Chapter 37 Basketball 36
"Sana."
"I like you."
【Kise Ryouta, Favorability +30. 】
……What?
Kurikawa Sana was stunned and couldn't come back to her senses for a long time.
what happened? !
Huang Lai's favorability has remained unchanged all this time, and it is more difficult to increase than that of anyone else. But now it has increased by 30 points at once, and is almost heading towards 90!
——And he confessed directly, what should I do? How should I respond?
If she responds incorrectly, will her favorability be revoked again? She has already been deducted to the point of PTSD.
The neon lights and fireworks of the extravehicular amusement facilities were bright, illuminating the surprise and astonishment written on the black-haired girl's face.
Kise Ryota had been looking at her intently and seriously, and naturally did not miss the movement of her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her skirt, and the slightly whitening of her slender joints.
He was stunned for a moment.
The boy subconsciously tensed his body, and only slowly relaxed after a long while.
"It's okay, Ogurikawa, you don't have to respond to me now."
"Even before, I didn't care when you had a high fever and asked for leave from school. Now you suddenly say you like you... It's sudden, right?"
"You may not believe this, but I actually like Oguri River too much. I've liked him from the very beginning! That's why I subconsciously avoided him, thinking that I could stay out of it..."
"But now I can no longer suppress this feeling."
The young man's clear and pleasant voice echoed in the Ferris wheel cabin, and Kurikawa Sana slowly opened her eyes.
Surprisingly, is this the reason?
It turns out that it was not an illusion that Kise had the highest favorability at the beginning, and after that he suppressed his emotions, so that his favorability was less than that of anyone else.
But wait... Kurikawa Sana was stunned, and suddenly seemed to realize that something was wrong.
Can favorability be controlled at will?
Looking into the burning gaze of the boy's brilliant golden pupils, Kurikawa Sana whispered, "Thank you, Kise-kun."
Thank you for taking me to the amusement park.
Thank you for the fireworks in Hakone.
…
After leaving the amusement park, before the mall closed, Kurikawa Sana and Kise Ryota returned to the mall where they watched the movie last night to retrieve the dolls they had stored in the mall's locker.
"You really don't want me to take you home, Ogurikawa?"
"No need, I live nearby and can just walk back. But Kise-kun, isn't it troublesome for you to carry so many dolls?"
Kurikawa Sana thought for a moment and offered a suggestion: "Maybe we could keep it here and pick it up tomorrow?"
Ryouta Kise is covered with yellow dolls he won in shopping malls and amusement parks, which looks quite visually impactful.
It looks like a big golden retriever with all its favorite toys hanging all over its body.
"No trouble, no trouble. These are all given to me by Oguri River. I must take them home immediately. I can't leave them in the mall overnight."
"Then Ogurikawa, see you back at school."
When turning around to leave, Kurikawa Sana did not see the purple-haired boy who walked out of the mall holding a large bag of snacks.
The incredibly tall, purple-haired boy stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two familiar figures.
His lazy expression, which was still yawning, suddenly changed and became cold and scrutinizing.
The handsome blond boy leaned over to the black-haired girl with a bright smile and intimate movements, which was a pleasing scene to the eye.
But in Murasakibara Atsushi's eyes, it became quite glaring.
With a "bang".
It was the sound of him crushing the bag of potato chips in his hand.
…
*
When returning home after a day at the amusement park, Kurikawa Sana saw Hanamiya Makoto waiting at the door of the house next door.
The difference from last time was that this time he was waiting here specifically.
The black-haired boy leaned against the wall with his arms folded, the night light covering his fair, handsome yet gloomy face. Hearing her footsteps, Hanamiya Makoto slowly raised his eyes.
"Hey, you're finally back. Did you forget something?"
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
Ah this.
She seemed to have completely forgotten her promise to play the piano for him last night.
"I..." As soon as Kurikawa Sana opened her mouth, she saw the black-haired boy crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows, with a look of "Let me see how you're going to argue."
But she is a good and honest child. Kurikawa Sana said sincerely, "After watching the movie last night, I went straight to the amusement park to wait for it to open. I was having so much fun that I completely forgot about it. I'm sorry."
Hanamong Zhen: "………………"
This guy, is he really that honest?!
You could just tell a lie to deceive her, right?
Her answer was almost as if "I'm sorry, I really didn't take you seriously and completely forgot about you. I'm really sorry" written on her face!
The usually calm Hanamiya Shinji almost couldn't control his expression. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and said, "Forget it. Even if you didn't fulfill your promise to play the piano, I still kept my promise."
"Is it a promise that you won't hurt anyone during a match again?"
"……Um."
"Did Hanamiya-senpai win the match today?"
"Of course we won, and it was a crushing victory with a huge score difference."
When he said this, Hanamiya Makoto's mouth curled up naturally, a rare hearty smile that was in stark contrast to his gloomy and gloomy temperament.
Hearing this, Kurikawa Sana looked at him intently, as if she was lost in deep thought.
"What's wrong? Don't you believe I'm not playing tricks? You can ask your other pink-haired female manager at Teiko. She came to watch today's game and collect data."
Kurikawa Sana shook her head slightly, "I'm not doubting that."
"What I want to say is, Hanamiya-senpai actually likes this kind of clean victory, right?"
Hanamiya was stunned for a moment, "What?"
"Senior's smile just now was very genuine, it didn't seem fake. Does that mean he also found today's game very interesting?"
“…You’re mistaken.”
"I've already told you that you're very strong and don't need to hurt others to win... Wait, I almost forgot. You said before that you didn't hurt others to win, but simply because you thought it was fun. Do you still feel that way now, Senior?"
The girl looked at him intently and curiously, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight, like a clear spring, cleansing her dirty soul.
Hanamiya remained silent and did not answer her question immediately.
Kurikawa Sana didn't expect him to admit it so readily with his awkward personality, but she didn't play the piano as agreed, and he still fulfilled his promise and didn't hurt anyone during the competition. She suddenly felt a little ashamed. It's not a good thing to go back on your word.
What you promised should be done.
She opened the door and said with a bright smile, "I'm sorry for not being able to fulfill my promise on time. As compensation... I'll send you a front-row seat at Kurikawa Sana's concert!"
Hanamong Zhen: "..."
It turns out that playing the piano at home can also be considered a personal concert.
Hanamiya Makoto walked in silently and saw her playing the piano for the first time.
The girl's slender white fingertips danced and flew on the black and white piano keys, and the melody of "Dance of Flowers" that he specifically wanted to listen to flowed in the living room of the villa.
As long as you close your eyes and listen to the music, you can see the beautiful scene of flowers blooming and dancing, and your restless heart seems to be soothed.
In Hanamiya Makoto's mind, an image suddenly appeared of a girl wearing a white ballet skirt and dancing on tiptoe at the Teiko Festival.
Without an invitation, he quietly went to the student auditorium belonging to Teiko, sat in an unknown corner, and watched a grand performance that belonged to her.
In order to hear her piano music, he lowered his proud head and promised her that he would never hurt anyone in the competition again.
No one knows the reasons behind all these actions better than him.
He couldn't help but clench his fists, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw the white bandage wrapped around the girl's wrist stained red.
Hanamiya Makoto's black pupils contracted, and he held down her hand that was still playing the piano. "Stop, what's wrong with your hand?!"
The pain came slowly from her wrist, and Kurikawa Sana reacted, "Ah... the wound from the day before yesterday has split open."
It was the injury she had sustained when she and Akashi were kidnapped, scraping her wrists while trying to free herself from the thick nylon ropes. Perhaps she had been too reckless today, playing at the amusement park all day and then immediately starting to play the piano, causing the wound to open.
“How did you do that?!”
"Well... I just got hurt accidentally." Kurikawa Sana evaded the question. There was no need to let too many people know that she and Akashi were kidnapped together.
Both of her wrists were wrapped in white bandages, and both were injured and bleeding. How could they be so symmetrical if they were accidentally injured? It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about what happened.
Hua Gong Zhen's face looked ugly, but after realizing how anxious he was at the moment, he couldn't help but feel a little stunned.
Why be nervous?
Because she was hurt?
But in previous competitions, he had caused countless people to suffer injuries that were dozens of times more serious than this, but why was he experiencing such emotional fluctuations now?
Hua Gong really didn't want to use such a ridiculous word as heartbroken to describe his current mood.
But he couldn't deny that if he was given two options now, the first option was to make the wound on her wrist disappear, and the second option was for her wound to continue to exist, he would choose the first option without hesitation.
What about the opponents he hurt in previous games?
Is the pain of others really as sweet as honey to him? At least for him now, is it still so?
Looking down at the girl's bloodstained wrist, Hanamiya Zhen said, "Wait for me."
"Huh?"
Kurikawa Sana looked at Hanamiya Shin in confusion as he rushed out the door. After a while, he brought a medicine box from his house next door and skillfully took out the ointment and new gauze.
The black-haired boy knelt on one knee, untied her bandages and wiped the blood.
"Hanamiya-senpai?" Kurikawa Sana blinked in confusion, not quite understanding what was going on.
The other party replied calmly: "I have the answer to the question you just asked me."
Kurikawa Sana wondered, what question did she ask just now?
After tying the last piece of gauze for her, Hanamiya Makoto raised his eyes and looked at her, his voice hoarse.
"I don't feel that way anymore."
Now he no longer thinks it is fun to hurt other people's bodies.
She changed him.
Kuriide Sana also understood and couldn't help but smile: "Really? That's great."
Hanamiya Makoto's black pupils reflected the girl's smile. After a moment, he stood up and said, "The medicine box is left for you. If your wrist has been injured recently, please don't play the piano. Try playing it later."
Anyway, he will have many opportunities to hear her piano music in the future.
"Thank you, Hanamiya-senpai."
The girl saw him off and when he returned to his room, Hanamiya Makoto looked down at his hand, which seemed to still have the warmth of the girl's wrist.
But he never expected it.
This would be the last time I saw her.
…
*
Time flies, and soon it is the eve of the National Junior High School Basketball League.
"Sana, play with me."
Still on the court where they first met, Aomine Daiki raised his chin towards her while holding a basketball.
Ever since Qingfeng's favorability returned to above 80, he changed the way he addressed her from "Kurikawa" to "Sana". Kurikawa Sana thought about it and took a look at everyone's favorability.
[Akagi Seijuro, Favorability: 83.]
[Murahara Atsushi, Favorability: 80.]
[Midorima Shintaro, Favorability: 85.]
[Aomine Daiki, Favorability: 81.]
【Kise Ryouta, Favorability: 89. 】
[Kuroko Tetsuya, Favorability: 82.]
It's so touching. Everyone's favorability has reached over 80. I don't have to worry about the sickly debuff at the start of the next volleyball world anymore.
Tomorrow is the final of the junior high school league, which also means that the time the system said at the beginning that I would stay in the basketball world for no more than one school year has come to an end. Before that, I finally gathered 80% of the passing line, which is really gratifying. Congratulations.
The system asked in her mind: [Sana, don't you have higher aspirations? Don't you want to collect full points of favorability?]
Kurikawa Sana shuddered: [No way... I'm fine now, long live passing! ]
She was really PTSD, afraid that if she got close to them again, she would say something wrong and lose her favorability.
Back to the topic, Kurikawa Sana looked at Aomine Daiki and shook her head: "No more fighting today, I'm waiting for Kuroko-kun."
Aomine Daiki frowned, "Did you agree to accompany him for special training?"
Kurikawa Sana nodded.
"That guy, Azhe, seems to take tomorrow's final very seriously. This is the first time I've seen him take the initiative to ask the coach for a starting spot."
Aomine Daiki twirled the basketball on one finger, his brow still furrowed. "Are you really not going to play with me? Ever since the last game we played, I've felt like the recent games have been even more boring than before."
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
She seemed to know the reason.
Because in their last match, she had accelerated Qingfeng's evolution, allowing him to awaken his ability called "zone" earlier. After entering the zone, Qingfeng was like entering an empty space, and his strength became even more exaggerated.
Kurikawa Sana sighed, "Okay, then just play three balls."
Aomine Daiki finally became interested and stuffed the ball in his hand into her arms, "Okay, three balls are fine, you attack first."
He quickly ran to the defensive range inside the basket, but saw the girl slowly picking up the other two balls on the sidelines.
Aomine Daiki:?
What types of game rules require the use of three balls simultaneously?
Then, he saw the girl pile three basketballs together and throw them into the basket, scoring 9 points in one second.
Kurikawa Sana said seriously: "Okay, three balls are done."
Aomine Daiki: “…”
He pulled the corners of his mouth. It turns out that when people are extremely speechless, they can actually laugh out loud.
"You're a bit too perfunctory, buddy." There was a hint of helplessness in the complaint.
[Aomine Daiki, Favorability +2.]
Kurikawa Sana was a little surprised. She didn't know what had touched him. His favorability had actually increased.
System: [He must be thinking, interesting woman.]
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
[System, I didn't expect you to tell jokes.]
"Well, since you don't want to fight me, I'll be leaving now." Qingfeng Daihui casually picked up his schoolbag from the ground with one hand and propped it up behind his back, while putting his other hand in his pocket. "I hope tomorrow's finals will be interesting."
"Tomorrow's final will definitely be an exciting game."
Kurikawa Sana nodded in agreement.
Wait, that sentence just now seemed to be Heizi’s voice?
She turned around in shock, and sure enough, she saw Kuroko Tetsuya's face full of seriousness.
Wow, Kuroko's magical skills that appear in a second really shock people every time.
"Kuroko-kun, when did you come?"
"Just when you, Kurikawa, scored three goals in one second." Kuroko Tetsuya said calmly.
Kurikawa Sana proudly put her hands on her hips and said, "How's that? 9 points in one second, isn't that impressive?"
Kuroko Tetsuya: “…”
"Well, that's amazing. Even Midorima-kun can't do that." The boy's gentle voice carried a hint of doting.
"But Kuroko-kun, are you going to practice extra hard today too? The finals are tomorrow, and you seem to be working extra hard this time."
"Well, because I have a very important appointment with a friend."
"Eh? Are there any friends of Kuroko-kun at Mingguang Junior High, our opponent in tomorrow's finals?"
"Yes, his name is Ogiwara Narihiro, and he is a very good friend of mine." When talking about his best childhood friend, Kuroko Tetsuya's tone was full of nostalgia.
"We've been playing basketball together since we were little, and we'd play until dark every day. Later, he moved to a different middle school, and we made a promise that we would both join the basketball club, meet on the court, and play a great game."
Kurikawa Sana was stunned for a moment.
I see.
No wonder Kuroko never gave up before Akashi discovered his passing talent, and when Mitsuki was persuaded to quit the basketball team by his teacher. On the contrary, he became even more persistent, working harder than anyone else to stay in the basketball team.
It turns out that in addition to his love for basketball, Kuroko also has an agreement with his childhood sweetheart.
"Kuroko-kun, you and Ogihara-san are both excellent players. There are so many middle schools across the country, and it's really only you and Ogihara-san's schools that made it to the finals and competed for the championship."
Hearing this, Kuroko Tetsuya was slightly stunned, then gave a wry smile, "...Not really, even without me, Akashi-kun and Aomine-kun would have easily made it to the finals."
"What are you talking about, Kuroko-kun? You're the famous 'Phantom Sixth Man,' the one who's made countless team-saving passes for Teiko."
Kurikawa Sana said confidently, "The five of them combined only have one title of 'Age of Miracles', but you, Kuroko-kun, have monopolized the title of 'Phantom Sixth Man'!"
Kuroko Tetsuya laughed.
"And, thanks to a promise, you, Kuroko-kun, will be able to move up from the third team all the way to the first team and become a starting player. And Ogihara-san will also make it all the way to the finals. You are both the best players."
The boy was slightly startled and looked at her: "Kurikawa-san... do you really think so?"
"Yes, that's what I think." Kurikawa Sana smiled. "Kuroko-kun will definitely have an unforgettable match with Ogiwara-san tomorrow."
[Kuroko Tetsuya, Favorability +5. ]
The gentle voice of the sky-blue-haired boy dissipated in the evening breeze.
"Thank you, Kurikawa-san."
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