Slam Dunk: Starting with the Kuroko Tetsuya Template

At the school store, a loud argument was taking place.

A red-haired guy was bickering with the shopkeeper.

"I only bought one popsicle! Why should I pay for two?"

"You took two, so you pay for two!"

"I took one! You must have remembered it wrong!"

"I remember it clearly—I just gave you two! Stop trying to argue!"

"Old man, you must have dementia or something. Your eyesight is totally failing."

"Who's old? I'm only 41!"

Nearby, Sakuragi's gang was watching the scene unfold.

"Pretty sure Sakuragi ate two popsicles and forgot."

"This is what happens when you're heartbroken. His memory is getting worse."

"After all, it's his 50th rejection. Memory loss makes sense."

"It's been almost five months since Yoko turned him down. When's he gonna snap out of it?"

Hearing their whispers, Sakuragi Hanamichi snapped.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four headbutts in a row.

Sakuragi's gang was KO'd on the spot.

Seeing Sakuragi's fighting spirit, the shopkeeper trembled and stammered, "F-Fine! Let's just say it was one!"

Sakuragi gave him a side glance, unimpressed.

"Who do you think you're looking down on, old man?"

If the old guy didn't want him to pay, Sakuragi decided he'd pay on purpose.

"Hah, two popsicles? Like I can't afford it!"

He pulled out his entire stash of coins—a handful of 1-yen coins.

But after counting, it totaled only 11 yen.

Eleven yen wasn't enough to pay for even one popsicle.

Awkward. So awkward.

To make it worse, the number 11…

Being heartbroken for so long, even his coins were mocking him as a lonely bachelor.

Sakuragi's heart ached. He gave up with a sigh and tossed the popsicle back.

"This popsicle's turned purple. It must be poisonous. I'm not buying it!"

With his head low, he turned and walked away, looking as defeated and miserable as possible.

He hadn't gone far when someone bumped into him.

"Ah!"

A small girl fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Sakuragi asked.

"I'm fine," she replied quickly.

"But your knee is bleeding!"

"I don't have time for this! A genius from Sannoh just joined our Shohoku basketball team! I need to tell my brother right away!"

Without even glancing at him, the girl got up and rushed off.

Sakuragi, who had been sulking just moments ago, was suddenly wide-eyed and full of energy.

"I'm in love again!"

He turned to his gang. "Quick, tell me—who is she? I need all her info!"

The girl was well-known among Shohoku's first-year students. The gang recognized her immediately.

"That's Haruko. She's a first-year like us," said Yohei Mito.

"Haruko? What a cute name," Sakuragi said dreamily, hearts practically floating in his eyes.

The sight of Sakuragi coming back to life left his gang stunned.

But they were happy for him. Seeing their friend energized again was a relief.

Their joy didn't last long, though.

Haruko's best friend, Fujii, happened to pass by and wasted no time in bursting their bubble.

"Sorry, but Haruko already likes someone."

Looking Sakuragi up and down, she immediately labeled him as a troublemaker. She wasn't about to let someone like him get near her friend.

"What? She already likes someone?" Sakuragi was visibly shaken.

The thought of the girl he liked having feelings for someone else made him nervous.

"Who is it? Is it that Sannoh genius she mentioned?"

Fujii shook her head. "No, it's not him. Haruko likes the basketball prodigy, Rukawa Kaede."

"Rukawa Kaede? A basketball player?"

Hearing the word basketball, Sakuragi's mind flashed back to middle school, to the 50th girl who rejected him, Yoko.

Her words echoed in his head: "I like Oda from the basketball team."

"Basketball players… again?!" he muttered bitterly.

His gang thought the memory had crushed him.

"Sakuragi, you got rejected again, huh?"

"It's okay, man. It's your 51st time. You're used to it by now."

"Rukawa is super handsome and great at basketball. Losing to him isn't anything to be ashamed of."

But to their surprise, Sakuragi didn't stay down.

"Yeah!" he shouted, jumping three feet into the air.

Striking a dramatic pose, he declared, "I've decided! From now on, I'm going to play basketball!"

True to his word, Sakuragi got to work immediately.

He started running and jumping around, training as hard as he could.

His gang watched in disbelief.

"Is he serious? This guy hates basketball!"

"One day. I bet he'll give up in a day."

"One hour. I'll bet he won't last even that long."

"No, this time I think he's serious."