Sakuragi Hanamichi's leg was draped tyrannically across Rukawa Kaede's stomach.
One arm was wrapped tightly around Rukawa's neck.
Drool hung from the corner of his mouth as he mumbled in his sleep:
"Don't run away... giant chicken leg... so delicious..."
As for Rukawa—the unfortunate soul being treated as a "giant chicken leg"—
even in sleep, his brows remained furrowed.
Yet his hands were unconsciously clutching Sakuragi's jersey.
His head rested against Sakuragi's chest as he slept soundly.
The two of them were still wearing jerseys that had been soaked with sweat and then dried again.
A thick aura of masculinity hung around them.
But this scene...
The more you looked at it, the stranger it became.
The more you looked at it...
The more suspiciously romantic it seemed.
Miyagi and Mitsui exchanged a glance.
Both were desperately holding back laughter.
Their faces had turned the color of pig liver.
"Uh..."
Mitsui pointed at the pair, his shoulders shaking violently.
"This is what they call... mortal enemies?"
Miyagi shook his head regretfully.
"If only I'd brought a camera."
"This is priceless blackmail material."
"We could make a fortune with this later."
A wicked grin spread across his face.
His expression practically screamed I've found a new ship to support.
Just then, the gym doors opened again.
Makino Juro wandered in, yawning.
His trademark sleep mask dangled from one hand.
Still half-asleep, he shuffled forward.
"Morning..."
"Why's everyone blocking the entrance?"
"Having a staff meeting or something?"
He rubbed his eyes and followed everyone's gaze.
The moment he saw the "lovey-dovey" scene on the floor—
his sleepy dead-fish eyes instantly widened into saucers.
"Holy crap?"
Makino Juro sucked in a sharp breath.
He woke up on the spot.
Like he'd just been struck by lightning.
"I only taught them some basketball skills..."
"I never taught them how to become a couple!"
Hearing Makino Juro's shout, the two bodies on the floor finally stirred.
Rukawa groggily opened his eyes.
Feeling his neck being strangled, he instinctively threw a punch.
"Ugh!!"
Sakuragi let out a miserable scream.
Clutching his newly acquired black eye, he woke up.
The instant he realized he was hugging his archrival, he sprang away as though electrocuted.
Three meters.
Straight to the wall.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!"
"Fox! What did you do to me?!"
"Idiot! You're the one who was lying on top of me!"
"Disgusting! My innocence is ruined!!"
"Shut up. You're annoying."
Watching the pair switch instantly from "romance mode" to "murder mode,"
Miyagi, Mitsui, and even the previously bewildered Makino Juro finally lost control.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Bright laughter echoed through Shohoku's gymnasium.
The sound startled sparrows outside the windows into flight.
Akagi wasn't here.
The road ahead remained difficult.
Yet these seemingly unreliable idiots...
were filling the massive hole he'd left behind in their own unique way.
Makino Juro watched the chaos unfold.
A lazy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He put his sleep mask back on and leaned against the doorway.
His mindset completely at peace.
"Looks like..."
"I don't need to worry after all."
"Might as well go back to sleep."
"Pure profit."
That morning.
Shohoku Gymnasium.
Sunlight slanted through the high windows like golden swords.
Even the dust floating in the air seemed to be dancing under the beams.
The farce had just ended.
Everything appeared to have returned to normal.
Makino Juro lounged against the equipment room doorway.
A bottle of sports drink hung loosely in his hand.
His gaze was locked onto center court like a radar.
There, Sakuragi Hanamichi and Rukawa Kaede were engaged in an intense battle known as:
Attempted Murder by Eye Contact.
Something felt off.
Like a thorn lodged in his heart.
It was close.
But not quite there.
The current Sakuragi had already improved dramatically after special training.
He could even go toe-to-toe with Rukawa when the latter entered his Wild Instinct state.
But in terms of presence...
he was still the same loud, hyperactive red-haired monkey.
Not strong enough.
Or rather—
he lacked that overwhelming aura of someone who had achieved true enlightenment.
Juro narrowed his eyes.
His gaze focused on Sakuragi's messy red hair.
The pompadour he had carefully styled to look cool.
After this morning's wrestling match, half of it had collapsed.
It looked like a frostbitten rooster comb.
Pathetic.
And hilarious.
Slurp.
Makino Juro took a long sip of his drink.
Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up inside his head.
That's it!
Exactly that!
The iconic symbol...
The moment that signified a complete awakening from basketball amateur to true player.
The legendary—
Shining Red Bald Head!
"Hey, Hanamichi."
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet it sliced perfectly through the cold war between Sakuragi and Rukawa.
"WHAT IS IT, LAZY MASTER?!"
"Can't you see this genius is currently killing the Fox with my eyes?!"
Sakuragi spun around.
Steam practically shot from his nostrils like an enraged bull.
"Forget the death stare."
"Think bigger."
"I've got something important to discuss."
Makino Juro beckoned him over.
His expression was so serious that it looked like he was about to solve world peace.
Even Miyagi and Mitsui were stunned.
Was this guy finally going to reveal some ultimate secret technique?
Sakuragi walked over suspiciously and looked down at him.
"What is it?"
"Have you finally realized this genius is Shohoku's ace?"
Juro raised a finger and pointed at Sakuragi's head.
"Close."
"But you're still missing one final step."
"I've figured out why you still can't enter the Zone whenever you want."
"And why your concentration sometimes breaks down on defense."
"NANI?!"
Sakuragi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
He immediately grabbed Makino Juro's shoulders and shook him violently.
The sports drink almost flew out of Makino Juro's hand.
In the distance, Rukawa rolled his eyes.
"Idiot."
Makino Juro steadied himself, pried Sakuragi's hands away, and activated his ultimate technique:
Serious Nonsense Mode.
"It has nothing to do with Rukawa."
"The problem is your hair."
"My hair?"
"This is the source of my charm!"
"My ultimate weapon for attracting girls!"
Sakuragi touched his flattened pompadour.
His face was filled with confusion.
"Shallow! Far too shallow!"
Makino Juro interrupted dramatically, looking heartbroken.
"Hanamichi, think carefully."
"What is hair made of?"
"Uh... hair?"
Sakuragi raised an eyebrow.
"Protein!"
"Nutrients!"
"Bioelectricity!"
Juro lowered his voice mysteriously.
"Think about it."
"Your brain needs nutrients to process tactics."
"Your muscles need energy to battle monsters like Uozumi."
"But you've got this thick forest of red hair."
"Every strand is like a straw."
"Every second, they're siphoning nutrients from your body!"
"Especially someone like you."
"With that ridiculous volume of hair."
"It's basically a colony of vampires living on your scalp!"
"They aren't sucking blood."
"They're sucking away your genius!"
"Your mental processing power!"
"Your CPU bandwidth!"
"The very key needed to enter the Zone!"
The logic was absurd.
The science was fictional.
The reasoning was complete nonsense.
Yet somehow...
the argument formed a perfectly closed loop.
Beside them, Mitsui stared blankly.
Then subconsciously reached up and touched his own hair.
A trace of horror flashed through his eyes.
Wait...
Could that actually be true?
No wonder my three-point shooting feels inconsistent lately.
Is my hair stealing my brain's bandwidth too?!
Sakuragi Hanamichi was struck even harder.
It felt like a bolt of lightning had hit him.
His mouth slowly fell open.
A trembling hand reached toward his red hair.
As though it were no longer hair—
but a colony of alien parasites devouring his precious genius brain cells.
"N-No wonder..."
His face turned pale.
He muttered to himself in shock.
"No wonder there are times when my head feels completely empty..."
"So that's what happened!"
"My hair drained me dry!"
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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