bestfiction Chapter 76 I'll be waiting for you in the finals
Chapter 76 I'll be waiting for you in the finals
After he finished speaking, the expressions of the ordinary members who were initially just a little nervous could now be described as "ready to die".
Wang Yueling leaned against the netting along the edge of the court, waited for Liu to finish explaining, then reached into her pocket and applauded him.
"As expected of Rikkai University's strategist."
He said this with a smile on his lips and undisguised praise in his tone, "The accuracy and scope of the data collection are more solid than I imagined."
He straightened up, took two steps forward, casually put his hands in his pockets, his posture was lazy, but his eyes were full of seriousness.
"Don't look so gloomy. There's a way to play on grass. If you guys make it to international tournaments, grass courts won't be anything special. You can't just play on hard courts your whole life, can you?"
Kirihara scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Of course I want to compete in international tournaments, but isn't it a bit too early now?" Yanagi, standing next to him, glanced at him with a faint smile in his eyes.
Wang Yueling paused for a moment, then held up two fingers and gestured a very short distance in front of them.
"Besides, summer is here. Hard courts can get so hot after just one morning that you could fry an egg, but grass courts won't. Although it requires a little more skill."
He even pinched his fingers together to make that "just a little bit" gesture, and the way the corners of his mouth turned up made you want to punch him.
"But the grass is soft. It's much better for your knees and ankles. You kids are still growing, don't come crying to me if your joints break down."
These words sound like he's concerned about someone, but coming from his mouth, coupled with that smug expression, they sound like he's stirring up trouble, making you grit your teeth in anger.
Sure enough, a second-year student from Rikkai University couldn't help but whisper, "Who's the brat?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Yueling's lips curled up slightly, and she turned to wave at the butler of the wilderness.
The housekeeper pushed a cart full of shoe boxes over. The shoe boxes were neatly stacked, and each box lid was labeled with a name and size.
"Anti-slip shoes specifically designed for grass."
Wang Yueling gestured with her chin toward the shoe boxes, saying casually, "Hurry up and put them on. Everyone has one; they're custom-made, so there's no need to worry about whether they fit."
The people from Hyotei were used to their substitute coach's "I don't know what money is" attitude, and silently stepped forward to collect their shoes.
It's different at Rikkai University.
Marui opened the shoebox and saw the pair of blue and white non-slip shoes inside. He blew a bubble and muttered to himself, "So many people, how much did these cost?"
Kuwahara received his shoes, smiled sheepishly, and said nothing.
Kirihara opened the shoebox and examined the rubber anti-slip studs on the shoes inside. He looked up at Mochizuki Ryo, his eyes filled with sincere question: "Senpai, did you conjure these up again?"
"Made in a shoe factory," Mochizuki Ryou said expressionlessly.
"But how do you know our shoe size?"
"I have all of your data." Wang Yueling glanced at him, leaned closer, and whispered, "I even know that the sneakers you bought last month were half a size too big."
Kirihara stared in astonishment, speechless for a long time.
After changing his shoes, Liu Sheng stood up, pushed up his round glasses, looked at the row of grass courts, and suddenly spoke.
"Ling Jun. Was this venue... originally there?"
"No." Wang Yueling stood on the sidelines, casually placing a sports drink on the table under the sunshade. "It was just an ordinary grassy field. Two weeks ago, we scheduled the training camp, and I had them re-lay the grass, fix the drainage, and paint the lines."
He said it as if he were saying, "I baked two extra canelés this morning."
Liu Sheng nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
The boys changed into their custom-made sneakers, their expressions enigmatic, yet their conviction grew stronger. This manor, this grassy field, this peach tree—it was all arranged in advance by this guy.
From the very beginning, they fell into the head coach's trap.
This immediately gave rise to a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.
Everyone changed their shoes faster, secretly determined that even on a grass field, they would give it their all and not let this guy look down on them.
It's just grass, we can just hit it.
Wang Yueling took in everyone's expressions. He took the iced tea offered by the butler and leaned against a pillar of the awning.
"Oh, by the way. Just a friendly reminder."
He put down his cup, gestured with his chin toward the court, and said in a tone that was so "kind" it made you grit your teeth, "There's less friction on the grass, so the ball slides a lot after landing, has a shorter hang time, and bounces lower, making it harder for opponents to predict. That's why serve-and-volley players have an advantage."
He took a sip of tea.
"You're welcome."
The Hyotei students were expressionless. The Rikkai students remained silent.
Kirihara ran the words "serve and volley" through his mind, then looked at the racket in his hand. He usually played a powerful baseline game, which had nothing to do with the phrase "serve and volley".
"It's okay." He scratched his hair, trying to cheer himself up. "It doesn't matter who I hit."
Marui murmured from the side, "You said the same thing to Sanada last time."
"That time was different!"
"You always say something different."
Next to the competition area, under sunshades, were folding chairs, sports drinks, towels, and first-aid kits. Each table also had a small bouquet of flowers in a glass vase, making the setup comparable to a regional main competition.
Cameras were set up along the edge of each court, their black bodies subtly reflecting the sunlight.
Under the sunshade of the central court, directly opposite the referee's chair, there is a small round table covered with a white cloth.
On the table was a crystal tray, on which the giant peach was placed neatly.
The golden-red fruit skin still gleamed with a honey-like sheen in the shade of the canopy.
It's even more eye-catching than diamonds.
After changing his shoes, Kirihara would glance at the peach every thirty seconds or so. He wasn't doing it on purpose; his body was carrying out the command itself.
Marui walked past him, glanced at him in the same direction, and then patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't look, it won't fly into your mouth."
After everyone changed their shoes, they stretched their muscles at the edge of their respective areas.
Some people rubbed their shoes against the grass to test the grip of the soles; some squatted down and touched the grass, then looked up and told their partners, "It feels softer than it looks"; some tried to jog a few steps to test their balance, almost slipped, and were caught by their partners before laughing awkwardly.
Wang Yueling stood comfortably on the sidelines. It was clearly a coach's stance, but that lazy air about him was just plain annoying.
He picked up the microphone, cleared his throat, and tested the sound. A slight feedback tone came from the loudspeakers of all six stadiums simultaneously, and everyone instinctively stood at attention.
Hyotei is a conditioned reflex.
Rikkai University is... well, that's just how it is with the body anyway.
"The Peach King Championship".
Wang Yueling drew out her words, tapped her finger on the scoreboard, and scanned everyone's faces from behind the board. "The competition is about to begin. I hereby announce the first round: both groups will compete simultaneously."
He paused and turned to a page of the notepad.
Actually, there were only three lines of text written on it, but he translated them as if it were a serious matter.
Everyone fell silent instantly, holding their breath and focusing their attention on him.
"The first match."
Ryo Mochizuki raised her eyes, her gaze falling on Genichiro Sanada. The mischievousness in her azure eyes was almost overflowing. "Genichiro Sanada is partnering with Yota Aoyama."
Yota Aoyama, a first-year student at Rikkai University, wore round-framed glasses. When he heard his name called, he nervously slipped his glasses down, quickly adjusted them, and turned towards Sanada, his voice trembling: "V-Vice-Captain, nice to meet you."
Genichiro Sanada walked to his partner's side, his expression serious and his tone deep, "Follow my rhythm closely, don't lose your way."
"Battle..."
Ryo Mochizuki's gaze shifted to Renji Yanagi, the curve of her lips perfectly straddling the line between "annoying" and "annoying but good-looking." "Renji Yanagi is partnered with Ryohei Koizumi."
Ryohei Koizumi gripped his racket tightly, his eyes filled with excitement. The opportunity to partner with Yanagi, one of the three giants of Rikkai, was something he had never imagined.
He walked up to Liu Lian'er, bowed, and said in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant: "Senior Liu, please give me your guidance."
Liu looked down at the boy, who was almost a head shorter than her, nodded slightly, and said calmly, "Just fight as you normally would."
"Oh dear, you guys drew these yourselves, it has nothing to do with me." Wang Yueling innocently flipped the record board over, showing everyone the few lines of text on it, although no one could make out what he had written.
"Two of Rikkai's top three players each led two first-year freshmen in doubles."
He smiled, a smile that sent chills down your spine.
"If someone loses, it'll probably be difficult to explain when they get back, won't it?"
Sanada's hat brim was pulled down very low, and his lips were pursed into a sharp line. Liu's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
The air pressure at the scene dropped noticeably by several degrees.
The Rikkai members were taken aback by the oppressive atmosphere and all took a half-step back. Although the Hyotei members were not directly involved, they also took a half-step back.
Standing in the line, Yagyu adjusted his glasses and said in a voice only he could hear, "It was intentional. One hundred percent."
Niou, boneless, swayed to his side, hung on his shoulder, his fox-like eyes curving into crescents, and replied in a low voice.
"It was intentional. But this match is definitely going to be interesting, the Emperor versus the strategist, those two are evenly matched in their usual duels. In this match, whoever's partner collapses first loses. I bet a sports drink that Sanada's side will collapse first."
I'm not betting with you.
"Puri, Hiro~ you're getting more and more boring."
Once their whispers subsided, Wang Yueling picked up the notepad and tapped the edge.
"The second match." His tone suddenly rose a few decibels as he announced the duel between the two names, filled with anticipation for a good show, "Marui Bunta vs. Kirihara Akaya. Singles."
Kirihara clenched his fists tightly, his eyes suddenly lighting up. He turned to Marui, chin held high, his voice loud enough for the entire room to hear.
"Marui-senpai! I'm not going to hold back! I'm going to use you as a stepping stone to beat up Mochizuki-senpai!"
Marui switched to a new flavor of chewing gum, his smile confident. He twirled his racket and spoke slowly, his light tone making Kirihara even more annoyed: "Akaya, you said the same thing last time, and then Sanada made you run thirty laps as punishment."
"That time was different from this time!"
"You always say something different."
"This time it's really different! I have a new trick up my sleeve!"
"You said the same thing last time."
Kirihara's face turned bright red, and his scalp stood on end. The scene of the two glaring at each other was made even more lively and interesting by the wind blowing through the forest on the hillside.
The atmosphere in the entire venue was instantly ignited.
The Rikkai players were caught in a dilemma. On one side were their respected vice-captain and their revered senior, Yanagi, standing on opposite sides of the net for the first time in an official match—a moment that was already worthy of being written into the team's history.
On the other side, their second-year ace is facing off against a third-year genius; their duel is bound to be explosive.
"The fight between Marui-senpai and Kirihara is exciting enough just by looking at their stances."
"Yeah, I really don't want to watch the match between Vice-Captain Sanada and Senior Yanagi. They're both playing doubles with first-year students, what if their teamwork doesn't go well?"
"Senior Yanagi is alright, Vice-Captain Sanada..."
"But it's very interesting."
Sitting on the coach's bench, Mochizuki Ryou watched the lively scene unfold before her, her eyes filled with anticipation for a good show, her fingertips gently stroking her chin. These guys had certainly drawn some interesting combinations; she needed to film plenty of footage.
Seishi must be bored lying in the hospital; this will keep him entertained for a while.
He raised his glass to everyone, his posture elegant and relaxed, his voice loud and arrogant.
"Play well. I'll be waiting for you in the finals. Bonne chance. Good luck!"