"Away day, here we go again…"


    Everyone sighed in unison as they all walked together to Teiryo High. After ying with such electric crowds in their own home, having to go as a visitor team suddenly felt ufortable. Fortunately, the school was in Adachi wards, not far from the Edogawa wards where their school was. They didn''t need to take a subway as they could reach it with only a fifteen-minute walk.


    It was the beginning of June when the temperature gradually rose and made them ufortable. Gone was the warm atmosphere of spring, as the summer was already waiting for them. For most people, summer was identic with holiday, either festival, beach, or something simr.@@novelbin@@


    However, for high school students who fought in the national tournament, this was probably the most important time in their lives.


    And it was no different for the Tsunemori yers there.


    Even though they didn''t have too much pressure before, this time was different. They finally felt the weight of being in the top 16, as they were two rounds away from the top fours, which was the requirement from the school to keep the team alive. And just like the old people said, the hardest part of the 100-mile journey was always in thest ten miles.


    "Do you all feel nervous?" Akira suddenly asked.


    Your next journey awaits at м??


    Everyone turned their eyes at him, trying their best to send their fiercest re at the coach. Akira knew how they felt and what were they worrying about, so there was no need to say it out loud. The coach himself was taken aback, then let out a small chuckle.


    "Well, good. You know what I always say. The more you are nervous, the more you care about the game. Just run more during the warm-up session to blow off the steam."


    Everyone could only grumble lowly, not knowing how toin to the coach. They kept walking for another minute, passing a few temples while trying to buy a ''good luck'' charm for the game. Unlike any other ce in Tokyo, Adachi was quiet and less crowded. Even if it wasn''t the trendiest ce, at least the rural atmosphere there wasfortable enough to live.


    "Is that the school?" Yuki asked, narrowing his eyes.


    "Yeah." Akira nodded. "Just like us, Teiryo is an old school. The building could be dated far back to the Showa era. Its building is the silent witness of so many historical events in Japan." He said in the tone of a tour guide while admiring the building in front of them.


    However, his admiration of the building wasn''t shared by the others.


    "This is the kind of ce where the ghost would attack the protagonist first in a movie, right?" Okamura threw a joke. Some stiffened theirughter while the other couldn''t hold back and chuckle.


    "You are not wrong, Oka." Kaede''s eyes as he let his imagination run wildly. "Also, the second floor is usually the ce where the gate between this world and the youkai world is ced."


    "Hey, you are right! I seem to have watched that kind of anime a few days ago!"


    "It is not an anime, you idiot! You read it with me in my Shonen Jump magazine, remember?"


    "Oh, yeah!"


    Akira could only shake his head helplessly as instead of listening to his quick history lesson, everyone seemed to be busy chatting andughing. However, he didn''t interrupt or join the fun, thinking that the team needed a rxed atmosphere like this to deal with the tension.


    "Well, wait for here. I will go inside and ask where should we go. Megumi, you will be the one responsible for everything when I am not around, so keep your eyes on them, okay?"


    "Hai!"


    Akira walked inside quickly, leaving all the yers in front of the gate. While they could just barge in and ask where was the gymnasium building, it was still rude to do that, as if they entered someone''s house without asking permission. Fortunately, it didn''t take too long for Akira to ask, as he went back in a minute with a man slightly younger than him behind.


    "This is Morita Iwao, Teiryo''s head coach." Akira introduced quickly.


    "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Everyone bowed politely at the man.


    "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Iwao, their opponent''s coach mirrored their gesture and bowed too. "Well, since you are already here, let''s go to the gymnasium. The referee hasn''t arrived yet."


    Everyone followed the older man and went inside while their eyes wandering around curiously as if they were in a scenic ce. As they got close to the gymnasium, their nervousness suddenly kicked in once again. The sound of the crowds supporting the home team could be heard even from the outside, and they couldn''t help but remember theirst game against Kyoei Gakuen.


    Unfortunately, this time, they were the ones who became the viin for the crowds there.


    "Good." Akira nodded, satisfied with the atmosphere around there. "I am afraid that this will be like our first two games. Although a quiet game is okay, you all need to experience ying in a hostile situation, as when we y against Konan, almost all the crowds would support our opponent. This would be the best practice to get used to the pressure from outside of the crowds."


    Everyone stared at each other with wry smiles on their face. Only their coach would find something like this to be nice. However, they couldn''t deny the truth behind his words. They knew that starting from the top 8, all the games would be held in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. That was the biggest and the most prestigious ce for all the high school students who yed indoor sports.


    There was no way in such a neutral ce, the crowds wouldn''t support a powerhouse team like Konan.


    "Okay, everyone! Listen to me!" Akira pped, starting his pep talk. All the yers gathered around him as they all had the same seriousness in their eyes. "I know everyone is nervous about the game against Konan, but if we lose today, we can say goodbye to everything. So, I want you to forget everything you learned about Konan and focus on Teiryo. Can you do that?"


    "Yes, Sir!" Even though it was difficult to do, they still nodded their head firmly.


    "Good! Just as I said before, Teiryo is not that strong opponent, so today''s game shouldn''t be as difficult as when we yed against Kyoei or Shimoyawata. But I don''t want you to get carried away and underestimate your opponent. Don''t be too nervous, but don''t be toox. Keep your head down and stay calm and collected. Let''s do it slowly and bring the win back to our school, do you understand?!"


    "YES, SIR!"


    "Very well! Now, go and show them what you can do!"