Chapter 8: Chapter 5: Coach Anzai's Attention
In Class 1-6.
"Saku-chan, hurry up! Being late on the first day will leave a bad impression," Shimizu Kanon said, pulling on Aoi Kunisaku's arm.
Aah…
Aoi Kunisaku yawned lazily. "Yeah, yeah, I know!"
Shimizu Kanon frowned at him. "Seriously, because of you, I'm late too."
Aoi Kunisaku shrugged. "What's the big deal?"
"Don't even say that" Shimizu Kanon grumbled, punching Aoi Kunisaku lightly, then pulling him toward the gym.
…
Soon, the two of them arrived at the gym.
As they entered, they saw the new and old members already playing a game.
"It looks like it's already started," Shimizu Kanon sighed, noticing the scene in the gym.
Aoi Kunisaku glanced at the players on the court.
At that moment, Rukawa Kaede was charging forward with the ball.
Rukawa dribbled fast, dodging left and right, using fakes to get past players. His movements were smooth and beautiful to watch.
Aoi Kunisaku looked around at the others briefly, then pulled his gaze away.
Honestly, he was speechless at how weak Shohoku's team seemed right now.
Weak. Just too weak.
Only Akagi Takenori and Rukawa Kaede could catch his attention, but even that was just for a quick look.
The others… were just…
Shimizu Kanon tugged Aoi Kunisaku toward Ayako, who was coaching Sakuragi Hanamichi by the side. "Sorry we're late, I'm Shimizu Kanon, and I applied to join the basketball team."
She then pulled Aoi Kunisaku in front of her. "And this is him, Aoi Kunisaku, another new applicant."
Ayako blinked, confused by the sudden appearance of the two.
She glanced at Shimizu Kanon, then at Aoi Kunisaku, who was standing there yawning, almost ready to fall asleep.
Before she could speak, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was practicing dribbling nearby, pointed at Aoi Kunisaku. "Ah… it's you! What the hell are you doing here?"
Aoi Kunisaku glanced at him, then calmly replied, "You're here, so why can't I be?"
"Bastard! What did you just say?" Sakuragi's forehead was twitching with anger.
"Do you know each other?" Ayako asked, curious.
Aoi Kunisaku and Sakuragi spoke in unison.
Aoi Kunisaku: "We don't know each other."
Sakuragi: "Who would know that guy?"
Ayako blinked a few times, looking between Sakuragi, Shimizu Kanon, and Aoi Kunisaku.
Finally, she shrugged and said, "The match is still going on. You two can sit and wait for now."
Shimizu Kanon nodded and led Aoi Kunisaku to sit on a bench nearby.
Meanwhile, Coach Anzai hadn't said a word yet.
He had been observing since Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon entered.
His gaze was fixed on Aoi Kunisaku, deeply intrigued.
The subtle pressure emanating from Aoi Kunisaku was palpable, even from where he sat. It was surprising to Anzai.
It was the first time he had seen someone with such a wild aura, like a slumbering beast.
Soon, the match reached halftime.
It was then that everyone noticed two more people had appeared in the gym.
At a glance, everyone was immediately captivated by Shimizu Kanon's appearance.
Great body, great face, great atmosphere—she was just stunning.
Whether first-year newbies or second- and third-year students, everyone couldn't stop staring.
She was just too beautiful, too pretty, too gorgeous.
But there were two people whose attention was focused on Aoi Kunisaku.
Akagi Takenori, with his unshakable composure, was watching Aoi Kunisaku closely.
He sensed something extraordinary from Aoi Kunisaku.
Akagi instinctively felt that Aoi Kunisaku was no ordinary person.
Rukawa Kaede's response was even more direct.
Just like Sakuragi Hanamichi, Rukawa felt a huge threat coming from Aoi Kunisaku.
He had never felt anything like it before.
A true powerhouse.
That was the first impression Aoi Kunisaku left on him.
As soon as Akagi stepped off the court, Ayako approached and introduced them to Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon. "This is our basketball team captain, Akagi Takenori."
Hearing this, Shimizu Kanon immediately stood up, gave a small bow to Akagi, and apologized, "Captain Akagi, I'm really sorry for being late. Please forgive me. I'm Shimizu Kanon, and I applied to be the basketball team manager."
Akagi nodded in satisfaction at Shimizu Kanon's polite apology.
Not bad. She was a well-mannered girl.
Then, he turned to Aoi Kunisaku, who was sitting lazily, looking like he was about to fall asleep. Akagi's expression immediately darkened.
Noticing Akagi Takenori's gaze, Shimizu Kanon immediately pulled Aoi Kunisaku along and gave a forced smile. "This is the guy with me, his name is Aoi Kunisaku, and he wants to join the basketball team."
"You said you were going to look after a lazy idiot, so it's him, huh?" Kogure suddenly spoke up.
Huh?
Aoi Kunisaku stared at him, completely confused.
What lazy idiot?
Shimizu Kanon quickly cut in, "Ah! That doesn't matter! We're here about our applications. Please approve us, Captain Akagi."
Akagi Takenori looked at Shimizu Kanon and Aoi Kunisaku.
He didn't have a problem with Shimizu Kanon, but his feelings toward Aoi Kunisaku were another matter.
He furrowed his brow, clearly displeased by how lazy Aoi Kunisaku looked.
Could someone like this even play basketball?
Kogure, sensing Akagi's thoughts, immediately stepped forward. "Alright, alright. Since they're applying to join, of course, we welcome them."
He lowered his voice and said to Akagi, "They're here already, so we can't just turn them away, right? Let him try. Having another tall guy on the team isn't a bad thing."
Hmph!
Akagi snorted at his words, reluctantly replying, "Fine, for now. We're in the middle of a practice match, and this guy…" He glanced at Aoi Kunisaku.
The meaning behind his words was very clear.
Shimizu Kanon immediately understood Akagi's implication. She quickly said, "Aoi Kunisaku is really good at basketball! You can count on him!"
"Really?!" Akagi said, still doubting.
But since Shimizu Kanon said so, he didn't argue further.
No matter what, Aoi Kunisaku's height was impressive.
If he had some basic basketball skills, he could add strength to the team.
Right now, the team's average height was just…
Heh heh heh…
Coach Anzai, who had remained silent, finally spoke. "You're Aoi Kunisaku, right? How long have you been playing basketball?"
Aoi Kunisaku thought for a moment, then casually replied, "I've been playing for over ten years."
Huh?
Over ten years?
Everyone around looked at Aoi Kunisaku with a mix of disbelief, scrutiny, and doubt.
Sakuragi Hanamichi couldn't hold back and spoke up. "Over ten years? You're just making that up! I don't believe it! How old are you? You're my age, right? I'm 16 this year, so according to your story, you must have started playing when you were six!"
Aoi Kunisaku didn't feel like arguing with him and just said indifferently, "What's wrong with that? Whether you believe it or not doesn't concern me."
"What did you say, you bastard?" Sakuragi's face turned red with anger, veins popping on his forehead as he yelled at Aoi Kunisaku.
Shimizu Kanon quickly stepped in to ease the tension. "Saku-chan is telling the truth. He started playing basketball when he was very young, and he's been playing ever since."
Heh heh heh…
Coach Anzai smiled and said, "In that case, why don't you play in the second half?"
Aoi Kunisaku didn't mind at all. After a big yawn, he said, "Sure, I'll take it as a warm-up."
Seeing Aoi Kunisaku's lazy attitude, Akagi's forehead twitched with annoyance. "What a cocky guy. Just wait, I'll teach him a lesson later."
Kogure chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
When it was announced that Aoi Kunisaku would play, Sakuragi Hanamichi wasn't happy at all.
He immediately ran up to Coach Anzai, grabbing his round chin. "Old man, you're letting that lazy guy play, but how about letting me play too?"
Thud…
Akagi slammed his fist into Sakuragi's head, scolding, "Settle down and focus on practicing!"
"No! No! I want to play! Let me play!" Sakuragi yelled and threw a tantrum like a child.
Seeing his behavior, Kogure stepped forward and suggested, "How about letting Sakuragi play instead? The practice match is supposed to test the new players anyway."
Hearing that, Akagi hesitated.
He walked over to Coach Anzai and pointed at Sakuragi. "Coach Anzai, he's just started playing basketball, still working on the basics, and his behavior is a bit of a problem."
As Akagi spoke, Sakuragi sneakily crept up behind him, dribbling the ball between his legs and around his body at lightning speed.
Coach Anzai saw Sakuragi's moves and a glint flashed in his glasses. He nodded. "That's interesting. Let's see what he can do."
Hearing the coach's approval, Sakuragi Hanamichi couldn't contain his excitement. He laughed loudly, then ran up to a first-year and grabbed their jersey, throwing it over his head and wearing it.
The first-year looked frustrated but didn't dare complain, silently wiping away a tear.