Love Tennis and Yumiko Miura

"We can only train at the club, but for practice we still need to find a place with lots of people." Zhixian replied.

"But wouldn't it be better to just go watch your match?" Chiyo, who didn't know much about the current situation of the tennis club, suggested naturally. She felt that it would be more formal.

"Sakura..." Nozaki was about to say something when Zhixian stopped him.

"That's right, why not just watch the game? The regional qualifiers are about to start, so if Nozaki doesn't mind, come and watch our tennis club's game."

"If that's alright with you."

"Anyway, I definitely have to go, and if you guys come I'll have someone to chat with."

Chiyo was a little confused listening to the conversation between the two. Nozaki's attitude was different from usual. Normally, he should have taken the initiative to ask Zhixian to let him go to the game, instead of hesitating when Zhixian invited him.

After finishing the blackening work on his hands, Zhixian said goodbye and left.

"In the tennis club's team matches, we usually lose before it's Tachibana's turn to play," Nozaki took the initiative to explain.

The team competition starts with doubles and ends with singles, with two doubles matches and three singles matches, played in a best-of-five format. In the event of a tie, substitutes will play an extra match.

And Tachibana Chih-hsuan always plays the first singles, which means he is the last one to appear.

However, the Sobu tennis club is basically at the bottom level, so the team competition is just a formality for Zhixian.

This is why Nozaki hesitated.

"Well, is it too late to regret now?" Chiyo felt a little guilty.

"Maybe it's too late? Tachibana will probably adjust the order of his appearances to make sure we can see his match."

"So that means third singles?"

"probably."

“…” Chiyo always felt as if she had done something indescribable, and she didn’t know how to describe it.

----split line----

The next afternoon, the tennis club had training time.

"Eh? Tachibana-san!?" Totsuka looked at Zhixian with a shocked expression as she entered the tennis court. This was the first time he had seen Zhixian in the tennis club, except for last time at noon.

"Who will be the third singles player in the first round of the regional qualifiers?" Zhixian asked calmly.

"Yes, it's me." A second-grade student raised his hand.

"You're the second singles player now."

"Huh?" The student was dumbfounded.

"Change the third singles to my name." Zhixian looked at Totsuka.

"Ah? Okay!" Totsuka was stunned for a moment, then agreed.

It’s better to say that there is no reason to refuse, because every time the tennis club submits a list for the team competition, Tachibana Zhixian is always the first singles player.

Totsuka wasn't quite sure why he changed to third singles, but he thought it was a very good sign, so he agreed.

Since Zhixian was bound to win the match, there was nothing wrong with the original second singles player.

It's basically a win-win situation.

14. Workplace internship

Chiba City Sobu High School has an activity called workplace internship.

After gathering everyone's aspirations, students decide on internship positions and then actually enter those workplaces. This program allows students to truly experience life outside of the real world, a truly relaxed education. Chiba Municipal Sobu High School is a preparatory school. The vast majority of students aspire to continue their studies, and they do so. Naturally, even from the moment they enter high school, they harbor the desire to pursue university.

However, Zhixian is obviously not one of the people who want to go to college. He chose Sobu only because the conditions offered there are good enough, at least that is how he explained it to the outside world.

In fact, Zhixian received invitations from many famous tennis schools, but he still resolutely chose Sobu.

Then, the reporter from Tennis Weekly realized that they didn't need to interview Tachibana Chih-hsuan, a national-level player, because his team couldn't even advance to the regional qualifiers. If they wanted to interview him, they had to wait until the individual tournament started.

As for those who argued that Zhixian would definitely rise in Sobu, they were slapped in the face by reality.

But in reality, Principal Sobu was already very satisfied with Zhixian's performance. He didn't think that just having a national-level player would turn his school's once-low-level tennis club around. Even if it did, wouldn't it still be a failure?

So, Zhixian, who aimed to be a professional player, didn't have a particular focus on where to train. And since he had no friends in his class, he told the monitor to fill in wherever there was a shortage.

In fact, he felt he could opt out of the internship. Wouldn't practicing at the club be considered an internship? His workplace was the tennis court, playing tennis was his job, and the prize money from tournaments was his salary. It was just that the salary wasn't stable and was tied to performance.

Speaking of workplace apprenticeships, the renowned manga artist Nozaki would probably be very interested, right? After all, he loves to draw inspiration from everywhere, even if he's not very good at reading people's expressions.

It’s a pity that Chiyo is not in the same class as Nozaki, otherwise they could go to the comics editing department for internship together.

"Um, Tachibana-san, do you want to be in the same group with us?" Just when Chixian was wondering when Chiyo would be able to defeat Nozaki, Totsuka came over and talked to him, his wet eyes like a Bambi.

"you?"

"Yeah, me and Hachiman! Ah! That's Hikigaya-san."

"..." Zhixian felt that although this combination was not very unexpected, it was definitely the kind of combination he did not want to join. "You should find someone else."

"Ah, so that's it..." Totsuka's mood became depressed at a speed visible to the naked eye. He left Chixian and walked towards Hikigaya.

Zhixian didn't like Totsuka, but he couldn't say he hated him. If anything, he wasn't good at dealing with someone like Totsuka, especially someone of the same sex.

The Sobu Tennis Club's captain is a very lovable young man. If they want to attract new members, wouldn't it be better to emphasize this fact? Everyone happily plays tennis together, happily watches the captain, and creates wonderful youthful memories together—what a joyful thing that is!

You mean the competition? No, no, no, being a loser is being a loser. There's nothing to be ashamed of, so the competition is just a formality. There are plenty of cannon fodder in hot-blooded shounen manga, and unfortunately, Soubu is one of them.

There is nothing to be sad about. If there is a comic about learning competition, Soubu must be the protagonist - and he must also be the final boss.

The protagonists fight to surpass the Sobu school's admission rate. Isn't that a classic, passionate plot? We've already decided on a name: Hot-Blooded High School!

All in all, just deal with workplace internships casually.

So Zhixian still slept during class.

However, during the break, he vaguely heard several classmates discussing topics such as Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato.

The above three people are all friends of Ye Shan. Since it was not a positive statement, Zhixian listened carefully with great interest.

Things like two-timing and cheating in competitions were spread deliberately through anonymous text messages.

"Boring." Zhixian noticed that his phone had also received a message, so he deleted it. He didn't leave his email address to the class just to let them send him such boring text messages.

Ultimately it's all Ye Shan's fault, so he will definitely take action, right?

After taking a quick glance at the blonde girl and finding nothing wrong with her expression, Zhixian resumed his intimate contact with the desk.

Wouldn't it be a big deal for the teacher if a sports student didn't sleep in class? Especially since he had silver hair and didn't look like a good student?

Some people with dazzling blonde hair are not considered bad people because they are helpful and have good character and academic performance.

Those who only know how to play tennis should just play tennis well.

15.Group

Nozaki has several assistants, each responsible for different tasks.

Chiyo Sakura (coloring), Masayuki Hori (background drawing), Mikoshiba Mikoto (small accessories drawing), and Hirotaka Wakamatsu (erasing pencil lines and adding dots).

Zhixian's responsibilities were more fluid, as he added whatever was needed. Of course, he couldn't handle the small accessories that Mikoshiba was responsible for, unless he had a real object to draw from.

"By the way, has Tachibana's professional apprenticeship been confirmed?" Chiyo asked.

"No, I haven't even joined a group yet. I'm waiting for the squad leader to assign me one."

"Eh? How did you solve this kind of problem in the past?"

Zhixian looked at Chiyo like an idiot, but the latter still didn't understand what he meant.

Zhixian sighed and said, "Of course I'll go with Nozaki. He's popular, so he'll definitely be able to get enough people together."

Whether it is home economics class or physical education class, Zhixian is always partnered with Nozaki.

"I think so! I forgot you were in the same class in first grade." Chiyo smiled awkwardly. She had noticed Chixian, Nozaki's friend, when she was paying attention to Nozaki before, but now that they were in different classes and the meeting place was Nozaki's house, she had forgotten about it.

"Has Nozaki-kun's internship been decided?" Chiyo changed the subject and asked Nozaki.

"Let's call it a decision, then." Nozaki turned around, still holding the paintbrush. "Let's say we're going to XX company. I'm very interested in the office environment of white-collar workers. Maybe I can draw a sequel or a dream scene or something."

"...It seems like you would be interested in anything other than school." Zhixian shook his head. He had gotten used to this guy who always wanted to collect materials.

However, since you have no experience in love, it is very commendable that you are actively trying it out. It would be even better if you could be more observant of others' expressions.

Simply put, Zhixian thinks Nozaki is an out-and-out straight man.

Whether it's a tandem bicycle or sharing an umbrella on a rainy day, if it were any other girl, they would have broken up with him long ago. It must have been hard work for Chiyo.

Although he also has no experience in love, Zhixian has three years of mixed doubles experience. His years of interaction with Miura Yumiko have given him a better understanding of women's psychology.

What's more, Zhixian is a very cautious and careful person, while Nozaki is a bit careless in this regard.

Readers of Nozaki's comics might mistake the author for a delicate woman with a keen understanding of young girls' feelings. They'd never guess she's actually a dull high school boy who kills cockroaches without mercy! He's a love-deprived man, even in his second year of high school, and he nonchalantly claims he's never had a first love. This nerdy guy's tendency to take things lightly is why he's completely oblivious to Chiyo's feelings.

Of course, Chixian was a front-row seat observer in this romantic comedy. He didn't alert Nozaki to his plans, and it would have been less emotional if Nozaki hadn't realized it himself. I bet Chiyo was hoping Nozaki would figure it out on his own, right?

Another reason was that he found the interactions with Chiyo Nozaki very interesting and could bring some variety to his boring life. Zhixian felt that although the two of them seemed to have made no progress at the moment, there would always be a time when things would work out.

Or should we call this "cloud romance"? It's the same principle as those single people who enjoy eating dog food. There are also some authors who are single themselves but simply enjoy writing single-female lead romance novels about the daily lives of young people.

(Author's voiceover: Yes, it's me.)

----split line----

The next day, Chixian was informed that he was in the same group as Hayato Hayama.

“…” And it was Ye Shan himself who conveyed the message.

"Is there any problem, Tachibana-san?" Ye Shan asked with a smile.

"You don't look like the one who is left without a group." Zhixian narrowed his eyes.

"But that's the fact." Ye Shan replied. The person in the same group with the two of them was not Ye Shan's friend, but another anonymous person who was left alone.

Looking back at the group list, Zhixian found that Tobe Ooka Yamato, the three people who had been maliciously slandered before, formed a three-person group.

"You're quite good at this." Zhixian muttered softly. He didn't expect Ye Shan to solve the problem so quickly and beautifully.

"So, does Tachibana-san have any opinions on the location of the job internship?"

"No, you can do whatever you want." Zhixian waved his hand impatiently, then lay down on the table and prepared to sleep as usual.

"Then I'll take matters into my own hands, huh?"

However, Zhixian did not respond.

Anyway, it was just an activity to get by, and his future was destined to be tennis, so there was no need for him to waste his energy here.

The only thing that worried him was that the group that Miura Yumiko was in would probably choose the same internship location as Hayama.

Even though a year had passed, he still couldn't face Yumiko calmly, especially since she was clearly living a very good high school life. Wouldn't it be troublesome for both of them if he rashly entered her circle? So, he had been studiously ignoring Hayama's advances.

Isn't it okay to just watch it like this?

16. Lunchtime Chat

Mikoshiba passed through the corridor, causing the girls to cheer and scream.

"Does Mikoshiba have a girlfriend?" Chiyo asked.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend. I don't belong to anyone." Mikoshiba lifted her hair, "Because I will always be a love hunter." At the end, she made a gun gesture.

"Excuse me, love hunter." Zhixian patted Mikoshiba's shoulder expressionlessly. "Your incomparable beauty is blocking my way forward. Please restrain your love desires so as not to hurt an innocent passerby like me."

"......" Seeing the acquaintance Mikoshiba suddenly stiffened all over, although he still maintained the movement, the expression on his face was completely different.

As his face became increasingly rosy, Mikoshiba slowly retracted his pistol-like gesture.

Then he shyly turned to the wall.

Zhixian chuckled.

Chiyo tried to comfort him: "Don't be shy, don't be shy, Xiao Yuyu!" At the same time, she complained in her heart that if you are shy, just don't say it!

"I, I, I'm not shy!"

But the blush on your face has already exposed you.

"Miko Chai." Zhixian finally had enough of laughing and was ready to start cleaning up. "Let's have lunch together. Can you exchange dishes with me?"

"Of course! It's a piece of cake." Mikoshiba regained his energy.

"But doesn't Tachibana-san only eat sandwiches?" Chiyo muttered.

"Sakura, do you want to join us?" Zhixian asked.