After an intense hour of matches, Jin Ford gathered the players in the center of the field to update the tournament standings.
"Here's how the teams are ranked," he announced, showing a sheet with the table:
Position | Dormitories | P| W| D| L| PTS| GD
1st | Dormitory 1 | 2 | 2| 0| 0| 6 |+5
2nd | Dormitory 127| 2 | 1| 0| 1 | 3 |+2
3rd | Dormitory 212| 1| 1| 0| 0 | 3 |+1
4th | Dormitory 174| 2 | 1| 0| 1 | 3 |+1
5th |Dormitory 77 | 2 | 0| 0| 2| 0 |-7
Ford looked around and, with a motivating smile, continued:
"There are still many games to come. Everything can change, so stay focused and give your best."
Yuta frowned and raised his hand.
"Wait… wasn't this a knockout tournament? Why are we playing for points?"
Ford let out a slightly nervous laugh and replied:
"Well, since we have an odd number of teams, it was kind of complicated to do a straight knockout. So, we opted for a points system."
"You could have told us before…" someone muttered from the back.
Ford shrugged with a sarcastic smile.
"I thought I did… but apparently, I forgot. Sorry about that."
Some players exchanged glances, unsure if he was serious or just messing with them.
Then he regained a serious tone and announced:
"The next match will be between Dormitory 212 and Dormitory 77. Get ready, this round is crucial for the standings!"
Piiiiiiiii! — the referee's whistle blew.
Minutes later, the final score was announced:
3 to 0 for Dormitory 212!
Kira, slightly sweating, walked off the field smiling and casually commented:
"That was easier than I expected."
The Dormitory 77 team left with their heads down, clearly shaken by another defeat.
Ford approached with the clipboard in hand and said:
"Congrats on the win. But no rest yet. Your next game is against Dormitory 127… and it starts in forty minutes."
Min-jun's eyes widened, still out of breath.
"Forty minutes?" he muttered, panting. "They want to kill us…"
Some players who were beginning to relax exchanged silent looks. The lighthearted mood vanished instantly.
------------------------------------------------------------
Match Summary: Dormitory 212 defeats Dormitory 77 by 3 to 0.
Goals:dormitory 212 Goals:Dormitory 77
Min-jun (8 minutes)
Tanaka (14 minutes)
Yuta (19 minutes)