"Don't get all scrambled up now, tamago," Niou whispered, emerging from a pocket of space close enough to Oishi's ear to tickle. "Or it'll be you in the juice next."

If he happened to look at Tezuka, surely it was a coincidence.

If he said, "Next time, maybe," before he went to examine the glasses, only Oishi heard him.

"Hope you have enough gum, Bunta," he drawled. He'll need it to get that taste out of his mouth. And Niou wants to see if Yukimura will forbid it, now that he's been reminded of it.

"W-wait a moment, Yukimura-san," Momoshiro said, raising his hand like he didn't want the teacher to call on him but had no choice. "How d'you know I wasn't giving my best? I maybe wasn't running as fast as I can, otherwise Kaidoh would be talkin' to you and not me, but I've been working on training more than just my legs, okay? Marui-san and Jackal-san, okay, I know I'm never going to beat them on physical strength, and I didn't, but I got into their heads once. That's what I was practicing on that hike, alongside my running."

A quick glance around the crowd and Jackal, at least, was listening to him.

"Th-that being said, what Yukimura-san says, goes," he added, and he forced himself to grasp the glass. "I'll drink first, if that's your ruling."