Chapter 79 The Winner Takes All
Hanon stood up blankly, watching Rukawa Kaede turn around. The moment their eyes met, her heartbeat echoed in her ears like a drumbeat, each beat stronger than the last.
The boy standing on the court has a bright future ahead of him and is incredibly handsome.
After catching the amazed look on his girlfriend's face, the brooding fox couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly, and a hint of smugness seemed to flash in his beautiful fox eyes.
Without hesitation, Miyagi rushed towards Rukawa, leaping onto his shoulder and shouting excitedly:
"Rukawa! You're so arrogant! This is a total slap in the face! So incredibly cool!"
Before Rukawa could react to Miyagi's sudden attack, he was tightly embraced by Mitsui.
"Damn! You're fucking awesome!"
Mitsui shouted excitedly, spitting as he spoke, completely unable to control his emotions.
Even traditional Chinese cultural elements have been brought up.
Rukawa Kaede still wore his signature poker face, but he was also infected by their enthusiasm and his heart leaped with joy.
Hainan serves from the baseline.
Kiyota rushed over to receive the ball, but Rukawa Kaede did not retreat with the other Shohoku players, but instead followed closely behind Kiyota.
The Hainan player naturally noticed this, spotted Amu at a glance, and decisively passed the ball to him.
In that instant, Rukawa Kaede, who had been following Kiyota, suddenly braked abruptly, then took a step back and turned around—
With a single reach, he firmly grasped the basketball!
【Wow! ! ! 】
The crowd gasped in astonishment; the audience was completely dumbfounded!
Rukawa Kaede immediately took a jump shot under the basket after receiving the ball.
Kiyota reacted quickly and jumped up!
Rukawa leaned back slightly, skillfully avoiding Kiyota—
"Whoosh!"
Shohoku scores two more points!
Wow! That was some seriously flashy moves!
[That's incredible! Rukawa Kaede from Shohoku High School!]
[Rukawa Kaede is so handsome he's smitten!]
The Hainan team was truly stunned! They had just launched their attack, and less than two seconds later, Rukawa Kaede intercepted it!
Anyone would be stunned in this situation!
The audience was stunned and exclaimed how exciting it was!
Coach Gao was also deeply shocked, and his unease gradually grew.
He immediately snapped out of his daze and shouted from the sidelines, "Give us your full support in defending Rukawa Kaede!"
Coach Taoka: It seems Shohoku has granted Rukawa unlimited shooting rights.
[Uozumi: Even a first-year student gets this kind of treatment, Shohoku really favors him!]
[Sendoh: With Sakuragi anchoring the paint, Rukawa's offense is much easier. These two kids are improving at an astonishing pace.]
[Yan Yi: Rukawa and Sakuragi... will definitely become basketball superstars in the future!]
Time was ticking away, and Hainan failed to narrow the score gap; instead, the gap between the two teams widened further.
There are only two minutes left in the game.
Hainan offensive.
When Maki received the ball, he found that Sakuragi's defense was becoming increasingly tight and difficult to break through.
Every time they faced off, Sakuragi seemed to be leveling up and gaining experience in a game, his defense becoming more and more formidable.
Maki had to use several feints to shake off Sakuragi's defense before successfully scoring a layup.
Ayako couldn't help but worry: "Sakuragi seems to be having a hard time defending against Maki."
Hanon tapped her fingers on the tactics board and replied with a smile, "Consider those points as tuition for Hainan to practice defense with Hanamichi."
Defense relies on experience; the stronger the opponent Sakuragi is matched up against, the faster he grows.
Upon hearing this, the members of Xiangbei widened their eyes and all looked at Hanon.
Listen to that... how cool is that! He actually used the Emperor Maki of Kanagawa as his sparring partner!
There is one minute left in the game.
Hainan is on offense, and A Shen is shooting a three-pointer from the outside. Under Miyagi's blindfolded defense, A Shen can't clearly see the rim at the moment of release and seems a little flustered.
The ball hit the backboard with a dull thud.
Sakuragi quickly grabbed the rebound and decisively passed the ball to Rukawa.
Rukawa Kaede started moving instantly, rushing towards the basket like an arrow released from a bow.
Its speed was so fast that it was like lightning slicing through the night, creating a gust of wind.
With a loud "bang!", the basketball broke through the rim and the sound echoed throughout the court!
Rukawa Kaede's violent aesthetics were on full display on the court, and he proved with his actions that he was the team's top scorer.
He has never let his teammates down. Whenever the ball is in his hands, he can achieve an incredible 100% shooting percentage!
[Ahhh! Ace! Shohoku's ace!]
[Ahhh, so cool! So amazing! Just like that, turn around and look at me!!]
[Ahhh, Rukawa is looking at me! Even his indifference is a blessing!]
Rukawa's hoarse roar echoed through the stadium, and the boys in the audience couldn't help but cover their ears, feeling utterly hopeless.
Hanon glanced sideways at Rukawa behind her, thinking, "I'm not looking at you guys. That shining boy is mine."
Hainan had possession of the ball. Amu attempted to force his way past Sakuragi, but encountered a solid barrier during his sprint.
Sakuragi quickly stepped forward, blocking Maki's path and preventing him from advancing further.
Maki gripped the basketball tightly with both hands, pushed against Sakuragi, then quickly hopped to the left, avoiding the opponent's defense, and jumped to shoot.
"Smack!"
The ball had just left his hand,
Sakuragi quickly delivered a powerful block, slamming the ball down!
Maki landed in shock, staring blankly as Sakuragi, with a block and a steal, passed the ball to Miyagi, who was already sprinting, and the latter quickly scored a layup.
Wow! Sakuragi actually blocked Maki's shot!
Kanon and Ayako looked at each other and smiled: "See, our 'tuition fees' weren't wasted!"
Shohoku attacked, and the ball was once again passed to Rukawa Kaede.
Just as the two Hainan defenders caught up with Rukawa Kaede—
Rukawa Kaede skillfully combined the ball.
Turn around,
Fadeaway jump shot
Completed in one go!
Other players turn to get closer to the basket.
Rukawa Kaede turned and leaped towards the three-point line.
In an instant, he created a distance of nearly two meters between himself and the defender.
Despite the defenders' quick reaction, they were still unable to stop it.
As if frozen in time, they could only watch helplessly as the ball traced a perfect arc and flew straight towards the basket.
"Whoosh!"
To everyone's surprise, the ball nestled steadily into the basket with a crisp sound.
This three-pointer was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, instantly and completely crushing the morale of the Hainan team.
Mitsui's eyes widened like saucers: "That backward lean, the posture is so light and graceful, it's quite reminiscent of Kanon-senpai's charm!"
Miyagi smirked: "That kid Rukawa has been practicing this pose quite a bit in private."
That was a clean and decisive goal!
The audience gasped in amazement, their enthusiasm reignited!
Although there were no explosive dunks or direct impact this time, watching Rukawa play basketball was still a visual feast!
Forty seconds remain until the end of the match…
Twenty seconds…
Ten seconds…
Every second felt like torture; the audience held their breath, their palms sweating.
Their eyes were fixed on the field, anxiously awaiting that decisive moment.
Rukawa Kaede received the ball and made a smooth mid-range shot—
"Swish!" The sound of the ball going in echoed in the quiet stadium.
"Beep!"
The sharp whistle signaling the end of the match instantly brought everyone's attention back to reality.
The audience seemed frozen in that moment, their faces filled with disbelief and excitement.
Someone asked in a daze,
Did Shohoku win?
The cheers that erupted from the crowd provided the most direct answer:
Shohoku won! Shohoku won!
The Flame Man and the Sakuragi Army were even more excited, waving their flags and cola bottles, and singing in unison:
"Shobei! Shobei! Shobei!"
Shohoku defeated Hainan 102-89, ending Hainan's glorious 16-game winning streak!
At that moment, the entire stadium seemed to be set ablaze, with the audience's frenzied shouts and screams merging into a massive wave of sound that assaulted everyone's eardrums.
The players from Shohoku all rushed onto the court, hugging their teammates tightly and cheering.
Rukawa Kaede stood in the middle of the court, his chest heaving rapidly, his frantic heartbeat echoing.
All the noise evaporated instantly, and the colorful world was simplified into black and white.
Despite his teammates' excited rush towards him, his gaze remained fixed, piercing through the crowd and fixed on one direction—
Kanon ran towards Rukawa, her eyes brimming with pride, and draped a towel over his head.
“Fengfeng was on the field just now,” she said, her eyelashes forming two thick rows, “super, super awesome! I’m so proud of you.”
At that moment, all my emotions and exhaustion seemed to find an outlet.
Every cell seemed to be cheering, and ecstasy swept through my heart.
Rukawa Kaede couldn't help but smirk: "...No problem!"
Being favored by Hanon is a deep-seated addiction, not only a spiritual connection but also a deep spiritual understanding.
The whole team worked together to create scoring opportunities for him, which was absolutely exhilarating!
Rukawa Kaede looked at her with an inscrutable gaze for a moment, then leaned down, buried his head in her neck, and slowly breathed heavily.
Hanon instinctively flinched and tried to take a step back.
Seeing her earlobes, which were red as blood, Rukawa Kaede had no intention of letting her go. He tugged at her clothes and gently nuzzled her with his chin. "Nini, let me lean on you for a while."
The cold voice carried a hint of longing.
Hana replied softly, "Okay."
I don't know when it started, but Rukawa Kaede always liked to use this kind of animal marking as a way of showing affection.
"Do you know what I wanted to do when you ran towards me?"
Her slightly hoarse voice held a hint of danger, and Hana's heart skipped a beat.
"What?"
I want to kiss you.
Hana opened her eyes wide and turned her face to the side; the angle made her heart feel like it was about to burst.
They were so close that if Hana lowered her head slightly, she could touch his lips. In those narrow, fox-like eyes, she saw a faint smile and deep affection.
Hanon felt that she was having a hard time dealing with the current situation.
"Hey Rukawa, you did pretty well just now."
Sakuragi, with his sinister potato-like face, grabbed Rukawa by the back of the neck and pulled them apart.
"Yes, yes! Every goal you scored was spectacular!"
Mitsui chimed in, a grin on his face, standing between Kanon and Rukawa.
Sakuragi shook his hand as if getting rid of something dirty. "Hmph, it was just a coincidence."
Rukawa Kaede looked at Hanon for a while, then coldly glanced at the troublesome red-haired monkey, "Idiot, none of my balls were coincidences."
The Hainan players silently watched the lively atmosphere on the court, their eyes filled with regret and resentment.
Kiyota lowered his head, wiping his eyes hard, his shoulders trembling. "Brother Maki, I'm so unwilling to accept this! Losing feels so painful..."
Amu was also feeling bad, but he knew that now was the time for him to step forward and play the role of a leader.
He gently patted Kiyota's head: "This is not your fault. You performed very well and showed your level."
We lost simply because our opponent was too strong.
Amu couldn't help but turn his head and look at the arena again.
He never imagined he would lose to Shohoku. The opponent's unexpected tactics caught him off guard and gave him a deeper understanding of Shohoku's strength.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Shohoku will become the champion of Kanagawa Prefecture this year.
Ryonan is in danger.
Coach Tian Gang frowned, stood up, and said seriously, "Let's go back. We need to take Hainan first!"
"yes!"
The Ryonan team members glanced at the situation on the field again, their expressions grave.
The cries of victors mingled with the tears of the defeated; such a scene was somewhat heartbreaking—
But that's the cruel reality of competitive sports.
The winner takes all.
After the game, the sports equipment store owner refunded the money for the equipment as promised, which made the Shohoku team even more excited.
Ayako waved the money bag in her hand and suggested, "We won the game today, shouldn't we celebrate properly?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
