It was right in the middle of Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede's one-on-one.
Three girls wearing Shohoku uniforms walked in through the gym's main entrance.
Because of where they were standing, Ayako and Shimizu Kanon happened to notice them from the corners of their eyes.
The two of them turned toward the entrance one after another.
"It's you three!" Ayako greeted them first when she saw who had arrived.
The three girls at the entrance spoke in unison as well: "Senior Ayako."
Shimizu Kanon glanced over the three girls.
Before joining the Shohoku Basketball Club, she had naturally conducted a thorough investigation.
She had also searched her memories for information about the three girls before her.
Of the three girls, the most striking was the one standing in the middle. She had long, jet-black hair, fair skin like jade, and an exceptionally sweet appearance. Her straight, prominent nose and starry, dewy eyes gave her the youthful vigor unique to her age.
This girl was Akagi Haruko.
She was also the younger sister of Akagi Takenori, the captain of the Shohoku Basketball Club.
The girls standing on either side of Akagi Haruko were her two best friends.
The girl on the left had short black hair and wore a red hair clip. Though she was not as sweet and adorable as Akagi Haruko, she possessed a unique, quiet elegance.
This was one of Akagi Haruko's best friends, Fujii.
The girl standing to Akagi Haruko's right was her other best friend.
She had orange hair completely different from the other two girls', tied into twin tails.
For some unknown reason, her appearance bore an astonishing resemblance to Akagi Takenori.
Her lips in particular could not merely be called similar to Akagi Takenori's—they were exactly the same.
Anyone unfamiliar with the circumstances would inevitably mistake her for Akagi Takenori's biological younger sister.
She was also one of Akagi Haruko's best friends. Her name was Matsui.
Akagi Haruko and the other two naturally noticed Shimizu Kanon beside Ayako as well.
Ayako greeted her warmly. "I heard from my brother that a new manager joined the basketball team. That must be you, right? Hello, my name is Akagi Haruko."
Shimizu Kanon smiled in response. "Hello, my name is Shimizu Kanon. You can just call me Kanon from now on."
"Huh? Are you having a game?" Akagi Haruko asked when she saw Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede facing off on the court.
Ayako explained, "It's not a game! Rukawa Kaede and Qing Junce are having a one-on-one. They've reached the critical moment now!"
"What? A one-on-one? With Rukawa Kaede?" Akagi Haruko was startled.
Rukawa Kaede was her dream man.
She wanted to see who was playing one-on-one against Rukawa Kaede.
She quickly looked toward the court and immediately saw the two figures standing there, each radiating an imposing, unrivaled presence.
She was extremely familiar with one of them. He was none other than the dream man she had been longing for—Rukawa Kaede.
The other was a complete stranger whom she had never seen before.
"The one playing one-on-one with Rukawa Kaede is..." Akagi Haruko asked instinctively.
Ayako explained, "You mean Qing Junce? He's also a first-year student this year. He joined together with Kanon."
Huh?
Akagi Haruko blinked. "I see!"
But what she cared about more at the moment was the confrontation on the court. "How are things going? Who's winning?"
Hearing Akagi Haruko's question, Ayako replied, "It's not over yet! But Rukawa Kaede is at a disadvantage right now!"
What?
Akagi Haruko's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
Rukawa Kaede was actually at a disadvantage.
One had to know that Rukawa Kaede was the MVP in middle school and had been dubbed the Super Rookie of the year by the media.
Someone like him was actually at a disadvantage.
Just how strong was Qing Junce, who was matched up against Rukawa Kaede?
Her gaze unconsciously shifted to Qing Junce.
What entered her eyes was naturally Qing Junce's handsome, striking face, along with his unique blue hair and blue eyes.
But Qing Junce's lazy, listless appearance made her feel bewildered.
Could someone like this really suppress Rukawa Kaede?
But in the next second, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
The two who had just been facing off on the court began to move.
Rukawa Kaede kept switching hands as he dribbled, trying to disrupt Qing Junce's judgment.
But Qing Junce remained unmoved, simply standing there quietly.
Rukawa Kaede's brows furrowed slightly, but he did not stop moving.
He pushed off with his foot. In an instant, he turned sideways and drove straight toward Qing Junce's right side, his movement fast, accurate, and ruthless, trying to break through.
So fast.
Seeing this, Akagi Haruko's heart fluttered, and her blood began to surge through her veins.
Yet in the very next moment, the hot blood about to boil within her instantly calmed.
On the court, Rukawa Kaede, who had seemed certain to break through, abruptly stopped.
Qing Junce had completely blocked his path, leaving not the slightest opening.
Rukawa Kaede's eyes darkened. Gritting his teeth, he immediately spun around and broke toward the opening on Qing Junce's left side.
But in the next instant, Qing Junce appeared in front of him once again, blocking his way.
Thus, over the time that followed,
Rukawa Kaede tried all kinds of methods to break through.
Fakes, sudden stops, hand switches, post-ups—every kind of breakthrough and deceptive maneuver ended in failure.
Watching what was happening on the court, Akagi Haruko was completely dumbfounded. "How could this be...? He can't break through."
It was the first time she had ever seen Rukawa Kaede genuinely suppressed.
And he was being suppressed so completely.
Smack...
The sound of a ball being slapped reached everyone's ears.
On the court, Qing Junce had stolen the ball from Rukawa Kaede yet again.
By now, everyone had grown accustomed to this sight—or rather, they had already mentally prepared themselves for it.
But Akagi Haruko and the other two, who had just arrived, were shocked once again.
Rukawa Kaede had been stripped of the ball.
Akagi Haruko's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Qing Junce naturally paid no attention to what the people outside the court were thinking.
After stealing the ball, he made no unnecessary movements. He simply spun and jumped, raising the ball to aim at the basket.
Seeing this, Rukawa Kaede, who was preparing to defend against Qing Junce, was also greatly startled.
He had not expected Qing Junce to be so decisive.
He hurriedly jumped and reached out to block him, but it was already too late.
Qing Junce had released the basketball a step ahead of him.
But just then, another basketball suddenly appeared and, by an incredible coincidence, struck the ball he had thrown.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone.
No one had expected such an unexpected change to occur.
Hahahahaha...
A short distance away, Sakuragi Hanamichi laughed uproariously with his hands on his hips and his head thrown back. "I hit it! You didn't make it, did you? Idiot! Dream on if you think you can steal the spotlight from this genius!"
"Sakuragi..." Akagi Haruko covered her mouth in disbelief when she saw this.
Everyone around them was speechless, dark lines practically covering their foreheads.
Kogure Kiminobu also pressed a hand to his forehead, unsure what to say.
Akagi Takenori in particular had veins bulging on his forehead, as if they were about to burst. "That damned idiot."
Ayako sighed and shook her head helplessly. "That guy's at it again."
Shimizu Kanon's face still wore the same calm, unruffled expression. She was not disturbed in the slightest by this sudden accident.
She had complete confidence in Qing Junce.
An accident like this could not pose the slightest threat to Qing Junce.
Sure enough.
On the court,
when Qing Junce saw the basketball get struck by the other ball, he immediately reacted.
His body sank, dropping at once like a counterweight.
The moment both his feet touched the ground, he leaped up again.
He extended both arms and caught the two basketballs in midair, one in each hand. Then he tossed them toward the basket ahead of him, one after the other.
Under the bewildered, stunned, and disbelieving gazes of everyone around them,
the two basketballs struck the backboard one after the other.
The first ball fell precisely into the net.
The second ball spun around the rim once before dropping into the net as well.
The entire gymnasium fell completely silent.
Before you continue