The moment Seiho and Seirin players met at the inn entrance, the air seemed to freeze.
After a while…
Tsugawa Tomoki and Kagami Taiga simultaneously jumped forward, pointing at the others:
"Why is Seiho here?!"
"Why is Seirin here?!"
Hyuga Junpei glanced at Kasuga Ryuhei: "Uh… what a coincidence!"
Kasuga Ryuhei nodded back: "Yeah… what a coincidence!"
Tsutomu Iwamura's eyes caught a tall figure at the back of Seirin's line. He stepped forward: "Nice to meet you, Kiyoshi. I've been looking forward to playing against you for a long time."
Kiyoshi Teppei: "…Uh! Who are you?"
Kuroko Tetsuya politely addressed Akashi: "Long time no see, Akashi-kun."
Akashi nodded: "Long time no see, Kuroko-san."
This unexpected encounter created an awkward and tense atmosphere between the two teams.
But compared to the boys' subtle tension, the real danger was the female managers, Kitayama Yuzuki and Aida Riko.
Kitayama approached with a bright smile, extending a hand with chest out:
"I've heard about you, Aida-san. It's amazing for a high school girl to serve as a basketball coach!"
Aida glanced at Kitayama's upper torso, returning a gentle smile, lightly clasping Kitayama's fingers:
"Oh, not at all. Compared to your club's manager, I still have a long way to go."
Kitayama: "Hehehe~~"
Aida: "Hahaha~~"
============
"Scary… so scary!"
Koganei Shinji hid behind Kiyoshi, trembling: "Did these two know each other before?"
Kiyoshi stroked his chin: "No… from what I remember, Riko didn't know Seiho's manager. Hyuga, do you know?"
Hyuga: "Who knows?!"
Watching the two women smile while practically radiating black smoke of hostility, both Seirin and Seiho players instinctively took a few steps back. Even Seiho members were witnessing this side of Kitayama Yuzuki for the first time.
Sakamoto Kenjiro gulped, terrified: "Wh-what's going on? Did Kitayama have a grudge against Seirin's coach?"
Omuro Yoshikasu shrugged: "No idea!"
Kasuga Ryuhei, the most emotionally intelligent third-year in Seiho, watched the scene, stroking his chin.
"Could this be… a woman's sense of competitiveness?"
He had noticed Kitayama Yuzuki working harder after the Seirin match. After the Tōō Academy match, her efforts had increased even further.
At first, Kasuga didn't understand why. But now he had an idea:
Kitayama's drive was probably triggered by Seirin's female coach and Tōō Academy's manager.
Both women were essential to their respective teams, one an information-gathering expert, the other the head coach. Kitayama, naturally, felt challenged.
"But why is Seirin's manager so hostile?"
Kasuga's gaze inadvertently drifted downward, and suddenly the reason for Aida's sharpness clicked in his mind.
"Ah… so that's why there's tension between Seirin's coach and Kitayama!"
Aida, catching the glance, shot a dagger-like look
============
The encounter between Seiho and Seirin was far from harmonious.
By evening, the two teams combined for a joint training session.
After all, finding a suitable practice opponent at this time was rare. Seirin could see the prestige of a powerhouse team up close, while Seiho could adjust before the nationals with an evenly matched opponent.
Though both sides held back their full strength:
Seirin did not field Kagami Taiga; instead, Aida had him running on the sand to develop his jumping ability, a clever training method.
Seiho's main players were on the court, but Akashi had no opportunity to exert himself.
And this wasn't a choice, he simply couldn't intervene.
The reason? The battle inside, especially between Tsutomu Iwamura and Kiyoshi Teppei, was too fierce. Akashi watched, slightly embarrassed to interfere.
BANG!
Iwamura's brute strength shoved Kiyoshi away from the basket, seizing the prime rebound position.
"Your skill has declined, Teppei!"
"Uh… yeah, I guess so. It's been a long time since I played, so I'm a bit rusty."
Kiyoshi, recovering from a serious illness, could be satisfied with half of his peak performance.
BANG!
Iwamura jumped for a rebound, slammed it into the hoop, and said:
"Too bad… you're too weak now. I'll be waiting for you at this year's Winter Cup."
With that final play, the training match ended. As expected, Seiho emerged victorious.
============
Though the encounter was uneasy, the teams were still relatively amicable on the court. Continuing in this manner, the rest of the camp promised to be an interesting experience.
But, as always, life has a way of delivering surprises…
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