Chapter 23 Facing Criticism

Hanon explained, "He went to our class to look for Miyagi, but Miyagi wasn't there. I happened to be coming to the gym anyway, so we went together."

Rukawa Kaede nodded, his gaze fixed on her. "Are you very familiar with him?"

If those beautiful, clear eyes belong to someone else and no longer look at him.

what to do?

This was the first time his heart had felt uncontrollably tense and uncomfortable.

"No, this is our second meeting." Hanon asked, a little confused, "What's wrong?"

"So, it was just a coincidence?"

The soft voice unconsciously became louder and higher.

Hua Yin smiled warmly and nodded, "Yes, it was just a coincidence."

Rukawa Kaede's previously rhythmic heartbeat subtly slowed, his cold, fox-like eyes gradually regained their warmth, and his mood improved considerably. "Mm."

While adjusting his wristband, Rukawa Kaede felt a different texture. Looking down, he noticed a string of English letters embroidered on it.

"Teaching Assistant." Rukawa Kaede decisively chose to ask a question, after all, he knew nothing about English, and his tone was completely flat: "What is this?"

"Huh?" Hana glanced at his hand, then paused, "Oh, did you take the wrong one? This is my wristband!"

Rukawa Kaede's face was ashen; he didn't care whether it was his or hers. What mattered was that this letter must hold special significance for her.

Single-celled organisms rarely activate their brains, and personal items are usually embroidered with people's names.

So, who is this person?

What does this English word mean?

He was usually expressionless, but at this moment, his speech quickened slightly, carrying a barely perceptible urgency, which made him seem more lively.

Looking at the silly handsome guy in front of her, Hanon couldn't help but laugh out loud. Despite the common English name, it was clear that Rukawa Kaede knew nothing about anything except basketball.

Hana gently tapped each letter with her fingertips, her voice tender and lingering, "Renie, Nini. It's the English name my mother gave me when I went to the United States. It means rebirth and beauty."

The name is very ordinary and common, but it carries extraordinary meaning. She often wonders if her parents know something about it.

"Nini?" A deep, cool male voice suddenly entered her ears. His tone was slow, and his voice was lowered, making him inexplicably gentle.

Hana's ears felt slightly numb, like an electric current running through them.

She tried to suppress the burning sensation on her face.

I kept telling myself, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form," and to stay calm, as the other person meant no harm.

After a moment, Hana said, "Take this off. Yours is still in my bag. I'll get it for you right now..."

Her wrist was grabbed, and the sudden physical contact made Hana's heart tremble. She looked down at the hand he was holding.

He used force, and his wrist was gripped very tightly.

He has large hands and rough fingertips, calluses from years of playing ball. He really works hard.

"No." Rukawa Kaede stared at her, refusing to look away or let her leave. "Use this."

"But this is mine..."

"Mine." The fox said with certainty, emphasizing the two simple words, full of possessiveness.

If you give it to him, it's his.

Rukawa Kaede reached out and gently touched the letters on his wristband, murmuring, "Nini..."

A cold, domineering voice pierced her ears.

Hana's heart skipped a beat.

These are two very common words, but when he pronounces them, they exude a strangely seductive and controlling power.

Akagi saw Rukawa standing there and yelled, "Rukawa! What are you doing? Come over here and practice your game!"

The powerful voice, like a horn, brought her thoughts together.

Hanon calmed the intense pounding beneath her skin and immediately threw herself into training, her meticulous demeanor immediately apparent: "Go practice your ball, there will be a new training plan starting tomorrow."

"Okay." Rukawa Kaede readily agreed and obediently walked into the arena under Kanon's watchful gaze.

The shadowy figures on the field kept appearing. Ayako raised an eyebrow: "Oto-chan, have you noticed that everyone's performance on the field has become more and more active since the extra training?"

Hanon smiled mysteriously, "Is that so? I hope they can keep going."

Ayako smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes, "Yes, I hope that when everyone hears that we're going to increase morning training, they can still train happily and enthusiastically like they are now."

Young people who can persevere in rigorous training must possess an indomitable spirit and a belief in victory, which are core elements of a champion team.

Now, the five tigers of Shohoku are finally all together.

The strongest center in the prefecture, Takenori Akagi; the lightning-fast Ryota Miyagi; the offensive demon Kaede Rukawa; the exceptionally talented Hanamichi Sakuragi; and the sharpshooting three-point shooter Hisashi Mitsui.

The Shohoku team is really strong. The most important thing now is to unleash the potential of the five main players and achieve true teamwork.

After finishing a round trip, the Xiangbei team members were all drenched in sweat, as if they had just crawled out of an oven. They rushed to the rest area, grabbed water bottles, and gulped them down.

Hanon looked at Rukawa, who remained on the court continuing his shooting practice. His sweat-soaked white T-shirt blended seamlessly with his pale skin, clinging to his thin muscles.

Water droplets slid down his long neck. He instinctively reached for his wristband to wipe them, but then, as if remembering something, his movements paused noticeably, and his gaze fell on a certain spot.

Their eyes met, and Hana smiled at him.

The next second, Rukawa Kaede walked straight towards her, his gaze never leaving her for a moment.

Step by step, the white figure grew larger and clearer, and soon arrived in front of her.

His body, after exercising, had every pore open up, radiating heat. When you got close, the heat made Huayin's face slightly flushed, and even her breathing became disordered.

Hanon pulled a clean towel from the towel cart behind her and handed it over, saying, "Here, wipe yourself off quickly."

Rukawa Kaede accepted it, saying, "Thank you."

She quietly wiped the water off her face and hair.

De Nan handed Mitsui the Pocari Sweat he bought at the convenience store, saying, "Mitsui, it's too hot. Have something cold to drink."

On that can of Pocari Sweat, you can clearly see a dense array of water droplets.

Seeing this, Hanon immediately stopped her seriously: "Senior, you can't drink ice water immediately after exercising."

Mitsui paused in his action of opening the can, then tossed the Pocari Sweat in his hand to De Nan, saying, "You drink this, I'll have the room temperature one."

Mitsui calmly picked up the room-temperature beverage, much to Tokuo's astonishment, as if he'd seen a ghost. Then, he watched as Mitsui frowned and took several large gulps, clearly disliking the taste but having no choice but to drink it.

When did Mitsui become so obedient?

Mitsui tightened the bottle cap, walked up to Hanon with the ball in his arms, and looked her over. "Hey."

Rukawa Kaede's face was expressionless as he naturally moved closer to Kanon, leading people to unconsciously speculate that there was some kind of intimate relationship between the two.

"Do you know how to play ball? Want to play against me?"

After saying that, he tossed the basketball to the other side.

Hanon instinctively took the ball.

The entire Shohoku team looked surprised, then focused their attention on Kanon, and looked at her with hopeful and curious eyes.

It seems like I've never seen Hanon play basketball seriously in all this time!

Seeing Mitsui's hesitant and skeptical attitude towards the challenge, Sakuragi immediately flew into a rage, shouting, "Hey, you bastard! Are you looking for trouble?! You're far from being able to compete with my sister!"

"She's your older sister?" Mitsui was surprised. If she was an excellent player, then wasn't her younger brother a bit too much of a novice? But recalling Kanon's amazing long-range three-pointer, Mitsui fell into deep thought.

This person is so contradictory.

Clearly not expecting him to request a challenge, Kanon smiled at the enthusiastic and expectant crowd and said, "There's no need for a challenge, but I can have a shooting contest with you. Kanagawa Prefecture's three-point sharpshooter?"

"ah?!"

The Shohoku team members were very surprised, because three-point shooting was Mitsui's best skill!

Mitsui raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do we compete?"

Ayako tugged at Kanon's clothes, "...Maybe we should just forget about it?"

Sigh, the third-year seniors already had reservations about Hanon as an assistant coach. If the team loses the game, how will she establish her authority in the future?

Kanon put her arm around Ayako's shoulder, looking adorable: "Ayako, why don't you believe me?"

Unable to resist her cuteness any longer, Ayako immediately warned, "Hey! I'm doing this for your own good! Don't cry if you lose!"

What you should be worried about is whether the other person will cry.

Hanon thought to herself.

She walked closer to the center circle and asked, "How about 10 goals per person here?"

"Huh? Isn't it too far?! How could it possibly go in!"

The team members exclaimed in surprise.

Hanon turned to look at Rukawa, who immediately passed her the ball. She smiled brightly, surprised by their surprisingly good teamwork.

With an expressionless face, Rukawa Kaede quietly gazed at the girl before him, his cold, fox-like eyes revealing a subtle ripple in his heart.

Looking at the unanimous belief around her that she would win, Kanon remained completely unmoved. Aside from Sakuragi and Rukawa, everyone else thought she'd be utterly crushed.

After adjusting her posture, Hanon lifted the ball, jumped up, stretched her arms, and pushed the ball out.

Her movements were very graceful, natural and fluid, and the basketball drew a beautiful curve during its flight.

Swish! Clean and efficient entry into the network.

All the members of Shohoku High School opened their mouths and stared wide-eyed.

This is truly amazing!

They witnessed Hanon's incredible long-range three-pointer once again! This could not possibly be a coincidence.

"How will you know if you can make the shot if you don't try?" Hanon said, her eyes filled with determination and confidence.

"Okay, I'll go first."

Seeing Hanon's long-range three-pointer, Mitsui's blood surged with excitement.

Hanon said leisurely, "Hanamichi, Rukawa, Akagi-senpai, why don't you go practice rebounding under the basket?"

Everyone's lips twitched: ...

Mitsui's face flushed red: "You bastard...!"