Slam Dunk Chronicles: The Tyrant's Era

"No! Help!!"

Hearing a woman's cry for help from the nearby parking lot, Wu Yufei didn't hesitate for even a second; he charged straight toward the source.

Rushing into the parking lot, Wu Yufei collided head-on with a thief clutching a small purse, who was trying to flee the scene.

But who was Wu Yufei? A towering hulk of a man, nearly 190 cm tall. The scrawny little thief, not even 170 cm and underfed, bounced off him like a rubber ball.

"Uwah!!"

With a miserable cry, the thief was knocked clean off his feet and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Robbing someone right in front of me? You've got some nerve!" Wu Yufei sneered, looking down at the thief.

"Tch! Where the hell did this punk come from? Beat it, kid, before you get hurt!"

The thief recovered, noticing Wu Yufei was still wearing his high school uniform, and suddenly grew bold again.

"Oh? And what if I don't?"

Wu Yufei raised an eyebrow and stepped closer.

"Then you're asking for it!"

Snarling, the thief lost his temper and, not thinking straight, threw a punch at Wu Yufei.

"You're the one asking for it!"

Without even bothering to dodge, Wu Yufei kicked the guy back into Mother Earth's embrace.

"Ugh!"

The thief cried out again, collapsing into a heap.

"You brought this on yourself."

But it wasn't over yet. The thief suddenly pulled a fruit knife from his waistband and lunged at Wu Yufei with murderous intent.

"Hmph."

Against someone like Wu Yufei, not even a fruit knife was a threat; he wouldn't be scared even if it were a machete.

In a flash, Wu Yufei kicked the knife from the thief's hand, followed up with a flurry of kicks, and sent the man flying once more. The thief hit the ground hard and couldn't even groan properly this time.

"Are you alright?"

Picking up the dropped purse at his feet, Wu Yufei approached the frightened girl on the ground and tried to calm her.

"Mm… thank you…"

The girl wiped away her tears and took her purse back from Wu Yufei.

"Junko?! Are you okay?!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out behind Wu Yufei.

That voice could it be…?

He turned around and saw someone very familiar.

Naito Tetsuya!!

"Naito Tetsuya?!"

"Wu Yufei?!" 

They pointed at each other in shock.

Soon after, the thief, Wu Yufei, Junko, and Tetsuya were all taken to the police station by bicycle patrol officers. Wu Yufei and Junko gave simple statements and were quickly released.

Later, at a coffee shop, Wu Yufei, Naito Tetsuya, and Naito Junko sat chatting over drinks.

That's right—the girl was Naito Tetsuya's biological sister.

When Wu Yufei found out, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

At first, he seriously wondered if Tetsuya's dad had two wives or something. But no, Tetsuya and Junko were indeed siblings by blood, same father and the same mother.

Wow… DNA is wild sometimes.

No matter how he tried, Wu Yufei just couldn't picture the two of them as siblings.

After all:

Tetsuya: Built like a tank, nearly two meters tall, muscles like boulders, veins popping, and bronzed skin from constant outdoor workouts.

Junko: Fair-skinned, petite, delicate, with fine features and adorable dimples when she smiled.

How could these two possibly be siblings?!

Seriously, what kind of sorcery was Tetsuya's dad working with?

Still, facts were facts.

Naito Junko had been out shopping with her brother. Naito Tetsuya had gone to grab some things from a storage locker, and Naito Junko had stepped out first, only to walk straight into a robbery.

Honestly, that thief must've been desperate. What valuable stuff could a high school girl possibly carry in her purse?

"Wu Yufei, thank you so much again."

Naito Junko's face no longer showed any trace of fear from earlier. Instead, she wore a bright, sweet smile.

And why not? With two human walls sitting next to her, what was there to be afraid of?

Wu Yufei smiled and raised his cup, clinking it lightly with Naito Junko's.

As they chatted, Wu Yufei got to know more about Naito Junko.

It turned out she had caught the flu shortly after the school year began and had to stay home for two full weeks. She had only fully recovered yesterday.

So, to cheer her up before returning to school, her big brother had taken her out shopping.

"Ehh… So, between Tetsuya and Wu Yufei… who's the better player?"

Hmm?!

Both guys instantly widened their eyes at the question.

"Of course, it's me!!" (×2)

They shouted in unison.

A few seconds of silence passed, and then Wu Yufei narrowed his eyes and smirked:

"Naito Tetsuya, lying is a bad habit, especially in front of your little sister."

"Hmph. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Naito Tetsuya wasn't backing down. He had no intention of admitting he was second-best, especially in front of her sister Junko.

"Junko, that question is unnecessary. Just from looking at the obvious differences between me and him, you should know who's stronger."

Naito Tetsuya resorted to body comparison. And to be fair, he was taller, broader, and had more brute force.

"Mm… you're not wrong, Tetsuya-nii, but I still feel like Wu Yufei-kun is stronger."

Junko pouted, clearly not buying her brother's claim.

What an accurate judgment!

Wu Yufei gave her a nod of approval.

"Since you're going back to school tomorrow, Junko, how about you stop by the basketball gym after class? Once you see us on the court, the answer will be obvious."

"Really!?"

Junko asked excitedly. "I can go visit the gym?"

"Of course! As long as you don't interfere with training, the coach won't mind if you watch from the stands or the sidelines. Honestly, with a girl watching, the guys might play harder."

"You jerk! Don't treat my sister like some cheerleader!"

Tetsuya grumbled, but Junko was clearly thrilled and nodded eagerly.

"Then it's settled! I'll come watch you two play after school tomorrow!"

"Looking forward to it."

The three of them sat chatting in the café for a whole hour.

"Ah!! Junko! I just remembered I need to talk to Tetsuya about something super important. Could you wait for us by the door?"

Before Junko could answer, Wu Yufei threw an arm around Tetsuya's shoulder and dragged him back inside the café, heading straight for the restroom.

"Hey hey hey! What are you doing?! You're just going to leave Junko outside like that? What if some weirdo targets her again?!"

Naito Tetsuya shook off Wu Yufei's arm and turned to leave, but Wu Yufei quickly stepped in front of him.

"Relax, this is a well-lit café. No one's dumb enough to pull anything right at the front door. What's more important right now is that I have a very serious question for you."

Seeing the determined look in Wu Yufei's eyes, Naito Tetsuya finally stopped.

"…Alright, what is it?"

"Well… um… does Junko… have a boyfriend?" 😳