"Sorry, everyone! I'm late!"
Akashi Asuka arrived at the court, winded and dust-covered, carrying a black shoulder bag.
"Too late!"
"You're late?!"
"And how is it that the gym closest to your house is the one you get to last?"
As soon as Akashi arrived, Tsugawa Tomoki and a few freshmen he was close to gathered around, teasing him with smiles.
From a short distance away, Kasuga Ryuhei saw this and immediately fumed again.
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"By the way, what's in that bag on your back?"
Tsugawa's curiosity was drawn to Akashi's black shoulder bag as he chatted with him.
Akashi unzipped it and revealed a mysterious smile. "Oh, this? You're all familiar with it…"
He pulled something out of the bag.
Once it appeared, not just Tsugawa, but even Tsutomu Iwamura and Kasuga Ryuhei in the distance, had their attention instantly captured.
"Akashi… you… you brought our team's championship trophy?"
Tsugawa's eyes went wide.
Indeed.
The item Akashi pulled from his bag was the championship trophy Seirin had won in this year's Summer Nationals.
Kasuga Ryuhei could no longer contain himself. He hurried over, frowning. "Akashi, why did you bring the trophy here? Are you planning to show off?"
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"Calm down, senpai!"
Akashi remained composed. "I mean, sure, winning a championship gives a reason to show off. But that's not why I brought it today. I wanted the team to feel the trophy. During the award ceremony, things were too rushed, and I think many of you never even touched it."
He smiled, looking at the group of first- and second-year players nearby.
Their eyes lit up with anticipation. Indeed, after the award ceremony, most of them hadn't had the chance to even touch the championship trophy.
A surge of anger rose in Kasuga's chest, and a [ANGER] symbol practically exploded on his forehead.
"You're just doing this for something so trivial…"
"Wait!"
Kasuga was about to step forward and lecture Akashi, but Iwamura suddenly called him back.
"Let him be, Kasuga!"
While Kasuga was still fuming, Iwamura stroked his chin, a thoughtful glint in his eyes as he watched Akashi's actions.
"Can… we really touch the trophy?"
Someone asked eagerly, glancing between Akashi, Iwamura, and Kasuga. Neither Iwamura nor Kasuga responded, but Akashi smiled and nodded.
"Of course. This is the result of the whole team's effort, touching it won't break it."
"Awesome!"
"I've only seen it on the club counter after the game, never touched it myself!"
"Come on, come on! Let's switch once we're done!"
Excited, the group crowded around the trophy while Akashi stood back, smiling as he watched.
After a short while, once the group calmed down, Akashi spoke again.
"Has everyone had a turn?"
"Yes!"
"Good. Now, who can tell me, how did it feel when you held the trophy?"
The first- and second-year players exchanged glances, unsure what Akashi meant.
After all, it's just a trophy, right?
Finally, someone scratched their head and said sheepishly, "Uh… it felt… pretty proud!"
Akashi nodded. "That's true. Any team winning the national championship should feel proud."
He paused, then shifted his tone. "But do you know how it feels to me holding this trophy?"
"Proud, I guess?"
Akashi shook his head with a sigh. "No. I feel its weight. It's so heavy, I can barely hold it with one hand."
Then, he reached into the black shoulder bag again and pulled out some documents.
"These are the latest scouting reports Yuzuki and I have compiled over the past few days. They mainly track the training of our main competitors."
"Eh? Training? But it's summer vacation!"
Someone looked surprised.
Akashi looked up. "You're right, but summer vacation is the perfect time to widen the gap, isn't it?"
"This report starts with the Tokyo district. After being eliminated in the preliminaries, Shutoku High, home of the Generation of Miracles' Midorima Shintaro, has been training nonstop and even held a training camp in between. I think you already know about that."
Everyone nodded. During the camp, Seirin had coincidentally run into Shutoku.
Akashi continued. "From the start of the Nationals until today, Shutoku has had eight extra days of training compared to us."
He then reached into his bag and dropped eight lead blocks into the trophy.
"Next are our Tokyo district final round opponents: Seirin, Shutoku, and Tōō Academy."
"Tōō Academy is also a powerhouse with no need to explain their strength. They've trained continuously since the preliminaries, just like Shutoku…"
"Seirin, though a new school, has the so-called Phantom Sixth Man of the Generation of Miracles, plus Kagami Taiga, a potential equal to the Generation of Miracles. Their strength is formidable. And Kagami even went abroad at the start of summer for special training with his old coach, so his skill is bound to rise to a new level."
"So adding eight lead blocks to each of these teams in the trophy makes sense."
He dropped another eight lead blocks into the trophy and continued tallying.
"Next is Tōō Academy…"
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria