[45] Grade 11: National Youth Team Intensive Training Camp
Coach Jinshan reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Imaichi Kawa.
As the person in charge, he also had to observe the condition of the other players.
Coach Jinshan watched the match between Team A and Team B, exchanging opinions with his assistant coach from time to time, while scribbling down the latest status of everyone present.
"Aoyagi showed obvious wariness towards unfamiliar setters, and would unconsciously maintain a safe distance."
"When dealing with setters who are not in position, Mutu's spiking success rate drops significantly, but his enthusiasm for saving the ball increases significantly."
"Tendo's intuitive blocking is also very effective against unfamiliar opponents, but its overall efficiency will gradually decrease as the game progresses."
"Under Imadegawa's guidance, Oshiro's smash height varied flexibly, breaking his fixed hitting rhythm."
"Ushijima adapted well to Imadegawa's instantaneous stop and drop shot, and his spikes were more powerful than usual."
"..."
Looking at the data, the assistant coach couldn't help but exclaim, "These players can actually create some amazing chemistry when they're with unfamiliar teammates."
Coach Jinshan closed his notebook, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips: "This is also something we need to observe and record."
......
After the assistant coach announced the end of all training sessions that afternoon.
Upon leaving the river, Jin Chuchuan immediately collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, like a slump of slime melting in the sun.
...So tired.
After several consecutive matches, my arms were already sore and numb from the high-intensity training.
What's even more agonizing for him are his legs. After running around the court all day connecting various volleyballs that take off with the first pass, they feel like they've been filled with molten lead, both hot and heavy.
Her long, bright red hair was soaked with sweat and clung stickily to the back of her neck.
...I feel a little uncomfortable.
My hair grows so fast...
I should have tied my hair up with a hair tie.
Aoyagi and Saotome ran over quickly and, working in perfect coordination, supported Imadegawa from both sides.
Aoyagi wrapped his arm around Imadegawa's back, letting his limp upper body lean against his shoulder, while his other hand carefully brushed the dust off Imadegawa's tracksuit.
Saotome knelt on one knee, her left hand firmly supporting the back of Imadegawa's head, while her right hand brought the sports water bottle to his lips.
"Slow down," Saotome controlled the flow of water, "Don't choke."
Now, as they walked out of the river, I sipped my drink in sync with their actions.
A few strands of sweat-dampened bangs stuck to his forehead, and Saotome casually brushed them aside, her movements as natural as if she were taking care of her own brother.
Wooden Rabbit circled around the three of them with a worried expression: "Are you alright now that you've left Sichuan?"
Jin Chuchuan collapsed so quickly that the people around him were startled, thinking he had fainted from exhaustion.
Imadegawa, who was being fed water, couldn't speak, but raised his arm and shook it at Bokuto to indicate that he was alright.
Tendo, with unsteady, wobbly steps, limped over to watch the commotion: "Tsuru-chan's stamina is terrible~"
With lightning speed, Wei Bai grabbed the guy who had stopped and whose legs immediately went weak and swayed: "...You're not much better off, are you?"
Ushijima silently stepped forward, his strong arm steadily supporting Tendo, who had come from afar to join in the fun.
Tendo then shifted most of his weight onto Ushima, hanging on him like he had no bones.
"Oh dear~ I've been found out~" Tendo tilted his head, his red hair sticking up messily, a completely insincere smile on his face, "But I'm slightly stronger than Tsuru-chan? Can Tsuru-chan still stand up?"
Imadegawa pressed down on Saotome's right knee, which she had raised.
Saotome understood and put the kettle away.
"...Tendo-san cares about me a lot."
Jin Chuchuan struggled to sit up and gave him a weak smile as he looked back at him.
"Hmm~" Tendo smiled, his rabbit mouth curving up, without refuting.
Their gazes met in mid-air, as if tiny electric currents were crackling through them.
"Shall we go to the cafeteria together?" asked Ushijima, who was supporting Tendo.
"Hey~ Is Ruoli about to be snatched away by the setter from another school~"
"Wouldn't Ruoli forget Yingtai, who is still waiting anxiously at home?"
Ushijima retorted earnestly, "I haven't forgotten."
Amidst the startled sounds of Tendo, Imadegawa nodded: "Okay."
After a short rest, the group headed to the cafeteria in a large procession.
The canteen at the national youth training camp is managed by a professional team. The menu is customized according to physical needs and is usually in a buffet style, where players take food as needed.
Ooshiro, carrying a plate, casually grabbed a dish of natto.
Imadegawa stood beside him, choosing his food. Noticing his hesitant expression, Oshiro kindly pointed to the natto and asked, "Would you like some?"
"No."
Imodechuan declined.
...Let's just forget about natto.
Saotome walked over from the other side, casually placed a cup of yogurt on Imadegawa's plate, and explained to Oshiro, "Yuzu has never been used to eating legumes since she was a child."
"What about the red bean rice for the victory celebration?" Wei Bai asked.
Jin Chuchuan picked out a portion of steamed vegetables and put them on his plate: "I'll eat something else."
"Huh?" Wood Rabbit peeked out from the side, looking incredulous. "You don't even eat red bean rice?"
Saotome added, "He doesn't eat anything made from beans, not just red bean rice."
"Really?" Ooshiro looked at Imadegawa in surprise. "You don't eat fried tofu, soup tofu, or soy milk drinks either?"
As if showing off his close relationship with Imadegawa, Saotome quickly replied, "No, he doesn't eat it. He doesn't even drink miso soup."
"Eh—" *2
—Don't you eat miso soup, a staple dish in many Chinese households?
The two were so surprised that their expression almost filled the small corner.
"I can't eat the soybean paste in the miso soup," Imadegawa said helplessly.
Under the urging gazes of Aoyagi and Ushijima not far away, the group, carrying their trays of food, joined them and found seats.
In the small national youth training camp, they occupied a whole row of tables.
"I'm starting!"
Holding his chopsticks, Ooshiro couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Imadegawa, "So, Imadegawa, you don't eat soy products because you're allergic?"
Imaichi shook his head: "No, it's just that I can't stand the taste of bean products."
Despite not knowing the context, Tiantong smoothly continued, "You're a little bird, how come you don't like to eat beans?"
Imadegawa: "..."
Imaichi said with a smile, "I suppose I still belong to the Hominidae family and the Homo genus of the order Primates."
"But cranes are omnivorous, aren't they?" With a jumpy thought, Wei Bai picked up a piece of tempura with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He mumbled, "They eat small fish, shrimp, crabs, grains, and berries all together, right?"
"And carrots!" Wood Rabbit excitedly raised her hand. "When we went on a school trip in junior high, we went to the zoo, and I fed carrots to the red-crowned cranes!!"
"The red-crowned crane has white feathers and a red head! Just like Imadegawa's hair!" Mokuto gestured to his own neck, indicating that it resembled Imadegawa's tail hair.
Although he has a spiky hairstyle and Imaichi Chuan has a collarbone-length hairstyle, everyone can still understand his meaning.
"Kinichi Chuan looks like a red-crowned crane, and he studies at the 'Crane Cry Hall,' so he must be the embodiment of a crane!" Mokuto concluded solemnly.
Immediately afterwards, the owl carefully examined Saotome and Aoyagi, who were sitting on either side of Imadegawa, with its bright, piercing eyes.
Finally, he sighed loudly with regret: "You two don't look like red-crowned cranes at all..."
Saotome: "..."
Qingliu: "..."
"What kind of cranes do they resemble?" Tail White swallowed the food in his mouth and asked Wood Rabbit.
Wood Rabbit frowned, his lower lip pursed, revealing an expression of being stumped.
Before Bokuto could rack his brains to figure out which category to put Saotome and Aoyagi into, Tendo interjected with a grin: "Who knows~"
"However, Imadegawa looks like a crane, has 'crane' in his name, his school is called 'Crane's Cry Hall,' and it's located in the legendary Heian-kyo, a place teeming with yokai. Maybe he really is some kind of crane yokai~"
"...Really?" Bokuto's attention was diverted by Tendo's words. "But isn't Tsurumei-kan in Kyoto?"
"Kyoto was Heian-kyo hundreds of years ago, right?" Imadegawa continued with a smile, following up on Tendo's words.
Bokuto was shocked: "Then are you really the red-crowned crane demon from Heian-kyo?!"
Ooshiro retorted, "Huh? The Heian-kyo era is long gone, isn't it?!"
Hearing this, Saotome couldn't help but put down his chopsticks and count them off one by one: "Bokuto-san also looks like an owl, and his school is also called 'Owl Valley,' could Bokuto-san also be an owl youkai?!"
Wooden rabbit with beady eyes.
"Oshiro-san looks like a fox, and her school is 'Inari-saki.' Could Oshiro-san also be a (KBbC) fox spirit?!"
Tail White, bewildered: Huh? Me? Do I look like a fox?
"If Ushijima-san is in 'Shiratorizawa,' then he's also a Shiratorizawa youkai?!"
Udo, who was focused on eating, looked up in confusion after being called out.
Saotome deliberately skipped over the troublemaker, Tendo, and intentionally ignored him.
Ignoring his disregard, Tendo cheerfully raised his hands and waved: "Yes~ Wakari and I are the white bird youkai that flew out of Miyagi—"
"Oh! I see!" Wooden Rabbit clapped his hands, his face showing sudden realization. "So it was just a coincidence!!!"
Tail White's eyes were lifeless: "How innocent, Wood Rabbit."
“Besides,” Saotome continued, “compared to yokai, Yuzu should be something like a ‘crane god,’ right?”
When she said this, Saotome's tone was filled with undisguised boastfulness and pride.
Aoyagi agreed with this statement, nodding vigorously.
Imadegawa: "..."
Although I was already aware of the characters' feelings towards me, being so enthusiastically praised in public was still a little embarrassing...
Jin Chuan casually avoided the bright stares from both sides and began to eat his rice.
"Ugh, so cheesy." Tiantong pouted.
Wei Bai's expression was complicated: "You people from the Crane Cry Pavilion..."
—That's really weird.
Imadegawa: "..."
"What's wrong with the people from our Tsurumei-kan?" Saotome glanced sideways at Ooshiro.
"No...it's nothing..." Ooshiro said weakly, despite the imposing aura that seemed to grow three meters tall despite his petite frame.
————————
(Snoring and frantically patting paws) I'll reply to the comments tomorrow night if I'm free—I'm so busy I'm spinning! Damn Monday, damn overtime! If I hadn't written a little something earlier last night, I almost wouldn't have made it in time.
Just to clarify for the younger players, the timing of this year's national youth team intensive training camp is my own interpretation. When writing the outline, I only noticed that the international tournament timeline was between August and September, and that there would be an intensive training camp before the international tournament. However, after recently learning about related information, I discovered that there is actually more than one national youth team training camp each year. Generally, the first one starts after the Spring High School Qualifiers, followed by a second and third national youth team training camp after the Spring High School Qualifiers, until there is another intensive training camp after the International High School Qualifiers to select 12 official players for overseas expeditions.
Therefore, the national youth team's training camp should have taken place after the spring high school qualifiers. I should have written about the Inarisaki practice match first and then the national youth team's (but I got it mixed up, and it's a bit troublesome to revise, sob sob. This year, I'll just consider it my own idea and move the first training camp earlier) (bowing deeply). Kozuru will only be officially selected for the national youth team to compete in international tournaments next year (I will revise the time of the first national youth team's training camp back to after the spring high school qualifiers in the second year of high school) (I won't go into detail about the international tournaments).
(The following are some random thoughts and little skits from this chapter) I really enjoyed writing this slice-of-life story. The little crane who doesn't eat beans is so cute! (Actually, the author quite likes soy milk.) Little Crane: Meow—
Let's add a short skit—
Saotome Chihaya's personal mini-drama:
Regarding the impressions of the people:
Today's departure from Sichuan: No score required, God, no further explanation needed.
Aoyagi: 9 points, a somewhat annoying companion.
Koizumi: 7 points, a very annoying companion.
Tail White: 6 points, a big, somewhat clever but dim-witted guy.
Wood Rabbit: 5 points, big oaf.
Ushijima: 3 points, a big, strong guy.
Tendo: 1 point, crazy
Character name: 0 points, Yao Yao Tiao Diao
...
(The above are all Xiaoqian's personal evaluations)
Chihiro has a deep-seated hatred for all those who enjoy themselves (names two specific individuals) (if Kominato were from another school, he'd probably be just as disgusted as Kaname).
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