Aomine Daiki Template in Slam Dunk

Ryonan High School · Gymnasium.

The gym was dead silent.

Everyone stared blankly at Aoi Kunisaku.

Their minds still replayed that shot he just made.

"This guy…" Sendoh muttered with a wry smile after the initial shock.

"No way… Did I just imagine that?" Aida Hikoichi rubbed his eyes, finding it hard to believe.

Taoka Moichi also stared at Aoi Kunisaku, mouth slightly open, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.

Second floor of the gym.

Akagi Haruko gripped the railing excitedly and shouted, "Ah… Aoi Kunisaku… That was amazing! I can't believe he actually made that shot. That was incredible!"

Everyone on Shohoku's bench had their mouths wide open, eyes full of disbelief.

Kogure Kiminobu smiled and couldn't help but say, "That guy… was totally reckless."

Ayako said, "He didn't just get lucky, right?"

Shimizu Kanon smiled proudly. "Nope! Saku-chan can totally do that."

The practice match ended there.

Shohoku had pulled off a completely one-sided win.

Nobody saw that coming.

Well—except Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon.

Outside the Ryonan gym.

The two coaches stood with their teams and said their goodbyes.

Taoka Moichi shook hands with Coach Anzai and said, "Coach Anzai, thanks again for today. And congratulations on getting such a talented player."

He was referring to Aoi Kunisaku.

He could already imagine the storm this guy would stir up in Kanagawa this year.

Hoh hoh hoh hoh…

Coach Anzai smiled. "No no, it's all thanks to the kids working hard."

…

On the other side.

Akagi Takenori felt extremely satisfied. After all, they'd beaten last year's fourth-place team in the prefectural tournament.

He shook hands with Uozumi and said, "Next time we meet, it'll be in the prefectural tournament."

Uozumi looked at him and replied, "Next time, I'll win it back."

Sendoh reached out to shake hands with Aoi Kunisaku. "You really are strong. But next time, I'll beat you."

Aoi Kunisaku gave him a glance but didn't even try to shake hands.

Just then, Shimizu Kanon grabbed his hand and forced it into Sendoh's.

"Hey! Kanon…" Aoi Kunisaku groaned.

Hehe…

Shimizu Kanon giggled and flashed a sweet smile.

Tch…

Seeing that, Aoi Kunisaku clicked his tongue and said to Sendoh, "Hope you give me more of a challenge next time."

"Geez, Saku-chan, not again…" Shimizu Kanon sighed, holding her forehead.

She apologized to Sendoh. "Sorry about that. He's just like this. He didn't mean anything else by it."

Sendoh paused, then smiled casually. "See you at the prefectural tournament!"

…

As they watched Shohoku walk away,

The Ryonan players all had different expressions.

Taoka Moichi turned and said, "I don't have to tell you what comes next, do I? Starting tomorrow—it's hell training. Everyone's workload doubles."

"Ugh…"

Ryonan's team let out a chorus of hopeless wails.

…

The next day.

News of Ryonan's loss to Shohoku spread like a Category 12 typhoon through Kanagawa's high school basketball scene.

Shoyo High School · Basketball Club.

A tall, handsome boy with clear features, fair skin, and silky chestnut hair sat quietly on the bench. His whole presence gave off a graceful vibe. His deep eyes showed both confident determination and a hint of warm gentleness.

He wore a green jersey with white trim, number 4, and calmly read today's basketball paper in his hands.

This was none other than Shoyo's team captain and coach—Fujima Kenji.

He stared at the article in silence for a long time.

"Fujima, so this is where you were!"

Just then, another boy in a Shoyo uniform walked in from outside.

His jersey number was 5.

That alone made it clear—he was second only to Fujima Kenji on the team.

His name was Hanagata Toru.

Anyone familiar with Shoyo knew that Hanagata Toru's status in the basketball club was just below Fujima Kenji.

He was close to 2 meters tall, slender and upright, wearing black-rimmed glasses that gave him a refined, intelligent look. Behind the lenses, his eyes gleamed with sharp insight.

As he walked closer, he noticed the paper in Fujima's hands. "So you were reading this, huh?"

"You've already heard too, right? Ryonan lost to Shohoku," Fujima said.

Hanagata nodded. "Yeah. I read the article already. But it's just kids fooling around. We don't need to take it seriously."

Fujima stayed quiet for a moment, then said, "This is our last shot. I won't allow a single mistake. Not even a tiny one."

Hanagata adjusted his glasses and nodded seriously. "Of course. There's only one team in our way—and it'll only ever be one. That's Kainan."

…

Kainan University Affiliated High School · Gymnasium.

"Ryonan actually lost to Shohoku? That's wild," said a flashy, unrestrained boy with spiky bangs under a headband, looking at the basketball paper in his hands.

He wore a white jersey with purple-and-gold stripes. His number was 10.

This was Kiyota Nobunaga, a first-year at Kainan this year.

He turned and shouted to the captain training on court, "Hey, Maki-senpai! Ryonan lost to Shohoku in a practice match—by over 30 points!"

On the court.

A strong-built guy with black hair and dark skin, solid features like a grown man, stood silently.

He wore Kainan's 4 jersey. His exposed arms and legs were ripped with clean, powerful muscles. Just standing there gave off an intense presence.

This was Maki Shinichi, captain of Kainan's basketball team.

Maki didn't flinch when he heard Kiyota's words. He calmly replied, "That's irrelevant. Our opponents aren't in Kanagawa."

With that, he went back to his training.

Kiyota shrugged and gave a smug grin. Then he tossed the paper aside. "That's our Maki-senpai. But I'm gonna let the world know I'm the real top rookie this year."

…

At other schools, similar scenes were playing out.

Some started watching Shohoku cautiously. Some didn't care at all.

But one person took a very serious interest—a sports reporter named Aida Yayoi.

She had a clean, delicate look, long black hair, big bright eyes, and usually wore two round earrings. Her age gave her a calm, mature charm.

She was also a first-year at Ryonan—and the older sister of Aida Hikoichi.

Plus, she was a diehard fan of Sendoh.

At first, she didn't believe Ryonan had lost so badly to Shohoku.

But when her brother confirmed it was true, she was stunned.

She knew exactly what kind of team Shohoku was. As a sports journalist, there was no way she didn't know.

A team that always got knocked out in the first round… had just crushed one of the top 4 teams in the prefecture.

Who would believe that?

Then she learned Ryonan lost because of just one player.

That hit her even harder.

What kind of person could push Ryonan this far—and even overpower Sendoh?

Her instincts flared.

Something about this wasn't normal.

She made up her mind.

She had to go to Shohoku.

She had to interview the player who took down Ryonan all by himself.