Time goes back to the day after the Kanto Tournament ends
"What a joke!!"
"Calm down! Murasakibara-chan!!"
With his arm bandaged, Murasakibara instantly became violent after hearing the doctor's conclusion. He was completely different from his usual laziness and silence. When Kise saw it, he immediately pulled him forward to persuade him.
"At least two months of treatment?!!"
"How could I accept such a ridiculous thing!!"
His expression became very scary, and Murasakihara shouted angrily.
Momoi on the side was frightened by his voice and took a few steps back.
"Feel sorry.."
"Leave me alone."
Looking at the frightened Momoi, Murasakihara paused slightly, then lowered his head so that his expression could not be seen clearly, and apologized in a low voice.
Then one person left the room.
"Doctor, is there really nothing we can do?"
Seeing Murasakibara leave, Kise turned to look at the doctor in front and asked.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"What exactly did you do to get that kind of injury?"
"If he wasn't physically strong, there's a question as to whether he could recover."
On the contrary, the doctor didn't quite understand what these young people were doing to survive.
A fracture of that magnitude is like being hit by a car.
"Two months is the most basic treatment period."
"The extent of his recovery will then be observed to determine whether subsequent treatment is needed."
"Try to avoid moving your right hand and injuring it again! Otherwise, you may end up with a disability that you will regret for life."
As if he was a little worried that these young people were messing around, he gave instructions with a serious expression.
Kise and Momoi walked out of the room, and both fell silent.
"Zi Jun. It must be very uncomfortable."
"Yeah. He says that, but in his heart he likes playing tennis more than anyone else."
……………
"Crack."
Walking silently in the corridor of the hospital, Murasakihara felt very complicated.
"Huh? Two years?"
But when he passed by a ward, he heard a familiar tone coming from inside through the door.
Kikumaru Eiji
"Yes, his right hand is in very bad condition."
"It is initially judged that the treatment time will take at least two years."
"Although the arm will gradually recover with treatment, it is impossible to perform strenuous activities with this hand during this period."
"No"
The sound coming from inside made Atsushi Murasakihara, who was walking around, stop.
"It's fine"
"Kawamura, what are you laughing at?"
"At least two years! This means that it is impossible for you to continue playing tennis in junior high school."
"Shut up, Eiji! Kawamura is like this, and you still talk like this."
The sound of communication continued, and Murasakihara listened quietly.
"But, doctor, is it possible to completely cure it?"
“There is no guarantee, it can only depend on the effect during the treatment period.”
"Yeah."
"I'm quite curious, why did his hand become like this? Was he hit by a truck with one hand?"
"Ah this.?"
Murasakihara no longer listened, but slowly walked away, his figure looking so lonely and desolate.
……………
"Wow!"
It wasn't until he woke up early the next morning that Murasakihara was sitting in the ward resting when he heard a familiar sound.
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
That was the sound of swinging a racket. Murasakihara had judged it after practicing it countless times. Even if it was slow and slight, he still knew what it was.
With doubts, he walked to the window sill, then opened the window and looked at it.
".!?"
But after seeing the scene in the yard clearly, his pupils couldn't help but sway.
I saw that Takashi Kawamura's right hand was bandaged, but his left hand was holding a tennis racket and swinging it awkwardly. He seemed not very adaptable to playing left-handed.
"That rascal"
He couldn't describe how he felt now, and Murasakihara couldn't understand what he was doing.
Even though he has been sentenced to a two-year "sentence", he is still training?
Does he still think he still has a chance to play in junior high school?
He finally knew the answer at noon.
"that."
After eating, I was just about to go back to the ward to rest, when I heard someone calling me from behind.
Murasakihara turned around and saw Kawamura Takamasa standing behind him with a troubled expression.
"What's the matter?"
After saying something coldly, Murasakihara had no desire to communicate with him.
"About the previous game"
"I'm so sorry."
"?"
Not understanding what Kawamura Takashi was talking about, Murasakihara turned around and faced him in confusion.
"I'm really sorry for hurting you."
Almost lowering his head to apologize, Kawamura Takashi said in a serious tone.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Surprised, Murasakihara glanced at the injury on his right hand and asked.
"Because if it hadn't been for that shot I hit, you wouldn't have been injured too."
"I didn't think I could hit a shot like that."
Obviously he was the one who made the "bad words" during the game, and he was the one who went to catch the ball, but Takashi Kawamura took the initiative to come over and apologize to him.
Murasakihara had never met such a "good old man" before, and was stunned for a moment.
"You don't need to apologize to me"
"It was just my rude words. It was my choice not to listen to dissuasion and pick up the ball. It was not your fault."
"If I really want to apologize, it should be me."
As the saying goes, don't hit someone with a smiling face. Murasakihara also knew that his words that day were a bit excessive. If it was right or wrong, it would definitely not be Kawamura.
(Whatever you say. But I will never give up!)
(Murasakibara, don’t answer!!!)
His mind flashed back to the final moments of the game, when he was defeated by Takashi Kawamura with a hit he had never imagined on the last ball.
Why did you catch that ball at that time?
Perhaps it was because he saw Takashi Kawamura, who had firm faith and tried his best, bursting out with power that surpassed him. He didn't want to believe that fact.
So much so that he overestimated his capabilities and ultimately lost in such a confrontation.
(You lost because of your own arrogance. Murasakibara.)
Shirazu's words emerged in his memory, and he might have meant what he said.
Look down on those who are inferior to oneself and blindly deny the efforts of others
I listen to Akashi and Shirazu because they are stronger than me.
He said tennis was boring, but in his heart he wanted to lose more than anyone else.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"ah?"
Suddenly confused by Murasakibara's question, Kawamura Takashi scratched his head with his left hand and wondered.
"You're already like this"
"Why are you still training?"
Kawamura Takashi's slow swing training in the morning flashed through his mind. Murasakihara's tone was a little low, and he asked a question in a slight voice.
He was obviously more seriously injured than himself, but he was still making that "ridiculous" effort.
It seems so insignificant and insignificant
Struggling like an ant
But it was such a person who hit a ball that he could not catch in the game.
"Ah? Did you see it? Please don't tell the doctors or them."
"As for why I'm training, that's because"
"I still want to continue playing tennis."
"Tezuka and the others and I made an appointment no matter what happens during the three years of junior high school, we will definitely follow them!!"
PS: I just woke up a while ago!
Take your time! I won’t owe anything today anyway!
The timeline after this does not conflict with the selection competition. Is it considered a narration or a flashback?
(End of chapter)
