"Ha!!!"
Kitamura Kou's words left Tsukishima Aoba completely stunned—she had been furious just moments before.
"Really? Then we'll come cheer for you tomorrow!" Tsukishima Wakaba practically jumped for joy.
"Me too! Me too! I want to cheer for Kou! Right, NOMO?" Tsukishima Momiji chimed in, playing with the kitten.
"If I remember correctly, your opponent tomorrow is Ichidaisan High School. Is your coach out of his mind to put you in?" Aoba asked, still incredulous.
"Who told me I'd be the secret weapon everyone's so eager to use?" Kou laughed, teasing her.
"Tch, your coach probably knows you can't win and sent you up just for show," Aoba shot back confidently.
"Believe it or not, we're a team aiming for Koshien. We won't just lose here easily," Kou said, eyes shining.
Pfft! Aoba couldn't help it—she burst into laughter.
"Here you go, Kou. Your meat sauce noodles. I made them especially for you," Wakaba said, setting a bowl overflowing with extra meat sauce in front of Kou, interrupting their argument.
"Ugh! Wakaba, you're biased! My bowl didn't look like that at all. I want a bowl just like his!" Aoba whined, using her cuteness to full effect.
"Hey, Aoba, didn't you just finish eating?" Wakaba asked helplessly.
"I don't care! I want another bowl—or two—of the special meat sauce noodles!" Aoba continued nagging.
"Momiji, you too?"
"Of course! Another bowl, please," Momiji said, licking her lips.
"No way! You'll get sick. I'll make it another day if you really want it!" Wakaba said, hands on her hips, finally restoring order. The two troublemakers quieted down.
The next morning, 8:30 AM, at the Tsukishima household:
"Meow… meow… meow…" Ichiyo Tsukishima teased the kitten NOMO with a toy.
Aoba stretched as she emerged from her room.
"Ah… slept so well."
"How can you be so calm? Today's Yakushi vs. Ichidaisan, and Kou's starting!" Ichiyo said.
"Isn't it in the afternoon? What's the point of getting up so early?" Aoba said nonchalantly.
"If you get up any later, the three of us will have to leave first," Ichiyo replied, still playing with NOMO.
"Speaking of which, Kou must be nervous. First time starting, and against Ichidaisan," Aoba said with a smug grin.
"See? You and Kou… you're very similar," Ichiyo chuckled.
"Um… where are Wakaba and Momiji?" Aoba asked, changing the subject awkwardly.
Ichiyo said nothing, simply watching her with quiet interest.
Meanwhile, at Kitamura's house, Kou was still fast asleep.
"Kou! Wake up! Don't we have a match today?!" his mother called from downstairs.
Kou stirred, slowly opening his eyes.
"A match?"
Only after seeing a large note on his desk did he realize.
"Oh, right… right." He got out of bed, stretching lazily. "I'm… kind of nervous. Hey, Mom, where's breakfast?"
"Okay, got it," she replied.
At Stadium, a steady stream of spectators filed in. By 9:00 AM, the stands were mostly full.
Although this wasn't the match between the two major powerhouses, both teams' winners would face each other in the quarterfinals, making today a sort of appetizer.
The audience chatted in small groups:
"It's so hot… and it's only nine in the morning."
"Yeah, it's going to get even hotter later."
Outside the stadium, Yakushi High's players gathered.
"Everyone here?" Todoroki Raizo asked, calm but observant.
"Um… Coach, Kou hasn't arrived yet," Nakanishi Daiki said timidly.
"What?! Didn't I say we had to be here before nine? It's almost nine-thirty! When he gets here, I'll give him a good whack on the head!" Raizo fumed.
"Nakanishi… do you know why he's late?" Raizo asked, still venting.
Daiki wished he could vanish on the spot. "I guess… maybe… He overslept," he mumbled.
Pfft! Hahaha!
The team erupted with laughter.
"As expected of Kou, he can sleep through anything, even an important match, hahaha…"
"Just like him, hahaha…"
Shinji Maruyama theatrically clutched his neck, tongue out, eyes wide, as if Kou had already been punished. Even socially awkward Todoroki Raichi couldn't stop laughing.
The mood was cheerful—except for Todoroki Raizo. His fury burned quietly, barely contained.
"Kou! You're dead meat! When you get here, you'll learn what it means to face a coach's unassailable authority! Ugh, you wretched brat!!!"
Ha ha ha ha…
The team laughed even harder.