First Victory

With Wu Yufei taking the court, the Takezono players, who had just begun to see some hope of narrowing the gap, were plunged back into an icy abyss.

At 17:11, Wu Yufei used the Butterfly Step to force his way through a one-on-three, leaving Takezono's interior defense in shambles before easily driving under the basket and rising for a thunderous dunk.

At 17:30, Dai Ming attempted a pass, but Wu Yufei stole it and immediately launched a coast-to-coast fast break. Oda Ryusei chased hard from behind.

Inside the paint, Wu Yufei jumped first, pretending to force his way up for a layup while backing Oda down.

"Don't even think about it!!"

Oda roared and sprang up after him, swinging his hand toward the ball in Wu Yufei's palm.

But in the next instant, Wu Yufei pulled off a smooth, stylish double-clutch, dodging Oda's block before easily finishing the layup.

Not only did he score, but he also drew Oda's foul, completing the three-point play.

At 17:55, Dai Ming missed a three-pointer. Naito Tetsuya grabbed the rebound forcefully and passed it to Wu Yufei, who led another counterattack.

After reaching Takezono's half, Wu Yufei shook Dai Ming off with a crossover and squeezed into the paint. Then he displayed another flashy pass, bouncing the ball through Yuki's legs as he came over to help defend and sending it to Naito beneath the basket, where he had carved out position. Naito roared as he rose for another powerful dunk and scored two more points.

18 minutes...

In just two short minutes, Wu Yufei not only drove and stole his way to seven straight points, but also dished out four assists, leading Miuradai on a 15:3 run that beat Takezono back to its true form.

With only one minute remaining, both requirements of the mission had been perfectly fulfilled, and Takezono's morale had completely collapsed. Wu Yufei quit while he was ahead and clocked out a minute early.

Finally, as the referee's whistle sounded, this friendly match between last year's two Prefectural Tournament quarterfinalists—supposedly evenly matched, yet utterly one-sided in reality—came to an end.

101:68. That was the final score frozen in place at the last second.

For Miuradai's players, they had earned their first victory of the new season, and it was a crushing one. Though it had only been a friendly match, the result was enough to boost their morale.

For Takezono, however, today's result cast a thick shadow over their earlier lofty ambition of reaching the National Tournament.

Wu Yufei, who started the game and put up an incredible double-double of 28 points and 20 assists in twenty-three minutes of play, was undoubtedly the brightest star of the match. The rest of his miscellaneous stats did not need to be listed.

When Wu Yufei left the court early, some Takezono students could not help switching sides on the spot, applauding him.

Receiving such treatment at Takezono, a notorious home court in Kanagawa, was practically a new kind of history for Wu Yufei.

"Hehe, what do you think, A-Tetsu? I kept my promise, didn't I?"

After changing clothes and leaving Takezono, Wu Yufei slung an arm around Naito Tetsuya's shoulder as they walked, grinning.

Naito Tetsuya had also posted outstanding numbers in this game: 33 points and 13 rebounds.

After all, Naito had played basketball for less than a year in total, and his opponent today had been Oda, one of the strongest players in the prefecture.

Naturally, Wu Yufei deserved the greatest credit for that, though it could also be said that the two had brought out the best in each other.

Of Wu Yufei's 22 assists, at least ten had gone directly to Naito Tetsuya and been converted into baskets. Their simple pick-and-roll tactic, with Naito rolling to the rim, had left Takezono with no way to resist.

"Coach Harada, thank you very much for your guidance today. I believe that after such a crushing defeat, the players will gain a clearer understanding of their shortcomings and work even harder in future training."

At Takezono's school gate, the coaches of the two teams shook hands amicably. Although Miuradai had shown Takezono no mercy today, handing the home team such a humiliating defeat on its own court, Takezono's coach still viewed it as nothing more than an inconsequential friendly match.

Identifying problems and then doing everything possible to solve them—that was the purpose and value of a friendly match.

Besides, allowing the players to experience such a crushing loss early on would help Oda and the others understand the gap between themselves and the prefecture's top players, improving their ability to withstand pressure.

"Not at all. Takezono is also a very fine team. Let's both put on our best performances at the Prefectural Tournament."

Having won the game, Coach Harada was naturally in high spirits, so he smiled broadly as he shook hands with Takezono's coach and bid him farewell.

The Miuradai players boarded the bus waiting outside Takezono's gates, officially concluding today's road trip with a resounding victory.

On Takezono's back hill, a famous spot for confessions, Oda Ryusei and Yoko stood silently gazing at each other.

Yoko thought that Oda, having lost so miserably today, surely needed her comfort. Oda, meanwhile, thought that after losing so badly, he had no face to meet Yoko. So after the match, the two had played a brief game of hide-and-seek before finally meeting here.

"Yoko, do you think I'm pathetic?"

Oda turned around, looking down at the scenery below the hill as he gave a self-mocking laugh.

"Of course not! Oda, you've always been so serious and hardworking. There's nothing pathetic about that!"

Yoko hurriedly replied.

"Serious... hardworking... but what's the use? Didn't I still lose this badly?"

Oda's words were full of desolation.

"There was nothing you could have done. Miuradai was already one of the prefecture's top eight teams last year, and now Wu Yufei has joined them. Their strength must be on an entirely different level."

Wu Yufei...

The moment Oda Ryusei heard that name, his heart tightened.

Because they had not been directly matched up, Oda had not faced Wu Yufei much today. But in those few direct confrontations, he had been thoroughly defeated.

None of his blocks had stopped Wu Yufei from scoring. On the contrary, Wu Yufei had repeatedly sent his shots back right in front of him, successfully preventing him from scoring.

And then there were the steals, the rebounds...

So this is the strength of the guy who led a team to the National Tournament quarterfinals by himself last year?

Oda's Wako Middle School had not faced Wu Yufei last year, but the team that eliminated Wako had gone on to lose by forty points to Wu Yufei's team in the semifinals. That had made Oda extremely sensitive to the name "Wu Yufei."

Back then, Oda had been very proud. He firmly believed that Wu Yufei's middle school team could not possibly have been a one-man team. The only reason Wu Yufei had been able to lead them into the National Tournament was because he had better teammates supporting him. If he and Wu Yufei had switched teams, he could have led a team into the National Tournament too!

From that point on, Oda had always wanted to face Wu Yufei in high school and see who was truly stronger.

So when he learned that Takezono's first friendly match would be against Wu Yufei's Miuradai, Oda had been so excited that he could not sleep all night.

Yet the game had turned out like this, something Oda had never anticipated.

Could it be that I'm not actually some naturally gifted genius? That defeating Shoyo or Kainan and reaching the National Tournament has always just been an unrealistic fantasy of mine?

Oda began to question his entire life.

Suddenly, a figure he despised flashed through his mind.

Sakuragi Hanamichi...

Bang!

Oda slammed his fist into the railing before him.

Damn it! Why did that guy have to appear in my mind? Could it be that, in the eyes of someone like Wu Yufei, I'm on the same level as someone like Sakuragi is in mine?

"Don't joke with me!!"

Oda lowered his head and roared angrily.

When he raised his head again, a fierce glint had appeared in his eyes.

Just wait, Kainan, Shoyo, and Miuradai!! There is still more than a month until the Prefectural Tournament. I, Oda Ryusei, will definitely lead Takezono to defeat all of you! In the end, I will be the one to conquer the nation!

"Oda..."

Looking at her lover, Yoko felt that Oda was gradually becoming unfamiliar to her. Her eyes filled with worry.

Oda's expression is really terrifying right now. This isn't the Oda who simply loved basketball. The Oda now feels so unfamiliar. What should I do?

Meanwhile, on Miuradai's bus ride home.

Wu Yufei was being interviewed by Takei Yumi after the game.

"Congratulations, Yufei. After such a dominant victory, how do you feel right now?"

"How do I feel? Not bad, I suppose. But I already said this before—our goal this year is to defeat Kainan University Affiliated High School and wipe away last year's humiliation. If we couldn't even handle a mere Takezono, wouldn't that be too embarrassing?"

Wu Yufei smiled and repeated what he had said in the earlier interview.

"Indeed. After watching today's game, I truly believe that you can lead the team to accomplish that, Yufei."

Takei Yumi said with a smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Unfortunately, Wu Yufei was not into older women, so he was not bewitched by her gesture.

After the two chatted for several more minutes about the game and basketball, the interview officially came to an end.

Wu Yufei leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, entered the system, and began receiving today's mission reward.

Although it had only been a friendly match and the mission reward was rather meager, even a mosquito had meat on its bones. Wu Yufei was not about to complain.

At the same time, a call came into the office of Wu Yufei's father, Wu Qingfeng.

"Hello, this is Wu Qingfeng."

"Mr. Wu, your son is truly outstanding!"

The caller was Director Takahashi, a member of Miuradai's board of directors.

"Oh? Isn't this Director Takahashi? What, has Yufei brought you another surprise?"

Wu Qingfeng asked with a smile.

"Your son posted an astonishing 28 points and 20 assists in a game today, leading Miuradai to a 101:68 rout of Takezono High School, which, like Miuradai, was one of last year's top eight teams. He was simply incredible!"

Director Takahashi spared no praise.

"Hahaha, I told you before, didn't I? That kid has loved basketball more than he has loved his own father ever since he was little."