At the end of the first half, Natsuno and the other players discuss the situation. They're worried about what's going to happen to their chances in the next round of the Japan Cup. They want to beat Hiroshikawa so badly that they don't want to risk losing to him. They also worry about what the coach is going to do with their new recruit, akasaki, who's supposed to be playing fullback for the national team at the same time. They wonder if he's planning something weird. They talk about how they've beaten yokohama three times in a row, and how they feel like they're finally making it to the top eight in the tournament. They think it's about time they beat him again.