Chapter 44 The Fox's Thoughts
Rukawa Kaede quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his voice soft and unconsciously gentle as he asked, "Does it hurt?"
As Rukawa's mother secretly observed and listened, the tone of the voice sent a shiver down her spine, her face filled with horror.
...
After hanging up the receiver, Rukawa sat silently, looking absent-minded.
Rukawa's mother waited for half an hour until he finally finished his call. She immediately asked anxiously, "Xiaofeng, who was that?"
Rukawa Kaede's eyelashes drooped down, half-obscuring his dark, clear eyes. "It's... Kanon-senpai."
Rukawa's mother looked at him inquisitively. "Kane? What did she say?"
Rukawa Kaede was a little annoyed and rubbed his hair. "She said she's going to the United States."
Rukawa's mother immediately realized what had happened and eagerly asked, "What happened...when are you coming back?"
"One week later."
"It's good that it's back," Rukawa's mother breathed a sigh of relief. "What about Hanamichi?"
Rukawa Kaede scratched his head, looking a little lost. "I think we should go together."
Rukawa's mother looked at him speechlessly, "...Didn't she say anything?"
He kept his head down, his wispy bangs obscuring his eyes and eyebrows, but unable to hide his tightly pursed lips.
Without a doubt, she takes that idiot with her wherever she goes.
The Rukawa couple exchanged a glance simultaneously. What was going on?
A cool night breeze blew in through the half-open window.
Rukawa Kaede stared at the few stars outside the window, motionless, his dark eyes almost blending into the night.
The moment he saw Hanon injured, he was overwhelmed by a feeling of panic.
He finally realized his own feelings.
His feelings for her were never simply those of teammates.
Liking is an extremely complex emotion.
Happiness, possessiveness, jealousy, panic... intertwined and trembled uncontrollably in his nerves.
He had never experienced such complex emotions before.
When did he fall in love with her? Actually, he didn't know either. His heart was always beating wildly because of her.
At first, he thought there was something wrong with his body.
Basketball is his only focus in life; basketball has illuminated his life.
He didn't know what happiness was. Every day, he did only two things: play ball, sleep, play ball, sleep... an endless cycle.
Then she appeared, and life became strange.
When he plays ball, he might think, "Will she think this goal is beautiful?"
Before falling asleep and upon waking up, the image of her playing ball inexplicably popped into his mind.
This is just the beginning.
He has always thought that girls are terrifying creatures.
When he was a child, his mother tricked him into wearing women's clothes to attend a family banquet. After that, he was hugged and kissed by all sorts of aunts and grandmothers. From then on, he would avoid any girl he saw.
Perhaps their meeting was so unusual that he was deeply impressed when he first saw her.
At first, he was curious about her and wanted to explore her ball skills.
Later, amidst the escalating curiosity, there was a hint of indescribable excitement.
He realized that, without knowing when it started, aside from playing ball and sleeping, he was devoting all his time and attention to the same person.
I ate bread and milk for breakfast.
Does she like eating these foods? What does she eat every day to grow so tall?
Listening to music on the go —
Does she listen to music regularly? What kind of music does she like? She grew up in the US, so she probably listens to English songs like him, right?
I was woken up by the teacher throwing chalk at me while I was sleeping in class.
Does she fall asleep in class? She's very well-behaved and gentle; surely the teacher wouldn't be so harsh as to hit her awake with chalk, right?
He can't stop thinking about it.
I want to know everything about her, to understand her likes, dislikes, temperament... The more I know about her, the more my soul is drawn to her.
Okay, she may seem like a docile little lamb on the surface, but she's actually incredibly capable.
It's so cute.
Her casually rolled-up towel and sportswear were all in cute shapes.
Her selfless dedication to the team ignited a fire within him, a burning passion that, like a brand, etched ever deeper.
When this feeling reaches its peak, true emotions have already taken root, sprouted, and grown strong.
He wanted to be with her.
No, he wants to be with her.
Not just on the court, but in life, they should be inseparable for life. He hopes that she will always be with him on his future journey.
She always stared at him so intently, which made him feel a little... embarrassed.
There's nothing we can do about her.
She liked him so much that he was willing to indulge her.
Although she has many secrets, it doesn't matter, he will become her closest person... even closer than that idiot!
Yes, that's exactly how I feel right now.
Thinking of this, something surged up from the depths of his heart and spread throughout his body. His emotions were like flames, reckless, breathtaking, and fierce, growing even more intense under the night breeze.
It's out of control; it's completely out of control.
The mother was terrified by her autistic son's ever-changing face! One moment he had a grumpy expression, and the next... he was incredibly shy?
If he weren't so emotionally detached, she felt he would have started humming a song!
And... he should just laugh, why is his mouth twitching like that?
Rukawa's mother hugged the elderly baby beside her in alarm: "Is your son... alright?"
Rukawa Kaede was naturally aloof and quiet, his face never showing any extra expression. This led her to mistakenly believe that her son was deaf-mute or suffered from autism.
As a result, the couple took him to many hospitals for medical consultations, but all the doctors' diagnoses came back as normal.
Later, as Rukawa Kaede grew up, his eyes gleaming with a knowing look, and he coolly called the little kid next door an "idiot," only then did she finally feel completely at ease.
My son is just an extremely repressed little pervert.
Rukawa's father was peeling an apple with his head down. He glanced at his son and continued what he was doing. "Oh, that phone call just now was probably from Kasuga."
The son's ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, and the redness gradually spread to the base of his neck, standing out starkly against his pale skin.
Oh, it's just a crush, nothing serious.
Young people, they're probably thinking about something scary.
Rukawa's mother's eyes lit up, and she suddenly realized! Her autistic child had finally seen the light!
She took the apple that Rukawa's father had peeled, moved closer to Rukawa, took a bite, and teased slowly, "Son, it feels really strange not to see him again, does it?"
He simply nodded silently.
Rukawa's mother's eyes widened in surprise; something even more exciting was about to happen.
He spoke again, his voice muffled, "I'll miss her terribly."
Rukawa's mother was so startled that she dropped the apple in her hand, and it rolled several times on the floor.
What kind of clingy creature is this?
Rukawa Kaede began to calculate the time in his mind.
It's 9 p.m. on Saturday now, and she'll be back by 9 p.m. next Saturday at the latest.
It was painful, but he was willing to wait.
...
On the plane to the United States
Sakuragi had a blank expression. "Without my participation in the prefectural tournament, it will definitely be a tough battle for them."
Hanon: "We'll be back before the match against Shoyo, so it won't have much of an impact."
Sakuragi excitedly shouted, "My existence is of extraordinary significance! I am an indispensable pillar of the Shohoku team!"
Hana smiled broadly and teased, "In these past few games, didn't you foul out within minutes of the game?"
When his dark past was brought up, Sakuragi was embarrassed. "Back then, I was just a rookie! Now... now I'm a nationally renowned power forward!"
Kanon raised the corners of her lips and chimed in, "Yes, yes, Sakuragi Hanamichi is amazing now!"
Suddenly remembering something, Sakuragi nervously wrung his hands. "But... what if Haruko falls for that stinky fox again while I'm gone?! Waaah, my Haruko..."
Hanon: "What are you thinking about?"
Sakuragi scratched his head and muttered, "Besides... doesn't my sister like Rukawa? Aren't you worried that he'll be attracted to other girls?"
He's come to a realization during this time. Although Haruko might still not be able to let go of Rukawa Kaede, as long as he silently stays by Haruko's side, one day, Haruko will see him!
Hanon looked surprised. "How did you know?!"
Is it that obvious?
She really is a vixen; even my sister couldn't escape her seduction! How despicable!
Sakuragi pouted and clicked his tongue.
Although the two bickered every day and seemed like they were irreconcilable enemies, Sakuragi had to admit that Rukawa was outstanding.
Sakuragi, seething with jealousy, said unhappily, "If you don't like him, why would you bring him snacks every day and often accompany him to training?"
Hanon was momentarily stunned. She suddenly realized that some of her actions had indeed been easy for people to misunderstand. Judging from Sakuragi's tone, it seemed that he thought she was pursuing Rukawa Kaede.
However, Rukawa Kaede, being so simple-minded, probably hasn't figured it out yet, right?
She explained, "I didn't do these things because I liked them... It's because of you and Rukawa that Shohoku had a chance to win the national championship."
Sakuragi's mind raced; he keenly sensed that his sister seemed very obsessed with the championship…
Suppressing his doubts, he lightly changed the subject: "So, what you did for him... was to express your gratitude?"
It would be great if my sister didn't like that stinky fox! That way, that fox could experience the feeling of liking someone but not being able to have them, hehehe!
Hanon smiled, her slightly drooping eyelashes curving into a beautiful arc: "No, later, I did like him."
After hearing this, Sakuragi looked dejected with a bitter expression. He asked in a low, muffled voice, "...So, when you go back, are you going to confess?"
Hana shook her head and said softly, "No."
She didn't plan to confess her feelings, because now wasn't a good time.
Sakuragi muttered to himself, "...I'll have to confess sooner or later."
Noticing his low spirits, Huayin leaned closer and asked, "What's wrong, Huayin?"
Sakuragi pouted awkwardly, "I'm not upset! I'm not a child anymore, I'm not jealous!"
Hearing this, Hana laughed out loud: "How can you not be a child? In my eyes, you will always be that soft and cute little sun, raising your little arms and wanting your big sister to hug you."
From a young age, Kanon was half a head taller than her peers. As a child, Sakuragi was half a head shorter than her and always followed her around like a little shadow, wanting to be hugged and lifted up. Looking back now, it is an unforgettable and heartwarming memory.
Sakuragi remembered too, and with his signature goofy grin, he scratched the back of his head.
[Dear host, your heart rate is detected to be fast. Are you smitten with the protagonist, Rukawa Kaede?]
Since System 099 was upgraded to be more user-friendly, it has been popping up to chat with her from time to time.
Hana replied in her mind: "What? Is the system going to interfere with my dating life?"
Hehe, do you know why the system needs to be upgraded?
Hanon raised an eyebrow; that sarcastic "hehe" was really annoying.
[Dear host, you're neither the first nor the last person to come to this anime world. The 98 predecessors before you all died before completing their missions!]
Hanon was truly stunned. The system said—
The reason why her 98 "exes" failed to dominate the national scene was that she couldn't have the love she wanted and lost herself.
System 099 waited arrogantly for Kanon to inquire about the stories of her "exes".
Hana wasn't interested. She smiled slightly and replied, "So what? They are them, and I am me."
She was very clear about what her most important task was.
...
DK Energy Arena is not far from my residence; it's just a few minutes' walk from the station.
This is one of the top stadiums in the United States.
The stadium is brightly lit and built in the heart of the city where land is incredibly valuable; looking up makes people feel exceptionally small.
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