Midorima remained silent, his eyes fixed on the scoreboard. Then, he shifted his gaze toward Tsuna, who appeared to have anticipated this result.
"I was being arrogant, you said? That might be right..."
Midorima whispered, not bothering to look back at the court, and walked away to contemplate this unexpected loss.
Even though it was a friendly match, Midorima hadn't experienced defeat since his time at Teiko. Today marked his first encounter with loss, which was a resounding one, judging by the scoreboard.
"Shin! Where are you going?" Takao called out, watching Midorima stride away from the court. He attempted to follow, but Otsubo restrained him.
Otsubo, holding Takao back, shook his head, indicating to leave Midorima alone.
Understanding the gesture, Takao abandoned his pursuit.
Otsubo approached Tsuna, offering his congratulations, "Congratulations on the victory. It was an enlightening experience for us."
Tsuna smiled, appreciating the kind words. "Thank you, but you all performed exceptionally well, as expected of one of the three kings."
Otsubo, though, seemed less convinced, shaking his head. "That title seems empty now, considering how you outplayed us."
"But," Otsubo's expression quickly turned serious as he looked directly at Tsuna and declared, "We'll return even stronger and make up for today's humiliation."
Describing it as a humiliation might have been a bit strong, but that's precisely how they felt.
Shutoku, a veteran team, had suffered a crushing defeat, and it felt like they were merely practice targets.
Tsuna shook his head with a grin, spreading his arms wide. "Well, it's not like we're going anywhere. We'll meet again at the Interhigh, right?"
Otsubo nodded in agreement. The Interhigh was on the horizon, providing them another opportunity to face each other.
But seeing Fukuda Sogo players hastily gathering their things as if they were ready to leave immediately left him bewildered.
Takao questioned, "Aren't you all going to take a little break first?"
Tsuna continued his stride toward the bench and replied, "Well, we've got more training lined up for the day. So, we're kind of in a hurry..."
"...What?"
Otsubo and a few others who overheard Tsuna were equally taken aback. They had just finished a grueling friendly match, and now they were mentioning more training.
Their initial astonishment quickly transformed into admiration as they observed Fukuda Sogo saying their goodbyes and boarding their bus.
Kimura, watching their departure, remarked, "This is what a team that can beat us looks like. They've put in the work."
Miyaji agreed, "I have to give them credit for that."
Otsubo, spurred by their newfound determination, yelled, "Let's go, team! Back to the gym. We won't let them defeat us again! Extra training starts today!"
"Why? We've been through some grueling training already..."
Takao voiced his objections. But when he felt Miyaji's hand on his shoulder, he swiftly changed his tune, exclaiming, "Alright! Let's do this! I'm ready!"
They trooped back into the gymnasium, engaging in the supplementary practice session. While sweating it out, the door swung open dramatically, revealing Midorima. His eyes glinted with newfound determination, and he wordlessly joined the arduous training.
Not a single word was spoken, but there was a shared commitment to avenge today's defeat the next time they crossed paths.
Over at Fukuda Sogo, basking in the glory of their victory against the Legendary King, spirits were soaring. They even took on an additional set during their training, fueled by the sweet taste of success.
They ventured out to explore Tokyo the following day, a rare treat considering their usual tight schedules.
After a day of sightseeing, they returned to Shizuoka, returning to the groove of their daily lives, attending school, putting in the hard work during training, and honing their skills.
Upon their return from Tokyo, the group playfully teased Haizaki about missing the exhilaration of triumphing against one of the Generation of Miracles. Haizaki, seething with anger but keeping it in check, could feel Nijimura's meaningful stares whenever he wanted to explode, knowing his tendencies toward violence.
Ogiwara's impressive performance had made him the talk of the team, and this constant chatter about him was beginning to get on Haizaki's nerves.
He had set his sights on catching up to Tsuna, whom he considered the final boss in his journey. Considering Ogiwara as the first step in catching up to Tsuna, hearing everyone's praise for Ogiwara only fueled Haizaki's determination to train harder.
What really grated on Haizaki's nerves was Ogiwara's belief that they mutually drove each other in their training. Whenever Haizaki pushed himself harder, Ogiwara responded in kind, and they engaged in a silent competition to out-train each other.
Ogiwara, on the other hand, seemed to regard Haizaki as a close friend, almost like a best friend, in addition to Kuroko. He saw Haizaki as the one who consistently motivated him to break through his limits.
Nijimura and Tsuna could only watch this unfolding dynamic in silence as they were left utterly speechless.
As Haizaki and Ogiwara's friendly competition heated up, it seemed to affect the rest of the team, who began to view it as a rivalry, although it was quite different from the truth.
As they went about their regular routine of training, they would typically head home after practice.
But today was different.
Tsuna had called them together, and they found themselves lined up on the court, indicating something important was in the offing. Tsuna appeared to have an important announcement to share.
"Interhigh is quickly approaching, and I think it's time for us to step up our training to improve our chances of winning the tournament," Tsuna stated, his gaze sweeping over the assembled team.
"So, to help us do just that, I'd like to introduce you to our new coach..."
With that, Tsuna gestured toward the door, which suddenly swung open. The team was taken aback as they watched a striking foreigner with blonde hair stride onto the court and stand beside Tsuna.
The blonde foreigner appeared somewhat annoyed as she turned to Tsuna.
"I thought you were sending me on a vacation, but it seems you've found me a job instead," she grumbled.
Tsuna let out a small chuckle and offered a wry smile. "Oh, come on, you can't resist the salary, can you?"
Alexandra averted her eyes, not willing to admit it.
Tsuna shook his head and turned back to his team. They watched the exchange between him and Alexandra with puzzled expressions as they conversed in English.
"So, she's our new coach starting today. And she's no ordinary coach. She used to play in the WNBA in the States, a top-level women's basketball league. So, be sure to follow her training closely, alright?"
"Yes, Captain!"
The team buzzed with excitement upon learning about their new coach's impressive background. She was not only a skilled coach but also a beautiful foreigner.
Tsuna nodded and wrapped it up, saying, "That's it for today, everyone. Let's head home!"
Title: A new coach!
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