16 to 8 Begins (2)

Episode Ninety: He was also a fan of Sendoh.

So that was it!

Nakamura Taizo's eyes lit up, his face filling with sudden realization.

As expected of Senior Mukai, your insight really is different. It looks like I still have a lot to learn from you.

After buttering him up, Nakamura Taizo asked again, "Senior Mukai, who do you think will win in the end, Ryonan or Miuradai?"

"Well..." Mukai Minsheng pondered briefly.

In truth, this question did not require any thought at all.

Just as he was about to answer, the two iron doors were violently pushed open. The dull crash rang out like a bell hammer striking a bronze bell, exploding through the noisy gymnasium.

The assorted noise in the gymnasium instantly came to a halt. As though drawn by magnets, everyone's eyes turned in unison toward the player tunnels on either side of the court.

As everyone held their breath and waited for the players from both sides to emerge in formation, a low mutter suddenly came from Miuradai's tunnel. The voice had originally been very faint, but the long, narrow passage amplified it like a loudspeaker. Hollow echoes drifted intermittently into the stands and reached many ears.

"Hmph. Winning five straight games by a hundred points means nothing. There's only one opponent we need to defeat—the champion, Hainan!"

"I swear that this year, I'll avenge last year's humiliation. What the hell is Ryonan supposed to be?"

The words abruptly stopped, but their lingering echoes continued reverberating through the tunnel, like an undercurrent quietly seeping into the air.

Immediately afterward, Miuradai's players emerged one after another from the dim tunnel, their steps steady and their expressions cold.

Leading them was Miuradai's captain, Mura Yujian.

"Whoa."

"Look, Miuradai is coming out! They look so imposing!"

"Who's that bald