Atobe
The last day of the training camp was the selection competition.
Despite it being winter, the air in the indoor stadium was thick with steam due to the intense competition.
Almost everyone was gathered around the edge of a stadium, watching a rare match.
On the court, the match between Keigo Atobe and Genichiro Sanada was at a crucial point.
Atobe's absolute insight allowed his high-speed spinning "Waltz of Destruction" second leap to directly target Sanada's backhand blind spot.
Sanada responded with a "thunder" move, dodging and making a save!
Clearly, the blind spot discovered by the Ice World wasn't so easy to recover from, even for Sanada, it was too extreme. The moment he launched the ball, his body lost its balance due to the high speed and extreme extension, and he uncontrollably fell to the left!
When he fell, his left shoulder and the back of his neck hit the ground hard, which cushioned the impact from the stronger shock.
"Sanada!"
Marui, standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. His excellent dynamic vision allowed him to see that Sanada had no external injuries, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Sanada recovered and was about to get up when he felt a sharp pain in his neck and shoulders, which even made him feel dizzy for a moment, and his movements stopped.
"Don't move!"
Yagyu Hiroshi, who was on the sidelines, had already noticed Sanada's unusual behavior. He shouted to stop him from continuing and quickly walked towards him.
As an intern specializing in sports medicine, his first action was to examine Sanada's ankle and weight-bearing joints.
On the other side, Kazusa frowned slightly. She noticed the momentary pause when Sanada tried to shake his head to stay awake.
Unlike her cousin, she stared at Sanada's neck, where he had been hit, even though there were no visible external injuries...
He Zou immediately looked at Professor Antberg beside him.
Sure enough, when Professor Antberg noticed this detail, he immediately said, "Melodia, go and check his nervous system response."
Unlike the University of Tokyo team, which focuses on sports medicine, the Heidelberg University team is responsible for the nervous system. Only Kazuna in the team can communicate fluently with Sanada, and even among this group of already outstanding interns, Kazuna's professional abilities are the best.
This student has already been chosen.
Antberg trusted her judgment, especially with him by her side.
Next, without Professor Antberg saying anything more, Kanade quickly walked to Sanada's side and squatted down. With Yagyu Hiroshi's tacit cooperation in stabilizing Sanada's body, she began the examination.
Seeing Sanada's unfocused gaze, Kanade had a bad feeling.
If her assessment is correct, the location of Sanada's collision may involve damage to his head or surrounding nerves.
Worried, but her voice remained calm: "Sanada-kun, please watch where my finger is moving." She took a pen light from her breast pocket, checked Sanada's pupils for light reflex, and softly asked, "Is there any pain in your neck? Is your finger numb?"
Sanada suppressed his discomfort, his eyes following the movement of Hesai's fingers, but he stubbornly insisted, "I'm fine... I can continue."
He Zou and his cousin exchanged a glance and shook their heads at the same time.
They knew Sanada was stubborn and wouldn't let him continue the match like that.
Just then, Atobe Keigo from the opposite half of the court walked over. He looked at Sanada, who had no external injuries, with a furrowed brow and a hidden concern in his gray-blue eyes, as well as a hint of annoyance at the interruption of their exciting match—the match that Yukimura had stopped in the third year of junior high school had only had a chance to continue today, but then another accident happened.
He looked down at Sanada, his tone familiarly arrogant: "Sanada, is this your evolved 'Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain'? You've really disappointed me."
Even though they were used to his temper, the people of Rikkai still found his words somewhat harsh.
Atobe ignored them and turned to ask Kazusa, "Woman, are you done checking?"
Wakana was examining the nerves around Sanada's neck when she heard this. She looked up and stared at Atobe with clear eyes.
She wasn't familiar with Atobe, nor was she angry at his impolite words; her calm tone still carried the characteristic rigor of a doctor.
"We need instrumental assistance to confirm whether Sanada-kun's brachial plexus is damaged. Atobe-kun, this match cannot continue."
"No need, I can continue." Sanada struggled to stand up.
After gesturing for Hiroshi to press him down, Watsuki reiterated, "This is not an external injury. If a neck impact is not handled properly, it will affect more than just this match. This has nothing to do with personal will; it's not a matter of 'what you think.'"
At this moment, it was not Sanada who was dissatisfied with her words, but Atobe.
He sized up Kazusa, his tone still haughty: "Sanada is standing on the court; the choice is in his hands."
These words, though seemingly respectful, actually put pressure on Sanada.
As expected, Sanada's stubbornness was amplified by Atobe's words, and this time even Yukimura's attempts to dissuade him were ineffective.
The obsession with a match that was interrupted many years ago is not unique to Atobe; Sanada does as well.
Atobe glanced at Wakana, who was determined not to let Sanada continue the match, and his displeasure made him snort coldly, "As expected of a healer, maybe MSF is more suitable for you."
"..."
Such a casual remark caused Kanade's lowered eyelashes to tremble slightly, but her hand, which was examining Sanada's shoulder, remained perfectly steady. Ignoring Atobe's emotions, she calmly asked, "Sanada-kun, do you feel anything unusual here?"
Even though she appeared calm, her voice still became uncontrollably low and hoarse.
With Atobe's keen insight, how could he not notice her change?
He was somewhat surprised that someone like Yagyu Kazusa could be provoked into losing control by just one sentence from him.
But the glare from Yagyu Hiroshi proved that he had indeed misspoke.
"Which word? MSF? Doctors Without Borders?"
Atobe was somewhat bothered—he was unhappy about not being able to continue the match, but he didn't mean to say hurtful things.
He Zou didn't have time to argue with him; her professionalism allowed her to quickly calm down and return to the inspection process.
"Sanada."
Tezuka, who had been summoned by the association, returned sometime later.
Perhaps Sanada's injury and the chaos before him displeased him, for his voice was colder and harder than usual.
He stepped forward and stood in front of Sanada, conveniently blocking Atobe's probing gaze towards Kanade. "You've forfeited the match; your injury needs immediate treatment."
His attitude was unusually firm, but he quickly took control of the situation, suppressing Sanada's stubbornness and Atobe's arrogance.
This is also his responsibility as the team leader.
Sanada looked at Tezuka, then at Yukimura, and his tense jaw finally relaxed.
As everyone's attention turned to Tezuka, Yuushi Oshitari slowly walked to Atobe's side, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear: "Interrupted again."
His words seemed to be teasing Atobe, but his gaze thoughtfully swept over Kanade's focused profile.
“The risk of major nerve damage can be ruled out.” After Antberg nodded, He Zou made the final judgment independently, “but we still recommend imaging of the neck and shoulder, just in case.”
Throughout the entire process, apart from her slightly trembling eyelashes, she showed no other abnormalities, and Yagyu Hiroshi's worried gaze was hidden behind his glasses.
When Kazusa helped finalize Sanada's follow-up examinations and finally stood up, she suddenly met a pair of deep brown eyes.
Tezuka didn't look away; he could clearly see her slightly widened pupils, as if she was somewhat surprised to see him as soon as she turned around.
He also saw that before the surprise had even faded, a smile had already appeared on her face.
She said, "Sanada-kun is alright, don't worry." Then, she turned and followed Sanada, who was moving towards the medical room.
She recovered quickly, but that momentary loss of composure was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in Tezuka's heart.
He didn't understand, but he sensed the immense pain she was enduring at that moment. He couldn't empathize with her, yet another indescribable emotion welled up from his chest.
Tezuka stood still, silently suppressing them.
—
With the match unable to continue, Atobe frowned and headed towards the locker room corridor. Yuushi Oshitari glanced at Tezuka and followed his captain.
After walking a distance, Atobe glanced at him and asked, "What was wrong with her reaction?"
“Atobe, what you just said…” Shinobu sighed, his expression clearly hesitant for a moment, but he still continued, “Yagyu-san’s mother, Professor Yagyu Masayu, was a Doctors Without Borders. Five years ago… she died in the line of duty.”
Atobe was stunned.
Seeing the rare expression of "guilt" on his friend's face, Shinobu didn't say anything more.
The two walked forward in silence through the long corridor.
Shinobu couldn't help but recall the Yagyu and Kanade family he had once seen.
At that time, he was accompanied by his father to a dinner party at a medical forum.
In the medical field, most people at banquets are serious and composed, rarely smiling, let alone their peers.
Then he saw Yagyu Kazuna.
She wore an exquisite little dress that looked like it was tailor-made, and followed a lady like a little tail.
He knew the woman—Yagyuu Masayu, a rising star in Japanese cardiac surgery.
Unlike other doctors who are rigid and serious, Yagyu Masayu always has a bright smile on his face and speaks with sharp insight, naturally becoming the focus of a small group of people.
Her husband, Eishi Yagyu, stood a step behind his wife and daughter, his gentle gaze always following his radiant wife. Occasionally, he would bend down slightly and say something to his daughter, who had a cold expression.
He was probably just saying that to make his daughter happy, since his doting expression was obvious.
At that time, he secretly thought that Yagyu and Kanade were not cut out to be doctors.
She blended in perfectly among a group of serious-looking doctors.
A chubby-cheeked child listened intently to the adults chatting, his face serious, and even managed to interject.
He leaned in to listen for a few moments. Her logic was clear, and her vocabulary already carried a hint of medical training; however, the words she uttered were incomprehensible to him at the time.
Yagyu Kazuna, after only one meeting, became the "other people's child" that his father talked about.
Professor Yagyu Masaru must be very proud of her daughter. After Yagyu Kazuna finished expressing her opinion, she would laugh and pat her on the head.
The scene was so vivid that it left a deep impression on Shinobu to this day.
That was the first and last time he met Yagyu Masaru.
At this moment, recalling the appearance of Yagyu and Kanade that he had seen in the past few days, Shinobu suddenly understood where the subtle sense of unease he had felt just now came from.
At the banquet, little Yagyu Kazuna always had a cold expression, but now she is becoming more and more like her mother.
But it seems... something is different.
Of course, he didn't know the Yagyu family well and couldn't pinpoint the differences; perhaps it was just his perception.
The only certainty is that Yagyu Kazuna is attached to his mother.
Atobe really messed up this time.
After three years of being classmates, he already knew that the so-called "gentleman" Yagyu Hiroshi was extremely protective of his own, and once he had bad intentions, he was not a gentleman at all.
Moreover, just now, he made a surprising discovery.
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