Chapter 58: Two Big Reasons

The crowd grew even more restless as the game continued.

They had never expected it to be this exciting as they watched Seirin getting one-sidedly crushed again, just like they did against Too Academy yesterday.

"...Even Ryota Kise from Kaijo High couldn't copy Aomine's moves. Just who is this guy?"

Imayoshi commented as he adjusted his glasses, his eyes fixed on Tsuna. He felt like he had just discovered a new talent that had suddenly emerged out of nowhere.

The reason why Kise, who was part of the Generation of Miracles, couldn't copy Aomine's movements or those of any other Generation of Miracles members was simply because their moves were too taxing on his body, which wasn't accustomed to them.

As he watched Tsuna weave through Seirin's defensive formation effortlessly, he muttered, "It feels like I'm watching Aomine play on the court..."

Imayoshi didn't know how Tsuna managed to copy Aomine's movements, but the fact alone made it clear just how monstrous a threat Tsuna was.

"And we're going to play against them tomorrow, huh?"

Imayoshi didn't want to admit it, but just the thought of facing Tsuna, who could copy Aomine's movements, sent a shiver down his spine.

It felt like they were up against Aomine himself.

However, Imayoshi had an unsettling feeling lingering in his mind as he continued to watch the game. He muttered, "...Am I missing something?"

"Whoaa! They got the ball again!"

The crowd exclaimed loudly as Kuroko, not in the right state of mind, attempted a pass to Hyuga.

"Fuck, Kuroko! What's happened to you!?"

The pass was weaker than usual, causing Hyuga to widen his eyes in surprise and adjust his position, losing his momentum.

Sakamoto grinned and swiftly stole the ball.

"...Shit!"

Hyuga cursed as he saw Sakamoto immediately pass the ball to Tsuna, who effortlessly weaved through their defensive formation.

"Kuroko-kun..."

Momoi's eyes were filled with concern as she watched the scene unfold. She knew Kuroko was still affected by yesterday's game. Seirin called an immediate timeout.

"..."

Aomine furrowed his eyebrows at the sight, shaking his head to clear his thoughts before turning his attention back to Tsuna.

This time, he was sure of it. He would finally get the excitement he had been seeking!

Though the crowd was vibrant with excitement, the same couldn't be said for Seirin. They sat in silence on the bench, with Aida feeling helpless as they had no strategy to counter their opponent.

"...I'm sorry, everyone."

She felt tears streaming down her face, and the others could only look on, unable to stop her crying.

Hyuga felt especially helpless and disgusted with himself. Still, as the captain, he needed to do something. He spoke, "Kuroko, we'll be substituting you for the rest of the game..."

Kuroko seemed traumatized by this since it reminded him of what happened with Too Academy. They all felt the same, but considering Kuroko's history with them, it was only right for him to feel it more deeply than the other Seirin players.

"...!"

Kuroko's eyes widened slightly before his expression eased, and he lowered his head, thinking it was an expected outcome given his lousy performance.

Hyuga nodded in silence, took a deep breath, and spoke, "Let's go, everyone. Let's get through this nightmare together..."

With that, Seirin seemed to have given up. As the game continued, Tsuna noticed they were playing on autopilot, which made him click his tongue in annoyance. He lost interest in playing because of this.

The first quarter ended in utter destruction, and the second was pretty much the same...

...then the next half...

Before the referee finally blew the whistle, marking the end of the game, Seirin's players all turned to look at the scoreboard, only to have their pupils shake in disbelief.

"...122 - 15? Are you joking?"

The crowd was also in disbelief before they clapped their hands excitedly and cheered for Totsuki Culinary Academy's victory!

"Whoaa, crazy darkhorse just emerged!"

"Agree that guy is fucking crazy!"

Watching the whole game unfold, as Seirin faced a one-sided beating, Imayoshi felt sweat rolling down his forehead as he realized something, "...What the hell?"

"If it was his own movement, I'd understand, but..."

He briefly looked at the scoreboard before turning to Tsuna, who didn't seem tired at all, as if everything was just a walk in the park. Imayoshi felt uncomfortable with the fact that Tsuna freely used Aomine's movements as if they were his own.

"...Just what kind of monster suddenly showed up out of nowhere?" 

Imayoshi nervously adjusted his glasses.

Aomine was also slightly shaken by this realization but grinned even wider, laughing heartily, "Hahaha, good! This is turning out to be better than I thought!"

He was glad that Wakamatsu had threatened him to come, and discovering Tsuna's existence made him generous enough to forget about his Horikita Mai-chan magazine that was on the line.

"...To think there would be a team like this in the tournament," Momoi's expression turned thoughtful. She realized she had insufficient data about this team, and her eyes flashed with determination as she silently vowed, "I need to find out more about them..."

As the current manager of the Too Academy team, Momoi felt the responsibility to provide the information needed for the team to win.

She was determined to uncover all the details about this team that had suddenly shown up out of nowhere.

Back with the Totsuki players, Sakamoto found that Tsuna had already finished packing up while the others were relaxing, trying to rest, while Sato and Aoki were fighting as usual.

"...You're already leaving?"

"Yeah, why?"

"...No, nothing..."

Sakamoto shook his head as he sat down, feeling tired since they played full time without any substitutes, having only five players.

Tsuna bid his farewell and seemed to be running back home, which was unbelievable considering how he had played.

Sakamoto muttered, "...He's definitely a monster, huh?"

Contrary to Sakamoto's expectation, Tsuna didn't just run back home; he took a detour around the city while screaming out loud as usual, continuing to grind for the next couple of hours before finally returning to his restaurant just as it was about to open.

"...Hmm?"

However, as he made his way back to his restaurant, Tsuna was quite surprised by the unexpected guest standing in front of his establishment, curiously looking around.

It was a pink-haired girl who put her finger on her chin as she observed her surroundings. Upon seeing Tsuna walking over, she blinked in confusion at his drenched figure. "...Did you just go for a run?"

"Yeah, who are you?"

"Ah..."

She then realized she might have been rude and bowed, introducing herself, "My name is Satsuki Momoi. Nice to meet you, Ito-kun..."

"Oh, you know me already, huh? So what's up?"

"I wonder if your restaurant is open today?"

Momoi smiled politely as Tsuna was almost getting distracted by two obvious reasons as he shrugged his shoulders and spoke, "Yeah, give me a moment..."

Tsuna then opened up his restaurant, putting up the open sign at the front before turning to Momoi, who looked at him in surprise.

"Well, do you want to come in or not?"

"Ah... Yes, please..."

Momoi wryly smiled as she made her way in.

She was greeted by a traditional restaurant setting, which made her feel slightly relieved that it was a normal restaurant.