The court was charged with tension as Too Academy showed no signs of quitting. However, the reality was cruel as the referee blew the whistle, indicating the end of the game.
As the eyes of every player and spectator fixated on the scoreboard, the stark contrast in the reactions of the two teams became evident.
The players of Too Academy wore expressions painted with a blend of disbelief and deep-seated frustration, their features contorted in a mixture of shock and irritation.
On the other side, the members of Fukuda Sogo couldn't contain their joy, their faces illuminated with the radiant glow of happiness.
Upon seeing the scores displayed on the board between the two teams, the crowd erupted with jubilation, filling the entire stadium with an electric atmosphere. Excitement rippled through the spectators, creating a vibrant and thrilling ambiance.
"Wow!"
"112 - 81! That's absolutely crazy!"
"The dark horse pulled it off! They've really lived up to their name!"
"...Wait, weren't you supporting Too earlier?"
"Well, I support the winner, no matter what team it is! Hahaha!"
The stadium was abuzz with enthusiastic chatter and resounding cheers as fans celebrated the remarkable turn of events.
Aomine's face turned vacant as he gazed at the scoreboard on the court. He quietly murmured, "...I lost, huh?"
Remembering his one-on-one during his time in Teiko, Aomine thought, "I used to be so excited back then, but..."
"...why do I feel so choked up now?"
He clutched his chest, continuing his inner reflection.
There was a jumble of emotions inside him that he couldn't quite fathom. It was his first defeat in a long time and losing wasn't something he'd anticipated. It hit him abruptly, like a shooting star streaking across the sky.
"That's so unlike you, Daiki. Could you stop making that face? You look horrible..."
A voice broke Aomine's reverie, and he shifted his attention to the person who had just defeated him.
"Tsuna? You're not here to make fun of me, are you?" Aomine inquired weakly, his face still displaying a blank look.
Tsuna shook his head and tossed the ball he held to Aomine, who caught it with a puzzled expression.
"It's not like this is the end. There is still the Winter Cup. You better start training this time," Tsuna advised before turning away and heading to celebrate their victories with his team.
As he walked away, Tsuna added, "Don't let me down next time we meet..."
Aomine's eyes widened, and he looked at the ball in his hand. He clenched it tightly as his once-blank eyes filled with determination.
Watching Tsuna on the other side, smiling and praising his team, Aomine silently vowed to improve and beat Tsuna.
"Now that I thought about it, I've never managed to beat him..." Aomine said to himself.
"Aomine, are you alright?"
Hearing the worried voice, Aomine turned to see Momoi coming toward him. Aomine chuckled and then returned to his usual self.
He walked away, saying, "He's as strong as ever. Wouldn't you agree, Satsuki?"
As Aomine's usual expression returned, Momoi sighed and nodded while looking at Tsuna.
"I'm going to get better," Aomine declared with a laugh. "The next time we meet, I'll defeat him!"
Even though they had lost, Momoi couldn't help but feel a mix of happiness and surprise seeing Aomine in such high spirits.
"He's really back," she thought.
She looked in Tsuna's direction with a thankful expression. Tsuna appeared to catch her gaze, so he turned towards her and replied with a kind smile, silently mouthing, "I kept my word..."
In response, Momoi nodded and beamed with happiness as tears welled up in her eyes. She clumsily brushed away the tears with her hands while silently mouthing, "Thank you, Tsuna!"
"The next match is between Murasakibara and Akashi, isn't it?" Midorima mentioned as he observed both teams going through the post-game procedures on the court.
"That's tomorrow, right? I'm curious to see who comes out on top this time," Kise remarked, remembering past events from their time at Teiko.
Midorima pondered with a furrowed brow, "Tomorrow's game should be quite intriguing."
Kise fell into silence, then asked slowly, "If it was Fukuda Sogo against Rakuzan. Who do you think will win?"
Midorima was uncertain. In previous matchups like Aomine against Kazama, the historical record favored Kazama, so he was inclined to guess Kazama would win, which turned out to be true.
However, this time, it was Akashi and Kazama. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Midorima couldn't envision them both losing.
"I don't know, but I'm certain it's going to be a game that was worth watching," Midorima replied, adjusting his glasses.
Kise nodded, and they both walked away, heading for the exit.
In the assigned changing room for Fukuda Sogo, the entire team was jubilant over their triumph.
"We're heading to the final!"
"No doubt, we're taking the Interhigh!"
Nijimura shook his head and advised, "Easy on the screaming! It's a pretty cramped space..."
This elicited a round of laughter from the team. They pulled Nijimura into their celebration, and soon enough, even Nijimura was cheering along.
Tsuna wore a slight smile as he observed their celebration.
"Okay, team, we've had our fun. Time to leave..." Tsuna said, bringing an instant hush to the room.
They grumbled but started gathering their belongings. As they left, Ishida asked, "Can we keep the celebration going at the resort?"
Tsuna shook his head and turned to them with a gentle smile on his face. Strangely, they shivered and swallowed hard instead of feeling good about the smile.
"Let's save the celebration for after you all complete today's training."
"What!?"
The entire group let out a collective exclamation, and only Nijimura maintained his composure.
However, the corner of his mouth twitched in disbelief.
Their outburst drew the gaze of onlookers, who pointed fingers in their direction. They had just defeated Too Academy, one of the top contenders for the championship, instantly propelling them to the status of a renowned team.
They offered sheepish apologies before resuming their walk. They cast imploring glances at Alexandra, their coach.
Alexandra, however, laughed at their antics and received more pleading looks from the team. She waved them off before departing by herself.
"I swear, our captain's a real demon," one of them whispered among the group.
The others shook their heads and whispered back, "But our vice-captain is known as the Demon King. Our captain should be even more devilish, right?"
One looked contemplatively before suggesting, "So, is he like a Demon Emperor?"
"This isn't the moment for silly chatter! And he can hear you perfectly, you fools!"
Nijimura playfully smacked each of them on the head and scolded them.
While observing them, Tsuna merely chuckled and pondered, "Maybe I should step up their training?"
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