Soon, Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede were standing on the court.
The others stood off to the side, quietly waiting for the two to begin their showdown.
Curious, Kogure Kiminobu asked, "Akagi, who do you think will win?"
Akagi Takenori was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Who knows? Neither of them is easy to deal with."
First-year Kuwata Toki said, "I think Rukawa Kaede has the better odds! After all, he's the Super Rookie."
Yamada Tadashi and Ishii Kentaro, who were also first-years, nodded in agreement.
They were all in the same year as Rukawa Kaede, so naturally they knew more about him.
Ayako, however, had a different opinion. "Not necessarily! Rukawa Kaede is strong, but Qing Junce gives me a very unusual feeling."
Then she asked Shimizu Kanon beside her, "Kanon, what do you think?"
Shimizu Kanon revealed a confident smile and said firmly, "A-Ce won't lose."
Her words were decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Ayako looked at her in surprise. "You're that confident he'll win?"
Shimizu Kanon answered directly, "Of course! A-Ce has never lost before!"
She had absolute confidence in Qing Junce's strength.
She had once witnessed Qing Junce crush five adults all by himself.
It was then that she truly realized just how terrifying the strength of her childhood friend was.
Sakuragi Hanamichi crossed his arms and glared unhappily at the two preparing to face off on the court. Hmph, two bastards who only know how to steal the spotlight.
As he cursed them inwardly, his eyes suddenly lit up as if he had thought of something, and a wicked smile appeared on his face.
On the court.
Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede stood facing each other.
Rukawa Kaede asked, "Who goes first?"
Qing Junce replied without concern, "You can attack first. I don't have that much time to play with you."
Hearing this, Rukawa Kaede furrowed his brows, and his expression darkened further. The anger and fighting spirit in his heart grew even more intense.
He said nothing and immediately took up the basketball, assuming an offensive stance.
Qing Junce bent down as well, waiting for Rukawa Kaede's attack.
However, his listless appearance did not change in the slightest.
This made the anger in Rukawa Kaede's heart burn even hotter. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he resolved to teach this arrogant guy a lesson.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
The sound of the basketball hitting the floor began to echo through the gym.
Rukawa Kaede dribbled the ball, his gaze fixed on Qing Junce ahead of him, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
Everyone on the sidelines held their breath and watched the two on the court without blinking.
Soon, the sound of the ball hitting the floor abruptly stopped. Rukawa Kaede's attack began.
With a thump, Rukawa Kaede switched the ball to his left hand, but his entire body shot forward like an arrow.
In the blink of an eye, half of Rukawa Kaede's body had reached Qing Junce's left side.
So fast.
Everyone off the court widened their eyes at the sight, repeatedly marveling inwardly.
Rukawa Kaede's sudden drive was simply too fast.
Only Shimizu Kanon showed no surprise at all.
Just as everyone thought Rukawa Kaede was about to break past Qing Junce—
The next moment.
Smack...
The sound of a slap against the ball rang out across the court.
Although it was not loud, everyone watching from the sidelines heard it clearly.
When they came to their senses, they saw an unbelievable scene on the court.
Rukawa Kaede had already reached the spot behind Qing Junce.
His movement had come to an abrupt stop, frozen in place.
Strangely, his palm was empty.
The basketball had vanished without anyone knowing when.
He stared at his palm in disbelief, his heart trembling violently.
He had not noticed at all when the basketball had disappeared.
He slowly turned his head and looked at Qing Junce behind him.
Qing Junce still wore that lazy expression, but at some point, a basketball had appeared in his hand.
"What... what just happened?" Kogure Kiminobu asked in astonishment.
It was not just him—even Akagi Takenori stared at the court with confusion and shock.
All his attention had been drawn to Rukawa Kaede's drive just now. He had completely missed Qing Junce's movement and had no idea when the ball had been stolen.
Ayako's mouth fell open, her beautiful eyes wide.
She cried out in horror, "Oh my god! I didn't see that wrong, did I?"
When Rukawa Kaede had driven past just now, she had deliberately kept part of her attention on Qing Junce.
Even so, she had not seen when Qing Junce had made his move.
It was too fast.
Her eyes could barely track it.
Just then, Qing Junce turned around. Without moving his feet, he simply raised the basketball in one hand, aimed at the hoop ahead, and shot.
The motion was extremely casual, as if he had merely tossed it away.
Yet under everyone's watchful eyes, the basketball struck the backboard and then rebounded into the hoop.
The sight left everyone dumbfounded.
Qing Junce ignored the others' gazes and said to Rukawa Kaede, "That's one point. Keep going!"
Rukawa Kaede's expression darkened, his face growing increasingly solemn. The battle flame in his eyes was almost overflowing.
He said nothing. He picked up the basketball, then turned and walked to the three-point line before standing in front of Qing Junce again.
This time, his expression was several degrees more serious than before.
The two once again fell into a standoff.
Rukawa Kaede dribbled the ball, staring intently at Qing Junce's every movement.
He wanted to find an opening in Qing Junce's defense.
What troubled him was that Qing Junce's lazy appearance made him look as if he were covered in openings from head to toe.
But precisely because of that, Rukawa Kaede hesitated.
He did not believe those openings would allow him to break through so easily.
When Rukawa Kaede still did not attack after a long while,
Qing Junce grew impatient waiting.
Without any warning, he lunged forward and appeared in front of Rukawa Kaede almost instantly.
Rukawa Kaede saw Qing Junce suddenly grow larger before his eyes, then arrive directly in front of him.
So fast.
His heart jumped, and he instinctively tried to protect the ball.
Unfortunately, before he could secure it, the sensation in his hand suddenly vanished.
His pupils contracted and his heart sank. He knew he had been stripped of the ball again.
After successfully stealing the basketball, Qing Junce spun around.
Before Rukawa Kaede could react, he went around Rukawa Kaede's left side and emerged on the right.
The entire process flowed together seamlessly, giving Rukawa Kaede no chance to react.
Everyone off the court saw Qing Junce charge straight toward Rukawa Kaede, then swiftly circle around him.
All those movements were completed in an instant, without the slightest pause, creating an incredibly smooth spectacle.
By the time everyone came to their senses, Qing Junce had already returned beneath the basket and was preparing to take off for a layup.
On the court.
Qing Junce raised the ball in one hand and prepared to put it into the hoop.
But at that moment, a sharp glint suddenly flashed through Qing Junce's eyes.
His hand stopped in midair as he went up for the layup, then he abruptly pulled it backward.
At the same time, another basketball flashed past beside the ball in his hand.
Qing Junce's wrist flicked, sending the basketball flying. It landed squarely in the hoop.
The ball went through the net once again.
However, Qing Junce's gaze had turned toward the area behind the backboard.
There, Sakuragi Hanamichi was posed as if he had just thrown something.
The others noticed the sudden scene as well and turned their gazes toward Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Seeing this, Sakuragi Hanamichi pretended to be embarrassed and laughed loudly. "Ahahaha... Sorry, my hand slipped."
Qing Junce said nothing to him and simply turned around to say to Rukawa Kaede, "Keep going!"
Rukawa Kaede said nothing either.
As for Sakuragi Hanamichi's behavior, he generally ignored it whenever possible.
Soon, Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede began competing for the third point.
Before you continue