Ever since his final farewell with Rukawa at Disneyland, Hanamichi had sealed away the feelings that used to occupy his heart with heavy-duty packing tape.
It was impossible to completely forget and let go of the deep emotions he had once poured into this, but he could not let a fruitless attachment drag him down either. So he simply locked it away, refusing to think about it or look at it, letting it gather dust in a forgotten corner of time.
He knew that running into Rukawa was inevitable; as long as they were both still playing basketball, they would cross paths again.
Chapter 54