Chapter 59
Seeing Rukawa Kaede being tortured so badly on the pages, Eriri's brows knitted tightly. Her heart ached as if she were watching it happen in reality.
"Lucien! You said Rukawa Kaede would shine in this match! Where is that?!"
Eriri puffed out her cheeks in protest, looking utterly dissatisfied.
Lucien, seated calmly across from her, sighed softly. As Whale, the creator of Slam Dunk, he knew Eriri's passionate attachment to Rukawa bordered on obsession. Her reactions always amused him.
"Eri, just keep reading," Lucien said gently, gesturing at the manuscript.
On the page before her, the Ryonan ace, Sendoh Akira, loomed tall and unshaken, his expression brimming with confidence, as though bullying the weak was second nature. Across from him, Rukawa Kaede's face was pale and strained. Beads of sweat trickled down his temples, and his once unshakable composure looked dangerously close to collapse.
Eriri's lips trembled. She hated seeing him like this.
How could Lucien do this to Rukawa?
Still, at his insistence, she turned the page.
---
The game pressed on. The Shohoku players struggled desperately against Ryonan's overwhelming power. Their defense crumbled, their offense looked aimless, and the scoreboard grew heavier and heavier against them.
On the sidelines, Sakuragi Hanamichi was a volcano ready to erupt. His fists clenched, his face flushed with rage, his voice loud as thunder.
"Coach! Put me in! I'll crush them!"
But Ayako and several teammates restrained him. "Calm down, Hanamichi! You'll get your chance!"
On the bench, Coach Anzai sat still, his calm expression betraying no urgency. His eyes, however, shone with quiet wisdom. He saw more than anyone else on the court.
He knows something I don't, Eriri thought as she read.
Then—
Rukawa's eyes sharpened. A flicker of awakening.
He broke past one defender. Then another. His speed, like lightning. His form, graceful yet unyielding. The crowd gasped as he launched himself upward, ball gripped tight, poised to dunk.
The next panel froze time.
Sendoh Akira stood tall, a wall of unshakable confidence. His shadow fell across Rukawa like a god descending from the heavens.
The audience held its breath. Surely, Sendoh will block him again.
But then, in the space of a heartbeat, Rukawa twisted. Instead of forcing the shot, he dished the ball backward.
And there—charging like a beast unleashed—was Akagi Takenori.
Having shaken free from Ryonan's giant center, Uozumi, Akagi seized the ball mid-stride, his roar echoing across the court.
He leapt. His massive form blotted out the light.
Gorilla Dunk!
"BANG!"
The sound thundered like an explosion. The backboard rattled, the rim groaned, and the audience erupted.
Shohoku had awakened.
---
Eriri gasped aloud as her eyes darted across the panels. The images leapt to life—Akagi's ferocious slam, Rukawa's subtle brilliance, the spark of hope igniting the team.
Shohoku, inspired, surged forward.
Rukawa and Akagi danced across the pages, their synergy fierce and unrelenting. Quick layups, unstoppable drives—the momentum swung.
By the end of the first half, Shohoku had narrowed the gap. Only eight points separated them from Ryonan.
Eriri finally exhaled. A smile bloomed on her lips, her earlier frustration forgotten.
Lucien, watching quietly, chuckled to himself.
---
Closing the sketchpad, Eriri looked radiant. "Lucien… this is amazing! Ryonan is so strong, yet Shohoku's fight is so thrilling! I didn't expect this kind of intensity right from their first opponent!"
Lucien smiled knowingly. "Don't underestimate Ryonan. They've always been Shohoku's toughest rival. Even in the nationals—"
"Ah! Don't you dare spoil it for me!" she interrupted, covering her ears dramatically.
He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."
Her curiosity returned quickly. "But tell me, will Shohoku catch up in the second half? And will Sakuragi just stay stuck on the bench?"
Lucien grinned. "Didn't you just say no spoilers?"
She pouted. "Ugh… I hate myself sometimes."
He laughed softly, finding her flustered expression far too cute.
Realizing his gaze lingered on her, Eriri's cheeks flushed crimson. She quickly looked down, trying to mask it with a cough.
Changing the subject, she asked, "By the way, how's the progress on the third volume of Attack on Titan?"
---
Recently, Eriri had no longer been the first to see Lucien's drafts. That privilege now belonged to his new assistant, Usami Mizuki.
Mizuki would collect the manuscripts as soon as Lucien completed them. She delivered them to him after typesetting, then carried the final versions straight to the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department.
Because of that, Eriri hadn't glimpsed even a single page of Volume 3. For someone who proudly called herself the "first fan" of Attack on Titan, it was torture.
Lucien had once suggested Mizuki could make her a printed copy, but Eriri refused. She wanted to read it fresh in Jump, just like any other fan, savoring the thrill of official release.
"The third volume is almost done," Lucien explained. "Three chapters are complete, plus a special episode. Just one chapter remains, and Mizuki's working hard on it. After Volume 2 finishes its run, Volume 3 will begin serialization."
Eriri's eyes sparkled. "That's wonderful! Mizuki sounds very reliable."
Lucien chuckled. "Not quite."
She tilted her head. "Hmm? Why? You don't like her work?"
He sighed. "She's talented, but timid. Some of Attack on Titan's violent scenes overwhelm her. A few times, she nearly cried while inking them. She even handed me back pages she couldn't bring herself to finish."
Eriri burst into laughter. "That's adorable! But honestly, my classmates say the same thing—that Attack on Titan is brutal. They can barely handle it!"
Lucien's voice grew serious. "That brutality is necessary. Without it, the story loses its weight. Despair, fear, cruelty—they're the truth of humanity's struggle against the Titans."
"I get it," she nodded. "But for Mizuki, maybe it's too much. She's young. If this continues, it might scar her."
"Then I'll take over the darkest scenes myself," Lucien said simply.
Eriri tapped her chin. "By the way, I haven't even met this Mizuki yet."
Lucien explained, "She comes on Monday and Friday mornings, when you're still in class. She's already secured early admission into high school, so she has free time."
"Ohh, a diligent kouhai then…" Eriri mused.
"Diligent, yes. But don't let her airheaded look fool you—she's a top student. Unlike someone else I know who looks silly and is terrible at studying."
Eriri froze. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "...Who. Are. You. Talking. About?"
Lucien paled instantly. "I-I meant Sakuragi Hanamichi!"
"Hmph. Good save."
She crossed her arms, smirking triumphantly.
Lucien exhaled in relief, amused at how quickly she shifted from menace to victory pose.
She's impossible… but that's what makes her so endearing.
---
✨ End of Chapter 59
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