Finals Begin

In the 17th episode, Chi Tong's gaze immediately locked onto one of Bright Marsh Middle School's players—a youth standing at the front of the Bright Marsh lineup.

Chi Tong was unfamiliar with the youth's appearance, but the powerful aura radiating from him made his eyes narrow.

This person should be Sawakita Eiji, right?

Chi Tong silently pondered.

The Sawakita Eiji before him was somewhat different from the Sawakita Eiji in Chi Tong's memories. He had flowing short black hair, refined features, and a confident smile constantly hanging on his face.

But aside from that, Chi Tong also saw a trace of disdain in Sawakita Eiji's eyes, as though he looked down upon everyone else.

Chi Tong narrowed his eyes, wondering whether this person was truly the Sawakita Eiji from the original work. The Sawakita Eiji in his memories did not seem to look like this.

Just as he was feeling doubtful, Sendoh stepped forward and walked up to the Bright Marsh players. He fixed his gaze directly on Sawakita Eiji and said, "We meet again."

Seeing that it was Sendoh, Sawakita Eiji smiled as well, recalling the match he had played against this guy last year.

"It's you. So you made it to the finals. That's impressive."

Sendoh spoke with a fighting spirit in his eyes. "I thought I'd run into you sooner. But this is fine too. You beat me last year, but it won't be so easy to beat us this year."

Sawakita Eiji raised an eyebrow, not particularly bothered by Sendoh's words.

"Is that so?"

"I heard you seem to have a very formidable point guard. Don't tell me you think adding one decent player means you can defeat us?"

Sendoh answered with a serious expression, "To be honest, that is exactly what I think."

Sawakita Eiji grinned.

"Hmph. Then let me see it for myself." He was extremely confident in his own abilities. No matter who his opponent was, he never took them seriously. It was the absolute confidence he had developed from playing basketball since childhood.

Afterward, Sendoh came to Chi Tong's side and reminded him, "That guy just now is the one I told you about—the one who beat me before. He's very strong, so be careful."

Chi Tong nodded. "Don't worry. As long as you get an opening, I'll pass you the ball."

Coach Nakamura of Sacred Radiance was excited and thrilled inside, but his face remained deliberately calm. The sight of him clearly being excited yet pretending not to be was rather comical. Still, it was no wonder—this was the first time he had led a team into the finals, something he had never even dared to imagine before. This was a genuine achievement. Once he returned, the school would surely reward him handsomely. After all, the rewards at an aristocratic school were far more generous than those at ordinary schools. Perhaps he would even be able to afford a small Western-style house afterward.

With a sharp whistle, the match between Saint Radiance Middle School and Bright Marsh Middle School officially began.

Ever since the quarterfinals, Chi Tong had replaced Ito Hongshu as a starter. It could not be helped; the gap between their abilities was simply too great. Besides, Chi Tong had become famous in a single match, so there was no longer much point in trying to hide him.

Ito Hongshu had no complaints either. Chi Tong was indeed better suited to be the starting point guard, and having Chi Tong start would give Saint Radiance a greater chance of winning the championship.

Standing on the court, Chi Tong swept his gaze across Bright Marsh's players one by one. Aside from Sawakita Eiji, he took in the visible information of the other four as well.

It had to be said that Bright Marsh's players possessed physical qualities far superior to those of Sacred Radiance's players.

At the opening tip, Bright Marsh's center easily secured the ball. After several rotations, the basketball finally reached Sawakita Eiji's hands. Sendoh immediately moved to block him. It seemed the two would clash for a while, but in the next instant, Sawakita Eiji flashed forward and darted past Sendoh's side. He was incredibly fast!

Chi Tong's pupils contracted at the sight, but he was not particularly surprised. Rather, he had already made a rough judgment: this Sawakita Eiji was indeed stronger than Sendoh, though not by a huge margin.

Sure enough, Sendoh reacted immediately after being beaten. He quickly turned and stuck close behind him. The two nearly rushed into Saint Radiance's paint together. The instant he stepped into the key, Sawakita Eiji abruptly stopped, spun around, and slipped behind Sendoh. Sendoh was caught off guard by Sawakita Eiji's sudden turn.

By the time he reacted and turned to defend, Sawakita Eiji had already leaped up and raised the ball for a shot.

The basketball sailed over Sendoh's head before dropping precisely through the hoop.

The ball went in. Sacred Radiance 0, Bright Marsh 2!

Sendoh took a deep breath and looked at Sawakita Eiji with fighting spirit in his eyes. This guy is still as strong as ever!

As offense and defense switched, the ball fell into Chi Tong's hands. He dribbled forward step by step, his posture calm and composed, as if Sawakita Eiji's previous score meant nothing at all.

Bright Marsh's sturdy point guard rushed forward at once to stop him.

The basketball bounced back and forth in Chi Tong's hands, like a mischievous sprite dancing around him.

Bright Marsh's point guard was shocked by Chi Tong's ball-handling skills. He had never expected this unknown kid to possess such superb control. He wanted to make a move, but after watching for a long time, he realized he had no confidence in stealing the ball from him. Since that was the case, he prepared to block Chi Tong's path forward. But the next second, the sound of a basketball striking the floor suddenly rang out on the other side of the court. Bright Marsh's point guard's expression changed drastically as he looked in disbelief toward the sound. At some point, the ball had already reached Sendoh's hands, and Sendoh was now dribbling at full speed toward Bright Marsh's basket.

"How?"

Bright Marsh's point guard stared in disbelief at Chi Tong's now-empty hands. When had this guy passed the ball? He had not noticed it at all. It was not just him; Bright Marsh's other players were equally dumbfounded, including Sawakita Eiji himself.

Sawakita Eiji only noticed after Sendoh had received the ball, causing him to miss the best chance to defend against him. Although he was somewhat stronger than Sendoh, there was nothing he could do after being caught by surprise.

Sendoh dribbled straight to Bright Marsh's basket. Just as Sawakita Eiji was about to catch up, Sendoh got there first, leaping up and laying the ball into the hoop. The ball went in.

Sacred Radiance 2, Bright Marsh 2. Everything had happened too fast. Not even a minute had passed since the game began, yet both teams had already scored once.

Sawakita Eiji turned his gaze toward Chi Tong. "Looks like you really did get yourselves a pretty good point guard."

The corner of Sendoh's mouth curled up. "His ability doesn't stop there. He's a monster."

"Oh?"

Sawakita Eiji was somewhat surprised. Though Sendoh was weaker than him, he still acknowledged Sendoh's strength.

Since Sendoh had called his point guard a monster, Sawakita Eiji became interested.