abnabooks Chapter 31 Keigo-kun is truly a good minister.
Chapter 31 Keigo-kun is truly a good minister.
Jiro's family lives in Meka-tei, a quiet and upscale residential area not far from Hyotei Academy.
They lived in a cozy three-story villa.
It's not a large area, but there's a big apricot tree planted at the entrance. The flowering season has just ended, and it's the fruiting season, with green young fruits hanging all over the branches.
Warm yellow light shone from inside the room onto the trees, casting a hazy glow.
When they arrived, Cilang's mother was already waiting at the door, her expression showing a mixture of trying to remain calm and barely concealing her panic.
"Keigo-kun." As soon as the car came to a stop, Jiro's mother rushed forward, her voice trembling slightly, "Jiro, he..."
"Auntie, don't worry. Cilang is fine."
Atobe walked to her side and softly recounted the results of her previous hospital check-up, "The doctor said she was just too tired and was sleeping soundly, not unconscious. She woke up once just now, and she just needs to go home and rest."
"That's good, that's good."
Cilang's mother's eyes were slightly red as she looked at her sleeping son on Wangyue Ling's back. She reached out and gently touched his cheek, her voice choked with emotion, "This child has always loved to sleep, but he has never frightened anyone like this before..."
This time, Cilang wasn't sleeping as soundly. He felt the touch, wrinkled his nose, mumbled something, and didn't wake up.
"Auntie, don't worry, Cilang is just too tired. He'll be fine after a nap." Wang Yueling's voice was gentle and her tone was calm, which reassured people.
"Come in quickly, come in quickly." Cilang's mother quickly stepped aside to make way and led the two of them upstairs to Cilang's room.
As Wang Yueling carried Cilang on her back, she silently sighed in her heart.
This little lamb didn't look very tall, but it was solid and quite heavy to carry. Remembering how Atobe had picked him up without a word and rushed him to the emergency room at the hospital, a slight smile crept onto his lips.
Cilang's room was at the end of the corridor on the second floor. As soon as the door opened, Wangyue Ling was stunned by what she saw.
The entire room was practically a fan-made themed ita-ya (a Japanese anime/traditional Japanese house) for Marui Bunta – the walls were covered with posters of Marui's matches, training, and eating, as well as several interview photos that looked like they were cut from magazines, and even limited-edition photos from Marui Rikkai University's autograph session.
The desk was covered with matching wristbands, human-shaped keychains, custom-made support fans, and even the pillows had Marui chibi patterns on them. The items were densely packed, yet arranged in an exceptionally neat and cozy manner.
Wang Yueling was secretly astonished.
No wonder he's Marui's number one fanboy; the sheer volume of his collection is simply breathtaking.
He gently placed Cilang on the bed, covered him with a blanket, and stood by the bed looking at the posters covering the wall. He couldn't help but wonder: Where did all these come from?
Thinking of the few photos of Yukimura I had saved on my phone, the angles were all bad, the resolution was extremely poor, and they were all taken secretly.
Sigh, we're both fans of celebrities, but the difference is just too big.
It seems I'll have to consult with Cilang, this great master, another day, to see where he gets all these rare items.
……
Cilang's mother stood by the bed, looking at her son's peaceful sleeping face, and tears finally fell.
"I'm sorry..." She wiped away her tears somewhat embarrassedly in front of her son's classmates, then thanked him in a hoarse voice, "Ling Jun, thank you so much for carrying Cilang up here."
"Auntie, you're too kind." Wang Yueling smiled and sincerely explained to the sentimental mother, "Ci Lang is my deskmate and a good friend, it's only right."
Jiro's mother sensed his sincerity, nodded to him, and then turned to look at Atobe, her eyes overflowing with gratitude.
"Keigo-kun, thank you so much." Her voice choked with emotion, clearly not yet fully recovered. "Our Jiro is always causing you trouble, and you've always taken such good care of him. Thank you so much."
"Auntie, it's what I should do."
Atobe nodded slightly, his tone polite and his posture elegant, but he couldn't hide a hint of sadness in his eyes. He spoke much softer for the second half of his sentence, "I am Jiro's department head."
After listening, Jiro's mother held Atobe's hand, and after organizing her thoughts for a long time, she finally condensed all her words into the simplest praise.
"Keigo-kun... is truly a good minister. Jiro is fortunate to have a minister like you."
Atobe paused for a moment after hearing this, but did not reply.
He stood by the bed, his expression still elegant and composed, but Wang Yueling noticed that his fingers were once again rubbing his cuffs.
-
As they left Cilang's house, the bright yellow streetlights cast long shadows on the ground.
Atobe walked ahead, his steps faster than usual, his back ramrod straight, but a somber expression clouded his handsome face.
Wang Yueling followed behind, watching his back, sighed softly, and said nothing.
As the car drove away from Ting District, night fell, and the traffic on the streets gradually thinned out.
The carriage was quiet, with only the sound of the evening breeze outside the window.
Atobe leaned back in his car seat, remaining silent for a long time. His icy blue eyes gazed at the fleeting night scene, and his voice was low and slightly tense as he stated his thoughts: "As the captain, I have failed in my duty."
Wang Yueling didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.
"The Cilang training plan is something I added to based on your proposal."
Atobe clenched his fists, his voice filled with guilt. "I thought he could handle it. Jiro usually seems lazy and laid-back, but he's more serious than anyone else when he practices. I thought... he'd be fine."
As he finished speaking, his voice grew softer and softer.
"I am the minister." He paused for a few seconds, then continued, "These are all things I should consider."
He always considered himself the emperor of Hyotei, was used to being in control of everything, and believed that he could take care of every member and lead the team to greater heights.
But... Cilang's sudden coma today was like a silent slap in the face, waking him from all his arrogance and confidence.
As minister, he did not consider the physical limits of his staff, and was only focused on making up for previous failures.
But they overlooked the most fundamental thing.
Looking at his tense profile, Wang Yueling understood that this usually proud young man was currently trapped in deep self-blame.
He spoke softly, his voice calm and firm, without the slightest hint of perfunctoriness.
There's nothing wrong with your training schedule.
Atobe looked up at him, his eyes filled with doubt.
"My recommendations are precisely calculated based on each person's physical fitness, technique, and endurance. In addition, they take into account that some people may train extra privately, and leave room for flexibility. The amount of extra training you add on top of that is completely within a reasonable range."
Ryo Mochizuki explained clearly and earnestly, especially the second half of the sentence: "All of Hyotei's regular players are training according to this plan, and no one is overloaded, including Jiro."
"So, Atobe... today was just an accident, it has nothing to do with you, don't take all the blame on yourself."
Atobe pursed his lips and remained silent for a few seconds.
"Why would Cilang do this?"
"pressure."
Looking directly into Atobe's icy blue eyes, Mochizuki Ryou said softly, "It's not the pressure of training volume, it's the psychological pressure. Jiro is naturally prone to sleepiness. After losing to Fudomine last time, he was very afraid that there would be problems in the loser's bracket revival match, and that Hyotei wouldn't be able to advance. So he forced himself to reduce his sleep time and desperately practiced new special moves."
"He cares about the team more than you think."
His voice seemed to possess a reassuring magic, dissolving Atobe's doubts one by one without any exaggeration or subjective assumptions.
"I noticed he's been sleeping less these past couple of days. When I asked him why, he said, 'I want to make it to the national tournament with everyone.'"
Wang Yueling recalled the dazzling light in Cilang's eyes when he mentioned his dream, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly. "This sentiment is the root cause of his overexertion, and has nothing to do with your training schedule."
"But none of us expected this to happen."
Atobe's pupils contracted slightly as he listened to these words.
The streetlights cast flickering light on his face, making it difficult to discern his expression, but Wang Yueling could sense that he was still looking at her.