Teikō Basketball Club, like a precision machine set by Akashi Seijūrō to "Absolute Efficiency" mode, operated at high speed under immense pressure, cold and relentless. Aomine Daiki had become a solitary black beast, wantonly venting his wildness as he broke free of his restraints on the court; Kuroko Tetsuya was like a shadow lost in a lightless land, bearing the heavy anxiety of a severed connection; Bai Ze You was bewildered by the annihilation of basketball's joy, struggling to breathe beneath Akashi's iron law; and Kise Ryōta was like a blazing golden flame, seeking a breakthrough in himself through crazed imitation and fusion. Yet on this court filled with distortion and struggle, Murasaki-bara Atsushi, a hulking monster blessed with inhuman strength, remained like a lazy beast standing apart from it all. In his own unique way, he embodied a nearly arrogant "Absolute Confidence."
The atmosphere on the training court remained oppressive. Akashi's cold voice was like a program command, precisely directing every cut, every pass, and every shot. The players were like wind-up dolls. Their movements were standardized and efficient, yet utterly lifeless.
Murasaki-bara Atsushi stood beneath the basket, his massive body like a silent mountain. He yawned, his purple eyes half-lidded and heavy with sleep, as though the intense training before him had nothing to do with him. When Akashi ordered shuttle sprints, he slowly moved his long legs. His movements were small, his pace unhurried, and he even seemed somewhat sluggish. Yet every time, he finished precisely at the latest time Akashi had allowed—not a second early, not a second late.
"Murasaki-bara! Your sprint speed is 15% below the standard! Your stride efficiency is insufficient! Lengthen your steps!" Akashi's icy voice rang out.
Murasaki-bara Atsushi lazily glanced at Akashi and muttered, "What a pain..." He symbolically lengthened his stride by the tiniest amount, but his speed remained at that maddening level of "just barely passing." His massive body moved with a strange rhythm, as though every step had been calculated to use the least possible effort.
Momoi Satsuki quickly wrote on her clipboard:
"Observation Record: Lazy Absolute Domain"
"Behavioral Patterns:"
* Physical Training: Extreme energy conservationism. Movement range and speed were precisely controlled at the passing line (±3%), with any "excess" expenditure rejected. Complaint frequency: high ("What a pain," "I'm so tired").*
* Tactical Execution: Selective focus. Positioning beneath the basket/rebounding protection: S+ (instinct-driven). Help defense extending outward/off-ball screens: D (low initiative; requires Akashi to call him out).*
* Offensive Involvement: End Point beneath the basket. Success rate of receiving easy feeds: 99%. Desire for self-initiated offense: 0% (too troublesome).*
* Defensive Stance: Guardian deity of the paint (passive). Against attackers entering his "domain" (the paint), his blocks and disruptions were SSS-level (overwhelming through strength). Against ball handlers far from the paint and off-ball movement: utterly uninterested (turning a blind eye).*
"Core Logic:"
1. Strength is Truth: He firmly believed in his absolute dominion over the paint through his own strength ("No one can beat me beneath the basket anyway").*
2. Minimize Energy Consumption: Basketball was a "pain," so he performed only the necessary actions that ensured victory (as required by Akashi) while consuming as little energy as possible.*
3. Arrogance of Confidence: His absolute confidence in his own strength had evolved into extreme contempt for "extra effort," such as physical training and tactical details ("We'll win anyway, so why tire myself out?").*
"Akashi's Strategy:"
* Tolerate His Laziness: Acknowledge the irreplaceable nature of Murasaki-bara's dominion over the paint (the core of efficiency).*
* Precise Instructions: Give Murasaki-bara only the clear, low-effort key instructions he had to execute, such as "box out," "block," and "catch the ball."*
* Avoid Conflict: Avoid forcing him to perform high-energy actions that were "meaningless" from Murasaki-bara's perspective, such as full-court pressure and frequent help defense.*
"Team Impact:" The paint defense became impregnable, but the flexibility of the overall defense declined sharply (with immense pressure on the wings and perimeter). The offense lacked interior facilitation and inside-outside gravity. In essence, he was a "strategic defensive fortress," not a team player.*
During an intrasquad scrimmage, Murasaki-bara Atsushi guarded the basket. Bai Ze You's team was on offense. The ball reached an interior player, who attempted to force his way through Murasaki-bara. Murasaki-bara could not even be bothered to jump. He merely raised his long arm, which resembled that of a giant deity, and his enormous palm became a dome blotting out the sky as he casually pressed down!
"Smack!"
The basketball was ruthlessly swatted away! The difference in strength was like that between an adult and a child!
"What a pain... Don't come under the basket..." Murasaki-bara muttered, rubbing his eyes as though he had merely swatted away a fly.
When Murasaki-bara's team went on offense, Akashi sent a precise lob. The ball sailed over the defender's fingertips toward the hoop. Beneath the basket, Murasaki-bara did not even fully jump. He merely rose onto his toes, extended his arm, and easily gathered the ball in as though picking fruit, then casually made a layup.
"Swish!"
An effortless score. Throughout the entire sequence, he had barely broken a sweat.
During a fast break, Aomine Daiki charged into the paint like black lightning! Facing Murasaki-bara Atsushi's help defense, the wild flame in Aomine's eyes burned as he made a full jump, attempting to poster the giant tower with a tomahawk dunk!
"Hmph!" Murasaki-bara gave a contemptuous snort. He did not even jump with all his strength. Relying only on his overwhelming height, wingspan, and terrifying power, he struck after the fact yet arrived first! His enormous palm came down like it was swatting a fly, landing precisely on the basketball Aomine held high in both hands!
"Boom!!"
The dull crash made everyone's heart tremble!
Aomine's powerful dunk was actually blocked in place with one hand by Murasaki-bara Atsushi! The tremendous force knocked Aomine off balance in midair. He staggered upon landing, his eyes filled with stunned disbelief!
"I told you... beneath the basket is my territory..." Murasaki-bara Atsushi lazily withdrew his hand and yawned, as though he had merely brushed away a speck of dust. His careless attitude displayed his Absolute Confidence in his own strength more clearly than any roar could have!
On the sidelines, Bai Ze You's pupils contracted slightly. He had witnessed Murasaki-bara's strength before, but every close-range encounter still left him shaken by that pure, primal, unreasonable sense of overwhelming domination. In the face of Murasaki-bara's Absolute Strength, any technique, speed, or fake move seemed to lose its meaning. It was an almost instinctive arrogance and confidence built on extraordinary natural talent—I don't need to work hard or give it my all. I only need to stand here, and the paint becomes my kingdom!
After training ended, the players dispersed. Murasaki-bara Atsushi was the first to head for the locker room, a packet of Umaibo still in his hand as he ate while walking.
Bai Ze You watched Murasaki-bara's lazy back and could not help chasing after him.
"Murasaki-bara." Bai Ze You called out to him.
Murasaki-bara stopped and turned around. His purple eyes held a trace of annoyance at being disturbed. "What? Little Bai Ze? What a pain..."
"That shot you blocked from Aomine just now... It was amazing." Bai Ze You spoke sincerely.
Murasaki-bara chewed his Umaibo and said indistinctly, "Oh... It was all right. He was asking for trouble trying to dunk on me."
"You don't seem... to care much about training or Captain Akashi's demands..." Bai Ze You asked tentatively. He wanted to understand what this giant of strength was thinking.
Murasaki-bara tore open another packet of Umaibo and stuffed it into his mouth, speaking absentmindedly. "Care? Why should I care?"
He pointed toward the basket. "As long as I stand beneath the basket, no one can score easily in front of me. Rebounds? If I want the ball, it's mine. Scoring? Throw me the ball, and I'll put it in."
He looked at Bai Ze You, his eyes filled with pure puzzlement and matter-of-fact confidence. "Since that's the case, why run around like you guys and train until you're exhausted? 'Absolute Victory'? Akashi isn't saying we only need to win? I can do that. And I can do it with the least effort possible."
He shrugged, as though explaining the simplest truth in the world. "Basketball is such a pain. But since I'm playing, I might as well use the easiest way to win. Anyway... I'm definitely the one who'll win."
Murasaki-bara Atsushi's words were just like him: simple, direct, and even somewhat rough, yet they contained a suffocating logic of confidence founded on Absolute Strength. In his eyes, Akashi's iron law of "Absolute Victory" was the goal, while his overwhelming power was the easiest and most effective tool for achieving it. He needed no passion, no enjoyment, and no teamwork—unless his teammates fed him the ball comfortably. He only needed to stand within his own domain and use his strength to proclaim his supremacy.
At the bottom of her clipboard, Momoi Satsuki solemnly wrote:
"Final Diagnosis: Absolute Confidence in Strength"
"Core Creed: Strength is the Way; Effort-Saving is Justice."
"Attitude Toward Basketball: A necessary evil (a pain), but one that can be easily resolved through the use of his own strength (winning)."
"Attitude Toward Akashi's System: Functional adaptation (providing absolute dominion over the paint). No ideological identification; he merely views it as the "rules for winning" (following only the minimum requirements).*
"Potential Risks:"
1. External Challenges: If someone appears who can match his strength (such as future Kagami or an American player), the foundation of his "Absolute Confidence" may collapse. The consequences are unknown (rage? Loss of interest?).*
2. Team Toxicity: His extreme "energy-saving" and "non-cooperative" attitude would intensify the team's fragmentation (a static version of Aomine's "solitude").*
3. Stagnant Development: He refuses to improve his technique or physical conditioning because it is troublesome, relying entirely on his natural gifts. In the future, he may be targeted by technical interior players (such as future Akagi or Hanagata) or team tactics.*
"Rating: The most stable yet most uncontrollable "strategic trump card" under Teikō's "Absolute Victory" system. His inertia is immense, and so is his destructive potential.*
After Murasaki-bara Atsushi finished speaking, he ignored Bai Ze You and continued munching on his Umaibo as he headed toward the locker room with lazy steps. His massive back stretched long beneath the setting sun, carrying a nearly arrogant relaxation and confidence that clashed completely with Teikō's tense, oppressive atmosphere.
His very existence was a silent mockery of Akashi's demand for "Absolute Efficiency"—true "efficiency" might not mean squeezing oneself to the limit, but rather exchanging the minimum expenditure of energy for the most certain and overwhelming victory possible, just as he did. Yet this kind of "efficiency" was built upon terrifying talent beyond the reach of ordinary people, and it had utterly stripped basketball of the passion and cooperation that a sport should possess.
Bai Ze You stood where he was, watching the direction in which Murasaki-bara had disappeared, his heart a jumble of emotions. Murasaki-bara's laziness and confidence were like a mirror, reflecting another extreme and distorted facet of Teikō's "Absolute Victory" ideology. When strength became the sole faith, and victory was reduced to the result of saving effort, what was left of basketball?
The one with Absolute Confidence in Strength had built an impregnable fortress beneath the facade of laziness.
With the least effort possible, he practiced Akashi's coldest creed of victory.
Teikō's paint had become a no-fly zone because of him; Teikō's future had also been seeded with the dangers of stagnation and collapse by this arrogant inertia.
And that extreme hatred of "trouble," along with that blind confidence in "Absolute Strength," would eventually face the trial of fate in the future.
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