People in Tokyo, the world is clear

In fact, the idea has always been very simple.

From the very beginning, it was.

She, Yuzuru Niwa, doesn't want to lose.

Not just this game.

And her life.

As a child, Yuzuru Niwa was too thin, so thin that he was disliked by others. Throughout his childhood, he was a silent, lonely and marginalized person.

She could only watch as her peers around her were taken away one by one, but no one cared about her.

If I don't do something, perhaps I will be ignored by the world and society for the rest of my life?

She was very young at that time, but she understood a little bit and had made up her mind.

So, one evening, at an age when she could go to junior high school in an ordinary family, she, who had never cried or made any demands, stood in front of the orphanage director in the office. She bowed deeply amid the panicked movements and expression of the elderly lady, then bent her knees and banged them on the ground with a thud.

"I, want to go out to school... Dean, please."

She has had very few opportunities in her life till now.

Everything we have now probably comes from the goodness in human nature.

She had no right to squander such a luxury in her life.

She had no way out. So, she could only gamble. Again and again, risking everything.

For some reason, at this moment, a figure appeared in my mind.

That person - him.

In that early spring when the wind was still cold and bleak, he came into the world like a hero and drove away the bullies for her.

Take her home, give her a hot bath, apply medicine, and cook for her.

Listen to her talk about her wishes and touch her head with a smile.

Decided to start running for her...

Perhaps, his existence is the most striking change in her fate.

I don't know where the strength comes from.

Niwa Yuzuru closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

In fact, she had an idea about her opponent's sticky tactics. She didn't know if it was right, but perhaps a rash attempt would only lead to a quicker defeat.

But she had to change. Otherwise, if she continued like this, she would definitely lose.

She didn't want to let her efforts go to waste. Her own, and that person's.

So, when she opened her eyes again, she hid the hand holding the racket under the table, and when she brought it up again, it had changed.

"what..."

The girls gathered behind Coach Watanabe exclaimed.

because--

"The grip...has changed? Four fingers curled around the racket, with the thumb pushing up on the other end...horizontal grip?"

In the history of table tennis, there has never been a player who specializes in both the vertical and horizontal grips. It hasn't happened in the past, and it's unlikely to happen in the distant future.

The two grips are fundamentally different, and it is impossible to switch between them at will in high-level confrontations.

Everyone present understood this.

Therefore, even Coach Watanabe frowned when he saw Yuzuru Niwa's actions.

"When you're at a huge disadvantage, there's nothing wrong with seeking a way to fight back. But to do so recklessly is like a gambler desperate for money. Not only does it disrespect your opponent, it disrespects yourself, too!"

I felt a little dissatisfied.

"Even my way of playing table tennis, while encouraging change, is no joke!"

Originally, in view of the current situation, he planned to quietly lower the score by a few points, to more than ten, to keep this girl, and watch her here to consolidate her basic skills for a few months before recommending her to the association.

But now, because of this move, it seems that some have changed their minds.

This child is indeed talented. However, in some ways, she's a bit too stubborn and complacent, lacking maturity as a player. Letting her win like this might just encourage these habits.

Perhaps, trying my best to win this game, giving her a warning, and then making an exception to keep her in the team would have a better reminder effect.

Thinking of this, Watanabe Toshiaki gave up the idea of ​​holding back.

Hold the racket tightly, toss the ball lightly in your hand, and shoot cleanly with the push-off movement.

"Snapped!"

The white ball spun so vigorously, it even made a buzzing sound as it whizzed through the air, tracing a clean, simple arc. The momentum was so overwhelming that even Qingshan Xiazhi, the least knowledgeable player on the sidelines, subconsciously jumped, reaching out to tug at Lin Sen's sleeve and exclaiming in surprise.

"Wow!"

As expected——

The high school girl, who changed her grip almost randomly, received the ball very reluctantly and gave a very low-quality return to the far table.

Direct smash? No...

Maybe it was luck, but the girl's return had a very low bounce angle. A direct smash would have risked hitting the net.

Coach Watanabe, who was determined not to give up any points, chose a safer approach - he made a close cut and gave a quick return to force a mistake and seek a better finishing opportunity.

This has proven to be quite effective in previous confrontations - in front of the experienced table tennis coach, Yuzuru Niwa was given clear instructions.

However, during this confrontation, to everyone's surprise, the girl suddenly adopted an extremely strange posture.

Leaning slightly forward to meet the ball, her forearms naturally bent inward, her wrists also twisted inward, and the racket head dropped down, nearly perpendicular to the table. Maintaining this unprecedented angle of rotation, she met the high-quality center-of-the-table ball from Coach Watanabe.

The next second—

The explosive power from almost the entire arm is concentrated in the wrist, and the downward racket head completes a huge rotation of a full 180 degrees in a very short time.

In the next instant, the white ping-pong ball, at an incredibly high speed, traced a low, swift, snake-like loop across the table, striking the far corner of the middle-aged man on the opposite side.

"......"

The field fell into silence instantly, as if they had not yet reacted to the outrageous speed of the ball.

Then--

"Clap."

The first sound of a racket hitting the ground was heard. The girl who had just hit an amazing shot was now kneeling on the ground, head bowed, and holding her right wrist with her left hand.

But it was immediately blocked by two figures rushing over. They were a young man watching the game from the sidelines and a temporary duty officer named Qingshan Xiazhi.

Afterwards, more figures gathered around - assistant coach Sato, and the rest of the girls from the youth team.

Only Watanabe Toshiaki was left standing there with a dull look in his eyes.

The goal just now seemed to be engraved in his mind, making him replay it subconsciously.

Grip horizontally. Racket head facing downward, twist 180 degrees instantly...

What kind of play is this?

However, the terrifying speed of the return ball and the violent dismantling of his determined spin...

Watanabe Toshiaki felt a vague sense of enlightenment. It was as if something had quietly opened up.

However, now is obviously not the time to think about these things——

The middle-aged man barely reacted, glanced at the gathered crowd, immediately turned around, and shouted in a certain direction.

"doctor!!!!"

There was chaos. Fortunately, the table tennis hall finally settled down amid the hissing sound of spray.

"It's just a common sprain. It shouldn't be a big deal."

The team doctor on duty lightly touched the slightly swollen wrist of the girl sitting on the ground with his fingers and gave a reassuring judgment.

It also made everyone present breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well, it doesn't seem to hurt anymore..."

After hearing the conclusion, Yuzuru Niwa used his left hand to support himself and tried to stand up, and it seemed that he was going to continue the game.

But another hand grasped his shoulder and pushed him back to the ground.

"Are you trying to ruin your career?"

The rare harsh tone of voice startled the high school girl, who had never seen such an attitude before.

He glanced at Lin Sen's almost stern expression, lowered his head and stopped talking.

But for some reason, the corners of her mouth curled up quietly and her cheeks turned slightly red.

"You should definitely rest now, you idiot... We can discuss everything else later."

On the side, Miss Qingshan, who was also sitting on the ground, let out a long sigh and joined in the conversation very familiarly.

At the same time, as the female team members who had gathered dispersed, a thin figure stood in front of the trio and squatted down.

"Just now, that action. Was it your own idea?"

Watanabe Toshiaki lowered his voice and his facial expression became extremely serious.

He stared at the girl in front of him.

"Yes."

Niwa Yuzuru lowered his head and replied, "If I follow your rhythm, I'll definitely lose. This is the fastest way I can think of to get the ball through with high quality."

"..."

Watanabe Toshiaki was speechless for a moment. Then he shook his head in disbelief.

"Over thirty years of table tennis experience. I've played against countless top players both here and abroad. I've witnessed countless tournaments both here and abroad. I've never seen a technique like this before. How did you come up with this?"

"Backhand twist and pull."

"what?"

A term I had never heard of before rang in my ears, and more importantly - the person who was speaking.

Watanabe Toshiaki turned his head and looked at Lin Sen who spoke, his eyes wide open.

After hearing him give this name calmly and confidently, I continued to ask:

"Does Coach Watanabe think this name is descriptive?"

The more he thought about this term, the more he tasted it, and Watanabe Toshiaki's eyes fixed.

Are there any experts?

Then he turned his head and looked at the young man whom he had not paid much attention to until now:

"It sounds like this technique isn't new to Xiaolin?"

"I'm probably just a casual enthusiast. However, I did imagine this technique. My thinking at the time was that in current table tennis competitions, there is always a problem with the quality of backhand returns. This is especially true for players who hit the ball with a looping style."

In another parallel universe, the twisting and pulling technique emerged around the 1990s. This technique addressed a significant weakness in looping the ball on the backhand. At the time, it was a cutting-edge technology, not only driving overall advancements in table tennis but also significantly impacting the player ecosystem.

As the looping technique became more and more perfect, the numerous slice players at the time found that although they seemed to have done nothing wrong, the entire style of play that they relied on for their livelihood was about to come to an end, or even die naturally.

Slice shots are about defense and spin. Loop shots, on the other hand, offer both more spin and greater speed. Before the advent of twisting and pulling, slicers could exploit the loopers' low backhand quality by controlling the placement of their shots, creating an opportunity to compete with them.

But after the emergence of twisting and pulling technology, top choppers began to fall from the altar one by one - even the most talented ones forced themselves to make a lot of technical changes and give up many of their original playing habits before they tried their best to adapt to the times.

As a table tennis fan in his previous life, Lin Sen has a deep understanding of this little-known history outside the circle.

But, I really didn't expect——

The young man glanced at the girl sitting next to him with her head down, and couldn't help but reach out and pat her on the head, his heart filled with amazement at having his worries relieved.

I already knew this kid was a very talented athlete, but he was able to use his imagination and creativity alone to develop a technique that took years to mature...

Monster. Maybe that's the right word.

As I thought about it, I felt regretful.

It's such a pity. If I had the opportunity to practice the basic skills well earlier, when I was younger, maybe -