"I think you're all itching for trouble! Time to teach you a lesson!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi stood up from his seat and grabbed Mito Yohei by the collar.
"Wait a minute, Hanamichi! You've got it all wrong! We're here to cheer you up—"
Mito quickly raised his hands in surrender, realizing what was about to happen.
"No use explaining!!"
Bang!
With one of Sakuragi's signature headbutts, Mito crumpled to the floor, a large bump swelling on his head.
"Oh no! Hanamichi's snapped again! Everyone scatter—!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The remaining three members of Sakuragi's Gang weren't quick enough. Each of them ended up with a steaming bump on their heads, groaning on the ground.
Phew...
After dealing with his four annoying friends, Sakuragi slumped back into his seat, sighing gloomily.
"Hey, cheer up, Hanamichi. We came to this yakiniku restaurant to celebrate—uh, no, to comfort you!" said Mito, rubbing his sore forehead and patting Sakuragi's shoulder.
"Yeah, this place isn't cheap, you know! Treating you used up all the money we made from our part-time jobs last month!"
"Come on, Hanamichi," another friend chimed in. "Let's enjoy some delicious food and then go play Shotgun again like old times!"
The gang had recovered and gathered around Sakuragi once more.
"You guys... sniff sniff..."
Sakuragi was genuinely touched. Seeing his friends spend their hard-earned money just to make him feel better warmed his heart.
"Another serving of beef tenderloin!" he shouted with renewed energy.
"Hey! Hanamichi! That's enough! Do you know how expensive this place is?!"
"Don't nag me!! I need delicious food to soothe my broken soul!!"
---
At the restaurant entrance, Oliver watched the scene with wide eyes. He hadn't expected to see Sakuragi's Gang here, raising chaos in their usual style.
Originally, Oliver had planned to use the summer break to look for Sakuragi Hanamichi, hoping to get acquainted with the absolute protagonist of Slam Dunk. But fate had brought him face-to-face with them already.
"Should I go over and say hi?"
He hesitated.
Even though they acted like goofballs in the anime, the memories he had from the original owner of this body told a different story—Sakuragi's Gang was infamous in Wako Junior High for being delinquents. And they weren't weak.
Jumping into things recklessly might be dangerous. It was probably best to wait and watch for now.
Anyway, once school started, he'd naturally get to know them through the Shohoku basketball team.
"Ugh, those guys are so noisy… Let's sit farther away," grumbled one of Oliver's teammates, eyeing Sakuragi's Gang with a grimace.
"Hey—Xiaotian! Come here, you can see the night view by the window!" the coach called from inside, having already found a table.
"Coming, Coach!" replied the tall center beside Oliver.
But Oliver suddenly froze.
Oda… Oda… why does that name sound so familiar?
"Oda… from the basketball team…"
!!!
Oliver's eyes widened.
"Oda from the basketball team?!"
It clicked all at once. The teammate standing beside him was Ryumasa Oda, Wako Junior High's basketball center.
Sakuragi's love rival!
In the first episode of Slam Dunk, Sakuragi is rejected by a girl named Ye Zi—because she has a crush on Oda!
Oda didn't appear much in the anime, so Oliver hadn't recognized him right away. But now it all made sense.
What's worse—Oda once hit his girlfriend due to stress. Even though he later apologized and cleared his name, readers still saw him as a scumbag.
And now? In this very timeline, Sakuragi had just been dumped by Ye Zi. He had to be in a fragile emotional state.
If Sakuragi spotted Oda now, things would explode!
Just as Oliver was panicking, Mito Yohei's eyes drifted over to their group.
"Hmm? A bunch of guys wearing our school uniform just walked in."
He narrowed his eyes toward Oliver's group.
"Oh?"
Hearing that, Sakuragi turned around to glance toward the entrance.
"AAAAAAAAAH!!"
Seeing this, Oliver reacted instantly.
He grabbed Oda by the shoulders and spun him around 180 degrees, then wrapped an arm around his neck and said, loud and cheerful:
"...Ahaha! The night view is amazing after exercise, don't you think, Arita-san?!"
"What? Arita? My name is Xiaoti—"
"You're right, Arita-san!!"
Oliver aggressively winked at Oda, who looked utterly baffled.
Was this some weird nickname Oliver had for him?
Usually, Oda would've shoved off a short guy like Oliver for touching him or giving him a nickname—but after seeing Oliver's insane leaping ability on the court, he didn't dare protest. This guy could call him whatever he wanted.
"Yes, yes… the view from here is great. The neon lights from the shopping district look pretty from this window. Coach picked a great spot."
Oda commented, trying to play along.
Oliver quickly peeked behind him toward Sakuragi's table.
From this angle, all they'd be able to see was Oda's back!
Sure enough, Sakuragi took a quick glance in their direction, then turned back to his barbecue, unfazed.
"They're just other customers. No big deal."
Sakuragi's eyes shifted back to his food.
"Hey! That piece of meat is mine!"
"WHAT?! Hanamichi, you jerk!!"
---
Back at Oliver's table, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Their seating was on a tatami platform with a privacy curtain. Sakuragi's group wouldn't be able to see them clearly now.
Of course, this spot was pricey—probably a heavy blow to the coach's wallet. But judging by the big grin on his face, he didn't care one bit.
Soon, dish after dish of meat arrived: pork belly, beef tenderloin, chicken thighs... The team drooled at the sight.
After all the intense training, no one could resist anymore.
As the meat sizzled on the grill, everyone grabbed their chopsticks and started devouring it. The coach, meanwhile, didn't touch the food—he just held the championship trophy in one hand and chugged beer with the other.
With how lovingly he stared at the trophy, you'd think he was holding his wife.
---
On the other side of the restaurant...
"Wuwuwu! Ye Zi—!!"
Sakuragi gulped down a whole bottle of Coke, tears streaming down his face.
"Alright, Hanamichi, forget about that girl. She likes Oda from the basketball club… but what's so great about the basketball club, anyway?" Ohkusu, the yellow-haired guy, tried to comfort him.
"Yeah, the basketball club is—"
Bang!
One powerful headbutt later, Ohkusu slumped down.
"Ugh... Why..."
"You moron! You said 'basketball club' twice! Don't you know Sakuragi can't stand that word right now? And you're still going on about 'basketball basketball' like you have no sense!"
Bang!!
Before Nozomi Takamiya could finish his rant, he too fell under the wrath of another headbutt.
"Ahahahaha! You two are hopeless! Wahahaha—!!"
Mito and Noma burst into loud laughter, their voices echoing across the restaurant.
---
Back at Oliver's table…
"It's so noisy..." Oda muttered, glancing toward the other table.
"Should I go ask them to quiet down?"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!"
Oliver nearly choked on his drink as he waved his hands frantically.
Was he crazy?! If Oda walked up to Sakuragi now, there'd be a full-blown fight. And since Oliver was from the same basketball team, he'd definitely be dragged into it.
"No need to make a fuss. They're just having fun. Let's just enjoy our meal," Oliver said as he placed a piece of beef into Oda's bowl.
His face practically screamed: Don't question it—just eat.
"Well… I guess you're right…" Oda muttered and sat down again, chewing quietly.
"Basketball?! Who cares about basketball?! Only IDIOTS like basketball!!"
Sakuragi's voice boomed through the entire restaurant.
At that moment, the entire Wako Junior High basketball team froze mid-bite. Their expressions darkened.
Oliver collapsed against the backrest in silent despair.
Just great.
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