Chapter 15 A Tragedy Befell the Game Machine
The person they were discussing was sitting in the circle of his teammates. Sawada Tsunayoshi was amused by what his teammates said and a smile spread across his face.
Matsukawa Saki really liked this setter. He even had the idea of tying Tsuna back to his school, hugging Tsuna tightly from behind, like an octopus clinging to him.
Sawada Tsunayoshi was talking to the libero who was playing the main attack position. He tugged at the unidentified soft creature behind him, but because it was really hot, he found that he couldn't tear it off. So he had to talk to the attacker in this position.
"Kojima-kun and Kazuki are completely different free spirits."
Kojima was holding a water bottle. He was considered tall for this summer camp. When he introduced himself as a libero, the other members of the team made a lot of noise.
"Oh, because I play as a free agent, but it's to shut down the other team!" He revealed a mouthful of shark teeth, his smile somewhat ferocious.
Matsukawa Saki looked up, "A blacklist?"
Generally speaking, free agents are like guardian angels.
"Yeah, don't you guys think it's cool that I catch all the balls that the main attackers confidently spike, and that it really hurts their pride?" His short, shaved head made him look even less like a good guy.
Sawada Tsunayoshi shook his head frantically in his mind. How awful that was!
He chuckled a few times, then awkwardly asked other questions, "Kojima-kun is also very good at playing attacking, have you practiced before?"
Kojima nodded. "Yes, I transitioned from outside hitter to libero," he readily shared his experience.
"Because my teammates at school said my playing style was too aggressive, they thought I should play a game as a libero to experience the hardship of receiving the ball."
Upon hearing this, Sawada Tsunayoshi fell silent. Kojima's teammates definitely wanted him to experience the hardships of life, but judging from the result, the process was clearly not smooth.
Kojima continued, "He's just a libero, which is no problem for me, but when I received the ball from the opposing attacker, his expression excited me a lot."
Surprised and annoyed, I wondered if I was incapable of handling this ball.
Kojima was laughing hysterically inside, because it felt so good to see him make that expression!
After hearing about this unconventional libero's journey down the irreversible path of receiving the ball, everyone felt a pang of sorrow for his teammates at the island's school.
Tsuna responded with a slight smile, "Isn't this just turning the mind game from spiking to receiving the ball and messing with the opponent's mentality?"
Ultimately, it all comes down to manipulating the opponent's mentality!
When the break ended, Sawada Tsunayoshi noticed that his other teammates left in a haphazard manner, their faces filled with the prayer that they would never encounter such free agents again.
Back on the field, Kojima's expression was sincere. "Sawada-kun, please continue to pass the ball to me."
"Huh? Okay." He didn't know why the other person suddenly said such a thing, but he still obediently agreed.
Matsukawa puffed out his cheeks; he and Kojima were indeed completely different free men.
All he could think about was catching the ball. Kojima was probably focused on frustrating the other team, while Sawada Tsunayoshi could help him and allow him to enjoy the surprised looks on others' faces. So this player, who should have had his own ideas, was willing to accept Sawada Tsunayoshi's instructions.
It's strange, even though Tsunayoshi didn't say anything, everyone unintentionally approved of his dispatch.
At lunchtime, Suzuki waved to the group of people holding their rice bowls, signaling them to sit over there.
When Kujo Ike and Matsukawa Saki saw that there were several coaches sitting there, their faces immediately fell. Who wants to eat with coaches?
But the other three had already started walking, so the two of them, however unwilling, followed.
Coach Suzuki first asked everyone how they felt about training these past few days and if they had gained anything. The kids were like students being caught off guard, scratching their heads and racking their brains to answer the questions.
Kujo Ike also wanted to say "one should not speak while eating or sleeping," but because his father, Kujo Hayate, was right there, he also felt frustrated and wanted to find an answer.
Although the coaches had already guessed, Kujou Hayate still asked Sawada Tsunayoshi out of curiosity, "How did you come up with the idea of passing the ball to those places?"
Tsuna, who thought the investigation was over, was stuffing an omelet into his mouth when he mumbled something indistinctly.
"Yeah, I just think, where would be the most suitable place to send it?"
He himself wasn't quite sure; this performance was the same as what the coaches had predicted. Kujou Hayate then asked...
"What if they miss the ball you set?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi finally swallowed the food in his mouth. "Hmm, I believe everyone can hit the ball, and besides, I'm slow at passing."
He used his thumb and forefinger to make a tiny gap, indicating that he was really thinking about getting the ball to the other players.
Is it coercion that comes with trust?
After asking the questions they wanted to know, the coaches, without making things difficult for the children, kindly said that they had already finished eating and would leave lunch time for the children to do on their own.
Hinata, with a broccoli floret in his mouth, said, "I heard they're going to take back their positions tomorrow."
"Hey, who told you that?" Kujo Ike asked as well.
“When I went to the bathroom, the two coaches were talking about this. ‘Tomorrow we’ll go back to normal training. Has the old man divided the team yet?’ ‘I guess he’ll shuffle them first, and then do targeted group practice later.’”
Hinata vividly imitated the other person's tone, and then he made the final decision, "Finally, I can spike the ball!"
Akaashi nodded. "That's how it should be. After all, the coach doesn't really want us to change positions. These past few days of experimentation have been enough."
Kujo joined Hinata in celebrating wildly in their seats.
Goodbye, damn setter/libero.
Thinking about the wasted days, the two victims were almost moved to tears. Their commotion grew increasingly louder; what could initially be considered a simple celebration had now become pure hysteria.
"How embarrassing." Sawada Tsunayoshi buried his head in his lunchbox, joining Akaashi in demonstrating that he and the two guys were not familiar with each other.
That is, if they weren't sitting together.
Matsukawa Saki tapped his bowl. "I'm telling you two, you're embarrassing yourselves!"
"If you're a rough guy, you have to be aware of what that means! Like me, hone your skills and you won't be afraid of anything."
He patted his chest.
Hinata tilted his head. "But hasn't Saki drawn a free agent every day for the past four days?"
Kujo Ike was immediately displeased upon hearing this, "You haven't played any other positions, so how dare you say that!"
Matsukawa Saki propped himself up on his arms, gesturing to the muscles on his arms, and said in a serious tone, "Luck is also part of strength."
But you don't have any muscles in your arms at all! Sawada Tsunayoshi thought to himself.
Hinata and Kujo Ike were stunned at first, but the next second they were enraged and stood up to pounce on Matsukawa Saki.
Kujo yelled as he lunged forward, "What are you showing off for?!"
Hinata Shoyo didn't care much about luck before, but this time, he truly realized how awful the lucky ones were. He also wanted to draw his own spot for all four days!
Matsukawa Saki used his libero instincts to jump up from his seat. He knew that a weak libero like himself was no match for two attackers, so he turned and ran.
Not only did he run away, but he also couldn't control his mouth, stirring up trouble: "You're all just jealous!"
The sounds of playful fighting gradually subsided, and Sawada Tsunayoshi breathed a sigh of relief. He was so energetic; how could he still have so much energy after playing matches all morning?
They could finally eat in peace for a while. After a short while, Kyoji Akaashi spoke up.
"Tsunayoshi, you can't be a picky eater."
Sawada Tsunayoshi paused in his action of picking the broccoli off the plate. He looked up, his eyes filled with a hint of incredulous fear, making his bright eyes even more pitiful.
Akaashi felt a pang of tenderness in her heart, but still said mercilessly, "Irie said you don't like broccoli. She mentioned on her phone that I should keep an eye on you."
"Xiao Zheng? When did you two become friends?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi clutched his head, thinking, "Damn it! Irie the Great Demon King has even found me a proxy!" Knowing it was for his own good, Tsunayoshi reluctantly ate the broccoli.
Kyoji Akaashi nodded, knowing that children also need to be coaxed. "You did very well."
Sawada Tsunayoshi felt that something was off about this conversation. Again, Akaashi-senpai, you're only a year older than us!
"After the last open day, I was planning to ask for your contact information because I wanted to arrange to play ball together in the future. But Irie said that neither of you had a smartphone, so I exchanged contact information with him."
This is an answer to the question Tsunayoshi just asked.
Sawada Tsunayoshi nodded. "Sho and I don't have smartphones. We have to go to Masato's house every time we watch a volleyball match."
"Smartphone? What smartphone?"
Kujo Ike suddenly interrupted the conversation. Tsuna turned around and found that the two angry catchers had successfully apprehended the criminal. They each had one on each side of Matsukawa Saki, sandwiching him between them to make sure he had no chance of escaping, and were carrying him back.
They let go, letting Matsukawa Saki fall to the ground.
“Speaking of which,” Kujo Ike glanced around warily to make sure no one was paying attention, then waved to the others to move closer, before speaking softly…
"I brought a game console. Come to my and Jingzhi's dorm tonight."
"What—" Hinata's exclamation was quickly intercepted by Kujo Ikeya.
Shh! Do you want me to get caught by the coach?
The summer camp requires participants to hand in their smartphones. To ensure everyone gets enough sleep after a day of training, fixed times will be arranged for them to contact their families.
"I smuggled this game console in; I didn't dare take it out for the first few days."
Kujo Ike is still very careful about his life, but after figuring out the coaches' rules of conduct this year, he finally had the courage to take out the game console.
"I wanted to do this last summer vacation. I had no other entertainment besides playing basketball. I was so bored."
This guy clearly came prepared.
So he extended an invitation to his good friends.
"So, want to play games together?"
A note from the author:
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Akashi and Koyo are really taking care of things; it seems like they're the kind of people who share parenting experiences together (?).
Actually, we 27-year-olds are also a type of male mother, but that's for comparison, right? (Natural disasters)
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