"Morning."
"Morning."
In the classroom, Tanaka greeted Hayato energetically. Hayato, on the other hand, yawned, looking somewhat sleep-deprived.
"Hey, hey, it's only Monday. How are you already this wiped out on the first day back?"
"I stayed up a little late last night studying recordings of Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa's matches."
Yawning again, Hayato rubbed at the corner of his eye. Last night, he had gotten recordings of previous Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa matches from Kiyoko so he could gain a deeper understanding of the two teams' styles. But as he watched and took notes, he lost track of time. He did not go to bed until after one in the morning, and when he got up today, he had not even had time to exercise. He was exhausted.
"Wow, I didn't know you were that serious, Hayato. So, did you find anything we need to watch out for?"
Pulling over a chair and sitting on it backward with his arms resting on the backrest, Tanaka asked curiously.
"Of course. I wrote down quite a lot."
Hayato took out a notebook from his bag, opened it, and showed it to Tanaka.
The pages were densely packed with information on the players from both teams.
"That much?"
"What did you expect? I was up until after one last night."
Hayato yawned again as he spoke, and Tanaka looked at him with some concern.
"You look dead tired. Want me to get you excused from morning practice?"
"No. Let's go."
Patting his cheeks, Hayato perked up a little. The two of them slung their sports bags over their shoulders and headed off for morning practice.
After exercising, followed by the teacher's sleep-inducing lecture, Hayato nearly fell asleep in class. He barely held on until noon. Half asleep, he could not even taste