Chapter 31 A Handkerchief

Hua Yin casually wiped the sweat from her forehead. Before she knew it, a handsome and upright young man was standing beside her, extending his right hand and offering her a snow-white handkerchief.

As usual, he maintained his cold and aloof demeanor.

Good morning, Rukawa.

Hanon greeted him with a smile, then promptly declined his offer, "Thank you, but I don't need a handkerchief; it would be troublesome if I got it dirty."

Japanese people like to use handkerchiefs, but Kanon doesn't really like this traditional practice. She finds reusable handkerchiefs troublesome and not clean enough.

I didn't expect her to refuse.

Those beautiful fox-like eyes suddenly fell silent, her face expressionless, but her heart was churning with turmoil.

Rukawa Kaede reached out and pressed the handkerchief against her forehead without hesitation, calmly saying, "It won't get dirty."

Hana instinctively took the handkerchief from his hand.

After expressing her gratitude, Hana hesitated for a moment and asked, "Should I wash this handkerchief and return it to you... or should I dispose of it myself?"

"No need." Shaking his head, Rukawa Kaede looked at her intently, patiently waiting for her to finish what she was doing.

After exercising, Huayin's porcelain-white face was flushed with a bright red, and her eyelashes glistened with sweat.

Her long hair was tied into a low ponytail, and glistening beads of sweat slid down her slender and beautiful neck.

She was like a camellia shrouded in misty rain, possessing a beauty that was shrouded in dew.

Rukawa Kaede stared for two seconds, his throat tightening, feeling his heart pounding uncontrollably. When she stopped, he asked in a low voice, "Finished wiping?"

"Uh-huh."

"Give me the handkerchief."

Hanon was a little confused and did not respond.

Rukawa Kaede naturally took the wet handkerchief back from her hand, put it in his pocket without thinking, and said in a low voice, "I'll wash it."

Rukawa Kaede believes that in life, she can be summed up in one word—lazy.

But it's okay.

None of that matters.

Rukawa Kaede has done something so unexpected again!

Hana blinked several times and thought for a while, but still couldn't keep up with his pace.

I'm too lazy to think too hard about it, and it's pretty good that the two of us get along comfortably.

Then Rukawa Kaede spoke again, "I also want to come to training early."

Kanon casually replied, "...Oh, okay."

As soon as he finished speaking, his brows furrowed slightly, and his expression became complex, showing both dissatisfaction and a hint of anticipation.

He stared intently at her, as if patiently waiting.

Was he waiting for her to invite him to practice ball together?

After a brief moment of thought, Hanon's eyes formed crescent shapes: "Hanamichi and I arrive at the basketball court at 5 o'clock every day. Do you want to come with us?"

For a fleeting second, something in Rukawa's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Um."

Hana sighed inwardly. Although he appeared aloof, his thoughts were actually quite easy to guess.

As the faint morning light began to fall, the Shohoku team members arrived at the stadium one after another, with several younger players still feeling sleepy.

Ayako posted the training schedule on the wall and announced with great enthusiasm, "Alright! I announce! Starting today, we will begin grueling training. Everyone, please take a look—"

The entire Xiangbei team gathered in a circle, staring at the long training schedule, and collectively gasped in shock.

The weariness that had been there before was gone, replaced by wide eyes and a look of terror.

The training programs in the schedule range from low to high frequency and from simple to complex in difficulty.

Kogure swallowed hard, hesitated for two seconds, and asked with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, "...Is it really okay to practice like this?"

Although it's supposed to be a gradual progression, the minimum training frequency is anything but low! I wonder if training like this will kill someone...

Akagi, with a serious expression, raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Even the usually calm and composed Rukawa Kaede showed some subtle cracks on his face.

Ayako coughed lightly, crossed her arms, and spoke in a serious tone:

"Um... Assistant Coach Kanon has optimized it repeatedly, and Coach Anzai also said it's perfectly fine, so there shouldn't be any major problems! Everyone can proceed with it without worry!"

Hanon's gaze swept over everyone, noticing their dejected expressions. Her smile slowly faded: "Is it that no one can do it? If that's the case..."

"Can!"

Rukawa and Sakuragi responded to her in unison, then the monkey and fox gave each other a disdainful look and snorted contemptuously.

"sure!"

Akagi gritted his teeth and roared in response, "Are you kidding me! Giving up before even starting is too cowardly. How can you dominate the whole country like that?"

"We can do it!"

The Xiangxiao team members continuously delivered firm voices, full of morale and passion.

Hanon laughed: "Very good! This is the aura of a king. Let's begin. Senior Akagi, lead the team in a dribbling jog to warm up and stretch before moving on to the next step."

Mitsui angrily questioned Kanon: "Hey, why is my training different from everyone else's? Are you looking down on your seniors?!"

He felt that this was no different from being stripped of his status as a member of the Shohoku team.

Sakuragi, who values ​​his family, immediately felt a surge of anger.

"The senior has just returned to the team, so it's better to proceed step by step."

"I don't think it's necessary!"

Mitsui protested, his face grim and his tone tinged with annoyance, "I can do whatever training everyone else does, there's no need for discrimination!"

Hearing this, Sakuragi couldn't hold back any longer. He turned to Mitsui angrily and said, "Hey Mitsui, what's wrong with your sister's arrangements? This attitude is really rude to girls!"

Rukawa Kaede's eyes were also filled with displeasure. He stood directly in front of Kanon, blocking Mitsui's view.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if it could explode at any moment.

"Everyone is eagerly anticipating that the senior can return to his previous level as soon as possible."

Kanon patted Sakuragi and Rukawa's tense arms, patiently comforting the sensitive Mitsui.

"But before we can develop a reasonable training plan, we must make sure that the players are not injured during training."

Seeing that everyone was both looking forward to him and worried about him, Mitsui felt a warm glow in his heart.

"We need to provide guidance and training to our seniors based on the actual situation, mainly considering that you haven't played for a long time, your physical strength, and your foot injury. If everything goes well, you will of course be training with the other members soon."

Hanon's words were full of concern for him, and her own abilities were also extremely outstanding, which convinced Mitsui's instincts.

Despite knowing full well that he had misunderstood her, Mitsui was too embarrassed to admit his mistake. He scratched his chin awkwardly and said, "Well, I'll prove that I'm perfectly fine on my end."

When everyone saw that the troubled child's emotions had stabilized, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After warming up, the morning training officially began, with Sakuragi leading the demonstration.

"Squat frog jumps can improve your jumping ability and explosiveness, and can also help you grow taller!"

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they all followed suit. However, before long, they found that their legs were getting heavier and heavier, as if they were tied with thousands of pounds of stones, and their faces were no longer rosy, looking like they had suffered a great deal of bitterness and resentment.

Haruko covered her mouth in surprise: "Wow! Sakuragi is amazing! He's actually training while wearing a weighted vest! Can you keep going?"

Sakuragi, with an smug grin, said, "Hehehe! Of course! This weight is nothing to a genius like me..."

What?

Weighted vest?

Is this little red-haired monkey provoking us?!

Are you kidding me? I will never admit defeat!

The crowd's expressions turned angry, their demeanor instantly shifting, as if they had been injected with stimulants, their spirits soaring, their fighting spirit high.

Unbeknownst to them, the little red-haired monkey sparked a training craze within the basketball team.

Next, use a rope ladder for footwork training.

"In basketball, players don't always run forward. Sometimes they need to move backward, sometimes they need to slide, and sometimes they need to stop suddenly. Therefore, our specialized training includes many similar movements such as sliding, sprinting, and retreating defense."

As they made defensive runs, Ayako held a stopwatch and shouted encouragement, "Run! Run! Rotate faster! Don't give them a chance to shoot!"

Haruko was recording the team members' data in her notebook.

After several rounds of training, the entire basketball court was filled with an undeniable scorching heat.

The team members staggered to the sidelines, exhausted and aching all over. They could barely stand, and their bodies were soaked as if they had just been pulled out of the water.

Ayako and Haruko walked back and forth on the sidelines, handing out towels and water to everyone, while encouraging them, "You did a great job! Keep it up!"

Mitsui looked like a wilted eggplant at that moment, listless and even his legs were shaking.

Many team members had already gulped down their water, but he was still there, moving slowly as if walking was torture…

Although she didn't show it on her face, Hanon was laughing loudly inside.

Mitsui's situation was within her expectations.

She picked up a bottle of water, hesitated for a moment, silently turned the cap to the right, and patiently waited for Mitsui to walk to the sidelines.

Mitsui caught a glimpse of Hanon's gaze, and his cheeks gradually flushed, regaining their healthy and lovely pink hue. He involuntarily walked towards her.

It seems like I'm constantly making a fool of myself in front of her, lacking any seniority or dignity. It's infuriating!

As he slowly walked over, Hanon smiled broadly, handed him the water in her hand, and encouraged him, "You've worked hard, Mitsui-senpai, keep up the good work!"

"Oh, it's nothing!"

Mitsui struggled to straighten his body, but his legs were shaking so badly that they twisted his entire posture into a comical shape.

He reached out to take the water bottle—

Just then, a basketball flew straight into his hand and hit him squarely.

"Hey! Who is it? How dare they throw a basketball at their senior!"

Mitsui roared and turned his head fiercely toward the direction from which the basketball was coming.