Miyamoto Tokima looked at the money Miyamoto Hiroshi had transferred to his phone, grinning so widely he could not hold it back.
"Hehe, ten million. Now I can refill my little private fund. I'll take Momoi out for some fun later."
After squeezing Miyamoto Hiroshi dry, Miyamoto Tokima felt completely refreshed. His back no longer hurt, and his legs no longer felt sore. He immediately called Satsuki Momoi and asked her to come out.
A date!
... While Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi were happily enjoying their date, Kirisaki Daiichi had already exploded into chaos.
Makoto Hanamiya dribbled the basketball, looking at Shogo Haizaki in surprise as he said,
"Shogo Haizaki, you're acting a little weird today."
Shuzo Nijimura tossed the basketball in his hands to Dicky Anthony, then slowly walked over with a look of amazement.
"Shogo Haizaki, since when were you interested in reading?"
Dicky Anthony caught the pass and casually shot the ball. Then he also turned to look at Shogo Haizaki.
Speaking in slightly more fluent Japanese, he said,
"Looks like Haizaki has started studying too."
Atsushi Murasakibara, on the other hand, was casually eating potato chips as he quietly watched everyone.
At that moment, Shogo Haizaki was surrounded by the group, holding a book in his hands.
The title of the book was [Basic Basketball Tactics].
It was no wonder everyone was shocked. Normally, Shogo Haizaki would never read books like this. The books he usually read were questionable ones, so there was no way he would ever pick up a proper book.
As for tactics, Shogo Haizaki never read about those either. He always asked Makoto Hanamiya directly.
After all, Makoto Hanamiya explained tactics in a simple and easy to understand way, so Shogo Haizaki could grasp them better.
But now, Shogo Haizaki had actually pulled out a book and started reading for the first time ever. That naturally left everyone confused.
Being surrounded by everyone made Shogo Haizaki feel uncomfortable. A little embarrassed and annoyed, he said,
"Do you people really think I, Shogo Haizaki, am some useless guy who never studies?"
For a moment, the air fell silent.
No one said anything. They simply stared at Shogo Haizaki's face.
And from their gazes, Shogo Haizaki understood exactly what they meant.
He immediately shouted angrily,
"You bastards!"
Seeing Shogo Haizaki like that, Shuzo Nijimura immediately rubbed salt into the wound.
"No, no, Haizaki. We don't think that about you. We all know you have your reasons."
Shogo Haizaki was a little pleasantly surprised and looked forward to what Shuzo Nijimura would say next.
But then Shuzo Nijimura suddenly gave a strange smile, and the moment Shogo Haizaki saw it, he felt something was wrong.
Shuzo Nijimura said,
"After all, you've got classroom narcolepsy. That's not your fault."
Shogo Haizaki asked in confusion,
"Classroom narcolepsy?"
Dicky Anthony answered,
"Yeah. The second a teacher shows up, you fall asleep."
Shogo Haizaki's face instantly darkened. He was just about to lose his temper, but then he remembered Shuzo Nijimura's combat strength.
So, following the principle that a wise man knows when to back down, Shogo Haizaki changed the subject.
"Ahem. Enough of that. Let's hurry up and train."
Hearing that, everyone nodded and turned around to continue training.
The crowd dispersed all at once, leaving only Shogo Haizaki and Dicky Anthony standing there.
Shogo Haizaki froze.
No, guys, ask me!
Ask me why I'm reading, and I'll tell you!
Ask me!
Shogo Haizaki stared at the group that had completely ignored the script and fell into deep thought. Then he turned to Dicky Anthony and said happily,
"As expected, Anthony! You want to ask, right?"
Dicky Anthony looked at him strangely and said,
"Ask what? I'm just standing here waiting for you to move so I can get my water."
Shogo Haizaki instantly turned to stone. Stiffly, he shifted aside twice to make room for Dicky Anthony.
Dicky Anthony picked up his water, took two sips, and left, leaving Shogo Haizaki alone in the gym, completely lost.
Shogo Haizaki stood stiffly in place, watching everyone train as he cursed inwardly.
Bunch of bastards! Just wait until I learn Tokima-san's new move! I'll make all of you see me differently!
With that thought, Shogo Haizaki sat down, took out the book, and started reading.
Miyamoto Tokima had told him that if he wanted to learn that move, he needed to make his brain work at high speed.
And reading was the best way to get his brain active.
... After the tense wait passed, the semifinals of the National Tournament finally began.
After the draw, the matchups for each team were also finalized.
The first game would be Kirisaki Daiichi vs. Tōō High School.
The second game would be Shūtoku High School vs. Kaijō High School.
The third game would be Rakuzan High School vs. Seirin High School.
As soon as the matchups were announced, they caused a huge stir in the basketball world.
It reached the point where you could even see plenty of people on the street discussing the National Tournament matches while walking.
At that moment, out on the street.
A group of boys who looked like students were wandering around together, chatting about this year's National Tournament.
"Did you hear? The first game is Kirisaki Daiichi's match!"
"Yeah, and it's against Tōō High School. Tōō High School is Kirisaki Daiichi's old rival."
"The second game is interesting too. Shūtoku High School against Kaijō High School. Kaijō's game a few days ago really left an impression on me. They actually tied the score in the last three minutes. That was unbelievable."
"Yeah, exactly!"
While the boys were talking, a figure slowly walked out of a nearby convenience store.
After hearing their conversation, the figure paused for a moment, then pushed up his glasses and murmured,
"Kise?"
He muttered the name as if talking to himself, then turned and left.
Meanwhile, the convenience store owner scratched his head strangely and muttered in confusion,
"That really was odd. A grown guy coming in to buy a pink Barbie doll. How strange."
... Elsewhere.
On a street basketball court, a streetball game was currently underway.
A tanned figure kept breaking through the person guarding him, then even ignored the center defending the rim.
He leaped up and threw down a double-clutch dunk.
That dunk instantly ignited the atmosphere around the entire court.
"As expected of Aomine! He's as amazing as ever when it comes to basketball!"
"Of course. Aomine is one of the Generation of Miracles, after all!"
"Did you guys hear? Aomine's school is playing Kirisaki Daiichi in the first game!"
"Kirisaki Daiichi?! Isn't that the school [Magic Cube] is at? Then... doesn't that mean Aomine is..."
Before he could finish, the person beside him covered his mouth.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
As he spoke, he pointed toward Daiki Aomine.
The person whose mouth had been covered immediately understood and nodded repeatedly.
...
...
...
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