Chapter 19
Sanada did not join the pillow fight, but only defended himself from a few flying pillows when he returned to his room.
At four o'clock in the morning, Sanada woke up on time for morning training.
After Sanada finished practicing calligraphy, the contestants who had slept late last night got up one after another to prepare for their daily training.
The battle lasted until midnight, and the contestants joined the morning run yawning together with Jiro Akutagawa, who had a good night's sleep on a pile of pillows.
After basic training, it was time for the official competition. Both teams were waiting on the beach in their school uniforms.
Yanagi Renji nodded at Atobe Keigo and explained the divisions. "This tournament will feature seven singles matches. The first will be between Marui and Mukai, and Feng and Kuwabara. The second will be between Kirihara and Hiyoshi, Shishido and me. The third will be between Kabachi and Yagyu, Akutagawa and Niou, and the final will be between Oshitari and Sanada. Matches will end before 2:00 PM, and any unfinished matches will be played until noon the following day."
Since Hyotei had an extra player this time, Atobe Keigo left this practice opportunity to his teammates. While the Rikkai University players were unlikely to use their full strength, their actual performance depended on the opposing teams.
"Don't let your guard down." Sanada glanced at the team members.
"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison. In front of the foreign school, the players from Rikkai University still gave face to Sanada.
Keigo checked on the players, especially those who had participated in the pillow fight last night. "Everyone is ready, let's start the game."
"Don't worry, Atobe, I won't let you down at a time like this." Mukai Taketo stretched.
Jackal Kuwabara and Marui Bunta looked at each other and stepped onto the beach.
I have tried many times to play ball on the beach during practice, but I still find it most convenient to do it barefoot.
The contestants enter the field and the referees take their positions.
The referees of the practice match were Keigo Atobe, who had an extraordinary eye for the field, and Renji Yanagi, who was familiar with the data on the field.
Marui hit the ball on the beach with his racket, testing the strength. "It really feels a bit different from yesterday."
The beach in Kanagawa is not small, and the simple court frame is not the same as the one we practiced in yesterday, so some deviations are normal.
Marui Bunta served a ball that flew high into the air, then rolled on the sand and finally stopped on the boundary line.
"Game Rikkai University, 15-0!" Atobe Keigo's eyes are like a ruler. Even if the wind or other factors such as the players running disrupt the drawn marks, it will not affect the judgment.
Taketo Mukaihi was only thinking about moving forward to catch the ball, but he didn't notice that the sand today was different from yesterday.
Yesterday's sand tennis balls would sink when hit, but today's sand seems to be a bit firmer and can help the ball bounce and move.
Marui and Xiang Hi exchanged blows, but Marui, familiar with the beach's characteristics, began to use the sand to attack. Sometimes he would use his racket to stir up sand to confuse his opponent, and sometimes he would use the racket to spin the ball on the sand, making it roll faster and more strangely.
Mukai Taketo was not willing to be outdone, and used his reaction speed and strength to constantly try to break Marui's moves.
On the other side, the battlefield between Hou Chotaro and the Jackal Kuwabara was clearly visible.
Feng Changtaro's move is to hit the target with one shot. If the ball goes into the court, the score will be in doubt. If it goes out of court, it will be a gift of points.
The jackal Kuwabara kept a close eye on Hou Chotaro's movements, always ready to respond to his attacks.
"Too bad." Shishido Ryo has already seen the direction of the game, and Hou Changtaro's ball control needs to be improved.
The matches on both sides started at the same time, and Hou Chotaro and Jackal Kuwahara finished their matches half as fast as Marui and Mukai.
Hou Changtaro's ball control is inherently unstable, and there is a high probability that the ball will go out of bounds during normal games. After changing the venue, he was unable to adapt in a short period of time, and his powerful serve could not be brought into play.
Jackal Kuwahara calmly suppressed Hyotei's Houchotaro and ended the game early.
Atobe said nothing. Shishido Ryo could have used provocation, or even spoken directly. But Hou Chotaro's personality wasn't suited to direct, forceful criticism. But the purpose of training was to improve. If he didn't break through under pressure, he could just wait for the next opportunity.
Hou Chotaro left the court and, feeling lost, reflected on the match. "This is so embarrassing! I must have disappointed Shishido-senpai."
Jackal Kuwabara shook off the sand from his feet and walked to the next stadium to support his partner Bunta.
The vacant venue was divided between the two schools' rising stars, Kirihara and Hiyoshi.
"The inferior overcomes the superior."
"Watch me break you."
The two juniors were full of fighting spirit and wanted to defeat each other to prove their strength.
Kirihara Akaya made an irregular serve, which went straight to his feet.
Hiyoshi Waka, who studied martial arts, calmly counterattacked according to the trajectory of the ball.
The younger generation's enthusiastic watching attracted the attention of many senior members.
Yanagi took a quick look at the notebook and recorded the data of Kirihara's first battle.
The match was incredibly intense, with Kirihara and Hiyoshi battling back and forth, neither willing to give in. Sand flew beneath their feet, blurring their vision.
"He really worked hard. His strength was 30% higher than usual in competitions." Yanagi Renji took out Kirihara Akaya's data for horizontal comparison.
Niou Masaharu's gaze shifted between his assigned opponent, Akutagawa Jiro, who had uncontrollably lowered his head for sleep but was struggling to stay awake, and then back to pointing at Marui Bunta and Kirihara Akaya, who were still competing. "Bunta's not doing well. Kuwahara was much faster this time. Akaya's trying so hard. This might be the first time he's met a classmate who's evenly matched."
"Shut up, Niou."
"No, don't talk nonsense, Senior Niou."
The Rikkai University members in the venue obviously heard what Niou said while standing in the middle, and responded one after another.
Sanada's gaze immediately fell on Niou Masaharu.
Niou Masaharu wasn't afraid at all. He leaned over and used the strategist's body to shield him. "Keep watching~ Puli."
Yanagi Renji remained unmoved, and Sanada wouldn't actually do anything. During Yukimura's medical days, the only person who could stand between Niou and Sanada was Yanagi Renji.
"Nioh!" The game ended. Marui Bunta, who was more skilled, won the game by walking on a tightrope. He figured out the error between playing beach ball and hitting the ball on a normal court, adjusted the angle and strength, and won the game.
After leaving the field, Marui Bunta handed the racket to Kuwabara and went to settle the score with Nioh.
The experienced Nioh took off one step before Bunta succeeded, and the chase began.
Oshizuka Ikushi was concerned about his partner, Takehito Mukai. "Let the team doctor take a look later. Sand and flat ground have different resistance to sinking. Your headers are so effective that you've completely forgotten the difference between the surfaces, right, Takehito?"
"No." Xiangri Yueren was stubborn and refused to admit it.
Atobe Keigo snapped his fingers. "Karachi."
"Yes." Karaichi didn't need Tezuka to explain anything. He clearly understood Tezuka's instructions and carried Mukaito Taketo to the treatment area.
Mukaito struggled. "Let go, Karaichi. I can walk on my own."
Liu closed his notebook, took out his racket from his tennis bag and waited to face the Hyotei members.
This time, the opponent didn't let Shishido Ryo say all of his catchphrases, and even Gao Hao didn't care who his opponent was.
"Tsk." Shishido Ryo stepped onto the field with a serious expression. The three giants of Rikkai University are not ordinary players.
When fighting against a person of the same level as Atobe Keigo, Shishido Ryo did not dare to be arrogant. Just like when facing Atobe, Shishido Ryo was unwilling to lose the game, but he recognized Atobe's strength, listened to the rules set by Atobe, and obeyed his management.
At the start of the game, Shishido Ryo served first with an extremely fast speed.
Yanagi Renji gently swung the racket, feeling the friction between the racket and the air, calculating where the tennis ball would land.
Shishido Ryo carried a powerful aura that could not be underestimated. However, the entire match was still within Yanagi Renji's prediction.
Sanada is not worried at all about Yanagi Renji's match. Even if his opponent is Atobe Keigo, if Sanada puts aside the friendship points, the win-loss rate is 50-50.
The difficulties Shishido Ryo encounters awaken Houchotaro, who is immersed in loss alone.
Hyotei prioritizes strength above all else. In practice matches without support groups, when he falls behind, no one comes to support him except his close teammates, adhering to the principle of strength above all else.
"Come on, Shishido-senpai!" Hou Chotaro walked to the sidelines. His voice was not loud, but people on the field could still hear it.
Shishido Ryo hit a topspin shot back, but Yanagi Renji hit it back with pinpoint accuracy.
"The probability of a diagonal shot is 73 percent. Because of the influence of the force of the landing point on the court, the height may be reduced." Liu hit the ball back to the dead corner.
Shishido Ryo was in trouble, and no matter how he changed the ball path or suddenly switched the offensive, Yanagi Renji seemed to always be able to predict his intentions, and every return ball landed in the dead corner of his court just right.
Unable to break through and score for a long time, Shishido Ryo became a little impatient and his mistakes gradually increased.
Yanagi Renji was neither hurried nor slow, seizing every opportunity to hit the ball steadily back to the opponent's court.
"Game Liu 6-3!"
The time difference between the match between Jackal Kuwabara and Hou Chotaro was made up by Yanagi Renji. He nodded politely to Shishido Ryou, and Yanagi Renji made room for the next group of players.
Sanada turned to Yagyu, who had finished warming up. "Go on stage."
"Karachi." Atobe Keigo signaled with his eyes.
A new group of players came on the field. As time went on, Kirihara and Hiyoshi both consumed a lot of energy, and the game remained in a stalemate.
The atmosphere on the court was tense. Kirihara Akaya kept his eyes fixed on Hiyoshi Wakaba's movements, searching for an attacking point. Hiyoshi Wakaba's sweat dripped down his forehead, soaking his jersey as he stared at Kirihara Akaya.
At the end of each game, Kirihara and Hiyoshi were like they had been buffed, fighting for more balls than they had played before.
Kirihara went into red-eye mode furiously, his racket swinging and sending up dust, not understanding at all the control techniques Sanada was trying to convey through the court.
Hiyoshi Waka gritted his teeth, adjusted his grip, and assumed martial arts form. With a sudden burst of force from his legs, he executed a beautiful sideways move, barely managing to return Kirihara's erratic shot.
Kirihara Akaya reacted quickly and hit a precise diagonal ball straight into Hiyoshi Waka's blind spot, returning the ball close to his legs.
"Game Kirihara 4-4!"
"Game day lucky 5-5!"
The scores rose alternately, breaking the tie to 6-6, and Kirihara Akaya and Hiyoshi Wakaba were still competing on the field.
Beside Atobe Keigo, Karachi had gone off to compete, leaving only Oshitari Ikushi to fill in. "The competition is over now, Hiyoshi, clear the field for the next competitor."
Sanada simply took action to stop the match, and Kirihara Akashi hadn't lost either, so it was difficult to punish him with an iron fist.
Sanada held onto Kirihara's collar until his red-eye condition subsided, then he let go.
"I'm scared to death, Vice Minister Sanada!" After recovering, Kirihara Akaya was frightened by Sanada. He looked around and ran to Senior Liu.
Yanagi Renji prompted, "The next group is Niou and Akutagawa."
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