138: Won't Let You Down

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AT THIS MOMENT, Kobayashi Aotori glanced at Bokuto, who, despite being continuously countered, hadn't entered emo mode but was instead so "hurt" by his words that he squatted on the ground, drawing circles and muttering to himself. The corners of his eyes twitched.

...Um, if I understood correctly, the person I truly provoked just now should be... Shirabu from our team, right?

Aotori blinked, not expecting his goal to be achieved in this way. He was dumbfounded.

Looking at Bokuto on the other side, acting like a big baby who got hurt... However? Aotori tilted his head.

Although Bokuto seemed hurt, he quickly picked himself up again. It appeared he hadn't really entered a negative mode.

Indeed, trying to exploit the opponent's psychology with small tricks wasn't going to work.

Even though this was Aotori's first attempt at exploiting the opponent's mentality, he didn't actually do much—just secretly hoped that Bokuto would enter emo mode so he could take a small breather.

Alas, it seemed these "schemes" were just minor tricks. In a match, true skill and strength were what mattered. Aotori sighed inwardly, feeling slightly ashamed of his thoughts.

Unbeknownst to him, the match tactics he used inadvertently already included methods to attack the opponent's mentality.

—It was just that he himself wouldn't be affected by such attacks, so he didn't perceive the aggressiveness within.

Ultimately, Aotori was too good at placing others in high regard in his heart, unintentionally kidnapping them with goodwill.

At this moment, Aotori was internally condemning himself for exploiting the opponent's weaknesses. Little did he know, his reputation for attacking players' psychology on the court had already spread widely, with many new players seeking his guidance on such tactics.

After a brief surprise that Bokuto didn't enter emo mode, the match quickly resumed.

Akaashi thoughtfully glanced at the reinvigorated Bokuto, his eyes slightly flickering.

If it were in the past, Bokuto-san would have been depressed for a while. Akaashi calmly thought, turning his gaze to Aotori, who was still at the backcourt.

It wasn't his illusion; ever since encountering Aotori, Bokuto-san's emo modes had significantly decreased, especially since that time at Fukurodani when he couldn't receive Aotori's serve.

It seems that... Bokuto-san always had an exceptionally strong mentality when facing Aotori. Akaashi raised an eyebrow, looking far off at Aotori, who was half-squatting.

His gaze met Aotori's handsome face and finally landed on his habitually slightly upturned lips.

Akaashi's expression paused slightly. The next moment, his lips curved into a smile under the shadows as he lifted his head, revealing his face under the court lights, his always calm eyes now warm under the glow.

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