In the Room Next Door.
The curtains were drawn tightly shut, and the air conditioner was running at full blast.
Rukawa Kaede had already wrapped himself up like a silkworm in a cocoon.
For this fox, sleep was a sacred charging ritual.
He slept for basketball.
Only after getting enough rest could he carve up his opponents on the court.
He lay flat on his back, hands folded over his stomach, looking as peaceful as someone awaiting ascension.
His brain was running its final shutdown sequence.
"Toyotama… Minami Tsuyoshi…"
The eyes of that sinister man from earlier that day flashed through his mind.
Rukawa rolled over.
He didn't dislike that look.
It was the look of a beast staring at prey.
Perfect.
As for who would eat whom…
That remained to be seen.
He began silently repeating the hypnotic mantra that had been carved into his bones since middle school.
"I am the best in the country…"
"No one can beat me…"
"I am the best in the country…"
"..."
Five seconds later.
His breathing became long and even.
Rukawa Kaede had fallen asleep at light speed.
In his dream, he stood on the court in the national championship finals, with Japan's greatest players standing opposite him.
And he was preparing to posterize the entire world.
...
Not everyone could be as carefree as Rukawa.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's room was brightly lit, looking more like an interrogation chamber.
The red-haired single-celled organism sat cross-legged on his bed, gripping the telephone receiver tightly.
His face was red enough to explode like an overheated pressure cooker at any moment.
If the Sakuragi Gang had seen him acting this bashful, they would have enough material to laugh about for the rest of their lives.
"Yeah, that's right… hahaha…"
Sakuragi let out a perverted little chuckle into the receiver.
His free hand was viciously mauling the bedsheet, turning the perfectly smooth fabric into something resembling dried pickled vegetables.
"That ponytailed bastard was so intimidated by this genius's aura that his legs went weak on the spot!"
"And that middle-aged man, Maki, was practically prostrating himself before this genius too!"
He was lying through his teeth.
And he was doing it with absolute confidence and not a shred of guilt.
On the other end of the line, Haruko Akagi's voice was as gentle as a March breeze.
It traveled through the telephone line and seemed to melt every bone in Sakuragi's body.
"Really? Sakuragi-kun, you're amazing!"
"I knew it. Sakuragi-kun is a true hero."
"Um…"
"Tomorrow is your first game."
"Sakuragi-kun, do your best, okay?"
Haruko's voice paused for a moment, carrying the hopeful anticipation of a young girl.
"Leave it to me!"
Sakuragi suddenly straightened his back and slapped his chest so hard it sounded like thunder.
"Just watch, Miss Haruko! This genius will build an impenetrable fortress beneath the basket!"
"That Toyotama bunch won't score a single point against my defense!"
"Even that so-called 'Osaka Scoring King' won't stand a chance!"
"Mm-hmm!"
Haruko's response was filled with absolute, unquestioning faith.
The mood was perfect.
The night was perfect too.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's heart suddenly began pounding wildly against his will.
Thump, thump.
Like a rabbit that had just chugged an energy drink.
He glanced at the moon outside the window.
The moon sure is beautiful tonight.
Maybe… it's time to take things one step further?
Perhaps one of those legendary lines that only ever appeared in shojo manga?
Sakuragi swallowed.
His Adam's apple moved with difficulty.
His palm around the receiver was drenched in sweat, slick and slippery.
"Um… Miss Haruko…"
"Hmm? What is it?"
Sakuragi took a deep breath and prepared himself for heroic sacrifice.
A blush spread from his cheeks all the way down to his heels.
"I…"
"Tomorrow… I…"
"I'll do it for you…"
At that critical moment!
Just as the declaration that would have gone down in Shohoku history was about to leave his mouth...
Sliiiip!
He was too nervous.
His palm, slick with sweat, lost its grip.
The heavy old-fashioned telephone receiver slipped straight from his hand.
CLANG!
It slammed into the bedside table, bounced off, and went flying onto the floor.
CRACK!
A heart-wrenching sound rang through the room.
"AAAH!!!"
Sakuragi screamed and scrambled off the bed to grab the receiver, flailing around like a hungry husky fighting for scraps.
"Hello?! Hello?! Miss Haruko?!"
"Sakuragi-kun? Was that an explosion?!"
Haruko clearly hadn't heard the crucial half of his confession.
Sakuragi lay sprawled across the floor, his cheek pressed against the cold tile.
His heart was still pounding violently.
But the courage he had gathered for that all-or-nothing confession had been shattered by that single crack.
He pounded his fist against the floor.
Idiot!
Super idiot, Sakuragi Hanamichi!
That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Are you a pig?!
"N-No… it's nothing…"
Sakuragi climbed back to his feet, looking dejected, like a giant red dog caught in the rain.
"I just… lost my grip…"
"Oh, you scared me!"
Haruko breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then get some rest, Sakuragi-kun. See you tomorrow!"
Sakuragi listened to the dead tone coming through the receiver.
The frustration in his eyes gradually faded.
In its place emerged something entirely different.
A fierce, untamed resolve he had never shown before.
He hadn't managed to say it.
But a real man didn't need words.
He tightened his grip around the receiver and solemnly swore to the empty air—and to his own heart.
"Miss Haruko."
"Just watch."
"This genius will never lose."
He hung up.
Then Sakuragi sprawled across the bed in a starfish position, staring at the ceiling.
His eyes gradually sharpened until they were as keen as blades.
"Toyotama…"
"No matter who you are…"
"Anyone who dares stand in this genius's way…"
"I'll send every last one of you flying!"
...
The night grew deeper.
The hallway was so quiet that you could practically hear a pin drop.
Kogure Kiminobu went from room to room like an overworked mother checking on her children.
"Miyagi's grinding his teeth…"
"Rukawa's completely dead asleep…"
"Sakuragi's giggling to himself…"
"Forget it."
The door was half-open. From inside came the sound of pages turning, along with an unmistakable sense of pent-up hostility.
Kogure Kiminobu pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Mitsui Hisashi was sitting on the sofa, gripping a copy of Basketball Weekly. His brows were knitted so tightly they could have crushed a fly, and his expression was thoroughly sour.
Akagi Takenori, meanwhile, stood by the window.
His enormous back blocked out almost all of the moonlight.
Both hands braced against the windowsill, he stood there like a silent stone statue.
"Still awake?"
Kogure asked softly.
"Our first game is tomorrow. You two need to get some proper rest."
"Sleep, my ass!"
Mitsui didn't even look up. He shook the magazine so violently that the pages rattled, as though he wanted to tear the whole thing apart.
"Look at the crap these writers are spewing!"
He jabbed a finger at a particular line, gritting his teeth.
"Overall Rating: C. Shohoku High School lacks big-game experience and has insufficient bench depth. With an A-ranked powerhouse like Toyotama as their first-round opponent, they will likely be eliminated immediately."
"What? Eliminated? C-ranked?"
Mitsui slammed the magazine onto the coffee table, his voice shooting up several octaves.
"What the hell makes Toyotama an A-ranked team?"
"Because they made the national quarterfinals last year?"
"These idiots only know how to stare at statistics!"
"Tomorrow, I'll show them exactly what the Man of Fire is capable of!"
Kogure picked up the magazine and gave a wry smile.
"That's enough, Mitsui. People can write whatever they want."
"Whether we're really a C-ranked team or not, we'll find out on the court."
His gaze shifted toward Akagi by the window.
Akagi hadn't said a word since Kogure entered.
That was unusual.
Normally, by now, Akagi would have already shouted at Mitsui to get his butt back into bed.
"Akagi?"
Kogure walked over, a hint of concern in his voice.
"What's wrong?"
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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