The word "rookie" was like a tempered dagger, stabbing viciously into the scar Mitsui Hisashi least wanted anyone to mention.
At those words, Mitsui Hisashi's gaze abruptly hardened, and the temperature around him seemed to plunge to freezing.
Those two wasted years were the greatest regret of his life, the deepest pain buried in his heart, a forbidden subject even his teammates rarely touched. Yet this man had torn it open so bluntly, exposing it to the light.
Unforgivable!
"You're asking to die!"
Mitsui Hisashi forced those words through clenched teeth, the fury churning in his eyes almost fierce enough to burn.
Before his words had faded, his hands abruptly changed their rhythm.
Mitsui Hisashi flicked his wrist, the basketball dancing rapidly beneath his fingertips. A convincing crossover followed by another feint sent Yueye Hongming's balance tilting.
Seizing the opening, Mitsui Hisashi twisted at the waist and executed a crisp spin, instantly shaking off Yueye Hongming's defense.
He drove off his feet and darted like a cheetah to Yueye Hongming's side, planting himself firmly beyond the three-point line.
Then Mitsui Hisashi pushed hard off the floor and leaped, extending his body in midair. He raised his right hand, aimed at Ryonan's basket, and released.
The basketball whistled through the air in a beautifully arcing parabola. A crisp swish rang out-a three-pointer!
The scoreboard instantly updated: Lingnan 5, Shohoku 83!
After landing, Mitsui Hisashi made no move to celebrate. He merely cast a cold glance at the stunned Yueye Hongming behind him, his eyes overflowing with disdain.
Damn it!
Yueye Hongming clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, his teeth grinding audibly.
He watched Mitsui Hisashi's mocking gaze sweep over him after the shot, pricking him like a fine needle. The frustration bottled up in his chest threatened to