Chapter 81 The Starting Point of Dreams
【Rukawa Kaede, I love you! Please go out with me!】
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, igniting a storm of discussion among the crowd.
Wow! This girl is so brave!
These days, there aren't many girls who dare to confess their feelings to your face!
Wow, will Rukawa Kaede say yes? That girl is so cute!
All eyes were on the girl who had confessed her feelings.
She stood in the crowd, nervously clenching her fists, and shyly lowered her head.
Seeing this, the other girls mustered up their courage and confessed their feelings to Rukawa Kaede.
【Rukawa Kaede, I like you too!】
Me too! Me too!
Instantly, everyone in Shohoku looked at Hanon.
Hanon's smile vanished.
Listening to the girls' passionate confessions, her heart felt like it had been soaked in vinegar.
Sometimes, having a boyfriend who is too handsome can be a headache.
Rukawa Kaede, who was on the field, immediately turned his head—
He saw that Huayin was staring straight at him.
Rukawa Kaede looked somewhat bewildered, glancing coldly at the group of people in the audience who were making a ruckus.
Then, he picked up the basketball, turned around, and walked towards the sidelines.
But then Hana quickly reached out her hand, signaling that he could not leave.
Rukawa stopped and stared at Hanon for a while before reluctantly continuing his warm-up exercises.
The three idiots from Shohoku rubbed their arms and complained, "Ugh, why do we feel colder and colder as we do these warm-up exercises?"
After warming up, both teams returned to their respective rest areas to begin their final preparations.
Rukawa Kaede strode over and stopped in front of Kanon.
"Don't be angry."
Hanon was already fine. Seeing that Rukawa was still concerned about her feelings, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart and said with a smile, "It's all your fault, you're too handsome."
Rukawa Kaede's face remained expressionless. He scratched the back of his head and said, "You wouldn't like me if I wasn't handsome."
...So silly!
Hanon couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She resisted the urge to pinch his face, secretly vowing that after the competition, she would find an opportunity to give his chubby, handsome face a good rub.
As soon as Ryonan and Hainan stepped into the stadium, they were greeted by a vibrant atmosphere.
"Wow, Shohoku is incredibly popular!"
"Hey, you Hainan team, even though you've won the county championship for 16 consecutive years, you've probably never seen anything like this before!"
"That's true."
Audiences were already tired of the champion who had won for 16 consecutive years.
Hainan team has consistently held first place, and Xiangyang team is second; everyone is already tired of seeing them like this.
But now, the sudden emergence of the Shohoku team has injected new vitality into the competition in Kanagawa Prefecture!
After defeating Shohoku, viewers began to pay attention to the Shohoku team. After defeating Hainan, everyone felt that this team was not to be underestimated.
Their performance attracted everyone's attention and became the focus of discussion. Both supporters and opponents had high hopes for Shohoku.
Shohoku High School basketball team has shown everyone new possibilities for basketball, and it's really something to look forward to!
Both the Wuli team and the audience knew that there was a significant gap in strength between them and Xiangbei.
This match was a one-sided massacre.
Strangely, the audience seats were still packed.
At the start of the game, the Buri team was in low spirits and was overwhelmed by the momentum of Shohoku, with no chance to fight back.
Shohoku's main players finally took to the court.
The audience went wild instantly, their shouts deafening:
"Sakuragi Hanamichi, one dunk! One dunk!"
"Rukawa Kaede, Rukawa Kaede! Every goal he scores is so cool it makes people scream!"
"Mitsui Hisashi, sharpshooter! Another three-pointer!"
The Wuli team's offense was thwarted, and their defense was completely overwhelmed by the Xiangbei team, making it impossible for them to organize their formation.
Although Shohoku limited the playing time of its four main players and gave experience to its substitutes in order to protect its key players, the game was still uneventful.
In the end, Shohoku defeated Buri by a large margin of 120-65.
The audience stood up excitedly, and applause and cheers surged through the entire venue like waves.
The words "Shohoku!" echoed throughout the entire stadium.
Battle of Buri
Rukawa Kaede scored 30 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 10 steals, becoming the most dazzling and all-around player.
Mitsui Hisashi also performed exceptionally well, scoring 20 points and dishing out 5 assists.
Sakuragi was not to be outdone, scoring 8 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and 5 blocks.
Even more encouraging was the performance of the substitutes, who all scored points.
The Shohoku team was overjoyed and jumped up in celebration:
"We won! We won!"
"That's amazing, we really did it!"
"National Tournament, here we come!"
After three years of hard work, Akagi and Kogure finally earned their tickets to the national tournament. The joy of finally succeeding after all the hardships brought tears to their eyes.
Sakuragi, hands on his hips, laughed loudly: "If we beat Ryonan in the next game, we'll be crowned champions of Kanagawa Prefecture! Hahaha..."
Kogure's voice trembled slightly: "Akagi! Our dream is finally about to come true!"
Hanon gave everyone a high-five, and each high-five was accompanied by cheers and laughter from the players.
The entire stadium was filled with this joy.
Rukawa Kaede waited quietly to the side, his face calm.
Hua Yin extended a hand, her voice sweet and clear: "Xiao Feng, congratulations on advancing!"
"Um."
Rukawa raised his hand and gently tapped Hanon's palm together, then wedged his fingers between hers.
Seeing her break free, Rukawa Kaede expressionlessly released his grip, lowered his eyelashes, and stared at his sneakers.
Hana noticed, her smile still lingering, and reached out to rub his head.
Her voice was filled with both praise and admiration: "Fengfeng was amazing again today!"
Rukawa Kaede scratched the back of his head, his chubby cheeks puffing out, looking adorably silly.
Akagi remained silent, reaching out to wipe away the tears on his face, but the more he wiped, the more tears flowed; he could no longer contain his inner turmoil.
Sakuragi walked over and hugged Akagi tightly as he wiped away his tears.
"Gorilla, we did it! We've made it to the national competition!"
After celebrating for a while, Mitsui, Miyagi, and the others noticed Akagi's unusual behavior and gathered around to comfort him.
"Akagi, we did it!"
"Yes, Captain! This is just the beginning; we have a long way to go."
Kogure chimed in, "Yes, yes! We'll keep going together! We're about to face new challenges!"
Akagi's mood gradually calmed down.
He wiped away his tears, smiled, and said, "I'm fine."
The people from Hainan stood up together.
Maki glanced at the Shohoku team and muttered to himself, "Akagi, congratulations! See you at the national tournament!"
The Ryonan team also stood up.
Uozumi was also happy for Akagi: "Akagi, you did a great job. I look forward to meeting you all at the national tournament."
The audience remained, eagerly anticipating the fierce battle between Ryonan and Kainan.
[The second match between Hainan and Ryonan Jun has begun!]
These two teams are evenly matched, and the match is sure to be incredibly intense – definitely not to be missed!
That's right, this match is sure to be a feast for the eyes!
The Shohoku team members returned to the locker room.
"Going to watch the game?"
Sakuragi curled his lip dismissively: "I'm not going! Those guys from Hainan and Ryonan, I can take care of them with a wave of my hand, why waste my time?"
Mitsui chimed in, "Exactly! Look how busy we are, how can we have time to watch them play? I'd rather use that time to shoot some three-pointers!"
Miyagi waved his hand and said, "I don't want to go either."
"I'm not going."
Rukawa Kaede uttered two words expressionlessly, concisely and forcefully, directly.
Hearing this, Hua Yin raised her eyebrows. It seemed that the Problem Legion had become a little too complacent after defeating Hainan.
Akagi was absolutely furious with these kids!
He shouted, "Do you even know what teamwork is?!"
The problem legion ignored the gorilla's roar and continued to sit there, wiping their sweat as if nothing had happened.
Akagi's anger level soared, and he prepared to resort to violence.
At that moment, Ayako quickly went over and grabbed Akagi's arm.
Ayako shook her head at Akagi, signaling him not to speak and that she would handle it.
Akagi suppressed his anger and handed the matter over to Ayako.
Ayako winked at Kanon and Haruko, excitedly saying, "I heard Sendoh's basketball skills are getting more and more amazing! He's incredibly dangerous on offense, and he can even shoot three-pointers. He's practically an all-around god of war, so incredible!"
Upon hearing this, the Problem Legion immediately perked up their ears.
Haruko excitedly added, "And also, Sendoh-senpai's rebounding skills are unparalleled!"
Hanon seemed very interested and pressed, "Really? Only in a big battle like this can we see his true strength. Shall we go watch the battle together?"
Ayako's eyes sparkled with excitement: "Yeah, yeah! And Sendoh is super popular, he's tall, handsome, and plays basketball well, and most importantly, he's incredibly kind. I heard the line of people chasing him could stretch all the way to the Diaoyu Islands!"
Haruko jumped up excitedly: "I'm going too!"
Hana pursed her lips and smiled, "Isn't it too early to go now?"
She packed her bag as she spoke, looking like she couldn't wait.
"No way! The match is about to start, the stands are already full!"
"Let's go!"
Hanon deftly zipped up the bag.
Before she could take a single step, the bag in her hand suddenly disappeared.
Hua Yin exclaimed "Huh?" and feigned confusion, "Xiao Feng, why did you take my bag?"
Rukawa Kaede gave a cool smirk and remained silent.
Hana stepped forward, took his arm, and smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Want to go watch the game together?"
Rukawa Kaede slung his bag over his shoulder, put his hands in his pockets, and nodded expressionlessly.
Miyagi squeezed his way to Ayako's side, his dark face revealing a dazzling set of white teeth:
"Ah Cai, I want to go watch the game too...hehehe!"
Sakuragi scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly, "Let's go watch the game together, Haruko, hehe..."
Mitsui rested his hands on the back of his head, looked at everyone leisurely, and said casually, "Well, I'll reluctantly accompany you all, senpai."
The Shohoku team members all had round faces, silently exclaiming: "We wouldn't even help an old lady like this, we admire you guys!"
The Shohoku team took their seats in the audience.
The match between Hainan and Lingnan is in full swing.
Mitsui stared intently at the court, exclaiming, "Ryonan's offensive is fierce, and number 13 has become a secret weapon, leading the whole team to the lead over Hainan."
Miyagi looked surprised: "Look, in the first 7 and a half minutes, Ryonan actually went on a 16-8 run!"
Mitsui was very skeptical and asked, "Hey Akagi, in the practice match against Ryonan, did you really only lose by one point?"
"...It's true."
The members of Shohoku were sweating profusely, feeling somewhat guilty even as they spoke.
Because the Ryonan team in the practice match and the Ryonan team in the Hainan match are not even in the same league in terms of offense!
Hanon's brief comment: "Kichijou Fukuda, number 13 in Ryonan, has offensive firepower second only to Sendoh."
Everyone was astonished upon hearing this; Kanon's evaluation was truly high!
Sakuragi retorted, "Tch! You stinky Afu! I'll show you what a genius I am during the game!"
Rukawa glanced at Afu, then looked away without a care.
As Ryonan's top scorer, Fukuda's performance on offense is indeed remarkable, but his defense has significant weaknesses.
Afu scored another dunk, and the cheers from the audience rose and fell.
"Ryonan's new tactic—the three-guard system—makes the ball move much faster. Ryonan now seems to have the feel of a rough triangle offense."
Mitsui asked curiously, "Junior, where did you get the offensive tactics book you showed us? I couldn't find it on the market."
"Oh, I wrote that."
"What?!"
"Don't get me wrong, the tactics were invented by other coaches. I'm just responsible for recording the content so you can learn from it."
Rukawa raised his hand and brushed the strands of hair that had fallen onto Hanon's cheek behind her ear, his fingers gently gliding across her earlobe.
Hua Yin tilted her head slightly, looking at him with a somewhat confused expression.
"What's the matter?"
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