Chapter 97: The Opponent ?
After the interview, Dirga made his way back toward the locker room. His steps were slow—not from pain, but from the weight of the day. His body was spent, but the warmth building in his chest pushed him forward.
As he pushed open the door, a wave of laughter burst out to greet him.
Inside, the whole team was already there—Sayaka was giving instructions near the whiteboard like a seasoned commander, Coach Tsugawa leaned back in the corner with his arms crossed, Takeshi-sensei sat on a stool drinking from a vending machine bottle, and—somehow—Ayaka was here too, standing off to the side, watching with wide eyes.
"Ohhh~! Our star has arrived! Dirga-kun~," Aizawa teased the moment he spotted him, grinning ear to ear, deliberately dragging out the honorific with a smug face.
"Please stop, Aizawa-senpai," Dirga groaned, his expression twisted in exhaustion and embarrassment.
"Dirga-kunnn!" Taiga chimed in from behind, practically jumping onto him with exaggerated joy. One joker was bad enough—two was a crisis.
Their voices triggered a ripple of laughter across the room. It wasn’t loud, but it was bright. Joyful. The kind of laughter that only comes when the weight of pressure is—at least for a moment—lifted.
The atmosphere was golden. A locker room that had seen battles now pulsed with calm and warmth.
Sayaka stepped forward with a clipboard in hand, ever the professional despite the chaos around her. "We’ve got the Toyonaka match later this afternoon," she said clearly. "Until then, it’s free time. We’ll rest, eat, and be ready to scout."
"Rest here for about an hour. Takeshi-sensei and I will grab food for everyone," she added, glancing toward the teacher who gave a small wave.
"Thank youuu, Manager~!" the team chimed in unison, some teasing, some genuine, all grateful.