Chapter 15: The journey to the nationals [Extra chapter]
100 stones = extra chapter ✓
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After Aizen recovered his strength, he didn't stay on the court any longer.
He packed up briefly and prepared to go home.
The place was not far from his home, and Aizen arrived in almost ten minutes.
He didn't use the key to open the door because he knew someone was at home. With two girls together, who knew what they might be doing?
Aizen thought that suddenly breaking in might embarrass everyone, so he chose to knock on the door.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
He knocked, and soon, his cousin opened the door.
Seeing Aizen sweaty, she pouted, "Didn't you take your key? Why are you knocking?"
Aizen replied, "Well, I thought someone might be home."
After entering, he saw that his cousin's friend had already left.
His cousin, Reina, teased, "I didn't realize my brother was so considerate! Not bad, not bad."
Ignoring her, Aizen went to the bathroom to wash up.
As he was about to leave, Reina added, "Oh, what a coincidence, Anri left not long ago. She's very interested in you!"
"And when I told her you play basketball, her eyes lit up."
"You should have seen her face, so hungry!"
Reina's ability to tease was top-notch, and Aizen was speechless.
"Better than some people!" he retorted, referring to Reina.
She was stunned for a moment before reacting, "Ah! You damn Aizen, stop right there."
Ignoring her, Aizen had already entered the bathroom and closed the door.
After he finished washing, they didn't continue to play around. The next day, they each had things to do.
Reina went to work, and Aizen had school and basketball practice.
The night passed quietly, giving Aizen a peaceful and fulfilling rest.
When Aizen woke up, Reina had already gone out but had prepared breakfast for him.
That was one of the good things about his cousin; she knew how to take care of people.
After freshening up, Aizen ate his breakfast and rode his bicycle to school.
Jianguang Middle School wasn't famous, neither in academics nor sports. It was close to home, and Aizen's academic performance had always been good, so he wasn't picky about schools.
He didn't even need to listen much in class; he could master all the knowledge by reading the book privately.
To put it bluntly, Aizen didn't need to stress about junior high school academics.
He spent most of his school day sleeping, and the teachers didn't mind as long as his grades remained high.
After the last class, Aizen got up to go to the basketball department. The girls couldn't control their long-suppressed emotions.
"Ah! No matter how many times I see him, Aizen is still so charming."
"Yeah, he looks even more handsome today."
The boys in the class didn't react much; they were used to it.
...
When Aizen arrived at the basketball hall, he could hear the noise inside. He wasn't the first to arrive.
Entering, he saw a group of players gathered around one boy, all looking happy.
Da He was beaming and boasting, "You don't know how we beat Teikō yesterday."
"Miracle Era, right? Kise Ryōta, right?"
"Just dunk on him!"
Da He didn't notice Aizen walking up behind him. The other players did, but didn't warn Da He, stifling their laughter.
Da He finally noticed their odd expressions and quickly looked behind him.
"Ah...Aizen, when did you get here?" he stammered.
Aizen replied, "It seems you need some stimulation. I've decided you'll be training with me. Maybe you'll really dunk on Miracle Era next time!"
Ignoring Da He's embarrassment, Aizen turned to the boy everyone had been surrounding.
He was taller than Da He, likely about two meters tall.
"Captain, Shota Shingo has returned to the team!" the boy announced.
"Good to have you back," Aizen said, pleased. Shota was the real center of the Jianguang team, and his return meant he had fully recovered from his injury.
Shota had been recovering for a long time, and Aizen had risen in his absence. But Shota had witnessed Aizen's rise and was convinced that only under Aizen's leadership could they achieve their dream of reaching the national competition.
Their chat was brief before the coach arrived with a piece of information.
"Everyone, the national competition preliminaries are about to start!" he announced.
The room buzzed with excitement. The journey to the nationals was about to begin.