Just like what they promised to themselves, all the Tsunemori players trained harder after witnessing the ga between Konan High and Kyoei Gakuen. That ga was like a wakeup call for most of them who started to relax after winning three gas in a row. Now, everyone could be seen either in the gymnasium doing so practice or in one of the classrooms nearby to watch their rival's ga.
Unfortunately, this was in the middle of the season, so Akira couldn't push them too much which could bring a sudden improvent like in the sumr camp. Right now, they already have a tight schedule, so doing high-intensity training would be suicidal, hoping for all of them to get injured. So, for now, all the training sessions only focused on maintaining their condition and probably so simulations for the possible scenario on the court.
However, after the stimulant from the last ga lasted for about three days, Akira finally had enough and stopped them from killing themselves.
"What? A break?" Ogawa asked while wiping the sweat on his face, looking confused. "Why would we take a break now? I an, our ga should be in the next three days, right?" He asked. The sentint was shared by most of the players there who nodded unconsciously.
Akira just heaved a sigh when he heard that. "Trust , overdoing your training will not do anything good for you, either physically or ntally." Said the coach. "Not only you are risking yourself for an unnecessary injury, but you also used all your motivation in the wrong place. No one would care about your good performance in the practice session if, in the end, you run out of gas in the real ga. Learn how to pace yourself."
He sighed once again at the confusion that showed in his players' faces. 'Well, not that I bla them. Usually, I will be the first one who push them harder and demand their 150 percent effort in training, so for to give them a day off will be confusing.' He muttered inwardly.
"So, we don't have to train today?" Asahi asked, hesitated.
"No, no, it is not you don't have to train today." Akira shook his head firmly. "You are prohibited from doing anything excessive today, get it?!"
So of them winced a little as they didn't expect this kind of developnt. Still, in the end, they nodded reluctantly while muttering, "We get it, Sensei…"
Akira nodded in a satisfied manner before barking, "Well, what are you waiting for?! Go ho and have fun!" And just like that, all the eight mbers of the team scampered out of the building imdiately, leaving the coach alone with their thoughts.
-0-
"Man, I cannot believe I will say this, but a day off sucks!" Riku complained as he was on the way to the orphanage together with Yuki. "I an, I get it! We have been in a high-tension state in the last couple of days and our brain needs to take a rest for a mont. That doesn't an I have to like it, though!"
"Don't let Akira-sensei hear you, or he won't show rcy the next ti we beg for it," Yuki warned his friend wryly.
"Bah! Why are you so afraid of Jiisan?! He is just a big softie, you know?!" Riku waved his hand nonchalantly. Of course, Yuki wouldn't agree with that. He knew first-hand how cruel his sensei was when punishing a bad student. "Anyway, I haven't heard about Sekine-sensei for a long ti. Any news about him?" Riku suddenly asked, changing the topic of the conversation.
"Why would you ask ?"
"Because you are his favorite student, duh?" Riku rolled his eyes as if he said the most obvious thing in the world.
"Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything about him for a while." Yuki furrowed his brows imdiately as he rembered about one of his benefactors. "I am so focused on the tournant that I forgot to talk to him. That wouldn't do." He shook his head guiltily. "No, I will call his phone later tonight. If there is anything important, I will tell you."
"Sure."
They speeded up a bit as another round of chilly wind breezed through their skin, piercing their bones. Even though the snow hadn't fallen down yet, the weather had already been so cold in Tokyo, and most of the stores outside had already put the Christmas decorations there. It was pretty ironic that the Christmas day which should be the ti when most of the families gathered around would also be the day when the final of the Winter Tournant for the Tokyo Prefecture happened.
"Man, we've co a long way for sure, huh?" Riku suddenly spoke, gazing far with lancholy eyes. "I still rember how you refused my invitation to join the team."
"Yeah, I also rember a lousy bastard who didn't know how to take a 'no' as an answer." Yuki returned with a big snort.
Riku just laughed out loud at his snarky coback, enjoying this mont in silence. "Do you rember how we always provoked our senpai?"
"A bunch of bastards, we were at that ti."
"Well, we couldn't be blad! They were also at fault that ti!"
"How about Kyoei's ga?"
"That is crazy…"
"Hey, have you heard anything from the camp's mbers?"
"What about the Tokyo Thunder's mbers?"
"…"
They kept chatting and laughing, reminiscing to the past. As they talked about it, they finally realized that they had experienced so many things in this year, and it was still one month away from over. However, with the winter tournant was still on going, they still had a chance to end this year either in the most morable way or in the most disastrous one.
"We've really co a long way, huh?" Riku sighed once again, his gaze now was on the orphanage in front of him. "We've fought for the team, fought for our friends, fought for the children, fought for Kato, fought for the school, fought for ourselves…"
"And we will never stop fighting until the end." Yuki cut his friend with a firm tone. "I know that this atmosphere is very suitable to reminisce our past, but we still have a long road in the future, and I don't intend to stop just like that. I will play next year, and the year after that, and I will get called into the national team like what Hasebe-sensei said, and when that ti cos, don't you dare not be there beside , okay?"
Riku was startled at the sudden intensity of Yuki's eyes. After a minute of staring contest between those two, the blonde boy finally laughed rrily, patting his friend's shoulder, and said, "Yeah, I will be there too. Let's conquer the world together in the future!"
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