PNB Chapter 129 What difficulties do you have? Tell me.
Chapter 129 What difficulties do you have? Tell me.
"Ah, Yu Bai, something's not right with you. You even missed the match between Hyotei and Seigaku. That's so unglamorous."
On a sweltering afternoon when even the air was thick with a sense of restlessness, the boys' passion for tennis remained undiminished.
Inside the Atobe Villa in a luxurious area of Tokyo, Yu Bai was lounging comfortably on a deck chair under a parasol, sunglasses obscuring most of his expression. He held a glass of chilled beverage in his hand, lazily watching the boys' intense training matches on the tennis court.
Since the start of summer vacation, Atobe Keigo and his group have been coming to school every day to train in preparation for the Kanto Tournament. They originally thought that Yu Bai would come to give the tennis club members special training as usual, but what they didn't expect was that their captain would receive a thick stack of training plans provided by Yu Bai, as well as news that Yu Bai had returned to China.
This caused a sense of loss to rise in the hearts of the tennis club members, as it seemed to be the first summer vacation that Yu Bai had not been with them.
Even when the first match of the Kanto Tournament, Hyotei vs. Seigaku, began, Yu Bai was nowhere to be seen.
This made Akutagawa Jiro and Mukahi Gakuto, who were already used to sharing their joy with Yu Bai, look unhappy even after winning the match, when they shook hands at the end. This made Momoshiro Takeshi and Kaidou Kaoru of Seigaku's forehead veins throb when they saw this. If it weren't for their captain Tezuka Kunimitsu being there, they would have started arguing.
How can beating our Seigaku be considered bad? What's with all those unhappy expressions?
That's right, Hyotei won this match. Although Seigaku has Echizen Ryoma with the protagonist's halo, the team's overall strength is not as good as Hyotei's group, who are about to master the power of the sweet spot.
They ultimately lost to Hyotei 4-1, with Ryoma Echizen not even getting a chance to play. Hyotei's only loss was against Shusuke Fuji, played by Jiro Akutagawa.
It must be said that Seigaku's Fuji Syusuke is indeed a true genius. In his match against Akutagawa Jiro, he managed to pull the score to a tiebreaker. In the final moments, he even developed the "Mayfly Envelopment" technique to counterattack and win the match.
This made Jiro Akutagawa, who had lost the match, very happy because he had witnessed even more impressive tennis moves, leave the court in a cheerful mood.
After all, Hyotei's victory was a foregone conclusion, so Akutagawa Jiro's loss was acceptable. If the first match hadn't been a full game, they could have ended the match after Atobe Keigo defeated Tezuka Kunimitsu in the singles.
Moreover, that's just Akutagawa Jiro's personality. Atobe Keigo and the others are confident that if you really let Akutagawa Jiro win, it's not impossible. It's just that this guy was too busy praising Fuji Syusuke's new special move at the end.
Despite saying that, Mukahi Gakuto looked at Akutagawa Jiro, who was grinning from ear to ear, rolled his eyes, and finally said to Akutagawa Jiro, "Jiro, you're in trouble~ If Yu Bai finds out that you were the only one who lost the match at Hyotei, he will definitely come after you."
Upon hearing this, Jiro Akutagawa, who had just been smiling, felt as if he had been struck by lightning. How could he have forgotten about this?
Fortunately, Ah Bai should be in China right now, and it will take some time before he comes back, so there's still a chance to save him.
As long as you don't say anything, and I don't say anything either, and Ah Bai doesn't ask any questions, this matter will be covered up.
Jiro Akutagawa had a good plan, but unfortunately he overlooked his mischievous friend, Gakuto Mukahi.
No sooner had Yu Bai returned from the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City than Mukahi Gakuto was the first to run up to him and start talking about the results of the previous match.
There was no stopping him. So, with the plus-sized enhanced training plan given to him by Yu Bai, and looking at the densely packed plan on the training schedule, Akutagawa Jiro decided that he would break off his friendship with Mukahi Gakuto for a day.
Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮, I'm definitely not sharing the cake with Yue Ren today!
"Hmm? What's wrong with me?"
Taking a small sip of his drink, Yu Bai gently pushed up his sunglasses, slowly turned his head, and looked at Atobe Keigo, who had just finished training and was wiping the fine sweat from his forehead with a towel.
Since the smoke of the Holy Grail War cleared, Gilgamesh said he would return to the Throne of Heroes to change his true form and then come to find him. But from his subtle expression at the time, Yu Bai vaguely sensed that it wouldn't be easy for Gilgamesh to come down in his true form, and he would probably have to wait for some time.
Before Gilgamesh arrived, Yu Bai returned to Tokyo and first went back to Honmaru to tell him about Gilgamesh's possible arrival, as well as to discuss with Wu Yan and Shu Yue the follow-up to the last competition result: a one-day trip to the real world.
He then quickly sent a message to Atobe, inquiring about their whereabouts. After learning their exact location, he rushed over.
Day by day, Yu Bai felt that his initial idea of wanting to retire was becoming more and more distant.
"Ah, you've become unusually busy since the start of this semester, always disappearing without a trace, and your phone is often unreachable. If it weren't for the fact that you and Yushi knew you had informed us in advance and always replied with a text message, we would have really thought you had been kidnapped by some criminals."
Handing the used towel to the maid beside him, Atobe Keigo looked intently at Yu Bai: "Also, lately you've been seeing a lot of people around you whom we've never seen before."
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve missed several of our gatherings and training sessions already.” Before Atobe could finish speaking, a red-haired head popped out from behind him; it was Mukahi Gakuto.
Mukahi Gakuto and Oshitari Yuushi had also finished training. As soon as they stepped out of the tennis court, they heard Atobe Keigo's words. Everyone agreed with this point. Although they knew that Yu Bai should be fine, Yu Bai had disappeared too many times recently. Sometimes they would see Yu Bai looking like he hadn't slept well in the morning.
This worried everyone in the Hyotei Tennis Club, but since Yu Bai hadn't told them directly, they didn't feel comfortable asking directly.
"Hmm~ that's a long story."
Yu Bai gently stroked the rim of the cup, feeling the coolness on his fingertips. He was conflicted about whether to tell these innocent teenagers the truth. Telling them was certainly an option, but he feared that the sudden revelation would have too much of a shock to their worldview.
"What happened? We're really worried about you."
"Yes, yes, Ah Bai, if you encounter any difficulties, just tell us, and we will do everything we can to help you!"
"That's right, that's right, Ah Bai, don't be afraid!"
"Senior Yu Bai, although I may not have much ability, I will do my best."
“白……”
"Abai..."
Seeing that Yu Bai seemed willing to speak, the members of the Hyotei Tennis Club surrounded him, each saying that they would definitely help him if he encountered any difficulties.
No, the more I talk about it, the more it seems like I'm facing some kind of difficulty, something I can't solve.
Actually, I simply became a Saniwa (a high-ranking member of the Saniwa class), unexpectedly traveled through time several times, and inexplicably participated in a Holy Grail War...
Hmm... the more I talk about it, the more something seems off about this.
Feeling the genuine concern of his friends, Yu Bai couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The concern of young people is so precious. He doesn't want to always have to lie to Atobe Keigo and Oshitari Yuushi in the future, saying that he went out to do this or that and needed to disappear for a few days.
Since it's not something I can't say, I might as well tell them. However, after hearing it, their shattered worldview will be none of my concern.
Thinking of this, Yu Bai couldn't help but reveal a mischievous smile.
Do you believe in the existence of gods, demons, and ghosts in this world?
“哈？”X7
……
Hyotei members: Something's wrong with you. Tell us what's wrong, and we'll help you!
Yu Bai: Since you're so eager to know, then be prepared for your worldview to be shattered.