"Haikyuu: A Twin's Choice"

27- Aftermath

This made them confused.

Nekomata and Takeda stepped forward to them.

"Uhm, how can we help you all?" Takeda asked.

"We would like you to answer our questions!"

"O-Oh, sure?" Takeda replied.

"Great!" One of the news reporters then pointed the mic at Takeda.

"Can you tell us about the huge powerful meteor here?"

'Meteor? Are they talking about the incident earlier?' Takeda thought.

Takeda exchanged a glance with Nekomata, silently agreeing on a strategy to handle the situation delicately.

They both knew that revealing too much could potentially cause unnecessary trouble for everyone involved, especially Sora.

Clearing his throat, Takeda put on his best diplomatic smile. "Ah, you see, it's a bit of a misunderstanding. What happened was... uh, well, it wasn't exactly a meteor. It was more like... a... structural anomaly."

Nekomata nodded in agreement, adding, "Yes, a structural anomaly. You see, sometimes these things happen in old gymnasiums like this. The beams, they... uh, they can weaken over time, you know?"

The news reporter furrowed his brow, clearly not buying their explanation. "A structural anomaly? But the hole in the ceiling looks like it was caused by something powerful. Are you suggesting the architects and engineers responsible for this building didn't do their job properly?"

Takeda and Nekomata exchanged a nervous glance, realizing they were treading on thin ice. They hadn't anticipated such probing questions.

Nekomata, ever quick on his feet, attempted to steer the conversation away from blame. "Oh, no, no, nothing like that at all! It's just... sometimes these things happen unexpectedly, you know? It's nobody's fault, really. Just a... freak accident."

The news reporter remained skeptical, gesturing towards the gaping hole in the ceiling. "A freak accident, you say? That's quite a remarkable accident, wouldn't you agree?"

Takeda and Nekomata exchanged a helpless look, realizing their attempts to downplay the situation were futile. They couldn't reveal the true nature of what had occurred without potentially causing panic or unwanted attention, especially to Sora.

Thinking quickly, Nekomata decided to deflect the attention away from the specifics. "Well, you know how it is with old buildings. Sometimes they have surprises in store for us. But rest assured, we'll get it fixed up right away!"

The news reporter nodded, though still visibly unsatisfied with their responses. "I see. Well, thank you for your time. We'll be sure to keep an eye on this situation. It certainly seems like quite the... anomaly."

With that, the news crew began to pack up their equipment, leaving Takeda and Nekomata with a sense of relief mixed with lingering apprehension. They knew they had dodged a bullet, but they also knew that their explanation wouldn't satisfy everyone.

As the reporters filed out of the gymnasium, Takeda and Nekomata exchanged a knowing look, silently agreeing to keep a close eye on the situation and to handle any further inquiries with caution.

After all, they couldn't risk exposing their players, especially Sora, to any more unwanted attention or speculation.

====================

Sora sat in the sterile hospital room, the faint hum of medical equipment surrounding him. Despite his protests earlier, he found himself grateful for Keishin's insistence on getting checked out after the bizarre incident during the practice match.