enjoyebooks Chapter 104 A Rain of Roses, Be Careful Not to Be Left Behind
Chapter 104 A Rain of Roses, Be Careful Not to Be Left Behind
Kirihara's eyes lit up instantly.
He transformed from a tiny seaweed into a small cannonball ready to fire at any moment. He strode back to Rikkai University's ranks, standing next to Sanada.
Sanada glanced down at him, his lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.
Seeing that the boys on the court had adapted to the game, Wang Yueling walked back from beside the cart and stood at the front of the team.
He lifted the whiteboard and tapped the edge, and everyone fell silent.
"Assessment Rules"
"The unified approach will be to use an all-single format."
"You don't need to compete against each other's schools. Just return to your own school's team and have your teammates from the same school compete against each other."
"Just pick a teammate you know best and are most familiar with to compete against."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed obvious surprise.
Everyone initially assumed that this assessment would be like the first day of the training camp, with Hyotei and Rikkai randomly grouping students and drawing lots to compete against each other, allowing the two schools to test their strength.
That wasn't the case.
Niou took half a step forward, a hint of doubt in his eyes, and asked with a sly smile, "Piyo~ Why arrange a match between schools from the same school? Wouldn't a duel between the two schools be more interesting?"
His question struck a chord with everyone, and many nodded slightly, their eyes fixed on Wang Yueling, waiting for him to explain.
Wang Yueling's gaze swept over the crowd indifferently, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips. His tone was unhurried, "When you fight against an unfamiliar opponent, you can only see the surface of victory or defeat, and you can't figure out your own true weaknesses and flaws."
"But teammates you spend every day with are different. You train together, you work together, and you know each other's playing styles, strengths, weaknesses and shortcomings very well."
"Only when you play against familiar teammates can you clearly see where you are strong and where you are weak. You can intuitively feel how much your teammates have improved over the past week, and whether you are steadily improving or standing still."
He paused slightly as he spoke.
His gaze slowly swept across the crowd, first landing lightly on Niou and Yagyu, lingering for only two seconds, before slowly moving towards Marui and Kuwabara.
Their gazes lingered for an extremely short time, fleeting yet precisely captured by the group.
Niou's playful smile faded slightly as he pondered the deeper meaning behind Mochizuki Ryou's words. Yagyu also slightly suppressed his smile, his eyes filled with contemplation.
Marui paused involuntarily as he turned his racket, his heart skipping a beat. Kuwabara's honest face also showed a hint of seriousness, as he vaguely understood the subtext in Mochizuki Ryo's words.
Each of them had their own thoughts, silently trying to decipher the hints in Wang Yueling's eyes.
Wang Yueling then spoke, her tone slightly more forceful, and the last syllable clearly and forcefully enunciated.
"In a team, some people are giving it their all and pushing forward, while others are slacking off and lingering in place. The gap will only widen."
In the end, those who progress quickly will be dragged down, while those who stagnate will...
"You'll just be left far behind by your teammates."
He paused, his tone slightly sarcastic yet carrying a deep meaning; his words were light yet piercing.
"Don't always think that you can lie back comfortably just because your teammates are supporting you. If you take it slow and leisurely, you'll eventually be left behind halfway up the mountain and never be able to keep up with the team again."
"In the world of tennis, there is no such thing as 'waiting'."
"This is the last lesson I will teach you."
"Oh right, I forgot to mention..."
"I won't specifically watch your matches, nor will I point out your shortcomings like I did on the first day. As I just said, the training camp is over at this moment."
"So whatever the outcome of the fight depends on your self-discipline."
After he said that, the stadium fell silent instantly, and everyone silently processed what he had said.
Liu gently pressed her fingertips against the notebook page, carefully writing down the sentence, a thoughtful look appearing in her eyes.
Sanada's fingers, hanging by his sides, tightened slightly, his expression growing increasingly calm and serious. Atobe stood at the front of the line with his arms crossed, his icy blue eyes thoughtful, agreeing with this sentiment.
Seeing everyone deep in thought, Wang Yueling stopped being deliberately serious and added a touch of playfulness to her tone, instantly breaking the heavy atmosphere.
"Don't all act like you've attained enlightenment."
"Consider it a comprehensive physical examination for yourself. Your shortcomings on the court, your mental inertia, and your perfunctory attitude in training will all be exposed in the match against your school."
"The game doesn't lie, and neither do your teammates. You'll know who's slacking off and who's really putting in the hard work once the game starts."
He shrugged, his usual lazy and playful expression returning to his eyes, and casually murmured, "C'est la vie (that's life). On the field, I never slack off; I take responsibility for myself."
The gentle, languid French tone drifted into their ears, and the tense atmosphere quietly eased. The boys exchanged glances, silently memorizing the words.
Mochizuki Ryo's gaze slowly swept across the front of the group, landing on the two leaders, Hyotei Atobe and Rikkai Osana. His expression suddenly darkened, and his voice was clear and powerful.
"Atobe, Sanada."
Both of them looked up at him at the same time.
"You are the head and vice-head of Hyotei University and Rikkai University, respectively."
"Today, the joint training camp between the two schools has come to a successful conclusion. You two will take the lead and mark the end of this week's exchange between the two schools."
Upon hearing this, Atobe raised an eyebrow slightly, a knowing glint in his eyes.
On the way to the manor training camp, Mochizuki Ryo did casually mention that he would arrange a match between him and Sanada. At the time, he thought it was just casual conversation and didn't take it to heart, but he didn't expect that the other party would actually make such a plan.
It was even specially arranged as the first event of the final training camp.
His competitive spirit was instantly ignited, and a fierce fighting spirit burned in his icy blue eyes, while a magnificent aura quietly spread around him.
Sanada gently adjusted his baseball cap, his dark eyes deep and unwavering.
During this week-long training camp, he and Atobe clashed several times, and he had long harbored a desire to compete with each other.
Two gazes collided in the air, like sparks flying, neither willing to yield, the air thick with tension.
The air around the court was heated up by the aura of these two.
Wang Yueling looked at the burning fire, nodded in satisfaction, and then continued to announce.
"Kirihara, Kabaji."
The two people whose names were called looked up simultaneously. Kirihara's eyes, which were already bright, now resembled two light bulbs. Kabaji remained silent, only slightly turning his head to await instructions obediently.
"You two will represent your respective schools in a fight." Mochizuki Ryo closed the scoreboard, tucked it under his arm, glanced down at Kirihara, and said, "After you're done, come and challenge me."
Upon hearing this, Kirihara's eyes lit up even more.
He seemed to be instantly injected with adrenaline, his spirits soaring. He turned and rushed towards Kabaji, grabbing his sleeves and pulling him toward the court.
It can't be pulled.
Kabaji stood there, towering like a wall. Kirihara, at 1.68 meters tall, was pulling on a 1.9-meter-tall giant; the image resembled a small seaweed trying to pull a mountain with its bare hands.
"Kabachi! Let's go! Let's play ball!" Kirihara's face turned red. His sneakers slipped on the grass, and he couldn't budge the person even an inch no matter how many times he tried to pull him.
Kaba looked down at him. After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "Watch the game."
Kirihara looked up blankly: "Huh?"
Kabaji slowly raised his other hand and pointed to the court. "I want to watch Atobe-senpai's game."
Kirihara paused for a moment, looked back at Atobe, then at Mochizuki Ryo, and finally loosened Kabaji's sleeve and scratched his head.
"All right."
Watching the two innocent little ones interact, Wang Yueling chuckled and clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back to her.
"Everyone, watch the game properly. Observe the etiquette of watching the game. No loud noises or interference with the game."
"Watch closely how these two players on the field are playing. Learn from them, both in terms of technique and attitude."
He stepped back two steps to the sidelines, giving up the home field.
"Give it your all, hold nothing back, unleash your full potential."
This was said to Atobe and Sanada.
Neither of them replied. They exchanged a glance and then turned and walked to opposite sides of the court.
The atmosphere on the sidelines was already electric even before the match started.
Among the Hyotei team, Koizumi was the first to shout. He was usually a man of few words and always quiet during training, but at this moment, he clenched his fists, and his clear voice echoed throughout the entire court.
"The winner is Hyotei! The winner is Captain Atobe!"
The other members of Hyotei joined in the shouting. The voices overlapped, not perfectly synchronized, but loud enough.
"The winner is Hyotei! The winner is Atobe!"
Rikkai University was not to be outdone.
Urayama's cheeks flushed even redder, and he clenched his little fists, shouting in his childish voice, "Let's go! Let's go! Rikkai!"
Although there weren't many people on either side, their shouts were loud and their energy was palpable, echoing across the empty stadium.
Atobe stood on the sidelines, his movements unhurried, his slender fingers fiddling with the racket face and net. His icy blue eyes were half-closed, seemingly nonchalant, but his back was as straight as a silver spear.
He casually took off the team uniform jacket draped over his shoulders, and with an elegant flick of his fingertips, tossed the entire jacket into the air.
Almost the instant the coat was lifted into the air, countless rose petals slowly drifted down from above. Red, deep red petals, glistening with dew, resembled a miniature rose rain.
It covers the entire adjacent lawn, creating a romantic and luxurious effect.
"Snapped!"
Atobe snapped his fingers crisply, his eyebrows haughty, and the corners of his lips curved into a familiar smile as he spoke in a flamboyant manner.
"Enjoy the beauty of my skills."
Looking at the falling petals, Mukahi took a deep breath and turned to Shinobu, saying, "The captain's entrance is still so exaggerated."
"It's not an exaggeration, it's a tradition." Shinobu pushed up his glasses. "When Kei gets into the mood before an official match, he'll do this once."
"But this isn't Hyotei, it's the mountains of Karuizawa. Where did those flower petals come from?"
Renji didn't answer, because he didn't know either.
The petals were still falling when the coat that Atobe had thrown off, following a parabolic trajectory, struck Mochizuki Ryo precisely on the head with a "smack."
It completely covered his head.
When Atobe saw this, a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes; it was clearly intentional.