Aomine's eyes widened with disbelief as he spotted Tsuna among the spectators. The sight seemed almost surreal.
"You..." Aomine stammered, struggling to process the unexpected sight.
He shook his head, attempting to clear the shock that clouded his thoughts. Then he asked, "When did you come back to Japan?"
But Aomine's words couldn't reach Tsuna, who stood far away in the audience.
Even though Tsuna couldn't hear Aomine's words, he could make a good guess from Aomine's mouth movements. As he turned his body, a small smile formed on his face, and the bold white letters on his jacket became visible.
"Fukuda Sogo Academy?" Aomine mumbled to himself. His lips curled into a smirk.
Then, he shifted his attention to Kise and spoke up, "Let's finish this fast. I've got a more interesting opponent in mind."
Kise furrowed his brow as he watched Tsuna leave. Aomine's enthusiasm for facing Tsuna was more than playing against him, leaving Kise both frustrated and intrigued.
Thinking back to their previous meeting, Kise wondered aloud, "Who is that guy?"
The rest of the players from both Kaijo and Too couldn't get a clear look at Tsuna, but they did notice the jersey he was wearing.
Imayoshi pondered aloud, "Fukuda Sogo? Weren't they up against Onita High today?"
Somehow, that figure he saw in the Fukuda Sogo jersey triggered an eerie sense of familiarity, like a déjà vu that sent shivers down his spine.
Shaking his head to dispel the unsettling feeling, Imayoshi refocused on their own match.
In the spectator stands, Kagami pointed at Alexandra's smiling face with disbelief. "How did you end up here?"
"Kagami seems to recognize that beautiful foreigner..."
"I think she greeted him earlier, right?"
"Yeah..."
The other members of Seirin were taken aback by this revelation.
Alexandra chuckled and explained, "Haha, Tsuna helped me find a job in Japan..."
Kagami turned to Tsuna as Alexandra mentioned this. However, Tsuna had already moved forward with his teammates because they had a game to attend.
"Alex, if you want to catch up with Taiga, go ahead," Tsuna said.
"Hmm? Is that okay? I'm your team's coach, you know..."
Alexandra thought coaches should stay with their team during an official game, so she was also about to leave with them.
Glancing at Kagami, who appeared full of questions, Tsuna smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
"Besides... this match should be a piece of cake for us," Tsuna casually added as they walked away and headed to their designated changing room.
Alexandra shook her head in amusement as she remained behind.
Seirin players who heard all this were perplexed because they were conversing in English. However, proficient in English, Kagami understood the conversation and gazed at Alexandra with surprise.
Aida and Kiyoshi, with some understanding of English, also picked up on the fact that Alexandra was the coach of Fukuda Sogo.
"Alex, did you come to Japan because of this?" Kagami asked, puzzled.
"Haha, don't worry about it," Alexandra casually said, approaching Kagami and enveloping him in a warm hug. She appeared genuinely delighted to reunite with her student in Japan. "But speaking of which, how's life in Japan?"
"Hold on," Aida abruptly interjected, her gaze fixed firmly on Kagami, attempting to extricate himself from Alexandra's embrace.
She inquired, "If she was Fukuda Sogo's coach, how did you two already know each other?"
Hearing this, everyone from Seirin shifted their attention to Kagami, who had just managed to extricate himself from Alexandra's hug.
Kagami scratched his head, a sheepish grin on his face, and explained, "Ah, that... She's my teacher from back in the States."
He grabbed Alexandra just in time to prevent her from pouncing on Aida and mumbled, "She still has this strange habit, I see..."
"What did you say!?"
Aida couldn't contain her surprise and blurted it out.
Her outburst drew annoyed glances from the people around them, and the Seirin players bowed apologetically. Yet, their astonishment at the revelation about Alexandra remained evident in their expressions.
The third quarter ended on the court, with Too Academy holding the lead. Players from both teams sat on their respective benches to catch their breath.
Amid this intermission, a voice over the loudspeakers announced the arrival of Fukuda Sogo Academy and Onita High onto the court for their upcoming game.
Aomine's attention was immediately drawn to Fukuda Sogo Academy.
His eyes lit up with excitement as he spotted Tsuna stepping onto the court, proudly sporting his number 4 jersey and leading the team as their captain.
Aomine's eyes wandered across the court, and he couldn't help but be taken aback by the sight of Nijimura and Haizaki on the same team. However, his attention swiftly returned to Tsuna, and he became strangely fixated.
In a hushed tone, he muttered, "...I want to face him."
Aomine's words carried across the team bench, and his teammates turned to him with expressions of shock as if they had witnessed a rare and extraordinary event.
Momoi, who had known Aomine for a long time, recognized a feeling she hadn't seen in him for a while—an eagerness to challenge a formidable opponent.
"Is this for real? Pinch me, someone," Wakamatsu exclaimed, almost in disbelief, as he lightly slapped his own face. "This can't be happening..."
His teammates exchanged baffled glances. They were equally convinced they were wide awake, not lost in some dream.
Imayoshi furrowed his brows, eyes narrowing as he followed Aomine's intense gaze.
He spotted a figure who felt all too familiar there, a player he had crossed paths with a few years back. An involuntary shiver coursed through him as he observed the newcomer's nonchalant expression, seemingly bored with the whole affair.
Memories of the restroom incident involving Tsuna and Hanamiya flooded Imayoshi's mind. It was an unforgettable incident.
Momoi, keenly observant, noted the flicker of recognition in Imayoshi's eyes. She leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued.
"Captain, do you know Tsuna?" she asked, drawing the entire team's attention. They eagerly awaited Imayoshi's response.
Imayoshi nodded, his gaze clouded by the memories of a game that took place three years ago. It was a match where they had faced Tsuna back when Imayoshi was playing for Hibiya Junior High.
The recollection of their painful loss still stung.
Their coach, Harasawa, turned his attention to Momoi, his curiosity piqued. He glanced at Aomine before inquiring, "Do both of you know this young captain quite well?"
The question hung in the air, prompting more details about their connection to Tsuna.
"Ahh, he used to be part of our team in Teiko, but he had to leave for personal reasons," Momoi explained. She then pulled up a folder containing information about Fukuda Sogo. "And... if we win against Kaijo, his team is our next opponent."
Sakurai looked confused. "But their game hasn't even happened yet. How do you know they're our next opponents?"
Momoi shook her head and focused on the data about Fukuda Sogo.
"It's just that I find it highly unlikely for Onita High to win against them," she stated, her confidence in their upcoming match evident.
Too Academy players were taken aback by this. Momoi's statement left them reevaluating their expectations for the upcoming match.
Harasawa furrowed his brow, acknowledging the terrifying reliability of Momoi's data. Her unmistakable confidence indicated a substantial difference in skill between these two teams.
He shook his head and called for his team's attention, clapping his hands together.
"Alright, enough distractions," he said firmly. "We'll discuss the next opponent later. For now, let's refocus on our game. We must secure this victory before we even think about facing them."
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