readsfreenovel Chapter 91 A Challenge Match That Was Never in Suspense
Chapter 91 A Challenge Match That Was Never in Suspense
The manor, where people were taking a midday rest, was bathed in warm sunlight.
Swans glide slowly across the lake, and the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms drifts on the wind into every crack of the dormitory window.
None of the boys from Hyotei and Rikkai could really calm down and rest.
The phone screens lit up, and the messages in the secret group chat were refreshing faster than the sound of balls hitting the ball on the court throughout the noon.
The boys from Hyotei were burning with determination, eager to prove their progress over the past month. Each one was itching to prove themselves, hoping to force Mochizuki Ryo to unleash his hidden trump card in the afternoon's challenge match.
The Rikkai team, however, exuded an air of arrogance, believing themselves to be the champions. Based on Liu's data analysis, they predicted a low probability of defeating Mochizuki Ryo in the official match, but securing even one point shouldn't be difficult for them.
At 2:40 p.m., the whistle signaling the end of lunch break rang out precisely on time.
Wang Yueling walked lazily to the center of the court, her azure eyes sweeping over the lined-up players. She twirled her tennis racket between her fingers, and tossed the yellow tennis ball into the air with her other hand.
His eyebrows were raised high, and his tone was almost dripping with mockery. "Everyone's performance in the morning's matches wasn't great. But as you requested, the afternoon's challenge matches will proceed as scheduled. However..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, glancing over everyone present, casually tossing the tennis ball in his hand.
"I heard some very interesting news during my lunch break."
The people from Hyotei and Rikkai froze simultaneously.
Oshitari paused in his act of wiping his glasses, taking a half-step back. Niou hid his face behind Yagyu's shoulder. Kirihara, clutching his racket, was filled with questions, his eyes fixed on the giant peach next to the coach's bench.
Wang Yueling took out her phone from her pocket, turned on the screen, and slowly read it aloud.
"'Hyotei Hell Survival Guide (Live Today Too)'... Is this the new group name?" He looked up, towards the direction of Hyotei's main members. "I remember this morning it was 'Living is a Winning Strategy,' how come it was changed at noon?"
Atobe coughed, touched his beauty mark with his finger, and said nothing.
"And this too." Wang Yueling swiped the screen. "'Warfare Meeting: How to Get a Point from the Demon King' is this a new group you created? You've gathered quite a few people."
He looked up, and the curve of his lips sent chills down your spine.
"Ci Lang, that's impressive! You've become a group admin?"
Jiro shrank behind Marui, his reddish-brown curly hair drooping down.
"Yushi, you're quite active in the group."
Ryo Mochizuki brought the phone closer and read aloud, "Based on the last match, Ryo's stamina is limitless, so a direct attack is unrealistic. We suggest using a multi-player, multi-ball tactic, simultaneously launching high-speed balls from different angles to increase the probability of him missing the ball."
Shinobu's action of putting on his glasses froze in mid-air.
"The analysis is good." Wang Yueling nodded, her tone serious. "The data logic is clear, and the tactical approach is well-defined. It's a pity..."
He put his phone back in his pocket, deliberately slowed his speech, tapped his racket lightly with his fingertips, and glanced at the tense profiles of the other people, his dangerous smile impossible to hide.
"You're plotting right under my nose; the security of your group chat messages isn't up to par."
The entire room fell silent for two seconds.
"Who snitched?!" Jiro peeked out from behind Marui, his eyes wide open.
"Me." Xiang Ri raised his hand, his expression very frank and reasonable. "Ling said there's a reward for reporting. He promised to give me a special strawberry Napoleon in exchange."
"Yue Ren, you traitor!!!"
"You didn't say we couldn't tell Ling," Xiang Ri said matter-of-factly, turning to look at Wang Yue Ling. "Right, Ling!"
Wang Yueling nodded with satisfaction at her little spy, then took out a small, individually wrapped cake from her pocket and tossed it to Xiang Ri as a reward.
Jiro watched Mukahi eat with a blissful expression, his lips trembling. He turned and squeezed next to Marui to complain, "Bunta! Gakuto betrayed us!"
Marui chewed gum, patted his head, and said calmly, "I told you not to add Hikari to the group, but you didn't believe me."
Kuwabara nodded silently beside him.
Kirihara looked around at his seniors with a blank expression. He and Kabaji had gone to the lake to see the swans at noon and had no idea about the conspiracy.
Sanada, who was standing next to him, was not in that group and did not know about it. After listening to Mochizuki Ryo's explanation, he looked at Marui and the others with disapproval.
Niou peeked out from behind Yagyu, his little braid swaying: "Puri~ I told you this plan was unreliable. How could someone like Ling let us plot properly?"
"Renou-kun," Mochizuki Ryo looked at him, "I saw the message you posted in the group chat too."
Niou's expression froze for a moment.
“‘I’ll pretend to be Sanada to attract Ryo’s attention, and you guys can take advantage of the situation…’” Mochizuki Ryo stopped halfway through reciting the sentence. “The last part isn’t really suitable to say in public, but I still approve of your idea.”
Knowing he was in the wrong, Niou silently shrank back behind Yagyu and hid.
Yagyu adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "He brought it on himself."
"Alright." Mochizuki Ryou clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back. "No matter what you've been plotting, the rules of the challenge are still the same as when Hyotei challenged them."
He walked over to the giant peach, tapped the plate lightly with his fingertips, and the crisp sound echoed in the room.
"Those who received the challenge qualification this morning and want to challenge me, you can step forward now."
Atobe was the first to step forward, followed by Yanagi, then Marui, Niou, and Kuwabara. Jiro sniffed and stepped out from behind Marui. Oshitari adjusted his glasses and also took a step forward.
Feng Changtaro gripped his racket, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
Shishido glanced at him, then crossed his arms and remained still. He hadn't gotten the qualification that morning, but Ootori had.
On Rikkai University's side, Urayama Shiita raised his hand, his two rosy cheeks trembling slightly: "Shiita-Shiita wants to try too."
Kuwabara patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him to stick to his ideas.
The last one was Sada, a third-year student and soon-to-be starter at Rikkai University. He wasn't tall, but he had broad shoulders and stood at the back of the line, holding his racket.
There were exactly ten people.
Wang Yueling looked at them, her eyebrows raised, and the curve of her lips looked incredibly irritating.
"Wow, quite a lot of people, ten generals, quite a magnificent lineup."
His tone was light, but every word carried a provocative edge that made one's teeth itch. "I hope you ten won't let me down. You've all probably heard the rumors, or heard people from Hyotei talk about my habits during lunch break, right?"
"The rules haven't changed."
"If any one of you manages to take even one point from me, you win."
He paused here, his azure eyes sweeping across the faces of the ten people.
"You can come up one by one, two by two, three or four by three, any combination you like you did last time with Hyotei. I'll play along to the end."
The last few words were deliberately slowed down, with the ending sounds drawn out.
As soon as the words were spoken, the young men of Hyotei remained calm; they were already used to this kind of provocation.
The Rikkai students were all taken aback, then their brows furrowed slightly. It wasn't that they were angry, but they felt that this person's arrogance was beyond their imagination.
They had heard rumors that Mochizuki Ryo had crushed the entire Hyotei team, even defeating Atobe, but they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, so they always harbored some doubts.
They believed that even if he was strong, with Liu Lian'er, one of the three giants, and half of the main players on their side, it wouldn't be difficult for them to get a point.
Marui stopped chewing his gum, a hint of defiance flashing in his purple eyes. Niou straightened up behind Yagyu, narrowing his fox-like eyes. Kuwabara rubbed his bald head, his expression remaining relatively calm.
Urayama swallowed hard; Sada gripped his racket tightly, his jawline taut.
Liu opened his notebook, pen tapping across the page, his voice steady: "Hyotei has over two hundred players, both regulars and non-regulars. In the gauntlet challenge against Mochizuki Ryo, not a single player managed to score. Atobe himself admitted defeat. Based on the current data, our chances of getting any points today are no more than…"
"Renji," Renou interrupted him, his tone languid, "Don't report data at a time like this; it affects the morale."
Liu shut her mouth, but the pen tip was still writing something on the paper.
Sanada adjusted his hat brim but didn't speak. However, his gaze remained fixed on Mochizuki Ryo.
Looking at everyone's composed demeanor, Wang Yueling sighed silently in her heart.
What's going on? They haven't gotten angry at all after I've provoked them so much?
That shouldn't be the case.
According to the usual script, someone should have jumped out at this point and said, "Don't be so arrogant." How come the people from Rikkai University are so tolerant?
Was it because my words weren't inflammatory enough? Not hateful enough?
He suppressed his slight disappointment, composed himself, raised his hand and pointed to the Peach King in the crystal tray, his tone suddenly becoming seductive.
"The prize is still this tempting peach king."
His fingertips lightly glide across the peach's golden-red skin, his tone as if teasing a cat.
The challengers stared at the peach, their eyes burning with desire.
"What if we lose...?"
Wang Yueling's lips curved into a strange arc, and a mischievous glint flashed in her azure eyes.
"After finishing the basic training this afternoon, everyone from both teams will go to the peach orchard to do hard labor and pick peaches."
He paused for a moment.
"All dinner dishes will be replaced with boiled broccoli."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Cilang jumped out.
"Huh?" His reddish-brown curly hair stood on end, his tone full of confusion. "Ling, that's not what you said this morning! This morning you only said that if we didn't succeed, we'd change the dessert to broccoli! How come it's now for all the dishes?!"
"And another thing!" Cilang became more and more agitated as he spoke, "Before, we agreed that we would only pick the peaches after we damaged things in the house, so why are we going to pick them even if we fail the challenge? This is so unreasonable!"
Wang Yueling looked at his sullen face and slowly walked up to him.
Bend down.
Raise your hand.
She pinched Cilang's round, chubby cheeks.
"because……"
He tugged at Cilang Ruan Huhu's cheek, his tone gentle yet undeniably domineering.
"I am the champion, the coach, and the one who sets the rules."
He would gently tug at the air after each sentence.
Cilang's face was stretched into various shapes, and tears were almost streaming down his face.
"If you want to overturn my rules and establish new ones, you have to beat me." Wang Yue Ling released his grip and patted Ji Lang's head. "Understand?"
Cilang covered his cheek, which had been pinched red, and nodded vigorously.
"And another thing." Wang Yueling straightened up, raised a finger, and tapped his forehead. "Ji Lang, you were the first person to stand up and question me... that's a very good question."
Cilang was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up, thinking there was something to gain.
"So for your basic training later, you'll add ten more laps of physical running. As a reward for you."
The light on Cilang's face vanished instantly.
He covered his cheeks, turned around dejectedly and ran back to the challenge team, snuggled up to Marui, and rubbed his head against the other's shoulder while sobbing.
"Bunta!!! Ling bullied me!!!"
Marui chewed gum, patted his head to comfort him, and said helplessly, "You knew he was waiting for someone to stand up for him, and you still jumped in."
"But I couldn't help it..."
"Then stop whining." Marui looked at Mochizuki Ryo with a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "We still have to play ball later."
Cilang sniffed and looked at him pitifully.
The other challengers, witnessing this, all took a half-step back.
This operation is all too familiar.
The scene of so many people being scolded this morning is still fresh in my mind, and now Cilang, the one who stood out, has been publicly punished.
Who would dare to be the second one?
Mochizuki looked at their reactions with satisfaction, raised her hand to touch her chin, and pretended to be thinking.
"There are ten of you..." His gaze swept across each of your faces, "Then I'll give you fifteen chances. If you can score one point out of those fifteen, you win."
The challengers exchanged glances.
In other words, each person has the opportunity to play solo, and also five opportunities to collaborate with others.
Liu opened her notebook and said softly, "Statistically speaking, the success rate of collaboration among multiple people is higher than that of collaboration among one person."
"Renji." Niou glanced at him.
"Okay, okay, I won't report the data anymore." Liu closed the notebook.
Atobe took a step forward, his icy blue eyes staring directly at Mochizuki Ryo, the corners of his lips slightly upturned.
"Hmm~ Fifteen balls." He snapped his fingers. "Let's get this straight, I'm taking this first point."
"Then I look forward to your performance."
Wang Yueling rested his racket on his shoulder, smiling nonchalantly. "But sir, did you manage to keep your signature move within four centimeters of the target? Just because you played well in the morning's practice match doesn't mean you can take points from me now."
Atobe raised an eyebrow slightly, offering no rebuttal.
His ball may not have reached the four-centimeter standard yet, but that doesn't mean he can't hit good shots in a match.
"Enough talk." He turned and walked towards the court. "Let's begin."
The others retreated to the sidelines, leaving Atobe alone on the opposite side of the court.
Wang Yueling stood at the baseline and bounced the ball in her hand.
He tossed the ball and swung his racket.
His movements remained textbook perfect.
The ball landed in the service area and bounced up.
Atobe took a step forward, met the ball head-on with his racket, and struck the ball at the very moment it reached its highest point.
"The Rondo of Destruction".
The ball, spinning intensely, flew towards Mochizuki Ryo's backhand side.
This wasn't his usual flashy, aggressive style of play; instead, it was a simpler, more precise attack. He sacrificed some power in exchange for greater accuracy in his shots.
Wang Yueling moved half a step to the left, held her racket horizontally, and sliced the ball.
The ball was cut back and landed on the sideline at Atobe's forehand side.
Atobe had already moved in that direction. He bent down and hit a forehand smash, the ball faster and at a more difficult angle than the previous shot.
The ball flew past the sideline.
"Game..."
Taki Oginosuke's voice had barely begun when he stopped.
Because Mochizuki Ryo was already positioned behind the ball's landing point.
No one could see how he moved to where he was; it was as if he had always been standing there.
The racket was gently tapped.
The ball landed in the open space behind Atobe.
"Game, Mochizuki, 1-0."
Atobe stood still, watching the tennis ball land, then looked up at Mochizuki Ryo across from him.
That last shot showed he was playing with his full competitive spirit. The devastating waltz combined with the precise placement would have caused any opponent to make a mistake on the return.
But Wang Yueling still replied casually.
And his movement speed...
Atobe silently updated his data in his mind.
"Not bad at all." Wang Yueling twirled the racket in her hand, her tone light and cheerful. "But sir, your forehand return angle is still too conservative. That last ball went five centimeters to the left, and I had a hard time returning it."
Atobe didn't say anything, just nodded, turned and walked off the field, but the competitive spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.
The second person to step forward was Liu Lian'er.
He walked to the opposite side of the court, stood still, and opened his eyes, which were usually half-closed. The figure of Wang Yueling was reflected in his brown pupils.
"Data collection complete." Liu's voice was calm. "Mr. Mochizuki, nice to meet you."
"Oh. Okay!" Mochizuki Ryo replied with interest, tossing the ball to serve.
The ball's landing point remains precise, and the bounce height still makes it difficult to swing comfortably.
Yanagi moved his position in advance, standing at the most suitable hitting point. He reduced some of the ball's spin, resulting in a higher quality return than Atobe's shot.
The ball landed in the backhand corner of Mochizuki Ryo's hand.
But Wang Yueling had already moved to the ball's landing point and gently blocked it with her racket.
Liu had anticipated this return. He moved ahead of time, met the shot head-on, and hit a cross-court shot with an extremely tricky angle.
The ball landed on the forehand sideline of Wangyue Ling, almost grazing the white line.
Just when everyone thought the ball was a sure thing, Mochizuki Ryo miraculously reappeared at the landing spot, and the ball was hit back into the corner of Liu's baseline.
"Game, Mochizuki, 2-0."
Liu stood there, quickly reviewing every detail of the three beats in her mind.
His prediction was correct, his movement was correct, and his carefully designed landing point was correct as well.
But Mochizuki Ryou always manages to be one step ahead of him.
It wasn't because of speed, but because Mochizuki Ryo had already predicted the ball's landing point before he even hit it.
This cannot be explained by data.
This is intuition, or rather, a prediction from a higher dimension than data.
Liu Chaowangyue nodded slightly, then turned and walked off the stage.
The third is Marui.
He walked across the court chewing gum, his purple eyes sparkling.
"Here comes the genius!" He slung his racket over his shoulder, his tone full of defiance. "Even though Renji and Atobe didn't score, the genius is definitely different."
"Oh, really? I look forward to your performance." Mochizuki Ryo smiled as she tossed the ball to serve.
Marui took a step forward and intercepted the ball at the net. With a slight twist of his wrist, the ball was sliced into a very short arc, almost grazing the net as it fell.
"Tightrope walking".
The ball landed less than half a meter in front of the net, bounced once, and rolled to the side.
Mochizuki Ryo took a step forward, extended her racket, and scooped up the ball just before it hit the ground. With a flick of her wrist, she lifted the ball high, sending it back to Marui's backcourt.
Marui had just landed and didn't have time to return to defend.
"Game, Mochizuki, 3-0."
Marui blew a bubble and tilted his head to look at Mochizuki Ryo. His tightrope walking was particularly difficult to catch on the grass, and he was very satisfied with the timing and angle of that shot.
Even so, it was still no use.
"A genius's volley is indeed flashy." Mochizuki Ryo looked at him, twirling the racket on his wrist. "But Bunta, your stamina is still the same old problem. You were out of breath after that one point. You can't last long in singles."
Marui pursed his lips but did not refute.
"Go back and work on your physical fitness." Wang Yueling pointed at him with her racket, her tone dangerous. "If I see you out of breath after running just a few steps again, your training volume will double."
Marui stuck out his tongue, turned around, and quickly ran off the field.
The fourth is King Ni.
He strolled leisurely onto the court, his braid swaying behind his shoulder. Once he stood still, he tilted his head and looked at Wang Yueling, his fox-like eyes full of cunning.
"Ling, can I perform a magic trick?"
"Whatever." Mochizuki Ryo tossed the ball up and served.
The moment the ball landed in the service area, the person on the other side changed, and there was an additional "Atobe" on the court.
Atobe himself, standing on the sidelines, raised an eyebrow, tapped his beauty mark with his finger, and snorted softly, "Pretending to be this old man? You know how to pick one."
The phantom of "Atobe" caught the ball and unleashed a devastating waltz. The motion was almost identical to Atobe's, but the ball's spin was slightly off, and the accuracy of the landing point was lacking.
Mochizuki Ryo returned the ball to his backhand side.
Atobe moved over to the sidelines, and his movement suddenly changed when he returned the ball.
This time, Sanada's invasion was fierce.
The ball suddenly accelerated, flying with tremendous force towards Mochizuki Ryo's forehand.
Ryo Mochizuki caught the ball, returning it to the baseline. The phantom opposite him changed again, this time it was Yagyu's laser beam.
A straight beam of yellow light flew towards the blind spot in the backcourt.
Mochizuki Ryo sidestepped, met the ball head-on with his racket, and spun it back into the opponent's open space.
"Game, Mochizuki Ryo, 4-0."
Niou dispelled the illusion and stood there panting. Switching between three illusions in succession had drained his stamina more than he would normally do in an entire match.
"Your phantom switching speed is indeed much faster."
Wang Yueling looked at him seriously, "But switching too frequently reduces the accuracy of a single phantom. You copied 80% of Sanada's serve, only 50% of Atobe's smash, and Yagyu's beam was even worse due to fatigue."
Niou wiped the sweat from his brow and listened attentively.
"And your stamina problem is even more serious than Bunta's." Mochizuki Ryo gently tapped the top of his head with his racket. "Phantom is a very useful weapon, but you can't rely on it all the time. Build up your basic strength, and don't always rely on dodging and positioning when engaging in pure power rallies."
"Understood." Renwang, unusually serious, nodded and walked off the stage without his usual joking demeanor.
The next few players used a rotation system, taking turns to play.
Kuwabara's ironclad defense, Jiro's interception, Shinobu's psychological warfare, Ootori's soul-piercing shot, Uraya's steady hit, and Sada's all-out smash.
They took turns using their special moves.
After finishing the game, Mochizuki Ryo hadn't lost a single point, and her breathing hadn't even become disordered.
The Rikkai University members watching whispered among themselves, their voices filled with shock.
"As expected of someone who can take on 200 people at once... they're really too strong."
"So many regular players can't do anything about him, his strength is terrifying."
……