Chapter 51: The Fury of the Marine Corps

  That afternoon, Yafeng's fever subsided and she followed Soichiro back to Kanagawa, but due to her physical condition, she did not participate in the training of Rikudo the next day.

  "Huh? How come you're here alone, Shinichiro? Where's Yafuu?" asked Yukimura.

  She is unwell and resting at home.

  "Pffft, Yafeng's sister just went to Qingxue Academy for a few days and she's already fallen ill?" Ren Wang said nonchalantly while fiddling with his own small braid.

  "Heh heh, is that so? Kotoyuu, Yafuu's body isn't that fragile after two years of your training, right?" Komura asked with narrowed eyes.

  Sanada opened a well on his head, and Yukimura shifted his gaze to the willow tree again, believing that their military strategist would definitely know.

  "Yah Feng's days at Qing Xue were quite colorful," came Liu Na's calm and unhurried voice. "She joined forces with the regulars at Qing Xue on her first day, and by the second day she had already joined the Qing Xue tennis club."

  The crowd at Lihai University didn't have any reaction upon hearing things they already knew.

  "On the third day in the morning she was on the school newspaper," he said, handing over the school newspaper that had been tucked into his notebook to Yukimura.

  Koumura's face lit up with an exceptionally bright smile after he finished reading, and he handed the school newspaper to Sanada: "Genichirou, it turns out our Yafuu is so amazing!"

  Sanada's face turned several shades darker after finishing reading, his fists clenched and veins bulging.

  Others saw the two bosses with a fierce aura and knew that the school newspaper must have written something bad, but to know what was written to what extent, Liu Sheng still took the newspaper from Sanada's hand and browsed it with others.

  "That's going too far, how can they say such things about Yafeng?"

  Marui was the first to speak out, indignantly pleading for Yafeng's grievances. Ren Wang also restrained his usual evil smile, and a hint of ferocity flashed across his face. Ryūsei still had no expression, but his body emitted a terrifying cold aura. Kuwahara was also serious-faced.

  "How dare you say that about Yafeng! I'll crush them and dye them red!" Chiyu directly entered Red Eye mode.

  After Ryu used his racket to tap the back of Kirenai's knee, he returned to normal and continued speaking: "That noon, Yafeng was intercepted and warned by the backup team. Fortunately, she was taken away by Haitang. In the afternoon when going to the tennis court, someone poured a basin of cold water on her from upstairs. It should be that she caught a cold and got sick, right, Genichiro?"

  Sanada's face turned black as he nodded, and then the Rikkai Dai tennis court was filled with a suffocating anger and chill. The non-regulars of Rikkai Dai were all trembling with fear.

  "However, the girl who secretly took pictures of Ya Feng yesterday, the girl who wrote this article, and the girl who splashed water on Ya Feng were all punished by the school. The girl who splashed water even dropped out voluntarily, I suppose it's because her family intervened."

  "Ah." Sanada replied.

  Everyone's anger subsided a bit after hearing this, but it's worth noting that some people are very protective of their own.

  "Lian Er, this year's national competition is a must-win for our Lihai University to achieve two consecutive championships. However, there are still many strong opponents out there. Do you think we should find a school to play a practice match?"

  Looking at Mukimura laughing so charmingly, even those with a bit of intelligence can tell what he's thinking.

  "Ah, Qing Xue Ba, just in time to see Ya Feng." Liu said following him.

  "Hmph, not bad, just right for them to see how to treat the princess of Ryugu." Ren Wang also gave a face-saving remark to help out Bumpo Village.

  "What's with 'Rikadai's princess'?! Who is that?!" Chihaya asked in confusion, but the response he got was a punch to the face from Sanada.

  "Idiot, of course it's Yafeng, she's the princess of our tennis club and naturally also the princess of Rikkyo." Marui said with disdain to Kirihara.

  "Oh." Qie Yuan responded with a wronged expression, rubbing his head.

  "Marui is very clever." Yagyu praised without reserve, indeed Marui was rarely clever this time.

  "Hehe." Marui beamed with pride at being praised.

  "Lotus Two, you're in contact." Shinden's final confirmation.

  This weekend, Yafeng stayed at home and rested until Monday when she went to school. After arriving at school, she found that everyone's gaze towards her had changed again, and it seemed like they were a bit wary of and afraid of her. Since there was no training on Monday morning, Yafeng went straight to the classroom after arriving at school.

  "Mr. Sanada."

  Yahiko had just entered the classroom when Narita came up to him with a hesitant look on his face.

  "What's wrong? Cheng Tian Sang, are you looking for me for something?" asked Ya Feng with a soothing smile.

  Narita hesitated for a moment before making up his mind, and said very seriously with a pleading tone: "Sanada-san, please spare my sister, okay? She knows she was wrong, I'm apologizing on her behalf."

  "Huh?" Yafeng looked at her with a confused expression, "Do I know your sister?"

  "My sister was the one who splashed water on you that day, I know she went too far, but she just really likes the prince of the tennis club, and now she knows her mistake, so please forgive her and let her return to Seigaku or go study at Hyoutei, okay?"

  "Eh, what's wrong with your sister? Is it related to me?" Yafeng still didn't quite understand.

  "Sister got in trouble for pouring cold water on you and breaking school rules, so she was scolded. Then the principal of her school came to our dad and said that as a member of the Shinoda family and the Tachibana family's princess, she can't be bullied by anyone, so dad made sister quit school. Sister wanted to go to Hyoutei but they wouldn't accept her because you're friends with Tezuka, the captain of Hyoutei's tennis team, and they said that someone who bullies his friends isn't qualified to enter Hyoutei. But sister doesn't want to go to any other school, so she's currently at home arguing with dad... So, Tachibana-san, please help my sister out!"

  Looking at Narita's pitiful appearance, Yafeng really wanted to help her, but this was obviously something the Nintou family did to protect themselves. Although she had never thought of taking revenge on that girl, since the Nintou family helped her, how could she go and help that girl again? Not to mention that she wasn't the kind of person who would forgive and forget even if someone hurt her and try to change them with kindness. The things the Nintou family did for her weren't something she could afford to waste either. She wasn't a particularly kind-hearted person, she just hoped that the people she cared about wouldn't get hurt.

  "Sorry, Narita-san, but since my family has decided on this course of action, I won't have any objections. And as for the Ice Emperor's side, it has nothing to do with me. Tsuba and I are just acquaintances; he's a friend of my brother's, and we don't have a close relationship. His decisions are none of my business, and besides, there are so many schools in Tokyo - why can't your sister choose another school? If she insists on one of these two schools, it only shows that she doesn't realize her own mistakes. In that case, I have even less reason to help her, don't you think?"

  After hearing Yafeng's words, Narita simply retreated in tears, but her tightly clenched fists revealed her unwillingness. Yafeng looked at her back and shook his head slightly.

  "What a refined and elegant demeanor! You truly live up to being the young lady of the Sanada household."

  Yah Feng was clearly startled by the sudden sound, and when she turned her head around, she indeed saw a certain troublemaker with a meaningful expression on his face.

  Yafeng calmed down and revealed a harmless smile, saying: "Thank you for the compliment, Zhou Zhuo. I don't know how you came to our class at this time, are you looking for Yuetai Jun?"

  "Hehe, I'm here looking for Yafeng." Niji still had that smiling face.

  "Looking for me?"

  "Yes, because there was no morning training today, but I have something interesting to tell Yafeng, so I came in a hurry."

  Looking at Ouji's radiant smile, Yafeng began to have some doubts about his words and wondered if this was a conspiracy.

  "Haha, Yafeng, don't be so tense, it's a fun thing!" Ni Feng couldn't help but laugh even harder at Yafeng's defensive look.

  "What's wrong?" Yafeng was clearly out of breath.

  "Hehe, it's a big deal for Lihai University, they said they want to have a practice match with us this week, coming directly to our school on Friday, isn't that exciting?"

  Yah Feng was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh bitterly. These people, really, were too much. She dared to guarantee that they came for a practice match in name only, but the real reason was because of last week's incident.

  "Yahiko seems a bit off today." Niijima deliberately misinterprets Yahiko's meaning.

  "No, I was just thinking about what I should prepare." Yafeng casually made up an excuse.

  "Haha, is that so? I'm really looking forward to it." Niji's smile became even more profound and unfathomable.

  "Alright," Yafeng sighed with a bitter smile, "hurry up to class, isn't Zhou Zhuo back in the classroom yet?"

  "Hehe, I'm off then."

  After Er Bu walked away, Ya Feng's face fell, and Friday would definitely not be calm.

  "Yafeng, what did you and Niijima-senpai talk about?"

  Yah Feng had just returned to his seat when Tao Cheng, that loudmouthed gossipmonger, called out.

  "Hmm, nothing much, Zhou Zhu just came to tell me that Li Hai Da is coming for a practice match."

  "Really?" Taicheng was visibly disappointed, "By the way, about those three senior sisters, did your family really do it?"

  "Ah, it should be Brother You's doing, I suppose."

  "Really? Nishizuru is really good at Ya-feng, and the Nishizuru family seems to be very rich too. Is the Sanada family also very powerful?" Tōjō's face was full of interest.

  "Yeah, I guess so," Yafeng said with a dismissive tone, his forehead full of black lines.

  "The Nintoku and Sanada families are both well-known households, they're really something." Yuta suddenly chimed in.

  "Ah, haha, okay." Yafeng was no longer just a black line, and since class had started, they didn't ask about it again.