After another day of brutal training up and down the mountain, just like yesterday, we returned to the lodge the only way we could—dumped into the back of Takeshi-sensei's off-road car like sacks of potatoes. If yesterday we were tired, today we were ruined. Muscles sore, legs wobbling, minds empty.
Even the usually fiery Aizawa-Taiga duo was silent. That was the true measure of our exhaustion.
But on the Toyonaka side? Their expressions sparkled like the seven colors of the rainbow. You'd think they'd won the entire Kansai Regional. And maybe, in their minds, they had—because tonight, they were finally going to eat real food again.
We repeated our new tradition: hot spring soak in total silence, followed by collective collapse into our futons.
For a while, I wondered if I could just… stay in bed. Maybe tell Kaito to go eat my portion too. But that thought evaporated when my stomach let out a growl that shook my soul.
