At last, he had finally retired. The mountain that had weighed down on us was finally gone!
Whoa!
We would never have to face that monster Chi Tong again. Now we had a chance to win the championship too!
Wonderful, wonderful! Now we could finally give it everything we had!
Countless players cheered and leaped for joy; some were so overcome with emotion that they embraced each other. The despair that had been suppressed for years vanished completely at that moment, replaced by renewed fighting spirit and a burning desire for the championship.
The mountain pressing down on everyone was gone. They finally had their day in the sun.
Yet in stark contrast to the celebration throughout the basketball world, the Ryonan Basketball Club was filled with reluctance to part.
Only the people of Ryonan felt no joy at all. Their hearts were full of attachment to Chi Tong and reluctance to see him go.
The most moved and unwilling to let go was Taoka Moichi.
Over the past three years, Taoka Moichi had long grown accustomed to Chi Tong's presence, to Chi Tong leading the team to victory after victory, to the reassurance of steadily claiming championships, and to watching Chi Tong reign supreme on the court, invincible against all challengers.
Without Chi Tong leading the team in the future, without that core player who could always guide them to victory, he truly did not know what to do. His heart felt unbearably empty.
He had grown accustomed to constant victories, to being admired by everyone, to all the glory Chi Tong had brought them.
Now Chi Tong was leaving, bidding a final farewell to the Ryonan Basketball Club. As his coach, Taoka Moichi's heart was filled with tangled emotions, overflowing with reluctance and attachment.
How he wished he