Time flies.
Nine years passed.
Since that day, Qing Junce's family—and Shimizu Kanon's—had moved together to Hokkaido.
Now, after nearly a decade, they were back.
A plane touched down at Kanagawa Airport.
Not long after, a boy and a girl stepped out into the open air.
The boy had a striking face—sharp lines, a defined nose, and a calm intensity that couldn't be ignored.
But what really stood out were his deep blue eyes and tousled blue hair. There was something casual, effortless about his presence—a confidence that didn't need to prove itself.
He looked laid-back, even lazy on the surface.
But the moment those eyes swept across the crowd, it was like a beast had stirred. A quiet, wild pressure filled the air—intimidating yet captivating.
He didn't fit into the world around him. He stood out.
And standing beside him was a girl who drew just as much attention.
She wore a pink T-shirt and tight blue jeans—a color combo that radiated both softness and energy. Her fair skin glowed in the sun like polished jade, a soft halo tracing her silhouette.
Her long black hair spilled like a waterfall down her back, catching hints of violet in the sunlight.
But what truly stole hearts were her eyes—black with a glint of purple, like gems that pulled you in. Every glance she gave shimmered with quiet charm. Once you looked, it was hard to look away.
Passersby couldn't help but stare.
These two were none other than Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon, returning to Kanagawa after nine years.
Gone was the innocence of childhood—what remained was the polish of time, the maturity etched into their features.
"I'm finally back," Kanon said softly, taking in the familiar scent of home.
Qing Junce smiled faintly.
He has been certain of one thing during these nine years.
He consulted a lot of information and finally determined the world he was in.
He bought many basketball-related magazines and newspapers and looked up many names he remembered.
Mitsuyoshi Anzai, Riki Takato, Taoka Moichi...
There are also some colleges and universities in Kanagawa.
Shohoku, Ryonan, Shoyo, Kainan...
All of these are characters and schools from Slam Dunk.
At this point, Qing Junce finally confirmed that he was in the world of "Slam Dunk".
In all those years in Hokkaido, Qing Junce never joined any official basketball clubs.
Not because he lost interest. Quite the opposite.
In elementary school, he had tried. But during the entrance test, he went 1v5—and completely destroyed the other team.
Before the test was even halfway done, the opposing players were bawling. Their sobs filled the court.
Qing Junce couldn't handle that kind of environment. So he left.
But he never stopped playing.
He just did it differently.
During these nine years, Qing Junce often played on parks, sports ground and streetball courts in Hokkaido and competed with all kinds of people, regardless of age, and always won on top.
And with every match, every battle, the system inside him continued to progress.
[Name: Qing Junce]
Age: 16
Height: 192 cm
Weight: 85 kg
[Character Template: Aomine Daiki – 99%]
[Talents: Super-Speed Dribbling (Awakened), Formless Shot (Awakened)]
[Wildness: Black Panther (Awakened)]
[Zone: Semi-Awakening]
At this point, Qing Junce was basically Aomine Daiki in everything but name.
Just like Aomine, he had blossomed in his second year of junior high.
But for some reason, the system's progress stopped at 99%.
He had a theory.
Maybe hitting 100% meant unlocking full control of the Zone.
He'd tried everything to reach it. But nothing worked.
"Ace, have you decided on a high school yet?" Kanon asked.
A glint passed through Qing Junce's eyes. "Yeah. I'm going to Shohoku High."
"Huh? Shohoku?" Kanon tilted her head. "Never heard of it."
"It's just a regular public school. A bit old, that's all."
"Hm... then I'll go too. You're hopeless at everything but basketball. Someone's gotta look after you."
"Tch..." Qing Junce snorted. "Do whatever you want."
In truth, he didn't chose Shohoku High School because he wanted to reminisce about something, but simply because it is a relatively familiar environment.
Of course, the most important point is that it is close to home!
These days, Qing Junce had fully inherited Aomine's personality: laid-back, unmotivated, uninterested in almost everything.
But he wasn't so arrogant as to think no one could beat him.
He had that thought once—but instinctively pushed it away.
Maybe that's why he was stuck at 99%.
The next day
In front of the gate of Shohoku High School.
There was a constant flow of people coming and going, men and women, all students wearing Shohoku High School uniforms.
"So this is Shohoku, huh?" Kanon looked at the campus in front of her and nodded with satisfaction. "A little worn-down, but it has a nice feel."
Qing Junce didn't reply. He just walked through the gate.
"Wait up, Ace!" Kanon called, running to catch up.
Qing Junce didn't stop. "You're always too slow."
Meanwhile~ in the Year 1, Class 7 in the teaching building.
A red-haired boy sat slumped at his desk, staring out the window with a gloomy expression, like the sky had personally wronged him.
Surrounding him were four strange-looking people.
The reason why they are said to be strange in appearance is that these four people have their own unique looks.
One was short and chubby with a round belly.
Another was tall and lanky with bleached yellow hair.
A third looked like a middle-aged man, complete with mustache.
And the last one actually looked normal—handsome, slicked-back hair, the whole package.
The four of them surrounded the red-haired boy who was sitting there and started teasing him.
"Yo! Hanamichi, cheer up. just what is the basketball team anyway?"
"Yeah, seriously. So you got dumped fifty times. No big deal."
"Right! We're in high school now. Time for a fresh start!"
"I believe in you. You'll break your record again for sure."
Ha ha ha ha...
They clowned around while scattering flowers, trumpets, even banners—who knew where they got them?
The red-haired boy—Sakuragi Hanamichi—snapped.
He stood up and headbutted all four of them in one go.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Four dull thuds were heard, with four people emitting white smoke and red spots on their foreheads appeared on the ground.
Just then, Qing Junce walked up to the classroom door—and witnessed it all.
Sakuragi Hanamichi and his gang, huh?
That chubby guy with glasses must be Nozomi Takamiya.
The blonde one—Yuji, if he remembered right.
The mustache guy—he forgot the name.
The one who looked cool? That had to be Mito Yohei.
It was surreal seeing these characters in real life—familiar, yet strange.
As if sensing him, Sakuragi suddenly turned his gaze to the doorway.
Their eyes locked.
The two looked at each other from a distance, and it seemed as if a flash of lightning appeared out of nowhere between them and then intertwined with each other.
Sakuragi Hanamichi looked at Qing Junce with a bad face and said, "What are you looking at? Do you want to fight?"
There was something about him that made his instincts scream.
He sensed a deadly danger from Qing Junce.
This was something he had never felt before.
Qing Junce didn't bother replying.
He looked up at the class number.
1 年, 6 組(Year 1 Class 6). That was his class—right next door.
"Ace!"
Just then, Kanon ran over, took Qing Junce's hand and said, "What are you doing standing here? Our class is in front."
Pulled away by Kanon, Qing Junce gave Sakuragi one last glance, then turned and left.
Sakuragi watched them walk off—especially Kanon—and his face twisted with envy.
"Damn it! Why do guys like that get all the cute girls, while I keep getting dumped?"
"Calm down, Hanamichi!" Yohei got up, rubbing his forehead. "That guy isn't normal."
He'd felt it too.
That danger.
And the last thing he wanted was for Hanamichi to provoke a monster.