Chapter 92: A Narrow Escape

  Hyodo's match against Fudou, Akio Furukawa went to watch, sitting properly in the audience seat, watching Hyodo lose game after game, Tsubasa and Sakaki supervising with increasingly ugly faces, Akio Furukawa sighed in his heart.

  Hyōto lost in the end, losing thoroughly and utterly. Kei Hisaishi's face turned iron-blue as he walked away without looking back at Hyōto or even Kiyosumi Hiro, not caring about anyone behind him...

  Akane Katsuragi watched as Tsubasa walked away, then turned back to look at Seishiro Nagi, who was still sitting on the ground with his head hung low.

  The crowd looked at Ling Yu, her downcast eyes made it impossible to see what she was thinking. Anxiety and gloom flowed continuously in their hearts. What if Ling Yu gave up on them? They had disappointed her expectations, they were defeated...

  Watching Sakaki supervise the serious and unyielding training of the regulars, Kishimoto quietly left, unknowingly walking to the Seigaku's match venue, watching Seigaku's victory after victory, her emotions were very complicated.

  The scene of Ni Feng vs Kangetsu Sho, Kangetsu Sho lost and fell to the ground, furiously roaring in anger. In her memory, Kangetsu Sho was also a very proud young man, now looking at him so realistically, that defeat and anger were even more striking than anime. Another person who cannot accept failure, why can't they just face failure? With defeat comes victory, winning and losing are relative, what is fixed and unchanging? Why be so obsessed with victory? She didn't understand. Being too obsessed with those things would only bind the true strength of one's heart.

  "Zero, does winning or losing really matter?" Akane's soft and airy voice rose up, as if she was asking Akira Zero, yet also seemed to be questioning herself.

  In the dark, Akagi let out a sigh. At least for these proud boys, failure was forever a stain, a shame.

  Akagi Kiyomi returned to the Ice Emperor's court, and Ukai's pep talk had already ended. Everyone was feeling very down, suffocated by the silence. Mizuki Shinji had arrived at the regulars' side after Ukai left, taking on the role of comforting them.

  Qing Shui's cool thoughts are really making an all-out effort to squeeze into the hearts of those who have been chosen.

  The passengers were already in a bad mood, and this woman was still chattering away, are they familiar with her?

  Originally stripped of his starting position due to losing the match, and having to listen to this woman's nonsense, Hikaru Genji was even more impatient and turned to leave, but then he saw that person who had originally left but now came back, standing there looking at him and everyone's silhouette. His emotions were very heavy and complicated, and his eyes began to flicker too. In the end, he didn't have the courage to stand in front of her again, gazing into her clear and pale blue eyes, and instead brushed past her shoulder.

  The right ones also saw her, but found that for the first time, they lost their words between each other.

  Feng Changtai was very worried about Shiro Taro, and quickly caught up with him. This was the third time, without noticing her, he brushed past her.

  The eyelids of the wooden door were lowered again, and when she raised her eyes once more, the other candidates had also left. By her side, Qing Shui Liang Si was still following closely behind, not giving up, and she could still feel the provocation coming from Qing Shui Liang Si.

  For the first time, Emperor Ice and his men left without saying a word to her.

  The entire Ice Emperor's venue was left with only the Ice Emperor's support team, standing quietly and carefully watching that somewhat lonely figure. They felt uncomfortable in their hearts, as their Hana-sama had been abandoned by the regulars. Was it because she had left for a while? Where did Hana-sama just go? Letting Mizuha no Koneko take her place...

  She has always been favored by Ice Emperor's right-hand men, but now she is being abandoned, how painful it must be...

  "Tanaka......" Fuuka couldn't help but come to Tanaka's side, her nose a bit sour, she didn't want to see the person she admired being abandoned!

  The others in Class 2-C couldn't help but look at her with concern, they had come to watch the entire match because of Akane Hino and Yoshifumi Nitta after all. To be honest, this class wasn't one that was particularly obsessed with the tennis club, on the contrary, the most important place in their hearts was given to the girl who was now being abandoned by the regulars of the tennis club.

  "It's okay, let's go back early......" Akane Kogami smiled faintly and turned to leave, dispelling their worries.

  Watching Akane Futaba walk away, Sota Higurashi's irritated mood could no longer be restrained, "Soul faint!"

  Those perfect men, no matter how excellent they are, no matter how charming they are to make girls crazy, have lost in the end! But she doesn't care about any of these things. Damn it, how dare you hurt Xiang Fu's heart! Are you just a decoration as the leader of Xiang Fu's fan club?!

  ……

  The sound of the ball being hit fiercely and continuously echoed, Takaoka Chotaro stood not far from Shishido Ryo with a conflicted expression, "Shishido-senpai..."

  Now, Akira Akechi is extremely depressed. He can't help but keep hitting the ball to push his body to its limits, and if he collapses, maybe he won't have the energy to feel this suffocating emotion anymore. But he wouldn't really be that weak! How could he possibly be that weak? That's just escapism! He lost! He lost thoroughly!

  "Kazuki-senpai..." Fuyutaro struggled for a moment before deciding to speak up, "This time we were indeed wrong. We shouldn't have underestimated them. Natsumi was right, on the battlefield there is no such thing as an invincible general. To win every battle, one must know both oneself and the enemy..."

  They had always thought that Notenbou was inferior to Seigaku, and Hyoutei believed they wouldn't be any worse than Seigaku. To take down a mere subordinate of Seigaku, naturally they didn't need to use much strength. But the captain of Notenbou, Tachibana Kippei, who was once hailed as one of the "Two Champions of the Nine States", now appeared in the unremarkable Notenbou, they were too careless, too lax, too light on their opponents, and they were all too arrogant.

  "Thud!" A tennis ball was hit out and not caught, brushing against Akira Matsumoto's hair and smashing to the ground behind him, several strands of hair floating down.

  When he heard the two words "Yun Fuh", it struck a chord in Koshiro's heart, his most painful part. What he was most concerned about was disappointing her expectations. She had reminded them after all, even if not explicitly, but they were still too arrogant, thinking that they could always trample others under their feet. This world is not just about them making an effort, not just about them loving tennis, not just about them having achievements in the tennis field. They should not underestimate any opponent.

  It wasn't until the end that they realized, even though they had learned her beloved Chinese, they still didn't truly understand what she was trying to convey to them. They must have been a great disappointment to her, especially him who suffered a crushing defeat.

  "Phoenix, we're all too weak!" Takeru Hoshino turned around with his tennis racket and looked at Ryota Fukuoka, his eyes seemed to understand something, but then dimmed again. He gripped the racket tightly and muttered a curse before running towards the direction of today's match venue, but only after a few steps did he suddenly realize that she was probably already gone.

  "Kazuki-senpai!" Taro chased after him and looked at Kazuki Akira, who had stopped in his tracks. What's wrong with him?

  "Hey, Feng..." Akira didn't turn around, his voice somewhat subdued. "I figure... later on, none of us stayed by Fuyo's side, the most disappointed person was her after all. We didn't take her words to heart, but we ended up abandoning her..."

  His words heavily hit Feng Changtaro's heart, startling his carelessness. Indeed, even he had neglected Ayaka's feelings! The others wouldn't be the same, would they?! At first, it was Tsubu who abandoned her!

  "Uh, I don't think Sayaka will mind our...". Tsuruoka Chotaro said in a fluster, but was immediately glared at by Akakawa Ryota who had turned around, "Tsuru! You're really too much! You've really disappointed me! Just because Sayaka is gentle and tolerant, does that mean she deserves to be hurt by us?!"

  She's invincible! If she were a sponge that could absorb any damage, would she be able to wreak havoc at will?

  "......" Feng Changtaro's heart was struck hard, and his gentle eyes had a deep regret, "Sorry, Shishido-senpai, I..."

  "Let's not talk about it anymore, we're both too useless." Shishido Ryota walked away with large strides, and Tsuruoka Kotaro hurried to catch up. "Hey, Shishido-senpai, let's go find Ayaka now!"

  Akakabe Akira suddenly stopped in his tracks, his voice becoming inexplicably hoarse, "......Never mind"

  "What? Sagano-senpai..." Tsuruoka Chotaro is now worried about Kiriya Ayaka's emotions, Sagano Akira woke him up, he was recognized as meticulous but didn't notice his own cruelty, how could he give her the cold shoulder just because Ayaka herself was warm and gentle, this fact hurt him a lot, he urgently wanted to go to her side!

  " She has always been... " Akira's slightly hoarse voice softened, and Cho Tarotaro looked up at him, following his line of sight to see a figure standing on the high bridge, gazing over here...

  "Tanaka..." Fukujiro muttered under his breath, and it turned out that she had been quietly watching him all along.

  It wasn't until now that they realized she had been quietly watching them, and when she turned to leave, it was because someone had taken her place, so she could finally leave with peace of mind? Even if she came back again, worried about them, she still stopped in her tracks and watched them from a distance, not getting any closer...

  But they had always hoped that the one standing beside them would be her.

  They started panicking, wondering if she would gradually fade out of their sight and even exit their world as long as there was someone who could replace her!

  Thinking that she had comforted the other regulars, Kiyomi Akira rushed over to comfort Shirota Ryo, and just as she ran towards Shirota Ryo and Takaoka Chotaro, the figure standing on the high bridge slowly turned around and left. This undoubtedly stimulated the two who had just realized the fact that made them panic!

  "Shen Huo..." Qing Shui's heart was filled with joy, but his face was full of worry. Just as he wanted to comfort Shen Huo again, he was pushed away by Shen Huo, "Get lost! Scram!"

  Akakabe Akihiro sprinted to catch up with the fleeting figure, and Houjou Choutarou also hurried after him, his eyes fixed intently on the departing silhouette, fearing that if he lost sight of her for even a moment, she would vanish into thin air!

  "Phoenix... it hurts so much, I've sprained my ankle..." The pitiful voice of Shimizu Ryōsuke, who was pushed down by Kido Akira, rang out, trying to get the attention of the gentle Hōō Tarōtarō. However, he and Kido Akira ran off at an incredible speed, causing her to quickly hold back the tears welling up in her eyes, clutching her fist tightly.

  There's still a long way to go between her and them, she will absolutely not give up!

  However, Akito's last push was really ruthless, she actually sprained her ankle!

  Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt as her wrist was grasped tightly, accompanied by faint panting sounds beside her ear. She lifted her gaze towards the youth with long straight hair, and in the next second, she was pulled into his embrace, his heartbeat racing wildly, his hug scorching hot...

  Taro Hojo, who had run up, stood silently, his eyes fixed on her without blinking, with a hint of guilt in his eyes.

  "Ah..." Akane Mito was somewhat unaccustomed to it, having never had such close contact with anyone before, let alone Hikaru Saito who was now hugging her.

  However, Akira Hino hugged her even tighter, not letting her struggle, "Sorry, I disappointed you today......" and also made you sad.

  Qingmu Xiang heard this and her blue eyes dimmed for a moment before clearing up again, "No..."

  "Nonsense! It's clearly there! Don't bully people who are straightforward and can't understand crooked thinking!" said Hikaru, with a twisted expression. Feng suddenly smiled, and his mood lightened up a lot.

  "......" Is this how you use this sentence? What kind of intestines does she have that allows her to see through this straightforward person?

  Akira Akechi's grip on the person in his arms tightened, he wouldn't let her down again, nor would he make her sad, and he wouldn't leave her behind. He wouldn't be the one to initiate leaving her again. Even if there comes a day when she no longer needs him, but someday you'll find that Akira Akechi has always been by your side accompanying you, or watching over you from behind... But...

  "I'll never give up!" Akira's firm voice echoed in Konomi's ears, she thought it was about tennis, but what she didn't know was that besides tennis, there was also her...

  "Hmm, I believe Akira will definitely stand up again... The transformed Akira will surely be dazzling, she has always believed."

  “……Hmph!” The hugged Kagami Hifumi didn't notice, but the always-serious Akito Hyuga's lips curled up into a smile. He held her without letting go, as people passed by them, only they remained still. If happiness could be like this, frozen in time, then eternal bliss wouldn't be hard to achieve.

  Three people standing out so much on the high bridge, supporting their somewhat painful bare feet to come to the clear and cool thoughts on the high bridge is almost vomiting blood!

  She was wondering why Hikaru and Taro were so excited to run away, but it turned out that they saw Akane! What's even more outrageous is that Hikaru, who had just pushed her down and was holding onto her tightly, was actually afraid of Akane disappearing like a fragile bubble and was hugging her tightly! She wanted to get the attention of gentle Taro, but his gaze was always on Akane! How infuriating!