Chapter 91 The Little Seaweed's Challenge: Akaya and Yukimura got into a fight...
Risa rushed to the tennis court and could hear the crisp sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock even through the wire fence.
"30-0!" Sanada sat on the referee's bench and calmly announced the score.
Risa, panting with her hands on her knees, heard from Yagyu on Line that the two of them had "gotten into a fight" on the tennis court, and she thought it was a real fight.
I rushed over, only to find out they were playing tennis.
Kirihara was covered in sweat, his tracksuit soaked, and his knees covered in dust, clearly having fallen several times. But his gaze remained unchanged, fixed intently on Yukimura opposite him.
“That kid Akaya,” Marui chewed on bubble gum and leaned against the railing, “came to ambush the captain first thing in the morning, saying something like, ‘Please have a serious match with me.’”
Risa's gaze shifted to the other end of the court. Yukimura was still impeccably dressed, his breathing barely disturbed, only the temperature in his purple eyes was a few degrees lower than usual.
"Bang!"
A powerful smash landed near Kirihara's feet, and the boy staggered to catch it, but the racket slipped from his hand.
"3-0, Yukimura is in the lead. Switching sides."
Kirihara bent over, supporting himself on his knees, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his hair onto the field.
“Akaya,” Yukimura said, “that’s enough. You can’t beat me.”
Kirihara was taken aback, then stiffened his neck and shouted, "I-I was just warming up!"
Sanada, standing to the side with a dark face, said, "Too lax! How dare someone of this skill level challenge Yukimura?"
"Not enough..."
Kirihara dragged his heavy steps toward the other side.
"I promised... I would protect Risa-nee..."
Yukimura was taken aback upon hearing this, as if he understood something.
The rest of the match almost turned into a training session. Yukimura's every shot landed precisely on the baseline, while Kirihara ran back and forth on the field like a trapped beast, but couldn't even touch the ball.
"Game, Yukimura, 4-0."
Fifth inning.
Yukimura serves, and Kirihara manages a weak return.
The ball soared high, and Yukimura leaped up to smash it, showing no mercy.
"15-0".
"On his next serve, Kirihara had completely lost his senses," but he still desperately rushed toward the landing point.
"30-0".
Outside the arena, the crowd that had been watching the spectacle gradually quieted down.
A tense atmosphere filled the air.
Yagyu adjusted his glasses. "It's been going on for one hour and seventeen minutes."
"Akaya's stamina is at 83%, he's almost at his limit." Yanagi opened his notebook, his voice slightly grave. "If this continues..."
Jackal couldn't help but speak up: "Matsuno-kun, how about you..." But his voice trailed off when he saw Risa's expression.
On the third ball, Kirihara fell and scraped his palm.
Risa clenched her fists with heartache, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She recalled last month when this guy, despite having a cold, secretly slipped out for extra training. When she caught him red-handed, he stubbornly insisted, "Strong people don't need rest."
His current disheveled state is exactly the same as his stubbornness back then.
The words "Stop fighting" rolled around in her throat a few times, but she ultimately swallowed them back. She knew Akaya's temper all too well. Stopping him now was more painful than letting him lose the match.
"40-0".
Match point.
Yukimura stood at the bottom line, watching his junior on the other side teetering on the brink of collapse.
Kirihara was surrounded by darkness, but he could vaguely see something as he stared intently at the yellow ball opposite him.
With his vision blurred, he felt his blood surging in his eardrums, as if something was burning deep inside his body—just like when he fought Vice-Captain Sanada last time.
"The last ball," Yukimura said softly, tossing the tennis ball up.
The instant the ball was thrown into the air, Kirihara's vision suddenly turned blood red.
His movements became exceptionally agile, anticipating the landing point the instant Yukimura served. The racket struck the tennis ball with a crisp sound, and the ball flew towards Yukimura's backhand with astonishing speed.
A hint of surprise flashed in Yukimura's eyes.
"Smack!"
The ball grazed the sideline and landed.
The entire room fell silent.
“15-40.” Sanada’s voice broke the silence.
Kirihara stood rooted to the spot, his eyes regaining their gleam and hardening with determination. He had done it! The invincible Captain Yukimura had finally been defeated!
But they only managed to score one goal.
"6-0, Yukimura Katsu."
As soon as Sanada finished speaking, Kirihara collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving violently.
Yukimura walked up to Kirihara and looked down at him. The bloodshot in the boy's eyes had not completely faded, and his breathing was heavy, like that of a wounded animal.
"You lost, Akaya." He spoke calmly, but let out a barely perceptible sigh.
"The demonized state puts too much strain on the body; don't do it again next time."
Kirihara struggled to sit up. "Captain, I won't give up. I'll become stronger, strong enough to be Risa-nee's protector. So... so if you dare bully her..."
Yukimura paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
He crouched down and, unusually, ruffled Kirihara's sweaty curly hair: "Idiot."
“I appreciate your determination, Akaya.” Yukimura’s expression returned to its usual gentleness. “But don’t worry, I won’t bully her or take her away. From now on, there will only be one more person to protect her.”
After the match ended, Risa finally felt relieved.
She ran onto the court, handed Kirihara a towel, and then flicked Yukimura's forehead: "Having fun bullying your junior?"
Yukimura took her hand and smiled, "Seeing someone protecting you like this makes me even happier."
Wow!
A chorus of jeers immediately erupted from the sidelines.
Kirihara blushed and turned his head away, intending to leave tactfully, but was grabbed by the corner of his clothes.
“Thank you for thinking of me so much, my little knight.” Risa winked mischievously. “As a token of my gratitude, how about I treat you to sushi at Mitsuba-tei tonight? Just the two of us.”
"Huh?" Kirihara froze on the spot.
He opened his mouth, uttering a few indistinct syllables: "N-Aren't you going to bring the minister and the others...?"
"Minister? What minister?" Risa glanced around, feigning ignorance. "Is there anyone else here?"
Kirihara then realized what was happening, and his eyes lit up instantly. He straightened his back and proudly raised his chin to the crowd on the sidelines: "That's right! There's no such thing as a club president! Risa-nee, let's go!"
“Hey, Akaya, you bastard—” Marui popped a bubble.
Niou grinned mischievously and put his arm around Yagyu's shoulder: "Pfft, you got rejected, huh~"
Liu silently made a note in her notebook: "The probability that Akaya will become bolder because of his sister's support is 78.3%."
Sanada pulled down the brim of his hat: "Too lax!"
The two had only taken a few steps when Yukimura's gentle voice came from behind: "Akaya."
Kirihara froze, mechanically turning his head.
Yukimura smiled warmly and said, "Don't forget the physical fitness report you have to hand in for tomorrow's morning training."
Kirihara's face instantly fell: "Captain... Captain..."
Risa couldn't help but chuckle, pulling the dejected Kirihara along as they continued walking: "Ignore him, sushi should be eaten fresh!"
“Puri, Akaya—” Niou’s voice came from behind.
Kirihara subconsciously turned around and saw Niou waving his phone, the screen showing an embarrassing photo of him lying on the ground after being swept 6-0 by Yukimura.
Niou: "Are you sure you want to have dinner alone with Risa-nee? I might 'accidentally' send this photo to everyone..."
Kirihara instantly bristled: "Niou-senpai! You're so despicable!"
Risa grabbed Kirihara's arm and gave Niou a bright smile: "Then go ahead and send it~ Anyway, I think Akaya looks super cool when he's working so hard!"
Kirihara: "......!!!" His face turned bright red.
Marui popped a bubble: "Wow, a direct attack—"
Amidst the laughter of the entire audience, Renou shrugged and put his phone away, saying, "Okay, I lost this round."
Liu silently closed her notebook: "The probability of Akaya having a heart rate overload is 99.9%."
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Author's note: It's Friday again! Yay!
Thank you to all the VIPs who gave me the "thunderbolts" (邈邈兮予礼iris, 阴阳怪气的大姐姐, 不要站站, 杭奈). To make up for my previous promise, I'm presenting three chapters today.
Thank you to all the shareholders who have been contributing nutrient solution.
It's over 300,000 words long, I bet everyone's tired of reading by now [laughing and crying emoji]
Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. Here, give me a hug! Have a great weekend!
It's expected to finish in early September, or at least by mid-September. I never imagined it would be this long; I haven't had a vacation in two months ╭(°A°`)╮. Having spent so long without shopping, dating, or anything else, and only having my keyboard for company, the author is going insane and wailing.
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