Chapter 25 Flowers Bloom on a Sunny Day

"Shiozaki is 170.2cm tall, which is 0.2cm taller."

"Kakuta is 180.3cm tall, which is 0.3cm longer."

"Yasuda is 164.2cm tall, and has grown by 0.2cm."

The first and second graders were overjoyed. Although their growth rate wasn't as abnormal as Sakuragi's, they were all extremely satisfied!

"Wow, Rukawa is 187.7 cm tall, he's grown by 0.7 cm!"

Upon hearing that Rukawa was slightly inferior to him, Sakuragi immediately became elated, laughing loudly: "Hahaha~ Hey you, Rukawa-kaeda, you haven't even grown 1cm yet, you're so slow~~"

The fox glanced at the red-haired monkey with dissatisfaction, "What a complete idiot."

Everyone: ...Suddenly, I feel like my little decimal point isn't so great anymore! I really want to shut the red-haired monkey up; he's only been happy for a few minutes and he's already been hit with another blow!

Miyagi looked aggrieved: "Aya..."

Ayako gently comforted him: "Don't be discouraged, Miyagi. You've only been back with the team for a short time and have missed a lot of training. You'll catch up with everyone else eventually."

Miyagi blushed, her mouth practically twisting into a grin: "Okay... Aya... I'll keep trying!"

Haruko blinked her bright, clear eyes: "Sakuragi, are you going to buy new sneakers?"

"Huh?" Sakuragi blushed and reached up to rub his head, his mouth almost touching the back of his ears. "No need, hahaha... I can still wear it~!"

Sakuragi didn't care at all. These sneakers were a gift his sister had specially brought back from the US. He'd only worn them for a month; they were still brand new. There was absolutely no need to buy another pair.

Upon hearing this, Kanon immediately slapped Sakuragi on the back of the head, "What are you laughing at, you silly Kanon? Of course you need to get new sneakers!"

Sakuragi was left with a huge inheritance and a bunch of insurance policies by his parents, ensuring he would have plenty to eat and drink and live a life of luxury. However, the boy knew nothing about money and lived a very rough life, so everyone thought he was poor.

"Oh dear~ Sister, you've become so rude!" The red-haired monkey exaggeratedly covered its head and pouted, looking pitifully at Hanon. "I told you not to get so close to those wild foxes~!"

He kept nagging, but inside he was secretly pleased with himself.

When they were little, the two siblings always played and bickered. As they grew up, Kanon's personality became much gentler and more patient. However, after spending time together, Sakuragi felt that the two of them had returned to the carefree days of their childhood.

A wild fox raised an eyebrow and gave Sakuragi a sharp look: "Super idiot."

When two powerful forces meet, a fierce battle is inevitable—the next segment will feature a showdown between the monkey and the fox.

Everyone sighed, "Here we go again~"

Kanon stroked Haruko's soft, long hair and asked, "Cute Haruko~ Do you have time tomorrow?"

Haruko smiled sweetly: "Tomorrow's the weekend, I have time~!"

Kanon: "Could you please accompany Sakuragi to buy basketball shoes?"

"Huh?" Sakuragi paused upon hearing this. "Oh dear! That wretched fox took advantage of my vulnerability!"

"Okay~! I'll go with Sakuragi to buy sneakers tomorrow~ Don't worry, sis~"

As soon as Haruko finished speaking, Sakuragi was completely at a loss.

Tomorrow! I'm going on a date with Haruko?!

Sakuragi felt his heart race and his cheeks burn, stammering, "Um...um...I...I..."

Haruko asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Sakuragi? Don't you have time?"

Sakuragi immediately puffed out his chest and raised his head, replying, "Of course! I always have plenty of free time!"

Sorry, Sakuragi Army, I can't play pachinko with you guys tomorrow!

"Okay~ then it's a deal~"

Ayako: "Speaking of which, Oto-chan and Sakuragi are wearing the same style of sneakers."

Sakuragi grinned: "Hmm? Oh right~ It's a matching set, hahaha~"

Rukawa Kaede's gaze swept over the siblings' feet, his beautiful fox-like eyes landing on the red-haired monkey's eye-catching sneakers.

Hanon sighed: "...Hanamichi, this is called the sibling style."

Haruko chuckled, "Sakuragi, you're so cute~ You and Kanon-neechan are so close!"

Sakuragi blushed, extremely shy, and kept scratching his head, "Hehehe..."

Haruko's smile is so cute! My heart is fluttering!

Sakuragi's face turned bright red, like a ripe peach, as he secretly glanced at Haruko. The people around him couldn't help but laugh, exclaiming that they couldn't bear to watch.

"Hey you stinky fox! Can't you watch where you're going? You stepped on this genius!"

The fox, with a cold and smug look on its face, muttered, "I stepped on an idiot; I can't keep my shoes now."

Everyone: ...

Kanon whispered in Ayako's ear, "Hanamichi goes for a run with Haruko every morning. But their relationship doesn't seem to be improving at all. Hanamichi still just laughs and chuckles whenever he sees Haruko. Do you think there's anything going on between them?"

Initially, the siblings ran together while dribbling, but later they ran into Haruko by chance while changing routes. Learning that Haruko ran along the same route every morning, she, acting as a third wheel, voluntarily withdrew from the activity, creating more opportunities for the two to spend time together.

Ayako replied weakly, "Well, this is actually quite difficult!"

Their eyes met, and as if by unspoken understanding, they both sighed softly, their faces filled with helplessness and doting affection.

"Oh ho ho ho~ Is it everyone's break time now?"

A round figure walked into the basketball court, his body almost taking up the entire entrance, pushing all the light aside.

"coach!"

Good afternoon, Coach!

Mitsui, his eyes moist, clutched the basketball and ran excitedly toward Coach Anzai, his face beaming with an innocent smile he couldn't hide. "Coach Anzai!"

"Oh ho ho ho~ Mitsui looks very energetic today~" Coach Anzai smiled kindly and patted him on the shoulder.

Mitsui bowed deeply, his voice filled with respect: "Thank you, Coach. I hope you will continue to encourage me in the future!"

Coach Anzai nodded and adjusted his glasses. "Everyone has been training very hard lately. You've all gotten used to the extra training sessions in the afternoons. So, starting Monday, the intensity of our team's training will increase significantly, and the training volume will double. I hope everyone can stick to it."

Everyone accepted it without much thought, because they were already used to extra training, and morning training was nothing to them.

In unison, they responded, "Yes!"

After Coach Anzai arrived, the Shohoku players began their individual training sessions. Coach Anzai then inspected each player's progress, providing detailed guidance to ensure that every player received adequate attention.

Rukawa Kaede practices shooting from the three-point position.

After watching for a moment, Hanon walked to the basket, caught the falling ball, and then passed it back to him.

Rukawa Kaede received the pass and looked at her. His usually indifferent and aloof eyebrows were tinged with color. He lost his usual sharp and upward-sloping look, and the corners of his eyes had a slightly downward-sloping curve, which had a captivating quality that made people unconsciously fall into his eyes.

Hanon subconsciously looked away.

During shooting practice, the most time-consuming and physically demanding task was retrieving the ball. Kanon acted as the ball boy, while Rukawa focused entirely on shooting.

The two didn't speak; Rukawa was in charge of shooting, and Kanon was in charge of retrieving and passing the ball. The practice became smoother, with each shot going on.

"Whoosh—"

"Whoosh—"

The sound of the ball going in is very rhythmic. The ball is fast and spins around. At first, it will hit the edge of the rim, but later, when the touch comes, most of them go in cleanly.

He bent his arm, snapped his wrist cleanly and decisively, and his eyes revealed an undisguised air of dominance.

The atmosphere was wonderful, and the two felt an extreme sense of harmony and joy.

After finishing her notes, Haruko subconsciously looked for that splash of red.

The orange-red afterglow of the setting sun gilded the cherry tree with a warm, golden edge.

The tall, muscular figure was practicing jump shots under the basket in the half-court. As he practiced, he couldn't resist showing off. He dribbled the ball, took a big step towards the basket, soared up, and slammed the ball into the hoop. Then he let out a very infectious laugh: "Hahaha~ Genius is indeed amazing!"

Haruko was involuntarily drawn into the rhythm of the laughter, and the corners of her mouth turned up. All she could see was him jumping around, his face full of sunshine.

Sakuragi really tried his best.

She always knew that under Kanon's intense training, Sakuragi put in more effort and sweat than the other team members. He never tired of training, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.

She inexplicably felt a sense of security and attraction towards Sakuragi, making her unable to resist getting closer.

As soon as I approached, I could feel the heat emanating from him, the kind of masculine body heat that radiates outwards after exercise.

Haruko blushed, and her heart suddenly started racing uncontrollably.

Sakuragi picked up the ball from the ground, turned around and saw Haruko beside him. His smug face immediately turned red, and her sweet face made Sakuragi lose his composure.

In an instant, we looked at each other, and the surrounding environment became a dazzling spectacle.

"Smack!"

"Hey! Where did you guys throw the ball again? Are you shooting with your butts? Everyone, concentrate! Don't let your guard down!"

Ayako's roar came from beside me.

Since she took charge of the first-year students' shooting practice, her temper has become increasingly volatile, turning her into the queen of the basketball court. The first-year students have suffered greatly under her paper fan.

"Listen up, everyone! Concentrate and master the correct shooting form!!" Miyagi shouted in agreement, then turned her head, blushing yet fawning, "Hehe, Aya, you've worked hard~"

"Yes! 555..."

They dared not resist, not even a little bit; the "vicious dogs" around the Queen were not to be trifled with.

Upon seeing this, Haruko and Sakuragi laughed in unison.

Haruko spoke first: "Sakuragi, have you been practicing your jump shot under the basket lately?"

Sakuragi scratched his head: "Ah, yeah! I recently learned a new skill~ Hehe..."

Haruko said apologetically, "Did I bother you?"

Sakuragi got excited, waving his hands and saying, "That's not true at all! I'm so happy! I'm so happy that Haruko came to chat with me~!"

Haruko smiled sweetly, stared at him, and said softly, "Sakuragi, you're such a good person~ I'm really grateful to you!"

Recalling the words Haruko said when he was politely rejected—"Sakuragi, you're a good person, thank you"—Sakuragi felt flustered. Was Haruko trying to give him the "friend zone" treatment? But he hadn't even officially confessed yet…

"My brother has always aimed to dominate the nation, and he has trained diligently every day for the past three years, but things haven't gone as planned..."

Haruko looked out the window at the slowly setting sun, her voice tinged with disappointment.

Haruko's heavy mood made Sakuragi feel anxious and helpless. He didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only keep repeating, "Haruko, don't worry~ I'm here for you!"