Soon enough, all the players were back in the locker room. The atmosphere was quite heavy on Hakodate Nishi's side, with some of them sweating profusely right now. It was a strange occasion when the temperature itself was so low, but this was what they could get in a high-tension like this.
The worst one here was, of course, Takaaki. Since the last game against Hannan University High, his workload seemed to be doubled out of nowhere. Not that he was unhappy with his role getting more important, but the jump really caught him off guard. Right now, he was panting heavily, trying to keep his buckled knees steady.
"Takaaki-kun, you are still good to play?" Kumiko couldn't help but ask, her tone full of worry.
"Don't… Don't worry, Senpai." Takaaki sent a thumbs-up while smiling weakly; his glasses were so blurry from the condensed sweat accumulated throughout the first half. "This is nothing for me! Let alone the second half, I can still play two or three more games!"
