Chapter 24 She's won so badly

The presence of three giants lurking under the basket, ready to grab the rebound, added considerable pressure to the shooter.

Mitsui took a deep breath, rotated his wrist, received the ball, and began to shoot.

The first ball missed all three attempts.

The second shot missed.

The third shot missed.

Fourth goal, in!

The fifth and sixth balls missed.

The seventh goal goes in.

The eighth shot missed.

Ninth goal, score!

Goal number ten.

4 goals out of 10.

"I've been away for too long, my touch isn't good!" Mitsui wasn't satisfied with the result. He glanced at Hanon and said, "It's your turn."

Everyone: ...They suspect he's subtly criticizing me. That's a super long-range shot! This is already a very good score!

Hanon nodded, caught the ball, and shot.

After making five consecutive shots, the court fell silent, and everyone stood there motionless.

The three men standing under the basket, vying for the rebound, straightened up awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed.

She's absolutely unstoppable this time!

Mitsui regained his composure and said, "...5 more balls to go, please continue!"

The boy's fragile spirit was slowly growing stronger. Hana raised the corners of her mouth. "Since that's the case," she thought, "it's good to let everyone see what's going on."

Hanon received the pass, turned her gaze to the basket, and with textbook form, made one shot after another.

With the final ball approaching, Hanon slowed down her pace, her gaze briefly shifting to Rukawa.

Their gazes met, and they remained silent.

Hanon's eyelashes curved, and then she looked at the basket again.

"Bang!" The basketball hit the rim and bounced off.

Unexpectedly, before Akagi and Sakuragi could react, Rukawa nimbly grabbed the rebound.

After a brief pause of a few seconds, enthusiastic applause broke out.

Rukawa Kaede's gaze remained fixed on Kanon, and she was the only one in his eyes.

When she shoots, it's as if light shines on her. That light doesn't come from her excellent skills, but from an infectious charm and confidence that emanates from within.

This was practically a three-point shooting tutorial!

Haruko's eyes lit up: "9 out of 10 goals! Kanon-neechan is amazing!"

"That really scared me! Thank goodness she's alright!"

Ayako breathed a sigh of relief, her heart filled with joy.

She was so nervous, thinking she was going to have a heart attack, but that guy solved the problem perfectly! He was amazing!

Kanon said calmly, "I hope I haven't discouraged you, senior."

Mitsui, annoyed, retorted angrily, "What's so bad about something like this! Don't underestimate me!"

Hana looked at him innocently: "I didn't."

"Don't get too cocky!"

After all, competitive sports rely on more than just luck and skill. If he trains hard, he'll regain his touch soon. "It's only a matter of time before I make 10 out of 10 shots. Then we'll see how you lose to me!"

Kanon nodded in agreement, encouragingly saying, "Yes, do your best, senior."

This interaction, of course, did not escape the notice of the fox.

Her attention was drawn to that idiot senior again.

His sharp, fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, a possessive glint in them.

"Everyone, hurry up! Next up is the 5v5 intra-team scrimmage. We'll be dividing into groups now."

Sakuragi and Rukawa were assigned to one group, while Mitsui and Akagi were assigned to another.

Akagi: "Mitsui and Yasuda will face off against Rukawa."

Kanon spoke up: "No need, Mitsui-senpai will handle Rukawa alone."

Everyone looked at Hanon in surprise. Was she really that confident in Mitsui's abilities? Usually, no one in the team could defend against Rukawa Kaede one-on-one, so usually two people were assigned to guard Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa Kaede's eyes closed slightly, his slender eyelids drooping downwards, while the emotions within were perfectly concealed by his thick eyelashes.

After the opening jump ball, Akagi gained possession first and passed the ball to Mitsui.

Mitsui received the ball, but before he could even get into the zone or warm up the ball, his hand was suddenly empty.

Two seconds into the contest, Mitsui's shot was intercepted by Rukawa.

Mitsui blinked blankly.

After intercepting the ball from Mitsui, Rukawa accelerated his dribble straight into the paint, easily leaped up, and slammed the ball powerfully towards the basket.

"Bang!"

After a loud thud, the basketball slammed onto the floor, bounced high, and landed at Mitsui's feet.

Rukawa Kaede gripped the rim with one hand, his entire being calm and rational, his feet high off the ground, his body radiating a powerful energy.

Two seconds later, it landed easily back on the ground.

[Ah—so handsome! Rukawa Kaede! Rukawa Kaede!]

The shouts of Rukawa filled the entire basketball arena.

He was tall and had long legs. Every part of him, even every strand of hair, was exceptionally attractive. His features were striking, with slightly long, fox-like eyes that curved upwards, and his cold gaze was the most impactful.

Rukawa Kaede glanced coldly at Mitsui, then pulled up his collar to wipe his sweat, remaining silent.

Mitsui picked up the ball, scoffing dismissively.

This first-grader! His skills are amazing!!

Everyone was completely bewildered, whispering among themselves, "Why does Rukawa seem so menacing today?"

As everyone knows, Rukawa Kaede, the ace of Shohoku, has excellent basketball skills. However, unlike the usual intra-squad scrimmage, he seemed to be carrying a stronger sense of pressure today.

In the 11th second of the scrimmage, Rukawa Kaede, dribbling the ball to the three-point line, ignored Mitsui's defense and made a strong three-pointer.

This enraged Mitsui completely!

That brat! How dare he be so arrogant towards his seniors? It seems the Shohoku team still needs him to train the younger generation! These kids are getting more and more unruly!

Everyone shrank back, the two men in the arena exuding a menacing aura, as if they were about to start a fight at any moment.

What happened next was exactly what everyone expected—

With 40 seconds left in the scrimmage, Mitsui responded with a three-pointer to Rukawa, letting out two arrogant laughs.

At 1 minute and 2 seconds into the match, Rukawa Kaede blocked Mitsui's shot with a huge, cold block.

At 2 minutes and 33 seconds into the scrimmage, Mitsui drew a defensive foul from Rukawa.

At 3 minutes and 22 seconds into the scrimmage, Rukawa Kaede stole the ball from Mitsui again.

At 5 minutes and 1 second into the scrimmage, Mitsui also intercepted the ball from Rukawa.

...

Ayako grinned mischievously and asked a meaningful question: "Oto-chan, who do you think is stronger, Rukawa or Mitsui-senpai?"

Hanon analyzed with an air of importance: "The only one in the team who can defend Rukawa like this is Mitsui-senpai. Although senpai's stamina is not good, his defense and scoring ability are first-class. He has rich practical experience to suppress Rukawa, so neither of them can get the upper hand against the other."

"...Can we talk about something a little more colorful?" Ayako looked both amused and exasperated. Was she taking the competition way too seriously?

Hanon's confused expression: ? ? ?

The exhibition match between Shohoku's ace and the junior high's MVP, a 50/50 split, finally ended. The two returned to the sidelines, exhausted. After catching their breath, they looked at each other, and the sparks in their eyes were rekindled.

Everyone was astonished; this match was incredibly fierce!

This was supposed to be Mitsui's comeback showcase! Organizing an intra-team scrimmage was also a way to observe Mitsui's current level. But now, it feels like this match was designed to target Mitsui?

Perhaps afraid of being overheard, Kogure looked at Rukawa's cool back and cautiously asked, "Hey Mitsui, did you just step on Rukawa's new sneakers and not apologize?"

Seeing Rukawa Kaede frequently changing into various limited-edition Air Jordans, you can tell he must love sneakers as much as basketball.

Mitsui retorted angrily, "What do you mean! It's that arrogant and conceited first-grader who's all that!"

He's only a first-grader! The senior only accidentally stepped on his foot, is it really necessary to be so petty!

Mitsui, who is extremely concerned about his senior status, repeatedly emphasized that he was a "first-year student".

Miyagi interjected, whispering, "Rukawa's wealth practically screams 'rich,' and he's always so aloof, he wouldn't care."

Kogure asked in confusion, "Then why is he targeting Mitsui?"

Miyagi raised an eyebrow and looked in a certain direction: "Perhaps... it's for some other reason."

The two followed the palace's gaze—

Recently, I've been seeing Sakuragi's bouncy figure and strange gait when he runs a lot. Kanon asked, "Hanamichi, are you feeling unwell?"

Sakuragi scratched his head, the rough-looking monkey not feeling any discomfort at all, "No~~!"

Haruko tensed up upon hearing this and looked at Sakuragi, asking, "Are you really alright, Sakuragi?"

Upon hearing Haruko's sweet voice, Sakuragi immediately transformed. His goofy face flushed with a shy pink, and he repeatedly waved his hands, assuring her, "I'm really fine~~ Don't worry! Hahaha..."

Kogure and Mitsui looked at Miyagi speechlessly: "Why are you showing us that conspicuous red-haired guy??"

At that moment, Miyagi was running towards that spot, a shy blush spreading across his dark, handsome face, his expression both affectionate and silly: "Aya~! What did you think of my practice today?"

Mu Mu and Mitsui:......

Hanon carefully examined Sakuragi. The little monkey had been getting good nutrition lately, and with the help of a devilish scientific training method, he had become much stronger!

Hanon crouched down and pressed his toes—

"Ouch~" Whether it was from pain or something else, the red-haired monkey suddenly pulled its foot back, as if someone had stepped on its tail.

Hanako understood that the red-haired monkey was growing too fast, so his shoes kept getting smaller and smaller, and his feet couldn't keep up, which restricted his movement.

She flicked Sakuragi's forehead with her finger and chuckled, "Silly little brother, you've grown taller~ Haven't you noticed your sneakers are getting tighter?"

"Huh??!"

Everyone gasped in surprise, and Ayako excitedly dragged Sakuragi to measure his height.

"189.1 centimeters! That's incredible, Sakuragi Hanamichi! He grew 1.1 centimeters in less than a month!"

"Oh really? Hehehe... So this genius has grown taller! No wonder my sneakers have been so tight lately~"

"Excuse me, Manager Ayako, I'd also like to have my height measured!"

"Manager Ayako, I want to order too!"

"Manager Ayako..."

"Cai Zi..."

If we practice basketball together and eat a variety of nutritious meals every day, maybe we can all grow as fast as Sakuragi!

Ayako glanced at the much sturdier boys and nodded: "Okay, everyone come over here!"

Kanon nudged Rukawa Kaede beside her, smiling brightly, "You're coming too? You seem to have gained some muscle lately~"

The fox, with an indifferent and uncaring expression, still obediently stood in the long measurement queue.