Chapter 39 Return
As the morning light dawns, the sun shines through the clouds and people exercising can be seen everywhere on the red runway.
Coach Ryuzaki stood at the front of the team, holding the roster. He spoke in a resounding voice, "Basic stretching before the game is very important. Don't be lazy. After stretching, you can start your free activities."
"yes--"
Kikumaru glimpsed Coach Ryuzaki walking away from the corner of his eye. He stood up and leaned on Daishi. "Another free activity. This is Coach Ryuzaki's style."
Momoshiro helped Echizen stretch his legs while muttering, "I really want to compete."
Kikumaru looked towards the courts on both sides, and his eyes lit up when he saw people on the court. "The coaching staff is playing a game! Fuji is actually on the court. Oishi, let's go watch meow!"
"But Coach Ryuzaki said we should finish the stretching exercises..." Oishi's words trailed off hesitantly.
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Kikumaru, "Oh, just take a look, little Tao, are you going to leave?"
"Okay, okay!" Momoshiro stood up and pulled Echizen up from the ground.
"Wait a minute..." Before Oishi could finish his sentence, the three of them were already running towards the court at wind speed. The rest of the sentence was stuck in his throat. He scratched his head in distress. "If Coach Ryuzaki comes back and finds out, it will be disastrous."
"Kazama, please persuade them..." Oishi turned around and found that the girl who was standing behind him just now had left at some point.
sidelines.
The coaching staff was in the middle of a match between Fuji Saeki and Oshitani Tengen. Kazama sat cross-legged on the grass beside the court, scribbling on a piece of paper with a pen in hand, until Momoshiro's voice suddenly grumbled, "Kazama, you actually snuck over to watch the game without calling us. That's really not nice of you."
"Yes meow yes meow."
"Senior is so cunning."
Fengjian paused her pen in mid-air and turned back. Taocheng and the other two were staring at her with contempt. She cleared her throat and said, "I'm just here to bring you water. I happened to see you were playing. Besides, don't you and Taocheng still have to do basic training?"
"Just quibble." Kikumaru sat down cross-legged next to her.
"Coach Ryuzaki isn't here, so we can watch the game secretly without getting caught," Momoshiro said as he sat on the other side. "After all, Fuji-senpai's doubles match is more important."
"Senior is here to record Fuji-senpai's data, right?"
Kazama nodded. "Fuji-senpai is a very independent and skilled defensive player, while Rokkaku's Saeki is a sensitive attacker. Furthermore, the doubles match between these rivals also holds considerable reference value."
"Hey, Kazama, your data doesn't just record us, it also records other schools," Kikumaru looked over, "Kirhara, Feng, Kamio... Aren't these people from the Ryuuzaki group?"
"Coach Ryuzaki asked me to try to identify everyone's strengths and weaknesses from a coach's perspective and offer suggestions for improvement," Kazama muttered, the tip of his pen resting on his chin as he stared at the contents on the whiteboard. "But it feels a little immature."
Looking up, she saw three people looking at her in shock. Feng Jian quickly waved her hands and said, "I'm just trying. I'm not a professional after all."
"Even if you're just trying, you're amazing..." Momoshiro smacked his lips, "Kazama, you're truly a top student."
"Yeah, meow, Kazama is as awesome as Akan!" Kikumaru gave her a thumbs up.
Echizen lifted the brim of his hat and said with a smile, "Senior is pretty good."
Feng Jian blushed and quickly turned their heads to the court, "Didn't you say you wanted to watch Fuji-senpai play? Why are you always staring at me?"
As the game on the field was coming to an end, the ball fell into the opponent's field like a light swift, missing the face of Shinobu's racket.
"I think Fuji-senpai will definitely win. What do you think, Kazama..." Momoshiro turned around to ask Kazama, but found that the seat next to him was empty. Then, Coach Ryuzaki's roar came from not far behind, "You guys are slacking off again!"
Taocheng and the others ran and shouted, "Kazama is too cunning, he didn't even call us!"
At this moment, Coach Ryuzaki suddenly bent down with his hands covering his heart, and the roster in his hand fell to the ground with a "click". Several people realized something was wrong and turned around, suddenly finding a figure collapsed on the ground.
"coach!"
"Coach Ryuzaki!"
"Old woman!"
......
Fengjian had just helped Yuan carry water back. The game on the sidelines had already ended and Taocheng and his friends were nowhere to be seen.
"Your coach seemed unwell just now," Oshitari leaned against the railing, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "the others have already rushed over."
Feng Jian was stunned for a moment, and after saying "thank you", he hurried back.
The midday sun fell on the stone wall with the words "Morikyo General Hospital" written in large letters.
"It's just a minor problem. There's no need for you to take time off to come see me," Coach Ryuzaki sighed as he sat on the bed. "Do you really understand what this training camp means to you? If you're selected, you'll have the chance to see the world."
"Coach, everyone is worried about you," Oishi handed the bouquet to Ryuzaki Sakuno, and hesitated to speak. "Since Tezuka left the team after the Kanto tournament, the burden on your shoulders..."
"Instead of worrying about me, you should focus on practicing your skills. It's really wise to give up such a hard-earned training opportunity."
"The coach seems to have become more talkative since he was hospitalized..." Kikumaru's voice became smaller and smaller, and the last syllable was cut off by the look from Coach Ryuzaki. He hurriedly shrank behind Momoshiro, leaving only half of his eye exposed.
"I don't need you to worry." Coach Ryuzaki's voice dropped slightly, and he placed his teacup on the bedside table with a thud. His face was stern. "Hurry back to training!"
"yes--"
After everyone left, Ryuzaki Sakuno spoke up, "Grandma, everyone really cares about you. Aren't you being too harsh on them?"
"I know they're worried, and that's certainly touching." Coach Ryuzaki's stern expression faded. He turned to look out the window at the bright sunshine and sighed, "But precisely because of that, I can't become a burden to them."
Feng Jian just arrived at the ward and heard a sigh coming from inside the room. He listened to the footsteps outside the door but did not go in. He just clenched the pen in his hand.
The other side.
"I don't know what will become of the Ryuzaki group without a coach." Oishi looked worried.
Echizen put his hands behind his head and said, "Maybe the replacement coach has already been decided."
Everyone looked over and Momoshiro put his arms around his neck. "Echizen, do you know something?"
"No, it's just a guess."
——
The next day.
"Daishi, I still want to be selected to represent the competition. This kind of running isn't suitable for us," the boy with short, light brown hair protested, clenching his paddle. "Only constant practice and competition can help us improve."
"Without a solid foundation, how can I hold up during the competition?" Dashi took a step forward, his sneakers crunching over the pebbles on the track. "Let's start running first."
Omoto didn't respond. He just gripped his racket tightly and walked to the edge of the court. The handle of the racket hit the railing with a "clang" sound. It was more straightforward than a refusal: "Sorry, I still want to play the game."
The others followed suit, the rustling sound of running shoes rubbing against the ground gradually fading away. Only the Qingxue group remained on the track, their shadows stretched long by the sunlight.
Dashi looked at their backs, his hands hanging by his side slowly clenched, and he suddenly thought with melancholy: If he were here, what would he do in this situation?
"It seems like they've already started competing over there. I really want to go play in the game too." Kikumaru looked at the court with envy.
"Senior Oishi won't agree, right?" Taocheng lowered his voice and glanced at the two people talking not far away.
Echizen tugged at the brim of his hat and silently stretched without saying a word.
The three people left on the track sighed in unison.
After a while, Dashi came over with a firm expression, "Let's try again and convince them to join us."
Kazama followed beside him and nodded. Kikumaru and the others looked at each other and said, "Let's give it a try."
Daishi and Kazama led the charge, while the others remained outside. Seeing the few people shaking their heads, Taocheng tightened his grip on the fence, "Is it still not working?"
"Kazama has made training plans based on each person's strengths and weaknesses, so even if we're playing a game, we can still practice in between."
The people before him exchanged bewildered glances. Omoto's gaze swept across the form in Kazama's hand, as if sweeping over an insignificant scrap of paper. When he looked up, his brows arched slightly, with the sharpness of a young man. "Excuse me, this student isn't a professional record-taker, is he? How much reference value can the perspective of an untrained layman hold?"
"How can you say that..." Oishi's words got stuck in his throat.
Fengjian's fingertips curled slightly, and her brows suppressed the bitterness in her eyes. She pressed Oishi's shoulders and took a step forward, handing the form forward. The corner of the paper was lifted by the wind. "Omoto-kun is right, I am indeed not a professional recorder."
Omoto was about to chuckle when she continued, "But you haven't even read the content yet, and you're completely dismissing it based on the word 'layman'. Is this the 'professionalism' that Jounari Shonan teaches?"
Omoto paused for a moment, then frowned. "I'm sorry, we only follow the coach's advice. Since there's no answer, this is the only way."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden "crunch" sound, and the clear sound of a young boy's voice cutting through the court could be clearly heard.
"If you're looking for a coach, this is it."
Fengjian turned around in surprise and saw a figure with brown hair standing at the entrance of the stadium. He was wearing the gray-blue sportswear he wore when they last met in Germany. His hair covered his cold and sharp eyebrows, and his face behind the glasses was still meticulous.
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