He suddenly looked up and stared at Tetsuo Hotta.
"Where is it? I'm going to help Tetsuo!"
Just as Mitsui had expected, Tetsuo Hotta gave a wry smile.
" Mitsui, don't worry. I'm telling you this because I feel I can't keep it from you. Tetsuo has helped you so much in the past."
He paused, his tone softening slightly.
"I was helpless at first, but things are different now. Yohei said they're willing to help us with this."
"You know their capabilities; with them on the case, there won't be any problems!"
Mitsui was indeed somewhat surprised after hearing this; he hadn't expected Yohei to be willing to get involved in this matter.
Although everyone is getting along well now because of Sakuragi and Shirasawa, this is no ordinary skirmish. Mitsui knows what kind of people Ryu and his gang are, and this time the other side definitely has the upper hand. Mitsui is Yohei grateful that Mitsui stood up for him at this time.
However, as grateful as they were, Yohei and his group only had four people in total. Was that enough?
As he was thinking, a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.
"What a coincidence, I also happen to have something I'd like to discuss with Tetsuo."
Mitsui turned his head and saw that Shirasawa had appeared behind him at some point.
It turned out that while Tetsuo Hotta was talking to Mitsui, Yohei Mito had also explained the whole story to Shirasawa. Since Mitsui already knew, there was no need to hide it from Shirasawa and Sakuragi. Yohei was willing to help partly because Mitsui was currently focused on playing basketball, and he wanted to take on the troublesome matter so that Mitsui could train in peace.
But Shirasawa shook his head after hearing this. He felt that Yohei and his group might not be able to handle the situation this time. The other party was clearly well-prepared, and they might suffer losses. However, the mention of Tetsuo gave Shirasawa an idea. So he simply decided to go there himself.
With Shirasawa joining the fold, Tetsuo Hotta almost burst out laughing. Since Shirasawa was going, there was no reason for Mitsui not to go either.
To their surprise, Ryota Miyagi also wandered over at this time.
"My ears are sharp; I heard everything." Miyagi crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "What, you underestimate my strength?"
He turned to Mitsui, his tone becoming more serious.
" Mitsui, I'll stand by you in this. We used to be rivals, now we're teammates. If the school investigates, we'll all get punished together. It's pointless to leave me out alone."
Mitsui looked at Shirasawa, then at Miyagi, his eyes welling up with tears. Ultimately, this matter had nothing to do with either of them; the only connection was with Hisashi Mitsui himself. His teammates had gone to such lengths; what more could he say?
So, the group quietly slipped away from the group. As for Hanamichi Sakuragi... now that things had come to this, they definitely had to take him along. Shirasawa's plan was to finish this quickly and without leaving a trace. With the current lineup, it was more than enough.
However, Sakuragi is currently being watched by Akagi.
Ten minutes later, the school bus stopped at the entrance of the gymnasium, and the team members boarded the bus one after another.
"Huh? Where are Xiao Bai and Miyagi? And what about Mitchy?" Hanamichi Sakuragi looked around, puzzled.
Takenori Akagi frowned. Without a doubt, those guys had slipped away again. He had nowhere to vent his anger, so he raised his hand and punched Sakuragi on the head.
"You sit still! Ignore those bastards!"
Sakuragi covered his head in grievance and glanced out the car window, only to catch a glimpse of Yohei's figure in the distance. Yohei subtly gestured to him before hiding.
Sakuragi's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood—this meant he was being invited out to "play"!
He immediately clutched his stomach, his face contorted in pain.
" Gorilla... my stomach hurts... I can't hold it anymore, I need to go to the toilet..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he actually let out a long, loud fart.
Takenori Akagi covered his nose in disgust.
"Roll!"
After Sakuragi jumped off the bus, Akagi shook his head helplessly. They were all problem children, one after another; he just couldn't manage them.
That afternoon.
The four key players of the Shohoku Basketball Team have gathered together, but not on the court.
After figuring out what had happened, Sakuragi excitedly clenched his fist.
" Mitchy, what's there to worry about with something so trivial?" He grinned. "Anyway, it's not at school, nobody will know. As for that Ryu or Ah Gou, we'll just beat him up and then avoid Shohoku's school gates!"
Hisashi Mitsui took a deep breath and solemnly bowed to everyone.
"Thank you. This whole thing started because of me, and I can't just leave Tetsuo alone... Really, thank you for your help."
Yohei Mito smiled helplessly to himself. He hadn't wanted to bother anyone, but now they were all here. But he knew it wasn't a lack of trust, but rather a bond of brotherhood.
"Alright," Yohei waved his hand, "Like Sakuragi said, it's really no big deal for our lineup."
He paused, finding it somewhat amusing.
"It's funny, last time Tetsuo was the guy we were going to beat up, but this time he's our partner in the fight. But he's... definitely worth it."
Mitsui nodded seriously, recalling Tetsuo's words, "Goodbye, sports boy," and felt a mix of emotions. Tetsuo had drawn a clear line in his own way, pushing Mitsui back on track. Even though he himself was now in deep trouble, he would never disturb Mitsui's life. Even without the Ryu incident, Tetsuo would never have sought "revenge."
Because Mitsui is at Shohoku, playing basketball there.
Four o'clock in the afternoon.
Several motorcycles were parked haphazardly outside an abandoned warehouse in Kanagawa.
Inside the warehouse, Tetsuo sat casually on a tattered sofa, showing no sign of fear.
There were nearly twenty people standing in front of him.
The two leading them were Ryu and Kito.
Ryu took two steps forward, grinning. "You really know how to hide, huh? I looked everywhere, and here you were, holed up in the ground." He glanced around the dilapidated warehouse. "Fine, I'll leave your legs here today, so you can get your money's worth."
After he finished speaking, he patted the shoulder of the Kito next to him triumphantly.
"You got away last time, and Kito's been holding a grudge ever since." Ryu tilted his head to look at Tetsuo. "Before you break his legs, kneel down and kowtow to him to apologize?"
This remark drew a burst of laughter from behind.
Tetsuo ignored him, calmly took out his cigarette case, put one in his mouth, and lit it. His composed demeanor made the group of people opposite him seem rather noisy.
He squinted and casually pointed forward with his little finger, as if counting heads.
Then, without warning, he suddenly kicked over the broken table in front of him!
The moment the table flew towards the crowd, Tetsuo was also launched into the air like a cannonball, crashing straight into it!
There was no escaping it, and Tetsuo had never even considered running away. These past few days, he'd secretly tried to contact some old acquaintances, but circumstances were against him; Ryu and Kito had long since seized control of the territory and manpower. He hadn't managed to find anyone; instead, he'd exposed himself. The world had changed; for him, running away or not was of little consequence.
Let's fight then, let's have a good fight first.
Bang! Bang!...
One against twenty, the outcome was never in doubt from the start. No matter how good Tetsuo was at fighting, he couldn't withstand the sheer number of opponents. Moreover, Gui Kito was extremely ruthless; seizing an opening, he swung an iron rod squarely down on Tetsuo's head.
Blood immediately started flowing down, smearing half of his face.
Then came a flurry of punches and kicks. Tetsuo gritted his teeth and held on, his back almost buckling, but he stubbornly refused to fall.
Ryu twisted his neck, walked up to him, and looked down at him.
"Keep fighting," Ryu sneered. "The tougher you are, the more interesting it will be for us to fight."
He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and deliberately drawled, "Oh, right, and your dear younger brother, Hisashi Mitsui... Don't worry, we'll definitely take good 'care' of him for you."
These words pierced Tetsuo's ears like needles. He jerked his head up, his eyes practically spitting fire, and with a low growl, he lunged forward!
But he was already at his last gasp, and after only a couple of steps, he was knocked to the ground in a few blows.
Ryu picked up the iron rod from the ground, weighed it in his hand, and grinned maliciously as he aimed it at Tetsuo's knee.
"What a brotherly bond!" he laughed. "Doesn't he love playing basketball? After I cripple your leg, I'll cripple his hands! So you two can keep each other company!"
As he spoke, he raised his arm behind him, and the iron rod, whistling through the air, was about to smash down!
At this very moment--
Bang!!!
The warehouse's rusty door, frame and all, was slammed down from the outside by a tremendous force, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar.
Dust flew everywhere.
Ryu's movements froze in mid-air, and he turned around in astonishment.
As the dust settled, a row of figures stood in the light and shadow at the doorway. The face at the head of the group, the one that had haunted his nightmares for half a month, was one he could never forget.
" Tetsuo! How are you?" Hisashi Mitsui's anxious shout came first.
Upon hearing this voice, Tetsuo, who was lying on the ground, instantly frowned. The last person he wanted to see here, and the last person he shouldn't have seen, was Mitsui!
But when he looked over with blurred vision and saw the faces standing next to Mitsui, he was completely stunned.
"How could they... also..."
Shirasawa stepped out from the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the group of people slumped over in the warehouse, finally settling on Ryu's face, a faint, emotionless smile playing on his lips.
One punch more.
Before the words were even finished, Shirasawa's men had already moved.
The two groups clashed instantly, the dull thuds of fists hitting flesh, groans of pain, and shouts of cursing filling the warehouse.
Even Tetsuo struggled to his feet. He wiped the blood off his face haphazardly, pulled the hair covering his eyes back, and his eyes flashed with a terrifying light.
The brother he had always protected came to protect him. And there was also the rival he truly respected...
Ha! Screw thanks, let's settle this with our fists!
Tetsuo let out a beast-like growl and charged back into the fray!
The numerical disparity was quickly erased by strength. Although Ryu had nearly twenty people, Shirasawa's side, including Tetsuo, had ten, and each of them was a formidable fighter, not to mention the two unreasonable individuals Shirasawa and Hanamichi Sakuragi.
It was an almost one-sided crushing victory.
Shirasawa strolled leisurely up to Ryu. Before Ryu could react, a heavy punch slammed into his stomach. Ryu's eyes bulged, and he curled up and collapsed to the ground like a shrimp.
On the other side, Tetsuo went straight for Kito. Kito was ruthless, but he didn't expect Tetsuo to be even more ruthless when he was fighting for his life! Before, he relied on his numbers, but now, in a one-on-one fight, Tetsuo almost beat him senseless.
In less than five minutes, the matter was settled.
The warehouse floor was littered with people lying haphazardly, only their painful groans remaining.
On Shirasawa's side, apart from Tetsuo Hotta and Nozomi Takamiya having some bruises on their faces, the others were almost unharmed.
A clean and decisive victory.
Tetsuo, panting heavily, walked up to Mitsui, forced a slightly helpless smile. A thousand emotions welled up in his eyes, but only condensed into a single, light sentence:
"We meet again, athletic boy."
He spoke casually, but something shone intensely in his eyes as he looked at Mitsui.
He then turned to Shirasawa, grinning with his bloodied mouth. "Your condition is alright today, want to have another one-on-one match?"
It's impossible to get Tetsuo to say those cheesy things; a joke actually expressed everything that needed to be said.
Everyone present understood, and a burst of laughter immediately followed.
Ryota Miyagi egged on from the sidelines, "Go ahead and hit her! My girlfriend's at the county hospital, there's no shortage of beds!"
After the laughter and merriment, it was time to get down to business.
With clear division of labor, the group began a "friendly" conversation to silence the miserable Ryu and his gang lying on the ground.
That Kito, who was notorious even in prison for causing trouble, was now nodding vigorously like an honest student.
"I promise I won't tell! Anyone who utters a word will be the first to be dealt with!"
The fit is impeccable; there's nothing more to say about it.
As for the culprit, Ryu, he's still lying there unconscious.
When he opens his eyes again, he'll probably feel like he just had a bizarre nightmare.
Finally, Shirasawa found Tetsuo, leaned close, and whispered a few words to him.
He patted Tetsuo on the shoulder, then turned and walked away with his brothers.
Tetsuo stood there, his brows furrowed, seemingly pondering Shirasawa's words.