Fukuda Kicchou's Return (I)

He was far too calm—so calm that he did not seem like a high school student, nor a newly appointed captain, but rather a seasoned veteran who had weathered countless storms and seen through both victory and defeat.

This Chitong Lingyu was no simple person.

"Miss Reporter, if there are no other questions, I'll go train the players first."

Chi Tong suddenly spoke, his tone as calm as ever. After speaking, he turned to leave.

"Please wait."

Mukai Yayo called after him instinctively, her voice more urgent than she had expected.

Chi Tong stopped and slowly turned around, his gaze falling on her face once more as he waited quietly.

Mukai Yayo took a deep breath. No longer hesitating, she directly asked her final question. "Sorry, Chi Tong, could you answer one last question?"

"What is Ryonan's goal this year?"

The gymnasium suddenly fell silent for a moment. Chi Tong looked at her quietly, his gaze utterly unruffled.

A moment later, he spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it carried the weight of iron and stone.

"Ryonan has only one goal this year: winning the National Tournament."

With that, he did not linger. He turned and walked away.

His back was straight, his steps firm, as though a path to the summit had already been laid out before him.

Mukai Yayo remained where she was, staring at his receding figure for a long while without coming back to herself.

If those words had come from anyone else, she would probably have scoffed at them, or dismissed them as nothing more than self-encouragement.

But when Chi Tong said them, her heart inexplicably trembled. In that instant, she actually had the illusion that whatever he said would become reality.

A week later, the sky was clear and blue, the blazing sun