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On a dark and silent street.
A group of five people walked in silence.
None of them spoke.
The four at the back occasionally glanced at the person in front.
This group was none other than the Fukuda Sogo Academy members who had been defeated not long ago.
And walking at the head of the group was Takahashi Kento.
His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving, as if a knot of resentment was stuck in his chest, refusing to dissipate.
His already unattractive face became even more distorted.
Takahashi Kento was truly furious.
He had walked all the way, cursing Ryu the entire time.
The people following behind him remained silent, not daring to provoke Takahashi Kento.
Ring ring ring…
The ringtone of a cell phone rang out like a demon's whisper on the quiet street.
The five people walking stopped.
Takahashi Kento, his face contorted with rage, took out his cell phone from his pocket.
Upon seeing the caller ID, the ferocious expression on his face softened slightly.
He took a deep breath and answered the phone.
"Boss…"
Hearing Takahashi Kento's address, the others exchanged glances, knowing who was calling.
Perhaps due to the quiet street, or perhaps due to the phone itself, the voice coming from the other end was exceptionally clear.
Even standing nearby, they could hear it clearly.
"Where are you?"
"We're on our way back to the hostel."
Takahashi Kento thought for a moment before answering truthfully.
"Huh? Weren't you guys at that event? How come you're back so soon?"
Hearing this question from the other end, Takahashi Kento said through gritted teeth,
"We had terrible luck, running into those guys from Toho Kotei Gakuen. Oh, and boss, that Ryu is here too. I wonder why they're in Akita."
His words were barely out when the voice on the other end of the phone went silent.
Soon, a sinister and wild laugh came through the phone.
Hahahaha…
"Ryu, huh! He's in Akita too!"
Takahashi Kento's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint, then he spoke,
"Boss, should we teach that guy a lesson first?"
He hated Ryu to an almost pathological degree.
As soon as the person on the other end of the phone spoke, he would definitely find a way to cause Ryu trouble without hesitation.
If possible, he'd better cripple him.
A pair of cold, venomous eyes flickered in Takahashi Kento's gaze.
"We've been in Akita long enough. Consider him lucky. We'll let him off this time. I'll crush him in front of everyone at the Winter Cup."
Hearing the words on the other end of the phone, Takahashi Kento was somewhat disappointed, but still said,
"I understand, boss."
"By the way, they're all with you, right?"
Takahashi Kento glanced back at the men beside him.
"Everyone's together."
"Good. Before I leave, I want to pull off one last heist. I've already chosen my target. Come find me."
Hearing this, Takahashi Kento's eyes lit up.
The expressions of the men around him changed.
But none of them said anything.
They all knew that person.
If they went against the other party's wishes, the consequences would be severe.
It wouldn't be life-threatening, but they would definitely be out of the basketball club.
Except for Takahashi Kento, the others could only sigh helplessly.
'Hopefully, this time it won't go too far!'
...
Ryu was unaware that a crisis had just brushed past him.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
This kind of dirty trick wasn't the first time he'd seen it.
After defeating Fukuda Sogo Academy, Ryu and his team advanced even further, easily defeating their next opponent.
With a final, heavy thud, the referee blew the final whistle.
As expected, Ryu and his team won the day's competition.
"Ah...it's finally over,"
Kuroki Ryuichi stretched and said.
Hanafuji reminded him,
"It's just today's competition. We still need to wait for the last day of the event. Then we'll face the real champion team, and their strength will be much greater than today's."
"It doesn't matter, as long as we win, that's enough!"
Kugawa said nonchalantly.
Ryu interjected,
"Today we encountered two high school basketball teams. There might be similar teams participating. We can't be careless. Even if the opponent is weak, as challengers or the challenged, we must take it seriously."
Kugawa's current mindset was very similar to that of the Generation of Miracles in middle school.
Although Ryu knew it was due to his personality, he promptly offered some words of advice.
He didn't want what had happened before to repeat itself in the current team.
Fortunately, everyone was a high school student.
Their resolve was far stronger and more determined than that of middle school students.
They weren't so easily influenced.
Hearing Ryu's words, Kugawa calmed down a bit and nodded seriously,
"Don't worry, I won't underestimate anyone."
The others naturally agreed with Ryu's words.
Their expressions also became slightly more serious.
Ever since winning the Inter-High championship, each of them seemed to be shrouded in an invisible pressure.
While the champion team received praise and glory, they also faced pressure that ordinary people couldn't withstand.
Kamimono and the others claimed they were following their coach's orders to participate in various competitions for training.
But in reality, each of them was on edge.
They were terrified of losing and tarnishing the reputation of their hard-won championship team.
What if the championship team really lost to an unknown player?
The thought of the overwhelming wave of public criticism, the countless verbal attacks, and being pointed at and gossiped about by everyone they met...
Just imagining it made them break out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, Ryu intervened.
He nipped any potential changes in the bud.
Time passed.
In the following days,
Ryu and the others observed each day's events organized by the organizers.
The champion crowned each day could be their opponent on the final day.
Ryu was right.
Over the past few days, they saw people from all walks of life sign up for the event.
There were office workers, laborers, bosses, students…
The most impressive team was the one composed of university students.
Their skill in playing basketball was evident.
They were definitely people who received regular, formal training.
Ryu guessed that they were most likely members of a university basketball team.
Another team caught Ryu's attention.
One team consisted of five tall, muscular men.
Judging from the bulge of their muscles, they were probably bodybuilders.
Another team was of particular interest to Ryu.
They appeared slightly older than the university students.
Their muscles weren't as muscular as the group that seemed to be bodybuilders,
but they posed the greatest danger to Ryu.
From these five men, Ryu and the others could feel a sharp, piercing aura emanating from them.
Kuroki Ryuichi frowned slightly.
"These guys are pretty strong!"
Hanafuji adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said,
"They're not simple at all. Each of them is extraordinary, and their teamwork is incredibly smooth, already at a professional level."
Hearing Hanafuji's words, Kugawa couldn't help but exclaim in surprise,
"Professional level? Really?"
The others from Toho Kotei Gakuen were also taken aback.
Hanafuji nodded,
"It should be true. Their playing style is very similar to professional players. If I'm not mistaken, they should be from some basketball club."
Hearing this, everyone from Toho Kotei Gakuen became serious.
Professional players.
That was their dream.
Ahem…
Ryu spoke up at this moment,
"Well, I think they've only received professional-level training, and haven't participated in any formal professional leagues."
Hearing Ryu say this, Kamimono and the others also turned their gazes to Ryu.
Ryu explained,
"I can definitely feel some pressure from them, but it's not very intense. If they really participate in professional-level matches regularly, their strength shouldn't be this weak. Besides, I don't think professional teams would participate in an event like this."
Hearing Ryu's explanation, Kamimono and the others finally came to their senses.
"I knew something was off. Yes, they are strong, but they don't give off an insurmountable feeling."
"But we can't be careless. No matter what, they have undergone professional-level training, and they are much stronger than most of the opponents we've encountered before."
Ryu reminded them.
"Isn't that what makes it more interesting?"
Kuroki Ryuichi grinned.
Kugawa echoed,
"That's right! It would be too boring if the opponents were too weak."
Kamimono also showed an interested smile.
Seeing this, Ryu smiled slightly.
He also wanted to see just how strong these people from the club were.
Time flew by.
The last day of the event arrived in the blink of an eye.
The plaza of the Akita Commercial Center was packed with people.
Everyone was there for today's competition.
...
"Hey, hurry up! Ryu's match is about to start."
Momoi dragged Aomine Daiki along from the distant street.
Aomine reluctantly let her pull him along.
"We're already here, we can just watch from here."
"Idiot, of course you can see better up close! Don't you want to see Ryu's progress?"
Hearing Momoi say this, Aomine stopped talking and obediently let her pull him through the crowd.
He really wanted to know how much Ryu had improved.
He wanted to get revenge during the Winter Cup!
A short while later, Momoi pulled Aomine through the crowd to the edge of the stadium fence.
"Great, the match doesn't seem to have started yet."
Momoi looked around, trying to find Ryu.
…
Just then, the announcer's voice also spread throughout the square through the loudspeaker.
After the announcer's methodical explanation, they officially began today's main event.
First was the draw.
The draw was once again conducted by Kamimono.
Whether it was good luck or bad luck was unclear,
Kamimono drew number 1.
This meant they would be the first team to play.
Shortly afterward, the draw for number 2 was also officially completed.
The team that drew number 2 consisted of five burly, muscular fitness athletes.
This was the team that Ryu had previously noticed, seemingly composed of fitness athletes.
"Wow! Are we going to play against them?"
Kugawa said, sizing up the five fitness team players.
"It's obvious they're power-type players. Their weakness is speed, but we can't be careless; their physical attributes are very strong,"
Hanafuji analyzed.
"It seems that among us, only the captain can compete with them!"
Kuroki Ryuichi exclaimed.
Kugawa reminded him,
"Of course! Ryu can even go toe-to-toe with a monster like Murasakibara, so these guys should be a piece of cake!"
Ryu shook his head,
"That's when I'm in the [Selfless State]. Normally, I can't really withstand their physical attacks, but basketball isn't just about the body."
"Ryu is right. We can't beat them with just our bodies."
Kamimono said with a smile,
"Let's go! Let's get our first win of the day!"
"Yes…"
The words fell.
Ryu and the others walked onto the court together.
The moment Ryu and the others appeared, the crowd waiting to watch today's game immediately cheered.
Upon seeing Ryu, Momoi, outside the fence, waved and shouted,
"Ryu… Go for it…"
Hmm?
It seems like I heard a very familiar voice.
Looking in the direction of the voice, Ryu saw Momoi waving at him from outside the court, with a reluctant-looking Aomine standing beside her.
Ryu grinned and gave Momoi and Aomine a thumbs-up.
Seeing this, Momoi giggled, stuck out her pink tongue, and also gave a thumbs-up.
Hmph…
Aomine didn't imitate Momoi.
He turned his head away, pretending not to see.
Ryu, of course, knew Aomine and didn't care.
Soon, both sides lined up.
The match began with the referee's whistle.
Toot…
The whistle blew.
The basketball soared into the air above both teams.
Whoosh…
A figure suddenly darted out.
A dark, muscular hand reached directly for the basketball.
Seeing this, the Toho Kotei Gakuen team was stunned.
The opposing center's speed was astonishing.
This was something no one had expected.
"Looks like he's not just all muscles!"
Ryu remarked.
"But our captain isn't someone you can easily deal with."
Ryu's words had barely faded when
the opposing center, who had been certain of victory, suddenly encountered an unexpected turn of events.
His vision went black.
A figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
An equally hand slapped the basketball before he could react.
Thud…
The basketball was swatted away by Kamimono towards the already prepared Hanafuji.
The fitness team's center's pupils contracted.
He hadn't expected that even though he had made the first move, he still wouldn't have won the contest.
Hanafuji successfully caught the basketball.
Meanwhile, Ryu and the others began their runs.
Thus, Toho Kotei Gakuen launched its first offensive.
----
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