In the classroom of Class 1-6.
"Come on, A-Ce, hurry up! Being late on the first day will leave a bad impression." Shimizu Kanon tugged at Qing Junce's arm as she spoke.
Aha...
Qing Junce yawned and said lazily, "Ah! I know, I know!"
Shimizu Kanon complained, "Honestly, it's all because of you. Now I'm late too."
Qing Junce replied indifferently, "What's the big deal?"
"You still dare to say that?" Shimizu Kanon punched Qing Junce irritably, then dragged him toward the basketball gym.
Before long, Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon finally arrived at the basketball gym.
As soon as they entered, they saw a group of new and veteran students playing a match.
"Looks like it's already started." Seeing the scene inside the gym, Shimizu Kanon let out a long sigh of relief.
Qing Junce glanced at the people playing on the court.
At that moment, the one charging forward with the ball was Rukawa Kaede.
Rukawa Kaede dribbled rapidly, dodging left and right and faking his way past opponents. His movements flowed like water, and his performance was exceptionally pleasing to watch.
Qing Junce swept his eyes over the others before looking away.
To be honest, he was speechless at the strength Shohoku was showing right now.
Weak. Far too weak.
Only Akagi Takenori and Rukawa Kaede were worthy of his attention. Even then, they were merely passable.
As for the others, they were simply...
Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce over to Ayako, who was teaching Sakuragi Hanamichi by the sidelines, and said, "Sorry for being late. I'm Shimizu Kanon, and I'm here to apply to join the Basketball Club."
As she spoke, she pulled Qing Junce in front of her and continued, "And this is him. His name is Qing Junce, and he's also a new student applying to join the club."
Ayako stared blankly at the two who had suddenly appeared in front of her.
She looked at the apologetic Shimizu Kanon, then at Qing Junce standing nearby with a lazy expression, yawning as if he were about to fall asleep.
Before she could say anything, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was practicing dribbling nearby, pointed at Qing Junce and said, "Ah... it's you! What are you doing here?"
Qing Junce gave him a sidelong glance and said calmly, "You're here, so why can't I be here?"
"Bastard, what did you say?" The veins on Sakuragi Hanamichi's forehead bulged as he grew furious at Qing Junce's words.
"You two know each other?" Ayako asked curiously.
Qing Junce and Sakuragi Hanamichi answered in unison.
Qing Junce: "No."
Sakuragi Hanamichi: "Who would want to know this guy?"
Ayako blinked. She looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi, then at Shimizu Kanon and Qing Junce.
Finally, she said helplessly, "Everyone's still playing. Go sit down and wait for a while."
Shimizu Kanon nodded and pulled Qing Junce over to sit on a bench nearby.
Anzai Mitsuyoshi had not said a word all this time.
He had noticed them from the moment Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon entered.
His attention had been firmly drawn to Qing Junce.
The faint pressure radiating from Qing Junce could be felt even from where he sat, which greatly surprised him.
He had never seen anyone like this before. Qing Junce was wrapped in a wild aura, like a sleeping beast.
The game on the court soon reached halftime.
Only then did everyone realize that two more people had somehow appeared in the gym.
With a single glance, everyone was captivated by Shimizu Kanon's appearance.
A great figure, a beautiful face, an excellent aura—I want her...
Whether they were first-year newcomers or second- and third-year veterans, their eyes were practically glued to her.
She was too beautiful, too dazzling, too gorgeous.
However, two people were looking at Qing Junce instead.
Akagi Takenori himself possessed extraordinary composure.
The reason he was paying attention to Qing Junce was that he sensed something extraordinary about him.
Instinctively, this made him feel that Qing Junce was no ordinary person.
Rukawa Kaede's reaction was even more direct.
Like Sakuragi Hanamichi, he sensed a tremendous threat from Qing Junce.
He had never felt anything like it before.
A strong man.
That was Qing Junce's first impression on him.
As soon as Akagi Takenori came off the court, Ayako began introducing Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon. "This is our basketball team's captain, Akagi Takenori."
Upon hearing this, Shimizu Kanon immediately stood up, bowed slightly to Akagi Takenori, and apologized. "Captain Akagi, I'm very sorry for being late on my first day. Please forgive me. I'm Shimizu Kanon, and I'd like to apply to become the Basketball Club's manager."
Hearing Shimizu Kanon's sincere apology, Akagi Takenori nodded inwardly with satisfaction.
A nice girl. Very polite.
Then he turned his gaze to the lazily seated Qing Junce, and his expression immediately darkened.
At that moment, Qing Junce looked as if he were about to fall asleep. Judging by his appearance, it could happen at any moment.
Noticing Akagi Takenori's gaze, Shimizu Kanon immediately pulled Qing Junce to his feet and said with an awkward smile, "He came with me. His name is Qing Junce, and he wants to join the Basketball Club too."
"So he's the one you said you had to look after—the lazy idiot?" Kogure Kiminobu suddenly asked.
Huh?
Qing Junce looked at him in complete confusion.
What lazy idiot?
Shimizu Kanon quickly interrupted, "Ah! None of that matters! As for our applications to join the club, Captain Akagi, please approve them."
Akagi Takenori looked at Shimizu Kanon and Qing Junce before him.
He had no objections to Shimizu Kanon. In fact, he had a rather good impression of her.
But he had a great many objections to Qing Junce.
He frowned, clearly displeased by Qing Junce's lazy appearance.
Can someone like this even play basketball?
Kogure Kiminobu seemed to see what Akagi Takenori was thinking and immediately stepped forward. "All right, all right. Since they want to join the Basketball Club, of course we welcome them."
As he spoke, he quietly said to Akagi Takenori, "They're already here. We can't exactly chase them away, can we? Let him give it a try. Having another tall player on the team isn't a bad thing."
Hmph!
Hearing this, Akagi Takenori turned away with a snort and said somewhat reluctantly, "Fine, for now. We're in the middle of a practice game, and this guy..." As he spoke, he looked at Qing Junce.
The meaning was obvious.
Shimizu Kanon naturally understood what Akagi Takenori meant and immediately said, "Qing Junce is very good at basketball. Don't worry."
"Is that so?" Akagi Takenori asked skeptically.
But since Shimizu Kanon had said so, he did not say anything more.
Regardless, Qing Junce was indeed quite tall.
As long as he had some foundation in basketball, he could still add a bit of strength to the team.
As for the team's current average height, it was truly...
Heh heh heh...
Anzai Mitsuyoshi, who had remained silent until then, spoke up. "Your name is Qing Junce, right? How long have you been playing basketball?"
Qing Junce thought for a moment before casually answering, "More than ten years, I guess."
What?
More than ten years?
Everyone around him looked at Qing Junce strangely after hearing that.
There was suspicion, scrutiny, and disbelief in their eyes...
Sakuragi Hanamichi could not help speaking up. "More than ten years? You're bragging, right? I don't believe you! How old are you now? Aren't you the same age as me? I'm only sixteen this year. By your logic, you would have had to start playing basketball before you were six."
Qing Junce could not be bothered to argue with him and merely said calmly, "So what? Whether you believe me has nothing to do with me."
"What did you say, bastard?" The veins on Sakuragi Hanamichi's forehead bulged as he glared at Qing Junce and shouted furiously.
Shimizu Kanon hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "A-Ce is telling the truth. He started playing basketball when he was very young and has continued ever since."
Heh heh heh...
Anzai Mitsuyoshi smiled and then said, "In that case, you'll play in the second half."
Qing Junce had no objections. He simply yawned and said, "All right. I'll treat it as a chance to stretch my body."
Seeing Qing Junce's attitude, a large vein popped out on Akagi Takenori's forehead. He said angrily, "What an arrogant brat. Just wait. I'll teach this punk a proper lesson later."
Kogure Kiminobu gave an awkward laugh, unsure what to say for a moment.
When Sakuragi Hanamichi heard that Qing Junce would be playing, he immediately objected.
He rushed in front of Anzai Mitsuyoshi, reached out, and pinched his round, chubby chin. "Old Man, you're letting Lazy Guy play, so let me play too, okay?"
Thud...
Akagi Takenori slammed a fist directly into Sakuragi Hanamichi's head and scolded him. "Behave yourself and go practice."
"No! No! I want to play! I want to get on the court!" Sakuragi Hanamichi shouted and hollered, acting exactly like a child throwing a tantrum.
Seeing him like this, Kogure Kiminobu also stepped forward to persuade Akagi Takenori. "Why not let Sakuragi play? The practice game is meant to test the newcomers' abilities anyway."
Hearing this, Akagi Takenori fell into hesitation.
He walked up to Anzai Mitsuyoshi and pointed at Sakuragi Hanamichi. "Coach Anzai, he's only just started learning basketball and is still practicing the fundamentals. Besides, his character is a little problematic."
As he spoke, Sakuragi Hanamichi sneaked behind Akagi Takenori. Holding a basketball, he began rapidly passing it between his legs and around his body, moving so quickly that it was dazzling.
Seeing Sakuragi Hanamichi's performance, a flash of white glinted across Coach Anzai's glasses. He nodded and said, "He's rather interesting. Let him give it a try."
When the coach agreed, no one was happier than Sakuragi Hanamichi.
He threw his head back and laughed, his face filled with delight. Then he went straight to a first-year student, snatched the student's jersey, and put it on himself.
The first-year student wore a resentful expression but did not dare say anything. He could only wipe away his tears silently, like a wronged young wife.
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