Chapter 22

"Alright, if you lose, you'll wash my smelly socks for a week!"

"......Wash them if I have to! If you lose, you'll wash mine too!"

Aomine clearly lacked confidence, but he still agreed, biting the bullet.

Hakigane Kōzō felt that these two brats were a bit too arrogant, thinking about future things before the game was even over. Being so lax, how could they achieve great things?

"Tendo, Aomine, run ten laps around the court right now!"

"Ah?"

"Right now?"

Tendo Keiyan and Aomine were both stunned. The game wasn't even over yet, why were they being punished with running again?

"You guys also know the game isn't over yet."

"Knowing the game isn't over, what are you still standing there for? If you don't finish running before the game ends, I'll add 10 more laps. Now, immediately, right now, start running!"

Damn!

"Nothing good ever happens when I run into you."

"I should be the one saying that!"

Tendo Keiyan and Aomine got up and went to run.

Aomine felt a bit annoyed because he had just finished a quarter of the game. Loving basketball as he did, he didn't know what it meant to hold back, and he wanted to win against Tendo, so he had charged a bit too hard just now.

By now, he already felt a bit exhausted.

On the other hand, Tendo Keiyan had rested for an entire quarter on the bench, and his state was much better than his.

"Slow as a turtle, are you? Keep jogging like this and you'll be eating dust behind my ass." Tendo Keiyan kicked him while he was down and accelerated.

Aomine couldn't stand Tendo Keiyan's provocation and gritted his teeth to keep up.

Momoi Satsuki covered her face speechlessly, "These two idiots!"

Ten'in Riko was about the same, looking at Tendo Keiyan teasing a teenage brat with the eyes of someone looking at a childish ghost.

"Shameless!"

The interaction between Tendo and Aomine amused the comment teachers.

The match ended quickly.

Kawasaki Academy Affiliated failed to create a miracle in the end.

Facing the powerful Teiko, they were defeated completely.

The head coach of Kawasaki Academy Affiliated felt heavy-hearted and was absent-minded during the handshake.

On the other hand, Hakigane Kōzō couldn't control the smile on his face.

Four genius players emerged at once, and all of them possessed strong immediate combat power, the kind that could be used right away.

No need to wait a year or two; Teiko this year was full of hope.

Before this match, Hakigane Kōzō had prepared two plans.

Once these geniuses couldn't perform smoothly, he would let old players like Nijimura Shūzō lead them in subsequent matches, impart experience to them, and help them level up.

By next year or even the year after, Teiko could go and challenge for the Inter-High championship.

The other plan was, if these geniuses could cash in their talent now, he would use these players without hesitation.

He wasn't one of those timid, conservative coaches.

They were all brats; what veteran or not veteran, the key was having a hard fist!

Teiko was a victory-first team; whoever could help the team win would get playing time.

How many three years are there in a life? You can't waste them easily!

So far, the performances of the four people—Tendo, Murasakibara, Midorima, and Akashi—had all made him very satisfied.

The steady and solid first lineup and the high-firepower output of the second lineup—this ice and fire combination made it hard for opponents to adapt to the rhythm in a short time, and they would be pulled apart in the score if they weren't careful.

"Our Teiko will stir up a youth storm in the country this year." Hakigane Kōzō looked at Midorima and the others who were mocking Tendo and Aomine, his eyes full of expectation.

The next day.

The news of Kawasaki Academy Affiliated's crushing defeat by Teiko in the practice match spread throughout Tokyo.

If Kubo Jun's previous report couldn't attract the attention of teams in the Tokyo area.

Then this report of Teiko defeating Kawasaki Academy Affiliated finally attracted the attention of teams in the Tokyo area.

Kawasaki Academy Affiliated wasn't a pushover; their opponents in the regional qualifiers last year were the top 16 and top 8 of the Inter-High Tournament.

In other words, Kawasaki Academy Affiliated already possessed the strength of the top 32 in the country last year.

What about Teiko?

They turned the match into garbage time in just half a game. This powerful dominance made it impossible for teams in the Tokyo area not to care.

Especially those few geniuses.

Following their high-light performance in the club entrance assessment, they performed steadily again in this match.

The first to bear the brunt was Tendo Keiyan.

Facing the ace player of Kawasaki Academy Affiliated, he handed in an unbelievable answer sheet.

He defended Yoshizawa Ayumi so well that he only scored 2 points in the quarter!

Many team head coaches were wondering where this guy popped out from, and why they had never heard of him before?

In Kubo Jun's report, Tendo Keiyan was described as a forward who integrated offense and defense and already possessed national-level standards, calling him the next star player and Teiko's true defensive core.

Such a person shouldn't be unknown.

For a time, teams in the Tokyo area were all in danger.

Even though the Tokyo area was the largest division and had 3 tickets to the Inter-High Tournament.

But with Teiko like this, it was equivalent to the Tokyo area's tickets being permanently -1 for the next three years, and the competitive pressure suddenly increased.

Just like the water Tendo Keiyan blew when he was interviewed, "This is just a victory. From now on, people will slowly get used to Teiko's victories."

"This guy really knows how to show off." Ten'in Riko pouted while reading the magazine.

Actually, there was no need for the future; Tendo Keiyan was already a star player in the middle school basketball world.

Ever since Tendo Keiyan joined the basketball club, Hakigane Kōzō found that the number of visitors to the basketball club increased every day.

And most of them were girls; they were here to see Tendo Keiyan!

Regarding this, he could only sigh helplessly. This child, who always forgot his warnings and often walked into the basketball club wearing sunglasses, was really too handsome.

He was exactly the same as himself when he was young!

"If Tendo doesn't play basketball in the future, he can consider being a model or a star." Nijimura Shūzō was also very troubled.

He had to deal with those girls every day.

These girls, full of youthful energy, had their presence affecting the daily training of the basketball club.

As the club members practiced, they couldn't help but turn their eyes to other places.

He went up to expel them, only to be met with severe protests and sprayed with saliva.

For Tendo Keiyan and the others, Nijimura Shūzō could start beating them without saying a word, but for these girls, he had no way at all.

Every time he got angry from those girls, he would roar, "Tendo, run five laps around the court!"

Damn it!

This has nothing to do with me!

Tendo could only run around the court under Ten'in Riko's gloating gaze.

Every week after that, Hakigane Kōzō would arrange practice match opponents for the team.

For three consecutive matches, Teiko won smoothly without any suspense.

Not only could they win, but no opponent could bring the score difference to single digits.

With such results, let alone teams in the Tokyo area, teams nationwide became solemn.

Under Hakigane Kōzō's deliberate arrangement, he faced three different types of outside players, all of whom were the cores of their respective teams.

Speed-type, technique-type, power-type—all were complete.

And Tendo Keiyan handed in an answer sheet that made Hakigane Kōzō extremely satisfied.

Under his tight defense, none of his three opponents succeeded in scoring double digits.