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The day after the Ryu match.
Toho Kotei Gakuen Basketball Club.
Kamimono Kazuo, Kuroki Ryuichi, Hanafuji Souji, and Kugawa Yuuki stared blankly at Karupin, who was sprawled on a bench in the rest area.
They were puzzled as to why there was a cat there.
Karupin, however, held his head high, his arrogant expression disdainfully looking down at them.
'Hmph! Foolish humans, what are you looking at?'
He opened and closed his two small paws, revealing the sharp claws hidden deep within.
"This cat seems to have come in with Ryu," Kugawa Yuuki remarked.
Hearing his words, everyone turned to look at Ryu, who was tying his shoelaces not far away.
Kuroki Ryuichi asked in confusion, "Why did Ryu bring a cat?"
"Could it be a stray cat? Maybe it just happened to enter the basketball court with Ryu," Hanafuji suggested.
Hanafuji's words elicited slight nods from the crowd.
"Now that you mention it, it does seem to make sense. Should we chase it out?" Kuroki Ryuichi suggested.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent, seemingly considering the feasibility of the idea.
Karupin, watching these people openly discussing this, felt his claws itching for action. His four sharp fangs gleamed with a chilling edge.
Kamimono Kazuo, Kugawa Yuuki, Kuroki Ryuichi, and Hanafuji Souji suddenly felt a chill creep up their spines.
"Meow…"
Just as Karupin let out a loud cry, preparing to teach these clueless creatures a lesson, a large hand grabbed him.
Karupin, like a little chick, was suspended in mid-air, held by the scruff of his neck by Ryu.
'Damn it, put me down! I'm going to teach these guys a lesson!' Karupin telepathically called out to Ryu, his limbs flailing wildly in the air, looking quite comical.
Ryu, holding Karupin by the scruff of his neck, wore a rather helpless expression.
"Stop it! They're my teammates. If you scratch them, it'll be difficult for me in the future. They only said a few words. Cats should be lenient, so please forgive them this time!"
'Don't try to be so sophisticated! What do you mean by 'lenient'? And they called me a stray cat? They're the stray cats! Their whole family are stray cats!' Karupin completely ignored Ryu's words, his four paws continuing to wave.
Sigh…
Seeing this, Ryu had no choice but to give Kamimono and the others an apologetic smile.
"I'm so sorry, this is my cat, Karupin. He's usually with me."
Hearing this, Kazuo Kamimono and the others exchanged glances.
Kamimono chuckled, "I see. Your cat seems a bit difficult to get along with! He's probably in heat! You should get him neutered."
'You wretched human, let me go! I'm going to kill him!' Karupin waved his paws furiously at Kazuo Kamimono.
Ryu held Karupin tightly, giving Kazuo Kamimono an apologetic smile. "Karupin is actually very obedient. Maybe he's just not used to being in a new place!"
Kugawa Yuuki said with realization, "Oh, I see! But why are you coming to school with a cat? It feels so strange!"
"Well, for certain reasons, Karupin and I have been inseparable since we were little. I even brought him with me to competitions in middle school." Ryu had to resolve this matter quickly, otherwise the trouble would be too great for him later.
Hearing Ryu's words, no one said anything more.
Hanafuji Souji reminded him, "You'd better keep an eye on him. The school is surrounded by forests and mountains; it's easy for him to get lost."
Ryu nodded with a smile, "Okay, don't worry, Karupin is very obedient and won't run away."
Just as they were chatting, Coach Kazama Kouki walked into the basketball court holding his sake gourd.
Glug...glug...glug...
He took a big gulp of sake, then said to everyone, "Assemble..."
Hearing the coach's words, Ryu and the others quickly lined up, waiting for instructions.
Kazama Kouki's gaze swept over everyone, then casually glanced at Karupin in Ryu's hands.
"Starting today, you'll be preparing for the Summer League. I've already planned the training schedule for you; I'll have Kamimono distribute it to you later."
After a pause, Kazama Kouki continued, "Kamimono, Kugawa, Kuroki, Hanafuji—after yesterday's match, you must all be aware of your weaknesses. I won't elaborate here; figure out how to improve yourselves."
"Also, what you lack right now is match experience. Find an opportunity to go out and hone your skills. Kamimono, you'll be in charge of that."
"Alright, that's all. You can go now!"
He then looked at Ryu, "Ryu, stay behind."
Ryu hesitated, then stopped in his tracks.
After everyone else had left, Kazama Kouki looked at Ryu and said, "Although I don't know why, I won't object to you bringing your pet to the stadium or to competitions. However, you need to understand the consequences if anything happens to him."
"I understand," Ryu nodded seriously.
He naturally understood this. If Karupin were just an ordinary pet cat, he wouldn't bring him to school or to competitions. He believed Karupin wouldn't cause trouble.
Intelligence-wise, Karupin was no different from humans, and perhaps even much smarter than the average person. Although Karupin was quite agitated earlier, Ryu believed he was just putting on an act and didn't really intend to harm anyone.
Kazama Kouki nodded, "Very good, I believe you can handle these matters. Getting back to the point—you must have been hiding something in yesterday's match, right?"
Hearing this, Ryu nodded. He had nothing to hide.
Seeing Ryu nod, Kazama Kouki revealed an expression of "I knew it."
"So how much were you hiding? What are them chances of winning against your former teammates now?" Kazama Kouki was still very concerned about these things.
Don't let his carefree and slovenly appearance fool you; when it comes to anything related to basketball, he is more serious and meticulous than anyone else. This was also the result of his unwavering commitment to his old friend since that incident.
Ryu pondered Kazama Kouki's words. After a long while, he said meaningfully, "If you don't count me, they have no chance of winning."
Kazama Kouki's face showed no surprise. he wasn't shocked by Ryu's answer; in fact, he had already guessed it. After all, the talent of the "Generation of Miracles" was universally acknowledged, and their strength was undeniable.
"So, how much did you hide?"
Ryu thought for a moment, then answered, "Fifty percent."
"Hmm?" Hearing Ryu's answer, Kazama Kouki was stunned for a few seconds. His usually calm eyes showed a sudden shift, and his heart was in turmoil.
'So, he only used half his strength yesterday? If that was only fifty percent, then what would his full strength look like? This child…'
Kazama Kouki's gaze towards Ryu held a hint of complexity.
In his youth, he was an extremely arrogant person. Back then, he possessed unparalleled strength, which fostered absolute self-confidence. he believed no one in the world was more talented than his; even if someone were, they would at most be on par with him, just like the his friend.
But since meeting Ryu, this mindset had changed. Because many times, Ryu had exceeded his expectations; sometimes, he couldn't even understand how Ryu's techniques were performed.
She asked, "So, how do you compare to them?"
Ryu thought for a moment, then replied, "I don't know. My former teammates might be hiding something too. We haven't truly fought each other, and we haven't seen each other for over a year. I'm not entirely sure of their current strength, but I'm confident I can defeat them."
Ryu was telling the truth. After a year of hard work, he had finally come to a conclusion: his body couldn't enter the Zone. This might be a drawback of possessing The Divine-Demon body! After all, they were products of two different worlds.
But thinking about it another way, Ryu understood. The [Selfless Realm] was equivalent to a Zone. Unless he could break the rules of this world, which was easier said than done, Ryu wouldn't even consider it. This wasn't a cultivation world; what made him think he could break them?
"I understand," the coach said in the end, leaving only this single sentence before walking away.
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