Chapter 473: Friends and Foes


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    While rifying, Nanami indignantly swept his gaze, ring at the yers who were making the fuss.


    The dissatisfaction regarding the result was evident on the faces of some senior yers. Yet when they heard Nanami''s words they couldn''t bring themselves to pursue the matter further.


    Albeit a little reluctantly after they heard Nanami''s rification they quitted down.


    Though it didn''t bother Hiro.


    All along while they raised the issue, he remained indifferent to the fuss. He simply stood there with his mouth shut.


    Then as the grumbling died down, he turned to look at Hiro. The knot in his brows loosened as he turned to look at him.


    Though he didn''t say anything, Hiro could feel the concern hidden beneath those eyes.


    He could tell that he must have been worried for him. Well, if only he knew that their retaliation hadn''t bothered him in the slightest, perhaps he might be at ease.


    Nheless, as he met his eyes, he felt a little grateful to him for his concern. After rifying, he dismissed.


    Just like that, the session came to an end.


    Naturally after the earlier fuss, many yers avoided him. Well, it was to be expected as he had unintentionally earned a few haters on the field.


    Though they didn''t show it in their face, he could tell that a few of the senior yers disliked him.


    And many young yers weren''t willing to get on the bad side of the senior yers. So they started avoiding him as well.


    Even so, Hiro remained indifferent about it.


    They could avoid him all they want for he wouldn''t even bat an eye. If it was his fault, he wouldn''t back down from apologizing. But he hadn''t done anything wrong. So, why must he try to make peace with the yers who disliked him for no reason?


    Also how immature do they have to be for them to envy a child?


    The previous two from his groups whom he had lent a helping hand though they couldn''t muster the courage to thank him, nodded their head lightly before leaving the pitch as they silently disyed their appreciation.


    "What are they dissatisfied about huh? The test was conducted right in front of them yet they dared to make a fuss about the result as if the coaches had favored Hiro," Tatsuki grumbled, ring at the yers who were causing a ruckus earlier regarding the result.


    Hearing his voice, Hiro nced at him.


    Hiro could vividly see the irritation on his face. If not for the presence of the coach, he wouldn''t have held himself from confronting those bunches earlier.


    It wasn''t the only time that he hade to his aid. In the league, he had always been the first person to rush toward him whenever he was confronted with the mistreatment of the opposing yers. So, hising to his aide wasn''t anything surprising.


    But what was surprising was the sheer number of people who supported him.


    It wasn''t only Seko and Naoto who stood by his side. Other yers such as Kenji and Kaoru were also standing by his side.


    "Don''t let it affect you Kiddo. You''ve done well today," Kenji said, trying to console him. "Yeah, you''ve performed well Hiro"


    Even though he had earned himself some haters with his talent, he had also gained a few dependable allies in the team.


    Hiro''s lips curled into a smile as he saw those people standing by his side.


    Even though their ignorance hadn''t affected him, he still couldn''t help but break into a smile upon finding people who supported him. After that earlier fuss, he had pretty much expected to be ignored.


    After all, he had already experienced such a moment before.


    So, it wasn''t anything new to him.


    But what he hadn''t expected was the support of so many people. He hadn''t expected other yers except Naoto and Tatsuki to stand by his side.


    So, it was rather surprising to see all these people standing by his side.


    Meanwhile, it was an entirely different atmosphere in the locker room. Those yers who were dissatisfied with the result earlier were expressing their dissatisfaction with themselves. Earlier due to the coach''s intervention they couldn''t say much.


    But now that they were all alone they couldn''t help bickering Hiro''s performance.


    "Sure, he ran well but he didn''t perform that well in other tests. So, how the hell did hee out on the top?"


    "For sure, coaches are favoring him"


    They weren''t bickering about Hiro''s results just because they were envious of him. Beneath those agitated veils was a person who was afraid of losing his spot to a younger yer.


    After all, it wasn''t only Hiro who had performed well.


    Other younger yers such as Tominaga, Kenta, and many others had performed equally impressive, outperforming many senior yers.


    However,shing out against the entirety of the younger generation wasn''t feasible. So, they targeted the silent one.


    After Hiro remained silent despite the nderingments thrown at him, it boosted their confidence further earlier, leading them toin even more vigorously.


    Had he dared to speak, most wouldn''t have anything to say.


    But precisely because he remained silent they attacked him ferociously.


    It was like a group of hyenas teaming up against a lone alpha wolf.


    Many weren''t unfamiliar with his talents in the camp. After all, many had been toyed by him in the league games. But who in their right mind would ept they paled inparison to a


    sixteen-year-old?


    Their pride wouldn''t allow them to acknowledge him.


    "Let''s just show that arrogant kid that he couldn''t mess with the ones who havee before


    him"


    "Yeah, we need to teach him a lesson"


    "But would it be fair? I mean ganging up against a kid? Isn''t that cruel?"


    While many were scheming against Hiro, one of the protestors appeared a bit hesitant. Though he was scared about losing his spot, he couldn''t bring himself to perform such an underhanded method to a kid.


    "The world has never been a fair ce to live. The sooner he learns about it the better."


    Amidst the ongoing hesitation, a sole figure emerged, his voicemanding,ced with malevolent intent.


    "Plus, even if he doesn''t get selected he has many other opportunities lying before him. But for many of us, it might be ourst opportunity"