noveltune Chapter 28: Mizuki and No. 2's Thanks
Chapter 28: Mizuki and No. 2's Thanks
Wang Yueling leaned against the railing by the net, waiting listlessly for the tennis club members.
He had originally planned to leave and go to the hospital as soon as the competition ended, but Jiro rushed over and grabbed his sleeve as soon as the handshake ceremony was over, saying, "Ling, don't go, we'll go back to school together later."
Then I hurriedly ran back to pack my things.
He had no choice but to wait there.
At that moment, a slightly soft voice came from beside him, carrying a hint of solemnity.
"Mochizuki-kun."
Wang Yueling turned her head. Guan Yuechu stood a few steps away, habitually raising one hand to twirl a strand of hair hanging in front of her eyes with her fingertips, while crossing her other arm over her chest. Her tone carried a hint of barely perceptible sincerity:
"Mochizuki-kun, thank you for speaking up for me during the last conflict between Seigaku and St. Rudolf."
Mochizuki Ryo raised an eyebrow, instantly realizing that he was referring to the time he intervened in a fight and silenced the Seigaku members. He didn't take it to heart, giving a perfectly timed smile, "It's nothing, just stating the facts."
"Your act of standing up for justice is no small matter to us."
Guan Yuechu lowered her hand, her eyes serious. "When Yuta first arrived... it was a very difficult time. What you said, though a bit blunt, did awaken many people who were pretending to be ignorant."
Yuta Fuji stood by the net not far away, listening to Mizuki-senpai's words, his ears slightly red, his hand tightly gripping his racket, his expression somewhat awkward. After hesitating for several seconds, he still walked over.
"Um..." His voice was a little hoarse when he spoke, but he still bowed solemnly to thank Wang Yueling: "Thank you for what happened last time."
After saying that, he paused for a moment, then added, his tone tinged with a mixture of awkwardness and anger: "Although you talked about me in front of so many people, which made me lose face."
Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow, chuckled softly, and quietly looked at him.
"but……"
Feeling the gaze, Fuji Yuta lowered his head in embarrassment, gripped his racket tightly, and spoke in a much softer voice, almost inaudible if one didn't listen carefully, "There are some things that should indeed be said."
That day, in front of everyone, Mochizuki Ryo mercilessly exposed his wound of being called "the younger brother of the genius Fuji" at Seigaku. He was both embarrassed and angry, and wished he could disappear from the field and escape the scene.
But after calming down, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction...
He had kept those words in his heart for a long time, and he had wanted to ask the people of Seigaku and his own brother: Why has no one ever truly seen him?
It was truly embarrassing, but it was also truly relieved.
Looking at his awkward and naive appearance, Wang Yueling couldn't help but chuckle: "No need to thank me, I just can't stand their school's verbal abuse and malicious double standards."
Upon hearing this, Kanzuki ran his fingers through his hair several more times, making a nasal "ah..." sound. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his eyes lit up slightly: "By the way, Mochizuki-kun, I heard you haven't joined the Hyotei tennis club yet?"
Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow, but did not deny it.
"While the training environment at St. Rudolph may not be as good as Hyotei's, we place great emphasis on the individual development of our players. If you're interested..." Mizuki Hajime immediately and naturally extended an olive branch.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!!!"
"Ling, ignore him."
Two voices suddenly interrupted Guan Yuechu from the side at the same time.
Jiro rushed over like a small cannonball, directly blocking Wangyue Ling's way. His reddish-brown curly hair was messy, and he looked at Guanyue Chu with a wary expression.
"No way! Ling is from Hyotei! She's my deskmate! I don't want to go to your St. Rudolph!"
Yuushi Oshitari strolled over, adjusted his glasses, and wore his usual smile, but his tone was clearly protective: "Mitsuki, this isn't very nice of you. Trying to poach talent from Hyotei is quite impolite, isn't it?"
Oshitari's inner monologue: Just kidding, if Mizuki were to kidnap someone here now, Atobe would destroy me on every level.
Guan Yue wasn't annoyed by being called rude. He continued curling his hair, glancing at the two who had interrupted his plans. He twitched his lips in a slightly helpless manner: "I was just asking casually."
"There's nothing to ask."
Shinobu also stood in front of Mochizuki Ryo, blocking Mizuki's view. Thinking of the recent sensational headlines from various schools in Tokyo, he kindly reminded her, "You should probably tone down your habit of poaching people everywhere. You might really get beaten up one day."
"Exactly, exactly." Jiro grabbed Mochizuki Ryo's arm tightly and glared at Kanzuki: "Mind your own business."
Wang Yueling felt helpless as he hugged her, and she rubbed Cilang's head hard before looking at Guan Yuechu: "Thank you for your kindness, but I don't have any plans to transfer to another school for the time being."
Listening to Shinobu's suggestion, Mizuki naturally understood what the other party's subtext was, and glanced at him speechlessly. Then she looked at Mochizuki Ryo, who was peeking out from behind him with a determined expression, and finally just said "Ah~", no longer insisting, and turned to leave with the still awkward Fuji Yuuta.
He stopped after taking only a couple of steps, tilting his head and saying, still unwilling to give up, "If you change your mind, feel free to contact me."
"Ling will absolutely not change her mind."
When Cilang heard that he was still up to no good, his eyes widened and his cheeks puffed out like an angry pufferfish. He loudly rejected Wangyue Ling's offer.
Mochizuki Ryou was amused by this, but didn't say anything more, which was considered as tacitly agreeing with what Jiro said.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, he recalled that he simply couldn't stand what he saw that day—he couldn't stand the Seigaku students' smug, indifferent attitude; he couldn't stand Fuji Syusuke's "I'm worried about my brother" face; he couldn't stand the way a group of people, unable to discern the truth, were pointing and gossiping around a boy.
He didn't expect anyone's thanks when he said those words, nor did he consider the uproar they would cause.
but……
It's never a bad thing to be so sincerely remembered and thanked by the person involved.
"So... how did you find out about the Fuji brothers? Didn't you just return to Japan?" Oshitari leaned closer, with a tone that said, "I've been curious about this for a long time."
"Oh, a secret channel, want to know?" Mochizuki Ryo suddenly turned her head to look at Shinobu, her eyes darting around, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up into a smile, her voice trailing off softly.
Shinobu nodded honestly. This secret felt like a cat's paw scratching at his heart, piquing his curiosity to the extreme. He couldn't help but hold his breath, waiting for the mystery to be revealed.
"This secret channel is..."
Wang Yueling suddenly leaned closer to him, tilted her head, put her hands in her pockets, paused to catch her breath, and said in a teasing tone, "I'm not telling you."
Having finished speaking, she was in a good mood and turned to walk towards the school bus.
Renzu was left alone in the same spot, bewildered in the wind.
Cilang ignored him, pulling Wangyue Ling along as they walked, chattering about the match that had just taken place. He said he had practiced that backhand cross-court volley for several days and finally managed to execute it, asking Wangyue Ling if she had seen it.
"I see it." Wang Yueling offered her suggestion as they walked, "The angle is good, but the force is still a bit too tight. It would be perfect if the wrist were a little looser."
Cilang stared at him blankly for three seconds before exclaiming, "Ah!" "How did you know? I didn't feel anything myself."
"You'll see next time you try."
A smile appeared on Wang Yueling's lips, but she didn't offer any further explanation.
-
On the bus ride back, the setting sun shone through the windows, bathing the bus in a warm orange glow.
The atmosphere on the bus was much better than when we arrived.
After winning the match and successfully advancing to the Kanto Tournament, the boys all wore relaxed smiles.
As soon as Wang Yueling sat down, Cilang squeezed next to him, nodding his head, and started to feel sleepy again.
Mukahi and Taki sat in the last row, their heads huddled together looking at their phones, occasionally chuckling as they looked at something. Shinobu leaned against the seat beside him, eyes closed, music playing in his headphones. Ootori sat by the window, texting someone on his phone, his expression gentle. Hiyoshi sat next to him, arms crossed, eyes closed, resting. Kabaji sat next to Atobe, as silent as ever.
Atobe sat at the very front, holding a tennis magazine and reading it. His back was ramrod straight, and he looked like a king even on the bus.
Wang Yueling sat in the row behind Atobe, leaning against the window, watching the sunset outside, feeling very calm.
"You played well today," he said abruptly.
Atobe raised an eyebrow slightly, turned a page of his book lightly, and said without looking up, "Of course."
Wang Yueling leaned back in her chair, listened to his matter-of-fact answer, smiled, and said nothing more.