It was not until the second morning class had begun that Hanamichi Sakuragi sauntered into the classroom.
There was a fresh cut at the corner of his mouth, too. Clearly, he had gotten into a fight while he was out.
A middle-aged male teacher stood at the lectern. He ignored Hanamichi Sakuragi's arrival midway through class and continued reading from the textbook.
It was 1993, and Japanese high schools were extremely chaotic during this period. There were plenty of delinquent students, and fights broke out every day.
Most teachers chose to turn a blind eye to these students.
Hanamichi Sakuragi walked to his seat and sat down. The moment he did, he began chuckling foolishly, a lovestruck look all over his face.
Beside him, Yohei Mito could tell at a glance that Hanamichi Sakuragi had fallen for another girl. Amused, he asked,
"Sakuragi, are you in love again? Which girl is it this time?"
"This time is different. Her name is Haruko Akagi, and she's exactly my type. I'm definitely going to win her over!"
Hearing Haruko Akagi's name, Ryota Kudo could not help smiling. Sakuragi's destined goddess had appeared after all.
Unfortunately, Haruko Akagi was currently madly infatuated with Kaede Rukawa. If Hanamichi Sakuragi wanted to win her heart, he still had a great deal of effort to put in.
The day's classes soon ended. A lot of interesting things had happened that day.
For example, someone from the basketball team had inadvertently offended Hanamichi Sakuragi, leading to a one-on-one showdown between him and Takenori Akagi.
Then came the iconic scene: basketball novice Hanamichi Sakuragi pulled down Takenori Akagi's shorts, exposing his backside in front of a crowd.
Of course, Ryota Kudo had not missed it. He took out the miniature camera he had prepared long beforehand and secretly snapped a photo of Takenori Akagi's backside.
At three in the afternoon, Ryota Kudo headed toward Shohoku's basketball gym, with Hanamichi Sakuragi following behind him.
Having learned that Haruko Akagi liked basketball players, Hanamichi Sakuragi decided to become a genius basketball player to attract her attention.
Along the way, Hanamichi Sakuragi bounced around Ryota Kudo like a red-haired monkey. "Kudo, don't you think a basketball genius like me will be able to take down that stuck-up fox Rukawa in no time?"
"That might be a little difficult for now. Rukawa is still very strong, but as long as you work hard enough, Sakuragi, it probably won't take too long."
Ryota Kudo did not want to discourage Hanamichi Sakuragi, either. He could only gently tell him that he would not be able to beat Kaede Rukawa in the short term.
But the single-celled organism that was Hanamichi Sakuragi did not understand Ryota Kudo's hint at all. He only heard the part that praised him, then burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! I really am a genius! I knew it! How could that rotten fox Rukawa possibly be a match for me?"
Paying Hanamichi Sakuragi no further attention, Ryota Kudo soon reached the gym entrance. The synchronized sound of running came from inside. It seemed the basketball team's training was very demanding.
Shohoku's basketball coach was the legendary Coach Anzai. In his younger days, he had played for Japan's national team.
Now, however, Coach Anzai was essentially in retirement. He normally did not show up at the gym, and the team captain, Takenori Akagi, was responsible for their regular training.
Pushing open the metal door, Ryota Kudo and Hanamichi Sakuragi appeared before the basketball team.
The two of them were late arrivals. Most of the first-year newcomers were already there and had begun running laps to warm up.
Ryota Kudo spotted many familiar figures inside: third-years Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure, super rookie Kaede Rukawa, and assorted extras.
As for the other two starters, Ryota Miyagi was hospitalized after a fight and temporarily unable to rejoin the team.
Hisashi Mitsui had gone so far as to give up basketball because of an injury. He was now the leader of a gang of delinquents at Shohoku High School.
Everyone running laps looked at Ryota Kudo and Hanamichi Sakuragi in surprise, because both of them were tall and imposing.
Hanamichi Sakuragi stood 188 centimeters tall, and Ryota Kudo stood 186 centimeters. With their strong builds, they made an imposing sight standing together.
Looking at the pair by the entrance, Kiminobu Kogure even leaned close to Takenori Akagi's ear and whispered something.
Takenori Akagi nodded solemnly, then strode toward Ryota Kudo.
Stopping in front of Ryota Kudo, Takenori Akagi extended his large hand. "Welcome, Ryota Kudo. Although I don't know why you chose Shohoku High School, with two super rookies like you and Rukawa this year, we really might be able to conquer the nationals!"
Ryota Kudo reached out and clasped Takenori Akagi's large hand. Just as he was about to speak, Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly darted up beside them.
"Gorilla, haven't you forgotten about me? There aren't just two super rookies this year. There are three!
"There's also the genius Hanamichi Sakuragi! Hahahaha..."
"Who are you?" Takenori Akagi grabbed Hanamichi Sakuragi by the collar and actually shoved him out the door with ease, showing just how terrifying the gorilla's strength was.
"This is the Shohoku High School basketball team. Outsiders aren't welcome. Please leave."
In Takenori Akagi's eyes, someone like Hanamichi Sakuragi, who "disrespected" basketball, was unwelcome no matter how physically gifted he was.
With that, Takenori Akagi moved to shut the gym door, but a hand pressed down on his arm.
An enormous force came through his arm, and for a moment, Takenori Akagi actually could not move.
Of course, the one holding Takenori Akagi's arm was Ryota Kudo. Despite his pretty-boy looks, he was immensely strong.
Ryota Kudo was very familiar with his template, Ryota Kise, who could perfectly copy all kinds of abilities. He could be called an all-around powerhouse with no weaknesses whatsoever.
Once he unleashed his full power, Ryota Kudo was absolutely the strongest player on the court, capable of dominating everyone.
But he was not without flaws. Going all out consumed an enormous amount of stamina, and once his stamina ran out, he lost the ability to keep fighting.
That was why Ryota Kudo had paid particular attention to training his physique and stamina from a very young age. Terrifying power lay hidden within his seemingly modestly muscled body.
Holding Takenori Akagi's arm, Ryota Kudo said with a grin, "Captain Akagi, Sakuragi is an incredible basketball talent.
"Once we develop him, he'll definitely be an important piece in our quest to conquer the nationals. Leave him to me, okay? Trust me!"
Feeling the immense force continually pressing against his arm, Takenori Akagi looked somewhat displeased.
That was because Takenori Akagi could feel that Ryota Kudo, a perimeter player, was actually not much weaker than he was as a center.
If it really came down to a contest of strength, Takenori Akagi could still win, of course.
But Takenori Akagi, who had grown into Kanagawa Prefecture's top center, had his own pride.
Unwilling to use his strength to bully a perimeter player, Takenori Akagi released his grip on the door and looked coldly at Ryota Kudo.
"Suit yourself. Hanamichi Sakuragi is your responsibility, then. Don't let him cause trouble on the basketball team!"
"Line up!" Takenori Akagi shouted. Everyone in the gym immediately formed two lines, divided into first-year newcomers and returning players.
Originally, Takenori Akagi had planned to begin the new players' tryouts tomorrow. But after being spurred on by Ryota Kudo today, he could no longer resist seeing the abilities of the former "number one middle school player in Japan."
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