Provocation

As expected, He Zou was very busy.

Once the medical team found her reliable, they would turn to her for help immediately whenever they encountered a problem they couldn't handle.

The specific storage location of medical devices, the operation of German-language system instruments, acting as a translator when communication between the two parties is impossible in English, and troubleshooting when monitoring data fluctuations are abnormal...

She was too busy to notice the stares that were falling on her.

Even the strongest curiosity will be suppressed by the training tasks once the training officially begins, turning the ambiguous youth romance anime back into a hot-blooded sports anime.

But there are always times like this, aren't there?

When everything around us was normal, something suddenly broke the peace.

"What did you say?!"

A competitor sitting on a bench on the sidelines ripped the towel off his neck, threw it onto the chair, and angrily pointed at the other person, yelling, "What a joke! You want me to leave the game for a little sprain? Does your medical team discriminate based on who you treat? Are you afraid that we unknowns will delay your services for those big stars preparing for their matches?!"

His voice was loud, and his tone was full of sarcasm and resentment, instantly attracting a lot of attention.

Kazusa was holding a tablet, monitoring Tezuka's dynamic stats on the court. He was only a bench away from them when he heard such mindless words. He turned his head and saw Tezuka's ferocious expression filled with pain and anger.

She remembered this person: Kento Ueno.

It's not that he has anything particularly noteworthy about him, it's just that she reviewed everyone's medical examination data yesterday, and she has always had a good memory.

The list of players for the training camp was provided by the Japan Tennis Association, so not all of them were players from the same period as Tezuka.

Based on the past years' preferential treatment given to domestic players with lower rankings, some of the players on this list could have directly participated in the Davis Cup. However, because this year's Davis Cup results involve Olympic seeding, their performance could not guarantee that Japan would qualify. Therefore, the Tennis Association sought help from Tezuka and others.

They could have opted out of the training camp, but the Tennis Association felt it was a rare opportunity and hoped to provide these players with some training opportunities through the camp.

The Tennis Association is committed to cultivating more professional tennis talent, which is understandable. The training camp is not one-on-one coaching; the venue and equipment are readily available. It's just a matter of having a few more training plans and accommodation. The coaching staff and Keigo Atobe, who provided the venue, both agreed.

But in some people's eyes, this means their qualifications have been taken over. Their original training ground was taken over by these prodigies, and they themselves became the supporting cast, or even the ones who were "given a favor".

They watched as the other team, though in the same training center, received far more professional guidance, with coaches and medical staff revolving around them.

These people are far too arrogant!

Their strong sense of self-esteem made them feel ashamed and resentful.

With such emotions and estrangement, some people prepared to train passively; others reacted excessively, with Kento Ueno being one of them.

From the start of formal training, eager to achieve results, he rejected the medical team's advice and began training without warming up.

As expected, the ligaments, which were not fully stretched, were very fragile. After making a save, he strained his hamstring and fell to the ground in pain.

One of the interns, who had been watching him with some concern, rushed over to examine him in a flustered manner. After observation and applying ice, he made a preliminary assessment and advised him to stop the contact training.

And that's how the scene we just saw came about.

The intern who had been berated by Kento Ueno stood there, clutching his arm that had been lashed by the end of the towel, his reddened eyes filled with anger.

Quite a few people had already heard the commotion and looked over, which made the sensitive intern even more uncomfortable.

Upon seeing this, Kazusa frowned and walked over. She stood in front of the intern doctor, looking calmly at Ueno Kento, whose face was red and who could not control his emotions, and stated the facts: "Ueno-kun, you must know your own injury. Kobayashi-san just gave you very professional medical advice, but you seem to have some questions."

"As part of the medical team's duties, I'd like to confirm with you again that pain can cause protective muscle spasms. If you force yourself to continue training, it will only cause secondary damage and may even leave irreversible damage, affecting your future career."

"As an athlete, I think this is common sense that you should have."

She was stating objective facts, but she was certainly not being polite, which sounded like a condescending lecture to Kento Ueno.

Ha, these medical students are just as arrogant, they don't take him seriously at all!

"Don't give me that!" Ueno Kento, already lost in his own emotions, practically roared, shoving Kazuna's shoulder. "You guys are just—"

"Yagyu-san, watch out!" Many people around exclaimed in surprise, not expecting Ueno to actually dare to make a move.

They were overthinking it; Ueno Kento didn't even finish his arrogant words.

Because just as his hand was about to touch the chorus, the situation suddenly reversed!

Seeing the hand reaching out to him, Kazusa's eyes sharpened, and a sharpness that had been hidden beneath his gentle patience suddenly erupted!

Instead of backing away, just as Ueno's hand was about to touch her, she nimbly sidestepped, avoiding his shoving motion. At the same time, her right hand flashed out, her thumb and forefinger like surgical forceps, precisely and forcefully pinching the ulnar groove of his elbow joint—commonly known as the numbness band.

"Ah—!" Kento Ueno cried out in pain. He felt his entire right arm was sore, numb, and painful, as if he had been struck by an electric current.

Caught off guard by the sudden pain, he instantly lost all strength and stumbled backward. After regaining his balance, he clutched his arm and glared at Kazusa with a mixture of shock and anger.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Those who had originally wanted to step forward to stop Ueno's madness froze in place, looking at Kanade with some surprise, including the intern doctor Kobayashi behind her.

They never expected that this seemingly cheerful Yagyu-san would actually make a move so suddenly, nor did they expect that such a slender woman could be so... ruthless.

Only Kanade's expression remained calm. She looked at Kento Ueno, who was gritting his teeth and staring at her, and spoke:

"First, the medical team's responsibility is to protect the health of every athlete, and there is no discrimination as you perceive it."

“Secondly, other people’s bodies are not punching bags for you to vent your emotions.” She paused, her gaze sweeping over his hand that had tried to push her earlier, and continued in a softer voice, “If there’s a next time, you won’t just feel a temporary tingling or numbness.”

The pleasant voice clearly reached Ueno Kento's ears, but the cold warning hidden in the soft whispers brought Ueno to his senses.

He clutched his elbow, which had just recovered, his face, which had been flushed, now turning pale and then red. He could tell from her eyes that this woman was serious!

So the insults he hadn't been able to say earlier stuck in his throat.

Just then, a cold, stern voice came from not far away—

"Ueno."

Tezuka had finished his sparring session with Yukimura at some point and walked over here, next to Yukimura, who was still wearing his coat and had an expression of watching a good show.

The one who spoke just now was Tezuka. He didn't look at Kazusa, but walked directly towards Ueno, his gaze carrying an imposing aura.

“Insulting and physically assaulting someone is a serious violation of the training camp regulations.” His voice wasn’t loud, but its metallic tone carried a tremendous weight, making Ueno unable to lift his head. “Now, follow Dr. Kobayashi’s instructions and go to the medical room for ice packs. After the injury is treated, you are prohibited from engaging in any contact training for three days. Until then, apologize to both doctors.”

There is a consensus in the Japanese tennis world that Kunimitsu Tezuka is a player that every tennis player hopes to play against.

But when he actually stood opposite him, Ueno truly realized what an insurmountable mountain Tezuka Kunimitsu was to him. That tangible, powerful pressure completely extinguished his will, and even the last thought of resistance vanished.

Tezuka Kunimitsu was known for his fairness and strictness. When he heard that he was only prohibited from sparring, rather than being expelled from the training center, Ueno even felt a sense of gratitude.

Under Tezuka's gaze, he looked like a student who had made a mistake, his face flushed as he bowed with great difficulty to Dr. Kobayashi and Kanade: "...I'm very sorry, I lost my composure." After saying that, he walked towards the medical room without looking back, limping.

Tezuka then turned his gaze to the two members of the medical team, lowered his head and bowed slightly: "I'm sorry, I didn't manage the team member well and caused you both trouble. I hope you can give him another chance."

This is the captain apologizing to them on behalf of the team members.

However, having only been a team for a day, Ueno Kento's actions seemed to have nothing to do with him.

This person is really...

Dr. Kobayashi waved his hand quickly after hearing his apology. Kanade, however, looked at his serious expression. Her heart, which had remained calm even when she was almost beaten, began to flare with anger. She couldn't help but stare at him intently, trying to express her emotions.

Tezuka met her gaze. His dark brown eyes, which had been filled with a sense of oppression just moments before, returned to calm when he looked at her. He pushed up his glasses, as if asking her what was wrong.

He Zou: "..." Idiot!

"Hehe~" Yukimura, who had been standing silently next to Tezuka, suddenly laughed out loud. He admired the way Kanade slightly ground her back teeth and said something meaningful in his charming voice: "A few years have passed, but Yagyu-san's skills have not diminished."

Niou, who had finished his sparring practice earlier, nudged the expressionless Yagyu Hiroshi with his elbow: "Puri~ Hiroshi, are all you medical students this scary?"

Yagyu Hiroshi moved a step to the side, away from his former partner, and clarified without much emotion: "You have some misunderstandings about our medicine. We have always been a symbol of peace."

His cousin is definitely a tough one among medical students—he has never seen a medical student use themselves as a test subject to study joints, dislocating and then reattaching their own arm.

Sanada, standing to the side, seemed to recall some unpleasant memory. With a dark expression, he pulled down his hat brim and said, "Too lax..."

Sanada's expression reminded Yagyu Hiroshi of what happened back then.

Yes, that was at the Umihara Festival hosted by Yukimura. Mero, as the captain of the karate club, was facing off against Sanada, the captain of the kendo club. I really don't know what Yukimura was thinking at the time, arranging for these two clubs to play an exhibition match. In order to win, she twisted her arm into a terrible arc on stage. As a result, Sanada, who was fighting against her, was hit by her from an unexpected angle and his sword was knocked out of his hand.

What did Mero say back then?

She shook her arm, which she could now move again, and said to Sanada, whose face was as black as charcoal and who was still in shock, "With such a tense doctor-patient relationship, I need to learn how to protect myself in the future."

So why did Rikkai University stay still when Ueno Kento made his move?

Naturally, it's because they have complete confidence in her fighting abilities. Although Kanade currently appears to be a gentle and harmless bright girl, if things really got serious, she could probably tear her opponent apart before they even realized it...

Now, apart from Rikkai University, everyone at the training center should be relieved. The direct impact is that the previous gossipy gazes have decreased, and what remains are awe and respect, which makes Kazusa feel much more comfortable.

After the commotion subsided, training continued, and everyone returned to their respective training areas.

Kazuna, who had just spoken harshly to Ueno, looked at his tall, slender back, feeling resentful but unable to express it to him. So, she stood there holding her tablet, staring at him with fiery eyes, as if she wanted to burn a hole in his back.

At that moment, the person who was under her gaze suddenly turned his head and looked over. Almost the instant he turned his head, he caught Hezai's gaze. His gentle and clear gaze seemed to make her feel radiant and unable to hide.

I felt inexplicably indulged... The anger that had risen in my heart because of his harsh criticism of me quietly dissipated because of a single glance from him.

So, on the way back to the venue, a barely perceptible smile flashed in those deep brown eyes.