The referee's whistle pierced through the air, signaling the end of the intense battle between Seirin and Too Academy.
"I lost....again?"
Aomine muttered as he could only stare at the scoreboard in disbelief, his eyes flicking to the numbers that displayed Seirin's narrow lead of 117-118.
Too Academy had lost by just one point.
A silence descended upon Too Academy as the reality of their defeat settled in.
Aomine found himself grappling with an indescribable feeling in his chest. By a single point, the margin of defeat added an extra layer of complexity to his emotions.
"...I lost to Seirin, and now I won't even get a chance to play against Tsuna," Aomine muttered, glancing at the now-empty Fukuda Sogo seats.
Turning his attention to the Seirin players, their jubilant expressions created a twinge in his chest, stirring a complex mix of emotions. The shared happiness among them left him with a sense of longing.
"Tetsu really outplayed me, huh? Looks like he's got a solid team now..."
The rest of Too Academy mirrored Aomine's disbelief, their faces expressing a mix of frustration, anger, and sadness.
Imayoshi sighed in acknowledgment of the complex emotions enveloping his team.
"Alright, guys," Imayoshi began, his voice carrying mixed emotions. "We gave it our best out there..."
His words resonated with the players, and a sense of reluctant acceptance began to settle in.
In stark contrast, the Seirin players were filled with joy and excitement on the opposite side of the court.
"Kuroko! How did you pull off that shot? That was an amazing shoot!"
Hyuga was so thrilled that his excitement caused him to tremble.
Putting his arm around Kuroko's shoulder, Kagami laughed, "I figured it out when you told me to pass the ball to you the second you got back! You were hiding this technique from us!"
Right after Kuroko came back into the game, he had whispered these words to Kagami, surprising him. Yet, Kagami always trusted Kuroko, so he followed through when he knew he couldn't make it alone.
Kuroko grinned, saying, "...Honestly, I wasn't sure I could make that shot. Even in practice, I only landed 4 out of 10 attempts."
"What?"
Kuroko's admission tempered their excitement, eliciting nervous chuckles.
"...Hahaha, the important thing is that we won, right?"
Kiyoshi chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. The others joined in the awkward laughter, which gradually turned into genuine amusement shared by the whole team.
"Alright, alright. Let's get ready for the post-match lineup..." Hyuga said with a sigh.
Despite the surprise of Kuroko taking a risky shot, Kiyoshi was right. Ultimately, what mattered was that they had won the game and were moving on to the next round!
"...Ah, Captain. I'll go meet Aomine first," Kuroko calmly stated, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions.
Hyuga nodded approvingly, acknowledging Kuroko's decision. The team was still brimming with triumphant energy as they made their way to the bench to celebrate with their coach.
"I'll come with you, Kuroko..." Kagami spoke as he joined Kuroko in their approach towards Aomine.
Sensing their presence, Aomine turned to face them, his expression revealing a complexity of feelings.
"...Tetsu, huh?" Aomine acknowledged, his gaze fixed on Kuroko.
"Can you stop making that face? It's making me uncomfortable seeing this side of you..." Kagami couldn't help but express his discomfort as he remarked with a noticeable frown.
Aomine frowned at Kagami's remark, his emotions swirling beneath the surface, yet he remained silent.
"I'm not looking for a fight, nor did I mock you. You're someone I looked up to. Losing sucks, but it's not like we will never face each other again..." Kagami shook his head in response.
The sincerity in Kagami's words took Aomine aback, and it was similar to what he had heard when he lost against Fukuda Sogo, as he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"You're right..." he admitted, a hint of reflection in his eyes.
Kuroko silently extended his hand for a fist bump toward Aomine. This made Aomine perplexed by the gesture, "What are you doing, Tetsu?"
"...You still haven't returned my fist bump back in Teiko," Kuroko calmly replied.
"What? Who cares about such a thing?"
Aomine scratched his head awkwardly but still extended his hand to reciprocate the fist bump with Kuroko.
Shortly after, both teams lined up, going through the usual post-match routines before exiting the court.
In Too Academy's changing room, the mood remained somber.
Everyone stood in a line before Imayoshi and the other third years. Harasawa leaned against the wall, leaving the situation in Imayoshi's hands.
"Well, I guess that's it. It's time for the third years to leave everything in your hands. Thank you for everything!"
Imayoshi conveyed with a genuine smile, a bittersweet acknowledgment of the end of their journey. He then turned his attention to Wakamatsu, declaring, "And I will appoint Wakamatsu as our new Captain from now on. So, make us proud!"
"Huh? Wait, why me?" Wakamatsu questioned.
Disbelief was evident in his voice as he pointed at himself.
In response to Wakamatsu's surprise at being appointed captain, Imayoshi calmly probed, "What? You don't want to?"
Wakamatsu quickly clarified, "It's not that I don't want it. It was just a bit too sudden..."
His hand unconsciously scratched his head as he grappled with the unexpected responsibility thrust upon him.
Imayoshi sighed, casting a glance at the team. "Well, it's something that we have to do sooner or later anyway. Besides, we lost the game in the first round, so it will be our last time playing together..."
Sakurai widened his eyes in realization.
The weight of the third year's emotions became apparent, and he couldn't help but notice a slight redness in their eyes. Frustration filled his heart as he looked down. "...Of course, they felt it much heavier than us. This is their last year playing in the tournament."
Imayoshi's hand landed on Wakamatsu's shoulder, offering a comforting pat.
He opened his eyes slightly and remarked, "Well, I'll leave the team in your hands, Captain..."
Wakamatsu sighed in acknowledgment as he nodded solemnly.
As the responsibility settled on him, he recalled an issue as he turned to Imayoshi with a pressing question, "Captain, I don't know how to handle Aomine like you do. What am I supposed to do, then?"
Imayoshi's response was a shake of his head, deflecting the question.
Instead, he asked, "Do you hate him, Wakamatsu?"
Wakamatsu didn't hesitate to answer, "Yes, I hate him."
His frustration stemmed from Aomine's disrespect toward the senior players and his blatant disregard for the team.
Imayoshi acknowledged this with a nod before posing another question, "Still, who do you think is the ace in our team?"
Wakamatsu frowned at the unexpected shift in the conversation. He answered hesitantly, "...It's Aomine, obviously."
Imayoshi smiled as he nodded again at Wakamatsu's answer.
"That's right, as long as you get that, you're good," he said slowly, and Wakamatsu nodded.
Imayoshi then chuckled, catching everyone off guard.
"Well, here's a pro tip for you. Since you'll be up against the Generation of Miracles in the future, remember that to take down a monster, you need another one..."
Wakamatsu's eyes widened in realization as he was silently repeating Imayoshi's words.
The acknowledgment of the Generation of Miracles' capability as monsters sank in.
He pondered, "...I guess that's why he asked about Aomine, as the only one who'd stand a chance against the Generation of Miracles was someone from the same group."
Imayoshi briskly wrapped up the conversation, declaring, "Alright, that's it. Let's pack our stuff and go home!"
However, the momentary lightheartedness dimmed when Sakurai informed him about Aomine's absence, and Momoi left to find him.
"...I guess we'll have to wait for them."
---
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