JSWGAS Chapter 23

Chapter 23 23.

Kokonoe Taka didn’t know why he came to the tennis club with his racket. When he came back to his senses, he was already standing on the court, facing an activated ball machine.

The power and speed of the ball machine were adjusted to the maximum, and the yellow ball almost turned into a bullet, hitting him. There were no tricky routes, just the most ordinary serves. But in an instant, the yellow shadow was close in front of him.

He didn’t even need to think about how to deal with it. His arm posture was beautifully standard, his muscles were slightly tense, and he used his skill to exert force. The small ball was hit back to the other side of the court.

His eyes were fixed on the tennis ball flying back to his half of the court. Before any thoughts could appear, there was another muffled sound, and the next ball attacked again.

The continuous tennis balls almost turned into bright straight lines. The machine faithfully executed the instructions, speeding up the process of hitting the tennis balls out of the hole one by one. It didn’t have fancy skills or cunning and insidious games, but it operated with the strength and speed that ordinary people couldn’t reach, and the faster the balls were fired, the more embarrassed most tennis enthusiasts would be.

But the black-haired boy, slightly squatting, lowering his center of gravity, and locking onto the tennis ball like a hawk, just swung his racket, swung his racket, and swung his racket again. The same movements as the machine on the opposite side, not caring about the landing point, not caring about the strength.

Sometimes it barely went over the net, sometimes it hit the baseline.

This also meant that he was not thinking at all, nor did he need to think. He vented the incomprehension, resentment, and confusion in his chest, like hitting the tennis ball back, hitting them out of his body. Sweat soaked his eyelashes, and dark spots appeared on the ground.

His pulse quickened and his heart beat excitedly. The missed tennis balls hit him squarely, but he didn’t say a word, only focusing on locking onto the next target.

When the ball machine surrendered and weakly stalled, Kokonoe Taka, who was still in the receiving position, slowly straightened up. He wiped away his sweat, stood in place and moved his limbs, and walked towards the sidelines.

His footsteps stopped, and he realized that Takeuchi coach had been standing on the sidelines at some point, and was now waving at him.

Does this person walk without making a sound? How long has he been watching?

Kokonoe Taka slowly put the racket on the equipment bag next to him, took out a clean towel from it, and walked towards him while wiping away his sweat.

“Why are you here today?” Takeuchi asked, “Is your injury okay?”

Their group of coaches had their own circles and were familiar with this highly talented and hardworking kid. They had also heard a lot about the misfortunes that had happened to him recently.

Although it was difficult to judge family matters on the surface, they all privately despised Kokonoe Hikohito for abandoning his wife and children.

Then there was the heartache for this child. Although it was said that his family had found a doctor in Tokyo to diagnose and treat him, and there were no sequelae. But people in sports were extremely wary of such events, for fear that improper handling would ruin the future of a good seed.

He couldn’t help but take another look at Kokonoe Taka’s right hand.

Judging from his movements just now, it should have healed, but it’s better to be safe than sorry…

Takeuchi felt that his hair was going to turn white with worry.

“It’s okay.” Kokonoe Taka replied.

“That’s good, but you still need to pay attention. It’s best to go to the hospital for regular check-ups.”

“Okay.”

Takeuchi couldn’t help but pat the shoulders of the tall, thin boy he had watched grow up twice: “If there’s anything you need help with, just ask.”

Kokonoe Taka was slightly stunned. After a few seconds, he hesitantly replied okay.

He was still immersed in the state of constant running, his only target being the streaming gold wire-like ball, both excited and focused. At this time, suddenly awakened from that state, he felt a sticky and cold sweat all over his body, making him want to escape from this court and this land.

Tennis…

He asked, as if possessed, “Takeuchi coach, why did you become a tennis coach?”

“Huh?” Takeuchi was taken aback, “That’s a sudden question.”

Kokonoe Taka blinked: “If it’s difficult, you don’t have to answer.”

Takeuchi really started to think: “If I had to say… probably because I’m good at it?”

“…Good at it?”

Takeuchi walked onto the court, sat down on the seat next to the court, and patted the seat next to him, signaling him to come over too.

“People always choose to do what they are good at.” He started with this sentence, “I used to play tennis too, but I was very bad at it. My body wasn’t flexible enough. At that time, I thought, ‘Ah, why can’t I do what I like well even if I work so hard?’ Later, I persisted for a while, but people who started later than me were able to defeat me. At that time, I felt that my persistence was like a joke, so I simply gave up tennis.”

“But now…”

“But now I’m still engaged in work related to tennis.” Takeuchi continued, “Kokonoe, have you heard of the ‘barrel theory’?”

“The amount of water a barrel can hold depends not on the longest plank, but on the shortest plank?”

“That’s right.” He nodded, “If I want the barrel to hold more water, I need to lengthen that short plank. Some planks can be lengthened, some cannot. The short plank that cannot be lengthened, I think, is determined by talent.”

“After giving up tennis, I honestly went to school and entered university for further study. At that time, it was like fate, I was transferred to the sports education major.” Takeuchi smiled helplessly, “When I got this news, I felt like I had already given up, why did this thing come back like a ghost.”

“It’s too much.” He said painfully, “But I’ve already been tied to this thief ship.”

Takeuchi looked ahead. The rectangular court, 36.60 meters long and 18.30 meters wide, was covered with the sweat of countless athletes’ youth, and in the end, there was no trace except for the muffled sound of the tennis ball landing. Except for the people standing here, no one knew how many days and nights they had spent here repeating the boring training.

The winner is cheered, the loser silently leaves the field.

The cruel reality, but his eyes softened.

“I’m very good at formulating training plans suitable for different players. I’m very sensitive to changes in their physical condition. My teacher said that I was probably born to do this. – Look.”

“What I like, what I hate, what I gave up, what I suffered, finally returned to my side in another form.”

“The students I teach are fighting in the arena in my place. Looking at them, I feel like I’m also standing on the arena that I couldn’t climb up to. What a great thing, right?”

“This is my answer, Kokonoe. I love it.”

After asking this question, Kokonoe Taka didn’t expect to receive such a detailed but profound answer. He pursed his lips and silently looked at the scattered balls on the ground.

Takeuchi ended the topic, “I won’t ask you why you turned the power of the ball machine to the maximum to receive the ball. In my opinion, this is undoubtedly self-abuse.”

He supported his knees and stood up, “At least I’ve practiced it, and I know how painful it is to be hit by this thing… Some balls you didn’t even think about dodging, right?”

Kokonoe Taka covered his face and said weakly: “Is it that obvious?”

Takeuchi snorted, “You’re still very young.” He lifted his foot and walked outside, “Your condition needs to be adjusted. It’s useless to continue practicing, go back.”

Is that so?

Kokonoe Taka knew that Takeuchi coach’s answer didn’t belong to him. He didn’t understand what the coach was implying, but he instinctively felt at a loss. In the end, he attributed this to the emptiness caused by suddenly losing something that needed to be focused on——

“——So why is this guy so leisurely?!”

Oikawa TōruScreaming with his knees gasping, seeing Iwaizumi look over in confusion, he pointed angrily at the figure sitting on the trapezoidal stands of the volleyball court with earphones on, and repeated it again.

“Why can he listen to music and drink soda so leisurely?”

Iwaizumi was equally sweating profusely, “Because he quit the tennis club and doesn’t have any matches.” He squatted down and picked up the volleyball that had rolled to the side, “And you have a match to play!”

After Kokonoe Taka quit the tennis club citing a hand injury, he joined the Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s two-person team, leisurely and freely every day, teasing cats, walking dogs, and humming tunes. Not to mention Oikawa, even Iwaizumi couldn’t help but grit his teeth when he saw him so leisurely.

Especially since Oikawa and Iwaizumi were going to play as setters and ace hitters in the upcoming volleyball match, and they were adding training for themselves, the leisurely guy in the stands was even more infuriating.

Oikawa Tōru couldn’t help but have a bad idea: “Iwaizumi, seeing Taka so relaxed, don’t you want him to come over here too?”

Iwaizumi: “You just want someone to help you set the ball, right.”

He pretended not to hear, and continued like a devil whispering: “No matter how developed A-Taka’s athletic nerves are, it will be difficult for him to cope with the double attack of me and Iwaizumi, right? Hmm, will he show a embarrassed and weak expression——?”

The two looked at each other.

Iwaizumi: “…”

Iwaizumi: “But that’s not a bad suggestion.”

Oikawa: “Yay!——A-Taka!”

He ran a few steps to the bottom of the stands and shouted twice.

Kokonoe Taka stood up from his seat, looking down at Oikawa Tōru, who was making a trumpet with his hands: “What?”

Oikawa Tōru smiled and pointed at Iwaizumi on the court, “Iwaizumi has something to ask you——come down for a bit?”

Kokonoe Taka didn’t suspect anything else, and quickly went down from the stands to the side of the court, walking towards Iwaizumi: “A-Ichi, what’s the matter?”

As soon as Iwaizumi heard this, and then saw Oikawa Tōru behind Kokonoe Taka with an innocent face, he immediately understood that he was being used as a pawn. The short-lived alliance between the two immediately disintegrated silently. He couldn’t help but bared his teeth at Oikawa Tōru, and when Kokonoe Taka realized and turned his head, he immediately changed his face, cleared his throat twice, “Cough——that, Oikawa is too weak, he’s making a fuss about taking a break.”

Oikawa Tōru subconsciously wanted to refute, but receiving Iwaizumi’s threatening gaze, he forcibly held back, his face flushed red. Taking advantage of the fact that Kokonoe Taka was listening to Iwaizumi, he childishly made faces at the two of them——of course, only Iwaizumi saw it. The latter clenched his fist and glanced at him in warning.

Iwaizumi continued: “So can you help me toss a few balls? You don’t need any skills, just make them high.”

Kokonoe Taka looked at the volleyball thoughtfully and unexpectedly agreed, “That’s okay… then wait for me a moment.”

He walked to the side of the court. Fortunately, he was wearing a T-shirt and sports pants that were easy to move around in today. Now he just needed to take off his windproof jacket.

During this time, Oikawa Tōru approached Iwaizumi and whispered mockingly: “Iwaizumi is such an idiot to come up with such a statement——and I’m not weak! Next time you make an excuse, please ask the idiot Iwaizumi to find a better one!”

Iwaizumi was filled with anger: “Don’t use me as an excuse, you bastard!” The volleyball in his hand mercilessly hit Oikawa Tōru’s face, “It hurts?!”

“A-Tōru must have provoked A-Ichi again.” Kokonoe Taka, who came over, didn’t hear their previous conversation. He naturally picked up the volleyball that had fallen on the ground, pressed his fingers on it, and tried the feel.

Oikawa Tōru had no choice but to give up teasing Iwaizumi, “If you don’t know how to set the ball to Iwaizumi, sincerely ask Lord Oikawa, and Lord Oikawa can also give you a crash course, you know?”

Kokonoe Taka muttered to himself in a volume that all three of them could hear: “Ah, is that so? I just think it might be fun to hit people with a volleyball.”

Iwaizumi agreed: “Indeed.”

Oikawa Tōru: “…Volleyball is not for hitting people! Don’t learn bad things from Iwaizumi!”