Chapter 39 The Four Handsome Men of Shohoku

Da Nan poked his exposed belly button and laughed, "You idiot! Not everyone is popular in the martial arts community, especially someone like you, Gao Gong!"

Yohei casually plucked a blade of grass: "Takamiya, even if you come to the Martial Arts Academy, you'll be just like this blade of grass—utterly insignificant—you'll never amount to anything!"

Noma interjected, "Maybe it's not even as good as this blade of grass~"

Gao Gong stomped his foot, his fat face twitching: "Damn it! What do you mean by saying that!"

"Hahaha..."

The commotion startled the birds in the trees, causing them to scatter in all directions.

The girls from Wuyuan looked at them with utter disdain and chose to avoid them.

Sakuragi snatched the grass from Yohei's hand, gritting his teeth: "Hey, are you guys here to watch my game or to see the girls? A bunch of old perverts!"

Yohei chuckled, "Of course I came to watch your match, Hanamichi, and also to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Takezono Garden."

Da Nan grinned lewdly: "It's in a man's nature to look at pretty girls, okay? Hua Dao, don't get so excited!"

Takamiya chimed in, "Exactly! Look, Akagi-senpai and Rukawa are watching too, aren't they? Why don't you go and tell them off?"

Akagi's veins bulged, as if he wanted to give Sakuragi's army a good beating.

Rukawa Kaede, who was suddenly called out: ?

Receiving a glance from Hanon, Rukawa Kaede said calmly and composedly, "I didn't see it."

Ayako glanced at Rukawa Kaede and clicked her tongue, "I never expected you to be like this, Rukawa Kaede."

Kanon couldn't help but scrutinize Rukawa, a subtle glint in her eyes.

Is it a man's nature?

So it turns out he wasn't only interested in basketball after all.

Seeing that Hanon was in a bad mood, Rukawa Kaede's calm voice carried a barely perceptible urgency: "I didn't look at any other girls!"

Is she unhappy?

He just thought it was noisy and glanced at it casually.

Sakuragi wasn't going to let Rukawa off so easily. His face turned into a gloomy little potato-shaped face as he fanned the flames, saying, "Ah, you heartless fox~ I hate you the most!"

Rukawa Kaede's indifferent expression faltered slightly, and a surge of anger welled up inside him: "Idiot, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll kill you!"

Sakuragi was happy whenever Rukawa was unhappy. He grinned and said with a smirk, "Tch, you guessed it, didn't you? Getting angry now? Hehehe..."

Immediately following, the scene of the monkey leaping and the fox jumping began.

Under everyone's gaze, Ye Zi walked straight towards the monkey and fox that were being pulled apart, and greeted them generously: "Hi, Sakuragi."

Sakuragi stopped what he was doing, inexplicably nervous. He scratched his head and asked, "Yoyo...you...are you alright?"

—Yoko, Sakuragi's 50th confession target.

"I'm fine!"

Ye Zi had fair skin and long, shoulder-length black hair that cascaded down her back in a pure and innocent way. Her gaze fell on his team uniform, and her voice was light and cheerful, "Sakuragi, you've joined the basketball club too?"

Sakuragi crossed his arms behind his head and laughed arrogantly: "Ah, right~ Hahaha... After all, I'm a genius basketball player!"

Ye Zi smiled gently, "If you're going to the basketball court, this way please!"

Sakuragi nodded, blushing, "Okay~ Thank you, Yezi... Hehehe~!"

My ears were filled with Sakuragi's silly, giggling laughter.

The Sakuragi Army followed closely, their voices booming as if they wanted to stir up trouble: "Wow, thank goodness Haruko wasn't here."

Ayako whispered, "Sakuragi may be a bit slow, but he has a good eye for talent!"

Hana nodded in agreement: "Yes, this girl is pretty and has a great personality."

As the two were chatting happily, a sudden voice interrupted their conversation: "Ye Zi."

"Oda?"

Oda swept Sakuragi up and down, saying sarcastically, "Is Shohoku out of people? Even delinquents can join the basketball team."

He turned to his teammates and laughed, "Just look at Sakuragi, a team like Shohoku isn't far from disbanding!"

Sakuragi's face turned ashen, and in his fury, he roared, "What did you say?!"

Seeing Sakuragi's angry back of the head, the Shohoku team members broke out in a cold sweat. At the same time, an uncontrollable rage against Oda burned fiercely in their chests.

Oda gave a half-smile: "Sakuragi, you have no right to play basketball. A delinquent like you only pollutes the basketball team's environment."

The tone was extremely contemptuous.

Yoko was shocked by Oda's rude remarks. Even if he didn't like Sakuragi, he shouldn't have said such embarrassing things.

Kanon's calm and composed demeanor made Ayako's heart skip a beat.

Rukawa Kaede was looking at Kanon very intently, not wanting to miss any subtle changes in her face.

His mind was racing, trying to use logic to deduce Kanon's feelings at that moment.

However, a single-celled brain seems to lack logical abilities.

The body is one step ahead of the brain.

Hanon looked down at the hem of her clothes, only to have it hooked by Rukawa's hand.

Looking back—

The taciturn Rukawa Kaede showed unconditional support and... reassurance.

Hanon slightly curved the corners of her mouth and continued to look at Sakuragi.

Sakuragi flew into a rage, lunging forward and grabbing Oda by the collar: "Damn it! What did you say?!"

On his home turf, Oda disregarded Sakuragi and provoked him recklessly, saying, "See? A delinquent is a delinquent. All you can do is use brute force to solve problems!"

"You bastard, I'll kill you!"

Sakuragi swung his fist, about to land a blow on Oda's face.

If an athlete gets into a fight at school, they will be suspended from competition!

Ye Zi was stunned for a few seconds, then came to her senses and shouted in a panic, "Stop! Sakuragi!"

Akagi shouted sternly, "Sakuragi, stop!"

"Calm down, Hanamichi!"

Seeing that things were not going well, the Sakuragi Army reacted and hugged Sakuragi tightly.

Hanon grasped his fist, stopping the emotionally distraught Sakuragi. She smiled and gently comforted him, "Hanamichi, you're here to play basketball."

When she smiled, her long, thick eyelashes curved upwards, creating a captivating beauty.

Xiaotian lost his voice, and for a moment he was blinded by the light.

Sakuragi gritted his teeth, suppressing his temper, and his eyes reddened.

Kanon patted Sakuragi's head reassuringly, and the instant she released his fist, her left hand swung out in a swift motion—

"Smack!"

A crisp, loud slap.

The entire surroundings were as quiet as if no one was there.

The onlookers shuddered – that sound was painful to hear!

"But I am not."

Xiaotian is still reeling from the shock of seeing such a beautiful face; her mind is still reeling.

—Hanamichi, you're here to play ball.

—But I am not.

It was as if something had suddenly burst through the gate.

Sakuragi felt a lump in his throat, and tears streamed down his face, dispelling the grievances in his heart.

Ayako looked at her unreasonable expression, feeling both annoyed and amused. She knew that Kanon was notoriously protective of her own.

Although we haven't known each other for long, every time I spend with her is full of surprises.

Kanon can be sweet-talking and charming, or she can be like a female hero, wielding a sharp blade and facing powerful enemies head-on.

Some girls are made of candy, spices, and beautiful things.

Some girls are born to be adventurous, wine-loving, intelligent, and fearless.

In this polite and restrained society, Kanon is so free, open, brave and fearless.

Ye Zi immediately took out a handkerchief, wanting to wipe away the little bit of bright red from Xiao Tian's lips: "Xiao Tian! Are you alright?"

A ringing sound filled Xiao Tian's ears, and the five finger marks on his face gradually swelled up. A burning pain spread throughout his body. He couldn't believe it: "You hit me?"

Hanon looked completely innocent, but her tone lacked sincerity: "Ah, my hand slipped."

The Sakuragi Army applauded wildly, then clasped their hands in a fist salute!

Everyone in Shohoku was holding back their emotions, wanting to laugh but not daring to be too excited.

At the same time, they all turned to look at Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa Kaede scratched the back of his head expressionlessly.

They learn quite quickly.

Oda's face turned purplish-red as he swung his fist at Hana's face.

Hana nimbly dodged, then swung her right hand at his face again—

"Smack!"

Another sound.

Wow—that's fierce!

The Sakuragi Army cheered wildly, grinning and cheekily declaring, "It still has to be my sister!"

Everyone was stunned by the aura, their mouths agape, frozen in place.

...Holy crap! What kind of femme fatale is this?!

Xiao Tian's ears were ringing, her mind went blank, and for a moment it seemed she couldn't hear anything at all.

Hanon smiled casually: "Now it's symmetrical."

The five words, spoken lightly, contrasted sharply with the burning pain on his face.

"I kill you!"

Xiaotian's features contorted in a grotesque grimace, making him look terrifying. He took a large step forward, but was grabbed by his teammate. "Xiaotian! You can't!"

He was so anxious and angry that he was waving his arms wildly, as if he wanted to eat someone alive!

Ye Zi covered her mouth, clearly frightened by Xiao Tian's reaction, and stood there dumbfounded.

Huayin looked at Yezi and asked, "A man who hits a girl is the worst. What do you like about him?"

Ye Zi looked dejected, as if she had lost her soul.

The Sakuragi Army's voices weren't too loud, just loud enough for everyone around to hear: "Well, they probably like him because he's handsome and can play basketball~"

The surrounding audience was incredibly enthusiastic, exchanging glances and whispering amongst themselves, completely unafraid of escalating the situation.

Hana glanced at him lightly, her eyes filled with a hint of disdain, then turned her head back.

"That's it? It looks quite refreshing."

She pulled the grass from Sakuragi's hand and started weaving it.

The onlookers struggled to suppress their laughter, but finally, the first muffled laugh escaped their lips, followed by the second and third.

The Shohoku team exclaimed that when she got sarcastic, she was just as sharp-tongued as Sakuragi.

They really are siblings!

Oda's female fans were unhappy and couldn't help but stand up: "Hey, who are you? I think you're not here to play basketball, but to cause trouble!"

Hanon raised her eyelids and glanced at me: "I'm Hanon, Sakuragi Hanamichi's older sister, and also a member of the Shohoku team... Never seen a handsome guy before? Come and see our Shohoku."

The girl from Wuyuan scoffed sarcastically, her tone brimming with superiority: "What handsome guys could the Xiangbei team possibly have? Besides, what kind of team are you? Our Wuyuan team is one of the top eight in the county!"

"Look at the four handsome men of Shohoku—" Hanon smiled, raised her chin, and pointed at Miyagi: "The cool and roguish man—Miyagi Ryota, isn't he handsome?"

Miyagi's skin tone is a dark wheat color, but it still can't hide the slight redness on her face: ...Aya-chan is looking at me!

The girls from Wuyuan looked over and thought...it seemed alright.

Pointing at Mitsui, he said, "Isn't the sunny, cute boy Mitsui Hisashi handsome?"

Mitsui suppressed his embarrassment, raised his chin, put his hands on his hips, and straightened his back: You little brats! Watch me charm you to death!

The girl from Wuyuan looked over again; not only was he handsome, but he was also tall. She immediately became shy and started fixing her hair…

Kanon grabbed Sakuragi and said, "Sturdy, handsome, tall and mighty—Sakuragi Hanamichi, isn't he cool?"

Sakuragi couldn't help but grin, flashing his signature goofy smile, and scratched his head: ...Hehehe!

The martial arts girl's lips twitched; she thought, "Let's just forget about this one..."

Pointing at Rukawa Kaede: "This guy, Asia's top handsome man—Rukawa Kaede, isn't he handsome?"

Rukawa Kaede instantly puffed up his chubby cheeks with a blank expression: ...!