RNP Page 88
Page 88
She exhaled a breath; the die was cast, and now she could only place her hopes on Su Qing.
"Let's go, partner."
Su Qing smiled and said to Yukino, who responded awkwardly. Then the two walked towards the court.
"It's not too late to back out of the bet we just made."
Standing in front of the net, Miura hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"No need, thank you Miura-san, let's get started."
What a joke! I deliberately conceded such a huge step to let Miura fall into the trap, just so he could do things for me. Now you're going back on your word? Where else can you find such a good opportunity?
"Tch, do whatever you want. Just don't say I didn't give you a chance after the game."
Miura snorted and returned to his defensive area, thus beginning the third set of the match.
Su Qing stood behind the baseline, feet shoulder-width apart, body slightly leaning forward. He took a deep breath, gathering his strength. Then, he gently tossed the tennis ball up, his non-racket hand pointing in the direction of the toss. Just as the ball reached its highest point, he swiftly swung his racket, striking the ball with almost no spin.
The tennis ball then left the service court at extremely high speed, its trajectory almost a straight line, heading straight for Miura's defensive area.
"15 to 0."
Before Miura and Hayama could even react, Su Qing's serve had already scored.
That was... a flat serve?
Although the flat serve is a common professional serve, Miura had naturally practiced and seen it frequently during her middle school years, and she knew that this type of serve was characterized by high precision and high speed.
She had never seen a ball move this fast before...
No, it must have been an accident, right? It's not impossible that naturally strong people can unintentionally hit a shot like that...
"30 to 0."
"45 to 0."
……
"5-0, Su Qing and Xue Zhixia are in the lead and will enter the final game."
Miura:?
We don't know either, it just happened to get to the final round...
At this moment, Miura was on the verge of a breakdown. From the very beginning, she hadn't managed to take a single point from Su Qing, let alone a single game!
You should know that she wasn't beaten like this before she left the county-level tennis team.
Putting aside the fact that her tennis skills were in no way inferior to, and even surpassed, her opponent's power in each shot was so great that it knocked her racket away several times, and she still felt a numb discomfort in her arm.
The most outrageous thing is that the opponent almost did the defense of two people by herself. Although this was partly due to Ye Shan's lack of strength, wasn't she also attacking the defensive area under Yukinoshita?
However, the opponent's reaction was like having a cheat code. Every ball Yukinoshita threw was easily returned and scored by the opponent, so much so that Yukinoshita eventually retreated to the out-of-bounds line, leaving Su Qing enough room to perform.
Is Su Qing even human?
Without giving Miura much time to catch his breath or think, Su Qing delivered several more powerful smashes, bringing Miura down from his horse.
With the referee's whistle, this farce came to an end.
"6-0, Su Qing and Xue Zhixia win!"
"I...I never want to play tennis again..."
Miura was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, her face pale. To prevent her from falling, Hayama thoughtfully placed one of her hands on his shoulder to share his weight, comforting her as he worried that she might have been hit too hard.
"Are you alright, Yumiko? You did a great job."
Miura: Cough cough, actually playing tennis is pretty good too...
"Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing! You were so amazing just now!"
Yui's eyes sparkled with admiration. If it weren't for her ankle injury, she probably would have already skipped over to Su Qing and started chattering away.
"You...you're really terrifyingly strong."
Hachiman also sent a congratulatory telegram.
"It's all thanks to you guys who wore down Miura's stamina in the first two rounds that I managed to get a free ride."
Su Qing didn't take all the credit for herself, then looked at Yukinoshita and smiled:
"Trusting your partner's instincts should be pretty good, right?"
Yukino simply hummed in response before quickly turning her head away.
"When should I contact them?"
At this moment, Hayama slowly walked over with Miura, who was still panting heavily, and asked.
"Okay, in the next few days, the sooner the better, thank you."
The plan is now halfway complete, and Su Qing offered a token of appreciation to Miura, offering words of comfort and reassurance. Such a simple task was incredibly easy for Su Qing.
"Tch, hypocrite."
Miura snorted, but didn't say anything more. He nodded to indicate that he would do it, and then left with Hayama and the others.
"Um... will doing this really work?"
Caijia had just heard about Su Qing and Miura's new bet. If Su Qing's method worked, it seemed that she would no longer need to ask the Service Club to improve her tennis skills.
"Who knows? But we have to try all sorts of methods. If that doesn't work, I'll play a match against each member of the tennis club one by one. Maybe that will get them motivated again."
Hikigaya: If you want to knock the opponent out of the club and then bring in fresh blood, just say so...
However, he decided not to complain about it today.
Of course, Hachiman could assure him that he was absolutely not afraid of Su Qing, who had just finished playing ball and whose arm still had bulging veins that hadn't faded yet...
If he's afraid, he'd be willing to quit the tennis club and join the service club with Saika!
"By the way, if the tennis club returns to normal, should we consider joining the Service Club?"
Su Qing suddenly started undermining the relationship.
Hikigaya:? ? ! !
"Eh, but...?"
Caijia was clearly somewhat hesitant.
"Would it be convenient for us to talk just a few minutes?"
"Oh, yes."
Afterwards, Su Qing and Caijia went to a secluded spot not far away, under the questioning gazes of Yui and the jealous gazes of Hikigaya.
"You joined the tennis club to improve your tennis skills and then team up with Hachiman, right?"
Su Qing suddenly spoke up.
"?!"
Seeing Caijia's panicked expression, Su Qing explained:
"Don't be nervous... I just asked the girl who teamed up with you before, and found out that you always coincidentally chose a place where you could see Hachiman to play, right? You know, that guy often chooses a deserted corner to specifically partner with the corner of the wall."
"No, that's not it. It's just a coincidence..."
"Coincidence? Before I teamed up with Hachiman, you had been silently watching him. On the day I teamed up with him, you suddenly appeared and then used the excuse that your partner was on leave to play ball with Hachiman. Was that also a coincidence?"
"I... but even so, it doesn't prove anything, does it..."
Caijia took a deep breath and asked in return.
"My guess."
"?"
"Perhaps you haven't even noticed it yourself, but when you look at Hachiman, there's always a hint of inferiority in your eyes. Is it a lack of self-confidence, or a feeling that you're not worthy to stand beside him?"
Caijia remained silent, while Su Qing suddenly felt a pang of emotion:
"Actually, those were all just my guesses. Since I've guessed so many things today, I'd like to guess one more thing."
Despite Su Qing's amiable tone, what the other party said next made Caijia's hair stand on end.
"You...you really are a woman, aren't you?"
"How...how is that possible? I really am a boy. I was sick before, and the doctor said that I had insufficient testosterone, which made my secondary sexual characteristics less obvious, so my Adam's apple is not very prominent...Everyone, everyone knows about this."
Caijia explained incoherently, her words stammering due to nervousness, her hands unconsciously intertwining.
Su Qing did not question the other party's statement, but instead turned her gaze to Hachiman and the others not far away, and said softly:
"University time is very short, not to mention that the Service Club will disband sooner or later. Perhaps the club will still exist in the future, but the president will no longer be Yukino Yukinoshita, and naturally there will be no one named [Hachiman Hikigaya] in it."
Su Qing then turned her gaze to Cai Jia, her voice calm and unreadable:
"A true farewell doesn't involve long pavilions or ancient roads, nor does it involve 'urging you to drink another cup of wine.' It's just that on an ordinary morning, some people stay in yesterday, and some people don't get to see tomorrow. That's all."
So don't always worry too much. It's good to be a little willful once in a while, isn't it?
Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. Let's go. Hachiman's gaze has been fixed on me the whole time; I can't take it anymore.
After saying that, Su Qing did not continue speaking, just as he had said. Since the other person's wound had been treated and he was able to walk on his own, Su Qing went back on his own.
Caijia stood there, stunned. She noticed that Hachiman, just as Su Qing had said, had been watching them, or more accurately, watching her. She then snapped out of her daze and followed Su Qing back to the group.
Then, under the questioning gazes of the others, Caijia finally made up her mind:
"Um, I'd like to join the Service Club, please!"
……
Chapter 115 Yukino's Abnormality
After the bet with Miura Yumiko ended, the other party quickly contacted most of the senior students who had dropped out of the club through their own means. What followed was a well-received speech in the style of a passionate manga: "Youth, never give up! The hope of our tennis club rests on your shoulders! You must carry the banner of Soubu High School!"
Incidentally, the upperclassmen also used a little bit of their connections to get rid of the current, incompetent tennis club president.
Despite having left the department and facing issues such as job hunting, postgraduate entrance exams, and studying abroad, they still do not want the place that held their youth and sweat for several years to face decline or even abandonment.
Regarding the selection of the new minister, they initially intended to recommend Su Qing. As for the minor matter of Su Qing being a member of the Service Department, the other party stated:
The tennis club is in decline, facing external and internal challenges. In short, special circumstances call for special measures, and you, who have gathered us here, are undoubtedly the only one who can revive the tennis club!
Especially when they heard that the other side had shut out that junior student Miura, everyone's eyes lit up, and they were almost ready to drape a dragon robe over Su Qing. But Su Qing's attitude was firm, and the matter was dropped.
Thus, Totsuka Saika's request came to a successful conclusion. After seeing the tennis club's progress, she withdrew from the tennis club and officially decided to join the Service Club.
Unfortunately, although Su Qing said he wanted to be a vice minister on the day he joined the Service Department, it was obvious that he was just dreaming, so he doesn't have the right to approve Caijia's application to join the department.
Upon entering the Service Club activity room, Yukinoshita was deep in thought: Is there something strange about the club I founded? Almost every time I complete a request, a new member joins, from Hachiman to Yui, and now to Totsuka Saika…
If we don't count Su Qing and the female classmate who asked about computer specifications, wouldn't the more members this club has in the future, the more commissions they'll do, and the more commissions they'll do, the more members they'll have...?
At this moment, Yukinoshita, the club president, was somewhat distracted these past few days due to certain unusual circumstances, while Totsuka Saika mistakenly believed that the other party had rejected her application to join the club, and pleaded:
"Um... I know my abilities may be limited, but I will do my best to complete club activities! So please let me join!"
"Hmm...? Oh..."
As if only then realizing her lapse in composure, Yukinoshita cleared her throat and said seriously:
"Sure, join us. Your joining should be very helpful in correcting Hachiman's twisted personality."
As expected of Yukinoshita, she thought so far ahead even when the new members joined the club. It would have been even better if she had put her words in a more tactful way.
Hachiman's thought only lingered for a moment before being forgotten, because when Ayaka heard that Yukinoshita had approved her application to join the club, she immediately turned her head excitedly, her gaze fixed on him, her eyes curving into crescent shapes, and the corners of her mouth curving into a beautiful arc.
Oh no… why did you look at me first? And with such a bright smile? This kind of behavior is sure to make longtime virgins who can't control their hormones think too much!
Calm down… Calm down…
Thankfully, Saika is a guy…
and many more!
The constitution doesn't seem to stipulate that men can't confess their feelings to each other, does it?
"Hachiman Hikigaya's expression is a bit scary right now. Captain, I think we should reconsider Saika Totsuka's joining the club. I'm afraid that if the former's twisted personality isn't corrected, the latter's personality will also be twisted."
A familiar male voice interrupted Hachiman's desire to continue his daydream, jolting him awake from his reverie. He then realized that the other members of the Service Club were all staring at him, making him so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear into the ground.
Of course, before crawling inside, he still glared at Su Qing fiercely. Although he was very grateful to Su Qing for inviting Caijia to join the club, so that he could stay with Caijia at school all the time.