As the cheers continued to echo around them, the weight of Seiryuu High's loss started to dissipate. Sota stood still, momentarily lost in the sea of faces that surrounded them. Banners waved high, students clapped in unison, and every few seconds someone from the crowd would call out to one of the players by name. It was a celebration unlike any other, one that was rooted in the unwavering belief that this loss wasn't the end.
Kaminari wiped the corner of his eye, trying to hide the raw emotion that welled up within him. "I thought… I thought no one cared. I thought this would be it, the end of everything."
Ryuji, who was usually the type to make fun of someone for showing any sort of weakness, simply clapped Kaminari on the back and nodded. "Same, man. I thought we'd come back to silence. But this… this is unreal."
