<89> Just You Wait, Sendo. I’ll Grow Taller Than You,

Chapter 89: Just You Wait, Sendo. I'll Grow Taller Than You,

"Sen-chan, what should we do?" On the bus ride back, Ohno approached Sendo as the team representative.

"What's the matter?"

"Practice, of course! We just realized today how weak we are!" Ohno plopped down in the aisle seat across from him.

"Our weakness isn't exactly news. Remember that summer game? Compared to back then, you've all improved dramatically."

"But! The Autumn Tournament is about to start!"

"The tournament? You don't seriously think we can beat Tokugawa Middle School, do you? Not to discourage you, but we're not at that level yet."

"It just feels overwhelming! We want to do something!"

"I see. Don't rush things. Take it slow. You guys haven't even ingrained the most basic defensive movements into muscle memory yet. Forget about expanding your defensive range for now. It's like trying to run before you can walk. Keep your eyes on your own feet."

"Got it!"

"Honestly, I've been a bit arrogant myself lately. The consecutive victories blinded us to our growth and prevented us from self-reflection. It's good that we've realized this now—it'll help us continue improving."

"Huh? Sen-chan!"

"What? You didn't think I was the type to admit my mistakes?"

"N-no!"

"It's not a bad thing. Starting tomorrow, we'll embark on a new journey!"

"Yeah!"

"Don't forget about us!" Kondou chimed in from behind on behalf of the others.

"Haha, everyone's so fired up! I won't lose to you!" Judging by the tone, it was clear who that was.

"The club has really turned into a solid team," thought Sano with a smile.

"Just you wait, Tokugawa Middle School!" Sawamura declared.

"Idiot! Our target is Suimoku Comprehensive, not Tokugawa."

"Fine, then! Just you wait, Suimoku Comprehensive!"

"Stop repeating yourself!"

"Ouch! What was that for, Sendo?"

"If I don't hit you, you'll never learn."

"Hahaha!"

Yes, they still had plenty of time ahead of them.

...

The next day, everyone used their weekend to go to school for extra practice.

The focus was defense—every player worked to make defensive moves second nature.

The team was full of energy and determination, except for Sendo, who looked utterly drained.

Sawamura had dragged him out of bed that morning, and between being tormented by Fumino at night and Sawamura during the day, Sendo felt like his life was falling apart.

While the team trained passionately, Sendo dozed off to the side.

By lunchtime, they had forgotten about him entirely. But, as expected of Sendo, his growling stomach woke him up.

"Sendo, you can really eat, huh? Even though you didn't even train today!"

"I don't know why, but I get hungry easily. And rice doesn't have enough energy. If I don't move, it's fine, but as soon as I do, I get starving!"

"Really? Maybe you should see a doctor?"

"Buzz off! I'm perfectly healthy!" Sendo retorted, swallowing a huge chunk of meat.

"For some reason, watching Sen-chan eat makes everything look so delicious," Takada commented.

"Don't worry, you look just as good when you eat!" Ohno teased.

"No, Sen-chan is different. Even with plain food, it somehow looks appetizing when he eats it!"

"Really?" Sendo asked, genuinely puzzled. Of course, he couldn't see himself eating.

"Absolutely!" Ohno nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Takada, taking advantage of the moment, stealthily snatched a big piece of meat from Sendo's bento.

"Takada! Are you tired of living? Aren't you supposed to be on a diet? Didn't I tell you to lose 5 kilograms first?" Sendo's sharp observation skills caught him immediately, and he yelled at him.

But just as he turned to scold, several chopsticks darted toward his bento at lightning speed.

"Huh?!" Sawamura, watching the chaos unfold, was stunned.

"You all agree, right?" Sendo turned back, expecting some backup, but instead saw a group of teammates with stuffed cheeks and Sawamura awkwardly pausing mid-reach.

The scene was almost comical.

Sawamura froze, chopsticks suspended in mid-air, looking utterly embarrassed.

"What are you doing? Practicing wood carving?" Sendo said coldly.

"Uh…" Sawamura mumbled, then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, continued to grab a huge chunk of meat from Sendo's bento, ate it, and even smacked his lips for effect.

Sendo: "…"

Everyone: "…"

Sawamura: "…"

"Huh?!" It was only after swallowing the meat that Sawamura realized what he had done. "I didn't mean to! I don't even know what happened—do you believe me?" he asked, still chewing.

...

"What the heck do you mean by 'huh'?! I don't believe you at all! You practically stole it from me!" After a brief silence, Sendo exploded.

For a foodie like him, having his food snatched—brazenly, no less—was the ultimate offense.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Sawamura begged, bowing repeatedly.

"HAHAHAHA!" The others couldn't hold back their laughter as they watched the scene unfold.

"I swear I didn't do it on purpose! Besides, they ate way more than I did! Someone back me up here! Ahhh!!!"

...

"Ugh, I'm so exhausted! Sendo totally overdid it. He must've been holding a grudge! I'm going to die from this!" Sawamura groaned, collapsing on the bench.

"Ei-chan, Sen-chan would never harm you," Ohno said, trying to console him.

"But during lunch, all of you just sat there laughing while I was being scolded so badly! You guys ate more than I did!"

"We're sorry, Ei-chan!"

"Hmph! Just you wait, Sendo. I'll grow taller than you, and then I'll be the one to teach you a lesson!"

"That's… a little…" Aoki hesitated, trying to be tactful.

"Ei-chan, that's never going to happen," Ohno said bluntly.

"Huh?!"

"It's absolutely impossible."

"Why not?!"

"Because your thought process is way too strange, okay? Baka! Why would you even jump to height in the first place?" Wakana concluded with a definitive remark, ending the debate.

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