bdsm-fiction Chapter 61 Shishido and Ootori's Doubles Match, Training Camp Project
Chapter 61 Shishido and Ootori's Doubles Match, Training Camp Project
in the afternoon.
The round-robin tournament has officially begun.
The regular players faced off against the top-ranked members from each grade and division, and every match was fiercely contested.
While the non-regulars still have a low win rate, it's no longer as bad as it was three weeks ago. Some freshmen have even delivered some pretty impressive winning shots.
Although they ultimately lost, they lost with great spirit.
The most anticipated event in the afternoon was the impromptu doubles match.
Oshitari, Mukahi VS Shishido, Ootori
A head-to-head battle between the old and new doubles pairs of Hyotei.
The entire team members surrounded the arena, and even Sakaki Taro came to watch the game in person.
The match hadn't even started, but several layers of people had already gathered around the court. Someone in the crowd shouted, "Go Shishido-senpai!" Shishido didn't turn around, but his fingers tightened around his racket.
Atobe and Mochizuki Ryo stood side by side on the sidelines, watching the four people on the field.
"Keigo, are you nervous?" Mochizuki Ryo teased, tilting her head. "Afraid your chosen doubles pair will lose?"
Atobe snorted coldly, glancing at Mochizuki Ryo, "Losing... Hmph! My team, wins and losses are all spectacular."
He paused for a moment, then said, "But... the people you personally trained aren't that weak."
Wang Yueling chuckled softly.
The referee's whistle blew.
Oshitari serves, the ball speed steady and the landing point precise. Ootori returns the ball steadily, and Shishido immediately moves forward to the net to block, his movements swift and his anticipation accurate.
"Not bad," Wang Yueling said softly.
After three weeks of grueling training, Feng's directional serves had become second nature, each shot landing precisely in the opponent's corner, creating opportunities for Shishido. Shishido, on the other hand, was responsible for blocking the net, his defense impenetrable, and he would launch a swift counterattack whenever the opportunity arose.
With just a glance, a gesture, or even a slight adjustment in their footing, the two could instantly spread out their positions and cover their respective areas.
Their teamwork was so good that it didn't seem like they had only practiced for two weeks.
Oshitari launched a sudden tidal interception, the ball's trajectory unpredictable, but Feng accurately predicted it and returned it steadily. Mukahi used Mangekyou Sharingan, a dazzling display of aerial maneuvers, but Shishido calmly assessed the situation and positioned himself in advance.
"Beautiful!" someone whispered from the sidelines.
The score went back and forth, reaching a fever pitch.
Shinobu and Mukahi worked together skillfully, unleashing their best moves, demonstrating both stamina and technique at their peak; Shishido and Ootori, though a new pair, held their own thanks to their precise coordination and unwavering will.
At the crucial moment, Feng tossed the ball up, leaned back, and concentrated all her strength in her wrist.
The ball, with a whooshing sound, hurtled straight into the corner.
Shinobu received the ball hastily, but the return was of poor quality and the trajectory was too high.
"Now!"
Then, in that instant, Shishido moved.
His body was like a fully drawn bow. The power of his feet pushing off the ground traveled from his feet to his waist and then to his wrists, propelling him into the air. His racket drew a sharp arc in the air.
It wasn't his old style of fighting that relied on wrist strength to strike hard. Instead, he concentrated all the power of his body on one point, and completed the attack by coordinating Feng's guidance and his own strength. The timing was precise to the millimeter.
"Supersonic dunk!!!"
With a loud bang, the tennis ball crashed into the opponent's court like a cannonball, bounced on the ground, and moved so fast that its afterimage was not even visible.
"Advantage, Shishido, Ootori!"
That coordinated game-winning shot was absolutely stunning.
Cheers erupted instantly from the sidelines.
Shinobu's glasses reflected the light, and his fingers gripping the racket tightened unconsciously. Mukahi's mouth hung open, forgotten to close.
Ryo Mochizuki leaned against the net, her pen-twirling motion pausing for a moment before a slow smile curved her lips. The timing of the coordinated attack—the harbinger of the wind and the smash from Shishido—wasn't quite perfect; the ball's bounce height could be adjusted further.
But this is already a very effective scoring weapon.
"At least the effort wasn't in vain."
Atobe stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes: "That was a pretty spectacular shot."
The subsequent matches were extremely close, going all the way to a tiebreaker.
The score was extremely close.
When the game ended, the scoreboard showed 7:5.
In the tiebreaker, Shinobu and Mukahi, with their greater doubles experience and calm on-the-spot management, secured a narrow victory.
As the whistle fell, Shishido and Ootori, panting heavily, were full of excitement, but not a trace of frustration.
Because, in just two weeks.
They transformed from singles players into a competent doubles team, and their defeat was still a glorious one.
Thunderous applause erupted from the sidelines.
Everyone knew that from this moment on, Hyotei had two well-matched doubles teams and was no longer the team with obvious weaknesses in doubles.
Mukahi was bent over, panting, his face covered in sweat, but his smile was incredibly bright. He turned to Shinobu and said, "They'll definitely be even harder to deal with in the future."
Shinobu adjusted his glasses, smiled slightly, and glanced at the person opposite him: "Isn't that even better?"
Shishido sat on a bench, his face covered with a towel, his chest heaving. Ootori sat beside him, handed him a bottle of water, and whispered, "Shishido-senpai, we almost won."
A muffled voice came from under the towel, saying only a few words: "Try harder next time."
Feng smiled and nodded vigorously.
Wang Yueling walked up to the two of them and stopped, then pulled out a piece of paper from in front of the notepad and handed it to them.
Shishido took the towel off his face and looked at it. It was covered with detailed data, showing every mistake he and Feng had made in the match and every point in their coordination that could be improved.
"Go back and keep practicing." Wang Yueling said, then turned and left.
Shishido looked down at the paper, her fingers pinching a shallow crease along the edge. Feng leaned closer for a glance and couldn't help but whisper, "Ryo really put a lot of effort into this."
They looked up at the sidelines of the court, where Mochizuki Ryo was standing next to Atobe, holding a scoreboard and saying something.
……
Mochizuki Ryo tilted her head to look at Atobe, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "How about it, Keigo? Is my eye for talent up to par?"
Atobe glanced at him, knowing that Mochizuki Ryo was deliberately waiting for him to praise him. Seeing the undisguised smugness in his eyes, he sighed and rubbed his forehead: "You rascal, you get so smug after just a little praise."
But he still couldn't help but say, "You have a good eye; this combination is very glamorous."
Wang Yueling smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Of course. Even without me, they would have become a top doubles team in the future, but the fact that they were able to form such a team so early is all thanks to me."
Atobe's lips twitched; he was too lazy to pay attention to Atobe's narcissism.
Wang Yueling withdrew her gaze, flipped through the record board in her hand, looked at the points rankings of each division, and remained silent for a few seconds.
The playful expression from before vanished, replaced by the composure befitting an acting coach.
"However, it's still a long way off."
"What?" Atobe was slightly taken aback.
"So you're already smug about this little bit of progress?" Mochizuki Ryo glanced at him sideways, her tone both irritating and sarcastic. "You're still a long way from national level. The Kanto Tournament is packed with strong teams; with your current level, you'll still get crushed. These guys from Hyotei are still far from good enough!"
Atobe frowned: "Just say what you have to say."
He glanced at Wang Yueling, his icy blue eyes conveying the message, "I just praised you, and here you are." But he didn't refute it, because he knew it was true.
Hyotei has indeed become stronger, but the opponents in the National Tournament will not stand still.
"Keigo." Mochizuki Ryo tucked the scoreboard under her arm and suddenly glanced at him. "Any other plans before the Kanto Tournament in July?"
Atobe raised an eyebrow, his fingertip unconsciously touching the beauty mark at the corner of his eye. He knew this person too well; whenever Mochizuki Ryo asked a question in such an innocent tone, it was definitely something unsettling that followed.
"So, you're saying you already have an idea?" Atobe followed up on his words.
Mochizuki Ryo raised one eyebrow, a rather irritating smile spreading across his face. Despite having a face so exquisite it could grace a magazine cover, his smile was so infuriating it made you want to punch him.
"The team is still so weak. If they really want to transform themselves, they need another push..."
He speaks slowly and deliberately, each word carrying a certainty that makes people grit their teeth in frustration.
Atobe looked at him, his ominous premonition growing stronger: "What fire?"
Mochizuki Ryou turned to face him, a few points of light dancing in her azure eyes: "I want Hyotei and Rikkai to have a week-long joint training camp."
"Before the Kanto Tournament."
The air was silent for two seconds.
Atobe didn't answer immediately. He leaned against the fence with his arms crossed, remained silent for a while, and then spoke: "Rikkai University rarely accepts joint training camps with other schools. Especially when their captain isn't around, Sanada won't easily agree to something like this."
"I understand all of that."
Wang Yueling chuckled softly, her voice low, a hint of confidence flashing in her eyes. "Leave this to me. You just wait for my message and be responsible for reporting the time to the school."
"You don't need to worry about the venue."
Atobe stared at him for a few seconds, then thought of his relationship with Yukimura and sighed softly.
Okay, since this guy says he can do it, then he probably really can.
"Ah, I understand. You'd better know your limits."
"Thank you for your hard work, Minister." Mochizuki Ryo gave a perfunctory bow.
Atobe was too lazy to play along with him, so he turned around to arrange for the club members to pack up the equipment. After taking a couple of steps, he turned back and his gaze lingered on the blue-purple hair tie at the end of Atobe's hair for a moment.
Compared to the duck headband from last time, this one is much more understated and matches Hyotei's team uniform very well.
Atobe didn't ask any questions, just glanced at him again, and then left.
-
After packing her things, Wang Yueling was about to go home when she was blocked on the coach's bench by two small animals.
Jiro rushed over first, clinging to the edge of the whiteboard, his eyes shining like they'd just been fully charged: "Ring! A new dessert buffet has opened in the Kinomoto Shopping Street, let's go check it out!"
"It's strawberry-themed! They have strawberry daifuku, strawberry Napoleon, strawberry pudding, strawberry smoothie..."
"Go! Go! Go."
Xiang Ri suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her red bob almost standing on end with excitement: "I heard too! That restaurant is opening today, and they're even holding a competitive eating contest!"
Wang Yueling stood up and straightened the cuffs of her coat that they had pulled askew. She smiled helplessly but did not refuse: "Let's go. I'll take you to check out some shops today."
The three walked out of the campus side by side, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun. This scene was captured by someone and later jokingly referred to as the "Sweet Three Musketeers" by members of the tennis club's fan club.