Thus, a rather bizarre scene appeared on the rooftop.
Makino Juro was lying down, fast asleep.
Beside him squatted a red-haired delinquent, hands forming strange seals, eyes tightly shut.
At the same time, he kept muttering under his breath:
"I am a rock… I am a rock…"
Five minutes later—
The rooftop door opened again.
Akagi Haruko walked up carrying a lunch box.
"Sakuragi-kun? Makino Juro-kun?"
She blinked in surprise at the strange sight.
"Sakuragi-kun… are you… constipated?"
Sakuragi's expression really did look ferocious—his face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead.
"WAAAH! Haruko-san!"
"N-No! That's not it!"
"This is training!"
"It's a basketball secret technique that Master Makino Juro taught me!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi instantly broke his concentration and scrambled to stand up straight.
"Master?"
Haruko tilted her head slightly, her big eyes shifting toward Makino Juro, who was still sleeping.
Makino Juro lazily rolled over, turning his back to them, and waved his hand.
"Don't listen to his nonsense. He's just constipated."
…
Afternoon — Shohoku Basketball Gym
Akagi Takenori stood at the very front of the team, his expression serious.
"Next week, we'll be going to Ryonan High School for a practice match."
The announcement landed like a stone thrown into a still lake.
"Ryonan? The team that made the top four?"
"I heard their player Sendoh Akira is incredibly strong…"
The freshmen began whispering among themselves.
Akagi cleared his throat and took out a list.
"This practice match is mainly to test our lineup."
"I'll now announce the traveling roster."
"Akagi Takenori, Kogure Kiminobu, Yasuda Yasuharu, Shiozaki Tetsushi, Kakuta Satoru…"
At this point, Akagi paused.
His gaze swept across Makino Juro—who was leaning against the wall at the end of the line, yawning lazily—then shifted to Sakuragi, whose face was full of anticipation.
"Rukawa Kaede."
"Present." Rukawa responded coldly.
"And… Makino Juro."
"Here…" Makino Juro weakly raised his hand.
The list ended.
For three seconds, the air froze.
"Then what about me?!"
"Gorilla! Where's this genius's name?!"
"Why are that fox and this sleepyhead on the list, but not me?!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi burst out of the formation, pointing at his own nose, his face turning the color of liver.
"You're a beginner!"
"You don't even understand the rules yet—do you want to embarrass us out there?" Akagi snapped, a vein bulging on his forehead.
"Damn it! I've been doing secret training!"
"I've already mastered killing people with my eyes—and Instant Transmission!"
Sakuragi protested stubbornly, even trying to grab Akagi's collar.
BAM!
Akagi gave him a merciless head knock.
Sakuragi clutched his head with teary eyes and turned toward Makino Juro.
"Master!"
"You be the judge! This isn't fair!"
Makino Juro sighed.
What a hassle.
If he didn't calm down this single-celled organism, there was no way he'd be able to slack off peacefully later.
He walked over and patted Sakuragi's shoulder.
"Hanamichi, you're wrong."
"Huh?"
"Think about it. Would a powerful weapon be shown casually?"
Makino Juro lowered his voice, looking mysterious.
"The real trump cards only appear at the most critical moment."
"The captain is treating you as a secret weapon."
"Secret… weapon?"
Sakuragi froze, repeating the words.
"That's right."
Makino Juro pointed at Rukawa.
"Rukawa Kaede is just a regular weapon. A consumable. He's there to wear down the enemy's stamina."
"But you… you're the one who delivers the finishing blow."
"If we put you on the court right away, what if the Ryonan players get scared and run away?"
This logic was full of holes.
But inside Sakuragi Hanamichi's brain, it formed a perfect closed loop.
His expression changed from anger…
to shock…
to pure ecstasy.
Finally, he put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter.
"WAHAHAHA! So that's how it is!"
"The Gorilla actually does have good judgment!"
"I'm the secret weapon! The secret weapon!"
Akagi's lips twitched as he stared at Makino Juro.
"You… does lying to idiots not hurt your conscience?"
Makino Juro shrugged.
"Captain, this is called tactical psychological counseling."
"Alright, start training!" Akagi roared.
"Makino Juro, step forward!"
Makino Juro's heart skipped a beat.
"Captain, I'm not feeling well today. My… monthly period—"
"Cut the nonsense."
Akagi tossed the ball to him.
"I watched your offense yesterday. You do have some tricks."
"But basketball isn't just offense."
"Let me see your defense."
Akagi walked to the basket and set up with his back to the hoop.
"Come on. Guard me."
The entire gym fell silent.
Akagi Takenori—197 cm tall, 90 kg—a human-shaped gorilla.
Makino Juro—188 cm tall, relatively lean.
This matchup was practically suicidal.
"Captain… if I get injured, does that count as a workplace injury?" Makino Juro asked miserably as he walked over.
"Enough talk. Come!"
Akagi received the ball and suddenly backed down.
A massive force slammed into Makino Juro.
It felt like trying to push against a wall.
"Too heavy…"
He simply couldn't withstand Akagi's post-up strength.
Akagi spun around, preparing to leap for a dunk.
At that very moment—
A faint blue glint flashed through Makino Juro's dead-fish-like eyes.
[Passive Skill Activated: Misdirection]
Just as Akagi was about to explode upward, he suddenly felt his hands become light.
Where was the ball?
He turned around in astonishment.
Makino Juro had somehow already moved behind him.
Holding the orange basketball in his palm.
He was about to hand it to Kogure Kiminobu standing nearby.
"Kogure-senpai, could you hold this for a moment? It's heavy."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Rukawa Kaede's pupils suddenly contracted.
Even he hadn't seen how Makino Juro slipped past Akagi just now.
It was as if—
He had vanished into thin air…
and then reappeared out of nowhere.
Akagi landed on the floor and stared at his empty hands in disbelief.
"You… when did you…"
"Right when you turned around."
"Captain, your movements are too big. Too many openings."
"And your eyes were only on the basket. You weren't looking at me at all."
"So since you weren't looking… I just took the ball."
Makino Juro rubbed his chest where he had been bumped.
The words weren't very damaging.
But they were extremely humiliating.
Akagi took a deep breath and looked at the lazy-looking boy in front of him.
For the first time, a strange feeling rose in his heart.
This year's Shohoku…
might actually overturn the entire basketball scene in Kanagawa.
"Very good."
Akagi said in a low voice.
"Makino Juro, in the match against Ryonan—you'll start on the bench."
"YES!" Makino Juro raised both arms in celebration.
"But," Akagi continued coldly, "if the situation turns unfavorable, you must enter the game immediately."
"And if we lose…"
Akagi clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles.
"You and Sakuragi will wipe the gym floor until graduation."
Makino Juro's smile froze on his face.
"This is bullying, right? It's definitely bullying."
He wailed internally.
For that cursed undefeated bonus.
And to avoid becoming the team janitor.
Looks like this trip to Ryonan…
wouldn't allow him to sleep through the entire game after all.
"Sendoh Akira, huh…"
The image of that mop-haired genius appeared in Makino Juro's mind.
"I hope he's at least a little interesting."
"Otherwise…"
"I might actually fall asleep."