Aomine Daiki Template in Slam Dunk

Shohoku's bench.

"So awesome, that's our captain!"

"We haven't lost yet. There's still a chance."

"Ryonan's not that scary."

The first-years all wore excited looks. The frustration and gloom from before had vanished completely.

…

"Yesss! Gorilla dunk!"

Up in the second-floor stands of the gym.

Sakuragi's gang had shown up at some point and were cheering loudly.

Next to them, Akagi Haruko and her two friends were screaming just as excitedly.

Akagi Haruko shouted, "See? It's just getting started! I've got a feeling—we're gonna win!"

Fujii chimed in, "Yeah! Maybe the momentum will shift now."

Matsui warned, "But we're still down by 17."

Akagi Haruko nodded seriously. "It's fine. We'll be okay."

Her eyes wandered to Rukawa Kaede, then she seemed to realize something and began scanning Shohoku's bench.

She wondered to herself, "Weird… where's Aoi Kunisaku? And Kanon's not here either."

…

While everyone was cheering for Akagi Takenori's dunk, Ryonan's coach, Taoka Moichi, spoke.

"Because of Akagi's dunk, the backcourt has been revitalized. Shohoku is still centered around Akagi. But it was the first-year Rukawa Kaede who broke the deadlock and set up that dunk."

He narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, "If people still think this team is only about Akagi, they're in for a rude awakening."

…

Back on the court, the match continued.

Thanks to Akagi Takenori's dunk, the whole Shohoku team's morale surged.

Everyone looked like a totally different person from earlier.

In the following plays, Shohoku kept scoring. There was even a sense that they were starting to push Ryonan back.

The score gap began to shrink.

4 to 19.

10 to 24.

22 to 38.

…

As the first half neared its end, the score settled at 35 to 45.

Shohoku 35, Ryonan 45.

At that moment, just outside Ryonan High's front gate—

Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon had finally arrived.

Shimizu Kanon grabbed Aoi Kunisaku's arm and started running toward the gym.

As they ran, she urged him, "Saku-chan, hurry! The first half is almost over!"

Aoi Kunisaku jogged along beside her and only stopped when they reached the basketball gym.

Huff… puff… huff… puff…

Shimizu Kanon was out of breath, her body finally relaxing.

From inside the gym, loud cheering poured out.

Shimizu Kanon said, "The match sounds intense. Saku-chan, let's go in!"

Aoi Kunisaku didn't say anything and followed her inside.

As soon as they stepped in, they saw everyone giving it their all on the court.

They also saw the crowd standing around the gym, shouting support.

"So lively…" Shimizu Kanon murmured in surprise.

Though she had played basketball with Aoi Kunisaku since they were kids, it was always at outdoor courts with small crowds. Even if people cheered, it was never like this.

The atmosphere inside the gym was totally different. Louder, more echoing, more powerful. It hit straight in the heart.

That kind of energy couldn't be felt on a street court.

"Coach Anzai, we're really sorry we're late," Shimizu Kanon bowed and apologized as she pulled Aoi Kunisaku over.

Aoi Kunisaku still looked totally lazy, as if he had no sense of being late.

"You two finally showed up," Ayako said with a sigh.

Shimizu Kanon bowed again. "Sorry, Ayako-senpai!"

Ayako waved her hand. "Forget it. At least you're here. Good thing the score hasn't gotten too out of hand."

Hearing that, Shimizu Kanon looked over at the scoreboard.

"35 to 45… We're still behind by 10," she said in surprise.

Ayako explained, "Before you got here, we were down by 19! We've only caught up thanks to Captain Akagi and Rukawa Kaede."

Aoi Kunisaku didn't react at all, like Shohoku's score had nothing to do with him.

Coach Anzai looked at him and said, "Since you're here, get in the game."

The others didn't object, but Sakuragi Hanamichi wasn't happy.

He shot up from the bench and shouted, walking straight up to Coach Anzai, "What the heck, old man?! Why does that guy get to play just because he showed up? I got here first! Why can't I go in?!"

As he spoke, he kept patting Coach Anzai's pudgy chin and round belly with both hands.

Smack…

Ayako whacked Sakuragi Hanamichi on the head with her folding fan and said angrily, "Pipe down already."

"But I wanna play too!" Sakuragi Hanamichi said, looking pitiful.

…

The noise naturally drew attention from those playing on the court.

Akagi Takenori saw Aoi Kunisaku on the bench and snorted, "Hmph, that guy…"

Rukawa Kaede silently looked at Aoi Kunisaku without a word.

As for the other Shohoku players, a look of relief appeared on their faces almost instinctively.

The Ryonan players, on the other hand, looked completely confused.

He's just showing up now? The first half's nearly over.

Are they serious?

Everyone on Ryonan's bench and on the court turned to look at Aoi Kunisaku on Shohoku's bench.

Why? Because even from afar, they could feel the vague, unexplainable pressure coming off him.

Ryonan's coach, Taoka Moichi, widened his eyes and muttered in confusion, "Who is that?"

He was one of the top scouts among basketball coaches, with a sharp eye for talent.

Some players you had to watch in a match to evaluate.

But some—you could tell at a glance.

Aoi Kunisaku was clearly the latter.

He had never seen a player give off such an overwhelming aura before.

Among the Ryonan bench sat a boy constantly scribbling in a notebook.

That boy had brushed shoulders with Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon at the Shohoku gate a week ago.

His name was Aida Hikoichi.

His jaw dropped, eyes wide and vacant as he stared at Aoi Kunisaku. He shouted, "Whoa! Wh-Who the heck is that?! He's as tall as Sendoh-senpai! I can't believe Shohoku has another ace besides that secret weapon Sakuragi Hanamichi. This is crazy!"

The rest of Ryonan started to feel uneasy too.

On the court.

Uozumi, Sendoh, and the others all had more serious expressions now.

They could feel it too—the strange pressure Aoi Kunisaku exuded.

It felt like the kind of tension your body reacts to instinctively when danger approaches.

Tweet…

Shohoku called a substitution.

Aoi Kunisaku put on the leftover Shohoku uniform, number 9.

He didn't seem to care what number he got.

Soon, with everyone watching, Aoi Kunisaku stepped onto the sideline.

He was subbing in for Kogure Kiminobu at Small Forward.

Kogure tried to give him a high five, but Aoi Kunisaku ignored it.

Kogure looked a little awkward, but didn't get mad.

He simply patted Aoi Kunisaku's shoulder and said, "It's up to you now, Aoi Kunisaku."

"Tch…"

Aoi Kunisaku clicked his tongue and walked slowly onto the court.

All eyes were on him as he entered, his lips curled up just slightly. Still, his lazy, half-awake look hadn't changed.

As soon as he stepped onto the court, he said, "I thought you guys were getting wrecked. Only down by 10? Not bad."

Akagi Takenori's face instantly darkened, veins popping on his forehead. He clenched his jaw and said, "You punk. You've got no right to say that when you're always late."

The rest of Shohoku looked irritated too, but none of them dared talk back.

Only Rukawa Kaede stayed silent, not bothered at all by Aoi Kunisaku's comment.

"What a strange guy," Sendoh muttered, now curious about him.

"What a cocky brat," Uozumi said.

Koshino Hiroaki sneered, "He's got no name for himself. Just tall, that's all."

Tweet…

The whistle blew again.

Shohoku ball.

Akagi Takenori inbounded it.

Yasuda Yasuharu brought the ball up.

Sendoh stepped right in front of Aoi Kunisaku.

"This guy…" Sendoh stared at him, shocked by the intense pressure coming from Aoi Kunisaku's body.

The ball was quickly passed to Aoi Kunisaku.

He held it with both hands and locked eyes with Sendoh.

The whole gym went dead silent, like everyone was holding their breath.

On the second floor—

"Aoi Kunisaku vs. Sendoh… wonder how this'll go?" Akagi Haruko said nervously, also full of excitement.

She thought back to that day Aoi Kunisaku destroyed Rukawa Kaede and felt her blood boil again.

Not just her—the other Shohoku players were holding their breath, waiting to see what would happen.

Even Ryonan had all eyes locked on this showdown.