Final Four Schedule

After defeating Takezato, their next game would not come until June 20, half a month later.

During this break, Wu Yufei continued to spend each day steadily according to his own plans.

Every day began with morning practice and ended with extra training at night. In his free time, he seized every opportunity to grow closer to Junko.

Having endured China's exam-oriented education in his previous life and successfully crossed the gaokao bridge into a prestigious university, he could not claim mastery over astronomy, geography, world history, poetry, and literature—but with what he still remembered, impressing a fifteen-year-old girl was no problem at all.

If Junko had initially accepted Wu Yufei's confession and started dating him because of his outstanding basketball skills, decent looks, and sense of justice—the parking lot incident—then as their relationship deepened, she discovered more and more of his strengths. Naturally, her affection for him kept soaring.

The half-month break passed both slowly and quickly.

In any case, Wu Yufei could not accomplish much more in such a short span of time. He only needed to complete each day's training according to plan, with both quality and quantity ensured.

The schedule for the final four round robin was officially announced on the third day of the break.

On June 20, Miuradai would face Ryonan High School in their first clash. It was a highly anticipated showdown between an emerging powerhouse and an established one.

Would Miuradai, which had risen abruptly after gaining Wu Yufei and earned the title of the Tyrant, continue its wild run? Or would Ryonan High School defend the pride of an old powerhouse and hand Miuradai its first defeat of the year?

The following two games would be against Shohoku on June 25, followed by Kainan the next day.

Honestly, Wu Yufei did not think this schedule was very good.

In his ideal scenario, he would have faced Kainan in the first game.

That way, he could bring out his strongest form without any reservations and give everything he had to defeat Kainan.

At least for now, the greatest threat among their three opponents was still the champion Kainan, led by the emperor A Maki.

What if the whole team fought until they were completely exhausted in order to defeat Kainan in the opening game? After that match, they would have five full days of rest—more than enough for Wu Yufei and the others to recover.

But the actual schedule had them facing Ryonan, not the strongest of the three teams, first, with Kainan saved for last.

That meant Wu Yufei would inevitably have many concerns in the game against Shohoku in between.

If they did not go all out, Shohoku—now complete, having defeated Shoyo, and brimming with momentum—would definitely not be easy to beat.

But if they went all out, what would they do about the game against Kainan the next day?

Since Miuradai had replaced the weak Takezato from the original storyline, none of Kanagawa's final four teams were weak. The spectators loved it, but for the players and coaches of every team, it was enormous pressure.

One misstep, and everything could be lost.

Ah, forget it. No point thinking so much. I'll just do my best to beat Ryonan first.

Wu Yufei forced himself to stop dwelling on those troublesome matters and threw himself wholeheartedly into the final stretch of preparation.

Thump... thump... thump...

That night, after finishing his extra training and walking Junko home, Wu Yufei dribbled the ball as he made his way back to his own house, still thinking about the final four.

In Wu Yufei's mind, the perfect outcome was naturally for Miuradai to win all three games and enter the National Tournament as Kanagawa's top seed.

After all, Kanagawa's top seed would receive a first-round bye at the National Tournament.

Wu Yufei, who knew the story well, naturally understood how brutal the National Tournament format was.

One game a day for an entire week, from the first group-stage match all the way to the final, without a single day of rest in between! It was a hellish schedule even more unreasonable than a professional league.

And every game was single elimination.

Under such a format, having the privilege of a first-round bye and playing one fewer game was an enormous advantage.

As for whether the other seed was Kainan, Shohoku, or Ryonan, Wu Yufei did not particularly care.

Clang...

Just as Wu Yufei was thinking, the sound of a missed shot from nearby suddenly pulled him back to reality.

"Hm?"

Wu Yufei looked to the side. There was a basketball court in a park.

Who's still practicing basketball this late?

Driven by curiosity, Wu Yufei headed into the park.

From a distance, he spotted Sakuragi Hanamichi, his bright red hair impossible to miss, practicing set shots.

However, Sakuragi had apparently only started practicing shooting recently. Eight out of ten shots clanged off the rim, while the other two missed everything. His shooting percentage was truly painful to watch.

"Damn it!! Why won't it go in?!"

After bricking another shot, Sakuragi Hanamichi cursed in frustration.

"Because your form is too stiff."

Wu Yufei spoke up to remind him.

"Huh?! It's you!!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi turned around. The instant he realized it was Wu Yufei speaking, a surprised expression appeared on his face.

"What's a Chinese guy like you doing here? Don't tell me... you came to scout information on this genius?"

Where did that confidence even come from...

Wu Yufei rolled his eyes, then walked over beside Sakuragi. He dribbled twice, made a slight adjustment, and jumped straight into a shot.

Swish!

The pleasant sound of the ball brushing through the net rang out, and Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes widened.

"Did you notice the difference between my shooting motion and yours?"

Wu Yufei turned back and asked with a smile.

"Uh... I can't explain it..."

Sakuragi Hanamichi closed his eyes, thought for several seconds, then answered helplessly.

"It's fine if you can't explain it. Just try it. Remember, shooting is not just about arm strength. Your whole body needs to generate force, and the coordination between your wrist and palm has to be right."

Wu Yufei continued explaining.

Sakuragi Hanamichi seemed to understand only vaguely. He picked up his basketball and copied Wu Yufei's motion for a shot.

Clang...

He had only just started, so it would have been strange if he made it. But at least his form looked a little better than before.

So Sakuragi took another five or six shots in succession, and finally made one.

"Looks like you've found the feeling. Keep it up."

Seeing the excitement on Sakuragi Hanamichi's face, Wu Yufei spoke.

"Hey, why are you helping me? Aren't we opponents?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi asked in confusion.

"Opponent or teammate, it doesn't matter. I saw that you still had the determination to practice here this late, so I wanted to help you. That's all."

Wu Yufei answered casually.

"Hehe, looks like you Chinese guy aren't so bad after all!"

"Likewise."

Seeing how enthusiastically Sakuragi Hanamichi was practicing, Wu Yufei felt the itch to play as well, so he started practicing on the park court too.

The two practiced and chatted at the same time, talking about all sorts of random things just to pass the boring hours.

"Sakuragi, let me ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"If there's one second left in the game and your team is still down by one point, then you grab the rebound, what would you do?"

"Uh..."

After thinking for several seconds, Sakuragi Hanamichi answered, "Pass it to the gorilla."

Just as expected...

"That's not right, Sakuragi."

Wu Yufei shook his head.

"Then what should I do?"

Sakuragi asked, confused.

Akagi the Gorilla was Shohoku's pillar and the captain the whole team trusted most. If it really came to that, he should be the one most capable of carrying that responsibility.

"It's simple. If it really came to that, you should shoot the game-winner yourself without hesitation! That's the safest choice!"

Wu Yufei answered with certainty.

"Because passing the ball means handing the key to victory or defeat out of your own hands. That creates too many uncertainties. The opponent might steal it, the teammate you pass to might fail, you might lose the chance at the game-winner because time expires, or you might even pass to the wrong person!"

Wu Yufei's tone was exceptionally serious and stern.

"The more dangerous and critical the moment for the team, the more you should shoulder the responsibility yourself. That is the awareness an ace should have!"

"That makes sense. Thinking about it carefully, it really is like that. As a genius and Shohoku's strongest ace, if it truly came down to such a crucial moment, I really should be the one to step up!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly understood.

"That's right. Once you understand that, practicing your shooting has meaning. After all, your team already has enough ordinary scorers. What you need to do is make the most critical shot!"

Wu Yufei said with a smile that looked like he was coaxing a child.

"Sakuragi, do you know? Even if everyone else on your team scores a hundred points, if you make the game-winning shot to help the team win, then even if those are the only two points you score all game, those two points are worth far more than every point scored before them!"

"So if I can make the game-winner, then even if Rukawa Kaede scores thirty points and I only score two, that means I'm stronger than Rukawa Kaede, right?!"

"Emmmm... that's exactly the idea!"

"Hahahahaha!! So that's how it is! I really am a genius!!"

Watching Sakuragi Hanamichi practice his shooting with even greater motivation, Wu Yufei smiled and shook his head before leaving the court.

The following week or so remained as uneventful as ever, and the first day of the prefectural tournament's final four round robin arrived as scheduled.

June 20, eight in the morning, inside Court Two.

"Go, go, Miuradai!! Forward, forward, Miuradai!!"

"Go, Ryonan! Ryonan is the strongest!!"

Miuradai High School versus Ryonan High School, and Shohoku High School versus Kainan University Affiliated High School, would begin simultaneously in the two arenas.

Not only fans and sports reporters from Kanagawa Prefecture, but also many people from other prefectures had come after hearing of the event.

After all, Kanagawa Prefecture was one of the nation's strongest basketball regions. It was widely acknowledged that "any one of the final four has the strength to compete in the National Tournament," so clashes between these four powerhouse teams naturally drew intense attention.

There were four powerhouse teams, but only two tickets to the National Tournament.

Now that this day had come, not a single player on any team wanted their summer to end here. They all wanted to prove themselves on a greater stage.

Every player had a reason they absolutely had to win today!