out your fangs…"
"One by one."
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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