Episode 33: Fortunately, Chi Tong was still Chi Tong.
"I told you before, I only wanted to take a year off."
Chi Tong spoke calmly and offered no further explanation.
Sendoh did not press him for answers. He merely nodded, then looked at Shendai Liufei beside him and greeted her in a relaxed tone.
"Hey, Shendai. I didn't expect you to come to Ryonan with Chi Tong too."
Shendai Liufei smiled slightly and returned the greeting politely. "Anyway, it makes no difference to me where I go. I don't know anyone at the other schools, so I might as well come to Ryonan with Chi Tong."
"Haha, is that so?"
Sento chuckled, his tone carrying a trace of apology. After all, he had been the one to call and invite Chi Tong to Ryonan, even if it had only been a suggestion.
"Oh, right." Sendoh suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming slightly more serious.
"Sacred Radiance really didn't win the championship after all?"
He was asking about Sacred Radiance's third-years. If Chi Tong had still been at Saint Radiance Middle School, there was no way they could have failed to win the title. Yet the eventual champions had not been Sacred Radiance. Back then, Sendoh had realized that Chi Tong truly did not care whether Sacred Radiance's third-years won the championship.
Chi Tong's expression remained unchanged as he replied blandly.
"That has nothing to do with me anymore."
There was no regret in his voice, nor did he offer any further explanation.
There it was again—that feeling surfaced once more.
Standing beside Chi Tong, Sendoh could not help muttering inwardly.
He could feel that Chi Tong was still the same Chi Tong. That calmness, confidence, and air of controlling the entire situation were all still there.
Yet at the same time, an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity had quietly emerged around Chi Tong, an indescribably contradictory aura.
In truth, this was also due to how much Chi Tong had grown over the past year.
Over that year, Chi Tong's rate of growth could only be described as terrifying.
The once calm and aloof youth had now transformed into someone impossible to ignore.
At sixteen, he had already reached 185 centimeters in height and weighed 79 kilograms. His build was well-proportioned without lacking explosive power, and every movement carried a maturity and pressure that did not belong to someone his age.
What was even more shocking was the progress of his talent development. He could now draw upon 80% to 90% of his talent. This meant that his court vision, judgment, speed, and control of the rhythm had nearly reached perfection. Every pass, every drive, every defensive play felt as though he were manipulating the threads of fate, firmly controlling the entire game according to his own tempo.
However, he still had no clue about that legendary realm. Even so, with his current strength, if he went all out, he would be nearly unmatched among those his age.
Even more astonishingly, Chi Tong's long-standing issue with his dual personalities had also been temporarily resolved over the past year.
It was only temporary because, during one struggle between the two consciousnesses for control of the body, the two utterly different personalities had ultimately each claimed half of the control.
That was why Sendoh had often felt, during that period, that Chi Tong seemed like a completely different person from time to time.
For that very reason, Chi Tong had chosen to leave the basketball club for a year, solely to completely resolve the chaos between his two personalities.
Over that year, he had finally found a balance between them.
Now, he could switch between the playing styles of his two personalities at any time without affecting his own strength.
That was also why Chi Tong now always carried such a contradictory aura.
It could be said that Chi Tong's body was now controlled jointly by his first and second personalities.
"I'll take you to register directly. Coach is probably dying to meet you already."
Sendoh said with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
With that, he turned and led Chi Tong and Shendai Liufei toward the Basketball Gym.
"Were you really just waiting for Chi Tong alone?"
Shendai Liufei tilted her head slightly, her tone tinged with curiosity.
Sendoh smiled. His tone was relaxed, but it carried a deeper meaning.
"Of course not. Lingnan High School is also a very famous school in Shidaikawa. It's just that this year, everyone's most excited about Chi Tong."
But as he said that, he suddenly slowed his pace.
He moved closer to Chi Tong and lowered his voice, sounding apologetic and helpless.
"Because of some previous matters, everyone's attitude toward you might not be very friendly. There may be some trouble once we get to the Basketball Gym."
He did not put it too bluntly, but Chi Tong understood.
Everyone in the current basketball club already knew that someone named Chi Tong was coming. They had only heard Sendoh talk about how impressive Chi Tong was, so naturally the players were unconvinced. Once they arrived at the Basketball Gym, everyone would definitely make things difficult for Chi Tong. This was something Sendoh had not expected.
Chi Tong's expression remained calm. He did not take Sendoh's warning to heart at all—in fact, it was exactly what he wanted.
He had not come here to be a good little boy. What he needed was authority. He did not want his team to face the same situation it had during his first year of middle school. To prevent that from happening again, the only way was to take control of the team himself. And to achieve that, the best choice was to crush everyone with absolute strength.
Meanwhile, in the Basketball Gym at Lin Nan High School, the sounds of sneakers scraping against the floor rose and fell. A group of boys in white jerseys trimmed in black were sweating through their daily practice.
They were the current members of Lingnan High School's basketball club.
"I heard someone really incredible is coming today. Is that true?"
Yueye Hongming wiped away his sweat as he could not help asking, his tone filled with unconcealed curiosity and probing interest.
The moment he finished speaking, the players around him immediately became interested.
They had already heard rumors about this before.
Uekusa Tomoyuki frowned, his face full of confusion.
"You mean Sento's teammate from middle school?"
"Hasn't that still not been confirmed?"
Clearly, he did not fully believe it yet.
Hearing this, Yueye Hongming rolled his eyes helplessly. "Come on, don't tell me you still don't know that Coach specifically asked Sento to call and invite him?"
Coach had asked Sento in front of everyone, yet this guy actually did not remember?
Ikegami Ryoji tilted his head and thought for a moment before suddenly speaking. "I just saw Sendoh leave. He probably went to bring him over, right?"
He paused, and a trace of seriousness flashed through his eyes.
"But then again, if he's someone Sendoh invited, he should be really strong, right?"
As he said this, he suddenly turned his gaze toward Uekusa.
The corner of Ikegami's mouth rose slightly as he teased, "Hey, Uekusa, that guy seems to play the same position as you. Your starting spot might not be safe anymore!"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire gym fell silent for several seconds, as though the air had frozen.
Uekusa Tomoyuki's expression instantly darkened, but he did not argue. He merely clenched the towel in his hand and said in a low voice, "Then let him prove it with his strength!"
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