novelraw Chapter 139 I lost, senior.
Chapter 139 I lost, senior.
Marui finally snapped out of his daze, bent down to pick up the chewing gum that had fallen on the ground, wrapped it in a tissue and put it in his pocket, then looked up at the court.
"None of us saw the ball's trajectory clearly, and then Akaya..."
He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood what he meant.
Kirihara stood at the bottom line, stunned in place.
The racket fell to the ground. He didn't know when he had let go of it. He just stood there on the court, his eyes wide open, his mouth slightly agape, his black curly hair plastered to his forehead, as if he were frozen in place.
He stared at the tennis ball that had rolled to the sidelines behind him, remaining motionless for a long time.
Then he slowly turned around and looked at Wang Yueling opposite him.
Wang Yueling stood at the service line, racket hanging at her side, looking at him with a calm expression.
Kirihara swallowed hard, bent down to pick up the racket, and walked back to his position to receive the serve.
His legs were shaking, and his hands were shaking, but he still bent down and assumed a receiving position.
Wang Yueling watched his actions and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
Sanada sat in the referee's chair, the scoreboard slipping from his hand and landing on the floor with a "thud." He didn't pick it up; his dark eyes, hidden beneath his hat brim, were wide open, and his Adam's apple bobbed several times.
The "thunder" that I used with all my might during the training camp.
His signature high-speed move, which he was so proud of, would probably seem like slow motion in the face of Wang Yueling's attack.
Just how much more is this person hiding?
"40-0".
Sanada's voice also trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Ryou Mochizuki glanced at Kirihara, who stood frozen in place, and didn't continue serving. Only after Kirihara came to his senses did he softly ask, "Shall we continue?"
Kirihara suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, but his gaze remained firm.
"continue!"
Wang Yueling nodded and served the final ball.
It was just a regular, ordinary serve.
Kirihara gave it his all and returned the ball to Kirihara.
But Mochizuki Ryo simply blocked the ball lightly, and it landed in the backhand gap that Mochizuki Ryo couldn't reach.
"Game, Mochizuki Ryo. 5-0."
Last game.
Kirihara's fighting spirit had been largely shattered by that seemingly insignificant attack. His movements slowed noticeably, and he made more unforced errors in his returns.
Instead of pressing his advantage, Mochizuki Ryo slowed down the pace, giving Kirihara some breathing room and allowing him to hit a few good returns.
Kirihara gritted his teeth and persevered until the very last game.
Sanada's voice rang out as the last ball landed.
"Game, Mochizuki Ryo. Score 6-0."
Kirihara dropped his racket to the ground, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the court.
Sweat dripped from his forehead to his eyes, then onto the court, spreading out in damp patches. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving.
He didn't cry.
This time, sweat was really streaming from my eyes.
Kirihara lay there quietly, gazing at the azure sky.
The sunlight was a bit too bright, so he squinted slightly.
So this is the power of being "number one in the world".
It turns out that the gap between myself and my seniors is so big.
Kuwabara rushed onto the court, squatted down next to Kirihara, and asked with concern, "Akaya, are you alright?"
Kirihara shook his head, his voice hoarse.
"I'm fine."
Sanada also walked over from the referee's chair, picked up the racket from the ground, and helped Kirihara up.
"Well played."
His voice was still deep, but his tone was much gentler. "Let's go, let's go over there and rest for a bit."
Kirihara lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, and remained silent.
Kuwabara and Sanada, one on each side, helped him to a recliner under the shade of a tree.
Kirihara slumped in his chair, limbs outstretched like a dried seaweed, panting heavily. Looking at Mochizuki Ryo approaching him, his eyes reddened slightly, and his voice was hoarse, "Senpai, I lost."
Wang Yueling walked to his side, squatted down, and reached out to rub his wet curly hair.
"But I've seen your progress."
He looked into Kirihara's eyes, his voice gentle yet earnest, "Your emotional control is excellent, and your tactics are much more flexible than before. Your use of demonization is also very sophisticated."
Kirihara looked up at him, his eyes filled with frustration.
"But I still didn't get a single point."
"That's because you've met me." Wang Yueling smiled, revealing her small right canine tooth. "If it were anyone else, you would have won long ago."
"And you're only 14 years old. The future holds endless possibilities."
He paused, then continued, "Your main problem is that your fundamentals aren't solid enough. Your backhand rallies are a bit inconsistent, and your shot placement isn't precise enough. Go back and practice more rallies and set serves. I'll play you again in a month."
Kirihara looked at him, and his eyes slowly brightened.
"Really?"
"Of course." Wang Yueling nodded. "I keep my word."
Kirihara nodded vigorously, and finally couldn't hold back his tears, which fell down. He quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand and turned his face away so that no one could see.
Wang Yueling pretended not to see it and turned to go set off the racket.
Yukimura stood up from his chair, walked over to him, and handed him a bottle of water.
Kirihara saw the minister arrive and tried to sit up, but Yukimura pressed his shoulder down.
"Lie down."
Yukimura's voice was gentle. His violet-blue eyes held a hint of a smile.
"Great progress. Especially the controllable demonization, it's much more stable than during the training camp. The movements are no longer distorted, and the power exertion is more reasonable."
Kirihara's eyes lit up.
"Minister, do you really think I've improved?"
Yukimura nodded.
"Yes. But you still need to keep working hard. You need to practice diligently on the issues Ling mentioned when you get back."
Qieyuan nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
"I will!"
Sanada stood beside him, his hat brim pulled low, his voice muffled, "When you get back, practice backhand rallies for an extra half hour every day. I'll practice with you."
Kirihara swallowed hard; the extra training that Vice-Captain Sanada had given him was deadly.
But he nodded nonetheless.
"yes!"
Liu stood beside him, taking a towel and wiping Kirihara's neck, her voice tinged with pride, "Your controlled demonization is now very stable. Next, you can try extending the usage time, and your strength will increase even more."
Kirihara took the water bottle from the department head, looked at Yukimura, then at Yanagi-senpai, and suddenly stood up, straightening his back with a determined look in his eyes.
"I won't give up!"
His voice boomed, brimming with fighting spirit, "I will definitely defeat my seniors! Defeat the captain! Defeat Vice-Captain Sanada! Defeat everyone! Become the true number one in the world!"
Mochizuki Ryo walked over from the coach's bench, carrying a water bottle and with a towel draped over her shoulder. Hearing this, she raised an eyebrow, glanced at Yukimura beside her, and deliberately dragged out her words.
"Then you'd better work hard. Otherwise, you can only compete with us on age when we're too old to walk."
"Mon dieu, I'll be eighty years old by then, and you'll still be playing tennis with me? That's so disrespectful to the elderly."
Everyone laughed.
Niou tossed Kirihara a piece of chocolate to boost his energy, patted him on the shoulder, and teased, "Puri~ Akaya, you've got guts! I believe in you! When we're old and gray, we'll definitely let you win once."
"Exactly!" Marui piled up his treasured pudding, potato chips, and chewing gum in front of Kirihara, joining in the commotion. "I'll lend you my cane as a racket later."
Kirihara's face flushed red, and he stomped his foot, shouting, "No way! I'll defeat you all when you're at your peak!"
Yagyu adjusted his glasses, a smile playing on his lips. "Having goals is a good thing. Data shows that people with clear goals have a higher probability of success than those without."
Liu nodded, opened her notebook to a new page, and said, "I will record your goals and track your progress regularly."
Sanada looked at Kirihara with satisfaction in his eyes. "Very good. Keep up this fighting spirit. Go back and keep working hard."
"But speaking of which," Marui leaned closer, looking at Mochizuki Ryo with a curious expression, "Ryo, your serve was amazing! How did you do that? How did you make the ball so silent? Was it magic?!"
Niou also joined in, clearly interested in the topic. "Puri~ I didn't hear it either. I didn't even hear how the ball touched the paddle."
Kuwabara touched his bald head. "I thought I was deaf."
"You all want to know?!"
Seeing that they had all nodded, Wang Yueling deliberately lowered her voice, made a shushing gesture, and pretended to be mysterious, "If you really want to know... I'll secretly tell you when you can catch my legendary little black cat."
Upon hearing this, Marui's face immediately fell, and he pursed his lips. "I heard from Jiro that that cat is incredibly powerful, and no one has ever seen it yet. It seems I'll never find out in this lifetime."
Kuwahara nodded in agreement.
"According to the fan club, the cat usually roams around various countries to gather information, which is why it is not easily discovered."
Kirihara, having regained some of his strength, clung to the back of a chair and joined them, sharing his cat-catching tips: "Kabaji also said that cat is quite mysterious. If you want to catch it, I think..."
Listening to their serious discussion, I realized that the "Schrödinger's cat" was obviously a fabrication.
Niou rolled his eyes speechlessly, then slumped against Yagyu, "Hiro~ those idiots, they actually believe such a ridiculous rumor, pupina~"
Liu glanced at Wang Yueling, who was deliberately acting silly, opened the notebook in his hand, and said in a calm tone, "According to the information provided by Senior Mori, your special move is called 'Snow Concealment.' What I saw with my own eyes today is indeed impossible to record with data."
He paused, then deliberately mentioned Yukimura, trying to get Mochizuki Ryo to reveal more data.
"What Seiichi just said about the principle behind your shot is that it uses a special hitting angle and spin to make the ball blend with light refraction during high-speed flight, creating an invisible effect."
"The serve is silent because of the added spin."
"Is it really as Seiichi said?"