"Player ratings? What are those?" Sendoh's lips curved into his signature lazy smile.
Aida Yayoi gazed at the light in his eyes, momentarily forgetting her words, her cheeks uncontrollably flushing with warmth.
She cleared her throat, quickly regaining her composure, her fingertips unconsciously clutching her interview notebook: "It's like this—recently, we've been working on a special feature about high school basketball player ratings.
This is being prepared at the request of the Kanagawa Prefecture Sports Association, and it will be followed by predictive interviews accompanying the rankings."
"I see," Gu Jin responded from the side, his fingertips idly tapping the basketball.
"My colleagues have already completed the ratings for key players from schools like Hainan and Shoyo, and I'm responsible for Ryonan and a few other schools," Aida Yayoi flipped through a couple of pages in her notebook, her pen tip pausing on the paper.
"Oh? So, who have they rated?" Sendoh twirled the basketball on his fingertips, his interest clearly piqued.
"Currently, there are three players in Kanagawa rated S-class: Maki Shinichi from Hainan, Mike Okita from Ryokufu High School, and Fujima Kenji from Shoyo," Aida Yayoi observed their reactions specifically as she announced the names.
Gu Jin's finger movements paused—Mike Okita? Wasn't that the mixed-race small forward from Ryokufu High School in the movie?
He could actually be rated S-class? But recalling his speed and shooting accuracy, he certainly deserved that rating.
"By the way, Miss Aida, what is Rukawa Kaede from Shohoku High School rated?" Gu Jin suddenly asked.
"Rukawa Kaede?" Aida Yayoi was taken aback, her pen tip sweeping across the roster, "I don't recall that name... Is he a starter for Shohoku?"
Gu Jin shook his head and smiled.
Indeed, Shohoku hadn't made a name for itself yet, so Rukawa Kaede, hidden within the team, was naturally unknown.
However, with that guy's talent, it was only a matter of time before everyone saw him.
Aida Yayoi quickly returned to the main topic, her gaze shifting between Sendoh and Gu Jin: "Gu Jin, I watched your game against Daiei before, and I gained some understanding of your abilities.
But your one-on-one duel just now—" She paused, her tone filled with admiration, "That kind of court awareness is simply not something high school students should possess.
So, I'd like to make a request to you."
"What request?" Sendoh raised an eyebrow.
Gu Jin chuckled to himself—judging by Aida Yayoi's look, she most likely wanted to do an exclusive interview.
Especially the lingering gaze she had when looking at Sendoh, it wasn't just as simple as finding excellent news material.
"I'd like to do an exclusive interview with you after the ratings are announced," Aida Yayoi's eyes sparkled with anticipation, "I've even thought of the title—'Ryonan's Twin Stars Far Beyond Their Time.'"
The basketball on Sendoh's fingertips stopped in his palm: "So, what are my and Gu Jin's ratings?"
Aida Yayoi's smile faded, her expression suddenly becoming serious, and her voice was a few shades deeper than before: "S-class.
And in my opinion, the two of you are stronger than all current S-class players."
"Just by watching our game, you're sure that Gu Jin and I are S-class?" Sendoh twirled the basketball on his fingertips, his eyebrow slightly raised, his tone carrying a hint of casual curiosity, yet his gaze was directed straight at Aida Yayoi, as if waiting for a sufficiently convincing answer.
"I also want to ask, what is the standard for an S-class rating?" Gu Jin pressed, his gaze falling on the detailed rating criteria in Aida Yayoi's hand.
Aida Yayoi knew this was the unique pride of youth!
So she immediately opened her notebook, her finger pointing to a specific line: "This rating is absolutely not based on our personal preferences.
It has strict scoring criteria.
The core consists of three points—top-tier individual ability, such as scoring, defense, and ball-handling, which must be at the prefecture's top level in terms of hard skills;
sufficient leadership, being able to motivate teammates and control the pace at critical moments;
and court awareness that surpasses one's peers, being able to predict situations and make optimal choices.
Only if all three points are met can one reach the threshold of S-class."
"I see," Sendoh and Gu Jin exchanged glances, both showing expressions of sudden realization.
"Furthermore, before coming here, we actually already had a baseline score; today, we're just here to reconfirm it on-site," Aida Yayoi added.
"There's also a specific score?" Sendoh stopped twirling the ball, his tone becoming more serious.
"Yes," Aida Yayoi opened her notebook and reported the data, "Currently, Maki Shinichi from Hainan has an overall score of 94.3, rated S; Mike Okita from Ryokufu has 95.18 points, rated S; Fujima Kenji from Shoyo has 89.98 points, and although he just barely met the S-class threshold, he was also rated S."
Sendoh was momentarily stunned by the news, almost dropping the basketball from his fingertips: "Mike Okita got 95.18 points? Higher than A Mu?"
"This player is indeed not to be underestimated," Aida Yayoi nodded, "He was previously ranked in the top 30 in the American high school league; his skills are very solid."
Sendoh resumed twirling the basketball and asked, "So, what are my and Gu Jin's scores?"
"Sendoh, your overall score is 92.26, rated S-class," Aida Yayoi looked at him, her tone tinged with a hint of regret, "However, I think this score is too low—after seeing your performance just now, I believe you should at least reach 94 points."
Sendoh just smiled and said nothing more.
Gu Jin, however, saw it clearly—he wasn't indifferent.
The faster-spinning basketball and the flash of sharpness in his eyes all indicated that he was holding back a surge of determination, wanting to prove in future games that he would absolutely not lose to those two high-scoring S-class players.
Aida Yayoi then looked at Gu Jin, deliberately drawing out her words: "And Gu Jin, your score is..."