No one dared to say a word.
Because Akagi's face was simply too hilarious.
Miyagi had to pinch his thigh with all his strength to stop himself from bursting into pig-like laughter.
Akagi's gaze eventually settled on the corner of the sofa.
There, Rukawa Kaede was still fast asleep, tightly clutching the very marker used in the "crime."
The evidence was irrefutable.
Caught red-handed.
Akagi's veins bulged so violently that they looked ready to burst.
He strode over in a few long steps, raising a fist the size of a casserole pot.
"RU——KA——WA!!!"
BAM!
A heartfelt physical wake-up service landed squarely on Rukawa's head.
He was punched clean off the sofa, rolled onto the floor, and smacked his head against the wooden boards with a crisp thunk.
Slowly opening his eyes, he rubbed the rapidly swelling lump on his head.
His trademark dead-fish eyes were filled with nothing but confusion.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Who dared to ambush me?
"...Gorilla."
"What are you doing..."
Rukawa looked at Akagi's face.
He froze for a second.
Then...
For the first time ever, the corners of that eternally expressionless face twitched uncontrollably.
"Pfft."
That tiny laugh became the spark that ignited the powder keg.
"YOU STILL DARE TO LAUGH?!"
Akagi exploded with rage, charging after Rukawa with murder in his eyes.
Meanwhile...
Behind Akagi, Sakuragi Hanamichi had already turned his back to everyone.
His shoulders shook violently as muffled "ku-ku-ku" sounds escaped him.
He was laughing so hard he had completely lost the ability to function.
Watching the chaos unfold, Makino Juro merely shook his head helplessly.
These guys...
They really had far too much energy.
...
Shohoku High School—Faculty Office.
The dreaded Results Board, feared by student-athletes throughout the school, was packed with students.
"I passed!"
"I PASSED!!"
Miyagi Ryota nearly burst into tears.
He looked ready to kneel before the maths teacher and bang his head on the floor in gratitude.
Sure, he'd barely scraped through.
But in his eyes...
That was no different from scoring full marks.
At this moment...
He was an academic genius.
Beside him, Mitsui Hisashi smugly brushed back his imaginary flowing bangs.
"Hmph."
"I told you."
"I'm the intellectual type."
"As long as I actually study, nothing can stop me."
Juro glanced sideways at him before mercilessly exposing the truth.
"If you hadn't guessed the final question correctly by sheer dumb luck..."
"...you'd be on your way to cram school right now, Mr. Intellectual."
Mitsui's face stiffened.
"Shut up!"
"Luck is part of strength too!"
"Do you even understand the value of that?"
On the other side...
Sakuragi Hanamichi stared fixedly at his exam paper.
It was as though he wanted to burn a hole through it with his eyes.
"What?!"
Lightning struck him.
His entire body instantly faded into greyscale.
In the background, it felt as though a tragic ballad had begun playing automatically.
"I... I failed..."
"This genius actually failed..."
"It's over..."
"The National Tournament..."
"Haruko..."
"My youth... is over..."
Just as Sakuragi was about to commit metaphorical seppuku on the spot...
A large hand landed heavily on his shoulder.
Akagi's deep voice echoed beside him.
"Look below."
Sakuragi lowered his gaze.
At the bottom of the paper, written in bold handwriting, was a short note:
[Since I awarded you generous method marks, I'll reluctantly count this as a pass.]
[There won't be a next time.]
The final score had even been boldly crossed out and replaced with one word in bright red ink:
PASS
"WOOOOOOO!!!"
Sakuragi instantly returned to full health.
Holding his exam paper above his head, he sprinted down the corridor like a primitive caveman who had just discovered fire.
"I'm a genius!!"
"WAHAHAHAHA!"
"Who else can beat me?!"
At the far end of the hallway...
Judo Club captain Aota Tatsuhiko walked out wearing an equally smug grin.
Upon seeing Akagi, he snorted.
"Don't celebrate too early, Akagi."
"I passed too."
Aota gritted his teeth.
Clearly, the process hadn't been any easier for him than Journey to the West.
Looking down at his lifelong rival, Akagi said calmly,
"Good."
"Just don't get eliminated in the first round and embarrass Kanagawa."
"You bastard!"
"I'll win the National Championship and prove you wrong!"
Aota shouted while waving his fist.
"As for your basketball team..."
"Don't get crushed too badly at the National Tournament!"
"Impossible."
Akagi turned around.
His mountain-like back radiated overwhelming confidence.
"Because..."
"...we're going to conquer the nation."
...
Now that the make-up exam crisis had been resolved...
The team's next priority was preparing for the Inter-High.
Inside Shohoku's gymnasium...
The atmosphere was solemn.
Coach Anzai sat quietly in his folding chair.
The reflection on his glasses concealed his expression, making him resemble a smiling Buddha.
"Everyone."
Standing at the front of the team, Akagi spoke loudly.
"There are only ten days left until the National Tournament begins."
"To prepare for the intensity of the competition..."
"...we've decided to hold a week-long closed training camp."
"The location will be Shizuoka Prefecture."
"We'll be visiting Jousei High School, coached by Coach Anzai's former junior."
The gym instantly erupted into chatter.
"Jousei High?"
"The powerhouse from Shizuoka?" Mitsui's eyes narrowed in surprise.
"I've heard their ace is incredibly strong."
Miyagi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Standing at the very back of the line, Makino Juro let out a lazy yawn.
Jousei High...
If I remember correctly...
In the original story, Shohoku got thoroughly beaten during their training camp there.
Of course...
That was without Sakuragi and Coach Anzai leading the team.
"But..."
Coach Anzai suddenly spoke.
His chubby fingers gently tapped against his knee as he spoke at his usual leisurely pace.
"Sakuragi."
"Yes, Coach!"
Sakuragi immediately stood at attention, his face full of anticipation.
Is Coach finally going to give this genius some secret training?
Maybe a hidden ultimate move?
Or officially recognise me as the team's secret weapon?
"You'll be staying behind."
"You won't be joining this training trip."
Coach Anzai smiled warmly.
His gentle tone, however, struck with all the lethality of an assassin.
"...Huh?"
Sakuragi froze.
Then cracked apart.
"W-Why?"
"Old Man?!"
"Why are you abandoning this genius?!"
"I want to go to Shizuoka too!"
"I want to crush that Jousei High!"
"Have you stopped loving this genius?!"
He rushed over to Coach Anzai.
Grabbing the coach's soft, squishy cheeks with both hands, he kneaded them like bread dough.
"Your fundamentals are still too weak."
"Playing practice games there won't benefit your development very much."
"What you need..."
"...is specialised training."
Coach Anzai allowed himself to be mercilessly squished.
His voice remained as calm as ever.
"I don't care!"
"I'm going!"
"I'm going to defeat Jousei High!"
"I'm going to make a name for myself across Japan!"
"And I want to eat Shizuoka's local specialties!"
Sakuragi immediately threw himself onto the floor, rolling around like an oversized child throwing a tantrum.
The veins on Akagi's forehead bulged violently.
He was just about to drag this embarrassment outside for some "physical counselling."
"Coach."
Juro, who had remained silent until now, suddenly stepped forward.
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
With both hands tucked casually into his pockets, Makino Juro wore the confident smile of someone who already had everything under control.
"I think..."
"...Sakuragi should come with us."
A sharp gleam flashed across Coach Anzai's glasses.
"Oh?"
"And why do you think so, Juro?"
"Simple."
"We can still give him specialised training over there."
As he spoke...
Juro reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek black-and-gold card.
He casually waved it in front of everyone.
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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