"The Star of Aichi?"
Sakuragi Hanamichi blinked.
He scratched the back of his smooth, shaved head, his thick red eyebrows twisting together before he answered with complete confidence.
"Never heard of it!"
"Is it tasty?"
"Or is it the final boss of some new fighting game?"
Maki Shinichi: "..."
Kiyota Nobunaga: "..."
They already knew the guy's train of thought was... unique.
Even so, his answer plunged the air into deathly silence.
Maki took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to roast him.
"Moroboshi Dai."
"Aiwa Academy's ace."
"He's known as the Star of Aichi."
"He led Aiwa Academy to the Final Four at last year's National Tournament and is one of the country's top guards."
At that, Maki paused, his gaze sweeping over Sakuragi.
In the end, it settled on Makino Juro, who was still leaning casually against a pillar, idly rolling a steel pachinko ball between his fingers.
"We're heading to Aichi Prefecture to watch their prefectural finals."
"It's not just scouting."
"We also want to get an early look at our future opponents."
A sharp light flashed through Maki's eyes.
It was the ambition of a king.
"Well?"
"Since we happened to run into each other..."
"Interested in broadening your horizons?"
"Broaden our horizons?"
Sakuragi blinked, about to offer another brilliant opinion.
Before he could speak, Makino Juro—who had been quietly blending into the background—straightened up.
Clink.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he accurately tossed the handful of steel balls into Sakuragi's pocket.
The crisp metallic sounds rang pleasantly.
He yawned lazily, but his relaxed eyes carried an unmistakable confidence.
"Since the middle-aged man invited us..."
"Let's go see what the fuss is about."
Juro pulled out a car key from his pocket and spun it around his finger.
Jingle.
"Just so happens I didn't drive the other one today."
"I felt like going with something a little more low-key."
Turning around, he casually nodded toward the roadside, as if suggesting they grab a drink from the convenience store next door.
"Get in."
"I'll give you a ride."
Following Makino Juro's gaze, Maki and Kiyota looked toward the curb.
The next second...
Both of their pupils contracted.
It wasn't the silver supercar from before.
Instead, parked quietly by the roadside, was a jet-black Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, its razor-sharp body lines looking as though they had been carved with a blade.
It crouched silently like a slumbering black beast...
Waiting patiently for the moment it would strike.
Its iconic four circular taillights gleamed coldly beneath the sun.
There wasn't a single flashy decal anywhere on the body.
Only the crimson GT-R badge radiated an overwhelming aura of aggression.
The legendary Godzilla of Japan.
The GT-R.
"Hiss!!"
Kiyota sucked in a sharp breath.
His jaw nearly hit the ground.
For a hot-blooded teenager, a machine overflowing with this kind of brutal mechanical beauty was practically the ultimate dream.
"T-This is an R32?!"
Kiyota pointed at the car with trembling fingers.
"The legendary undefeated monster?"
"Makino Juro..."
"Does your family print money or something?!"
Even the normally composed Maki couldn't stop his eyelid from twitching.
He wasn't much of a car enthusiast...
But even he knew exactly what this machine represented.
It was the embodiment of speed and power.
The ultimate toy every man dreamed of driving at least once.
"Quit standing there."
Juro opened the driver's door and slid into the seat.
Rolling down the window, he revealed his slightly roguish profile.
"If you don't get in now..."
"We'll miss the show."
...
Inside the pachinko parlor...
Electronic chimes roared endlessly through the smoke-filled air.
The members of the Sakuragi Army were completely focused on their machines.
Mito Yohei had an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips as his fingers skillfully worked the controls.
His eyes followed the steel balls bouncing between the pins...
But his thoughts had drifted elsewhere.
He had witnessed everything that had happened outside.
That red-haired idiot...
The same guy who used to brawl in the streets with them...
The same fool who had been rejected by girls fifty times...
Now stood shoulder to shoulder with Kanagawa's king, Maki Shinichi, chatting and laughing like equals.
"Hey, Yohei."
Without taking his eyes off his machine, Ohkusu Yūji smacked its side several times.
"Those were Kainan guys just now, right?"
"Hanamichi's really made something of himself."
"Yeah."
Noma Chuichirou sighed with heartfelt satisfaction.
"We used to think he only joined the basketball club to chase after Haruko."
"I never imagined he'd actually become famous."
"Tch."
"I think he just got lucky."
Takamiya Nozomi stuffed his mouth with snacks until his cheeks bulged like a hamster's.
His words came out muffled.
"Without that monster named Juro dragging him along..."
"He'd still be nothing more than the guy picking up basketballs."
"Exactly."
"'Rebound King?'"
"More like the 'Comedy King.'"
Although they continued teasing him...
There wasn't the slightest trace of mockery on their faces.
Instead...
There was unmistakable pride.
Yohei smiled and pushed all the steel balls in front of him into the machine in one all-or-nothing gamble.
"Whatever the case..."
"He's become a pretty famous player around here now."
Leaning back in his chair, Yohei looked up at the spinning lights on the ceiling.
His mind replayed the image of Sakuragi diving fearlessly across the court to save a loose ball.
That desperate figure...
Willing to risk everything for victory...
Really was cool.
Maybe even dazzling.
"Basketball really is an amazing sport."
Yohei murmured softly.
"It turned Hanamichi..."
"The guy who knew nothing except fighting..."
"Into a real man."
"Yeah..."
The other three gradually stopped what they were doing.
Gentle smiles spread across their faces.
They looked like proud fathers watching a younger brother finally discover something he truly loved.
Just as the heartwarming background music seemed ready to swell—
"AH! IT'S HERE!!!"
A deafening roar shattered the atmosphere.
Takamiya Nozomi shot out of his chair like a spring.
His round body moved with an agility that completely defied physics.
The machine in front of him began flashing wildly.
Alarms blared.
An endless torrent of steel balls poured out like a waterfall.
The cheerful clattering sounded like heavenly music.
"Jackpot!!"
"It's the Super Jackpot!!"
Takamiya's face turned bright red with excitement.
Every inch of fat on his body jiggled with joy.
"Holy crap?!"
Yohei, Ohkusu, and Noma instantly forgot all about their emotional moment.
The touching atmosphere vanished without a trace.
They spun around, their eyes glowing with the greedy green light of hungry wolves.
"Takamiya, you lucky fat bastard!"
"Your luck is unbelievable!"
"The Luck God has possessed you!"
"Treat us!"
"We're eating a feast tonight!"
"I'm going to bankrupt you!"
"I want sushi!"
"The premium stuff!"
"No—the best of the best!"
"Get lost!"
"I won this with my own skill!"
"This is what true talent looks like!"
The pachinko parlor overflowed with laughter.
At that moment...
The friendship between a group of teenage boys felt incredibly genuine...
And incredibly noisy.
...
Meanwhile...
On the Kanagawa Expressway.
The black GT-R sliced through traffic like a bolt of black lightning, tearing through the air.
Its twin-turbocharged engine let out a deep, thunderous growl.
The brutal acceleration pinned all four passengers firmly against their seats.
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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