The Strongest Problem Child Legion, Assemble!

A clear voice rang out above him.

Lin Bei opened his eyes helplessly, and the first thing he saw was a pair of brand-new basketball shoes.

His gaze traveled upward.

It was a boy with neat, short hair.

His once unkempt long hair had been cut clean off, revealing sharply defined features.

Though there was still a bandage on his chin and bruising at the corner of his mouth.

His eyes shone with a light that had long been absent.

"The ball. Pick it up for me."

The boy pointed at the basketball by Lin Bei's feet, a confident smile on his lips.

Lin Bei wiped his sweat with a towel and stood up, lightly flicking the ball with his toe.

The basketball obediently flew up and landed in the boy's hands.

"Nice haircut, former MVP," Lin Bei said lazily.

"Hmph."

"Cut the crap."

Hisashi Mitsui touched his newly cropped hair, turning his head away awkwardly.

Just then, Hanamichi Sakuragi walked over with a ball in his arms.

He circled Mitsui three times, looking as though he had seen a ghost.

"Hey, who are you?"

Hanamichi reached out and poked Mitsui in the shoulder.

"This is the basketball club. Unauthorized people aren't allowed inside..."

"Huh? That voice sounds kind of familiar..."

A vein pulsed on Mitsui's forehead. "Idiot! It's me! Mitsui!"

"Mitsui?!"

"That long-haired old lady?!"

"How did you turn into this?"

"Did Yohei and the others beat you stupid, so you got plastic surgery?!"

Hanamichi's eyes widened. He backed up two steps and pointed dramatically at Mitsui.

"Bang!"

Mitsui finally snapped and stepped forward to put Hanamichi in a headlock.

"I cut my hair! I cut my hair! You red-haired single-celled organism!"

"Ow, ow, ow! You violent bastard!"

"Since you joined the basketball club, you should call me senior!"

"I joined before you did!" Hanamichi shouted, clutching his neck.

"Huh? An amateur like you wants to be a senior? Keep dreaming!"

The two instantly began wrestling like a pair of elementary school kids.

Ryota Miyagi dribbled past them, shaking his head helplessly.

Then he looked at Ayako, who was trying not to laugh, and immediately put on a fawning expression. "Ayako, did you see that dribbling just now? Wasn't it cool?"

"Very cool, very cool. Now go practice." Ayako smiled and waved her paper fan.

The entire gym was filled with cheerful energy.

Lin Bei watched the scene as he continued his conditioning training.

"So noisy..."

"But this is more like it."

That afternoon, training was halfway through.

The gym doors were pushed open, and a lovely figure walked in.

Haruko Akagi carried two large bags filled with lemon honey water and towels.

"Everyone, you've worked hard!"

Haruko's voice was like a spring breeze, instantly blowing away the stench of sweat in the gym.

"Miss Haruko!!"

Hanamichi Sakuragi, who had just been bickering with Mitsui, instantly turned into a pink whirlwind and teleported in front of Haruko.

"Did you come specifically to see me? I knew it!"

"My genius bearing has already captivated you!" Hanamichi twisted bashfully, his face as red as a monkey's butt.

"Ah, Sakuragi, you're working hard too."

Haruko smiled and handed Hanamichi a bottle of water.

But her gaze passed right over him and landed on the court.

Kaede Rukawa had just finished a set of dunking drills.

He lifted his jersey to wipe his face, revealing his toned abs beneath it.

"Rukawa... so handsome..."

Haruko's little face instantly turned bright red, hearts practically appearing in her eyes.

Hanamichi froze in place. The water bottle in his hand crumpled with a crack.

"Damn fox..."

However, Haruko's gaze did not linger on Rukawa for long before she looked toward the corner again.

There, Lin Bei was doing frog jumps.

"Ah, Lin Bei is here too!"

Haruko jogged over excitedly, crouching in front of Lin Bei with eyes full of admiration.

"So this is how Lin Bei trains?"

"I heard Lin Bei defeated Sendoh with his speed!"

"That's amazing... Even frog jumps look so cool when he does them..."

Hanamichi's petrified form cracked apart and shattered across the floor.

If he lost to Rukawa because that guy was just a tiny bit handsome.

Then losing to Lin Bei...

Damn it, Lin Bei was ridiculously handsome too.

Why the hell was a supporting character more handsome than the protagonist?!

"Master!!"

Hanamichi roared in grief and indignation. "Stop stealing my spotlight!!"

Startled by the shout, Lin Bei turned around and saw Haruko's pretty face beside him.

"Hm? Is it time to eat?"

"..."

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, the calendar had turned to May 19.

Today was the Kanagawa qualifiers for the National High School Tournament.

Four in the morning.

The sky had not yet brightened. The streets were empty, illuminated only by the dim yellow glow of streetlights.

Hanamichi Sakuragi's room.

"Ahhh! I can't sleep! I absolutely can't sleep!"

Hanamichi suddenly sat up in bed, dark circles hanging heavily beneath his eyes.

The moment he closed his eyes, scenes from the match filled his mind.

Before an adoring crowd, Hanamichi Sakuragi would finish off the opponent with a game-winning slam dunk.

Then Haruko would rush over and hug him, while Rukawa and Lin Bei knelt on the ground and called him big brother...

"Hehehe..."

Hanamichi let out a silly laugh, then slapped his own face hard.

"No! I'm a genius!"

"How could I lose sleep over such a small game?"

"It must be because my body has too much energy. I need to let it out!"

He rolled out of bed, put on his Jordan 6s, and rushed out of the house.

At the park.

Hanamichi Sakuragi ran madly around the fountain like a tireless perpetual-motion machine.

"I'm a genius! I'm the secret weapon!"

"Defeat Kainan! Defeat Shoyo!"

"Conquer the nation!"

Just as he finished his tenth lap and bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

"Sakuragi?"

A surprised voice called out.

Hanamichi abruptly looked up.

In the faint light of dawn.

Haruko Akagi stood not far away in a pink tracksuit, holding a dog's leash in her hand.

"Ha... Haruko?!"

"Th-this early, you came out to run too?"

Hanamichi instantly straightened up, trying to suppress his ragged breathing as he struck what he believed was a handsome pose.

Haruko walked over with a gentle smile on her face.

"Mm, I was a little nervous, so I came out for a walk."

Haruko looked at the sweat-drenched Hanamichi. "Are you nervous too, Sakuragi?"

"Huh? Nervous? How could that be!"

Hanamichi laughed three times. "This genius is merely warming up before the game!"

"You know, geniuses always need to sweat more than ordinary people!"

Haruko could not help but giggle at the way Hanamichi was forcing himself to act tough.

"Sakuragi, you're really dependable."

That smile nearly melted Hanamichi's heart.

Haruko found a bench, sat down, and patted the spot beside her.

"Sakuragi, do you know?"

"This year's Shohoku is really strong."

Hanamichi obediently sat down and pricked up his ears.

"Look." Haruko began counting on her fingers.

"At center, we have my brother. He's the best center in the prefecture, the pillar of the paint."

"At power forward, we have you, Sakuragi. You're our secret weapon, with incredible rebounding ability and athletic talent."

"At small forward, we have Kaede Rukawa. He may be aloof, but his skills are among the best in the prefecture."

"At shooting guard, we have senior Mitsui. He was the middle school MVP, and his recent three-point shooting has been terrifyingly accurate."

"At point guard, we have senior Miyagi. With lightning-fast speed, nobody can keep up with him."

At this point, Haruko's eyes sparkled.

"And... most importantly..."

"We have Lin Bei too."