"...Phew, that was a close call, huh?"
Imayoshi's voice carried a polite tone as he glanced at Meikō's bench.
If Kazama had landed that punch, there was no doubt that their team wiuld have been instantly disqualified, handing Hibiya the victory by default.
Meikō was still leading in the score. They had turned the tide after Hanamiya's underhanded trick, almost catching up.
However, Ryou's disruption had nearly shifted the momentum back in Meikō's favour.
But the situation had its silver lining for Hibiya.
Furthermore, thanks to Hanamiya's recent prank, which had escalated the tension on the court, it was uncertain whether Meikō could maintain their composure and regain their momentum to secure a win.
Imayoshi watched Hanamiya, who seemed to be enjoying himself and couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief.
"What a spiteful guy."
From the look on his face, it was evident that Hanamiya didn't care about whether or not Hibiya won or lost. All he cared about was seeing his tricks succeed.
"They definitely won't be able to stay composed with that kind of play," Hibiya's coach sighed and shook his hesd. "We need to maintain this momentum in our favour to win."
"I trust your judgement on this, Imayoshi. You can instruct your team however you see fit to maintain this momentum," Hibiya's coach concluded, giving Imayoshi a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"I understand, Coach," Imayoshi affirmed.
Normally, in a situation like this, it would be evident that the game was leaning in Hibiya's favour.
But Imayoshi couldn't be so sure, especially when he cast a glance at Meikō's bench. His attention zeroed in on Ryouta, who was strangely composed. There was no hint of emotion on his face, just an eerie calmness that sent shivers down Imayoshi's spine.
'I wanted to win this but that freshman is incredibly unnerving...'
Imayoshi thought to himself, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
Meanwhile on Meikō's bench, tension hung heavy in the air as anger clouded their minds.
Assistant coach Makiyama sat there, massaging his temples, trying to devise a strategy to help the team regain their composure. He knew that if he didn't do something, Meikō wss bound to lose because the players were allowing their anger to control them.
Kazama clenched his fists tightly, shooting venemous glares towards Hibiya's players. If it weren't for Ryouta stopping him, he would have gladly shown that spiteful guy a lesson.
"If you hadn't stoppe––"
Kazama began to voice his frustration, turning towards Ryouta. But the words got stuck in his throat as soon as he locked eyes with Ryouta's piercing and chilling gaze. A powerful presence emanated from Ryouta, sending shivers down Kazama's spine.
"Stay calm, Kazama." Ryouta's voice was calm, but had undeniable authority.
Despite the calm words, an overwhelming pressure seemed to radiate from the boy.
Everyone on the team turned their attention to hik, their fury slowly dissipating as they looked at his nonchalant expression and those piercing, chilly eyes. The team couldn't help but gulp, feeling the weight of his presence washing away their initial anger.
Seeing that the team had now regained their composure, Hikki nodded slightly.
"Good. Now that everyone's settled down, listen closely," Hikki continued, briefly glancing at Hibiya before refocusing on his team. "We're sticking to the same formation. I'll take the center, just like before. But this time, move forward with me..."
