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Night fell.
Ryu lay silently on his bed.
Karupin appeared beside him.
"You seem to have something on your mind."
Hearing Karupin's words, Ryu sighed. "Indeed. Although we won today, it made me realize my shortcomings. I have so few skills of my own. Neither my offense nor my defense has its own style. I feel this isn't a good thing."
Karupin raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you think that?"
Ryu was silent for a moment. "Although I possess Niou Illusion and Data Basketball, both are just imitations and analyses of others. Today, when I created the phantom of Aomine Daiki, I could clearly feel that my version lacked his 'Wildness.' I don't know if it's because the illusion isn't perfect, or if I simply can't replicate that instinct. Either way, it's a weakness."
Karupin thought for a moment, then agreed. "What you said makes sense."
"That's why I plan to learn more skills to enrich myself," Ryu said firmly.
"Don't you plan to accumulate Cat Energy to exchange for something like the Selfless Realm or the Asura Path?"
Ryu clenched his fist. "Now that Aomine has begun his awakening, I believe the others will follow soon. If I wait too long, I'll be left behind. It's a pity, but the higher-tier realms will have to wait."
He checked his status. He previously had 50,000 Cat Energy, and after today's win, he gained another 10,000, totaling 60,000 Cat Energy.
"Which skill should I choose?" He searched through the options for a long time until he found an ability: [Beast's Aura] for 50,000 Cat Energy.
"Isn't this like Tachibana Yoshihira's ability? It seems very similar to Wildness."
Karupin, being an animal himself, understood. "They are similar, but there are differences. Wildness is like a beast hunting—unwavering and instinctive. Beast's Aura mainly enhances concentration through conscious awareness."
Ryu nodded. "It costs 50,000... a huge sum, but I'll take the gamble. I can always earn more Cat Energy later. Do it, Karupin."
Blue light emanated from Karupin's eyes, and red flames began to appear on its body. The flames gradually enveloped Ryu, merging into his body. The process lasted half an hour.
When Ryu opened his eyes, he felt an additional energy within him, as if he had been born with it.
He closed his eyes and attempted to draw upon it. Soon, crimson flames surged around him, and a wild, bloodthirsty aura filled the room.
Karupin involuntarily tensed up, sensitive to the savage vibe.
"Alright, that's enough testing. Withdraw your aura," the cat muttered.
"Oh, okay," Ryu chuckled, withdrawing the pressure.
He was satisfied.
The Beast Aura was a worthy equivalent to Wildness, meaning he could now hold his own against the others even when they awakened.
Just as he was preparing to sleep and enter the dream space for training, he noticed another skill: [Tightrope Walking] for 10,000 Cat Energy.
After reading the description, Ryu smiled.
Time passed.
Since their match against Fukuyama, Teiko Middle School had been unstoppable, until the final match of the knockout stage.
Today, Teiko's opponent was Meisei Middle School.
Meisei Middle School was a school despised by all other schools because their basketball team had a notorious captain—a disgrace to the sports world, a basketball prodigy known for his ruthless and unethical methods.
He was also called "The Prodigy Hanamiya Makoto." Most teams that had played against them had suffered injuries, some minor and some serious.
In Teiko's locker room:
"Hanamiya Makoto's skills are decent. While he's not as good as Fukuyama's Hayama Kotaro, he's still significantly stronger than other players. Your only concern is to guard against his dirty tricks," Momoi Satsuki warned. "According to my investigation, Hanamiya Makoto likes to win through underhanded means. Several times, he's caused injuries to opponents, even resulting in permanent disabilities."
Hearing Momoi Satsuki's warning, the Teiko team members all wore grim expressions.
Aomine Daiki couldn't help but curse, "What does he take basketball for? How can there be such a disgusting person? Doesn't he care about the major tournament?"
Midorima Shintaro was also someone who couldn't tolerate injustice.
He pushed up his glasses and said coldly, "Playing against someone like that is really unpleasant."
Murasakibara Atsushi put a potato chip in his mouth and said while chewing, "Can I crush him?"
Akashi Seijuro remained silent.
Nijimura Shuzo stepped forward and spoke, "Although I'm also annoyed with Meisei, they were very discreet when they did it, choosing blind spots in the referees' eyes, leaving no evidence."
Shirogane Kozo also reminded them, "You all need to be vigilant at all times on the court. Be careful. The game is important, but I hope you can win it intact."
"Yes..." Ryu and the others said in unison.
"Meow..." Karupin meowed along.
Ryu's lips twitched, and he transmitted his voice, "Why are you suddenly meowing like that?"
Karupin licked its paws and said, "That Hanamiya guy you guys mentioned really annoys me."
"There's someone who can annoy you?" Ryu asked, somewhat curious.
Karupin rolled its eyes and said, "Tch, there are all sorts of pests in this world. This world has them, and my previous world had them too."
"Oh, then I'm curious who could possibly annoy you so much."
Hearing Ryu's words, Karupin flicked its tail and hit his face.
Although it wasn't very damaging, it was still somewhat insulting.
Ryu instantly became speechless. "You bastard."
Ryu tightened his grip on Karupin slightly. Sensing something was wrong, Karupin wasn't about to back down. It spread its claws, revealing the sharp blades hidden beneath its paw pads.
Ryu could clearly see five sharp claws extending from the pads.
Gulp…
Ryu couldn't help but swallow. A bead of cold sweat instantly trickled down his forehead.
The strength he had been using to hold Karupin vanished in an instant. Karupin just stared straight at Ryu.
Those sapphire-like vertical pupils radiated an arrogant pride.
Although it was somewhat comical, Ryu still gave in. "Fine, you win."
Hearing Ryu's concession, Karupin finally snorted and withdrew its paw.
This wasn't the first time the two had done this, but Ryu always came out on the defensive.
He had no choice but to admit defeat. If Karupin scratched him, even if it healed, it would leave a scar.
He didn't want to become a monster with a face full of cat claw marks.
The playful fight between the human and the cat didn't attract the attention of anyone else.
Momoi Satsuki saw Ryu standing there in a daze, so she walked over and asked, "Ryu, did you hear what I just said?"
"Ah, I heard it, I'll be careful."
Hearing Ryu's perfunctory reply, Momoi Satsuki said reproachfully, "Honestly, you never listen! What if you get hurt?"
Ryu smiled gently and then tucked Karupin into his arms. "Don't worry, I won't give them a chance to use dirty tricks. None of us will get hurt."
Hearing Ryu's gentle words and seeing those resolute yet beautiful silver eyes, Momoi Satsuki blushed slightly, her pinkish-red eyes darting around, somewhat hesitant to look at him.
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