The last time Sakuragi Hanamichi felt the attention of the entire school was the day after the Kainan match when he cut his hair, and it felt as though everyone in the school wanted to trail behind him just to gawk.
Today, that feeling was pretty much the same.
Before the morning was even over, the news that the basketball team's red-haired player had recovered and returned to school had spread everywhere.
Ever since Shohoku pulled off stunning upsets against both Sannoh and Toyotama as the ultimate dark horse, the name Shohoku High School had made rare appearances in major sports newspapers and columns. For the very first time, the students of Shohoku understood what it felt like for their school's reputation to break out of Kanagawa and reach across the country.
The basketball team was responsible for bringing everyone this historic breakthrough, and Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had performed so brilliantly in that intense match that he ended up hospitalized with injuries, naturally became the school's celebrity.
Being a celebrity actually felt pretty exhilarating, but surely no one would be happy to have that celebrity status disrupt their normal life.
Even a guy like Sakuragi Hanamichi, who usually enjoyed being the center of attention, finally snapped after being watched while using the restroom for the third time.
If Yohei hadn't been holding him back firmly from behind, Sakuragi would have frantically unleashed a headbutt.
The crowd of onlookers was ultimately still intimidated by Sakuragi's inherent aura of a juvenile delinquent, and they quickly cleared out.
To enjoy a peaceful lunch, Sakuragi couldn't even stay in the classroom.
He could glare fiercely to scare off the boys staring at him in the restroom, but he had no idea how to handle the girls in his classroom who were brimming with curiosity.
So, fending off the chattering girls, Sakuragi left the Sakuragi Legion behind to block the crowd, hugged his lunchbox, and fled to the rooftop.
Closing the rooftop door behind him, Sakuragi leaned against the wall and let out a huge sigh of relief.
The school rooftop was normally the territory of delinquent students, and most students wouldn't come up here for no reason.
Ever since a few days into the term, when a third-year delinquent senior was severely beaten up by Rukawa Kaede, even the delinquents stopped showing up here easily.
Therefore, the rooftop during lunchtime was dead quiet, which was precisely the place Sakuragi Hanamichi wanted to be most right now.
Even though autumn was setting in, the midday sun was still rather fierce, so Sakuragi carried his lunchbox into the shade and prepared to sit down, only to find that someone was already sitting against the wall.
Startled, Sakuragi looked closely and saw, to his astonishment, that Rukawa was leaning against the base of the wall and sleeping.
Sakuragi looked down at him from above.
How could this sleepy Fox fall asleep anywhere! Since he's taken this spot, where am I supposed to eat my lunch?
Sakuragi worried for quite a while.
Just then, a light breeze blew past, causing the large tree beside the teaching building to rustle, and Rukawa's hair swayed slightly in the wind.
Sakuragi froze for a moment, staring at Rukawa's sleeping face, and stopped moving.
Was it this face that had those girls acting so crazy?
Sakuragi watched Rukawa, turning the thought over in his mind. It felt as though this was the first time since meeting Rukawa that he was actually looking at him head-on like this. Every other time, just seeing a glimpse of his figure made him want to flare up and start a fight.
Catching this strange opportunity, Sakuragi finally studied Rukawa carefully.
For one guy to acknowledge another guy's excellence was actually very difficult, but in the face of absolute and overwhelming strength, it was ultimately possible.
However, for one guy to admit that another guy was good-looking was basically out of the question.
During their four months of playing basketball, Sakuragi had very grudgingly admitted that Rukawa's basketball skills were truly exceptional. Even so, deep down in his heart, Sakuragi still firmly believed that he would eventually win against Rukawa one day.
Yet today, on this rooftop with only the two of them, Sakuragi suffered a much harsher blow; he felt as though his dignity had been attacked, and he was powerless to fight back.
Because, for the very first time, Sakuragi discovered that Rukawa Kaede's face was genuinely, undeniably good-looking.
Rukawa sat quietly in this corner of the rooftop, leaning against the wall, fast asleep in the shadows.
His facial features seemed to have been meticulously polished by a sculptor, every single line exuding a cold and sharp edge.
Though his eyes were tightly shut at the moment, one could almost sense the profound and aloof depth within them. Beneath his closed eyes were long, dense eyelashes that fluttered like a small fan against the dust in the air.
The bridge of his nose was high and straight like a mountain ridge, resolute yet elegant.
The sunlight cast mottled shadows across his face, yet it could do nothing to warm the sense of detachment about him.
How could this damn Fox look like this!
Sakuragi felt somewhat indignant, but a mischievous urge stirred within him.
The Fox's hair was so long, it was practically about to cover his eyes. I wonder what it would look like if the hair in front of his forehead was brushed back?
With that thought in mind, Sakuragi actually went ahead and did it. Always accustomed to charging forward blindly without considering the consequences, this guy was no exception this time.
He squatted down in front of Rukawa, placed his lunchbox on the ground, and leaned forward. This posture was hard to keep balanced, and one careless move would cause him to tumble right onto Rukawa. So Sakuragi dropped to one knee.
He reached out, his index finger gently grazing through that thick, flowing fringe. The strands of hair brushed softly against his fingertips, tickling slightly.
Humph! This stinky Fox has a hard-headed temper, but his hair isn't as stubborn as he is, Sakuragi muttered to himself.
Playful Sakuragi strummed Rukawa's bangs back and forth like guitar strings. When he had finished playing, he pressed his entire palm close to Rukawa's forehead, making sure not to actually touch the skin.
Sakuragi's eyes widened as he watched himself push all of Rukawa's bangs up, revealing a smooth forehead.
He had never seen Rukawa like this before. No, probably nobody had ever witnessed this sight, right?
Sakuragi stared very intently at this face without bangs, harboring a bizarre notion: could that fringe actually be sealing something away?
With his hair swept back, Rukawa looked a lot gentler.
Gentle? That thought sent a chill down Sakuragi's spine.
What kind of messy nonsense am I thinking about? No way, I need to get out of here right now. If the Fox wakes up, it's going to be a disaster.
Murphy's Law tells us: what you dread the most is always what happens.
How could teenage Sakuragi Hanamichi possibly defy Murphy's Law?
Just as he intended to pull his hand back, those gentle eyes suddenly flew open. Sakuragi froze in absolute terror.
In a flash of lightning, eight or ten self-justifying excuses already raced through his mind, but not a single one was convincing enough.
Because for him to be here, standing this close to Rukawa and touching his hair—not only would nobody else believe such a scene, even he himself wondered if he had been possessed by some sort of demon.
Curiosity really does kill the cat! Why on earth did I have to be curious about this stinky Fox's hair? Great, now we're probably going to have to throw punches. Should I just hit him with a headbutt to knock him cold? Once he wakes up, I'll just deny everything to the death.
Sakuragi's brain was bubbling away like a boiling kettle.
He was thoroughly pleased with his contingency plan: I really am a genius!
While Sakuragi's mind was waging a grand war within itself, he completely forgot to change his posture.
Consequently, as Rukawa just woke from his slumber, the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was a sea of red, dazzling him into instant alertness.
"Big Idiot, what are you doing?"
Jolted back to reality, Sakuragi finally snatched his hand away from Rukawa's head, sprang straight up, and leaped back two paces, his face flushed bright red.
"I, I, I wasn't doing anything!"
All his carefully prepared plans and well-thought-out ideas were completely wiped out in this instant; Sakuragi only wanted to flee.
And flee he did.
Yet, just as he reached the doorway ready to leave the rooftop, his capacity for reasoning returned somewhat. He thought to himself: Wait a minute, why am I running? I came to the rooftop to eat lunch. Where's my lunch?
Of all things, hunger is the greatest.
Sakuragi Hanamichi was not a man who would let himself starve.
So, he hurried back, only to find Rukawa holding the lunchbox he had left on the ground and examining it up and down.
Sakuragi strode forward and held out his hand: "That's my lunchbox. Give it back."
Rukawa looked up at him. The red-headed guy's face was still bright red, yet his expression was one of utter entitlement.
He lowered his head to look at the lunchbox in his hands and actually asked: "What kind of food is in here?"
Thinking he must have misheard, Sakuragi didn't react for a moment.
"Big Idiot, what kind of idiotic look is that? What are you thinking? I asked you what food is in here?" Rukawa said impatiently.
Sakuragi grew even more righteous: "Humph! Naturally, it's cuisine made by yours truly! Don't tell me you want to eat it?"
Rukawa quietly looked at him.
Sakuragi took a step back, his face twitching in disbelief: "You can't possibly want to eat it, right?"
"I haven't had lunch yet," Rukawa replied calmly.
Well, talk about an uninvited guest.
When he climbed up to the rooftop for some peace and quiet, Sakuragi never could have imagined that one day he would be sitting calmly in the shade with Rukawa, sharing a single bento.
The last time both of them appeared here together, the two sides were still fighting tooth and nail.
And they hadn't become friends afterward either—so why was this guy eating the lunch he had originally prepared to share with the Sakuragi Legion?
No matter how hard he tried, Sakuragi's brain couldn't wrap around it.
Still, because he was genuinely starving and too lazy to think too much about it—plus the bento was plenty for two people anyway—he didn't dwell on it too much.
As for Rukawa, that icy face couldn't even be melted by food; he ate in utter silence, yet swept through the meal like a whirlwind.
How on earth this guy managed to combine those two states was something Sakuragi couldn't figure out either.
"So, how was it? The bento I made was delicious, right?" Sakuragi packed away the polished lunchbox and asked proudly for credit.
Rukawa widened his eyes slightly and arched an eyebrow: "You made this?"
Sakuragi lifted his chin to confirm he was right.
Rukawa extended his thumb and index finger to stroke his own chin: "Big Idiot, the bento you made doesn't taste bad."
Sakuragi's tail was practically sticking straight up in the air: "Hahaha, stinky Fox, it's rare for you to offer me a couple of compliments!"
"How about this, let's make a deal."
Sakuragi instantly turned serious, going into immediate combat readiness like a reflex, and asked guardedly: "What deal?"
Rukawa pointed at the lunchbox: "You bring me lunch at noon, and I'll teach you the experience I gained from the National Youth Team. How's that?"