Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede's Rematch

Outside the court, in the resting area.

Ayako gazed with interest at Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede, who were about to begin their match on the court, and couldn't help but say, "Rukawa Kaede really can't sit still! After losing to Qing Junce last time, he's already impatient to challenge him again. He's just like before, never one to admit defeat deep down."

Hearing this, Shimizu Kanon seemed to snap out of a daze and said, "That's right! Ayako-senpai and Rukawa Kaede went to the same Junior High, didn't you?"

Ayako nodded lightly in agreement, "That's right. Rukawa Kaede, that guy, has a very strong personality. Now our team has Captain Akagi, Rukawa Kaede, and Qing Junce; that's already three great generals. If Mitsui were still on the team, maybe everyone could truly achieve the dream of dominating the entire country this year."

"Mitsui..." Shimizu Kanon murmured softly, and a piece of information instantly surfaced in her mind, "Ayako-senpai is talking about Mitsui Hisashi, right?"

"You even found that out?!" Ayako was slightly taken aback, but not overly surprised, as she had witnessed Shimizu Kanon's information-gathering abilities.

Ayako nodded and continued, "Actually, I only heard it from Captain Akagi and Kogure-senpai. That was already two years ago. It's said that back then, Mitsui Hisashi entered Shohoku High School as the Junior High MVP!"

Saying this, Ayako's tone suddenly shifted, filled with regret, "It's a shame... because of some things, he's no longer on the basketball team."

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Miyagi Ryota and Sakuragi Hanamichi, who were competing with each other, also noticed the strange atmosphere around them.

They swept their gazes downwards and found that everyone had already gathered on the other half of the court.

"What happened?" Miyagi Ryota asked, looking confused.

"How should I know! Let go of me!" Sakuragi Hanamichi forcefully broke free from the other's grasp.

"I'm really curious if Rukawa Kaede can beat Qing Junce this time."

"It's hard to say, Qing Junce is too strong. Not much time has passed since the last match. Even if Rukawa Kaede is trying his best to catch up, he shouldn't have caught up so quickly!"

"My guess is that Rukawa Kaede will be defeated by Qing Junce again this time."

Listening to the discussions around them, Miyagi Ryota and Sakuragi Hanamichi also stopped what they were doing.

"That stinky fox and the godless ghost are showing off again," Sakuragi Hanamichi grumbled with displeasure.

Miyagi Ryota's lips curved slightly upwards, and he looked with interest towards the two about to duel on the other side, saying, "Are these two the Super Rookie Rukawa Kaede and Qing Junce you were talking about?"

Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede completely ignored the gazes and discussions of those around them, already prepared for the duel.

Just like last time, Rukawa Kaede initiated the offense first, with Qing Junce responsible for defense.

"Let me see if you've improved during this time!" Qing Junce said with a smile.

Hearing this, Rukawa Kaede's eyes sharpened, a glint of sharpness flashing in them, and his aura began to rise.

Without a word, he slammed the basketball down and flashed forward, attempting to break through Qing Junce's defense.

Qing Junce simply took a light step and firmly blocked Rukawa Kaede's path, saying, "Your slow breakthrough like this is useless against me."

Seeing that his breakthrough was in vain, Rukawa Kaede immediately retreated, then lightly tapped the ground with his toes, spinning his body and charging towards Qing Junce's other side.

"The idea is good, but you're still too green." Qing Junce also tapped the ground with his toes, but turned in the opposite direction, once again precisely intercepting Rukawa Kaede.

"So... so amazing, Qing Junce's movements are too fluid, not stiff at all, and he immediately defended against Rukawa Kaede's offense," Kakuta Satoru exclaimed involuntarily.

Kogure Kiminobu also sighed, "It seems Qing Junce is still a cut above."

Ayako analyzed, "It looks like Rukawa Kaede is going to lose again this time."

Shimizu Kanon chuckled, saying nothing more. She had already expected this outcome in her heart.

While Rukawa Kaede's talent was indeed good, compared to Qing Junce, he was ultimately still a little lacking.

At this moment on the court, Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede had already engaged in a fierce game of chase and evasion.

Bang...

Bang...

Bang...

The sound of the basketball continuously hitting the ground echoed on the court.

Rukawa Kaede dribbled the ball rapidly, constantly trying to find an opening to break through Qing Junce's tight defense.

However, every time he attempted to break through, Qing Junce would precisely block his path.

The two seemed to transform into two dazzling streams of light, one blue and one black, stirring up a storm of speed across half the court.

Everyone around was stunned into silence by the scene before them.

"Wow! They're too strong, both of them are too strong!"

"I've never seen such an intense offensive and defensive battle!"

" I thought what we saw last time was intense enough, I didn't expect these two to be even faster this time!"

Miyagi Ryota, standing on the other half of the court, was completely shocked into silence by the scene before him.

Before, he had only heard that the Super Rookie Rukawa Kaede was powerful, and Qing Junce was even more incredibly strong.

But now, witnessing it with his own eyes, he realized that these two were far more exaggerated than he had imagined.

As for Sakuragi Hanamichi, he too put away his usual flippant demeanor at this moment, already deeply captivated by the spectacular duel between Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede.

The reason was simple: the match was just too brilliant.

Ayako, watching the situation on the court, couldn't help but praise, "Rukawa Kaede seems to have improved quite a bit!"

Shimizu Kanon nodded in agreement.

Rukawa Kaede had indeed made some progress compared to his last match against Qing Junce.

She then turned her gaze to Qing Junce, thinking to herself, 'A-Ce, really, can't you be a bit more serious?'

Finally, Rukawa Kaede used a fake move to create half a body's length of space between himself and Qing Junce, then immediately jumped to shoot.

Seeing this, Qing Junce's expression remained calm and composed. He powerfully pushed off the ground and leaped high, covering the half-body distance to once again firmly block Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa Kaede's pupils contracted sharply at the sight.

But he was already in mid-air, about to release the ball, with no time to adjust.

Unsurprisingly.

The next second...

Smack!

A crisp sound echoed as Qing Junce slammed down a hand, delivering a solid block to Rukawa Kaede.

The others watching this scene reacted normally enough.

Miyagi Ryota, however, was completely stunned. It was the first time he had ever witnessed such an exaggerated defense and block. He muttered to himself, "No way, he can defend like that?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi pouted, saying with feigned disdain and envy, "Tch! What's so great about that."

"Not bad, you've improved since last time," Qing Junce said lazily, picking his ear with his pinky finger.

Rukawa Kaede was completely enraged by Qing Junce's nonchalant attitude. His eyes blazed, and he said with some anger, "Take this seriously."

Qing Junce looked unimpressed. "Didn't I say before? It depends on whether you have the skill."

Hearing this, Rukawa Kaede's anger intensified, but there was nothing he could do.

The play shifted to offense.

Qing Junce dribbled the ball at a leisurely pace, his lazy demeanor unchanged from usual.

Suddenly, he switched the ball to his left hand, then executed a crossover, changed direction early, and his body shifted as if to charge forward.

Seeing this, Rukawa Kaede immediately lowered his center of gravity, spread his arms, and stared intently at Qing Junce's every move.

However, in the very next moment, Qing Junce, who had been in a charging posture, abruptly changed his movement, pulling back in an extremely peculiar way.

Rukawa Kaede watched Qing Junce's figure shrink before him, his pupils widening instantly. He froze in place, completely forgetting to pursue.

More accurately, he had been completely fooled by Qing Junce's realistic fake.

He had fully expected Qing Junce to charge straight at him and never imagined he would suddenly retreat.

And so, Qing Junce successfully created distance from Rukawa Kaede.

Then, Qing Junce shot decisively, a jump shot without even a jump.

Rukawa Kaede could only stand there, watching the ball sail over his head and into the basket behind him.

Even now, Rukawa Kaede remained full of confusion, unable to understand how Qing Junce had managed that retreat move in that situation.

It all defied logic.

The offense and defense switched again, and Rukawa Kaede stood before Qing Junce once more.

Just as everyone eagerly anticipated Rukawa Kaede's offense, no one expected that, perhaps inspired by Qing Junce, or perhaps wanting to use his own tactics against him.

In the next moment, Rukawa Kaede didn't choose to drive. Instead, he executed a step-back, retreating to the three-point line, then jumped to shoot.

The situation unfolded too suddenly; no one had anticipated Rukawa Kaede pulling off such a move.

Qing Junce raised an eyebrow slightly, quite surprised by Rukawa Kaede's choice. However, it was merely surprise.

'Trying to catch me off guard?' Qing Junce mused to himself. 'But…'

His legs tensed, and he stomped on the ground. His body moved like lightning, and before the stunned eyes of everyone, he instantly appeared in front of Rukawa Kaede.

Then, he pushed off the ground again, leaping high, extending his arm, and waving his hand to swat fiercely at the basketball Rukawa Kaede was about to shoot.

Smack!

A crisp sound suddenly echoed through the court as Qing Junce batted the ball far away.

Rukawa Kaede's second offensive attempt ended in failure once more.

"These little tricks don't work on me," Qing Junce said indifferently, glancing at Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa Kaede remained silent and moved to the basket, adopting a defensive stance.

For the next while, the sound of the basketball hitting the floor continuously echoed on the court.

The Shohoku players once again witnessed Qing Junce dominating Rukawa Kaede.

Although they had seen it before, witnessing it again left them filled with disbelief, their shock evident.

The others had long lost count of how many rounds Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede had played.

At this point, none of that mattered.

They only deeply remembered that under Qing Junce's impenetrable defense, Rukawa Kaede hadn't managed to score a single point.

Qing Junce's power had once again been deeply imprinted on the hearts of the Shohoku players.