Chapter 22 Clear Foolishness

Rukawa Kaede naturally pulled over her plate and began to eat slowly and deliberately.

The boys ate very quickly, almost like they were devouring a whole dish. When there was only one fried shrimp left in Sakuragi's bowl, their eyes darted around, and they quickly grabbed their chopsticks and started grabbing it.

Takamiya: "Mine!"

Da Nan choked Gao Gong, "Give it to me!"

Sakuragi: "Let go! Mine!!"

Noma, clinging to Sakuragi, said, "Hey Hanamichi, you've eaten so much, give me the last fried shrimp!"

"don't want!"

"Let go! You're strangling me!"

The kindergarten food-stealing game has finally ended, and Sakuragi is still the winner. It's worth mentioning that the red-haired monkey has never lost a similar food battle; even Takamiya has never managed to snatch any food from his pocket.

The victorious general held the fried shrimp high in the air with his index finger and thumb and put it into his mouth.

"Sister, Ayako, what are you two staring at?" Sakuragi smacked her lips, noticing that Kanon's table was empty, and asked in confusion, "Hey, where's your plate?"

Now, Hanon felt her brain wasn't working properly, "...right next to me."

"Huh?! Hey Rukawa Kaede! How could you eat food from my sister's plate! That's an intimate act that's only done between family members and lovers!"

Upon hearing Sakuragi's words, Rukawa, who was eating saury, abruptly stopped swallowing and then coughed violently. His fair face turned slightly red from coughing, which added to his cold and beautiful appearance.

"Are you alright? Would you like some water?"

Originally intending to pat Rukawa's back, Kanon suddenly remembered Sakuragi's words about intimate behavior, and stiffened for a moment before placing the glass of water on his dining table.

Rukawa Kaede looked indifferent, picked up his water glass, and shook his head.

Kanon leaned close to Ayako's ear and asked, her expression uncertain, "Ayako, is that so?"

On the field, Hanon is capable of everything and is skilled at handling the players' emotions.

Off the court, as a basketball that has survived for a century and cannot be moved, she is unaware of such complex rules of interpersonal relationships.

After pondering for a moment, Ayako gave a fair assessment: "That's not entirely true. The food on the plate hasn't been touched. Some people simply don't like wasting food or they're not full."

Ayako and Rukawa Kaede both graduated from Tomioka Junior High School.

She probably knew a little more about this junior than others.

He doesn't like to communicate with people, and he seems cold and aloof, giving off an impression that strangers should stay away.

Actually, he's a very simple-minded boy; otherwise, I wouldn't have given him the nickname "Amoeba."

She could tell that Rukawa Kaede treated Kanon differently.

But does this single-celled organism, whose mind is only focused on basketball, like Kanon as a person, or is he just temporarily attracted to her unparalleled basketball talent?

Despite their usual playful and carefree attitude, they often feel uncertain about themselves.

She was puzzled by the fact that the people involved didn't seem to care much about the gossip and rumors—were they just oblivious, or did they really not mean it?

Hanon blinked, her expression saying, "I trust you." In her eyes, Ayako was knowledgeable, beautiful, and very understanding.

So she pulled the boisterous Sakuragi back: "Hanamichi, sit down and don't make a fuss."

Sakuragi scratched his head and said, "Oh, I see."

Yohei sighed inwardly, thinking, "What a bunch of idiots."

While drinking water, Rukawa Kaede stared blankly ahead. Although he didn't glance in the direction of Kanon, their words were clearly heard.

Looking at the plate that wasn't his, Rukawa Kaede tightened his grip on the chopsticks slightly, then calmly and naturally continued his "clean plate" campaign.

The tips of her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

...

After school in the afternoon, Hanon stayed in the classroom to clean as the student on duty.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?"

Ayako slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and stared worriedly at the blackboard in the classroom for a long while.

Kanon is that kind of person. She excels in her areas of expertise, but she's a complete...idiot in everyday life. Just look at the blackboard she erases—it's filthy, dusty, and a terrible sight.

"Oh, it's alright. You should go to the basketball court. There's a lot of work waiting for you every day."

Ayako nodded: "Okay, I'll go first. I can always wipe it again tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry, I'll wipe it a few more times, I won't slack off!" Hana stood at attention and saluted, vowing, "I will definitely do it!"

"Okay, I'll head over now. See you later, Oto-chan..."

See you later!

Hanako lazily wiped the blackboard with her arms bent, and suddenly realized that her height was perfect for wiping the blackboard. She didn't need to jump around or move chairs to help like those petite girls.

"Hello."

A deep, resonant male voice came from outside the classroom.

Hua Yin turned her head, and there stood a handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes by the window.

He seemed vaguely familiar, but upon closer inspection, it seemed unlikely. He knew very few people in Japan, let alone someone with such a handsome and outstanding face.

"I'm looking for Miyagi."

"Miyagi should be training at the basketball gym right now. You can go there to find him."

A hint of displeasure flashed across the other person's face. After a moment's thought, they spoke, their tone rather stiff: "...Although you are the assistant coach of the basketball team, I am a year ahead of you, so you should use polite language when you speak to me!"

"Huh?" Hana stared at him for a moment, then asked, puzzled, "Who are you?"

The other person's expression instantly turned angry, their face flushed red, and they glared at her, saying, "Damn it! You didn't even recognize me! You were the one who called me back to the team first!"

Upon hearing this, Hanon suddenly stopped what she was doing, came to her senses, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! You're Mitsui-senpai?"

Seeing Hanon's excitement, Mitsui was extremely satisfied. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking smug, and said, "That's right, it's me, Mitsui Hisashi."

Hanon was speechless: "Wow, your new hairstyle is great, it's very stylish!"

A change of hairstyle is like a completely different person, it's simply amazing!

Mitsui seemed a little uncomfortable and, adopting the authority of an elder, lectured, "As a girl, you can't praise a man so directly; it will cause misunderstandings!"

With an "Oh," Kanon nodded in response, not paying any attention to what he said. He was only a few years old and yet he called himself a man. "If you want to find Miyagi, go to the basketball court. He ran off as soon as school was over."

Recently, the team members have been secretly competing with each other, their desire to practice is off the charts, they compete fiercely on the training field, and they compare who practices more and who performs better every day. They are often overjoyed by even the smallest progress.

Kanon was a little out of touch with the boys' friendship. One second they were fighting tooth and nail, the next they were best buddies, arm in arm, heading to the basketball court together.

Sakuragi, Miyagi, and Mitsui are good examples.

"Hmm." Mitsui nodded, looked around to make sure no one else was there, and then blushed as he thought about what he was going to say next. "I'm sorry for my rudeness yesterday... please forgive me!"

It's okay to be rude to boys, but Mitsui's upbringing taught him to respect girls, and his attitude towards Kanon yesterday was really inappropriate.

Hanon looked slightly surprised, but quickly concealed it. She smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling like the rising sun: "It's alright, welcome back, Mitsui-senpai."

She never expected Mitsui to apologize.

He did not become degenerate because of associating with delinquents; he still maintained a pure heart, and his handsome face also had a rare youthful spirit, lively and bright.

Mitsui Hisashi, a well-mannered and sunny young man.

Mitsui gradually relaxed and became more at ease. Regardless of Hanon's tennis skills, being with her was a naturally comfortable feeling.

He had heard various rumors about Kanon from Deon, but he never imagined that she was a member of the basketball team.

"Hey, aren't you going to the basketball court?"

"It's my turn to clean the blackboard today. I'll go over there after I finish wiping it."

Seeing his bashful appearance, Kanon thought to herself, "Could it be that he lacks the courage to go to the stadium alone, so he came to find Miyagi?"

"If you feel bad, could you please erase the blackboard for me? That way, our grudges will be wiped clean."

"Tch, just say you want help from your seniors."

Huayin:…

Mitsui raised his head arrogantly, put his hands in his pockets, walked over, picked up the blackboard eraser, and started smearing it haphazardly.

The blackboard emitted a piercing, sharp scraping sound. Hana frowned, covered her ears, and quickly stopped him.

“…Senior! You’re holding it upside down. Please use the sponge end.”

"Hmm...is that so?" His bright eyes held a clear naiveté, as if he wasn't quite sure if what he was doing was right.

"…Um."

Hana sighed; she had encountered a pampered young master.

When the two walked into the basketball court together, all the members of Shohoku widened their eyes.

"Assistant coach...and Mitsui?"

Then, for some reason, I looked at Rukawa Kaede, but he still didn't show any emotion.

Sakuragi was so shocked he dropped the ball: "Wow! You're that androgynous delinquent?!"

Unbelievable! A genius would never admit that Mitsui is actually kind of handsome after cutting his long hair!

The already reserved Mitsui jumped up as if someone had stepped on his tail after hearing this, yelling at Sakuragi, "Hey, who are you calling androgynous! And I'm a third-year student, you're a first-year! You have to respect your seniors!"

Everyone watched with amusement as Mitsui argued heatedly over seniority.

Kogure beamed with joy, walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and greeted him warmly: "You're back, Mitsui!"

"Why did you all come together?"

A chilling voice reached my ears, followed by a source of heat.

Being so close, the contrast between extreme cold and extreme heat made Hana-on feel uncomfortable.

The scent was so familiar.

He frowned, a shadow falling over his cold, handsome face.

Rukawa Kaede pursed her lips tightly. The way she had looked at that person with a smile just now was so bright, brighter than the stars in the sky.

The chill that penetrated to the bone spread out.

Irritable.

Why am I so irritable?

How did they end up at the basketball court together?