Lin Bei Possessed by a Ghost

Shohoku High School basketball gym.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of sweat and rubber scraping against the floor.

"Move! Faster footwork!"

"Defense! Don't lose your man!"

Takenori Akagi's oppressive roar echoed through the empty gym.

Kaede Rukawa was drenched in sweat, yet his gaze remained cold and sharp.

Like an untiring blade, he tore through the substitute team's defense again and again.

Hanamichi Sakuragi's movements were still somewhat unpolished.

But with his brand-new Jordan 6s and freakish physical abilities,

he bounced wildly around the paint like a red grasshopper, making Kakuta and Yasuda miserable.

Just as the entire team was enthusiastically running shuttle sprints,

everyone was surprised to realize that there seemed to be one extra person in the team today.

Lin Bei!

During regular practice, he was either sneaking off or sleeping!

And today, he was actually participating in practice properly?!

Hanamichi also hurried over in surprise.

"M-Master?"

"Ah, I get it! Master's been possessed by a ghost!"

Hanamichi's words made everyone burst out laughing.

Lin Bei's face instantly turned red, and he could only roll his eyes at Hanamichi.

Lin Bei was the last one to finish the shuttle runs.

But no one left; they waited for him in silent understanding.

When Lin Bei finally finished and collapsed onto the floor, drenched in sweat,

Takenori Akagi's huge face suddenly appeared before him, his massive shadow completely covering Lin Bei.

"You?"

"Don't tell me you really were possessed by a ghost?"

Lin Bei blinked his dead-fish eyes and looked at Akagi speechlessly.

"Captain, I'm just afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"More exercise helps with sleep..."

Akagi held back a laugh and did not expose Lin Bei's clumsy lie.

He knew why Lin Bei had suddenly started working hard.

"Fall in!"

Akagi stopped paying attention to him and shouted at the others.

"Got it."

Lin Bei quickly got to his feet and slipped into the back of the line.

He found the most comfortable stance possible.

Ayako walked over with a tactics board, lightly tapping her palm with the paper fan in her hand, her expression serious.

"Listen up, everyone."

"Even though we won the practice game against Ryonan, we absolutely can't let our guard down."

"Next week, the regional preliminaries will begin."

Ayako unfolded a huge tournament bracket, its dense web of lines making everyone dizzy.

"This year's Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament has more than two hundred participating teams."

"Only the top two teams can represent Kanagawa in the Interhigh Tournament."

The moment he heard the number "more than two hundred," Lin Bei's face turned pale.

He began calculating furiously.

More than two hundred teams... single-elimination...

He had to improve his stamina before the tournament.

Ayako did not notice that Lin Bei had drifted off and continued her analysis.

"Our main opponent is first and foremost last year's champion, Hainan Affiliated High School, known as the 'King.'"

"They've made it to the Interhigh Tournament for ten straight years. They are the true overlords."

"Then there's last year's runner-up, Shoyo High School."

"Of course, there's also Ryonan High School, with the genius Sendoh and the monster Uozumi."

At the mention of those names, Akagi and Kaede Rukawa's eyes both burned with intensity.

Only Lin Bei yawned.

"And also!"

Suddenly, a red-haired head popped out from the group.

Hanamichi Sakuragi pointed at his brand-new Jordan 6s and laughed smugly.

"And the genius Hanamichi Sakuragi!"

"As long as I wear these 'Genius Shoes' Master gave me, Kainan, Shoyo, all of them will be defeated by me!"

As he spoke, he deliberately raised a foot and waved it around in front of everyone, afraid they might miss the conspicuous Jumpman logo.

"Nice shoes. Dumb person..."

Kaede Rukawa coldly added from the side.

"Shut up, dead fox!"

Hanamichi flew into a rage. "Master bought these for me! You're just jealous!"

"Enough!"

Coach Anzai slowly stood up.

His round body looked especially kind beneath the setting sun, light glinting off his glasses.

"Ho ho ho..."

"You've all improved greatly lately."

"As long as you maintain this momentum, along with a little luck and hard work..."

Coach Anzai's gaze swept over everyone before pausing for a second on Lin Bei and Kaede Rukawa.

"Our Shohoku will become even stronger."

Those simple words seemed to possess magic, instantly filling the exhausted team with fighting spirit.

"Yes, Coach!"

Everyone shouted in unison.

After practice ended.

The players gradually left.

While wiping away sweat, Takenori Akagi called out to Ayako, who was organizing the data.

"Ayako."

"That problem child... he should be coming back soon, right?"

Ayako froze for a moment, then understood who Akagi meant.

She closed the folder, a complicated smile appearing on her lips.

"Yes, I heard he's already been discharged."

"Apparently, he came to school to register today."

Akagi nodded, his eyes thoughtful.

"That kid may be a troublemaker, but his ball-handling skills are undeniable."

"With him here, we'll be much more secure this year."

Meanwhile.

Beside a park near the school.

The setting sun painted the streets orange-red.

Several students wearing Shohoku uniforms stood facing one another, the atmosphere tense.

"Hey, are you looking for a fight?"

Yuji Ookusu rubbed his aching shoulder where he had been bumped, glaring unhappily at the short boy in front of him.

The boy was not tall, only around five foot six.

He wore stylish curly hair and a gleaming stud in his left ear.

Though small and skinny, he stood there with his hands in his pockets, radiating an untouchable, rebellious air.

Ryota Miyagi.

Shohoku's point guard, freshly discharged from the hospital.

Miyagi raised his head, his eyes gloomy like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.

"Huh?"

"You looking for a fight?"

Miyagi's voice was low and hoarse, his fists already clenched inside his pockets.

He had been lying in the hospital for so long, and he had a fire bottled up inside with nowhere to vent it.

"What did you say?!"

Takamiya Nozomu and Chuichiro Noma immediately stepped forward.

The conflict was about to erupt.

A hand gently pressed down on Okusu's shoulder.

Mito Yohei stepped forward.

With a mild smile on his face, he sized up Ryota Miyagi.

"Forget it, Okusu."

"We were walking too fast."

Yohei looked at Miyagi and gave him a slight nod.

"Sorry, man."

"You just got out of the hospital, right? You still smell like disinfectant."

Miyagi froze.

As he looked into Yohei's calm yet unfathomable eyes,

he could sense that this seemingly gentle man possessed unfathomable strength.

"Tch."

Miyagi curled his lip and loosened his fists inside his pockets.

"Forget it. I'm not in the mood today."

With that, he turned and left, his back looking somewhat lonely.

"What's with that stuck-up little runt?" Okusu muttered unhappily.

Yohei watched Miyagi leave, deep in thought.

"That guy..."

"Looks like he's got a story too."