Coach Anzai remained as steady as Mount Tai, his glasses reflecting the gym lights as he chuckled softly, saying nothing.
"Damn it!" Sakuragi was so anxious he was scratching his head and ears, his face turning a deeper shade of red than his hair.
He turned his head and saw the figure at the other end of the bench, still motionless under a towel.
"Hey! Master! What time do you think it is, and you're still sleeping! We're going to lose!"
Sakuragi rushed over, wanting to shake Hayashi Rin awake, but he was firmly restrained by Ayako and several bench players.
"Sakuragi! Stop messing around! Hayashi Rin is a substitute, let him rest!"
"Let me go! I want to ask Master if he has any ultimate moves!" Sakuragi struggled in the pile of people like a live fish pinned to a cutting board.
Just then, a faint, rhythmic snoring sound drifted from under the towel. Hoo... hoo...
Everyone's movements froze. "This mental fortitude..." Ayako's mouth twitched in disbelief.
In the stands, Yohei watched the chaos and shook his head. "That Sakuragi guy is about to explode."
"Yeah. Even though he's usually an idiot." Takamiya Nozomi added, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
Yohei's gaze fell on the sleeping figure. "But that guy called Hayashi Rin... does he really plan to sleep through the whole game?"
Suddenly, the gymnasium doors were pushed open again. A tall, slender figure walked in against the light—Hedgehog Head, a lazy smile, still carrying a sports bag.
"Ah, sorry I'm late."
Sendoh Akira. Ryonan's ace player had finally appeared.
"Sendoh! Where have you been again?!" Taoka Moichi's roar echoed through the rafters.
"Well... my alarm clock broke." Sendoh offered the insincere excuse while changing his shoes and glancing at the scoreboard.
"Oh? 14 to 0. Looks like you guys are doing well." He shed his jacket, revealing Ryonan's number 7 jersey, and walked straight to the table.
"Substitution!"
With Sendoh's entrance, the very air in the gym seemed to change, the subtle oppression instantly sharpening Rukawa Kaede's gaze.
"He's here." Rukawa stared intently at Sendoh as the game resumed.
The ball reached Rukawa. Facing Sendoh, he lowered his stance, performing two consecutive between-the-legs dribbles to find an opening.
Sendoh just lazily spread his arms, a smile still on his face. "No need to be so tense."
Rukawa ignored him and suddenly accelerated to the right. So fast!
Just as Rukawa thought he had shaken him off, a hand reached out like a ghost. Snap!
The ball was stolen—no fancy moves, just pure speed and surgical precision. "What?!" Rukawa's pupils contracted sharply.
Sendoh didn't sprint; he dribbled forward at a leisurely pace while Rukawa desperately chased back to block his path.
"You're not getting past!"
Sendoh looked at Rukawa, then suddenly flicked his wrist. His eyes looked left, but the ball fired to the right.
A no-look pass. The basketball, as if it had eyes, threaded through Rukawa's legs and flew accurately to the unguarded Uozumi.
"Boom!" Uozumi slammed it home with both hands. 16:0.
"Wooah! Sendoh-senpai is so cool!" Hikoichi was dancing on the sidelines, his pen almost flying out of his hand.
Rukawa stood in place, his chest heaving. He had been completely toyed with. The gap was a mountain.
"Hahaha! See that! This is the strength of our Ryonan!" Taoka Moichi excitedly waved his folding fan.
"With Sendoh and Uozumi, we are invincible! We're going to beat you by 30 points! No, 50!"
Taoka grew more and more excited, standing right on the sideline with his rear end sticking out as he shouted at the court.
Just then, a red figure silently appeared behind him. Sakuragi Hanamichi crouched down, fingers together in a lethal seal.
"Old Man, you're too noisy. Take this!!! POKE!"
His fingers hit the bullseye with terrifying precision.
"Yeeooww———!!!" An extremely shrill scream tore through the gymnasium air.
Taoka Moichi shot up like a rocket, clutching his rear end and twitching in mid-air. Dead silence fell over the court.
Even Sendoh froze on the fast break, almost slipping. "Is that... your new strategy?" he asked Rukawa, utterly bewildered.
Rukawa turned his head away. "I don't know him."
"You idiot! What are you doing?!" Akagi roared, charging over to punch Sakuragi on the head.
"Ow! What are you doing, Gorilla! I just thought he was yelling too much!" Sakuragi barked, looking wronged.
The scoreboard flickered to 19:0. Shohoku still hadn't scored a single point. Despair began to spread.
Kogure wiped the fog off his glasses, his hands trembling. Yasuda and Shiozaki were already afraid to touch the ball.
In this suffocating moment, the white towel in the corner finally moved.
Hayashi Rin sat up, twisting his neck with a series of loud cracks. He rubbed his lower back, frowning with an unhappy look.
"Tch. This damn chair is too hard. My back's about to break."
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the quiet bench. Everyone's gaze shifted.
Rin stood up and stretched with a massive yawn, squeezing out two physiological tears. He glanced at the scoreboard.
"Whoa, 0-19. Looks like everyone's having fun."
He slowly pulled off his hoodie, revealing the number 16 jersey, and walked up to Coach Anzai while scratching his messy hair.
"Coach. Put me in."
Coach Anzai looked up, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Oh? Hayashi Rin, are you awake now?"
"Not awake." Rin pointed at the hard benches with disdain. "Just couldn't sleep anymore. If I keep sleeping, I'll get a herniated disc."
"Finish the game sooner, go home sooner. That's the way of healthy living."
Ayako almost snapped her clipboard. The team is losing, and you just want to go home and sleep?!
But Coach Anzai laughed. "Hohoho... Since you can't sleep comfortably, go get some exercise then."
"Substitution. Hayashi Rin replaces... Yasuda."
The whistle blew. Rin walked slowly to the sideline and high-fived the dejected Yasuda.
"Good work, Yasuda-senpai. Leave the rest to me."
Yasuda looked into Rin's listless dead fish eyes and felt a strange sense of calm welling up in his heart.
Rin stepped onto the court, his gaze sweeping over the Ryonan giants before finally settling on Sendoh.
Sendoh smiled back, curiosity in his eyes. "So that's the Hayashi Rin Hikoichi mentioned? He looks... really sleepy."
Rin sighed. In his mind, the system chime rang out.
[Mission Triggered: Win the Game. Reward: All Attributes +1.]
For one microsecond, the haze in Rin's eyes cleared, replaced by a sharp, knife-like aura that made Sendoh's smile stiffen.
"Everyone. Stop looking so miserable."
Rin turned to the sweating Akagi and Rukawa. "I'm in a hurry. Let's finish this quickly. I still have to get back for JOJO."
Akagi's mouth twitched, but the gloom in his eyes began to dissipate. "Stop boasting, you jerk. If we lose, you're polishing the floors!"
Rin shrugged. "Can't do that. Polishing floors is too tiring."
He turned toward the Ryonan basket and gently hooked his index finger.
"Give me the ball. I'm about to start... controlling the game."