novelhk Chapter 24 Liu Tells Stories: Scandalous News from Tokyo Schools
Chapter 24 Liu Tells Stories: Scandalous News from Tokyo Schools
Sanada has been focused on his team's matches these days and hasn't had time to learn about the other teams' situations. He was quite surprised to hear what Yanagi had to say.
He knew Hyotei's strength. As a traditional powerhouse, Hyotei had a deep foundation and a wealth of talent. It had always been a top team in the national tournament. How could it have failed in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo tournament, and lost to the little-known Fudomine?
The principle that pride comes before a fall.
They don't know?!
Sanada's face darkened completely, his brows furrowing instantly, his tone filled with disapproval: "Underestimating the opponent is a major taboo. Hyotei, as a national-level team, shouldn't make such a basic mistake. Atobe is far too careless!"
After pausing for a moment, he continued seriously, adding:
"In competitive sports, regardless of the strength of the opponent, once you step onto the court, you must give it your all. This is the most basic respect for tennis. Hyotei's actions are disrespectful to tennis and irresponsible towards their own team."
Niou leaned back in his chair, his braid twirling around his fingers, a mischievous grin on his face, and retorted, "Why are you meddling in Hyotei's affairs?"
"I'm just stating the facts."
"Alright, alright, let's stick to the facts." Renwang responded lazily, his tone full of perfunctoriness, and the second half of his sentence was so soft that no one could hear it, "I hope you won't underestimate your opponent on the field."
With his mouth bulging, Kirihara replied, "The vice-captain is right! How can we not take a match seriously! I'll give it my all even in a practice match!"
"Indeed." Yanagi nodded, agreeing with Sanada and Kirihara's words. "Insufficient information and a restless mentality do not meet the standards of a strong team."
"Who says otherwise?" Niou said, snatching the last Napoleon pastry before Marui could, and devoured it in one bite under Marui's glare. Satisfied, he continued, "But Atobe from Hyotei probably won't let this go so easily."
Yagyu wiped his hands with a tissue and replied to Niou, "Indeed, how can we let go of such a big setback? But it won't be difficult for Hyotei to qualify for the Kanto Tournament in the losers' bracket."
Yukimura listened quietly, a faint hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He hadn't heard Mochizuki Ryo mention Hyotei's loss before. The two mostly chatted about everyday things on their phones—what they ate that day, what interesting things they saw, and tennis techniques—but never about school matches.
After Liu finished speaking, Yukimura spoke, his voice calm: "Renji, in the Tokyo loser's bracket revival match, which team is Hyotei playing against?"
Liu opened his notebook and glanced at it: "Hyotei vs. St. Rudolph, it's today."
Yukimura suddenly realized.
I tapped the sheets lightly with my fingertips. No wonder I didn't have time to come over all day.
So they went to watch the game.
"Speaking of St. Rudolph..." Liu's tone suddenly changed, and she even glanced at Yukimura furtively, with an indescribable excitement, "There's been an interesting story circulating in schools all over Tokyo lately."
Niou rested his chin on his hand, raising an eyebrow with interest: "Piyo~ Liu, it's rare to see you gossiping like this."
Kirihara stopped stuffing sushi into his mouth when he heard the gossip, his curious eyes widening like saucers: "What interesting thing? What gossip?"
Liu pulled out another small notebook, her tone becoming more relaxed yet still captivating with a storytelling quality: "It's about the match between St. Rudolph and Seigaku a few days ago. Do you want to hear it?"
Everyone's interest was immediately piqued.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Kirihara leaned over and was the first to raise his hand, his mouth still stuffed with sushi.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Marui put down the dessert in his hand and asked curiously.
Niou rested his head on his partner's shoulder and raised an eyebrow: "Go ahead and say it."
Yagyu Hiroshi adjusted his glasses and tilted his head slightly. Even Sanada didn't say anything to stop him, quietly waiting for what was to come.
Liu coughed, cleared his throat, and turned to a new page in his notebook. The page was filled with dense writing and a newspaper clipping was pasted on it.
They began recounting the headlines from various schools in a highly vivid and descriptive tone, with headlines that screamed sensationalist entertainment news:
[Shocking! Seigaku's collective verbal abuse drives away junior students, while the genius older brother coldly observes.]
[The younger brother of Seigaku's genius, unable to bear the pressure, leaves for another school; the feud between Fuji and Mizuki over the loss of their brother intensifies!]
[The atmosphere on the field is heated, but have former brothers become bitter enemies?]
[Hyotei's mysterious transfer student intervenes in injustice, engaging in a verbal battle with Seigaku and becoming an overnight sensation!] (Hottest news!!!)
Each headline was eye-catching, making the teenagers' eyes widen in amazement.
Like a herd of badgers that have wandered into a melon field.
I was incredibly curious.
Everyone stopped eating and stared intently at Liu. Even King Ren sat up slightly, eager to hear the details.
Feeling the intense gaze, Renji Yanagi's desire to share was greatly satisfied. His lips curved into a barely perceptible smile, and he began to recount the events of the day of the match between Seigaku and St. Rudolph in a calm and clear manner.
"Here's what happened," Liu began, her voice soft but clear, "Do you know Guan Yuechu? He's also a data-driven tennis player, and his teamwork is quite good."
"I know." Niou nodded politely. "He's the one who likes to poach players from various schools."
Liu spoke at a measured pace, as if she were reading a carefully prepared report.
"It was him. In order to defeat Seigaku in the regional tournament, Mizuki made Fuji Yuuta the team's ace and specially designed a training plan for him, teaching him a special move for left-handed players called the 'outside spin ball.' However, this ball cannot be played for a long time, otherwise it will cause irreversible damage to the arm and wrist."
Sanada, who was standing nearby, frowned again upon hearing this. This had clearly touched a nerve. He was about to say something when Yanagi interrupted him.
"At the time, Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Syusuke, who were off the field, briefly explained the danger of this shot," Yanagi continued. "Naturally, Fuji Syusuke did not approve of Mizuki teaching his younger brother this shot."
"And then what?" Kirihara leaned forward, forgetting to eat the sushi in his hands.
"Then..." Liu held the notebook, a hint of amusement in his voice, "During the singles match, the Seigaku members, along with the spectators, accused Mizuki of being irresponsible and teaching a game that could injure someone. The St. Rudolph members, of course, wouldn't stand for it, and the two sides started arguing."
He paused, then turned a page in his notebook.
"Just then, a transfer student from Hyotei stepped forward and gave the Seigaku students a thorough dressing down."
The ward fell silent for a moment.
Yukimura paused for a moment.
The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards.
He remembered Wang Yueling's gentle and warm face, his languid tone of voice, and his soft smile when he handed him the flowers.
Then he put these images together with "losing his temper and confronting people on the spot" and felt a strange sense of incongruity.
……
"How do you plan to counter this?" Marui's cream puff stopped in mid-air, her eyes widening.
Liu didn't rush to speak, but first glanced at Yukimura, who seemed to be thinking about something, before continuing.
He spoke slower than usual, as if deliberately creating a tense atmosphere.
I never would have guessed that Liu Lian'er, who usually only reports data and speaks concisely, could be so captivating when telling a story, with a steady pace, plenty of detail, and the ability to create atmosphere.
"He first questioned Fuji Syusuke about why Fuji Yuuta transferred schools," Yanagi said calmly. "He said that Fuji Yuuta's departure from Seigaku was not due to Mizuki's instigation. At Seigaku, he was always called 'the younger brother of the genius Fuji,' and no matter what he did, he was always compared to his older brother. He lived in the shadows for a long time, enduring invisible verbal violence."
Marui finally dropped the cream puff from his hand, bounced on his trouser leg, and rolled to the ground.
He had no interest in picking it up at the moment.
"Then he mentioned Kanzuki," Liu continued. "Although he poached Fuji's younger brother, which was very utilitarian and purposeful, he gave Yuuta a unique tactical role and personal style, and Yuuta took on a lot of the responsibilities of an older brother at the boarding school."
He paused for a moment, his tone becoming more meaningful.
"On the other hand, Fuji Syusuke, as the older brother, turned a blind eye to his younger brother's repression until his brother transferred schools. Only then did he show concern and accuse Mizuki of teaching his brother to use the external spinning ball, which damages his body."
Niou's lips slowly curved into a smile, he dangled his braid in his hand, and said playfully, "Puri~ This transfer student from Hyotei is quite to my liking."
The next second, Marui slapped Kuwabara's thigh and whispered, "Wow! This guy's so outspoken! Amazing!"
Liu turned a page in his notebook, his voice carrying a clear hint of pleasure: "As for that topspin ball, he said that a signature move requires theoretical support and a lot of training, but Fuji Yuta's move can't be used too often. I agree with that; what he said is within the reasonable range of the data."
He also gave an example to criticize the double standards of the Seigaku community.