"Oh! I see."
"All you have to do is slam the ball into the basket."
“It sounds like a simple thing indeed.”
Sakuragi Hanamichi watched Jinguji Budo's demonstration, clapped his hands, and said, "It's nothing special." Slam dunks are something that people who watch will think that as long as the moves are not too fancy, Sakuragi Hanamichi is no exception. In his opinion, it is nothing more than a simple move of putting the ball into the basket, and he really can't see how difficult it is.
"laugh!"
"Little guy, don't brag. Not everyone can dunk."
"Out of 1,000 high school students, not even one can do this, let alone junior high school students. You are almost the same height, but..."
"In our Xiangbei High School, Budou and I are the only ones who can dunk. You...?"
“Hehe.”
Akagi Takenori sneered, crossed his arms over his chest, and when he said "slam dunk", his expression was inevitably a little arrogant. What he said was true. In Xiangbei High School, so far, only he and Jinguji Budou could slam dunk. They had already made it to the semi-finals of the county competition, and there were very few opponents they could slam dunk against.
As for Xiangbei High School, Mitsui's height seems to be not much different from Sakuragi Hanamichi, but Mitsui is still far from being able to dunk. Mitsui is fast, but his jumping ability is not outstanding. Even players like Mitsui who have played basketball since childhood and have trained countless times cannot do it.
A junior high school student like Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had never received any physical training, wanted to dunk? To Akagi, it was like a fantasy.
"Hey, Wudao, I don't know what your expectations are for this junior high school student, but..." Before Akagi Takenori could finish his words, he noticed that Sakuragi Hanamichi was holding a basketball, looking at the basket with both hands, with a serious look on his face.
Seeing Sakuragi like this, Akagi subconsciously stopped talking and looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi silently. Jinguji Takeshi came to Sakuragi Hanamichi silently, put his arm around Sakuragi Hanamichi's shoulders, and whispered in Sakuragi Hanamichi's ear:
"Hanamichi, see that basket? You need to adjust your rhythm when running."
"Pay attention to the jumping distance."
"By the way, this little girl Akagi Haruko likes people who are good at basketball the most!"
"I'm very optimistic about you, Hanamichi."
Takeshi Jinguji's voice was very low. Akagi Takenori and Haruko only saw Takeshi whispering something in Sakuragi Hanamichi's ear. They didn't know what Takeshi Jinguji said to Sakuragi, and thought Takeshi was teaching Sakuragi Hanamichi how to dunk.
After Jinguji Takenori whispered something to Sakuragi Hanamichi, Akagi Takenori and Haruko could clearly feel that there was a huge change in Sakuragi Hanamichi's aura.
If Sakuragi seemed serious before, then now he seems to be in heat
"Haruko... likes... someone who is good at playing basketball?!"
"Just now, Haruko's gorilla brother said that among 1,000 high school students, not even one can dunk. Brother Budo is an athlete. If I can dunk like him, then Haruko..."
Sakuragi Hanamichi's expression gradually became "distorted". When Jinguji Takeshi saw Sakuragi Hanamichi like this, he raised his eyebrows and was very surprised.
"Fuck, I gave me too much medicine!" Jinguji Takeshi cried out secretly in his heart. After all, this was the first time he used this method to motivate Sakuragi Hanamichi. Judging from the current results, it might have had the opposite effect.
Seeing Sakuragi Hanamichi standing there with a silly smile, Wudao decided to stop the loss in time and slapped Sakuragi Hanamichi on the shoulder. When Sakuragi Hanamichi looked at Jinguji Wudao in a daze, he immediately said:
"What are you waiting for? Go!" Wudao pointed at the basket, and Sakuragi Hanamichi woke up from his hysteria. He nodded heavily, then grabbed the basketball and rushed directly towards the basket.
Sakuragi Hanamichi doesn't know how to dribble at all. At this moment, he is holding the basketball in his right hand, and his arms are swinging with the rhythm of his running, as if he is sprinting.
"Huh?!" Takenori Akagi did not find it funny that Sakuragi Hanamichi could not dribble. He knew from Wudou that Sakuragi was a novice, so he did not say anything in this regard. Instead, it was Sakuragi Hanamichi's sprinting speed that surprised Takenori Akagi.
Sakuragi Hanamichi runs at full speed very fast!
Akagi silently glanced at Wudao not far away, and his attention returned to Sakuragi Hanamichi.
"Come on, Sakuragi-san!" Akagi Haruko obviously didn't know how much damage she had done to Sakuragi Hanamichi. Seeing Sakuragi sprinting at full speed, this naive girl shouted to cheer for Sakuragi Hanamichi.
"Hehe, Haruko~" When Sakuragi Hanamichi heard the shout, he happily turned his head to look at Haruko who was standing next to Akagi Takenori and cheering him up, with a silly smile on his face.
At the same time, Sakuragi Hanamichi was getting closer and closer to the basket.
When Jinguji Takeshi saw this scene, he couldn't help but cover his face with his hands. It was really embarrassing.
“Ding~~”
Sakuragi Hanamichi, whose mind was completely focused on Haruko, didn't realize that he had already rushed to the basket. Attracted by Haruko, he didn't even brake and rushed directly out of the court and hit his head on the basketball hoop.
The basketball stand in this park court is different from those in other courts. It is supported by a single column. Sakuragi Hanamichi's collision caused the entire stand to shake violently.
Sakuragi Hanamichi hit the basketball hoop with his head and fell to the ground, with the basketball rolling out of his hands.
"Gurgle... Gurgle..." The ball rolled to Wudao's feet.
"... ... ... " Jinguji Takeshi looked down at the basketball at his feet, unable to speak for a long time. The kind-hearted Akagi Haruko was concerned about Sakuragi Hanamichi's condition at the moment, and hurried over.
"Budo... where did you find this funny guy?" Akagi Takenori's mouth twitched. He was originally looking forward to seeing Sakuragi Hanamichi's sprinting speed, but now...
Apart from the black lines on his head, Takenori Akagi really couldn't look Sakuragi Hanamichi in the face.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts~~" Sakuragi Hanamichi, who hit the basketball hoop with his head, stood up from the ground with the help of Akagi Haruko. The boy covered his head with his hands and shouted "It hurts".
"Sakuragi-san, are you okay?!" Akagi Haruko looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi with concern. Her soft voice entered Sakuragi Hanamichi's ears, making Sakuragi's whole body tremble, and the pain disappeared without a trace in an instant.
"No... Nothing."
“Haha. Hahahaha!”
Sakuragi Hanamichi scratched the back of his head. He was a little embarrassed at first, but this embarrassed feeling only lasted for a few seconds before completely disappearing. He burst into laughter, as if the collision just now did not exist at all.
However, there was an obvious dent on the basketball hoop where Sakuragi Hanamichi had just hit the basketball hoop. Even the frame was tilted slightly downward. Although the amplitude was not large, it was real.
“Ikebana… .”
"Are you okay? If you are, go ahead."
Takeshi Jinguji really didn't know what to say. He walked to Sakuragi Hanamichi with the basketball. His eyes caught the obvious dent on the basketball hoop. He looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi who seemed to be fine, and his eyes twitched.
"Ah?! Oh!"
"Haruko, that was just a mistake. Next, let me show you how I perform!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi simply responded to Takeshi's words, then looked at Akagi Haruko and said to her with a deep affection. The simple Haruko didn't notice Sakuragi Hanamichi's "deep affection" at all, her eyes smiled into two crescent moons, and encouraged: "Well! Come on!"
"Things seem to be beyond my control..." Jinguji Takeshi saw that Sakuragi Hanamichi only had eyes for Akagi Haruko, and shook his head secretly. He felt a little tired, walked to the sidelines silently, and urged:
"Hanamichi, please do it again. Don't be distracted."
Although Jinguji Takeshi can be considered Sakuragi Hanamichi's benefactor, at this moment Sakuragi Hanamichi did not take Takeshi's words to heart at all. In his eyes now, there was only Akagi Haruko.
Although it was Takeshi who was talking to him, Sakuragi Hanamichi ignored Takeshi and continued to talk to Haruko:
"Thank you, Haruko, I won't let you down!"
After saying this, Sakuragi Hanamichi shouted to Wudao: "Brother, the ball!"
Seeing Sakuragi Hanamichi's look, Wudao suddenly increased the strength of his grip on the ball, and the basketball also showed obvious deformation in Wudao's hands.
“Hu… ..”
"When you get to Xiangbei, I'll give you a good lesson!"
Wudao breathed a sigh of relief, then gave Sakuragi Hanamichi a kind smile and threw the ball to him.
Seeing that Sakuragi was about to try again, Akagi Haruko smiled and retreated to the sidelines, staring at Sakuragi Hanamichi. Sakuragi seemed to feel Haruko's gaze, and waved happily at Haruko, then faced the basket and slowly distanced himself.
"Run to the basket and dunk the ball into the basket as hard as you can."
"Simple!"
When he reached the top of the arc and the three-point line, Sakuragi Hanamichi stopped, bent his body slightly, and began to rush towards the basket at a rapid speed.
This time, Sakuragi Hanamichi's running speed was still maintained at a fairly high level. In just one or two seconds, he rushed directly to the basket, stepped on the top of the dotted arc inside the free throw line, and flew towards the basket.
"So high!" Akagi Haruko looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi flying into the air and exclaimed, covering her mouth. Akagi Takenori also looked dazed and opened his mouth slightly, as if he was surprised by Sakuragi Hanamichi's bounce.
At this time, Sakuragi Hanamichi had already approached the basket, and his head was level with the basket when viewed from the side. Just when the brother and sister thought that Sakuragi Hanamichi would give them a wonderful slam dunk, Sakuragi Hanamichi's body quickly deviated from the original gliding route, and his face quickly approached the backboard.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's sprint route was a bit crooked.
“Peng!
"A muffled sound came from the backboard. Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was flying into the air, deviated from his intended route and crashed headfirst into the backboard. A shallow dent appeared on the white backboard, and there was a little oil stain.
"Bang!" There was another dull sound, and Sakuragi Hanamichi fell on his buttocks.
"Hey young!"
Concrete floors, wooden floors and plastic floors are all different. Sakuragi Hanamichi screamed in pain after falling to the ground. Akagi Haruko, who was watching the game on the side, was also shocked when she saw this. Just as she was about to run over to help Sakuragi, Sakuragi had already stood up from the ground, rubbing his head.
Despite such a violent impact, Sakuragi Hanamichi did not suffer any injuries on his body except that his clothes were slightly dirty. Even the skin on his elbows was not broken.
"Another mistake..." Sakuragi Hanamichi whispered, looking a little frustrated. However, Akagi Haruko excitedly rushed to Sakuragi Hanamichi and shouted:
"Amazing! Sakuragi-kun you are really amazing!"
"Not only can I catch the basketball with one hand, but I can also hit the backboard with my head."
"I've never met anyone like you. You're definitely a genius!"
The same words, if spoken by Jinguji Budou, would definitely sound sarcastic, but when spoken by Akagi Haruko, they were extremely convincing.
"Really? Am I really a genius?"
“Ha..hahahahahaha!”
Sakuragi Hanamichi was originally feeling a little frustrated because of his failed slam dunk, but after being praised by Akagi Haruko, he felt so excited that he put his hands on his waist and laughed wildly.
"Really! Really!"
"Sakuragi-kun's jumping ability is absolutely top-notch!"
"You are definitely capable of dunking, you are just not very skilled at it now."
"Isn't that right, brother? Sakuragi-kun's jumping ability is top-notch, right?!"
As if to enhance the credibility of her words, Akagi Haruko happily greeted her brother Akagi Takenori.
Although Akagi Takenori's impression of Sakuragi Hanamichi is not very good, to be honest, Sakuragi Hanamichi's jumping ability just now really surprised Akagi. He jumped flat on the rim and hit the backboard with his head. This kind of jumping ability is undoubtedly top-notch.
Not to mention junior high school, even in high school, there are very few people who can compare with Sakuragi Hanamichi in terms of jumping ability. There are people in Xiangbei High School who can compare with Sakuragi Hanamichi in jumping ability, but it is not him, Takenori Akagi.
Although he didn't want to, Akagi still nodded honestly in response to Haruko's question, and said in agreement: "Yes, Haruko is right. In terms of jumping ability, your level is undoubtedly top-notch."
"But..." Seeing Sakuragi Hanamichi's proud and complacent look, Akagi Takenori frowned slightly and continued:
"But you can't be good at basketball just by having jumping ability."
"Sakuragi Hanamichi is a talented person, but it is not easy to become a qualified basketball player."
"What's more, if we want to help our Xiangbei High School achieve its goal of dominating the country, your level is far from enough!"
Akagi Takenori did not say anything too harsh. He had already acknowledged Sakuragi Hanamichi's talent. He did not want Sakuragi Hanamichi to become proud and complacent, nor did he want to undermine Sakuragi Hanamichi's self-confidence, so he was somewhat tactful when he spoke.
Seeing Akagi's attitude, Jinguji Budou knew that Akagi was actually optimistic about Sakuragi's talent. Budou rubbed his chin, pulled Sakuragi Hanamichi to the side of Akagi Takenori, smiled, and said to Akagi:
"Akagi, this kid has pretty good talent, right?" Wudao asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Well, it's okay." Akagi Takenori nodded. He almost never lies when it comes to basketball.
"In order to train excellent backup forces for our Xiangbei High School, the task of training Sakuragi Hanamichi will be handed over to you!"
"From now on, I will be responsible for his physical training from Monday to Friday, and you will guide his basketball practice on Saturdays and Sundays!"
"How about it?!"
Jinguji Takeshi narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled.
"Huh?! Train with me? Why, what are you doing with me when you're here?!"
"And you are in charge of his physical training? As far as basketball skills are concerned, wouldn't it be better for you to teach him?!"
Although Takenori Akagi is also a person with a strong sense of self-esteem, he highly recognizes Jinguji Budou's basketball skills. Akagi is not arrogant enough to think that his basketball skills are better than Budou's.
Jinguji Budo glanced at Akagi Haruko and quickly looked away. He couldn't say that he asked Sakuragi to practice with him because of Akagi Haruko, right? If he said that, Akagi would probably get angry.
"Hanamichi has the potential to become an excellent inside player. You are the best inside player in our Xiangbei team."
"My style of play is not suitable for Sakuragi Hanamichi, who has just started playing basketball."
"And... Akagi, while teaching the younger generation the skills, you are also strengthening yourself. Your foundation needs to be strengthened."
"And if you want to get stronger, you need a sparring partner. Kadota can't do that. I'm not an inside player."
"He's very good."
Wudou pulled Sakuragi Hanamichi to his side, patted Sakuragi's shoulder and said with a smile.
"This..." Akagi was a little hesitant. He didn't have a very good impression of Sakuragi.
"This is the future of our Shohoku!" Wudao had already grasped Akagi's character and said with a smile.
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