[This was a new side to Midori, too. At least...to him. He'd seen how loving she was to the Raimon players, helping them stretch or giving Tenma a holler whenever he scored a goal. Her voice wasn't the typical cheerleader tone (then again, he wasn't really an expert), opting for challenging them to work harder with rough encouragement. And while (for obvious reasons) he never got that encouragement, he never thought ill of her personality. But when it's directed at him, suddenly he can see why she's such a good manager.

She makes you feel good, with that little extra push. Aoi and Akane offered kind words and encouragement, but hers had that extra strength.

With a certain gentleness he's sure she would deny ever having if he spoke up about it. Lips curl into a little smile as she speaks, already feeling his heart lift a little higher than what it had been.]

Thank you.

[It's then that his eyes go up to meet hers, looking at the bag for one moment before clearing his throat.]

Raimon's soccer is easy to understand now that I'm playing with them. Their strength comes from both the individual and as a team.

...

And the support from the bench. I-It's important to recognize them, too.