By the time he got home, Ryota Kudo's legs were trembling. He had gotten into a fight that morning, played a basketball game afterward, then played a friendly three-on-three against the Shoyo players.
Even with Ryota Kudo's stamina, he was utterly exhausted.
Probably only a monster like Hanamichi Sakuragi was not tired at all. He had actually gone out to run wild again with the Sakuragi Gang.
Ryota Kudo checked what he had gained that day and felt very satisfied.
[On-court coach (Kenji Fujima's exclusive ability. Skilled ball handling and keen observation can bring out greater strength in teammates.)] [Fadeaway jumper (Toru Hanagata's outstanding coordination and soft touch allow him to easily sink all kinds of difficult fadeaway jumpers.)] [Iron wall (Kazushi Hasegawa's outstanding perimeter defense is even more effective in one-on-one coverage.)]
The most useful of these was definitely Kenji Fujima's on-court coach. After gaining this skill, Ryota Kudo felt that his feel for the ball had become even better.
The basketball seemed like it had grown out of his hand. No matter how he dribbled, he never lost it.
That made sense, though. Kenji Fujima's physical abilities were so far below Shinichi Maki's, yet he was still ranked alongside him as one of Kanagawa's two best point guards. Naturally, he had his own unique talent.
Ryota Kudo had just gotten ready to shower after coming home when the landline on the table rang.
Landlines were not widespread yet, and few people used them. Anyone calling at this hour had to be Ryota Kudo's parents.
He picked up the phone, and a very enthusiastic woman's voice came from the other end.
"Ryota, Mommy misses you so much! When are you coming back to Tokyo?"
Ryota Kudo's feelings toward his parents in this world were very complicated.
Without a doubt, they loved Ryota Kudo very much and had provided him with an affluent life.
His father was not much of a problem. He was now settled in Tokyo, running an electrical appliance company.
The electrical appliance industry was on the rise, and the company was doing very well. His father was also extremely busy and had no time to ask about Ryota Kudo's affairs year-round.
The real problem was his Japanese mother. She really was a little too clingy.
Her husband was always busy with his career, and Ryota Kudo had been adorable since childhood. She wished she could stay by his side at all times.
Ryota Kudo had worked hard for a long time to be allowed to attend high school in Kanagawa on his own.
"Mom, I've been competing in the high school basketball tournament lately. We have team practice every day. How would I have time to go back to Tokyo?"
"What's so great about playing basketball? Wouldn't it be better to come home and keep Mommy company, then take over your father's company after you graduate from college?"
Ryota Kudo had explained this many times already. Basketball was his dream, and he had absolutely no interest in inheriting the company.
Only after talking to his mother for a long time did Ryota Kudo hang up with a headache. Something like this happened almost every week.
And even though Ryota Kudo had refused many times, his mother still insisted on coming to watch Shohoku's final-four games. She would also bring her best friend and her best friend's daughter.
His mother had been a famous beauty in her youth. If his father had not won her over, she might have become a wonderful actress.
Apparently, her best friend's daughter was named Shizuka Kudo. At twenty-three, Shizuka Kudo was already a singer and actress with some recognition.
In any case, there was still some time before Shohoku reached the final four. Ryota Kudo planned to focus more of his energy on the games.
As for his mother, her best friend, and Shizuka Kudo coming to Kanagawa Prefecture, he would find a way to turn them down when the time came.
Ever since their last friendly three-on-three against Shohoku High School, Hisashi Mitsui had been training even harder. He badly wanted to prove himself in their official game against Shoyo.
Ryota Kudo naturally supported Hisashi Mitsui wholeheartedly and often stayed behind to train extra with him.
When Ryota Kudo got up on Saturday morning, he did not choose to slack off. He planned to head to the basketball gym for more extra practice that day, too.
Halfway there, Ryota Kudo spotted someone practicing on an outdoor basketball court by the road.
Loving basketball as much as his own life, Ryota Kudo naturally walked over. The person practicing turned out to be none other than captain Takenori Akagi's younger sister, the number-one goddess of the Slam Dunk world-Haruko Akagi.
Haruko Akagi wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts that day, her hair tied in a ponytail. She looked indescribably youthful and lovely.
With the ball in hand, Haruko Akagi smoothly took three steps into a layup, and the basketball dropped neatly through the hoop.
It was truly a delightful sight. Ryota Kudo even wanted to capture it with a camera.
A group of others were admiring the sight along with Ryota Kudo, though their expressions were somewhat sleazy.
On the other side of the basketball court, the five members of the Sakuragi Gang clung to the wire fence, their eyes fixed on Haruko Akagi on the court.
Hanamichi Sakuragi and Nozomi Takamiya had the most exaggerated expressions of all. The two of them were practically drooling.
Fans had speculated about how many people in the Slam Dunk world liked Haruko Akagi.
Besides Hanamichi Sakuragi, some fans thought Nozomi Takamiya of the Sakuragi Gang-that sleazy fat guy-also liked Haruko Akagi.
There were even rumors that Haruko Akagi eventually married Nozomi Takamiya...
Of course, those were only rumors. If they were true, Ryota Kudo would absolutely never accept it.
Just as all six guys were admiring Haruko Akagi playing basketball, one of her layups went off target, and the ball bounced off the rim.
At that moment, something bizarre happened.
A motorcycle sped onto the basketball court. As it approached Haruko Akagi, the helmeted man riding it leaped into the air.
Jumping from the motorcycle, the helmeted man also caught the airborne basketball securely and slammed it through the hoop.
Leaping from a speeding motorcycle for an alley-oop dunk-the difficulty was already maxed out.
Even the NBA's top dunkers would not have been able to pull off something that difficult.
Unless Wade came over to judge, that dunk was guaranteed a perfect ten.
Honestly, this helmeted man had the greatest physical abilities of anyone Ryota Kudo had ever seen. Even Hanamichi Sakuragi was, at best, evenly matched with him.
Was there someone like this in the Slam Dunk world? Ryota Kudo had no recollection of him at all. He felt that his memories were a little muddled.
Haruko Akagi was friendly toward boys who liked playing basketball. She stared blankly at the helmeted man in front of her, about to ask what he wanted.
To her surprise, after finishing his dunk, the helmeted man simply stood in front of Haruko Akagi without speaking. He just kept staring at her face like some creep.
This put Haruko Akagi under considerable pressure. She quickly stepped forward, scooped up the basketball, and ran off the court.
"Sorry, I have to go home."
Only after Haruko Akagi left did the helmeted man take off his helmet, revealing a cool-looking face. The guy looked like a delinquent, with the hair on both sides of his head dyed blond.
Ryota Kudo had initially thought he was someone with a cool personality, but the next second, his expression turned sleazy.
"That girl is gorgeous! She's mine!"
For an instant, Ryota Kudo felt that expression looked awfully familiar. He had definitely seen it somewhere before.
After thinking about it, he realized the guy's expression was almost exactly the same as Hanamichi Sakuragi's. This was another simple-minded troublemaker.
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