Practice Match Begins

Ryonan High School Basketball Gym.

At this time, the players from Shohoku and Ryonan had already lined up on both sides of the court, quietly waiting for the game to begin.

Shohoku's starting lineup is as follows:

Center, Akagi Takenori, #4.

Shooting Guard, Yasuda Yasuharu, #6.

Point Guard, Shiosaki Satoshi, #8.

Small Forward, Kogure Kiminobu, #5.

Power Forward, Rukawa Kaede, #11.

Ryonan's starting lineup is as follows:

Center, Uozumi Jun, #4.

Shooting Guard, Koshino Hiroaki, #6.

Point Guard, Uekusa Tomoyuki, #8.

Small Forward, Sendoh Akira, #7.

Power Forward, Ikegami Ryoji, #5.

Apart from Ryonan's center Uozumi, the rest of the players generally looked quite ordinary.

Except for Ikegami Ryoji, who was over 180cm tall, everyone else was between 170cm and 175cm.

A special mention must be made of Sendoh Akira, wearing Ryonan's #7 jersey.

He is one of the only two tall players on the Ryonan team, standing over 190cm. He has a clean-cut and handsome appearance, giving him a unique sense of approachability.

Especially his eye-catching hedgehog hairstyle, with tips pointing straight up, each strand standing erect, resembling a walking broom.

The game hadn't even started, but cheers could already be heard throughout the gym.

"Ryonan... Go... Ryonan... Go... Beat Shohoku..."

Shohoku's bench.

Hearing the Ryonan cheerleaders' shouts, everyone felt as if a heavy stone had been placed on their hearts.

The first-year student Yamada Tadashi couldn't help but say, "The Ryonan players look so imposing!"

Kuwata Toki also said uncertainly, "Will we be okay?"

Ishii Kentaro asked, "Is that Sendoh? Is he very good?"

Kogure Kiminobu explained, "It's not a question of whether he's good or not. Sendoh was recognized as one of the best players last year, known as 'Genius Sendoh'. If it weren't for Shoyo and Kainan holding them back, Ryonan might have made it to the national tournament last year."

Upon hearing this, all the first-year members' expressions changed drastically.

Rukawa Kaede also cast his gaze towards Sendoh, and a faint fire of fighting spirit began to ignite in his eyes.

Just then, Sakuragi Hanamichi took the initiative to approach Sendoh.

His eyes were fixed on Sendoh as he spoke, "I, Sakuragi Hanamichi, am the secret weapon. Sendoh, I'll take care of you."

Hearing this, Sendoh raised an eyebrow.

The other Ryonan players also looked at this scene in astonishment.

"This guy really dares to say that!" Koshino Hiroaki said with annoyance from the Ryonan team.

Uekusa Tomoyuki also spoke, "Does he even know who he's talking to?"

Akagi Takenori's eyelids twitched wildly. "That idiot."

Even Ayako, who was off the court, had a worried, troubled, and helpless expression. "That kid, really."

Just as everyone was still quite shocked by Sakuragi Hanamichi's words.

Sendoh revealed a slight smile and slowly said, "Then please guide me."

"Okay." Sakuragi Hanamichi shook hands with Sendoh.

The game officially began.

Meanwhile.

Three girls rushed into the second floor of the gym.

These three girls were none other than Akagi Haruko and her two best friends, Fujii and Matsui.

"We finally made it," Akagi Haruko said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and sighing in relief.

"It's all your fault for dawdling, or we wouldn't have had to run," Matsui complained.

Akagi Haruko's pretty face blushed, and she said a little sheepishly, "Don't say that!"

"Rukawa Kaede... I love you... Rukawa Kaede... I love you... Rukawa Kaede... I love you..."

Just then, a synchronized cheer entered everyone's ears.

Akagi Haruko and the other two turned to look, and then they saw three girls in short cheerleader uniforms, waving their handkerchiefs, lifting their fair, long legs high, and continuously cheering for Rukawa Kaede.

The scene stunned everyone in the gymnasium.

Fujii and Matsui pulled Akagi Haruko aside.

Fujii whispered, "Can you please not do anything foolish like that?"

Akagi Haruko replied timidly, her face flushed with embarrassment, "I wouldn't do that."

Matsui, with dead eyes, said with some disbelief, "You woman! It's hard to say!"

Beep...

As the three women were talking, the game below officially began.

With a whistle, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air between the two teams.

Akagi Takenori and Uozumi simultaneously pushed off the ground, leaping into the air to grab the falling ball.

Meanwhile.

On a train heading to Ryonan High School.

Hahahahaha...

Three thugs laughed boisterously, disregarding the other passengers.

One of the thugs said smugly, "After I beat him up badly, I'll say..."

"Say what?" the other thug quickly asked.

The first thug continued, "I'll say... 'Fighting isn't hard, I'm ready anytime.' Wow! Isn't that awesome!"

As he finished speaking, the three thugs burst into unrestrained laughter again.

The other passengers on the train cast glances their way, a mixture of fear and disdain in their eyes.

Many women and girls unconsciously tensed up, afraid of drawing the attention of the three thugs.

Just then, two figures entered from outside the train door.

The first to enter was a stunningly beautiful girl, with a voluptuous figure and an aura of youthful energy.

The three thugs' eyes immediately widened upon seeing her, their gazes turning into hearts, as if they wanted to hang them on the beautiful girl.

However, in the very next second, a shadow fell over the three thugs.

Behind the girl, a tall, slender young man now stood, exuding an unshakeable wildness.

The three thugs felt an immense pressure and a deadly danger emanating from the young man.

They couldn't help but tremble all over.

The young man and woman who had entered were none other than Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon.

Seeing the three thugs blocking their path, Qing Junce spoke plainly, "Move."

The three thugs swallowed hard and instinctively moved aside.

Shimizu Kanon was already accustomed to such things.

Seeing the thugs clear the way, she directly pulled Qing Junce and walked between them.

The three thugs watched Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon leave, not daring to utter a word.

After Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon had walked away, the three thugs finally breathed a sigh of relief.

One of the thugs said, "That guy was so scary, I thought I was going to die just now."

Another thug retorted, "Didn't you just say fighting isn't hard?"

The appearance of Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon naturally drew the attention of many people in the carriage.

They were all captivated by their looks.

The men naturally focused their attention on Shimizu Kanon.

The women began to admire Qing Junce's appearance.

Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon were already used to such gazes.

Shimizu Kanon glanced at the time on her phone and complained, "Honestly, so much time has passed. It's all your fault. I wonder how the game is going now."

Qing Junce replied lazily, "It's still early. Even if it's bad, they wouldn't lose too badly."

"No! That's too harsh! They're your teammates," Shimizu Kanon said seriously.

Tch...

Qing Junce scoffed and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, the Ryonan vs. Shohoku game had become one-sided.

Nearly half of the first half had already passed.

The score on the scoreboard was 0 to 19.

Ryonan had 19 points.

Shohoku had yet to score.

At this moment, the players from Shohoku on the court were all gasping for air, sweat dripping down their foreheads, their faces filled with disbelief and despair.

They never imagined that the game against Ryonan would turn out this way.

While they knew Ryonan would be strong, they hadn't expected them to be this formidable.

Because basketball games in this era were divided into two halves, with each half lasting 20 minutes.

So, besides being physically exhausted, the Shohoku players on the court were also under immense mental pressure.

It was Ryonan's turn to attack.

Uekusa Tomoyuki broke through Shiosaki Satoshi's defense and successfully reached the three-point line in front of Shohoku.

Just as Kogure Kiminobu was preparing to close in, Uekusa Tomoyuki threw a long pass, sending the basketball towards Shohoku's paint.

At that moment, someone wearing Ryonan's number 7 jersey had appeared in Shohoku's paint without anyone noticing. It was Sendoh.

Not good.

The Shohoku players' hearts leaped into their throats.

They were already trailing by 19 points, and if Ryonan scored again, they would be down by 20.

Although the difference between 19 and 20 points was only 1, the pressure it put on the team was worlds apart.

Just as everyone thought the situation was hopeless, a red figure suddenly appeared, intercepting the basketball before Sendoh could reach it.

What?

Sendoh's pupils widened.

The other Ryonan players were also taken aback.

The person who had intercepted the ball was none other than Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa Kaede landed, cradling the ball with both hands, looking straight ahead. He seemed to say to Sendoh behind him, "Alright, let's go."

Sendoh's eyes narrowed slightly at his words.

The next moment, Rukawa Kaede took off, dribbling the ball rapidly towards Ryonan's basket.

Sendoh, not to be outdone, began to chase after him with all his might.

Rukawa Kaede dribbled past Uekusa Tomoyuki and Koshino Hiroaki, directly entering Ryonan's paint.

However, just as Rukawa Kaede jumped up for a layup, Sendoh suddenly shot out from the side, matching his movement and blocking Rukawa Kaede's path to the basket with one hand.

Rukawa Kaede looked ahead, his expression unchanged.

His layup motion suddenly shifted, and he threw the ball backward to the other side.

This sudden turn of events made Sendoh's eyes widen.

At the same time, behind Rukawa Kaede, Akagi Takenori's figure appeared silently, catching the basketball Rukawa Kaede had thrown.

Without any hesitation, he leaped high into the air, cradled the ball with both hands, and slammed it ferociously towards Ryonan's hoop.

CRASH...

The sound of the slam dunk echoed throughout the entire stadium.

Akagi Takenori successfully dunked the basketball into Ryonan's basket.

Shohoku 2, Ryonan 19.

At last, Shohoku had broken their scoring drought.