Outside the ward, Sanae was using her language skills to communicate with the two foreigners. The two men's identities surprised Sanae: one was from the Lighthouse Country and the other from Hairy Bear Country, but they shared a common title—members of the Basketball Association.
They proactively revealed their identities for two reasons: firstly, there was nothing shameful about it; secondly, seeing Shirasawa and his group of tall, athletic young men in training uniforms, who were clearly basketball players, this identification would actually help to build rapport and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
They had been making numerous phone calls, trying to contact the local basketball association to get someone to handle the situation so they could extricate themselves as soon as possible. They only breathed a sigh of relief when Sanae appeared and they could communicate smoothly.
"Miss, are these young men basketball players?" the Lighthouse Country congressman asked. Sanae nodded. "Yes, the Shohoku Basketball Team. The old gentleman who was in the car accident is their head coach Mitsuyoshi Anzai. I think the people in the basketball association should have heard of him."
"Oh! What a coincidence!" The Lighthouse Country congressman spread his hands dramatically. "Actually, this has nothing to do with us." Sanae also knew that the accident was the driver's fault; they were just passengers.
Fortunately, Coach Anzai is alright; we'll just wait for the traffic police to handle it. "I understand, I'll help explain the situation. As for the specifics, we'll wait for someone from the association to come and arrange it. I need to go in and see Mr. Anzai first." With that, Sanae turned to go into the ward.
But for some reason, she had a feeling that there was more to the story than met the eye with these two foreigners. She paused, then stepped back and took out a business card from her bag. "I'm Sanae Nakagawa, the player's agent."
"If you have any questions about basketball here, feel free to contact me anytime." She always acted on her impulses, and promptly handed her business card to the two of them.
The two shook their heads in unison, a hint of surprise on their faces.
They really didn't expect to run into a player's agent here.
It seems basketball is developing very quickly here... no wonder they organized this exchange activity.
"Yes, Ms. Nakagawa. I believe we will have the opportunity to get in touch." One of the councilors accepted the business card and replied politely.
Sanae nodded politely, turned and walked into the ward, her figure quickly disappearing from their sight.
Inside the ward, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Coach Anzai was indeed alright.
The doctor also said that I could be discharged after one day of observation.
In other words, Coach Anzai will definitely be able to make it to the next match against Takezato.
Takenori Akagi couldn't hold back any longer and turned to complain about Sakuragi, saying that he didn't know any manners, rushing in recklessly and then running away for no reason.
However, Coach Anzai cheerfully raised his hand and waved it gently, interrupting Akagi.
"Don't blame Sakuragi," he said with a smile, "He's a good kid."
About half an hour later.
Hanamichi Sakuragi quietly slipped back.
He stood awkwardly in the doorway, scratching his head.
Judging from his appearance, he seems to have recovered his composure. As for how many tears he shed just now, only he himself knows the truth.
Takenori Akagi glared at him fiercely, a look so menacing that it sent a chill down Sakuragi's spine.
Sakuragi himself knew that what he had just done was a bit inappropriate, but he didn't want to explain further.
At that moment, Coach Anzai waved to him with a smile.
" Sakuragi, come here." The old man's words helped Sakuragi out of the predicament.
The master and apprentice were chatting happily together, making Akagi and the others seem like bystanders.
Kiminobu Kogure continued to demonstrate his expertise in logistical support, skillfully peeling an apple, displaying the qualities of a truly warm and caring man.
Seeing that the coach was indeed alright, Ryota Miyagi chatted for a few minutes and then slipped away, seemingly heading off to pursue his "love career."
Taking advantage of this lull, Mrs. Anzai found an excuse to call Shirasawa outside the ward.
The two chatted briefly, and Mrs. Anzai grew increasingly pleased with Shirasawa.
My wife is right, Xiao Bai is indeed different.
He has his own ideas and pursuits, and he won't be swayed by those superficial things.
The tragedy of Ryuji Yazawa will never be repeated in his life.
Thinking about it this way, she felt completely at ease, and Shirasawa seemed pleasing to the eye no matter how she looked at him. It was a pity she didn't have a daughter, otherwise... she really wanted to have him as her son-in-law.
Why?
etc.
She suddenly remembered that Kazuharu Takizawa had a pretty daughter, didn't he?
I think his name was something like Takizawa...
As I get older, I can't recall the name even when it's on the tip of my tongue.
" Xiao Bai, after the semifinals are over, come over to our house sometime," Mrs. Anzai said gently. "Your coach genuinely admires you, he just isn't very good at expressing it."
"Let's invite Kazuharu Takizawa too. I heard from Mitsuyoshi that he was your first coach? That kid was really mischievous back then and was terrified of Mitsuyoshi. I never imagined he could train such an outstanding player like you."
Upon hearing the name " Kazuharu Takizawa," Shirasawa realized that he hadn't seen this uncle for quite some time.
When he left Yokota Junior High School, he promised to go back and visit whenever he had time.
Sure enough, when people say "I have time," it's mostly just a polite phrase.
It's definitely time to take some time to visit this uncle who defied all opposition and insisted on letting me play basketball back then.
He must have been keeping an eye on his own match.
Shirasawa could even picture it: Takizawa was probably in Yokota's basketball gym right now, bragging to his teammates that Shirasawa was a genius he had personally mentored...
"Achoo!"
"Who's talking about me behind my back...?"
Yokota Junior High School Basketball Gymnasium.
Kazuharu Takizawa remained a steadfast champion coach.
Yokota's momentum remains strong this year, having recruited many promising young players, and his path to defending his title seems to face almost no obstacles.
He was giving a speech to his team members when he suddenly sneezed loudly.
"Where was I?" he asked, rubbing his nose.
The players below were intimidated by his imposing presence and answered cautiously.
"Coach... you just said that Senior Shirasawa scored 51 points in the match against Shoyo, and 49 of those points were scored using methods you personally taught him..."
Kazuharu Takizawa nodded without batting an eye.
"That's right! Your senior Shirasawa has probably already led Shohoku to take over Kainan! Let me tell you—"
Just as they were getting into the swing of things, a young player he had specially sent to watch the game rushed in, eager to bring back the result as soon as possible.
As soon as he entered, Kazuharu Takizawa's heart began to pound wildly.
Of course he wanted Shohoku to win, and he sincerely hoped that Shirasawa could defeat that " Maki the Emperor "!
The higher Shirasawa climbed, the more gratified he felt, believing that he had done the most correct and remarkable thing in his life.
Amidst everyone's expectant gazes, the young team member, his face flushed with excitement, shouted at the top of his lungs:
"The game is over! Senior Shirasawa scored a whopping 59 points, defeating Maki the Emperor! Leading Shohoku to break Kainan's sixteen-year undefeated streak!!!"
The moment he finished speaking, Kazuharu Takizawa's tears streamed down his face!
The entire stadium erupted in cheers and screams. Senior Shirasawa was Yokota's greatest pride! He was the brightest goal in everyone's heart!
Now that Senior Shirasawa has even defeated Maki the Emperor, isn't that...?
Kazuharu Takizawa let out a long breath and roared in a voice that was both tearful and unusually loud:
"The new king of Kanagawa! Shirasawa!!"
"The new Shirasawa!"
It's not just Yokota Middle School.
On that day, news of Kainan's defeat spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Kanagawa Prefecture.
It became a hot topic of conversation among every basketball team and even among people on the streets.
The end of one legend often marks the beginning of another.
Shirasawa no longer merely represents the future.
He is now, right now, the undisputed number one player in Kanagawa basketball!
All the major brands are busy right now, trying to find connections and pull strings to get in touch with Shirasawa and discuss collaborations.
However, Sanae's oversight was so strict that many people were secretly clicking their Delia in frustration.
The news in Kanagawa spread like wildfire, becoming the hottest topic of conversation on the streets.
The media reporters were eager to spread this explosive news across the country as soon as it was light.
That will definitely cause quite a stir.
Of course, this doesn't include Basketball Weekly.
The match between Ryonan and Takezato had long since ended, Yayoi Aida returned to the editorial department satisfied with her carefully written manuscript.
Although this game wasn't as thrilling as the Kainan vs. Shohoku, it didn't garner as much attention.
But it truly proved Ryonan's strength.
154 to 42.
Ryonan crushed Takezato by 112 points in their first game of the semifinals!
Sendoh played for only 25 minutes and easily scored 33 points.
Kaede Rukawa played for 27 minutes and was absolutely unstoppable, scoring 43 points and breaking 40 points in two consecutive games.
Another key player, Kiccho Fukuda, contributed 24 points in 17 minutes of playing time.
The three of them alone scored a total of 100 points in one game!
That firepower is simply terrifying.
Meanwhile, after leaving the hospital, Shirasawa and the others took Hanamichi Sakuragi straight to the studio.
We're getting ready to finalize the signing.
Upon entering, I saw contracts and pens neatly arranged on the table, and even drinks were poured.
Even more outrageous, there was light music playing in the room.
"Hello! Everything's ready as Sanae- nee instructed!"
Ichiro Katsumi jumped out excitedly.
It's clear that he's quite satisfied with his role as a "receptionist".