Chapter 54: Finals League
As Hideki left the room, and hugged Riko, he told her "Let's get air outside for a while Riko." Riko nodded as they knew that Hyuga and Teppei needed some alone time for a minute.
Outside the hospital premises, Hideki got a can of energy drink from the vending machine and got Riko a cold iced tea from the vending machine too, just to calm her.
As they are sitting down Hideki broke the ice and said "Well, I am sorry too Riko, if I still can't believe that we'll be number 1 in Japan, I guess that bitterness and helplessness still got me. Even as I faced one of them earlier."
Riko quickly looked at Hideki and Hideki continued, "But now I'll strive harder, most especially my temper against that bastard Makoto, and help Seirin be number 1 in Japan."
"Especially earlier, as I got flashbacks of Benjie's injury, I couldn't control myself. That's another thing I'm sorry for."
Riko was now kind of okay and was not sobbing anymore, but she still has red eyes and told Hideki, "It's fine Hideki-kun, it happened now anyways, let's just look towards the future. We';; try to hold down the fort at the Finals League."
Hideki nodded at her and said "Yeah, thanks, I just really feel bad now I couldn't protect your boyfriend." Riko was shocked but didn't blush as her 'tomboyish' side emerged and smacked his arm and shouted "Hey, I told you we're not a couple!"
Hideki laughed which was followed by Riko, later that night Kagetora fetched Riko at the hospital as he got Kanai's text that Riko's at the hospital. Upon seeing Hideki he told Hideki "Well, looks like you got a nice vacation kid, but what you did was better, don't let him trample on your team."
Hideki shrugged and said, "Well yeah, and we stomped them I heard." Kagetora chuckled and said, "Well, that's kinda poetic right there kid. You got that attitude right from your pops."
Hideki didn't paid that dad joke and asked Kagetora, "Well since, I've got early vacation, is your gym open for me? I'd like to improve my shots." Kagetora and Riko were surprised since they knew that Hideki was the type of guy who didn't exert much effort after a loss or 'early' vacation, much like an offseason for an NBA player.
Kagetora just shrugged and said "Well yeah it's open for you." Kagetora motioned Riko to stand and said "Riko-chan let's go home." Riko stood up and Kagetora asked Hideki "So,is there's someone eyeing Riko?" Hideki smirked and said "There are several boys and there's a special someone."
Kagetora quickly got his hand in his hip as if pulling something, Hideki quickly grabbed Kagetora and shouted "Fucking stupid old man! We're at a hospital! Wait until you meet that guy in an empty bridge or something, you won't see Riko anymore! Or you might be in jail before that special someone is six feet under!"
Riko smacked both Hideki's and Kagetora's head hard and said "Stop it you two! You're embarrassing me!"
Quickly the man and the highschool boy stopped, seeing many bystanders.
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After a week, Hideki was in Kagetora's gym and Seirin is scheduled to play in the Finals League. Riko told Hideki that he can 'skip' out going to the venue and just continue practice, he'll get the itch playin when he is watching, Riko specifically told Hideki "Don't worry Hideki-kun, we'll try to hold down the fort."
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At the games, the team atmosphere was kind of nervous inducing as Hideki and Teppei were missing, the captain was not allowed to play for the next three days and Teppei was found out to have an injury to his knee and was subsequently not available to play for one year from now on.
Hyuga acted as the captain and successfully raised the team's spirit. Only for a while.
Their first match was against Shutoku High, with the constant presence in the middle, Taisuke Otsubo, and this was the match where Teppei's and / or Hideki's presence would have been really valuable. But alas, you have to deal with the cards you were given with.
Seirin tried to metaphorically hold down the fort but Otsubo's inside presence and Shutoku's above average defense and offense was no match for Seirin having their 2 impactful players out, and Hyuga's having an off-day, most likely due to Shutoku's defense focusing on him, so he was forced to brick a shot most of the time.
At the end, the score was 62 to 128 with Shutoku winning.
The next day was against Senshinkan, they didn't have any notable player but their skill level was still too high and Seirin still got destroyed in the end.
The score was 120 to 98.
Their last opponents were Tokyo's Best Defending team, you can almost dub them as Tokyo Defenders, as they the number 1 defense in Tokyo, except with Hideki is on the floor, then he is the number 1 guy on defense.
But alas their captain was not here and they were demolished by Seiho's wacky and different style of moving, and their defense was top-notch as Hyuga was now shut down and is unable to produce any shots, Izuki's and Koga's shots were less reliable then Hyuga as the saying goes, "We Don't let Hyuga beat us, let the rest of Seirin beat us."
In the end, Seiho ran through Seirin by 110 to 40.
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The Final League run was really brutal with the absence of Seirin's two bright stars, Hideki and Teppei, who were unable to help Seirin after their fight against Kirisaki Daichi last week, same event but different reason and orchestrated by one man alone. But enough about the past.
It was already 3PM and Seirin's last game is most likely done, and if it's like the previous two, they'll get destroyed. Either by Seiho's suffocating defense or the other's inability to shoot clutch shots. Well he got the first one right.
After thinking to himself, Hideki finished his short water break as the door in the gym opened, Riko entered the gym very solemn and Hideki saw this, so he approached her, and asked. "Win or lose?" Riko huffed and said "Lose." She dropped her bag on the chair, in slight anger.
Hideki hugged her as she began so sob and cry, Riko told Hideki "Sorry Hideki, we didn't hold down the fort." Hideki cupped his hand on Riko's head and told her "At least, we brought a relatively new and unknown team to the Tokyo Final League. And the guys scored a combined 200 points against Tokyo's Three Kings."
Hideki removed his hands from the hug and put his hands on Riko's shoulder, looked at her in the eyes and said "You drastically helped this team to what we are now, supposedly champions. You helped us in a big way! So cry now and later we'll train the team!"
Riko rubbed her eyes, now smiling and looked at Hideki and said "Yeah, thanks a lot Hideki."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Pel47
Pel47 Hi Everybody Author Here.
For this chapter, I think what's on most people's minds is how I let the canon thing happened, Seirin stomped at the Finals League, but there are some small adjustments to it: like lowering the score deficit, not to make the score tripled.
And Hideki not showing in the Finals League, I told it in the last chapter that he was suspended for the Finals League due to his 'bad behavior', even if Makoto instigated it the events on purpose.
So in the end, Seirin still lost the Finals League as I think it's character development for the players.
So you may ask why let Hideki be suspended instead of being injured like Teppei, even if a light injury. Well, I didn't think of any light injury but it adds emotion to the scene.
So that's all from me, You'll see the Volume turn to 4 by the end of the next chapters. Hideki's Second Year High School life is near!
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