Chapter 191: The Star of Aichi
The reporters below the stage had completely lost their minds.
This was the MVP Award!
Countless players dreamed of winning it.
It was one thing for Makino Juro not to show up...
But he actually thought it was too heavy to carry?!
Click! Click! Click!
Camera shutters fired nonstop.
Tomorrow's headlines had already written themselves.
"Where Did Shohoku's Starters Disappear To?"
"Shocking! Squinty-Eyed Man Dominates the Awards Ceremony by Taking Home Both Trophies!"
...
One week later.
The streets of Yokohama shimmered beneath a relentless heatwave.
The cicadas screamed themselves hoarse, making everyone who heard them want to pick a fight.
Two figures walked one behind the other along the sun-baked asphalt.
The man in front had dark skin and an air of calm authority.
It was Maki Shinichi.
Behind him, a cap-wearing teenager bounced around like a hyperactive monkey.
"Maki! Maki, slow down!"
Kiyota Nobunaga held up an ice cream that was rapidly melting into soup, sweat pouring down his face.
Maki stopped and turned around.
His dignified face was filled with helplessness.
"Kiyota."
"You're the one who insisted on coming."
"Huh?!"
Kiyota's eyes widened as he spoke with absolute confidence.
"I'm scouting the enemy!"
"That guy is someone I'll have to defend sooner or later!"
"So naturally, I, Kiyota Nobunaga, have to investigate my future opponent!"
Maki sighed as he looked at his overly energetic rookie ace.
"...Who said he was your opponent?"
"What?!"
"You don't think I'm qualified?!"
Kiyota instantly exploded, shouting so loudly that pedestrians turned to stare.
"Quiet."
Maki pressed a hand against Kiyota's head.
Ahead of them stood a gaudy building lit by flashing neon signs.
Massive speakers blasted upbeat electronic music.
A long line stretched outside the entrance.
The air was thick with the smell of cheap cigarettes and the restless excitement that sent adrenaline surging through the body.
"A..."
"A pachinko parlor?!"
Kiyota's jaw nearly hit the pavement.
He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he'd suffered heatstroke and started hallucinating.
Makino Juro...
The ruthless monster on the basketball court.
Sakuragi Hanamichi...
The loudmouth who constantly shouted about conquering the nation.
And now...
The two of them were standing outside a pachinko parlor, holding queue tickets with eager expressions.
Beside them stood several guys who looked anything but respectable.
The Sakuragi Army had assembled in full force.
"This..."
Kiyota's worldview shattered.
"Unforgivable!"
"This is absolutely unforgivable!"
"The National Tournament is about to begin!"
"And you're wasting time playing pachinko?!"
With an angry roar, Kiyota charged forward.
"Hey!"
"You red-haired monkey!"
"And you too, you annoying Juro!"
His voice cut through the crowd like a siren.
Sakuragi, who had just bought a bottle of Ramune soda, twitched an ear and turned around.
"Hm?"
Seeing Kiyota charging toward him, he froze for a second.
Then a thoroughly punchable grin spread across his face.
"Hahaha!"
"Isn't this Kainan's little wild monkey?"
"What?"
"You want to play too?"
"This game actually requires intelligence."
"Someone like you doesn't stand a chance."
Pointing at Kiyota, Sakuragi laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.
"Who wants to play this?!"
Kiyota stormed up to them, hopping mad.
"You're high school students!"
"Should high school students even be in a place like this?!"
"Just because you won the prefectural tournament, you think you can slack off?"
"Shouldn't you be sweating it out in the gym instead?!"
Makino Juro leaned lazily against the doorframe, idly rolling several shiny steel balls between his fingers.
They clicked softly against one another.
He glanced at the furious Kiyota before shifting his gaze to Maki, who was strolling over at an unhurried pace.
"Oh."
"Isn't it the middle-aged man?"
Juro yawned without even bothering to raise his eyelids.
"What?"
"Taking the kid out for a walk?"
"Pfft—"
The chubby Takamiya Nozomi couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
Mito Yohei grinned as well and pointed at Maki.
"Oh."
"Isn't that Kainan's coach?"
Maki: "..."
He took a deep breath, reminding himself to stay composed.
He was a mature adult.
There was no need to stoop to the level of this pack of problem children.
"What are you doing here, Juro?"
Maki asked in his deep, commanding voice.
"Exactly what you see."
"I'm cultivating my artistic temperament."
"And training my dynamic vision and hand-eye coordination while I'm at it."
Makino Juro casually gestured toward the noisy pachinko parlor behind him.
"What nonsense!"
Kiyota pointed accusingly at Makino Juro.
"This is called wasting your talent!"
"I thought Shohoku trained harder than anyone!"
"But after making Nationals for the first time, you've already become this complacent!"
"If it were Kainan..."
"We'd never relax like this!"
"That's the difference between true champions and lucky upstarts!"
People waiting in line began whispering among themselves.
The smile slowly disappeared from Makino Juro's face.
He straightened up.
The lazy aura surrounding him vanished instantly.
For a brief moment...
Kiyota felt as though a lion that had been napping had suddenly opened its eyes.
"A loser shouldn't talk so much."
"If you lost..."
"Then shut up."
"How we train..."
"And how we relax..."
"Those are privileges reserved for the winners."
Makino Juro's voice was quiet.
Yet every word landed like a slap across Kiyota's face.
"Y-You...!"
"I'm only trying to remind you!"
"If you don't want to become Kanagawa's embarrassment, hurry back and practice!"
Kiyota finally snapped.
His face turned as red as liver.
"Huh?"
Sakuragi immediately frowned.
Taking a single step forward, his towering frame cast a huge shadow over Kiyota.
He pressed his iron-hard forehead against Kiyota's until their noses were nearly touching.
"Wild monkey."
"Are you questioning this genius's strength?"
"How about we settle it right here?"
"Bring it on!"
"I'm not afraid of you, you red-haired monkey!"
The two glared at each other like fighting roosters, moments away from throwing punches outside the pachinko parlor.
Thunk!
A crisp sound rang out.
It was the unmistakable noise of a fist meeting someone's skull.
"It hurts!!"
Kiyota's fierce expression instantly crumbled.
He clutched his head with both hands, squatted on the ground, and fought back tears.
Maki calmly withdrew his fist.
His prematurely mature-looking face radiated pure exhaustion.
He looked less like Kainan's captain...
And more like a weary father who had taken an unruly child on a field trip.
"You've gone far enough."
Maki sighed.
His tone carried three parts authority...
And seven parts resignation.
"Stop acting like some experienced veteran lecturing other people."
"Kiyota."
"Aren't you also making your National Tournament debut?"
"Maki..."
"Couldn't you at least leave me a little dignity?"
"I'm trying to protect Kainan's reputation as Kanagawa's king..."
Kiyota crouched on the ground, sadly drawing circles with his finger like a wronged child.
"Enough."
"Hurry up."
"If we waste any more time, we'll miss the Shinkansen."
Maki glanced at his wristwatch, his brows knitted together.
"The Shinkansen?"
Sakuragi's ears immediately perked up.
His curiosity radar activated instantly.
The hostility from moments ago seemed to have been completely erased.
Blinking innocently, he leaned closer.
"Hey, middle-aged man."
"Where are you guys going?"
"Don't tell me it's some senior citizens' sightseeing tour?"
Maki looked at the troublesome redhead in front of him.
The vein on his temple throbbed.
Although Kainan had lost to Shohoku...
Deep down, he genuinely acknowledged Sakuragi's freakish physical talent.
If only...
The kid didn't talk so much.
He stopped walking and looked into the distance, trying to recover some of the regal composure befitting Kanagawa's king.
"Have you ever heard..."
"...of the Star of Aichi?"
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
👉 /MrBehringer