r18novel Chapter 122 The Phoenix of Byodoin
Chapter 122 The Phoenix of Byodoin
Wang Yueling placed the teacup on the table and put her hands in her pockets. "We studied it for a long time and tried several kinds of fabric before finally deciding on this one with the best color-changing effect."
He paused, then added.
"I drew that pig design, and Niou was in charge of printing it on. He also sewed the two pig ears on the side. His craftsmanship is really good."
Yukimura watched Sanada's retreating figure, his eyes full of smiles.
"Genichiro is really going to be driven crazy by you guys this time."
"Of course." Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow. "We spent several days on this. If his reaction isn't strong enough, we'll lose out."
Yukimura tilted his head to look at him, a smile playing on his lips. "You're quite honest."
"I'm always honest," Mochizuki Ryo said matter-of-factly. "Besides, we didn't do anything wrong. We just helped him get a cuter hat, isn't that a good thing?"
As he spoke, he shouted towards the lake.
"Sanada-senpai! Slow down! Be careful not to fall!"
Sanada ignored him and ran even faster.
Renou was running ahead when he suddenly turned a corner and rushed towards the coach's bench. He ran up to Mochizuki Ryo, grabbed his arm, and hid behind him.
"Ling! Help!" His voice was laced with laughter, and he was panting heavily. "Sanada is trying to kill me!"
Wang Yueling stumbled as he was pulled, and the teacup on the table almost flew off. He steadied himself, pulled Renwang out from behind him, and pushed him forward half a step.
"You've got yourself into this mess, so you have to take responsibility for it."
"We're in this together!" Niou hid behind him again, her braid swinging onto his shoulder. "You're not loyal!"
"What's with all this talk of loyalty?" Wang Yueling stepped aside, exposing him. "I'll do the work, you switch it out. Clear division of labor. Right now, he's chasing you, not me."
Sanada has arrived.
He stood before Wang Yueling, panting heavily, his hat still clutched in his hand. His face was still red, whether from running or from anger, it was hard to tell.
"Who wrote this?" His voice was low, but every word was filled with anger.
Niou pointed at Mochizuki Ryou.
Wang Yueling pointed at King Ren.
The two spoke at the same time.
"he."
"he."
Sanada's face darkened even more.
Yukimura sat in a wicker chair, quietly watching the scene unfold. His lips curved into a smile, but he remained silent, clearly indicating his unwillingness to intervene.
Sanada clutched his hat, looking at Mochizuki Ryo and Niou. Both of them had innocent expressions, as if to say, "We didn't do anything."
But he had the hat in his hand, and the evidence was conclusive.
"You've been too lax! I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"
Mochizuki Ryo paused for a moment, glanced at Sanada's expression, and then at Yukimura.
Yukimura straightened the blanket around himself, without looking at him.
"Seiichi..." Mochizuki Ryou's voice carried a hint of grievance, "Aren't you going to speak up for me?"
"You got yourself into this mess, so you have to deal with it yourself." Yukimura's voice was calm, but the curve of his lips betrayed him.
Wang Yueling sighed.
The three of them ran around the lake again and again.
Pink cherry blossoms were scattered by the wind, carrying their faint fragrance along the way. The boys from Hyotei and Rikai stood watching the spectacle, occasionally bursting into laughter.
Shinobu pushed up his glasses, watching the three people chasing each other, a smirk playing on his lips. "This scene is even more exciting than yesterday's match."
Atobe, holding a cup of black tea, stood a little distance away, a smile playing on his icy blue eyes. "Sanada's stamina is impressive; he's already run eight laps and is still chasing after us."
"I got angry." Liu Sheng stood next to him, pushing up his glasses. "When you're so angry, you don't feel tired."
Yukimura watched the three children chasing and playing around, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. He raised his hand to cover his mouth, his shoulders trembling slightly, his violet-blue eyes full of amusement.
The butler came over carrying a tray with hot tea, a fruit platter, and a plate of freshly made rice cakes.
"Yukimura-kun, please have some."
"Thank you, Uncle Yuanye."
Yukimura picked up a cup of hot tea and held it in his hands. He looked at the three people still chasing each other in the distance and said with a smile, "Those two are really too much of a troublemaker."
The butler smiled too.
"When the young master and Niou get together, they always come up with all sorts of interesting ideas. But Sanada is probably going to be angry for days this time."
"fine."
Yukimura took a sip of hot tea, his tone slightly teasing, "Genichiro just looks serious, but he's not really angry. Besides, he really should relax a bit. He's always too tense."
Over here, Sanada chased after Mochizuki Ryo and Niou for three more laps before finally running out of steam. He leaned on his knees, panting heavily, sweat dripping down his face.
Niou also came over and patted Sanada on the shoulder.
"Puri, Vice Minister, don't be angry. It was just a joke. You look really cute in that pink hat."
Sanada took the water from Mochizuki Ryo, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp. He glared at Niou, but didn't get angry again.
"This is the last time," Sanada said in a muffled voice.
"Okay, okay. Next time we'll try something different."
Sanada's anger, which he had just suppressed, flared up again.
He was about to speak when he saw Yukimura walking towards them.
"Alright, stop fooling around. Morning exercise is over, and everyone's waiting to go back and pack their things."
Upon seeing Yukimura, Sanada immediately suppressed his anger. He scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and hid the pink hat behind his back.
"Seiichi".
Yukimura couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassed look.
"Genichiro, pink actually suits you quite well."
Wang Yueling chimed in, pointing to the hat in his hand, her tone full of sincerity.
"Genichiro, are you really not going to take this hat? I've been working on it day and night for days. Actually, it's quite cute once you get used to it. You can keep it as a souvenir; it's such a wonderful memento from the training camp."
Sanada looked down at the hat in his hand.
Pink, covered in pig nose patterns, with two pink ears on the side, and the words "Recognized by the city of Seiichi as Rikkai's cutest vice-captain" written on the top of the hat.
The brim of the hat is printed with a pink pig.
He took a deep breath, folded his hat, and stuffed it into his pocket.
I didn't say to throw it away, nor did I say not to throw it away.
He muttered something under his breath.
"Too lax."
The butler, Haruno, came over with a teapot, poured Sanada a cup of hot tea, and handed it to him.
"Sanada-kun, please have this. It'll help you cool down."
Sanada took the teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.
But her ears were still red.
Everyone laughed and joked as they walked together toward the dormitory.
The morning sun pierced through the thin mist, bathing everyone in its warmth. Pine branches swayed in the breeze by the lake, and pink paper flowers scattered on the grass, like a pink carpet spread across the earth.
-
at the same time.
Tokyo, U17 training camp
But it was a completely different scene.
The entire training ground was shrouded in a tense and intense atmosphere, and the morning hellish challenge proceeded in an orderly manner.
Everyone's face was covered in sweat, and their clothes were soaked through and clung tightly to their bodies.
Phoenix Byodoin stood at one end of the court, her long, golden hair strikingly prominent.
The faint scar on his left temple appeared even more menacing under the sunlight.
The collar of his black and white military uniform was open, revealing his strong collarbones and well-defined pectoral muscles. He exuded an unparalleled aura of royalty, and every movement he made carried a powerful sense of pressure.
Byodoin held an ordinary tennis racket, yet it looked like he was wielding a nuclear weapon. He casually tossed a tennis ball into the air, then suddenly exerted force with his wrist.
"Bang!"
The tennis ball whistled through the air, its speed so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.
The player on the opposite court, number two, instinctively raised his hand to catch the racket, but only heard a sharp "snap." The racket was knocked out of his hand by the huge impact and flew a long way.
The tennis ball slammed into his arm, leaving a deep red mark.
"waste!"
Byodoin shouted sternly, his eyes as cold as knives, "You can't even catch a ball like that? How dare you stand on court number 2? The weak have no right to stand here!"
The team member covered his arm, lowered his head, and dared not utter a sound.
Byodoin didn't look at him, picked up another tennis ball, tossed it up, and swung his racket.
There was a dull thud.
Another player was hit in the shoulder by the ball, staggered back two steps, and almost dropped his racket. He gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound, but his shoulder was already covered in bruises.
"Too slow." Byodoin's voice was as cold as ice. "Is this all the reaction speed you've got?"
He tossed the ball again, served it with great force, and hit the same player again.
This time it's my belly.
The racket flew out and landed on the court, bouncing twice. The player clutched his stomach in pain, his forehead covered in sweat, and his lips pale.
"You haven't improved at all!"
Byodoin's tone became even harsher, "Is this how you intend to play? To embarrass Japanese tennis?"
He kept serving the ball while cursing.
Each ball flew towards the opposing team with devastating force. Some balls slammed into various parts of their bodies, while others hit the ground at their feet, creating large craters.
Several team members had injuries of varying degrees on their arms and legs, and most of them could not even stand steadily, but no one dared to cry out in pain or dodge.
They could only grit their teeth and desperately try to catch those balls that were almost impossible to catch.
After venting for a while, Byodoin stopped what he was doing, threw his racket to the ground with a loud thud.
"It's boring."
Byodoin glanced around the room, his tone clearly irritated, "You're all like cowards, not even worthy of my attention."
He walked to the sidelines, picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his face, and tossed the towel onto the chair.
"Keep practicing. Everyone will practice an extra 200 serves today. Those who don't pass won't get lunch."
Everyone responded in unison and returned to their respective halves of the court to continue training.
The sound of the ball being struck rang out again, crisp and clear in the morning air.
On the sidelines, Yukio Kurobe stood on the coach's bench, holding a scoreboard. He was wearing a neat white suit, and his shoulder-length black hair was combed neatly.
His expression was calm, his gaze sweeping from the data on the scoreboard to the players on the court, and then back to the data.
Saito Itaru stood beside him, dressed in light gray casual clothes, with a name tag around his neck, and his long black hair tied up behind him swaying slightly in the morning breeze.
His eyes were long and narrow, and there was always a faint smile at the corners of his mouth. He looked very gentle and easy to talk to.
"Your training wasn't going so well today," Saito said softly, as if talking to himself, or perhaps to Kurobe.
Kurobe didn't look up, but traced a few lines on the notepad with his pen.
"Kimishima's net volley error rate is 12% higher than last week, Omagari's doubles coordination is 8% less smooth, and Tono's smashes are 7 centimeters off target."
He paused for a moment and looked up at the players training on the field.
"The data doesn't lie. They're definitely not in good form today."
Saito smiled. "Byōdōin's emotions have affected them."
"He has a terrible temper."
"I know." Saito nodded. "Tokugawa and the demon's challenge hasn't come yet, and he's getting a little impatient."
The two remained silent for a while, looking at the blond boy standing in the center of the court, whose aura was so overwhelming that no one dared to breathe.
Phoenix of Byodoin.
The strongest tennis player in Japan.
The absolute core of the U17 team.
But he's also human; he gets annoyed and bored too.
Kurobe, carrying the record board, walked towards Byodoin Temple. Saito followed behind him.
"Byodoin." Kurobe walked up to him and handed him the record board. "Take a look at this."
Byodoin took it and glanced at it.
The above is the training data for Kimishima Ikuto and Omagari Ryuji this week. Each item is listed clearly, and the comparison with last week's data is also marked.
The success rate of intercepting attacks at the net has decreased.
The fluidity of doubles teamwork has decreased.
The accuracy of the smash landing point has decreased.
Byodoin tapped his fingers hard twice on the scoreboard, his brows furrowed, and his eyes suddenly turned sharp as he glared at Kimishima, Omagari, and the others on the field.
That single glance was incredibly intimidating.
The players on the field who were caught in the gaze instantly tensed up, their backs broke out in a light sweat, and they subconsciously curbed their laxity and trained even harder.
"I'll make them change it." He handed the board back to Kurobe, his voice deep and devoid of emotion. "By today."
Zhai Zhi shook his head slightly and spoke gently to smooth things over, "There's no need to be too harsh. It's normal for your mentality to fluctuate as the qualifiers approach. Just adjust slowly."
Then, changing the subject, he quietly brought up the important matter.
"The coaching staff has initially drafted the roster and tactical arrangements for the Asian qualifiers, and will make minor adjustments based on the training progress over the next few days."
Kurobe took the record board, his tone serious.
"The schedule for this year's Asian qualifiers has been set. The first match is next Monday, against the Chinese team."
Byodoin glanced at him. "The Chinese team?"
"The data has been compiled."
Kurobe flipped to the back pages of the scoreboard, which were filled with information on every player on the Chinese team.
"Their singles players are very strong, especially their ace player, who is outstanding in both power and speed. Their doubles are slightly weaker, but they should not be underestimated."
"Our tactical system needs to be re-optimized to address the weaknesses of strong Asian teams, and we will add an hour of tactical simulation training every day thereafter."
Byodoin stood with his arms crossed, exuding a calm and domineering aura, his tone resolute and powerful. "No need for complicated plans. The strength of our first team is undeniable. I will personally lead the team to victory in the qualifiers."
Saito looked at his kingly aura and smiled with a touch of emotion, "Byōdōin is always so calm and confident."
Then, he changed the subject and revealed the latest news.
"By the way, there's been some new development from the Tennis Association recently. They've reached a preliminary agreement with the training camp and plan to select outstanding junior high school students to enter the training camp after the national tournament, and then include them in the national team's reserve selection list."
Byodoin's brows furrowed instantly, and his face darkened.
"Expanding enrollment of junior high school students?"