Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Excited for the Winter Cup!
Back in Japan, Kagami had taken quite a beating, leaving him battered and bruised. His mouth was tightly sealed with some sort of tape to keep him from talking, but he continued to insist that he was a student of Alexandra with his stare.
The members of Fukuda Sogo Academy's Student Union were restraining Kagami, preventing him from making any sudden moves.
The vice leader of the Student Union, temporarily overseeing things in Nijimura's absence, wore a disapproving frown as he observed Kagami's unyielding stare.
"...Vice-leader, I think he might actually be telling the truth," one of the student union members who had taken part in beating Kagami said hesitantly.
It was unusual for someone to be as persistent as Kagami. Typically, those who were on the receiving end of such a beating would have left immediately. This made him wonder if there was some truth to Kagami's claims.
The vice-leader let out a deep sigh and shook his head in response. "I had my doubts, too, but we cannot verify this ourselves."
"Why don't we ask the basketball club members?" one of the students in the group suggested, tilting his head in confusion.
The vice-leader sighed once more and replied, "That's the issue. The ones who stayed behind likely aren't the regular members. They might be unaware of this guy's connection with Mrs. Garcia."
Upon hearing this, Kagami's eyes suddenly widened as he realized something. He began to wriggle his body frantically and muffled a scream from behind the tape.
The group exchanged glances, and the vice-leader signaled to one of his members to remove the tape from Kagami's mouth.
Once Kagami could speak, he desperately inquired, "Hey, what do you mean by that? Did they leave or something?"
The vice-leader nodded in response, saying, "Yeah, their captain took them to the US for some special training or something. So, we have no way of confirming the truth without them now."
Hearing this, Kagami's eyes slowly lost their color as he felt like he was being toyed with.
"So, I've come all this way for nothing," Kagami muttered helplessly.
Witnessing Kagami's dejected look, the vice-leader couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He signaled to the others to release Kagami, who remained motionless even after being set free.
The vice-leader hesitated but then decided to pull out his phone. He muttered to himself, "...Should I call him?"
Nijimura had instructed him to reach out if anything important came up.
Though he was uncertain if asking for someone's identity was important enough, he figured it was worth a try.
It was still around 10 a.m. in Japan, so Nijimura should be available for a call in the US. Gazing at Kagami's lifeless expression, the vice-leader steeled himself and pressed the call button for Nijimura's number.
In the corner of Tokyo, nestled among the urban landscape, lay a public basketball court.
The rhythmic symphony of the bouncing ball, harmonized with the melodious squeak of sneakers against the polished concrete, resonated in the air.
Amidst this urban backdrop, a dark blue-haired teenager showcased a remarkable display of skill and agility. With an excited grin that seemed to paint itself across his face, he dribbled the basketball effortlessly with such precision.
"Aomine! I get that you're hyped for the Winter Cup, and it's awesome that you've gotten back into serious training, but ditching school is not the way to go, you knucklehead!"
Momoi was giving Aomine a stern talking-to. She wore an irritated expression, her cheeks puffed out in frustration.
She was clearly exasperated.
While she was happy to see Aomine rediscover his passion for basketball and work hard, she hadn't anticipated he'd be so pumped that he'd start skipping school for it.
Even though Coach Harasawa appeared to tolerate it, Momoi couldn't help but feel frustrated by Aomine's frequent school absences.
But her scolding seemed to have no effect on Aomine. He dribbled the basketball enthusiastically, moving like he was up against a formidable adversary.
"Quit bugging me, Satsuki. I'm getting excited..." Aomine retorted with a grin.
He closed his eyes and visualized Tsuna as his imaginary opponent, fully immersed in the game.
Following his defeats against Tsuna, Aomine threw himself wholeheartedly into training, often pushing himself to his limits.
Despite nursing persistent aches and injuries from their fierce battles, he was unwavering in his determination. The pain in his muscles was a constant reminder, fueling his conviction that he would emerge even stronger once these physical discomforts subsided.
In his imaginary world, Aomine could see the same Tsuna he faced during the Interhigh, with his usual smirk as if everything was under his control, effortlessly put up a perfect defensive form that didn't have a slight opening.
Aomine's grin widened as he accelerated his dribbling, relentlessly probing for openings in Tsuna's defense.
He expertly crossed over to the right, maintaining his momentum as he rotated his body in that direction. He executed a powerful rightward leap to deliver an unconventional, forceful shot that swished through the basket.
After Aomine's shot, the basketball bounced on the court, and he paused to take a deep breath, closing his eyes.
In his mind, Aomine's excitement surged as he imagined Tsuna standing there, unfazed by his shot.
"You truly are something, Tsuna," Aomine muttered to his imaginary opponent.
Within his vivid imagination, he could see Tsuna's disappointed expression, reminiscent of the look he had given Aomine when the guy had declared him unworthy.
Yet, while Aomine was caught up in his intense training, Momoi was focused on a different task. She was reviewing Aomine's previous performance data and couldn't help but be thoroughly impressed by his rapid improvement.
As she analyzed the data, she couldn't shake the thought that Aomine hadn't even reached his peak yet.
In addition to her concerns about Aomine skipping school, another reason she had been assigned to observe his training was to ensure he didn't overexert himself due to his excitement and to monitor his progress.
Momoi took her role seriously, her eyes fixed on Aomine's every move as she continued her analysis.
With gratitude in her heart, Momoi watched Aomine's intense training. She couldn't help but think, "Thanks to Tsuna, Aomine will undoubtedly reach his peak or even beyond by the time the Winter Cup begins."
She kept her careful eye on Aomine as he retrieved the basketball, his gaze now more focused and calculating. It was clear that Aomine was gearing up for another round of one-on-one in his imaginary match.
However, as he continued his way, Aomine suddenly stopped in his tracks, gazing down at his worn-out shoes.
It was evident that his intense training had taken a toll on his footwear. He muttered to himself, "Guess it's time for a new pair of shoes."
In the US, Nijimura found himself in their changing room, wiping the sweat from his face with a fresh towel provided by Jabberwock's management staff. As he glanced around, he noticed that everyone else in the room had succumbed to their exhaustion and fallen asleep.
Nijimura couldn't help but chuckle as he reflected on their game against the formidable Jabberwock team.
Despite their overwhelming physical and mental fatigue, they were determined to continue training after the match, driven by the realization that they didn't want to be a burden to Tsuna.
He couldn't help but think, "Tsuna must have anticipated all of this as he had changed our diet even before our arrival to the US."
Just then, Nijimura's phone rang, breaking the silence in the room.
Curious and somewhat surprised, Nijimura glanced at the caller ID and saw it was the vice leader of the Student Union. Puzzled by the timing, he answered the call.
"Hello? Vice-leader, what's up?" Nijimura inquired.
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