txolops Chapter 16 Breaking Free from the Cocoon: Atobe's Determination
Chapter 16 Breaking Free from the Cocoon: Atobe's Determination
Atobe pushed open the office door.
Sakaki Taro was sitting behind his desk writing something, a pen between his fingers. When he saw him come in, he raised his eyes and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit."
Atobe pulled out a chair and sat down. Before Sakaki Taro could speak, he said first, "Today's match is my responsibility."
He sat at his desk, back straight, still displaying the pride of the Hyotei captain even after the team's defeat. He didn't shirk responsibility or run away from the issue, taking all the blame upon himself.
"As the team captain, I failed to maintain the team's necessary vigilance, failed to establish a sound pre-match analysis mechanism, and neglected the team members' mentality during matches. Hyotei's pride turned into arrogance."
"It's essentially a leadership problem, my failure to fulfill my responsibilities."
On his way here from the tennis club, he had figured out the whole story.
Losing isn't scary; what's scary is losing and not knowing why.
The members of Hyotei were all from wealthy families and had outstanding talents, but this advantage ultimately became a constraint and a burden on them.
The office was quiet.
Sakaki Taro placed the pen on the table, interlaced his fingers in front of him, looked at the tall, upright boy in front of him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, and said calmly, "Atobe, it's quite good that you have such awareness."
As he spoke, he moved his hand away, revealing a neatly bound white book, and pushed it in front of Atobe.
"Take a look at this."
Atobe lowered his head, his gaze falling on the cover of the white paper—"Analysis of the Current Situation of Hyotei Tennis Club and Suggestions for Improvement" (Updated Plus Version).
The title is written in small handwriting in pen directly below it.
Written by Wang Yueling, dated yesterday.
Atobe's fingers paused noticeably for a moment.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He then opened the white paper and glanced at it briefly. Just those few glances were enough to reveal a somewhat unrefined expression on his usually composed face.
The contents are so detailed that they are breathtaking.
Table of Contents – Overall Tactical System Assessment, Individual Technical Analysis of Starting Players, Potential Assessment of Non-Starting Players, Suggestions for Optimizing Training Programs, Improvements to Opponent Intelligence Gathering Mechanisms…
From him, the minister, to every regular officer, even the core members of the second-string army were included.
Each person's tennis style, strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement are supported by detailed data, with both specific suggestions and training plans.
They even wrote down the oversights in their daily training in great detail, down to the specific adjustments to each mistake and the execution steps of each excellent tactic.
Every analysis is sharp and straightforward.
Atobe specifically flipped to the chapter on individual technical analysis of the starting players and his own page, and studied it carefully.
The document highlighted his serving strengths but also ruthlessly pointed out his technical weaknesses. The improvement suggestions detailed how to adjust the power of his serve, how to improve its effectiveness while maintaining its elegance, and even outlined his daily training schedule, providing highly targeted training methods.
These words contained no flattery, and each sentence hit the nail on the head while also satisfying his personal needs.
It seems they can see right through his every move and every thought while he's playing.
A ripple appeared in Atobe's icy blue eyes, his usual composure gradually vanished, his fingers unconsciously tightened around the pages, and even his breathing paused slightly.
He thought his tennis skills were already quite mature, but he never expected that in the eyes of Mochizuki Ryo, who had been a student at Hyotei for less than a week, they were so immature and had so many problems, problems that he had never even noticed.
The last page of the white paper features a paragraph in bold:
The biggest problem with Hyotei Tennis Club isn't technique, it's mentality. They have too much of a sense of superiority and too little resilience. Anyone can play well when they're winning, but few can withstand pressure when they're losing. This isn't just one person's problem; it's a problem for the entire team.
It's important to understand that team tennis isn't won solely by individual talent; teamwork is equally crucial. Only through collaboration can you truly become stronger.
When he closed the white paper, his fingers were still on the cover, and he remained lost in thought for a long time.
Shintaro's voice slowly broke the silence of the office: "Finished watching?"
"I've looked at some of them."
"Take this back and read it carefully." Shintaro stared intently at Atobe, his voice calm. "I received the initial version of this proposal the day before yesterday. After reading it, I felt that some of the points were too abstract, so I didn't give it to you immediately. I wanted to wait until after the tournament was over."
He paused, then continued, "As you can see from the results, all the problems listed inside were exposed in today's match."
Atobe remained silent.
"The problems of Hyotei Tennis Club are clearly written by Mochizuki Ryo in the book. Family background, talent, and achievements have led all members into the trap of arrogance and complacency. They are looking down on their opponents and lack a sense of crisis. They think that no one can shake Hyotei's current position, but they forget that there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people."
"Hyotei really needs a complete defeat to be baptized and reborn. Not a small defeat, but a huge defeat, a defeat that everyone feels the pain. Otherwise, you won't change."
Sakaki Taro stood up, looked at Atobe, and slowly said, "As the coach, I am indeed as bad as Mochizuki Ryo said. I am not good at team formation and tactical arrangements. I used to think that being a little arrogant was not a big deal, so it was my dereliction of duty not to correct your mentality problems in time."
Atobe was somewhat surprised to hear his coach's self-reflection. He quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Coach, we remember your guidance very well, and it was extremely effective. Please don't say that..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shintaro raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Okay, I didn't mean to resign."
His gaze fell on the white paper in Atobe's hand, and his tone became more meaningful: "This defeat is not a bad thing. Xiaoling is right. Every member of Hyotei is a promising talent, but they are blinded by pride. Once this fog is cleared, Hyotei's brilliance will only shine brighter."
Atobe gripped the white book tightly, so tightly that the pages were wrinkled slightly.
After a long while, he finally looked up at Sakaki Taro, his voice resolute, the melancholy in his eyes fading slightly, replaced by a clearer expression: "Coach, I understand."
"Did Mochizuki Ryou give you this proposal on her own initiative?"
"Um."
"When did he start writing?"
"After watching the practice matches I had you guys play," Sakaki Taro understood what he was thinking and said truthfully, "He gave it to me the next day, but yesterday he watched some of your match videos and club activity materials, made some additions, and said 'for reference only' when he gave it to me."
In other words, Mochizuki Ryo knew that Hyotei would lose two days before the match.
No, it's not that I know...
It was foreseen.
A storm raged in Atobe's heart.
He had always known that Mochizuki Ryo was no ordinary person, but he never expected that he could have studied the Hyotei Tennis Club to such an extent.
You were able to write such a recommendation letter simply by watching all the matches and analyzing a few video clips.
Every word was precious… He understood Hyotei better than Coach Sakaki, the captain, or anyone else.
A long silence fell over the office. Atobe lowered his eyes, his gaze swirling with complex emotions—shock, shame, and admiration.
After a long while, he finally raised his head and said to Sakaki Taro in a deep voice, "Coach, I will make good use of this recommendation."
As I left the office, the sun was setting, and its afterglow bathed the walls of the teaching building, turning them a warm orange hue.
Atobe walked through the deserted campus, his heart churning with a mix of emotions, and steadily headed out of the school.
……
Back at the villa.
When the servants saw Atobe return, they wanted to come forward to serve him, but he stopped them with a gesture of his hand. He went straight to his study, locked himself inside, and shut himself out from all outside distractions.
The warm white light of the study fell on the table. Atobe sat in the large leather chair, reopening the white book and reading it word by word. The more he read, the more shocked he became.
The level of detail in this proposal far exceeded his expectations.
Every analysis and suggestion inside was frighteningly accurate, as if someone had used a magnifying glass to examine every corner of the Hyotei Tennis Club.
How much time and effort did Mochizuki Ryo spend observing, analyzing, and researching to write such a report? It's hard to believe that a boy who just transferred to Hyotei and hasn't even joined the tennis club understands Hyotei's problems better than everyone in the tennis club.
(Wang Yueling's inner monologue: No, the main reason is that I watched this movie on DVD countless times during my six years in the sanatorium in my previous life, and I had already summarized it. It only took me about 50 pages to write, so it was a piece of cake~)
By the time I finished reading everything, it was already past midnight.
Just as Atobe was about to raise his hand to rub his throbbing temples, he accidentally knocked over the coffee beside him. As he pulled out a tissue to clean it up, he inadvertently flipped to the title page of a book.
On the book's title page, there was no analysis, only a few lines of neat and elegant handwriting, bearing Wang Yueling's unique style:
The strength of tennis never stems from the aura of natural talent, but from the reverence for every swing and the respect for every opponent.
Its appeal lies not in how many games you win, but in how much you're willing to change for it.
Hyotei's pride should not be a constraint, but a source of confidence. May you all break free from your cocoons and transform like butterflies.
As Atobe looked at the words, he leaned back in his chair and suddenly chuckled softly, a mixture of helplessness and wistfulness in his voice.
Wang Yueling is truly a rare and exceptional talent.
It's not just this proposal.
According to morning financial news, the Mochizuki Group has made quite a splash with several projects in Tokyo, reportedly all personally overseen by Mochizuki Ryo. Although only fifteen years old, his work style is already quite mature.
After all, what kind of ordinary person could complete the handover of power within a week and steadily launch new projects?
tennis.
Business.
In two completely different fields, Mochizuki Ryo possesses such keen insight, meticulous analytical skills, and accurate vision.
It would be such a waste if such a talented person couldn't be included in Hyotei's tennis club.
……
The sky outside the window was gradually turning a pale white, but the lights in Atobe's study remained bright.
Atobe Keigo stared at the white paper on the table, a raging fire burning in his eyes—a burning fighting spirit, a determination to prove himself again and lead Hyotei back to the top.
So what if Hyotei lost the quarterfinals?
Even in the losers' bracket revival match, they can still make a comeback.
The Kanto Tournament, the National Tournament—Hyotei's journey will never stop here.
The boy who wrote this white paper, Mochizuki, is someone that Atobe Keigo is determined to have join the Hyotei Tennis Club.
No matter what method you use, this kind of talent...
It can only be someone from Hyotei.
Then it's time for him, as the minister, to make some changes.