In the corner on the other side of the green belt, Aida Yayoi and Sendoh Akira were fighting.

Behind the big tree, Haruko Akagi was shyly hiding in Hanamichi Sakuragi's arms.

Hidden in a corner not far behind Sakuragi Hanamichi are Mito Yohei, Takamiya Nozomi, Oonusu Yuji, and Noma Tadashiro.

To prevent his brothers from ruining Aida Yayoi and Sendoh Akira's plans, Sakuragi Hanamichi quietly pulled the blushing Akagi Haruko along and walked towards Mito Yohei and the others.

Once he reached his teammates, Sakuragi Hanamichi casually chuckled, "Ah! Everyone's here! What a coincidence!"

Although Haruko Akagi still felt very awkward, Sakuragi Hanamichi's arm was firmly around her, which made her feel very safe.

Yohei Mito, Nozomi Takamiya, and the others were taken aback.

Sunflower seeds, drinks, and peanuts were all prepared, so why did Hanamichi suddenly bring Akagi Haruko over?

Flower arrangement is so useless!

This is a true reflection of what the brothers feel.

However, they all had bright smiles on their faces.

As the soul of Sakuragi's gang, Yohei Mito took the lead and said, "We saw that you two seemed to have something urgent, so we came out to see what was going on."

Takamiya Nozomi said with a grin, "Yes! Hanamichi, have you encountered something really difficult to solve? Do you need our help?"

At first glance, Takamiya Nozomi's words sounded like concern from a good brother, but there was a clear hint of lewdness in his tone.

The scheming Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately narrowed his eyes.

help me?

You fat bastard!

You must be talking about having children!

Do I need your help with this?

Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly let go of Akagi Haruko, darted to Takamiya Nozomi's side, hooked his arm around Takamiya Nozomi's neck, and said with a forced smile, "Oh dear! There really is something I need your help with!"

Gao Gongwang felt as if facing a formidable enemy!

But Takamiya Nozomi, trying to appear calm, said, "Hanamichi, if you need help, just say so! Don't touch me like this in front of Akagi-kun! We're both grown men, we can't do this, we can't do this, let go..."

As he spoke, Takamiya Nozomi tried to pry open Sakuragi Hanamichi's arm.

But how could Takamiya Nozomi be a match for Sakuragi Hanamichi, whose fighting prowess is considered top-notch?

Sakuragi Hanamichi didn't give Takamiya Nozomi a chance to break free at all, and said with a grin, "Of course I want you to play basketball with me!"

"What? Play basketball?" Takamiya Nozomi looked puzzled. "If you want to play basketball, go find Yohei! Or go find someone on the basketball team! Why are you looking for me? Last morning practice, I was just sitting on the sidelines watching. I couldn't help at all!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi stared into Takamiya Nozomi's eyes and smiled mysteriously.

Takamiya Nozomi shuddered; he sensed that Sakuragi Hanamichi's talk about playing basketball was far more complex than it seemed.

Sakuragi Hanamichi raised an eyebrow and said with a playful expression, "This time I want to practice dunking over other people."

A dunk over multiple people?

What does that mean?

Everyone, including Yohei Mito, was stunned for a moment.

"It's like you're standing under the basketball hoop, I'm rushing over with the ball, and then I jump over your head and dunk."

Sakuragi Hanamichi patted Takamiya Nozomi on the shoulder and gave her an approving look.

It seems that only Takamiya Momo is qualified to take on this task!

Takamiya Nozomi panicked immediately!

Suddenly, Takamiya Nozomi unleashed her immense power and broke free from Sakuragi Hanamichi's restraints.

Immediately afterward, Takamiya Nozomi rushed out without looking back, explaining as he ran, "Ah! Brothers, I have an appointment with a girl today, I'll go first..."

Sakuragi Hanamichi, Mito Yohei, and the others remained where they were, laughing heartily.

After laughing for a while, Mito Yohei said, "Hanamichi, then we won't disturb you and Haruko any longer. See you tomorrow."

Sakuragi Hanamichi nodded and said, "Okay, see you tomorrow."

After saying that, Mito Yohei led Oonan Yuji and Noma Chuichiro toward the direction where Takamiya Nozomi had disappeared.

Sakuragi Hanamichi then took Akagi Haruko's hand and walked in another direction.

But before he could take two steps, Sakuragi Hanamichi stopped, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Suddenly, Ichiro Nakamura of Basketball Weekly was seen hiding behind a large tree in another direction, also secretly watching the battle between Yayoi Aida and Akira Sendoh!

"My God! What's going on here? Is this a live broadcast?" Sakuragi Hanamichi was filled with disbelief.

When Akagi Haruko noticed Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly stop, she glanced at him in surprise, then followed his gaze. Her eyes widened immediately, and she exclaimed, "Ah! Isn't that the man who was with Aida-san?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi nodded solemnly.

To be honest, although Sakuragi Hanamichi had a fleeting wicked thought about Aida Yayoi, he hoped even more that Aida Yayoi and Sendoh Akira could have a beautiful older woman-younger man relationship.

He wanted to see what it would be like for 17-year-old Sendoh to be loved by 25-year-old Aida!

Boys in this age group—no, men—probably all have had many fantasies about women in their early twenties.

But why did Nakamura Ichiro, this minor character, suddenly appear?

"Hanamichi, that man's expression... something's not right," Haruko Akagi whispered, puzzled.

Sakuragi Hanamichi also noticed Nakamura Ichiro's expression.

At this moment, Ichiro Nakamura's face was filled with jealousy and resentment.

Sakuragi Hanamichi sighed, "Forget it, let's not concern ourselves with their affairs. Let's go."

As long as you're not trying to mess with my Haruko, I can't be bothered with your messy affairs!

Play however you like?

It has nothing to do with me!

...

June 28th, the day of the decisive battle arrived.

There are two matches today: Hainan vs. Wuli and Ryonan vs. Shohoku.

Since these are the last two matches, they will be played in the same venue.

Hainan team and Wuli team played the game first. After the game, there was a half-hour break, and then Ryonan team and Shohoku team began their final battle.

After Ryonan and Shohoku finish their match, the Kanagawa organizing committee will announce the first and second place teams in this semi-final round-robin tournament, who will represent Kanagawa in the national tournament.

Therefore, the number of people who came to watch the game on this day was obviously the largest, and the Kanagawa organizing committee therefore found the largest stadium to hold the game.

Almost all the basketball teams in Kanagawa came to watch today's game.

Various cheerleading squads were constantly appearing outside the stadium.

Rukawa Kaede's fan club had grown much larger than before, from the initial three die-hard fans to a large, organized, and disciplined team of over a hundred people.

They were dressed in matching white miniskirts, white tank tops, and pink high heels, taking tiny steps and letting out screams as they kept calling out Rukawa Kaede's name.

The girl leading the group was carrying a large flag with the words "Rukawa's Destiny" prominently displayed on it.

It has to be said that there are quite a few pretty girls among these hundred-plus girls!

In fact, just that huge expanse of white thighs was enough to dazzle many people.

Back then, Rukawa Kaede was undoubtedly the most popular among girls!

Of course, Sendoh Akira and Mitsui Hisashi definitely have a large following, and there are certainly quite a few girls who like them.

However, the number of girls who like Rukawa Kaede is definitely the largest.

There was no way around it; in those youthful days, a slightly aloof, handsome, quiet, tall guy who was also good at basketball... Rukawa Kaede was undoubtedly the type of boy girls adored.

Sakuragi Hanamichi glanced at the fervent Rukawa Kaede fan club, then at Rukawa Kaede beside him, gave a wicked smile, put his hand on Rukawa Kaede's shoulder, and said casually, "Good bro, I really want to ask you, among those girls, is there anyone you like?"

Rukawa Kaede's phoenix eyes narrowed instantly, as if a cold glint was shooting out, but he didn't say anything.

This made Sakuragi Hanamichi a little embarrassed.

But the shameless Sakuragi Hanamichi inexplicably said, "Sigh, those girls are so pitiful~ They like you so much, but in the end they didn't even have a chance to talk to you face to face. Unlike me, I can put my hand on your shoulder..."

After saying that, Sakuragi Hanamichi raised his eyebrows even more forcefully, revealing a knowing smile that all men would understand.

Actually, it's quite normal for boys to make these kinds of jokes during their school days.

The more openly such a joke is made, the more it becomes just a joke.

Logically, upon hearing such a joke, both parties in the conversation should be unable to hold back their laughter and then engage in some playful banter.

Unexpectedly, Rukawa Kaede did not laugh and completely ignored the shameless Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Sakuragi Hanamichi felt incredibly embarrassed and had no choice but to withdraw his hand, forcing out an extremely awkward smile before shifting his gaze elsewhere.

What Sakuragi Hanamichi didn't know was that when he looked away, Rukawa Kaede's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile that was hard to detect, but it vanished in an instant.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's way of doing things is just so unpredictable!

Although Horita Tokuo also joined the Shohoku basketball team, the Shohoku delinquent group was still under his control. Under his arrangement, Takashima and Tokuo led their brothers to make a large flag, which read: "Man of Flames, Mitsui Hisashi!"

While the hundred-plus girls in Rukawa Kaede's fan club were making many people drool, the dark-skinned delinquents, including Takashima and Tokuda, instantly made many people hold their breath.

After all, most of the people present were students, and ordinary students have a natural fear of delinquents. When they saw a large group of delinquents rushing over, they were naturally worried that they would be beaten up by them if they were not careful.

This is no joke; when a large group of delinquent youths gather, things can easily get out of control.

However, this problem does not exist in the Shohoku delinquent youth group.

Because their eldest brother, Mitsui Hisashi, is competing here today, anyone who dares to cause trouble is their enemy. They wish all the spectators would stay here and watch their eldest brother compete obediently!

Although Mitsui Hisashi has left the martial arts world, his stories still circulate.

If the delinquent youths of Shohoku used to boast about how powerful their older brother Mitsui Hisashi was, now they tell everyone they meet, "Our big brother Mitsui is going to participate in the National Tournament! The National Tournament!"

Participating in the national competition—that's something you can brag about for a lifetime!

A youth with dreams and a world full of possibilities—that's truly awe-inspiring!

Looking at his former brothers, Mitsui was filled with emotion. His fists clenched, his gaze resolute, and he silently vowed, "Don't worry, I will definitely help Shohoku reach the national tournament!"

To Sakuragi Hanamichi's surprise, the chubby Takamiya Nozomi also brought a big flag, which read: Genius, Sakuragi!

Compared to Rukawa Kaede's personal guard and Mitsui Hisashi's delinquent group, Sakuragi's army, led by Takamiya Nozomi, had the fewest members, consisting of only three people.

However, Nozomi Takamiya, Yuji Oonusu, and Chuichiro Noma are the three who attract the most attention.

As Takamiya Nozomi walked ahead carrying the large flag, the two large plastic bottles that Oonan Yuji and Noma Chuichiro were holding clashed violently together, producing an extremely jarring sound.

It turns out they put small steel balls into a plastic bottle.

When two large plastic bottles collide, the countless tiny steel balls inside produce a sound that can pierce eardrums.

Those who were close to them immediately covered their ears.

Seeing his good buddies pull off this, Sakuragi Hanamichi was very happy!

Sakuragi, the genius, is just what I want!

...

The match between Hainan and Buri was a foregone conclusion.

The Hainan team completely dominated the Buri team.

More importantly, the Hainan team did not field their full-strength lineup.

In the end, the Hainan team won the game with a score of 98 to 51.

I have to say, Buri team is really pitiful.

Born at the wrong time!

With this, the Hainan team has completed all their matches, winning against the Shohoku and Wuli teams, but losing to the Ryonan team, with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss.

Buri team lost all three games.

Now it's all about the final match between Shohoku and Ryonan.

At this moment, players from both the Shohoku and Ryonan teams began to enter the court.

Shohoku's starting lineup is:

Number 4, Takenori Akagi, third year student, 197cm tall, 93kg, center.

Number 7, Ryota Miyagi, second year, 168cm tall, 59kg, point guard.

Number 10, Sakuragi Hanamichi, first year student, 188cm tall, 83kg, power forward.

Number 11, Rukawa Kaede, first year student, 187cm tall, 75kg, small forward.

Number 14, Hisashi Mitsui, third-year student, 184cm tall, 70kg, shooting guard.

The starting lineup for Ryonan is:

Number 4, Jun Uozumi, third year student, 202cm tall, 90kg, center.

#6, Hiroaki Koshino, second year, 174cm tall, 62kg, guard.

#7, Akira Sendoh, second year, 190cm tall, 79kg, swingman.

Number 8, Tomoyuki Uekusa, second-year student, 170cm tall, 62kg, guard.

Number 13, Kichijo Fukuda, second year student, 188cm tall, 80kg, power forward.

The final battle is about to begin!