Chapter 142 Tennis 30
The first match of the Kanto tournament was between Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei Gakuen. The crowd was packed, with few empty seats. The cheers for Hyotei were deafening, and the atmosphere was electric.
Kurikawa Sana was also among them, watching the battle quietly.
In the first doubles match number two, the combination of Hyotei Oshitari Yuushi and Mukai Taketo vs. Seigaku Kikumaru Eiji and Momoshiro Takeshi. The other member of Seigaku's golden doubles combination, Oishi Shuichiro, did not play. It was said that he was on his way to the hospital to treat a pregnant woman who fell and was unable to make it.
When she heard this, Kurikawa Sana was stunned, and she instantly felt a deep respect for Mr. Oishi, whom she had never met before.
At any time, anyone who respects the health of others and takes action to do so is worthy of respect.
But the golden combination of Seigaku was separated and replaced by the doubles team that Momoshiro Takeshi was not good at. Kurikawa Sana originally thought that this game would be a victory for Hyotei, but the result was quite surprising - Oshitari and Hiashi lost.
At the beginning, Hyotei was indeed ahead, thanks to Takehi Taketo's impressive special shots and Oshitari Yuushi's unfathomable technical prowess. However, due to this, due to his overestimation of the opponent, Hyotei exhausted his physical strength early, and was eventually caught up by Seigaku and won the game.
"I'm sorry, Sana, for letting you see me looking so embarrassed." After returning to the team and apologizing to Coach Sakaki, Taketo Mukai walked over to Sana Kurikawa.
The boy lowered his head, his red bangs obscuring his expression. "...You must also think I'm terrible like this. I was overconfident earlier, underestimated my opponent, and used up my energy prematurely. In the last two rounds, my feet felt like they were filled with lead, and I couldn't jump no matter what I did."
Perhaps it was because he had played against Kurikawa Sana before, and she could truly understand his pursuit. As soon as he lost the game, after being stunned, Mukai Taketo subconsciously looked for Kurikawa Sana in the audience.
It's strange to say, Sana is neither the manager nor the captain of the team, and she has no relationship with the Hyotei Tennis Club, so he has no obligation to explain to her.
But inexplicably, Taketo Mukai just wanted to explain everything to her, get her approval, and tell her that he would never make the same mistake again.
Being overconfident, underestimating your opponent, and finally suffering a disastrous defeat is not a glorious thing no matter how you think about it.
…What would she think?
Mukaihi Taketo clenched his fists, anxiously awaiting her reply.
"No, I don't think Xiangri-kun will be embarrassed. People always need to experience failure to grow."
The girl's gentle and sweet voice sounded, like a gurgling river in summer, soothing people's restless hearts.
It makes people feel at peace in their hearts.
"Xiang Ri-kun has already given it his all in the match just now. It is precisely because of failure that his current weaknesses have been exposed. From now on, Xiang Ri-kun can work hard on his physical training, and he can also readjust his energy allocation strategy for the next match."
Suddenly remembering something, Kurikawa Sana changed the subject and said, "As for underestimating your opponent... I don't think Mukuhi-kun was truly underestimating him. As both of you are skilled in acrobatic shots, Mukuhi-kun knows Kikumaru-kun's prowess better than anyone else, right? Precisely because of this knowledge and your particular regard for him, you pushed yourself to the limit and used up all your energy from the very beginning of the match."
“……!!”
Mukaihi Taketo was surprised at first, then his face flushed red, "H-how did you know?!"
"It's obvious. Yesterday at the street tennis court, Mukai-kun immediately asked for a match with Kikumaru-kun. This shows that you actually value him very much."
Kurikawa Sana blinked. "If you must say you underestimated the enemy, perhaps you thought that Kikumaru-kun and Momoshiro-kun, who had been preparing their weapons before the battle, wouldn't have any tacit understanding, so you let your guard down. But that doesn't mean you truly think Kikumaru-kun and the others are weak."
Taketo Mukaihi was stunned where he stood.
Indeed, he never considered Kikumaru Eiji weak. Precisely because his style of play was also heavily honed in doubles, he wanted to defeat Kikumaru Eiji as quickly as possible. So much so that he became overly impatient and used up all his energy right from the start.
…She saw through this, something that even Coach Sakaki couldn’t see through.
"It's okay, Mukai-kun. In my opinion, Kikumaru-kun is really strong and has the potential to compete at the national level." Kurikawa Sana patted his shoulder comfortingly. "If you can't win this time, just try again next time. That's what competitive sports are all about – it gives you hope and motivation."
"...I understand." The redness on Mukaihi Taketo's face gradually faded. "Thank you, Sana."
Yuushi Ozaki, who had been beside them, looked calm on the surface, but was actually just as surprised in his heart.
Sure enough, it was no accident that she got Yue Ren's recognition last time.
Kurikawa Sana, she has the ability to see through the surface and touch people's hearts.
Just like now, the girl turned her gaze to him. Her blue eyes, as clear and beautiful as the sky, held a light that seemed to see through everything. "Unlike Mukai-kun who gave his all, Oshitari-kun didn't use his full strength, did he?"
As expected, she saw the same thing about him.
Oshitari Yuushi smiled and asked, "Why do you think so?"
Kurikawa Sana: "People's breathing and footsteps don't lie. Even at the end of the sixth game, Oshitari-kun clearly still had some room to spare."
Yuushi Oshizuka's strength is unfathomable, and his tennis skills are extremely comprehensive. Furthermore, none of the special skills listed in his stats were used today.
Why? Did he think he could win without even using his moves? Or did he simply find it pointless and unmotivated?
If Yuushi Oshizuka had released all his strength from the beginning, the temporary doubles combination of Takeshi Momoshiro and Eiji Kikumaru might not have been able to defeat him.
This person is indeed very complicated. No wonder he is the only one in the three worlds who can close his heart and make it impossible to hear the report of his favorability.
"Oh my, I've been seen through." When people feel embarrassed, they will act very busy. Yuushi Ozuki raised his hand to support the glasses on his nose at a loss.
For a moment, Ozuki Yuushi didn't know whether it was more embarrassing that she thought he had tried his best but still lost, or that she saw through that he had not tried his best at all.
If it were her, she would definitely think the latter was worse. He clearly had enough strength, but he didn't give his all for the team.
"I don't mean to blame Oshitari-kun, and I'm in no position to blame him."
The black-haired girl just stared at him quietly, seriousness written all over her stunningly beautiful face.
"I want to see the real Yuushi Oshizuka."
“…”
Yuushi Oshitari was stunned.
"If possible, I really hope to see Oshitari-kun giving his all, if I can still wait until that day." When she said the last sentence, Kurikawa Sana's voice sounded a little low.
It's just a game, how could I not wait? Ozuki Yuushi couldn't help but laugh.
She said this as if she was about to leave at any moment.
That’s right, it’s just a serious game, so there’s nothing wrong with agreeing to it.
Oshitari Yuushi smiled softly, "Okay, I promise you."
"——Next time I let you see my game, I will give it my all."
Making a promise to a beautiful lady is a virtue of being a gentleman.
…
In Hyotei's coaching booth, Sakaki Taro withdrew his gaze from Kurikawa Sana and said to Keigo Atobe beside him, "That girl is not only a strong player herself, but she's also a master at reading people and analyzing tactics. More importantly, she's able to get Hibiki and the others to listen to her advice."
In short, it is personal charm.
With just a few words from her, Yuushi Ozaki, the unfathomable genius of Hyotei, made a promise to her, promising to give his all in the next competition, which was something even he, the coach, could not do.
Each member of the Hyotei Tennis Club has his or her own unique personality and comes from a privileged background. They follow their own whims and instincts. Even Sakaki Taro, as their coach, can't force them to obey his instructions completely.
"It would be great if she could be the manager of our team," said Sakaki Taro.
Hearing the undisguised admiration for Kurikawa Sana in Sakaki Taro's tone, Atobe Keigo twitched the corners of his mouth and said with a smile, "She is indeed gorgeous, both in tennis and in other aspects. As for the manager, forget it. If she really wanted to be a manager, she would have submitted an application long ago. But she hasn't yet, which means she doesn't want to be a manager."
Sakaki Taro raised an eyebrow, "Oh? That's quite surprising."
Atobe Keigo: "What's the surprise?"
Sakaki Taro: "I heard before that she was hated by Hyotei's King. I thought you hated her, but now it seems that's not the case."
Atobe Keigo was slightly stunned.
…It was true before, but it’s different now.
He tilted his head uncomfortably, "...I didn't expect the coach to care about things other than the team and actually listen to this kind of campus gossip."
Sakaki Taro said calmly, "I don't listen to other people's gossip, but I will listen to yours."
Atobe Keigo: “…”
*
[Atobe Keigo, Favorability +5. ]
Suddenly hearing the sound of increasing favorability, Kurikawa Sana looked to the side and just saw Atobe looking away.
Oh yeah, the plan worked! She'd chosen the perfect spot, closest to the Hyotei coaching booth, where she could just barely be heard. And I felt like Ozuki had also gained some favorability, hehe.
Kurikawa Sana was in a good mood and continued to watch the game.
The second match was doubles number one, pitting Hyotei's Ryo Shishido and Hou Chotaro against Seigaku's Kaoru Kaido and Sadaharu Inui. Hyotei also took an overwhelming lead from the start, with the Seigaku duo helpless against Hou Chotaro's signature serve, the "One-Hit Soul." Hyotei maintained a commanding lead throughout the match.
But in the later stages of the game, Sadaharu Inui began to collect data on his opponent and used his expertise in data tennis to successfully make Hou Chotaro lose his composure and lose points, and Kaidou Kaoru's spinning snake ball also began to gain power and score points.
Just when Kurikawa Sana thought that Seigaku would turn the tables and win the game again, Inui Sadaharu honestly reported to the referee that the last ball should have been out of bounds, declaring Hyotei's victory.
What a sincere person he is. If he hadn't reported that goal, with the way he and Kaidou Xun were playing, it would be hard to say who would win or lose.
Kurikawa Sana couldn't help but be attracted by each game that was more exciting than the last. The charm of competitive sports was fully reflected in the young man's repeated efforts to return the ball.
The same was true for the No. 3 singles match. The match between Takashi Kawamura and Takahiro Kabaji made Sana Kurikawa worried.
Kawamura Takashi's powerful Hajime ball led him to a two-game lead from the start. However, Kabaji Takahiro, a pure-minded player skilled at copying his opponent's skills, also mastered the technique, and the match gradually devolved into a duel of Hajime balls.
The sheer power of the two men against each other was visually stunning, leaving everyone stunned.
The Hadokubi is powerful, but it has side effects and places a heavy strain on the body. For Seigaku's victory, Kawamura Takashi roared and unleashed Hadokubi again and again, as if even a breakdown wouldn't matter.
Coach Ryuuzaki of Qingxue suddenly stood up with a changed expression, yelling at Kawamura to give up.
Under the shade of the trees across from the court, there was a tall, strong figure wearing the white uniform of Yamabuki Junior High School—it was Jin Akutsu.
Akutsu came to watch Kawamura Takashi's game.
Kurikawa Sana was stunned for a moment.
She always believed that health was the most important thing. Exciting competitions and victories should take a back seat to health.
But at this moment, for the first time, she wasn't so sure.
She saw the painful expression on Kawamura Takashi's face every time he hit a wave ball, saw the silent wailing of his arm muscles, saw the blood dripping onto the ground from his clenched palms of the racket, and saw the expressions of both heartache and admiration on the faces of the students and players of Seigaku.
[I just have strength.]
Kurikawa Sana suddenly remembered what Kawamura Takashi once said.
When he first met Kawamura Takashi, he touched the back of his head in a somewhat naive and embarrassed manner, saying that he only had strength in vain, as the powerful Akutsu had praised his strength.
And now, he is using the only strength he has to fight for Qingxue.
Two "click" sounds were the sounds of Takahiro Kabashi and Takashi Kawamura's rackets falling to the ground one after another, indicating that the game was invalid, with no winner or loser.
Kurikawa Sana stared at the game in a daze for a long time.
There seemed to be other sounds, like the sound of water drops hitting the ground.
"You're crying."
Kurikawa Sana looked up in surprise and found that the person talking to her was Fuji Shusuke.
The boy opened his ice-blue eyes, reflecting her face. Kurikawa Sana seemed to see tears reflecting on her own face.
"Eh? I cried?..."
Kurikawa Sana reached out to wipe the corners of her eyes in surprise, and actually felt something wet.
She watched Kawamura Takashi's game and cried.
The young man's passionate and roaring posture, his reckless fighting style, and his determination to fight for victory with all his might gave her an unprecedented shock.
She never approved of any behavior that hurt her body, but this time with Kawamura Takashi, she experienced a feeling she had never experienced before.
"Why is Fuji-kun here?" Kurikawa Sana quickly wiped her tears. Why did he come to Hyotei's venue?
"We just switched courts in the last game. I came to get Aaron's racket. I'm going to use Aaron's racket in the next game." Fuji Shusuke clenched the bloody racket. "Why are you crying?"
Kurikawa Sana was stunned for a moment.
"I don't know either. I just watched Kawamura-kun's game... and I started crying without realizing it."
【Fuji Shusuke, Favorability +5. 】
"Wipe it off."
Fuji Shusuke's voice became softer, and a soft handkerchief was stuffed into her palm.
...Huh?
Kurikawa Sana stared at him in a daze as he returned to the Seigaku court and started his second singles match.
Then, he displayed almost unreasonable strength and skills, sweeping Jiro Akutagawa with a score of 6-1.
The disappearing serve, the white whale among the three types of return, one amazing trick after another... In the breeze, Fuji Shusuke, holding the bloody racket that belonged to Kawamura Takashi, won an absolute victory.
…so impressive.
Every time I watch Fuji Shusuke's game, I have a feeling that he will never lose, which makes people wonder how strong a person must be to defeat this genius of Seigaku.
The handkerchief that Fuji Shusuke gave her had a fresh plant scent. Kurikawa Sana wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, but she didn't expect that she would cry again soon.
——Because of the match between Kunimitsu Tezuka and Keigo Atobe.
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