The White Team's strength was immediately diminished after substituting Yo Aoki, and the two teams were evenly matched. Coach Taoka slumped on the bench, with Yo Aoki sitting next to him.
" Aoki, what are your thoughts on our team's starting lineup? Let's discuss it," Coach Taoka asked.
"Teacher Taoka, with our current manpower, we can definitely field different starting lineups depending on the opponent's style," Yo Aoki replied.
"Hmm!" Coach Taoka nodded, signaling him to continue.
"For example, if we encounter a team that likes to wear down the opponent, we'll send out Fujima, Miyagi, Rukawa, Sendoh, and Sakuragi as the starters, relying on their speed to wear them down." Yo Aoki paused, then added, "If we encounter a team that attacks fiercely but defends terribly, we'll bring out Maki, Kiyota, Akagi, Sendoh, and me, using strength and stamina to overwhelm them."
"And then there's Akagi and Uozumi's twin towers, Jin and Mitsui's marksman formation—these are all formidable weapons!"
Coach Taoka then asked, "If we face Akita's representative team, Sannoh Industrial High School, what lineup should we field?"
Yo Aoki laughed and said, "Then let's go with Akagi, Sakuragi, Rukawa, Mitsui, and Miyagi! Didn't they just beat Sannoh?"
Coach Taoka chuckled along.
In the following matches, the two teams switched players back and forth, trying out all sorts of combinations. Miyagi also got his chance to play, and in the end, all fifteen selected players took turns playing.
The final score was 68-70, with the white team narrowly defeating the yellow team by two points. Coach Taoka was grinning from ear to ear; he was happy with any game as long as they beat Takato.
Coach Takato remained calm, clearly not taking the result seriously. He gathered the players together and said, "That's it for training this morning. We'll continue at 3 PM. You all need to focus on your studies during this time! Even though you're representing Kanagawa in the competition, you're still students, and you can't neglect your academics, understand?"
"Got it!" Akagi and his gang shouted in response.
Sakuragi, Mitsui, Rukawa, and their group, however, looked disdainful and completely ignored these words.
"Okay, dismissed now!"
" Aoki -kun, can I interview you for a bit?" Yayoi Aida suddenly came over and stopped Yo Aoki was about to slip out of the gym.
Aoki was taken aback. He remembered that Yayoi Aida was a die-hard fan of Sendoh. Why was she blocking his way?
He stroked his chin and nodded. "Alright, Miss Aida."
Aida opened his notebook. " Aoki -kun, when did you start playing basketball?"
Aoki thought for a moment, then said without beating around the bush, "I've loved basketball since I was little. I got into it early; I started touching a ball when I was five or six."
That's true; he started playing basketball when he was five or six years old before he transmigrated.
Aida continued, "But I heard that you only started playing seriously in the first year of junior high school, right?"
"That's true, but I've also participated in a lot of professional training before, so I started relatively early," Yo Aoki replied.
He knew he was a time traveler, and he didn't consider himself a genius at all, nor did he want others to treat him as one.
This answer clearly did not satisfy Aida. "Then, between you and Sendoh, who is stronger?"
Aoki smiled and said, "My playing style is different from Sendoh's. I really admire his skills, and I'm sure we'll have a lot of exchanges going to happen. I'm really looking forward to it."
Aida frowned and asked again, "Then who do you think is the core of this team?"
Aoki's face hardened. "Each of us is a core player, yet none of us are core players, because we play team basketball!"
Aida sighed, "I just realized that Shinichi Maki and Kaede Rukawa from the Yellow Team don't seem to have very compatible playing styles. Does this mean Rukawa will only be a substitute from now on?"
"I don't think so. This scrimmage was meant to assess the players, and Coach Takato might be testing new tactics. It's too early to draw conclusions."
"Another ambiguous answer!" Aida exclaimed, exasperated. "One last question: what is your goal?"
This time, Aoki didn't say anything polite; without even thinking, he firmly declared, "Champion!"
"Huh?" Aida was stunned and didn't react.
Yo Aoki spoke again, "For this Autumn National Sports Festival, all I want is the championship! Any other results are meaningless!"
After the interview, Yo Aoki turned and walked out of the basketball court. Yayoi Aida stared at his retreating figure, muttering to herself, "That kid is really baffling."
Nakamura, standing beside him, asked, "What's wrong? Was there something wrong with his answer?" Aida replied, "He spoke so politely and carefully, it was like he had prepared a script in advance."
Nakamura chimed in, "And he doesn't seem like a sixteen-year-old kid at all; he's more like an experienced, shrewd professional player." Aida added, "But what he said at the end was certainly domineering and flamboyant!"
Nakamura thought for a moment, "That must be because he has a lot of confidence in the team, or in himself!"
Kainan University Affiliated High School is a nationally renowned basketball powerhouse. The excitement of the Summer National Tournament hasn't faded yet, and now the Autumn National Sports Festival is underway, making the campus bustling with activity.
"Did you hear? Athletes from other schools on the National Sports Festival sports team have come to our school!" a male student from Kainan shouted excitedly. "Wow! That's awesome!" a girl next to him suddenly asked, "Is Fujima here too?"
"Of course!" "Oh my god! That's great, I have to go check it out!" He immediately rushed towards the basketball court, clearly a Fujima fan. "Idiot! It's already noon, they're definitely in the cafeteria!"
"Let's go to the cafeteria then!" "I heard even Yo Aoki from Takezato is here!" another student chimed in. "Hmph! He's the one who ended our winning streak!"
"Let's go! Let's go take a look, and while we're at it, let's find a chance to teach him a lesson!" The group immediately ran towards the cafeteria.
The student cafeteria at Kainan High School was bustling with people and filled with noise. But everyone's eyes were fixed on a red-haired boy.
Sakuragi kept shoveling rice into his mouth, his cheeks bulging out. He finished one plate in the blink of an eye, then grabbed another and started eating. Kiyota next to him was also wolfing down his food.
"Wow, that redhead can eat a lot!" "Yeah, this is the third plate already." " Kiyota too!" "They look like they're having a competition!"
Actually, Sakuragi and Kiyota were just competing. These two guys had been arguing ever since the morning's scrimmage ended, calling each other idiots and thinking they were geniuses. They had originally agreed to a one-on-one duel, but it was lunchtime, so the match had to be postponed.
But once inside the cafeteria, Sakuragi suddenly had a whimsical idea: to have a contest with Kiyota to see who could eat more. The two energetic guys hit it off immediately and started this pointless competition.
Just then, the two boys who had been looking for trouble with Aoki slipped into the crowd, crossed their arms, stared at Sakuragi and his friends, and sneered, "So you're just a bunch of country bumpkins."
"Yeah! The basketball team is actually having a tough time with these guys. Looks like Maki's really getting old!" "You guys move aside." A male voice came from behind them.
The two turned around and exclaimed, " Yo Aoki?!" "What? You know me?" Yo Aoki looked down at them, his tone indifferent.
The two men trembled under Yo Aoki's overwhelming aura. "Such a strong sense of oppression!" "I... I don't know him!" "Then please move aside." "Okay..."
Ignoring the two students, Yo Aoki sat down opposite Sakuragi with his tray, looked at them with a smile, and asked, "What are you two doing?"
Sakuragi, his mouth full of rice, mumbled, "Of course we're having a competition!" "A competition to see who's the biggest eater?" "You idiot!" Kiyota yelled at Yo Aoki, "It's a competition to see who can eat the most!"
"Isn't this still a competition to see who can eat the most?" "How much you can eat is also a reflection of your strength!" Sakuragi said, spitting out the food in his mouth, which startled Yo Aoki quickly dodged.
Sighing helplessly, Kaede Rukawa sighed, "What an idiot!"
Kainan High School assigned Yo Aoki, Kaede Rukawa, and Sakuragi to Class 4 of the first year, where Kiyota was. Because they were all tall, they were all placed in the last few rows.
After a morning of training and a heavy lunch, Yo Aoki was a little drowsy during the afternoon class, but he still forced himself to concentrate and listen attentively.
The other three weren't as self-disciplined as he was; Kaede Rukawa and Kiyota were already fast asleep, and Sakuragi was snoring away.
The teacher, who was writing math problems on the blackboard, heard Sakuragi snoring. This teacher from Kainan was good-natured and smiled at Yo Aoki, saying, " Aoki -kun, could you please wake up the three people next to you? Thank you."
Yo Aoki responded with a "okay," and then nudged Kiyota on his left. Kiyota looked at him sleepily, his face blank.
"You're sleeping so soundly!" Yo Aoki pointed to the podium, Kiyota finally realized what was happening and hurriedly got up to apologize to the teacher.
Waking up Kaede Rukawa and Sakuragi was a real struggle. No matter how much he nudged Sakuragi, he wouldn't wake up, and Kaede Rukawa would wake up only to fall back asleep. Yo Aoki awkwardly shrugged at the teacher, indicating that he couldn't do anything about it either.
This action caused the whole class to burst into laughter. The teacher just smiled and said, " Aoki, could you close the back window? Don't let them catch a cold!"
Then he said to Kiyota, " Kiyota, go wash your face and come back to class."
Yo Aoki thought to himself, "This teacher is really great. Since transmigrating, I've seen many teachers who are fierce to their students and always put on airs and act like they're in charge. This is the first time I've encountered one with such a good temper."
Kiyota's respectful demeanor, this teacher must hold a high position among the students.
The school bell rang, signaling the end of class. Yo Aoki stretched and yawned, thinking to himself that there was still one last class to endure.
Turning his head, he saw Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa still fast asleep and secretly admired them; their sleep quality was just too good.
At this moment, Kiyota put his feet up on the edge of the table, propped his head up with his hands, and muttered about his skills other than basketball, which he didn't really have.
Yo Aoki leaned over and poked Kiyota's arm, asking, " Kiyota, your grades are pretty good, aren't they?"
Kiyota immediately straightened his back. "Of course! We're a top seed among the top 100 in the school!"
Yo Aoki looked at him with a newfound respect, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be so talented in academics; you pick it up much faster than you do in basketball."
Kiyota exploded upon hearing this, slamming his fist on the table and roaring, "Damn it! Are you saying I'm bad at basketball? Let's have a one-on-one match right now!"