They all have hidden attributes!

A heavy pressure loomed around her, and the shadow that trailed across the floor eroded Nekoya Hina's enthusiasm.

With such a large gap in strength, can the badminton team in Group A, which truly lacks talent, reach the desired level through hard work alone?

"I'm out of ideas," Hina Nekoya thought to herself.

With a "bang," the badminton shuttlecock flew high into the air. She chased after it, making a judgment in her mind.

Another great opportunity to smash, but will it be useful?

[A resilient spirit is far more powerful than innate talent.]

"what?"

Feeling as if someone was speaking, Nekoya Hina stopped and looked around, seeing Takahashi Makoto standing far away on the second floor.

The sound just now was... without a doubt, but at this distance, it shouldn't be audible, right?

"11-8," the referee announced.

Hina Nekoya shook her head and bent down to pick up the badminton shuttlecock that had fallen to the ground.

Then, I heard the sound again.

Your strength lies in your fearlessness in the face of failure and your relentless effort compared to anyone else.

"A-Cheng?" Nekoya Hina murmured to herself.

That voice was indeed Makoto Takahashi; perhaps it was just a hallucination in his mind that made him hear such a voice.

But... he is indeed there right now, encouraging himself, and there is no doubt about that.

Hina Nekoya gripped her racket tightly, her lost strength seemingly recovering slightly.

She could still fight. She returned the ball to her opponent, took a deep breath to concentrate, and heard another voice in her ear.

[Attack her backhand area]

Hanakawa Kaori's sweet voice evoked memories of when she carved her name in Yamanashi Prefecture.

[Hina-nee, why did you do that?]

[No matter how difficult the situation, I'll always be there for each other, offering support—that's probably the feeling.]

[You didn't know your brother back then, did you?]

[That's why I'm coming over—to learn about his past and show that I'll always be here, hehe.]

[How silly.]

[The support of friends is very important!]

boom--

As the shuttlecock flew over, Nekoya Hina jumped high without hesitation and smashed it towards her opponent's weak backhand area.

It was caught; was it really a trap?

Mizuno took advantage of the moment when Nekoya Hina landed to hit the shuttlecock diagonally. Nekoya Hina caught the shuttlecock hastily and did not have time to accurately control the trajectory. Mizuno found an opportunity to repeatedly hit the shuttlecock diagonally to exhaust her stamina.

They think highly of me, or perhaps they're just being cautious?

Nekoya Hina smiled bitterly to herself. In a 15-point game, with such a score difference, Mizuno hadn't even tried to crush her in one blow.

[Go for it, Hina!]

The calm voice flowed into my ears, yet I could clearly feel the warmth contained within it.

Because that voice came from the strongest bond, even in this situation, Hina Nekoya felt she was too naive to be able to cheer herself up because of this.

However......

Not wanting those who support him to be rejected, and believing in his own inadequacy, Nekoya Hina offered support in every way, unwilling to betray that sentiment.

Therefore, all we can do is fight hard.

Even if you no longer trust your own talents and strength, you must trust the words of those who support and believe in you, and persevere to the very end without ever giving up. This is what it means to work hard.

Snapped--

A sharp, body-sweeping smash landed in the direction of Mizuno Shizuka's backhand.

"11-9."

The referee announced the score, and Nekoya Hina felt a refreshing sense of accomplishment.

An ordinary point ignited a faint flame in her heart, which quickly turned into a raging fire in her chest. She tugged at the collar of her tracksuit to dissipate the heat.

"Huh? That's a strange ball trajectory."

Shizuka Mizuno picked up the shuttlecock from the ground, threw it off the court, and said to the referee, "I want to change the shuttlecock."

"A pointless tactic," Hina Nekoya thought to herself.

Without a word, she took the new shuttlecock from the referee, held it horizontally in front of her eyes, and focused her mind to adjust her breathing.

Even if I don't have the talent of Hanakawa Kaori, the instantaneous judgment of Kashima Reiko, or the physical strength of an ordinary person.

His overall perspective is probably terrible; he's just an indecisive fool.

The difference in experience is like heaven and earth, and the difference in ability is even greater.

All the elements that would allow them to win are inferior.

Since that's the case, then let's make up for it with perseverance and hard work.

Stop calculating what you lack, stop trying to understand why you are inferior to others, and instead remember the voices that support you.

There's no need to be afraid of failure.

The moment I made up my mind, my heart pounded violently.

"Huh?" Nekoya Hina exclaimed in surprise, as the court and her opponent in front of her had suddenly changed drastically.

She thought it was just fatigue causing sensory confusion, so she rubbed her eyes with her right hand. Even so, she could still vaguely sense her opponent's slight movements.

Serve.

The moment the opponent hits the ball, the trajectory of the ball appears extremely realistically and clearly, requiring no thought or judgment.

visible?

Hina Nekoya started running unconsciously; it was a feeling that went beyond mere sight, as if she could sense the movement of the air.

I see, it's all about positioning, ball trajectory, judgment, the court, and the opponent's footwork...

Ah... I see, so this is the "feeling of talent" that Hanakawa Kaori was talking about.

It's an incredibly incredible experience. You can even sense whether your opponent has stopped moving. You can clearly grasp the movement of the shuttlecock just by feeling it, and you can even see where the shuttlecock will land.

Snap, snap, bang—

A sense of confidence welled up within her, and Nekoya Hina's steps became increasingly agile.

On the second-floor stands, Makoto Takahashi looked at the system panel and saw that Hina Nekoya's badminton had suddenly upgraded to [Lv.5]. After thinking for a moment, he helped her level up by 1.

It's probably a case of accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing its full potential.

Now that her efforts have paid off, her future will surely be bright and positive.

"It's almost over, let's go downstairs." Takahashi Makoto patted Hanakawa Kaori's head and walked towards the stairs.

"Huh? Brother didn't know anything about badminton just now."

"I don't understand it now either, but I believe in Hina."

Seeing his appreciative smile, Hanakawa Kaori pouted in confusion, completely bewildered.

The final winner was Hina Nekoya.

"It's so hot."

"warm."

"I don't know why, but the cat house feels really lively today."

Makoto Takahashi and Kaori Hanakawa stood in front, surrounded by whispers from the other spectators.

The chestnut ponytail bouncing on the court, the sunny smiles, and the powerful sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock perfectly embody the spirit of youth.

In late January, the stadium, which was not heated, should have been freezing cold. However, after watching this exciting game, everyone present felt their blood pulsating with excitement.

"Did you see that, Acheng?"

Hina Nekoya ran quickly to him, and tears, like jewels, silently streamed down her cheeks—the crystallization of her hard work, as resilient and beautiful as diamonds.

"Congratulations, you've become stronger." Takahashi Makoto gazed at her cheerful smile, filled with emotion.

From failing to qualify for the National Games in May, to missing out on summer due to injury, to losing again in the Championships after taking over as head of the badminton department.

After being selected for the youth training group, the gap in strength among those of the same level was evident, and the system methodically drove Nekoya Hina to the brink of despair.

However, she did not give up. Despite numerous failures and being covered in mud, she refused to quit and continued to move forward.

Unbreakable, indomitable, more resilient and beautiful than anything else... This is how Makoto Takahashi sees Hina Nekoya, dazzling and captivating.

“There shouldn’t be any problems from now on,” Makoto Takahashi said.

"There will definitely be no problem."

Hina Nekoya nodded emphatically, putting away her tearful expression and flashing a bright and handsome smile: "I've thought it through about what I told you last time, I've made up my mind."

"Around New Year's?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

Seeing that Hina Nekoya nodded, he said seriously, "No matter what you choose, I will support you."

I'll tell you this weekend, but don't forget your date with me.

"Opening champagne at halftime is bad luck," Makoto Takahashi said half-jokingly.

"Consider losing a consolation party. This is a very important decision. You absolutely, absolutely cannot stand me up."

Hina Nekoya reached out and grabbed his collar, leaned in, glared at him fiercely, then released him and ran happily towards the preparation room.

"I'm going to have lunch first, Hanaori, give me yours too."

"Hey~ I don't want to!"

Hanakawa Kaori took a step to chase after him, but Takahashi Makoto reached out and grabbed her by the back of the neck to stop her: "I'll treat you to ice cream, let's go."