Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

Masako didn't reply, but instead gave Xiangyang a smile.

Talent: Danger warning activated.

Without even needing the system's prompts, the hairs on Xiang Yang's arms stood on end the moment Ya Zi drew her sword. Without the slightest hesitation, Xiang Yang immediately took off running. As he sprinted to the gym's entrance, he didn't forget to turn back and wave to Ya Zi: "I'm off now, Miss Ya Zi! Remember to get some sleep!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiangyang immediately pushed open the gym door and jogged away, disappearing from Yazi's sight.

Inside the gym, watching Xiangyang flee in a panic, Yako couldn't help but chuckle. She looked out the door at the spot where Xiangyang had last disappeared and murmured to herself.

How far is China from Japan?

Nothing in the night

……

……

Early morning, in a single room of an apartment

Tajima Reiko, who usually sleeps until noon, got up especially early today to prepare herself.

I tidied myself up!

Holding the lipstick, she evenly applied color to her lips, pursed her lips, smiled at herself in the mirror, stood up, and turned around, carefully observing her outfit for the day.

She wore a light brown dress with an open neckline over which was a cream-colored Indian silk scarf, adorned with a large ruby ​​brooch. She wore a dark purple woolen cloak trimmed with black checks; she was tall and slender, with a dignified bearing.

perfect!

Although she is nearly 30, Reiko has an outstanding appearance. Coupled with her superb makeup skills, she is confident that she can easily outshine a high school student!

"set off!"

Lingzi pumped her fist to encourage herself. Today, she was determined to win over Xiangyang and fire the first shot in China's attempt to poach talent from Japan!

"Driver, could you please take me to Shark Gym?"

Reiko gracefully hailed a taxi on the roadside and told Masako the meeting place she had been given.

Throughout the journey, Reiko noticed that the driver wasn't being honest, frequently glancing back at her through the rearview mirror. However, Reiko was no longer the naive high school student she once was.

Although she felt somewhat uncomfortable, Reiko didn't show it on her face at all. Instead, she tidied her hair and confidently displayed her charm.

This led to the lucky driver, who was so busy glancing back that he almost made a serious mistake on the road!

"Driver, please be careful on your way back!"

Finally arriving at their destination, Lingzi waved goodbye to the driver, feeling a little tired. Just now, this guy almost led her into a head-on confrontation with a big truck!

Fortunately, the truck driver reacted quickly enough to turn the steering wheel in time, thus averting a disaster.

However, although no accident occurred, an argument was inevitable. As we all know, no one can drive without swearing, especially when the other party is at fault.

The truck driver immediately rolled down his window and unleashed a barrage of spittle at the taxi driver.

Whether it was because Lingzi was sitting in the back, or because the driver himself had a short temper, he showed no fear even when he was in the wrong. He rolled down his window and actively confronted the truck driver.

Reiko listened to the arguing the whole way, her head practically about to explode! Luckily, Shark Gym was located in the city center, so this agonizing ordeal didn't last long. As soon as she got out of the taxi, it immediately turned around and drove back the way it came!

I wonder if they went to find that truck for a second round...

call--

Lingzi stood at the entrance of Shark Gym, took a deep breath. She was about to see Xiangyang, and she needed to be in top form!

After entering the room, she tossed her hair, met Xiangyang's gaze, and gave him a sweet smile.

Lingzi carefully planned her next move.

This would be a devastating blow to any high school boy!

No problem, it can be done!

Reiko was very confident. She pushed open the gym door, attracting everyone's attention, and then casually tossed her hair.

Okay, perfect. The next step is to find a sunny spot...

Lingzi looked around, her "sweet smile" ready to burst forth.

however

There was no sign of Xiangyang. Apart from a few fitness enthusiasts scattered throughout the gym, only Yako sat on the sofa, looking at her expressionlessly.

Hmm? Is the person in question not here?

After a brief moment of surprise, Reiko quickly regained her composure.

The "sweet girl" offensive has temporarily come to an end.

Good morning, Ms. Masako.

Reiko walked slowly to Masako and sat down opposite her. Then, with a puzzled expression, she asked, "Um... isn't Mr. Hikaru here?"

Upon hearing this, Masako nodded slightly and replied, "He has classes during the day, so I will pick him up to see you in the evening."

"Oh, I see."

High school students have to attend classes during the day, that's reasonable... my foot!

Lingzi outwardly appeared to suddenly understand, but inwardly she was speechless. So the formal interview was at night? Why call her out in the middle of the day?

As if she could see through Reiko's thoughts, Masako picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and then said, "Since his guardian is not in Japan and he is a minor, I can handle the negotiations on his behalf. In other words, the outcome will basically be decided when you two meet."

damn it…

Lingzi cursed inwardly, but her face still wore an impeccable smile.

"Yes, Ms. Masako is very organized."

Lingzi offered a compliment, then immediately raised a new question: "But I feel that it is still necessary for Mr. Xiangyang and I to meet in person, because there are some issues that I need to confirm with him face to face."

Masako raised an eyebrow but remained silent, signaling Reiko to continue.

Seeing this, Lingzi took out a notebook from her bag. As a professional reporter, she naturally thought about and wrote down what questions to ask during negotiations.

"For example, the question I asked during our last phone call."

As she spoke, Reiko observed the expression on Masako's face: "Why didn't the local basketball association in Japan recruit Mr. Hikaru into the national youth team?"

Judging from Masako's previous reactions, although the reason is unknown, this question will obviously be difficult for Masako to answer, thus giving Reiko the right to speak in this negotiation!

Although more than half of Lingzi's pre-battle arrangements collapsed due to Xiangyang's absence, as a top-level reporter assigned by the Chinese government to a foreign country, her negotiation skills were professional!

As Reiko had expected, Masako frowned slightly when faced with her question and did not answer immediately, which only fueled Reiko's curiosity.

It's one thing to fight for the right to speak, but Reiko is also genuinely concerned about the answer to this question.

Based on the Winter Cup match footage, it's clear that Xiangyang is definitely among the top high school players in this year's cohort! At the point guard position, apart from Akashi Seijuro, whose reputation in the Japanese basketball world is already legendary, there's simply no one who can compare to Xiangyang!

Even the high school team that defeated Akashi, Jorin High School, lost to Kaijo High School, led by Kise and Mukayo, in the finals. Doesn't that say something?

After rounding, Hikari is bigger than Akashi!!

The observant Reiko Tajima, after discovering Hikaru's potential, even went to great lengths to help him.

He found some match footage from the Summer Split.

She watched all of Haichang's matches and came to two conclusions.

First: Xiangyang's playing style is so sophisticated that it cannot be judged by the standards of a high school student!

Second: From last summer until the end of the Winter Cup, Xiangyang has been evolving at a terrifying speed!

During the Summer Split, Xiang Yang was merely a leaky playmaker with offensive capabilities.

Having watched countless players, Lingzi understands the changes on the field better than most people!

Although it's unclear why many players seem hesitant and timid when facing Xiang Yang's defense, those who dare to challenge Xiang Yang one-on-one have achieved impressive offensive results!

Basically, during that period, if you dared to hit Xiangyang, he would score points over you.

Given Xiang Yang's organizational skills and offensive performance, and considering his defensive weaknesses, in Lingzi's eyes, from a professional basketball perspective, Xiang Yang is merely mediocre.

However, when it came to the Winter Cup...

Lingzi couldn't believe that Xiangyang from the Summer Tournament and Xiangyang from the Winter Cup were the same person.

He still possesses that familiar game control, impeccable rhythm management, and perfectly timed one-on-one scoring. In terms of his power play ability, Xiang Yang even seems to be taking it a step further!

However, if that's all there is to it, it would only catch Reiko's eye at most, because no matter how impressive these statistics are, they can only demonstrate Xiangyang's talent on the offensive end.

What truly caught Lingzi's attention was Xiangyang's defensive stats, which were skyrocketing!

He repeatedly defended the opposing team's ace player one-on-one, maintaining a strong defensive threat even at the end of the game. In many games, he accomplished the feat of completely shutting down a player for the entire game!

In just six months, Xiangyang has transformed from a mere offensive player into a cornerstone of the team who can both attack and defend!

In Lingzi's opinion, unless there is some special reason, unless the Japanese Basketball Association is blind, they would never let go of this gem!

Unfortunately... while the Japanese Basketball Association isn't blind, their eyesight is certainly not very good.

At this moment, Masako had been silent for a long time, but Reiko's curiosity had not diminished in the slightest.

Whether it's to satisfy curiosity or for the sake of China's national youth team, for both public and private reasons, Lingzi needs to know the answer to this question!

Realizing she couldn't fool them, Masako clicked her tongue and said, "Xiangyang's physical talent is too poor. The Japanese Basketball Association doesn't have high hopes for his future."

ha?

Reiko had a "Are you kidding me?" look on her face.

With such a significant leap in strength over just six months, you're telling me Xiangyang has no future?

Reiko didn't believe Masako's words at all. She still thought that Xiangyang had a bad temper. She had read a report by a colleague before, which was about Xiangyang punching the opposing player!

However, Reiko had investigated and found that it was indeed the opposing player who first used malicious actions to injure the Kaijo player, which then provoked Xiangyang to attack that person!

Therefore, it seems that Xiangyang's character is generally good.

Lingzi nodded secretly. As far as the basketball level of China is at present, as long as Xiangyang's flaws are not too big, they are tolerable!

"Alright, Ms. Masako, although you've answered my question, I still want to talk to Xiangyang in person. Before that, may I introduce the proposal our basketball association has put forward?"

Reiko clapped her hands, steer the conversation to another topic, and after Masako nodded in agreement, she skillfully pulled a proposal out of her bag.

This is exactly the series of plans that China has set up for overseas players to join China!

Based on Yui Ryouko's experience, these high school students have no intention of reading the entire proposal. Most of them just glance at it and put it aside.