"But we're not weak this year either, Akagi." Kogure pushed up his glasses, his tone gentle. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Besides, Sakuragi has been improving at an alarming rate; Shoyo might be having a headache figuring out how to deal with him right now."
Akagi rubbed his temples and said softly, " Kogure, this is our last year. I know we can't rush things, but if we miss this opportunity, it'll really be over." He looked at the team practicing on the field. "We've been playing too well since the prefectural tournament, and everyone's become a bit complacent. Now we have to be on high alert and give it our all against Shoyo. If we don't get past this, what's the point of talking about dominating the nation?"
Kogure smiled; he knew Akagi too well. It was precisely because this team gave him hope that he cherished it so much, which also made the pressure even greater.
As they were talking, Akagi turned and walked towards another court. Kakuta and the others were practicing defense, and Akagi shoved them all into the paint, taking turns attacking them one-on-one. Not satisfied with that, he had them all come at him at once. Akagi bulldozed his way to the basket like a bulldozer, jumped up, and delivered a powerful two-handed dunk. Whether from the impact or from being startled, the guys' legs went weak, and they all sat down on the ground.
Hanamichi Sakuragi quietly slipped over to Kogure's side and asked in a low voice, " Four-Eyes, did the Gorilla take the wrong medicine today? Did he break up with his girlfriend?"
Kogure chuckled and adjusted his glasses. " Sakuragi, you'd better do your best. Akagi has high expectations for you." He paused, then added, "Besides... he doesn't have time for romance; he's under a lot of pressure right now."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Kuwata rushed into the stadium, shouting as he ran, "Something's happened! Something's happened!"
He was running so fast that he almost tripped over himself. Akagi and Kogure's hearts skipped a beat at the same time—had something happened again? Their first thought was that the Problem Children Army had caused trouble. The last violent incident hadn't been over for long, and with the quarterfinals about to begin, Shohoku couldn't afford any more disruptions. Besides, the team was currently under media scrutiny, making it difficult to hide anything.
Kuwata ran to the middle of the field, holding his knees and panting heavily, his face deathly pale.
Kogure rushed forward. " Kuwata, what happened? Tell me quickly!"
"Rukawa Kaede Rukawa is here! That Kaede Rukawa from Ryonan!" Kuwata gasped, breathless.
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and they almost wanted to punch someone.
Kogure clutched his chest. " Kuwata, you almost scared me to death... Why are you panicking over Kaede Rukawa? It's not like we've never seen him before."
However, a question immediately arose: What is Kaede Rukawa doing at Shohoku at this time? Ryonan is about to have a match, shouldn't they be training at this time? Even if they're not training, it's during class time. He doesn't know anyone at Shohoku.
Akagi didn't have Kogure's good temper. He punched Kuwata on the head. "Idiot! What kind of behavior is this, all flustered! Where's Kaede Rukawa? Is he heading towards the basketball team?"
Kuwata covered his head, looking aggrieved. "Yes, Captain! He was definitely coming this way! And he looked very aggressive. When I greeted him, he glared at me!" He became more and more flustered as he spoke, "So I rushed back to warn him, afraid he would come looking for trouble..."
Miyagi snorted from the side, " Kuwata, you're such a coward. This is the Shohoku Basketball Team. Don't be afraid of ten Kaede Rukawa, let alone one."
Mitsui, wiping his sweat, walked over. "That new recruit from Ryonan, I've heard of him too. What, here to spy on military intelligence?" He smiled. "Interesting."
When Kogure saw the two of them start talking, he quickly tried to smooth things over, afraid that something might go wrong. Fortunately, Shirasawa and Sakuragi hadn't gotten involved yet— Sakuragi was still muttering and practicing his footwork, while Shirasawa sat motionless on the sidelines like a meditating monk.
It's a bit odd, but it's still better than those two joining in...
"Don't rush, let's see what he wants to do first. Maybe he's just browsing around."
Just then, a figure appeared at the entrance of the stadium.
Kaede Rukawa stood there expressionless.
"Is this Shohoku School?"
His tone was calm, yet it inexplicably sent a chill down one's spine; no wonder Kuwata was frightened.
Miyagi's brows furrowed immediately.
Isn't that a pointless question? We just had a practice match not long ago, have you forgotten all about them?
"Hmph, your memory isn't very good, you junior from Ryonan."
As soon as Miyagi finished speaking, Kaede Rukawa's icy gaze pierced straight at him.
Miyagi wasn't afraid at all; a playful smile even played on his lips.
The way the two of them were behaving was a perfect live version of "What are you looking at?" and "What's it to you if I'm looking at you?"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Just then, the person who loves to join in the fun arrived.
Hanamichi Sakuragi sidled up to Miyagi, stroking his chin as he looked Kaede Rukawa up and down.
"This person looks familiar... like a fox... where have I seen them before...?"
They weren't faking it. During that practice match, Kaede Rukawa only had Shirasawa and the basketball hoop in his eyes.
He didn't pay any attention to the others.
As for Hanamichi Sakuragi, he was simply carefree and didn't take it to heart at all.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Kogure quickly stepped in to smooth things over and break the tense standoff.
" Kaede Rukawa, this is indeed Shohoku. Is there something you need? Did Coach Taoka send you?"
Kaede Rukawa shook his head.
I'm looking for Shirasawa.
Shirasawa was lost in his own thoughts.
After the previous group stage matches, his stats have increased significantly. His stat allocation is quite balanced, making him a well-rounded player.
Currently, his overall abilities are quite impressive, except for his shooting, which hasn't yet broken 90. He has even reduced his body fat percentage by 1%, and he doesn't need to consciously control his diet at all.
The system evaluation of "core player on the field, the team's leader" shows that his current ability level is already quite outstanding.
Those 30+ assist games weren't for nothing; as my skills improved, I naturally received a good financial return.
All of this made him feel that his efforts were worthwhile.
With the quarterfinals against Shoyo just around the corner, I've finally achieved my goal of improving my individual skills. If I had only managed a few or a dozen assists per game, the situation would be very different now.
In short, Shirasawa is quite satisfied with the current situation.
" Xiao Bai! Xiao Bai!"
The voice calling his name pulled Shirasawa back from his thoughts.
He turned his head and saw that Kiminobu Kogure was looking at him with a surprised expression.
" Xiao Bai, you're awake? You scared me half to death! You weren't reacting at all just now, I thought your soul had left your body!"
Kogure breathed a sigh of relief and then continued.
"I heard that you shouldn't wake someone up directly in this situation, as it can easily cause mental confusion."
Shirasawa was taken aback.
ha?
That's quite an imagination...
"I'm glad you're alright. Someone's looking for you."
As he spoke, Kogure pointed towards the doorway.
Shirasawa stood up in confusion and immediately spotted Kaede Rukawa.
The same question immediately popped into his mind as everyone else's: What's this guy doing here?
Kaede Rukawa also saw Shirasawa, and his already cold gaze instantly turned even colder.
He came here suddenly today because of the reports he saw this morning.
Yesterday, Shohoku advanced to the quarterfinals, and as usual, the media bombarded them with praise, extolling Shirasawa and Shohoku to the skies.
These things wouldn't normally be a big deal for Kaede Rukawa; he's gotten used to the media's recent behavior. Not only in Kanagawa, but also in other prefectures, many people are paying attention to Shohoku and Shirasawa.
But there was one news headline that Kaede Rukawa found completely unacceptable!
With the quarterfinals approaching, Shirasawa is poised to become the strongest high school student in the nation!
The words "strongest high school student" were particularly irritating to Kaede Rukawa!
This has always been his goal. He has been working hard for it since junior high school. The idea of "becoming the strongest high school student in the country" is as deep as Akagi's obsession with "dominating the country".
However, Kaede Rukawa only pursues the ultimate personal strength and has no interest in dominating the country.
Based on the strength he displayed during his junior high school years, he was already incredibly close to being called the "strongest".
Until he met Shirasawa in the finals.
That was the first time he doubted himself.
From that moment on, Shirasawa became the target he had to defeat, and also the benchmark by which he measured himself.
Unexpectedly, after joining Ryonan High School, another person with superior abilities emerged in the team— Sendoh.
Kaede Rukawa challenged Sendoh three times, and lost all three. But Sendoh's victories became increasingly difficult with each attempt.
Then, another name came into his view: the best player in the national tournament, Eiji Sawakita! He is currently the only player who is recognized as the strongest high school player in the country.
From then on, Kaede Rukawa had one more imaginary enemy.
However, neither Sendoh nor Sawakita had as much of an impact on Kaede Rukawa as Shirasawa.
Shirasawa was a shadowy figure to him.
The phrase "I haven't even attacked yet, and you've already lost" constantly echoed in his mind.
From the day Shirasawa launched his offensive, Kaede Rukawa also began his grueling training.
Kaede Rukawa is quite confident in his current state.
He had planned it all out perfectly: once Shohoku made it to the semifinals, he would have a fair fight with Shirasawa in the semifinals tournament. After defeating Shirasawa, he would go after Sendoh, and finally take down Eiji Sawakita in the national tournament. Step by step, one by one, he would pave the way to becoming the "strongest high school student."
But today's news made him unable to sit still. The words "strongest high school student" pierced his eyes like needles. He had nothing to prove to others, but he just couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart—why was Shirasawa the one who got to be called that first?
If the news had been about Sendoh, he might not have reacted so strongly. After all, Sendoh had undeniably defeated him. But what about Shirasawa? The two had never faced each other directly, and Shirasawa hadn't even made a single move in their encounters! How could he possibly accept that?
A fire ignited within him, and without a word, he went to confront Shohoku.
" Shirasawa," Kaede Rukawa stared at his target, his voice flat but firm, "One-on-one, a fight."
Upon hearing this, the entire Shohoku team was stunned. So, after all this time, Ryonan's ace player had come all this way just to challenge them to a one-on-one match?
One-on-one matches within a team are common, and casual games on a pickup court are normal. But this kind of deliberate challenge is truly unprecedented. Especially given the sensitive relationship between Shohoku and Ryonan: Ryonan is guaranteed a spot in the semifinals, Shohoku can also advance if they beat Shoyo, meaning a semifinal match between the two teams is inevitable. Coming here for a one-on-one challenge at this time is clearly just adding fuel to the fire.