After saying that, she looked Aoki up and down, then slapped Aoki arm. "This is the Yo Aoki you were talking about? You're quite tall and have a strong build."
Shirota frowned. "Sis, you scared my classmate."
Shirota's older sister burst into laughter, giving him a thumbs up. "My name is Shirota Mika, and my brother said you want to join our Fire Phoenix?"
Yo Aoki rolled his eyes inwardly; the name Shirota Mika was, frankly, just a very common name. But he didn't show it on his face, only smiling and nodding, "That's right, please bear with me Mika- nee."
Shirota Mika waved her hand dismissively, "Don't mention it," then grabbed Yo Aoki and rushed towards the court. Once there, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Stop!"
The players on the court immediately stopped playing and all looked over. Shirota Mika pointed at Yo Aoki and shouted, "This kid's name is Yo Aoki, he's fifteen, from the Eda Middle School basketball team, he's here to challenge us!"
Yo Aoki was stunned. When did I say I wanted to challenge someone? I just wanted to come in and play some ball with someone! He turned to look at Shirota, who was also staring blankly at him, as if he had seen a ghost.
The sidelines erupted in laughter. Those familiar with Shirota Mika knew this was another of her mischievous ideas. But as soon as the lead comedian appeared, the straight man immediately followed suit—a burly player jumped out. "Alright, kid, Yamada's here to take your place!"
Yo Aoki quickly waved his hand. "Don't misunderstand, I didn't say I wanted to challenge anyone, I just wanted to come in and play some ball with everyone."
Yamada retorted, "Whether you're here to challenge me or to join the group, you'll have to exchange a few blows with me!"
Yo Aoki had a headache. He just wanted to play some low-key basketball, how did this happen? Seeing Yamada's eager expression, he could only nod helplessly. "Fine."
When a middle school student came to challenge him, the audience clapped and cheered.
Shirota turned and glared at his sister. "How could you make such a decision on your own!"
Shirota Mika said nonchalantly, "If you want to play for our team, you have to see what you're capable of first, right?"
Shirota scoffed, "We're only fifteen! What kind of skill could we possibly have!"
The match officially began, Yamada tossed the ball to Aoki, signaling him to attack first. Aoki caught the ball and first stared at Yamada's defensive position. That guy was about 1.8 meters tall and weighed about 200 kilograms, with a long upper body and short legs. At this moment, he was about a meter away from Yamada, and Aoki hadn't even spread his arms out in defense, a complete underestimation of him.
"Then I'll make you nervous!" Aoki suddenly started, dribbling the ball with his left hand and rushing towards Yamada's right side. Yamada immediately slid in to block. As Yamada's body closed in, Aoki spun around with the ball on his left foot. In the blink of an eye, Yamada was already on the other side, easily making a layup. One to zero!
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. Shirota danced and shouted louder than anyone else in front of his sister!
Aoki picked up the ball and threw it back to Yamada, asking with a smile, "I forgot to ask, how many balls are needed to decide the winner?"
Yamada's face turned red with anger. "You're pretty arrogant, kid! This is only the beginning. If you score five, you win!" With that, he slammed the ball to Aoki.
Aoki caught the laugh, "Okay, I'm coming."
Aoki bent his knees, leaned forward, and held the ball in front of his chest with both hands. Yamada wasn't as far away this time. He lowered his center of gravity, spread his arms, and defended seriously—you could tell he had received formal training before; this defense was more effective.
Aoki suddenly stepped forward with his right foot, Yamada immediately stepped back, but this was a feint. Aoki didn't shift his center of gravity, quickly pulled back his right foot, jumped up and threw the ball in one smooth motion!
Yamada couldn't stop it in time and could only turn around and pray that it wouldn't go in. But with a "whoosh," the ball went into the net, making it 2-0!
Yamada stared blankly as Aoki retrieved the ball, recalling his earlier actions. Aoki hadn't even had time to adjust; he was clearly a hardcore player who had trained for several years. This kid was no ordinary person!
In the third round of offense, Aoki still held the ball in front of his chest with both hands, knees bent, and upper body leaning forward—this was the standard triple threat stance, capable of driving, shooting, and passing, leaving the defenders completely bewildered.
Yamada felt this way. In the first two rounds, Aoki used breakthroughs and jump shots, and his feints were too deceptive. Now he was completely focused and absolutely could not let Aoki score again!
Aoki dribbled with his right hand this time, rushing towards Yamada's left side. He wasn't going very fast, and Yamada could keep up. But this time, he didn't fake anything and went straight for a layup!
Aoki held the ball close to his abdomen with his right hand, protected it with his left shoulder, and pushed his body towards Yamada.
Yamada initially thought Aoki was going to dribble past him again, but then he saw Aoki about to go for a layup. "He's really not taking me seriously!"
"How could Yamada let this kid score like that? He's a power player!" Nobody on this court is stronger than me. You overconfident brat, watch me knock you flying!
Yamada tried to squeeze closer to Aoki, and the two forces collided. Yamada immediately felt a powerful force coming from him. So strong? He was knocked off balance, Aoki had already jumped up!
Yamada exerted too much force, and he couldn't jump up to block him. He could only watch helplessly as Aoki made a layup, making it 3-0!
At this point, Yamada's teammates couldn't hold back any longer. They knew Yamada's weaknesses all too well—his lack of agility was his only Achilles' heel. Yo Aoki had clearly targeted this weakness in the first two plays, but Yamada's strength was obviously his power! Who would have thought that in the third play, a fifteen-year-old would push past him and forcefully put the ball in through the rim? Just who was this kid?
When the middle school student Yo Aoki actually pulled ahead to 3-0, the spectators on the sidelines were completely stunned. No one had expected this situation, and cheers rang out incessantly.
Shirota Mika glared at Shirota and poked his arm. "Little brother, is Yo Aoki from the same school as you? Then why is your school's basketball team so terrible?"
Shirota quickly suppressed his surprise, raising his chin and striking a smug pose. "Of course! I knew this kid was something else. Your boyfriend probably can't handle him."
Shirota Mika that she raised her hand and smacked him on the head.
Yamada realized he had lost, but there was no point in dwelling on it; a man can afford to lose. He took a deep breath, turned to Yo Aoki, and smiled, extending his hand. "You're skilled enough to definitely join the team. You don't need to play the remaining two balls; you won."
Yo Aoki stepped forward, shook Yamada's hand, and smiled, "Thanks, Yamada- senpai."
Yamada nodded, beckoned the other team members to come over, and formally introduced Yo Aoki into the team.
Days passed by, and the national high school entrance exams drew ever closer. During this time, Yo Aoki spent three days a week playing basketball with Yamada and the others at the park's basketball court, and spent the rest of his time practicing diligently according to his own plan.
However, he also studied his academic subjects diligently at school, after all, he had said before that he wanted to get into Takezato High School. After several mock exams, Yo Aoki's scores actually rose rapidly, and his grades were outstanding.
Coach Hisaishi boasted everywhere, saying it was all thanks to his excellent training that he had transformed the school's troublemakers into well-rounded students with all-around development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. Hisaishi became a celebrity at the school, and the principal even personally named him the outstanding teacher of the year.
That day, Yo Aoki was having dinner at home. His appetite had increased dramatically over the past few months, which surprised and delighted Ryoko Aoki. Everyone in the family had noticed the changes in Yo Aoki, and she had teared up several times, thanking God that her child had finally returned. Although Mamoru Aoki didn't say anything, his gaze towards Yo Aoki softened considerably.
While we were eating, Mamoru Aoki suddenly asked, " Yo, which high school are you planning to apply to?"
Yo Aoki replied, " Takezato High School."
Mamoru Aoki hummed in agreement and then fell silent.
At this moment, Ryo Aoki leaned over and said, "I want to go to Takezato like my older brother." He looked at Yo Aoki and held out his hand, "Big brother, let's pinky swear that we must get into Takezato!"
Having no other choice, Yo Aoki could only symbolically extend his fist and bump it with Ryo Aoki's.
Ryoko Aoki said gently, " Takezato High School is pretty good. If you two can both get in, your dad and I will be very happy."
After Yo Aoki and Ryo Aoki returned to their room, Ryoko Aoki said to Mamoru Aoki, "Honey, Yo wants to apply to the Takezato, but his grades are a bit worrying."
Mamoru Aoki thought for a moment, "He made a lot of progress in the last mock exam, didn't he? Although it's difficult, there's still hope."
Ryoko Aoki hesitated, "Honey, if Yo really doesn't pass the exam, could you try to pull some strings...? After all, he's changed for the better now, and I don't want him to be discouraged."
Mamoru Aoki remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "The eldest son of the Aoki family must act like a man and get what he wants through his own abilities. Yo can't be like Ryo; he'll have to shoulder more responsibilities in the future and needs to be more outstanding to support the Aoki family."
After a pause, a smile suddenly appeared on Mamoru Aoki's stern face, "I reckon that even if I help Yo now, he won't accept it."
The national unified exams are approaching, and the third-grade students are all busy studying, making the most of their time to get good grades. However, Yo Aoki is an exception; he continues to practice diligently according to his own training plan.
This wasn't because he was 100% certain he'd get into Takezato, but because he cherished his current life too much. The pain of his illness was still etched in his mind, and he loved playing ball so much. Even if he didn't get into Takezato, it didn't matter, as long as he could play ball!
After school, Shirota and Yo Aoki walked home together. Shirota watched Yo Aoki dribbling a ball as they walked and asked, " Aoki, which high school do you want to apply to?"
Yo Aoki replied, " Takezato, what about you?"
Shirota's eyes lit up. "What a coincidence! I also want to apply to Takezato! And I want to join the basketball team!" He whispered, " Aoki, sometimes I really envy you. Your parents support you playing basketball."
Yo Aoki asked, "Don't your parents let you play ball anymore?"
"Ugh, it's all my sister's fault. Everyone in the family is fed up with basketball now, and on top of that, I don't have any talent for it..."
Just as Yo Aoki was racking his brains for some inspirational quotes to comfort him, Shirota raised his fist. "But nobody can stop me from playing! I'm going to prove it to my family! Aoki, do you support me?"
Yo Aoki nodded quickly. "Support, we must support."
Looking at Shirota's ambitious expression, Yo Aoki chuckled to himself, "This script isn't right. Shouldn't I be comforting the supporting character to highlight how extraordinary I am?"
A week later, the national unified examination for middle school students began.
Yo Aoki felt he was playing quite well, and his admission to Takezato High School was basically secured. During the few days when his grades were being monitored, he still practiced basketball as usual. Shirota grumbled more than once, " Aoki, your self-control is something most people wouldn't even dare to dream of."
Finally, the exam results came out.
Yo Aoki stared at the national unified exam results, his heart finally settling down. "These scores should be enough to get into Takezato. For us, raised in an exam-oriented education system, cramming before exams is a natural talent."
" Aoki," Shirota called out to him, "How did the exam go?"
Yo Aoki, hands in his pockets, grinned. "It's alright, enough for getting into Takezato."
Shirota patted his arm and laughed, scolding, "Stop showing off. Looks like we can still play basketball together in high school."
Yo Aoki reached out and gestured with his chin towards Shirota: "Alright, let's dominate the nation together in high school!"
Shirota quickly reached out his hand, and the two gripped each other tightly. "Let's conquer the whole country together!"
During his last vacation before starting high school, Yo Aoki intensified his tennis practice. As he flipped through the calendar, he felt incredibly confident; he had been holding back his energy for so long, and now he was finally ready to unleash it.
Yo Aoki's high school life thus began.
Yo Aoki and Shirota entered Takezato High School together. As soon as they stepped into the school gate, they were greeted by banners recruiting members for various clubs, including kendo, gymnastics, drama, photography, and tea ceremony.
High school life was truly vibrant and exciting, with members of every club belting out their own tales to the new students. Yo Aoki was tall, and several clubs immediately approached him upon entering the school, but he politely declined them all. However, he didn't notice the recruitment booths of clubs like the basketball and baseball teams; it seemed that the big clubs had no shortage of applicants.
The two ran to the student affairs office. Yo Aoki was assigned to Class 8 of the first year, while Shirota was assigned to Class 1 of the first year.
Upon entering the classroom, Yo Aoki was unsurprisingly assigned to the last row. As soon as he sat down, looking at the classroom full of classmates, his mind went blank. He suddenly recalled his high school days in his previous life; those days were truly unforgettable.
The school bell rang, pulling him back to reality; it was time for class.
During break, Yo Aoki was filling out his application to join the basketball club when a boy approached him and said, " Aoki, some people are looking for you. They're waiting for you behind the school storeroom." He added, "Those guys don't look like nice guys. You'd better be careful."
"Okay, thank you." Yo Aoki thanked his classmate for the reminder, and immediately realized that this was a fight, which was most likely caused by the original Yo Aoki. Despite his complaints, he still walked towards the back of the warehouse with great interest.