Chapter 233: Watching His Son Shine

Shirogane cast a brief glance at the scoreboard before turning to his team. Despite the visible sweat, everyone appeared composed, their breathing controlled.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"There won't be any changes to the strategy..." He spoke slowly, and everyone nodded in agreement.

He continued, "And if there are any changes on the court, just follow Akashi's calls."

"Understood, Coach!"

The Rakuzan High players replied resolutely.

Mibuchi couldn't help but steal a glance at Akashi, who silently wiped his sweat. Inwardly, Mibuchi thought, "...To think he would use it right away. That was surprising."

Initially surprised by Akashi's immediate use of his Emperor Eyes, Mibuchi couldn't quite grasp the reason behind it, but he was confident there was a reasonable explanation for the move.

Meanwhile, on Shutoku's side, heavy panting contrasted sharply with Rakuzan's composed breathing.

This sight prompted Nakatani to frown deeply.

"...Hmm, it is indeed true that we were quite aggressive in the first quarter," Nakatani silently pondered as he observed his team closely.

His eyes sharpened as he glanced toward the opposite side, where Rakuzan players were resting.

Continuing his thoughts, he mused, "Seems like they were no joke..."

Shutoku's aggressive play should have applied massive pressure on their opponents, but Rakuzan handled it with remarkable composure. Not only did they withstand the pressure, but they also retaliated, flipping the situation to make Shutoku feel pressured instead.

"...Let's slow down the pace a bit in the next quarter," Nakatani decided after considering his options.

"Understood!"

Shutoku replied, busily wiping their sweat and attempting to control their breathing.

In the Fukuda Sogo's seat section, Tsuna lightly curled up his lips upon observing Shutoku's players' condition.

"...Akashi didn't use much of his Emperor Eyes during the first quarter," Tsuna silently thought.

The guy had been utilizing it at the start and only a few more times during specific moments throughout the first quarter, making Tsuna shake his head, "That will keep these players on edge every second of the quarter..."

This was the reason why Shutoku players depleted their stamina faster.

Although it was undeniable that the Uncrowned Kings' improvement also played some role in Akashi completing this subtle move, it was primarily because of his Emperor Eyes that made these players wary and tensed every time Akashi held the ball.

"...It seems like he had taken Midorima's zone into consideration this time," Tsuna smiled, noting that Akashi remained sharp as always.

"Still..."

He suddenly redirected his attention to another section, just right beside the Fukuda Section.

There, he saw a middle-aged man wearing a suit that was obviously tailored and especially expensive, along with a big fishing hat and glasses.

Tsuna sighed, "...He should be busy, right? Why is he here?"

Tsuna noticed the middle-aged man's bodyguards around him as he shook his head. He then turned to Nijimura, "Shuzo, ask that gentleman over there to come and sit with me. Be polite..."

Nijimura tilted his head in confusion as he turned to see the middle-aged man who seemed suspicious, in his opinion. Nonetheless, he nodded and slowly made his way toward the middle-aged man.

The bodyguards, seeing a teenager approaching their boss, grew wary. Their bodies tensed up, ready to take immediate action if needed.

However, this did not go unnoticed by Nijimura, who had learned martial arts.

His eyes immediately sharpened as he thought, "...This middle-aged man is not your average guy, is he Young Master's acquaintance?"

Fortunately, realizing what was going on, the middle-aged man turned toward Nijimura.

He gestured toward his bodyguards to ease off, prompting a respectful bow from Nijimura.

"Hello there, Sir. Our Young Master has invited you to sit with him. Would you mind changing your seat for us?" He got right into business.

Following Tsuna's instruction to be polite, he executed it precisely as he had been taught by Sebas.

The middle-aged man frowned as he glanced at Tsuna's smiling face directed at him. He muttered, "Rude brat."

"...Pardon?"

Nijimura widened his eyes in disbelief, thinking his ears were playing tricks on him.

However, the middle-aged man didn't say anything as he spoke, "Tell your Young Master that I didn't want to make a scene..."

"Oh, understood." Nijimura nodded as he bowed politely, then went back to Tsuna to relay the message that the middle-aged man had refused the invitation.

Tsuna shook his head and said, "Hah? Look at how he's talking, refusing me? Sorry, Uncle, you can't do that yet..."

He then deliberately sighed loudly as he continued, "Well, that was unfortunate. I probably should tell some kid of my age that his dad came here without him knowing..."

Although Nijimura and the others looked confused as to why Tsuna suddenly said that, the middle-aged man's expression darkened as he stood up and approached Tsuna without saying a word.

Nijimura's body tensed instinctively, sensing a powerful aura from the middle-aged man before Tsuna raised his hand, "It's fine..."

The others in Fukuda Sogo also felt terrified, their expressions paling, even Haizaki, who was usually fiery.

"He likes to show off just like his son..." Tsuna silently continued, giving a bright smile as the middle-aged man sat down on Tsuna's side disgruntled.

"You really have no respect for your elders, huh? Threatening me like that..."

Tsuna chuckled as he spoke, "Oh, Uncle Jiro, I didn't expect to see you here..."

The man named Uncle Jiro clicked his tongue annoyedly, seeing Tsuna didn't even waver in front of his presence.

Thinking he had grown older, he turned to Nijimura, seeing that the teenager was completely on edge, which made him frown, realizing that he had indeed been exuding his powerful aura forged through his lifetimes.

He shook his head, thinking that Tsuna was indeed an exception; even his own son would waver in front of him.

"...Alright, tell me, what do you want? I just want to quietly enjoy the game."

"I'm sure you do. After all, it's your son's match..."

Nijimura widened his eyes in disbelief, realizing that the man in front of him was Jiro Akashi!

"...No wonder his presence was suffocating; he was the man who led the Akashi Group in Japan!"

He turned to Tsuna and saw that he just shrugged it off as if it was nothing, nodding in awe, "As expected of Young Master. It was nothing for him, huh?"

"...But, Uncle, could you please do me a favor and not scare my teammates."

Tsuna's voice suddenly was devoid of any emotions as he exuded a similarly powerful aura that seemed to almost devour Jiro's.

"Hah! Look who's talking..."

Jiro scoffed, seeing the others in Fukuda Sogo pale even whiter as his aura clashed with Tsuna.

He shook his head and returned back to a normal middle-aged man, making the others flusteredly take a deep breath while watching the middle-aged man warily.

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