Shintaro Midorima gritted his teeth, his expression no longer calm.
He was in terrible condition, unbelievably bad.
First, his mind was a mess, spinning and dizzy.
Second, his legs. At this point, Shintaro Midorima could barely even feel them. He could not stand steadily at all.
Then there were his wrists and lower back. When he entered the Zone, he had not felt much.
But the moment the Zone faded, his wrists felt as if they had been smashed by a heavy hammer.
His lower back was no different.
Clearly, these were the side effects of overexertion and forcing his body to use techniques it could not handle.
Miyamoto Tokima looked at Shintaro Midorima, who had gone limp in his arms, and let out a soft sigh.
"Go rest. It is best to get checked at the hospital."
As soon as he finished speaking, the referee blew the whistle.
"Beep. Shutoku High School requests a timeout."
This time, Miyamoto Tokima personally supported Shintaro Midorima off the court.
When they reached Shutoku High School's bench, Miyamoto Tokima ignored the complicated looks from the others and turned to their coach, Masaaki Nakatani.
"Shintaro Midorima has overexerted himself. We should take him to the hospital now, especially to check his wrist and lower back."
Masaaki Nakatani took Shintaro Midorima with a heavy expression.
Feeling the constant cold sweat on Midorima's forehead and his labored breathing, he immediately realized how serious the situation was.
He looked at Miyamoto Tokima with gratitude.
"Thank you."
Miyamoto Tokima waved his hand.
"Let's go. I will come along. I have some connections at the nearest hospital."
That nearest hospital...
was owned by Miyamoto Tokima's family.
Masaaki Nakatani nodded, then turned to the Shutoku High School players.
After a brief pause, he sighed and called three substitutes to accompany them in taking Shintaro Midorima to the hospital.
At that moment, Taisuke Otsubo stepped forward.
"Coach, let me go!"
Kiyoshi Miyaji and Shinsuke Kimura followed.
"Coach, I will go." x2
Masaaki Nakatani smiled helplessly.
"No. I will take Midorima with them. You all..."
He gave a faint, lonely smile.
"Enjoy this game..."
At that moment, Masaaki Nakatani already knew.
They had lost.
Completely.
The only thing he could do now was let Taisuke Otsubo and the others enjoy this match a little longer.
Enjoy this game on the highest stage in Japan.
The national championship...
It had always been their dream, but now they were about to fall at the very last step.
But there was nothing they could do.
They were simply outmatched.
That was how competitive sports worked. You achieved your own dreams by crushing someone else's.
It was cruel, but that was reality.
Taisuke Otsubo and the others clenched their fists, still wanting to say something.
Masaaki Nakatani cut them off.
"I am the coach. I order you to finish this match."
Taisuke Otsubo and the others gritted their teeth and finally answered with difficulty.
"...Yes..."
Seeing that things were settled, Miyamoto Tokima prepared to follow.
Suddenly, Taisuke Otsubo grabbed him.
Miyamoto Tokima turned back in confusion.
Taisuke Otsubo stood there with a serious expression and gave him a deep bow.
"Thank you."
Miyamoto Tokima paused for a moment, then smiled.
"It is nothing. After all, Shintaro is my friend too."
After saying that, Miyamoto Tokima waved his hand and headed toward Kirisaki Daiichi's side.
After briefly speaking with Satsuki Momoi, he ran off to catch up with Masaaki Nakatani.
Seeing this, Satsuki Momoi began arranging the lineup for the rest of the game...
...
Soon, Masaaki Nakatani, Miyamoto Tokima, and the others arrived at the hospital.
Kazunari Takao was also with them.
Even though he had been ejected, he had not left. Instead, he stayed in the locker room watching the game on TV.
When he saw Shintaro Midorima get injured, he immediately rushed out and joined them.
Because Miyamoto Tokima had already contacted the hospital on the way, Shintaro Midorima's examination proceeded quickly.
While waiting for the results, Satsuki Momoi called and reported the final score.
133 to 79. Kirisaki Daiichi won.
Without their head coach, and without the Shintaro Midorima and Kazunari Takao duo, Shutoku High School had no resistance against Kirisaki Daiichi.
They were completely crushed by a huge margin.
Miyamoto Tokima was not surprised. Kirisaki Daiichi's strength spoke for itself.
At the same time, Masaaki Nakatani hung up the phone and sighed softly.
Kazunari Takao looked concerned.
"Coach, what is it?"
Masaaki Nakatani sighed and told him the result.
Hearing the score, Kazunari Takao clenched his teeth in frustration.
He tightened his fist and looked at Miyamoto Tokima nearby.
Then he slowly walked over and met his gaze.
Finally, Kazunari Takao slowly extended his hand.
Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
"Congratulations... to you..."
Miyamoto Tokima was startled. For a moment, he thought Kazunari Takao was going to throw a punch.
But since the other party was being polite, not responding would be rude.
So Miyamoto Tokima reached out and shook his hand.
"Thank you."
Kazunari Takao wiped his tears, his eyes firm.
"We will definitely win the Winter Cup."
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
"I have heard that countless times, but..."
"I look forward to it."
Kazunari Takao looked at Miyamoto Tokima's calm smile. For a brief moment, a thought surfaced in his heart.
You can never defeat the person in front of you.
But it was only for a moment.
Kazunari Takao did not believe in fate. He had his own dreams.
If the youth were not passionate, then what was the point of being young?
At that moment, the doctor in charge walked out.
Kazunari Takao and Masaaki Nakatani rushed over anxiously.
"Doctor, how is he?"
The doctor looked at the report and smiled.
"It is not very serious. A week of rest will be enough. However, during this week, he must avoid lifting heavy objects, including excessive use of his wrist."
Kazunari Takao patted his chest.
"Do not worry, I will carry his things for him."
The doctor nodded and added:
"There is one more very important point."
Masaaki Nakatani and Kazunari Takao quickly asked:
"What is it?"
The doctor said, "Cut back on masturbation."
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (45 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.