Chapter 32 The Fiery Prodigal

Mitsui's voice drew everyone's attention, and they all stopped what they were doing and looked in that direction.

As the basketball flew towards her, Hanon instinctively took a step back.

Even if Rukawa Kaede stands there quietly, he is still a dazzling presence.

His indifferent face showed no emotion. He calmly adjusted his wristband, completely unaffected by the surrounding atmosphere, seemingly unaware of the doubts around him.

Hana was stunned for a moment, then asked blankly, "Rukawa, what's wrong?"

Rukawa glanced at her, his expression unchanged, a look that was slightly better than indifference.

Then, he raised his right hand, stared at his palm for a moment, turned his gaze back to her, looked innocent, and said in a flat tone, "Oh, my hand slipped."

Hana raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't ask any further questions. "...Oh."

Don't be fooled by Rukawa Kaede's usual nonchalant demeanor; deep down, he's extremely eccentric and does whatever he wants without a second thought, completely disregarding the opinions of others.

Just like now, if he doesn't want to talk about it, asking more questions won't help.

The entire team was stunned, rubbing their ears and looking at the eccentric Rukawa Kaede with a strange expression. "What? What did Rukawa just say?"

"...My hand...my hand slipped?!"

Isn't this reason... a bit too outrageous?

Mitsui was stunned for a moment, then his anger suddenly erupted:

"Hey kid, what do you mean? Why did you hit me with the ball?"

Rukawa Kaede's shooting is always incredibly accurate, no one would believe he slipped! Even if he did slip, it wouldn't have landed on his hand, would it?

Back then, when they got into a fight, he was the first to throw a ball at someone! What a hot-tempered brat!

I didn't provoke him, and I certainly didn't step on his limited edition AJ shoes during training!

Why target him?

Could it be... because he's jealous of his status as a genius ace?

Yes! He's just jealous!

That stingy fox!

Miyagi stared at the scene with a gossipy look, picked up a towel, rubbed his face haphazardly, raised an eyebrow, and whispered, "Look, the whole basketball court smells like vinegar."

After saying that, he shook his head from side to side and sniffed, as if to confirm whether the surrounding air had also become sour.

Ayako's eyes burned like a cauldron of octagonal energy. Wow, could it be that Rukawa Kaede has finally seen the light?!

Seeing that the taciturn boy did not respond to him, Mitsui did not pay much attention to it.

Even if he were angry, he wouldn't have any presence in his current state; his body was simply too weak and powerless. He reached out his hand to Hana: "Could you please give me some water?"

Hana handed over the water: "Here you go—"

Rukawa strode over to her, still damp from exercising, and snatched the water from her hand.

Under the watchful eyes of all his teammates, Rukawa Kaede calmly unscrewed the bottle cap. Finding it already open, he paused, stared at Kanon for two seconds, a hint of barely perceptible grievance in his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, Rukawa Kaede tilted his head back, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and said in a completely emotionless voice, "Thanks, I was just thirsty."

Hanayin:...?

The team members looked at each other, secretly wondering to themselves, "Didn't Rukawa just finish a whole bottle of water?"

Ayako was thoroughly enjoying the show, and now she finally understood that what Rukawa Kaede was drinking wasn't water, but vinegar!

Mitsui's hand froze in mid-air. Just as he was about to explode, Miyagi quickly placed the water in his hand: "Mitsui, drink this!"

Mitsui angrily took it, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.

Forget it, he's dying of thirst, so I won't bother arguing with a first-grader!

Kanon blinked, tilted her head, and asked Ayako, who was leaning closer, "That day, when you led a group into the basketball gym, did you offend Rukawa? Why do those two always seem to be competing with each other?"

Seeing that Kanon was completely clueless, Ayako chuckled to herself, "Ah, to be honest, I'm totally clueless too."

After replenishing their fluids, the Shohoku team members collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted, glancing enviously at Sakuragi.

At this moment, Sakuragi had already taken off his weighted vest and was still very energetic. He was chatting enthusiastically with Haruko and occasionally let out a loud "hahaha".

The red-haired monkey's physical abilities are truly outstanding! He's only a first-grader, yet he already possesses such amazing physical strength. After training, won't he become even more terrifying?!

Seeing this, Hana immediately clapped her hands and said loudly, "You can't sit down immediately after strenuous exercise, otherwise it will affect blood circulation. Please stand up and do some stretching exercises."

Upon hearing this, all the team members immediately got up and started stretching with Huayin.

Hanon smiled and encouraged everyone: "Hang in there, everyone! Stretching is very important! And consistent, effective stretching can even help you grow taller. I used to be the shortest in the team, but I grew to this height by stretching."

Miyagi's eyes lit up instantly. He looked at Kanon, who was half a head taller than him, with ecstatic joy and asked, "Is that really true? And then what happened? Did you become the tallest in the team?"

Hanon shook her head, both amused and exasperated, and said with a hint of helplessness, "No, I'm still the shortest in the team."

"What? How tall are the other team members?"

"The tallest center is 2.1 meters."

The entire team was stunned, clicking their tongues in amazement: "Unbelievable! What kind of team is this? They even have a girl who's taller than Captain Akagi!"

Hana smiled without saying a word and continued to lead everyone in stretching.

She had a graceful posture when she stretched, which is undoubtedly something she does every day.

Rukawa Kaede followed her demonstration, gazing intently at her while his thoughts drifted.

I'm curious, what kind of team did she join? It's rare for a female high school student to grow to 2.1 meters tall, right?

After stretching, Haruko greeted everyone with a smile, "You've all worked hard, come and eat something to replenish your energy."

"ah?"

"From now on, everyone can enjoy breakfast and dinner at school after training. Unlimited milk and snacks will be available in the basketball gym. Coach Anzai and senior Mitsui will provide nutritious meals free of charge!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" The young team members were overjoyed and quickly ran to Mitsui to bow. "Thank you so much, Mitsui-senpai!"

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Mitsui seemed a little flustered, but he maintained a serious expression, hands on his hips, and said, "Well, it's nothing!"

Not all team members come from wealthy families. High-intensity training requires adequate nutrition; otherwise, it can have the opposite effect.

Mitsui recalled the conversation between Kanon and Coach Anzai, and he subconsciously looked at her.

At this moment, she was patiently checking the tedious training data with the two managers.

He was completely focused, and his expression showed calmness and composure.

She said to Coach Anzai very seriously:

Please don't worry about the training. The team members can focus on training; leave the rest to me.

Such unwavering and selfless dedication to an unknown basketball team like Shohoku.

At that moment, he felt as if he had been struck by a powerful force, like a surging tide that could not be calmed for a long time.

When he heard them discussing the cost of nutritional meals, he didn't hesitate to take on the task and became the "feeder" of the Xiangbei team.

After all, as a man, how could he let a woman shoulder all the responsibility!

Of course, this is also a way for him to make amends to the basketball team!

Hanon picked up the yogurt and took a sip, only to find a certain arrogant senior staring at her expectantly.

She returned a warm smile, held up her yogurt, and waved it silently—thank you.

Mitsui raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into a beautiful arc, his obsidian-like eyes gleaming with a soft light.

"Hey, hey, hey, Rukawa! Your milk is overflowing!"

Ishii exclaimed in surprise, his words so impactful that they drew the attention of the team members.

What kind of rabid and insolent language is this?!

It's really hard to imagine.

—Oh, so the milk overflowed from the milk carton!

Hana looked over and saw Rukawa Kaede's large hands tightly gripping the milk carton, which was so deformed that milk splattered out and splashed all over his hands.

His face was tense, and he was clearly a bit irritable, as if he was about to explode at any moment.

Even when he was unhappy, Rukawa would usually restrain himself a little when looking at her, but this time was different. He didn't say a word and just stared straight at her.

...I just kept staring at her like that.

Hana frowned slightly and turned to get a tissue, but her wrist was grabbed tightly.

Where to?

The voice was clear, cold, and unique, with added emphasis, giving it a compelling quality.

Rukawa Kaede pulled her along, his expression unlike his usual obedient self, as if he were filled with intense vigilance.

His strength was also great, and Hana felt a clear pain in her wrist.

Noticing that his reaction was too intense, Rukawa loosened his grip, frowned, and looked at the wrist guard on her wrist.

It's mine.

Her tone softened a little as she asked again, "Where are you going?"

What's wrong with him?

Hana felt she couldn't understand him, blinked, and said, "I'll go get you some tissues."

"…Um."

His previously cold eyes softened slightly, and his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Sakuragi stared intently at Rukawa, opened his mouth wide, and devoured a whole steamed bun. At the same time, his eyes darted around and his ears perked up, as if he were deep in thought.

Some team members seemed lost in thought, while others had already ignored these common little incidents and continued to focus on eating.

This little incident did not affect the happy and relaxed atmosphere in the basketball court.

Everyone was enjoying the post-training meal; even though training was exhausting, they were starting to enjoy the process.

Ayako's face lit up with a bright smile, and she seized the opportunity to promote Shohoku's corporate culture: "Now, with systematic and comprehensive training, and nutritious and balanced nutrition, everyone must do their best! Our goal is—"

"—Dominate the entire nation!!"

The entire team immediately shouted in unison, their morale soaring to its peak.

After finishing the intense training in the early morning, all the team members rushed into the shower room to shower and rinse their mouths, changed into a refreshing school uniform, and headed to the classroom in high spirits to prepare for class.

After everyone had left, Kanon finally came out of the shower room.

"Rukawa?"

As soon as Hanon stepped out, she saw Rukawa Kaede leaning against the wall. His dark hair was still damp, and he exuded a moist aura, like he had just taken a bath.

He lowered his eyelashes and looked at her, his narrow, fox-like eyes swirling with emotion.

"Why aren't you in the classroom? Class is about to start."

Hana panicked for a moment, thinking about the training they had just had, and assumed he was injured. She quickly looked him up and down carefully, asking, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"I have something to ask you."

His tone was calm yet earnest.

Mitsui's gaze and her attitude lingered in his mind, preventing him from calming down.