Gu Jin changed into his practice jersey, and as soon as he returned to the training court, the atmosphere was subtly off.
He felt many discordant gazes.
Although Taoka Moichi had given a heads-up, most of the starting players had no issues with this special newcomer, but some second-year substitute players clearly showed displeasure on their faces—especially the substitute center, Sugadaira Hiroki.
He had worked tirelessly for a full year, yet the coach's gaze had never lingered on him.
Why?
Why could this first-year freshman receive special treatment as soon as he arrived?
The more Sugadaira thought about it, the more furious he became, his knuckles turning white as anger surged up his throat.
Gu Jin had just finished a shot and was picking up the ball when, as his fingertips touched the surface, a shadow loomed over him.
"Hey, first-year, this time slot is for the second-year training court. If you want to show off your shooting, go over there." Sugadaira's voice was rough, like gravel, hitting him hard, the anger in his eyes practically burning Gu Jin's face.
Gu Jin straightened up, his eyebrows raising slightly.
He didn't recognize this person, but the undisguised hostility pricked him like a needle.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Gu Jin's words were as blunt as a stone, making the air pause, his gaze locked directly on the other person, not backing down an inch.
Uekusa, a second-year, saw this and quickly ran over, placing his arm lightly between the two, smiling as he tried to smooth things over: "Gu Jin, you misunderstood! Sugadaira doesn't mean it that way; he's just too rigid in his personality, everything has to follow the rules."
Then he turned and tugged Sugadaira's arm, whispering, "Sugadaira, the first-year freshmen haven't joined the club yet, Gu Jin should be practicing with us."
But Sugadaira violently shook off his hand, his neck stiff as an iron rod: "Rules are rules! If you're a first-year, you should be with the first-years. What are you doing trying to show off here? Since the freshmen haven't joined the club yet, you should be doing basic drills!"
"Sugadaira." Koshino Hiroaki suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying a perfectly timed warning.
Among all of Ryonan, he was the most astute, the most quick-witted—
The way the coach looked at Gu Jin yesterday when he mentioned him, it was clear he regarded him as his pride and joy.
Sugadaira jumping out now was clearly asking for trouble, wasn't it?
He had weighed the pros and cons in his mind, like a scale, and understood the situation perfectly.
Gu Jin's eyes instantly turned cold, like a thin layer of ice had formed: "I haven't provoked you, have I? Why are you targeting me?"
"So what if I'm targeting you?" Sugadaira took half a step forward, his chest almost bumping Gu Jin's, "First-year, you don't have the right to be playing basketball here right now!"
"Captain, you should say something." Uekusa anxiously looked at Uozumi Jun, sweat beading on his forehead.
Uozumi, however, stood with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed under his thick brows—he wanted to see how much real ability this newcomer, whom the coach had praised to the skies, truly possessed.
"The right to play basketball? Is it based on skill or grade level?" Gu Jin suddenly chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, "According to you, first-years don't have the right, and upperclassmen are great, so why are you still a substitute?"
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding among the substitute players.
Several faces instantly darkened, but Gu Jin didn't even bat an eyelid—people were practically riding on his neck, why should he tolerate it?
His reasoning was simple: if you show me an inch of respect, I'll show you a mile;
If you dare to disrespect me, I'll knock you into the dust.
Sugadaira's face flushed crimson, veins throbbing on his forehead: "Skill? A first-year punk dares to be so arrogant! Let me tell you, high school basketball is completely different from middle school! I scored 21 points in a single game in middle school! But middle school is middle school, compared to high school, it's garbage!"
"You? 21 points?" Gu Jin scoffed, his sarcasm like a knife, "Your opponents probably weren't elementary school students, were they?"
"You, you dare to belittle me!" Sugadaira's voice cracked, his fists clenched, knuckles white, making a grinding sound.
"So what if I belittled you?" Gu Jin tilted his head slightly, the disdain in his eyes clear as day.
"Kid, you're arrogant enough!" Sugadaira suddenly picked up the basketball from the floor and slammed it hard against the ground, "Alright, I'll go one-on-one with you, first to 10 points! If you want to stand on this court, you have to speak with your skill! If you lose..."
"I won't lose even if I give you 9 points." Gu Jin interrupted lightly, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather.
At these words, even the starting players drinking water nearby almost choked.
Sendoh rested his elbow on a teammate's shoulder, his eyes curving in a smile: "Go get a scoreboard, it's been a while since I watched a one-on-one, this is going to be lively."
Sugadaira was about to serve the ball, but Gu Jin raised his hand to stop him: "Wait."
"What? Scared?" Sugadaira scoffed, his eyes full of contempt, "It's too late to regret now!"
"We'll play rock-paper-scissors for the ball." Gu Jin looked at him, his gaze unruffled.
Sugadaira was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing as if he had heard the biggest joke: "Just now you said you'd give me 9 points, and now you're afraid of me serving first?"
"You misunderstood." Gu Jin's tone remained unchanged, "Even 1v1 has rules. I can give points, but rules cannot be broken."
He paused, his gaze suddenly turning cold, like it was iced over, "Furthermore, we have an old saying in China: 'Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.' Even if I'm facing trash, I will use my full strength—this is the respect I'm giving you, and you have to accept it."
"You think I'm trash?" Sugadaira roared like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and was about to charge forward.
"It's not that I think you're trash," Gu Jin met his gaze, enunciating each word heavily and forcefully, "it's that you are trash."
He hadn't thought about getting along well with his teammates, but he would never learn to tolerate being wronged in his life.
The rock-paper-scissors result: Gu Jin won.
"Sugadaira, once I get the ball, this game is over." Gu Jin weighed the ball in his hand, his tone calm to the point of cruelty.
"Don't look down on me!" Sugadaira roared, staring intently at the ball in Gu Jin's hand, his breathing growing heavier.
Gu Jin held the ball, assuming a triple-threat stance.
It was just a simple crossover fake, but Sugadaira reacted like an enraged Chicago Bulls, leaping out fiercely—normally he might not be so impulsive, but his current rage had burned away all his reason.
On the sidelines, Uozumi glanced at Sendoh: "Sendoh, what do you think of Gu Jin's approach?"
Sendoh stroked his chin, smiling with keen interest: "I think there's nothing wrong with it. Although the coach gave a heads-up, there are many people who aren't convinced. If it were me, I'd also use skill to shut them up."
Uozumi frowned and shook his head: "That's true, but he's too arrogant."
"I don't think it's arrogance." Sendoh looked at the figure on the court, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, "After interacting with him, he's actually quite polite, just strong-willed, the 'I won't offend if not offended' type.
Moreover, Sugadaira was indeed excessive.
Besides, being arrogant is for those without ability; for those with ability, it's called confidence."