Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 172 On and Off the Field
In the quarter-finals, the Haneda High School basketball team finally walked into the center of the Tokyo Gymnasium.

"It's so big!" The girls in the wind band looked up at the high roof.

The originally large empty area in the stadium has been surrounded by newly installed spectator seats, leaving only a basketball court in the center.

"Are we sitting over there?" The principal tuba player looked around curiously and pointed to the seats closest to the center of the stadium.

"Yes." Yamami Maki looked at the players warming up on the court. Yugaoka High School was wearing a blue and white jersey. The players didn't like it very much because they thought it would get dirty easily, but the girls thought it looked good.

"Don't sit in the wrong seat, the ones on the right are for Tsuchiura High School. If Tadashi cheers for Haneda there, he might get beaten up~"

Tomatsu Tomoka smiled and said that she was in a good mood today because she had passed the interview for the Setagaya Literary Museum.

"I don't know much about basketball, but Tsuchiura High School seems very strong?" said Yamami Matsui while looking at the players on the court.

"How did the minister know that?" Duodai came close to the girl, and the girls who were squeezed away by the big size slapped her twice in dissatisfaction.

"Because, Matsueda-san is out on the court warming up."

The girls looked at the guy on the court who was warming up for the first time.

"Matsueda, when anyone in our starting lineup gets injured, you will be the first one to come on." Sakamuro Ken's face was very serious.

"What's going on with this Tsuchiura Nihon University High School?" Jun Matsueda already felt something was wrong.

"They were the runners-up in the last Winter Cup. They're a boys' school, and both the players and students are very enthusiastic." Joo Oo explained as he dribbled the ball beside him.

"And they are the most troublesome opponent, they have strength and like to take advantage of fouls."

"It's just strong and dirty, right?" Jun Matsueda stared at the audience thoughtfully. The audience on both sides had already started to enter. The students of Tsuchiura High School were wearing the same black and red jerseys as the players, and they had ribbons tied on their heads.

"Fortunately, they only have freshmen and sophomores, and none of them have particularly outstanding abilities." Sakamuro Ken sighed.

"In other words, even if one of them gets fouled, it won't affect the tactical system much." The basketball director standing on the sidelines walked towards them. The third-year students didn't have time to participate in competitions and training, but they still had time to watch the game.

"You should treat this match as a final."

The students of Yuqiu High School looked at the neatly colored auditorium across from them. The substitutes in the front row were holding cheering sticks in their hands, and there was a drum in the front.

"Tomoka, they are so professional!" Mizushima Miya tugged at Tomoka Tomatsu's sleeve.

"It's okay, they don't have a brass band!" Yamami Maki waved her fist, "We won't lose to them!"

At 1:10 p.m., the two floors of the original audience seats and the additional cheering seats were full, and cheers could be heard from the audience seats at Tsuchiura High School.

"Tsuchiura!! Tsuchiura!!"

"Haqiu!! Yuqiu!!"

The boys from Tsuchiura were yelling at the top of their lungs, and Yuqiu, who hadn't used any musical instruments yet, was at a disadvantage in terms of decibels.

At 1:20, the starting players of both teams came on the court, and the audience began to boil like Coke with Mentos added.

"Tsuchiura!!!" A big drum was beating in the red auditorium.

The girls in the wind band raised their instruments, and the neat and rapid playing of the trombones and saxophones were like a marching army, echoing Tsuchiura's shouts.

The red auditorium was quiet for a while, and when the wind music stopped, the boy leading the drums shouted.

"This is not the place for a wind instrument competition! Girls, get out of here!"

Then came a chorus of boos and laughter. "These guys!"

Duodai's round face flushed red with anger, "Blow up the trumpets! Scream them to death!"

"Why don't you play it yourself?" the trumpet leader turned around and asked her.

"The trumpet is very loud, but the tuba is too deep and can't scare them." Duodai held up the tuba with a depressed expression.

"If Songeda plays, can we win?" Mochizuki Haruka looked at the boy next to him wearing a blue and white jersey, her eyes sliding over the lines of his upper arms.

"Basketball isn't a one-on-one game." Matsueda Jun watched Sakamuro Ken run across half court with the ball and initiate his first attack. "Let's just watch the game."

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 17:19, and Tsuchiura was temporarily leading.

"Matsueda-san, do we have a chance of winning?"

Tomatsu Tomoka and several girls who were sitting close to her gathered behind Matsueda Jun. Mochizuki Haruka dissatisfiedly lifted up Tomatsu Tomoka's hair that was hanging on her shoulders.

"There's still hope. Tsuchiura's aura is quite fierce, and Sakamuro and the others haven't let go yet."

At the end of the second quarter, the score was 44:40, and Yuqiu took the lead.

During the half-time break, the cheerleaders came on stage to perform. The girls in the wind band were so excited that their faces flushed and they played even harder. The students of Tsuchiura High School shouted "We must win" in unison and were not in a panic at all.

"Will we not be able to see Songzhi on stage?" Mochizuki Haruka asked regretfully.

"This is not important." Jun Matsueda smiled and waved to Natsumi Imokawa who was standing under the basketball hoop and taking pictures. The girl's eyes also looked a little lost.

Sakamuro Ken, sweating profusely, walked up to the two of them, and Matsueda Jun handed him a bottle of electrolyte drink and a towel.

Although they went from behind to leading, the players' expressions were still serious.

"Their movements have gotten more aggressive." Chengweizhang pointed at the bruises on his arm. "They took advantage of the chaos and elbowed me several times, including on my waist."

After a short halftime break, the starting five continued to play. When Joe Jou approached the right side of the audience seats, he was met with thunderous boos.

"Those guys at Tsuchiura Takashi are so annoying." Duodai raised his eyebrows in anger, and his voice was so loud that even Jun Matsueda, who was sitting in the first row, could hear it.

"Don't be angry, Doyo-chan, let's just speak with our strength." Yamami Moki gently patted the girl's back, trying to ease her anger.

Sitting on the first row of the bench, Haruka Mochizuki was not paying attention to the ever-changing situation on the court. She was just looking for the fast and slow breathing of Juntoki Matsueda amid the boiling roars and passionate blowing sounds.

In the chaotic and vast sound field, the girl just wanted him to be her sonar.

Mochizuki Haruka only heard about love from others and had no understanding of her own, but she felt that it would be nice if she could sit next to Matsueda Jun like this forever.

Just like in a dark room in a dream, their love was so pure that they just breathed silently beside each other.

Even if Haneda High reaches the Winter Cup finals, it will end on the 29th. After that, Matsueda Jun will be gone from her life, and as for when he will return, it is a terrifying unknown for Mochizuki Haruka.

The girl looked at Matsueda Jun's profile. She didn't want to spend the New Year alone.

Just as Mochizuki Haruka was about to speak, Matsueda Jun stood up and looked at the court.

Chengweizhang covered his right ankle and fell down with a look of pain on his face.

　Forgot to time it...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)