Chapter 131: The Taste of Victory
Kitamura Residence
"Congratulations to Yakushi High School! After nearly three hours of intense competition, they have secured their ticket to Koshien with a 1–0 victory!"
The commentator's excited voice echoed from the television.
"This dark horse team has defeated Inashiro Industrial High School—arguably the strongest roster in their history! Let's give Yakushi another round of applause for their incredible performance throughout the tournament! We wish them great success at Koshien! Thank you for watching, and we'll see you again soon!"
"YES!! They did it! Kou and the others won!"
The tense silence in the room shattered instantly.
The three parents, who had been glued to the screen moments ago, erupted into cheers.
"Hahaha! Kitamura, we have to celebrate this! Kou made it to Koshien!" Tsukishima's father grabbed his glass, raising it high.
"Hahaha, Kiyoshi, what a day! Let's drink until we drop—cheers!"
Kitamura's father clinked his glass against his friend's, the crisp sound ringing through the room. They downed their drinks in one go.
Even though the beer had long since lost its chill, it still tasted incredibly refreshing.
"Oh dear, the food's gone cold. Let me heat it up," Kitamura's mother said, starting to stand.
"Come on, sit down!" her husband quickly stopped her. "Today's for celebrating!"
"Cheers!"
The three of them raised their glasses together, laughter filling the room.
Meiji Jingu Stadium
The stadium erupted.
"They did it! Yakushi actually did it!"
"Yakushi High School, amazing!"
"This has to be one of the greatest West Tokyo championships ever!"
"Of course! They beat all four top teams!"
"Now take that momentum to Koshien!"
This result shocked almost everyone.
Before the game, aside from Yakushi's players and a handful of die-hard supporters, almost no one believed they could win.
Even many Yakushi students hadn't dared to hope.
After all—
Their opponent was Inashiro Industrial High School.
A powerhouse that had dominated West Tokyo for years.
A national contender.
With an ace like Narumiya Mei.
A lineup anchored by Masatoshi Harada.
And stars like Carlos, Shirakawa, Yamaoka, and more.
A team like that… losing here?
It sounded impossible.
And yet—
It had just happened.
Yakushi didn't care about any of that.
"We won!"
"We actually won!!"
The players rushed the field, surrounding Kitamura Kou, their faces shining with pure joy.
Kou smiled too.
He had experienced moments like this before—bigger stages, louder crowds.
But this one—
This one was different.
Because this time…
She was watching.
Kou broke away from the crowd, scanning the stands anxiously.
Searching.
For that one person.
The one who had always appeared in his dreams.
Then—
He found her.
Tsukishima Wakaba.
Her smile was as bright and warm as ever, as if it could melt away all the exhaustion in his body.
Kou's expression softened.
He raised his hand and flashed a peace sign.
Wakaba, who had never taken her eyes off him, noticed immediately.
Her smile grew even brighter as she gave him a thumbs-up in return.
Not far away—
Tsukishima Aoba froze.
Her earlier excitement twisted into something else entirely.
She clenched her teeth and glared at Kou.
Kou's smile stiffened.
"…Uh-oh."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, quickly looking away before retreating back into the celebration.
As the excitement settled, the third-years could no longer hold it in.
Tears streamed down their faces.
Yakushi was just an ordinary public high school.
No elite recruits.
No prestigious reputation.
Most of them had joined simply to stay active—never dreaming of reaching Koshien.
At best, they had hoped to avoid an early elimination.
Then—
Todoroki Raizo appeared.
He gave them direction.
Discipline.
A reason to believe.
Then came players like Mishima and Akiba.
Then Raichi.
And finally—
Kitamura Kou.
Piece by piece, hope turned into possibility.
And now—
That impossible dream had become reality.
The third-years approached their coach, smiling through tears.
"Coach… thank you for everything you've done for us this past year and a half."
"Thank you!"
"You're strict… and your practices are brutal…"
"But every day felt meaningful."
"Think for yourself."
"Take responsibility."
"These are the things you taught us."
"Coach Todoroki… thank you!"
"Thank you!!"
The team bowed deeply.
Todoroki Raizo turned his back to them.
He clicked his tongue.
"What are you idiots doing? Acting like we lost."
His voice was rough—but his eyes were slightly red.
"Didn't I tell you? When you win, you enjoy it."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Go thank the fans who came all this way to support you!"
Sanada Shunpei smirked.
"Coach… sometimes it's okay to be honest."
He shrugged.
"It may not look cool, but like you said—just enjoy the win."
"…Sanada, you idiot! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Raizo snapped back without turning around.
"You didn't even play today—why don't you run all the way home?!"
Sanada froze.
"…Coach, I'm injured. Is that really okay?"
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
Laughter exploded throughout the Yakushi dugout.
The taste of victory—
Was brighter,
louder,
and sweeter than anything they had ever known.