boyutpedia Chapter 27 Hyotei Advances to Kanto, Oshitari's Teasing
Chapter 27 Hyotei Advances to Kanto, Oshitari's Teasing
Tachikawa Tennis Park.
Under the afternoon sun, Hyotei's gray-blue support flag fluttered in the wind.
Although it was Thursday, a school day, and the number of people who could come to show their support was limited, almost all the clubs that were away for the competition came as a group. They stood outside the field netting wearing their respective club uniforms and holding colorful support flags and banners issued by the photography club.
The number of people wasn't exaggerated, but it fully conveyed Hyotei's unique flamboyant style.
"Hyotei—will win—"
The sound wasn't loud, but it was very synchronized.
Mochizuki Ryou leaned against the railing by the netting, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the small Yukimura doll in her breast pocket, watching the Hyotei regulars warming up on the field, a slight smile on her lips.
Compared to the crushing defeat last time, the team's performance today is completely different.
It wasn't the kind of gritted teeth that screams "I have to prove myself," but rather a more composed and tacit understanding. Everyone was doing their own thing—warming up, stretching, exchanging quiet conversations—without unnecessary chatter or the frivolous "we're sure to win" attitude.
Atobe stood at the front of the line, wearing a gray-white official jacket, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the St. Rudolf camp opposite him, his face expressionless.
He didn't say anything, but his overwhelming aura of "I won't lose today" was more effective than any verbal declaration.
"Ling!"
Jiro ran over from the field, lay down on the net, his eyes shining, "You're here! You really came to watch my match!"
"Well, since you promised, you'll definitely come." Wang Yueling reached out and patted his head through the fence, then gave him a serious reminder, "Play well."
Otherwise, it would be a shame for him to skip a class and give up his precious time meeting Yukimura to come all this way to watch the game.
If you're not serious... he'll get angry.
"Of course!" Cilang's animal danger radar went off instantly, but he still smiled so broadly his eyes curved into crescents. "I'm in super high spirits today!"
"Go on, stop dawdling here."
Cilang skipped back, and Xiang Ri said disdainfully to him, "Can't you be a little more composed?" Cilang didn't listen at all and kept waving at Wang Yueling.
Mochizuki Ryou smiled and shook her head, withdrawing her gaze and fixing it on Atobe, who was controlling the overall situation on the sidelines.
The shadow of losing to Fudomine last time has obviously not completely dissipated. Atobe did not underestimate his opponent at all this time and directly arranged for his full starting lineup to participate.
Sure enough—once bitten by a snake, twice shy.
Atobe was discussing tactics with Kaba, who was about to go on stage, when he sensed the gaze, looked up at Mochizuki Ryo, and then nodded slightly to him.
Wang Yueling nodded in return, as a greeting.
The match started promptly at 3:30.
Doubles 2: Takahiro Kagachi/Gakuto Mukahi vs. Shinya Yanagisawa/Jun Kisarazu.
Kabaji's power-based style of play is almost overwhelming in this level of competition, and Mukahi was also in exceptionally good form today, with his jump timing and net play being much smoother than before.
Although the two players didn't have particularly good teamwork, their individual skills were much stronger than their opponents, and they won the game 6-3.
Doubles 1: Chotaro Ootaro/Oginosuke Taki vs. Yoshiro Akazawa/Ichiro Kaneda.
The match became quite close.
Feng's super-fast serve has become more stable and has a higher success rate in the past few days of training. However, Taki's data tennis has encountered many problems under the strong high-pressure return of Captain Akazawa, losing the initiative and allowing the opponent to seize the opportunity to score points one after another.
They lost in the end, 4-6.
When Feng walked off the stage, he was dejected and had his head down. Taki walked next to him, patted his arm, and said, "It's my fault." Feng shook his head and didn't say anything.
The two walked back to the team in silence. The others rushed over to comfort them, saying that they had played very well. Atobe looked at them quietly and said in a calm tone, "Think about the shortcomings of this game and go back to train more."
Singles Match 3: Jiro Akutagawa vs. Yuta Fuji.
Cilang is in exceptionally good condition today.
He received Fuji Yuta's topspin shots more easily than expected, and his timing for several net volleys was extremely accurate. In the last game, he even hit a backhand cross-court volley that silenced the entire stadium.
6:1, a complete victory.
Jiro won the last point, and excitedly waved to Mochizuki Ryo outside the net, holding his racket, smiling like a child who had won a favorite toy.
When Wang Yueling saw this, she smiled and gave him a thumbs up to show her praise.
Singles Match 2: Yuushi Oshitari vs. Hajime Mizuki.
Mizuki's data on tennis is not very effective in the face of an absolute difference in strength. Moreover, Oshitari played with exceptional seriousness today, without his usual lazy demeanor. He exerted a double pressure with tactics and skills, and every return he made carried an attitude of "I'm serious."
6: 3.
Mizuki's loss wasn't too bad, but it was clear he was very unwilling to accept it. As he left the court, he curled his hair in front of his forehead, muttered something, and kept glancing towards Hyotei's rest area.
As for the one-on-one match... it was over before it even started.
The final whistle blew across the stadium, and the entire Hyotei team breathed a sigh of relief, instantly easing the tension.
Hyotei secured a resounding 4-1 victory, advancing to the Kanto Tournament.
Throughout the entire match, Mochizuki Ryo barely uttered a sound, only occasionally nodding slightly.
The mindset of the Hyotei team has indeed changed.
No longer the arrogant and overconfident person they once were, they now play every ball with seriousness, making fewer mistakes and showing stronger teamwork. This composure, honed by failure, is far more moving than blind brilliance.
"Pas mal." (Not bad.)
He murmured softly in French, his tone filled with genuine admiration.
-
During the post-match handshake between the two teams.
Ryo Mochizuki's phone vibrated slightly in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Yukimura saying that his Rikkai teammates really enjoyed the snacks he and his grandmother made.
As he looked at the message, a gentle smile unconsciously curved his lips.
I remember last time in the hospital room, Yukimura took small bites of rice cake, his eyes slightly narrowed, like a cat whose fur had been stroked.
At that time, he thought that he would make some rice cakes for Yukimura next time.
So when I packed Yukimura's special lunchbox for lunch today, I made sure to put a few pieces inside. This time it was a new flavor with red bean paste filling. I wonder if he'll like it.
Thinking this, he quickly tapped the screen to reply.
【Wang Yueling】: Of course, look who did it.
After posting it, I hesitated for a moment and then posted another vain emoji of a golden retriever that I had saved online yesterday.
The other side replied very quickly.
Wang Yueling stared blankly at the "giving you a thumbs up" emoji, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He always found Yukimura's use of emojis cute; he was usually such a composed person, yet he would use such childish emojis when sending messages.
He sent another smug golden retriever emoji, then put away his phone. When he looked up, he found that Shinobu was standing next to him at some point.
"Who are you texting? You're all all lovey-dovey. I bet your smile is making the screen ripple." Shinobu leaned closer and pushed up his glasses, his words clearly laced with gossip.
Even behind his glasses, his eyes shone like searchlights, screaming "You're up to something," and he deliberately raised an eyebrow at Wang Yueling, as if to say, "Just mind your own business."
Wang Yueling was clearly a little uncomfortable under his gaze, but she still replied without changing her expression, "Friend."
"Can a casual friend really make you laugh so cheaply?"
"..."
Having her secret thoughts exposed, Wang Yueling quickly looked away, turned her back to him, and busily scrolled through her phone, looking like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, as if to say, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
Renzu looked at his unread message and didn't ask any questions, but the corners of her mouth slowly turned up, and her eyes were full of amusement, as if to say, "Fine, keep pretending, let's see how long you can keep it up."