Chapter 83: On the Eve of the Finals

This sudden action left both the Ryonan team members and the audience completely bewildered, unsure of what had happened.

However, the Shohoku team members understood each other implicitly; they winked and then looked at Hanon.

Hua Yin smiled slightly and said, "Let's go."

On her way back, Hana bought a set of hair dryer tools.

Ayako looked puzzled: "Oto, why did you buy this? Are you going to cut your own hair?"

Hua Yin smiled, her eyes crinkling, "She did cut her own hair, but not for me, but for our great genius."

Hana smiled and patted the striking red head.

Sakuragi scratched his head and chuckled, "Hehe, my hair grows too fast. Going to the hair salon all the time is too much of a waste of time. I'll have to rely on you from now on, sister."

Ayako suddenly realized: "Oh, I see!"

Sakuragi flashed a bright white grin: "Just think of the time I wasted going to the store, it would have been enough for this genius to shoot a lot more balls!"

Sakuragi is now the second basketball prodigy!

Ayako nodded in agreement: "That's right, it saves time and is economical. Sakuragi is such a thrifty little guy!"

After saying that, Ayako reached out and tried to touch that red head.

Upon seeing this, Sakuragi quickly dodged Ayako's hand and secretly glanced at Haruko.

He raised his voice: "This genius is a dignified man! Sister Caizi, you can't just touch a man's head like that!"

Gongcheng leaned closer, grinning, and said, "Aya... that brat doesn't know what's good for him, why don't you take over and mess with me?"

Ayako glared at Miyagi and lightly tapped his head with her fan: "Dream on!"

Miyagi, however, who is obsessed with love, said that he would do anything for Ayako as long as she was willing.

Rukawa Kaede was more direct, grabbing Kanon's hand and pressing it to his head, his gaze burning as he stared intently at her.

Looking at his cool demeanor, Huayin couldn't help but laugh and quickly said something nice: "Fengfeng's head is so soft and feels amazing."

Rukawa Kaede's face remained expressionless, but he gently nuzzled his head against her hand.

His appearance was rather cold and aloof, with distinct features, which contrasted sharply with his behavior.

Having spent this time together, Kanon has come to know that Rukawa Kaede is not talkative and doesn't know how to be sentimental; he just expresses his affection by nuzzling against her little by little.

Hanon felt a wave of tenderness wash over her. Rukawa Kaede, who appeared cold and aloof on the surface, was clearly a little fox who loved to act cute.

"Xiaofeng, your bangs are getting a bit long. Do you want me to trim them for you?"

Rukawa glanced at the ends of his hair and nodded: "Okay."

"Um?"

Hanon's eyes widened. "Are you sure you want me to cut it?"

Sakuragi's buzz cut requires no skill whatsoever; it can be easily done with just a razor.

However, Rukawa Kaede's hairstyle is completely different. His hair has distinct layers, which is obviously the result of careful design and styling by a professional hairstylist.

Rukawa Kaede nodded again, "Mm."

"How about we go to the hair salon? I'm afraid I'll mess it up."

Hanon was unusually insecure, and she made the suggestion cautiously.

Rukawa Kaede turned his head, presenting the back of his head to Kanon.

"don't want."

When Rukawa Kaede sat properly in front of her, Kanon realized that Rukawa Kaede was not joking!

"You really want me to cut it?"

Hanon confirmed it again.

"Um."

"Alright! I'll get started then...this handsome guest!"

Hanon carried the sprayer, sprayed Rukawa Kaede's hair, and then began to section the hair, her scissors eager to be used.

"Hey, getting a haircut is like getting a new head, so don't regret it! What if I end up making your hair look awful?"

Rukawa Kaede was silent for two seconds, then his deep, cold voice sounded muffled: "It can't be too ugly."

Hanon chuckled through her nose.

"What? Now you're scared? I'm going to give you a super ugly haircut, let's see if those girls will still confess their feelings to you so easily!"

As she spoke, Kanon walked up to Rukawa Kaede, made a funny face at him, then pinched his bangs with her fingers, teasing him while carefully trimming them.

"It's too ugly, you won't like it."

The "snip, snip" of the scissors abruptly stopped.

Hanon was stunned for a moment, her heart trembling. Was it because of this?

Rukawa Kaede tilted his head slightly, his eyes deep and focused.

"Don't worry about others, I only care about you."

Hanon was speechless for a moment, hearing her heart pounding faster and faster.

A stray hair fell onto the tip of Rukawa Kaede's nose, causing his nose to twitch slightly.

Hanon lowered her head, looking directly into those beautiful fox eyes, her eyelashes curving into a lovely arc:

"My boyfriend has many attractive qualities. Being handsome is just the least significant one."

After saying that, Hana gently blew away the stray hairs on the tip of his nose.

The warm breath brushed against Rukawa's skin, tickling him and causing a strong restlessness in his heart. His long eyelashes trembled slightly as he suppressed his emotions.

Half an hour later, Rukawa Kaede's haircut was finished.

"All done! Handsome customer, are you satisfied with your new hairstyle?"

Hua Yin smiled and put one arm around his neck while holding up a mirror with the other, almost face to face with him as they admired the mirror together.

Rukawa Kaede blinked, looking at the two faces in the mirror.

His face was devoid of any emotion.

A face with a beautiful smile—

It's his too!

The person who filled his heart.

"Wow, Yinyin! Your skills are top-notch! This hairstyle is absolutely amazing!"

Ayako, who had just returned from the training hall, saw it at a glance and exclaimed in surprise.

After being trimmed, Rukawa Kaede's bangs were shorter, and his sideburns were much neater. Without any unnecessary embellishments, he looked fresh and natural, exuding the unique vigor and vitality of a young man.

"Right! I also think my skills are amazing! But, the model himself is very handsome!"

As she spoke, Hanon absentmindedly rubbed Rukawa Kaede's cheek.

Rukawa Kaede puffed out his chubby cheeks, letting the two girls watch him.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you only spent ten minutes cutting Sakuragi Hanamichi's hair, but it took you so long to cut Rukawa Kaede's hair. Are you being unfair?"

"No way, the hairstyles are just not as difficult as they are. Xiaofeng, go wash your hair, it's time to practice."

"good."

Rukawa Kaede obediently stood up, tidied up the stray hairs on the floor, and turned to walk into the bathroom.

...

Five days later, at Kitamura General Hospital.

The members of Xiangbei entered the ward carrying various nutritional supplements and fruits.

Coach Anzai was enjoying his lunch, while Mrs. Anzai was arranging flowers nearby.

"Dad!!"

Before he even entered the room, Sakuragi's enthusiastic voice echoed throughout the entire hallway.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Anzai and his wife turned around.

Seeing the group of lively children, Coach Anzai gave a sheepish smile: "Oh ho ho ho, it's you guys..."

Sakuragi spun around Coach Anzai like a spinning top, then playfully flicked his double chin.

"Dad, you look great! Your complexion is rosy and you look radiant!"

Based on their past life experiences, the Hanon siblings paid close attention to Coach Anzai's physical condition, meticulously arranging his medical examinations and treatments.

However, after his condition improved slightly, the fat old man secretly started drinking alcohol in private!

During training, he suddenly felt chest tightness and shortness of breath. Upon seeing this, his teammates quickly took him to the hospital.

Fortunately, after a doctor's examination, Coach Anzai was found to be fine, but to ensure his health, the doctor recommended that he stay in the hospital for observation.

Hanako handed the bouquet to Mrs. Anzai with a smile.

Mrs. Anzai accepted the bouquet with a grateful smile on her face: "Thank you so much. With you here, I feel much more at ease."

Ayako waved her hand and said casually, "It's no big deal."

Lady Anzai looked at the cheerful, plump old man with eyes full of satisfaction.

"With your care for the old man, he is in a good mood every day, which greatly helps his recovery."

"but…"

There was a hint of regret and helplessness in Madame Anzai's tone:

"He still needs to rest in the hospital tomorrow, so he won't be able to participate in the match against Ryonan."

Hanon held Lady Anzai's hand, offering her heartwarming comfort:

"Health is the most important thing. We look forward to Coach Anzai recovering and leading those problem children to compete in the national competition!"

In the hospital ward, the Shohoku team members were chatting happily with Coach Anzai.

Sakuragi was gesticulating wildly as he recounted the funny moments from the game, his comical actions and expressions making everyone double over with laughter.

Lady Anzai looked at Hanon with admiration: "It seems everyone is full of confidence in tomorrow's competition, and you are especially trusted by everyone."

Mrs. Anzai often heard Coach Anzai talk about the Shohoku team. She was amazed by Kanon's talent and knew that Kanon had contributed a lot to the team.

Hanon responded with a smile, "They are all very strong, winning the match is a piece of cake."

At this moment, the nurse came in and reminded everyone:

"I'm sorry to bother you, but it's time for the patient to rest."

The Shohoku team members immediately stopped their laughter and cheers.

Sakuragi patted his chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, Dad! With the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi on the team tomorrow, we'll definitely win the game, and we'll come back with the championship trophy for you!"

The indifferent fox retorted, "You big idiot."

"You stinking fox, you're just jealous of my genius!"

The gorilla's face darkened. "You two, shut up! The coach needs a break!"

A fiery light burned in Mitsui's eyes as he clenched his fist: "Coach Anzai, please get some rest. We will definitely give it our all tomorrow and bring you good news!"

"Hooray! I believe in you all. You are the strongest."

"We are the strongest!"

After shouting, the Shohoku team left the ward in an orderly fashion.

"Kanain."

Hanon turned around in confusion.

Coach Anzai smiled and waved to her.

"Oh ho ho ho... You stay here, I have something to tell you."

"OK."

Hanon nodded and walked to Coach Anzai's bedside.

The following day, Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium.

Rukawa Kaede seems to never get enough sleep, sitting on a bench in the lounge with his eyes closed, resting.

Mitsui moved closer to Sakuragi, resting his elbow on his shoulder: "Sakuragi, where's your sister? Why haven't we seen her yet?"

Rukawa Kaede jolted awake, groggily opening his eyes and glancing around.

"Oh, Anzai's mother told her to go to the hospital. She should be back soon."

As Sakuragi spoke, he twirled the hem of his shirt with his fingers, seemingly somewhat absent-minded.

The faces of the Shohoku players instantly showed worry, and they all wondered, "Going to the hospital so early, won't Coach Anzai have some problems?"