Chapter 15 The Light of Shohoku

As Rukawa Kaede lowered his head slightly and leaned closer to me—

Hana could clearly see his neck, a beauty entirely different from the slenderness of a girl's neck.

Full of tension, as if it might burst through her gaze at any moment.

A hint of unease flashed across Hanon's face. She subconsciously pressed her burning earlobe and said, "...It is indeed a bit hot."

Rukawa Kaede nodded calmly, and before leaving, he thoughtfully turned on the electric fan for her.

Hanon: ...You're actually a pretty nice person.

After reviewing each student's comments, the school's lunch break ended. Hana stretched and got up to go back to the classroom for class.

As soon as they stepped out of the recording room, Ayako put away her notebook and went to greet them. "Oto-chan, is it over? Let's go back to class."

Kanon smiled and nodded, then pointed to Rukawa Kaede leaning against the wall and asked in confusion, "What's this?"

The black head bobbed up and down.

Ayako smiled meaningfully and nudged her, "Go wake him up."

As I approached, I could hear his soft snoring.

It's kind of funny; she can fall asleep while riding a bike and she can fall asleep while standing. Her sleep quality is unparalleled.

She had originally intended to pull at his clothes, but then she remembered the red mark on her wrist from their first meeting, so she silently took a step back and tapped on the gray wall.

"Rukawa, wake up."

Rukawa Kaede slowly opened his eyes, his half-open eyes revealing indifference and dissatisfaction. Every cell in his body was silently radiating the restlessness of being awakened.

Kanon and Ayako retreated in unison, and then Kanon said, "Rukawa, lunch break is over, it's time to go back to class."

When Rukawa saw the girl in front of him, his mind was still a little muddled. He blinked his beady eyes and it took him a while to gradually clear up.

"for you."

He spoke slowly, his voice still slightly sleepy, hoarse but pleasant.

When the white peach drink was placed in front of Hanon, the pink bottle dazzled her eyes. She snapped out of her daze and said, "Thank you."

She took the drink; it was ice-cold.

"Have some water, then you won't feel hot anymore."

Upon hearing this, Hanon trembled as if she had been electrocuted, and instinctively clenched the drink in her hand.

Waiting so long at the door just to get me an iced drink?

Ayako's expression was ambiguous, and she kept nudging Ayako with her elbow.

Hanon was somewhat speechless.

It's just a bottle of beverage.

The bottle cap was unscrewed.

Hana took a sip.

I was completely stunned.

It's just a bottle of beverage.

It tastes surprisingly good!

After the heat dissipated a bit, Hanon turned her back to him, acting as if nothing had happened, and pulled Ayako, who was watching the show, toward the classroom: "We're going to be late... let's hurry back to the classroom!"

Her voice was slightly hurried, and Rukawa Kaede stared at her reddened earlobe again.

Is it hot?

He glanced at her back. The girls' school uniform at Shohoku High School consisted of long sleeves and a short skirt, and she was wearing black compression stockings under her skirt.

With a puzzled look in his fox-like eyes, Rukawa Kaede followed.

…

After losing the game, Ryonan definitely needs to practice extra!

This week, there was only afternoon practice. The boys arrived at the basketball gym full of fighting spirit and began intensive training tailored to their individual characteristics.

Hanon: "The next period will be very tough. But everyone remember, the hardship of training can never compare to the moment of defeat, so please persevere!"

"yes!!!"

After warming up, all the members of Shohoku High School quickly got into practice.

Haruko was in charge of supervising Sakuragi's basic practice, and the little red-haired monkey was full of energy.

Ayako was responsible for correcting the new players' shooting form and guiding them in defensive sliding step exercises.

On the other side, Hanon was demonstrating a very beautiful and smooth double-ball crossover dribble to the point guard.

The boys couldn't help but imitate her movements and practice.

At first, things didn't go smoothly; the ball kept falling or hitting the player's body.

"No one is perfect from the start; just keep trying."

Everyone was a little embarrassed, but with Hanon's encouragement, they gradually relaxed.

Hanon stood to the side clapping her hands, keeping time with the rhythm, her tone calm yet powerful: "You're doing a fantastic job! Once you train like this every day and develop muscle memory, no one will be able to stop you!"

The boys' movements became more fluid and agile.

Hanon repeatedly broke down the seemingly smooth and flashy dribbling moves on the NBA court for them.

Whether it's a crossover dribble or a behind-the-back double crossover dribble, under her analysis, they become as ordinary as if they've been decoded.

While retrieving the ball, Rukawa subconsciously wanted to look at her, and then he never looked away from her again.

Hanon glanced at him casually, ignored him, and continued to earnestly instruct the boys practicing dribbling.

Rukawa Kaede: ...?

"Lift your head up, look at your opponents, and focus on their leg movements during the game, instead of thinking about your ball."

Rukawa Kaede walked over with a stiff face and expressionless expression, asking in a flat tone, "What are you teaching?"

"Want to try a one-sided crossover?"

While Rukawa's dribbling skills are not as good as Sendoh's, they are still top-notch in high school, capable of outperforming 95% of players nationwide.

"Um."

As she demonstrated, Hanon said, "You and Hanamichi can try being swingmen. If you go to the United States to play basketball in the future, you should mainly play point guard or shooting guard."

Rukawa Kaede stared at her unconsciously, as if it were the first time he had ever seriously looked at someone like this.

In her future plans, is she considering herself alongside a complete idiot?

Hanon's demonstration was not fast, the purpose of which was to make sure everyone could see it clearly.

"The key to this move is to remember the supporting role of the right leg. When the ball passes between your legs, you need to use your hand to accelerate the ball and make it spin."

It must be said that this same-side change of direction is quite difficult.

"You need to turn your wrist inward, otherwise you'll drop the ball."

Kanon's hand rested on Rukawa's arm, and at that moment, Rukawa felt a familiar electric current—

The sensation traveled from her palm to his body, transforming into a burning, tingling, and numbing sensation that shot straight to the top of his head.

Her warm breath, along with her voice, lingered in his ear, "Don't dribble too high, or you'll get the ball stolen easily, and it'll also hurt your ankle a lot."

That tingling sensation spread throughout my muscles.

Hanon straightened up and stood to the side, instantly creating distance between them.

Like a gust of wind, it quickly restored calm.

Rukawa Kaede didn't move, just stared at her without moving.

Kanon asked, "Have you learned it? Want to try it?"

Rukawa Kaede's Adam's apple bobbed slightly before he spoke:

"…Um."

Ayako: "Oto-chan, come here for a second, we need some help here!"

"Here you are."

Hua Yin responded loudly, "You guys practice first, I'll go take a look."

His beautiful fox-like eyes followed the girl's direction.

"Hey Rukawa, the teaching assistant is really taking good care of you!" Ishii pushed up his glasses and said in a low voice.

"Does the senior like you?" Sang Tian also leaned closer.

"That's normal, almost all the girls in the school like Rukawa!" Yasuda replied casually.

The fox itself heard: ...!

He maintained his usual aloofness on the surface, but a sudden feeling of pleasure crept into his heart.

Looking around the field, you can see all the players training diligently at every point.

Kogure exclaimed happily, "Great, Akagi! It seems our dream of dominating the nation is about to come true! Kanon's training plan takes into account everyone's differences, and everyone is working hard in that direction!"

Akagi's eyes welled up with tears: "Yes! This year is our last chance!"

In the summer of his final year of high school, he finally saw the light of Shohoku.

Silently watching his dearest friend, Kogure was filled with emotion at this moment.

For the past three years, Akagi has struggled to keep the team afloat, giving his all in pursuit of their dream of dominating the nation. But their lofty ambitions have been met with harsh reality; despite their tremendous efforts and hardships, they have been unable to secure a ticket to the national tournament.

Fortunately, this year is different.

During the break, the boys washed their hands and prepared to wipe their sweat with towels. When they saw the bundles of towels in the towel cart, their faces instantly turned red.

Hana blinked and said matter-of-factly, "That's right, it's my turn to prepare the towels today, so please bear with it."

Actually, she was puzzled as to why anyone would want to be a basketball manager. The job was incredibly complicated, tedious, and arduous, but seeing the two girls constantly busy, she volunteered to help.

Today her task was to prepare disinfected towels.

Everyone: ...

Rukawa Kaede: ...

He could tell from their first meeting that she had an extremely free and unconventional attitude towards life.

Rukawa Kaede, his round face blank, picked up a wad of towel.

It doesn't matter, it works.

Sakuragi roughly wiped his face with a towel, looking fierce, and asked, "Hey, what's with that expression? Do you want my sister to fold towels for you?"

Everyone trembled: ...No, no!

"Hehehe... You mortals simply cannot comprehend someone as perfect as my sister! Not only is she outstanding in appearance and kind-hearted, but she's also incredibly skilled at playing ball and is an expert cook!"

Sakuragi put his hands on his hips, grinning so hard his gums were showing. "So, whether I can fold towels or not doesn't really matter!"

All members of Shohoku High School: ...

Ayako and Haruko looked exasperated: "...How about we take charge of the gym clothes and towels from now on?"

Kanon: "It's okay, I can do it."

She would just throw the washed sportswear into the players' closets in a crumpled ball. It's not like they can't wear it, so why do they have to fold it up?

The Shohoku team members didn't dare to say a word and looked to Ayako for help.