The end of the National Tournament also signaled the return to normalcy for the basketball team.
Ring ring ring…
The long-awaited school bell rang.
Ryu picked up his backpack and walked out of the school building with Karupin.
Opening the basketball gym door, he saw several second-year students.
The third-year students had retired after the National Tournament.
The current Teiko basketball team's first team was much smaller than before.
"It's Ryu. You're here as early as ever."
Ryu smiled slightly and replied, "I came as soon as class ended. I didn't have anything else to do, so I thought I'd train here! Huh? Where's the captain?"
"Oh, you mean Nijimura? I heard he found a good prospect and he's already gone to find him."
Hearing the senior's words, Ryu fell into thought.
'A promising prospect? Who is it? Who else could join the basketball club at this time?'
Ryu asked curiously, "Senior, do you know who that person is?"
"I don't know. Nijimura didn't say, but I heard he plays the same position as you. You'd better be careful."
'Could it be him?' Ryu guessed something from his senior's words. 'A small forward who plays the same position as me? Only three people joined the basketball club later. Kuroko can be ignored for now, so that leaves two: Haizaki Shogo and Kise Ryota.'
Heh…
Ryu's lips involuntarily curled up as he muttered to himself, "We really can't let our guard down!"
As the two were talking, Akashi, Aomine, Murasakibara, and Midorima entered the gym one after another.
They spotted Ryu immediately.
A flash of fighting spirit crossed their eyes.
Aomine Daiki ran straight to Ryu without saying a word.
"Ryu, let's have a match."
"Huh?" Ryu sighed helplessly.
He was truly speechless about this guy. He felt so tired.
The others in the gym were used to it.
Every few days, Aomine Daiki would challenge Ryu to a match, and he'd lose every single one.
It had practically become common knowledge in the gym.
"Let's forget about it today. I heard a new player is getting promoted to the first team. If you want to find someone to fight, you can test that guy's strength for us."
A new player? Akashi and the others fell into thought upon hearing this.
When did a new player join the first team? They hadn't heard a thing.
Aomine Daiki's brow twitched, and he asked in confusion.
"A newbie? Do you know who he is? How good is he? Is he amazing? How does he compare to you?"
"Alright, alright, how would I know? I've never even met him. I just heard it from the upperclassmen. Nijimura-senpai has already gone to find him, so we should see him soon!"
Now everyone was curious.
They all wanted to see who this newbie was.
A dozen minutes later, the basketball court doors swung open with a clang.
"Yo! Everyone's here!"
Everyone looked over at the sound.
Leading the way was Nijimura Shuzo.
"Captain..."
"Nijimura-senpai..."
After greeting Nijimura Shuzo, everyone's attention turned to the person behind him.
Standing behind Nijimura Shuzo was a boy about 175 centimeters tall.
The boy wore Teiko's white school uniform and a blue shirt; he had gray hair, a slightly raised forehead, and a haughty smile.
His black eyes, devoid of any kindness, scanned the crowd in the basketball court like a bloodthirsty, solitary wolf king, ready to devour the lambs before him.
"Since you're all here, let me introduce you," Nijimura said, pulling the gray-haired boy to his side. "His name is Haizaki Shogo. From now on, he'll be a member of the first team, just like everyone else."
Ha...
Haizaki Shogo took two steps forward, his gaze filled with disdain and contempt.
He grinned and licked his lips.
"Listen up, all of you! My name is Haizaki Shogo. I'm not here because I like playing basketball; I just want to take the starting position from you."
Hearing this, the original first-team players frowned.
Their eyes were filled with displeasure and disgust as they looked at Haizaki Shogo.
"This guy is so arrogant! Who does he think he is?!"
"Why let someone like this on the basketball team?"
"Hey! Captain, are you really going to bring someone like this into the team?"
Hearing the angry voices of the crowd, Nijimura Shuzo stepped forward, slapped Haizaki Shogo on the back of the head, and said irritably, "Be serious, or you'll know the consequences."
Haizaki Shogo, after being slapped, showed a hint of fear, sorrow, and reluctance in his eyes.
He rubbed the back of his head and reluctantly bowed slightly to the crowd.
"Greetings, seniors. My name is Haizaki Shogo. It'll be a pleasure to work with you from now on."
Ryu sized up Haizaki Shogo. 'This guy is Haizaki Shogo! He exudes a delinquent aura.
I wonder if [Nio Phantom] can replicate his plundering.'
"I don't like this guy," Murasakibara Atsushi muttered, looking at Haizaki Shogo.
Although his voice wasn't loud, Ryu and Akashi, who were nearby, heard him clearly.
Midorima adjusted his glasses, his eyes also showing displeasure. 'To be personally brought here by the captain, this guy must be quite strong, but I don't think we'll get along.'
Akashi simply looked at Haizaki Shogo with a scrutinizing gaze, a strange light flickering in his eyes, his thoughts unknown.
As for Aomine Daiki, he was much more direct. He went directly to Haizaki Shogo and called out.
"So you're the newbie they were talking about! Come on, let's have a match."
Haizaki Shogo looked at Aomine Daiki with disdain. "Huh? You?" He shook his head, then curled his lip in a sneer. "I have no interest in you."
With that, he shoved Aomine Daiki aside and walked towards Ryu.
Aomine Daiki was annoyed, veins bulging on his forehead.
He turned and shouted, "You bastard, what do you mean by 'no interest in me'? Explain yourself!"
However, Haizaki Shogo completely ignored him.
He approached Ryu, looked him up and down a few times, and then spoke.
"You must be Ryu!"
Ryu looked somewhat puzzled. "You know me?"
"Ha... I have no interest in knowing you. It's just that a few of my underlings told me the other day they were taught a lesson by a silver-haired kid. That guy must be you."
Seeing the amusement in Haizaki Shogo's eyes, Ryu's expression remained calm. "I see."
Ryu thought to himself, 'No wonder you all look so hateful. Birds of a feather flock together.'
"Those guys were too arrogant, so I couldn't help but teach them a lesson. Are you trying to avenge them?"
Hearing Ryu's words, Haizaki Shogo couldn't help but laugh. "Huh? Revenge? Their lives and deaths are none of my business. I'm just interested in you. Ryu , your position is small forward, right? What a coincidence, that's my position too."
As he spoke, Haizaki Shogo licked his thumb, saying in a sinister tone, "Since there's only one small forward position, of course I'll take it. I always like what belongs to others the most."