After eating, Gu Jin patted Sakuragi Hanamichi on the shoulder: "Want to play on the street court for a bit? I'll drill you."
Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately straightened his back: "Let's go, who's drilling who is still unknown, this genius's touch has been very hot lately!"
As soon as the two turned the corner, they heard a frivolous laugh coming from the alley next to the street court.
"Little sister, all alone? Brothers will take you to a fun place, guaranteed to be more interesting than staying at this broken court."
Following the sound, they saw two thugs with dyed yellow hair blocking a girl. She was wearing Shohoku's blue and white school uniform, her short hair neatly tucked behind her ears. At this moment, she was frowning and backing away, her eyes alert, but showing no hint of fear.
Gu Jin stared at the girl's profile and suddenly let out an "Oh"—the way she pursed her lips looked somewhat familiar.
Before he could think further, Sakuragi Hanamichi had already bristled, striding over and pointing at the two thugs, roaring: "Hey! What are you doing? Bullying a girl in broad daylight, what kind of men are you!"
The two thugs turned to see a tall, red-haired guy, first Stunned for a moment, then sneered: "Where did this idiot come from? Want to be a hero saving the beauty? Don't even look at your own weight."
"This genius is Sakuragi Hanamichi!" Sakuragi stiffened his neck, his fists already clenched, "Get out of here quickly, or I'll let you taste how hard a genius's fist is!"
The girl looked up sharply at the sound, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes as she looked at Sakuragi, then she turned to Gu Jin, as if recognizing him, her lips moved but she didn't speak.
Only then did Gu Jin realize—isn't this the girl who's always with Haruko?
Last time Shohoku played Ryonan, she was even shouting louder than anyone in the stands. At that time, Haruko seemed to call her... Fujii?
"Are you Sakuragi from Ryonan?" The girl finally spoke, her voice clear, "Help me!"
"Don't be afraid!" Sakuragi immediately said loudly: "I'm here! It's okay!" As he spoke, he took up a fighting stance.
The two thugs, seeing that he was serious and noting Gu Jin's and Sakuragi's height, still felt fear. They exchanged a look, dropped a "just you wait" and scurried away.
The alley became quiet again, Sakuragi still fuming and glaring in the direction they ran off.
The girl stepped forward and bowed to him: "Thank you, Sakuragi. My name is Fujii Ran, and I'm a student at Shohoku."
"Fujii... Ran?" Sakuragi scratched his head, "Don't mention it, I can't stand people who bully girls."
"Thank you!" Fujii Ran sincerely thanked him again, and when her gaze fell on his red hair, she couldn't help but curve her lips, "I watched the last game between Shohoku and Ryonan, Sakuragi is very impressive."
Sakuragi's face flushed "whoosh," and he waved his hands frantically: "That, that's natural! This genius is a basketball player!"
Gu Jin watched from the side, amused, and deliberately coughed twice: "Alright, genius, weren't you going to practice? Or did you forget about important matters when you saw a pretty girl?"
"Who, who forgot!" Sakuragi immediately turned and walked towards the court, then after two steps, he turned back and said to Fujii Ran, "Do, do you want to come along? This genius can teach you how to shoot!"
Fujii Ran's eyes sparkled: "Sure, I love watching basketball."
"Then it's settled!" Sakuragi instantly perked up, puffing out his chest, "Watch this genius show you what I can do!"
Gu Jin watched Sakuragi's back as he rushed to the court in two strides, then looked at Fujii Ran, who followed closely behind with a smile on her lips. He suddenly thought, Sakuragi lost love 50 times? He's quite good at picking up girls.
But thinking about it, it makes sense, this is probably the principle of 'a long illness makes a good doctor'!!!
On the street court, Sakuragi Hanamichi grabbed three rebounds in a row. As he turned, he met Fujii Ran's gaze. The smile in her eyes was as bright as sunshine, making his heart suddenly skip a beat.
"Sakuragi is really amazing." Fujii Ran tossed him a bottle of water.
Sakuragi took the water, looking at her forehead hair blown by the wind, and suddenly felt that the curve of this girl's lips when she spoke was particularly cute, more pleasing than any girl he had ever seen.
He blushed, "How, how could I be that amazing!"
"Sakuragi, are you free?" Fujii's face was also red.
"Is there something, Fujii?" Sakuragi Hanamichi asked.
"Thanks to you just now, I'll treat you to some cold drinks to express my gratitude!"
"Good, good!"
Just as he agreed, he reached into his pocket and realized he had rushed out without a single penny.
His eyes darted around, then he turned and ran towards Gu Jin on the sidelines, asking in a low voice: "Hey, Gu Jin! Did you bring any money?"
Gu Jin was shooting hoops and raised an eyebrow at the question: "Why?"
"Lend me some!" Sakuragi lowered his voice, but it still carried an urgent tone, "How can I let a girl pay?"
Gu Jin caught the ball, sized him up, and suddenly chuckled: "So you're picking up a girl, and I have to pay?"
"What picking up a girl! This genius is... this is politeness!" Sakuragi's face flushed, and he retorted with a stiff neck, "Hurry up and lend me some, or it'll be too late!"
Gu Jin shook his head helplessly, pulled a few banknotes from his wallet and handed them over: "I really give up on you."
"Thanks, brother! I'll pay you back later!" Sakuragi snatched the money and turned to run towards Fujii Ran, his steps swift.
Gu Jin muttered: "You, kid, have the virtue of paying back money?"
"Gu Jin, you go home by yourself later!" Sakuragi waved without looking back.
The two walked side by side towards the street corner, Sakuragi's distinctive red hair bobbing in the crowd. He occasionally turned back to say something to Fujii, making her laugh.
Gu Jin watched their retreating figures, smiled and shook his head, then picked up the basketball on the ground and started shooting by himself on the court.
The afternoon sun stretched his shadow long, and the sound of the basketball hitting the ground was exceptionally clear.
After an unknown number of shots, a challenging voice suddenly came from behind him: "Are you Gu Jin?"
Gu Jin turned and saw a boy in a loose jersey, about his height, with an unyielding look in his eyes, spinning a basketball in his hand.
"Dare to play two with me?" The boy lifted his chin, his tone full of fighting spirit.
"Who are you?" Gu Jin held the ball, his gaze sweeping over the gray tank top the other person was wearing, its neckline loose, giving no hint of his background.
"If you want to know my name, you have to beat me first." The boy tugged at the hem of his tank top, the arrogance in his tone mixed with the heat of the sun, hitting him head-on.
Gu Jin twirled the ball in his hand, his fingertips tracing the rough surface: "Not interested." After Sakuragi left, he had planned to shoot for a bit and then leave, no need to contend with a stranger.
Before he finished speaking, the boy suddenly moved.
Without dribbling, he rushed forward two steps with the ball, then suddenly bent his knees and leaped into the air—his whole body like a pebble shot out, cutting a sharp angle in the sunlight, his right hand gripping the ball and slamming it hard into the hoop!
"Bang!" The hoop made a dull sound, the basketball bounced away, and as he landed, his knees slightly bent, he stood firmly, his fringe moving.
Gu Jin narrowed his eyes.
This dunk was not flashy, but it had a wild edge to it. The lines of his tensed waist and abdomen during the hang time hid explosive power, definitely not just a casual passerby.
Gu Jin's interest was immediately piqued. He bounced the ball on the ground, catching it in his hand as it rebounded: "Alright, then I'll play with you."
Wind swept leaves across the court, two figures faced each other across half the court.
The basketball spun half a circle in Gu Jin's palm. When he looked up, the opponent had already taken a defensive stance, his eyes burning bright.
No one stated the rules, but the competitive atmosphere in the air was already thick and palpable.