lerbook Chapter 71 The Magnificent Training Camp Grounds
Chapter 71 The Magnificent Training Camp Grounds
Karuizawa.
The mountains are covered in greenery, and the wind carries the sweet fragrance of grass, trees and fruits. The road surface, which had just been rained on last night, gleams with a warm light.
Even the air here is a bit fresher than in Tokyo.
Wang Yueling leaned against the window, his fingers unconsciously twirling his phone. He didn't really look at the scenery outside, but he did catch a glimpse of the bus getting closer and closer behind him.
The same model of black luxury bus has the Rikkai University tennis club logo printed on the front.
"Oh." Wang Yueling's fingertip paused on the phone screen for a moment, and the corners of her mouth curled up. "We've run into each other."
The two buses slowed down as they passed the speed bumps at the border crossing. The driver of the Rikkai bus saw them and flashed his hazard lights. The driver of Mochizuki Ryo's bus responded by flashing his taillights twice.
in the carriage.
Atobe lightly tapped his knee with his fingertips, his icy blue eyes sweeping across the rapidly receding mountain scenery outside the window.
"Karuizawa," he murmured softly, his voice carrying a hint of understanding, "you'd already decided on this place."
Wang Yueling turned her head and smiled at him. Her golden hair swayed slightly in the wind blowing in through the cracks in the car window, making it dazzling.
"Hmm. The medical platform is located nearby, so I thought I'd take a look." He draped his arm over the back of the seat, looking relaxed, but his eyes were bright.
"Besides, we're here for a training camp, not to be tortured, right, Keigo? I can't expect all you young masters to practice in this dilapidated training ground."
He held up a finger and shook it in front of himself, his expression becoming somewhat arrogant. "When you come to stay with me as a coach, the accommodations must be befitting my status as a young master."
Atobe's lips twitched as he looked at Atobe's narcissistic appearance, but he didn't refute him.
Renji leaned over from the back row, adjusted his glasses, and spoke with undisguised relief.
"Ling, it's so great that you didn't find us some remote corner to stay in. To be honest, last night I was thinking that if we really had to sleep in a dormitory and get bitten by mosquitoes, I would have to find a way to skip training."
"So you really don't trust my taste?" Mochizuki Ryou glanced at him.
"I have never doubted your taste."
Oshitari pushed his glasses up, the lenses reflecting light, then turned his head to look at Atobe, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"I think this place truly meets the glamorous standards of our Hyotei captain. Kei, don't you agree?"
Atobe's eyelid twitched.
"Shinobu." His voice was flat, but every word carried the implication of "Try calling me that unglamorous name again."
"Um?"
"Shut up."
Renji wisely withdrew his head, but the expression on his face clearly said, "I have succeeded."
Mukahi sat next to Oshitari, popping the last apricot he'd snatched from Jiro's bag into his mouth. Hearing their conversation, he leaned closer and whispered, "What kind of 'grand standard'?"
"It's nothing." Shinobu took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. "He's just praising our minister's good taste."
"Oh." Xiang Ri nodded and went to eat.
Ahead, Wang Yueling had already sat up straight again.
He glanced down at the message Yukimura had sent him on his phone screen, rubbed his thumb lightly across the screen twice, and then put the phone back in his pocket.
As the car rounded the last bend, a sprawling old-fashioned manor suddenly appeared before us.
The bus came to a smooth stop, and the doors slowly opened.
Wang Yueling stepped out of the car first, his gray-white coat draped loosely over his arm, the collar of his polo shirt neatly turned up. He stood in front of the car, stretched, and as his shoulders relaxed, the muscle lines of his back were faintly visible beneath his sportswear.
The door of the black bus behind them also opened.
Kirihara was the first to rush down.
As soon as he landed, he started looking around. His black curly hair was all messed up by the wind. After scanning the area, he locked onto Wang Yueling and became excited.
He carried his tennis bag and rushed towards Wang Yueling in a few steps, abruptly stopping the car when he was still half a step away from her.
"senior!"
Kirihara clenched his fists, chin held high, trying to make his voice sound imposing, "I will definitely beat you at this training camp! You promised me last time you would compete against me!"
Looking at the little seaweed in front of him, whose hair was all puffed up but also full of anticipation, Wang Yueling couldn't help but reach out and rub his head.
Yes, it still feels great.
"Sure," he smiled casually, "we'll talk about it when you have the ability."
Kirihara blushed as he was being rubbed, wanting to pull away but too embarrassed to do so, so he could only continue to threaten, "I'm Rikkai's ace! You just wait and see!"
"Okay, wait."
When Sanada stepped off the bus, his hat brim was pulled low. He glanced at Mochizuki Ryo first, then at Kirihara, whose head was being rubbed. His lips moved, but before he could say anything, Kirihara had already scurried back to the group and hidden away in fright.
Liu followed behind him, a notebook in her hand, scanning the gate of the manor and the surrounding mountains and forests, her pen moving across the paper a few times.
Niou was the last to sway down. He wrapped his little braid around his finger and twirled it once, his gaze meeting Mochizuki Ryou's in mid-air.
Wang Yueling raised her right eyebrow slightly.
Nioh's left corner of his mouth turned up.
Neither of them said anything. The exchange of glances lasted only a fraction of a second, but it contained enough information to fill half a page of chat history.
Liu Sheng, standing beside him, adjusted his glasses, glanced at his partner, and then at Wang Yueling. He didn't ask, but a knowing glint flashed in his eyes behind his glasses.
The cunning glint in Mochizuki Ryou's eyes vanished. He turned to the other members of Rikkai University, nodded slightly to Sanada and Yanagi, and said in a calm and natural tone, "Genichiro, Renji, it's been a long time."
Sanada's tense expression eased slightly, and he nodded solemnly: "Ryo-kun."
Liu spoke calmly, her tone steady: "Thank you for arranging the shared accommodation."
When Atobe stepped off the Hyotei bus, his aura automatically shifted the atmosphere around him into a flamboyant mode. He glanced at Sanada, who was standing with Yanagi, and touched his beauty mark with his fingertip.
"Ah, welcome everyone from Rikkai University. Please take care of me this week."
Sanada adjusted the brim of his hat, his voice as steady as ever: "Nice to meet you."
Liu nodded slightly, without saying a word.
After exchanging a few polite words, the meeting between the two school ministers became a formal one.
Shinobu followed behind, adjusted his glasses, looked around at the surroundings, and exclaimed, "Wow, what a magnificent training camp!"
Marui was chewing gum when he jumped off the car.
He blew a bubble, which popped with a "pop," and then stretched. "Wow, the air in the mountains is so fresh. Jack, can you smell it? It smells like peaches."
Kuwahara followed behind him, carrying both of their golf bags, and nodded seriously: "Yeah, I can smell it. It smells very sweet."
On the other side, Jiro practically rolled off the Hyotei bus.
From the moment he saw Rikkai University's car, he was incredibly excited, all his sleepiness vanishing without a trace. As soon as the car stopped, he darted out like a cannonball, heading straight for Marui Bunta.
"Bunta! Bunta!" Jiro rushed over, his eyes shining like stars, clinging tightly to Marui.
Marui, chewing gum, stumbled as the man lunged at him, then chuckled helplessly and patted him on the back: "Jiro, you're still as enthusiastic as ever."
Kuwabara stood to the side, watching Jiro clinging to Marui, and reached out to pull him away: "Jiro-kun, let go of Bunta, everyone's watching."
"No!" Jiro clung tightly to Marui's arm, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "I finally got to see Bunta! I'm not letting go."
In an instant, the two were hugging and pulling each other, making a ruckus that drew the attention of those around them.
Looking at the lively scene before him, Wang Yueling coughed lightly, attracting everyone's attention.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and involuntarily widened their eyes.
A house stood quietly in front of them.
Looking in from the main gate.
With its blue tiles and white walls, the wooden structure carries a sense of weight and age. The endless rows of buildings exude a rustic charm, far more magnificent than the city's skyscrapers.
Xiang Ri's eyes widened, her short red hair swaying, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!!! Ling, this...this is your house?"
"Otherwise what?"
Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow, put her hands in her pockets, and took two steps forward with a lazy posture. "It was left to me by my mother's ancestors. It was renovated several times later. She thought it was too big for her to live in, so she gave it to me."
"It is said to have been passed down from the time of a certain emperor during the Edo period, so it's quite old."
Mukahi followed behind, his eyes wide with astonishment. He tugged at Shinobu's sleeve and lowered his voice, saying, "The Edo period? Isn't that several hundred years ago?"
"To be precise, it's been over two hundred years."
Shinobu's gaze swept over the stone lanterns and water bowl at the courtyard gate. "The maintenance costs for an old house of this caliber are outrageously high. Just the humidity control system to prevent the wood from cracking must take a lot of effort."
Shishido whispered to Ootori beside him, "I thought Atobe's house was luxurious enough, but I didn't expect there to be even more outrageous ones."
Feng nodded in response.
Upon hearing this, Atobe let out a disgruntled snort: "Hmm~ My villa is certainly luxurious, but this place is actually not bad."
Oshitari glanced at the arrogant Atobe beside him, adjusted his glasses, and said softly, "To be precise, the styles are different. The Atobe family's house is a European-style manor, while this is a traditional Japanese house. As for the area... I estimate they're about the same."
Hiyoshi Waka, who was in the group, kept a close eye on the architectural style of the manor. Coming from a family of ancient martial arts practitioners, he was particularly sensitive to this old-fashioned structure.
"What Oshitari-senpai said is true. This is a traditional Japanese-style building, and it is very well preserved."
"Good taste."
Wang Yueling gave them an approving look and strode towards the gate.
"Let's talk as we walk. I'll take you on a quick tour to show you where you'll be staying for the week."