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"Yagyu~"

The cheerful sounds coming from the bench on the right caught Fuji's attention.

He also noticed that Tezuka, who was sitting to his right, had subconsciously followed him out of the corner of his eye.

It's unclear whether what caught Tezuka's attention was the unusual emotion in Yukimura's voice, or the specific surname he uttered.

Yagyu Hiroshi, who was warmly greeted by Yukimura, paused for a moment, but still sat down next to Yukimura.

He nodded to Fuji, who was smiling and watching him. Tezuka was between them, and as they looked away, their eyes inevitably met again across the distance. After exchanging polite greetings, they casually looked away from each other.

"Thank you, Hiroshi." Yukimura accepted the blue folder from Yagyu Hiroshi with a smile. A sheet of A4 paper with his training data was tucked inside.

Hiroshi extended his middle and index fingers, pushed up his glasses that gleamed coldly, and said in a low voice, "Not 'Yagyu' anymore?" His tone was devoid of emotion, yet it always carried a dry sense of humor.

Yukimura's gaze fell on the raised finger...

"Aren't there two Yagyu here?" Yukimura's smile remained unchanged, but his iris-purple eyes gleamed with a mischievous light, clearly pleased with what he had just gleaned from his way of probing.

Seeing that he was getting playful, Bi Lushi managed to suppress the urge to turn around and leave.

Yukimura, oblivious to the fact that he hadn't noticed anything amiss, tilted his head slightly to look at Yagyu Hiroshi, asking as if he were simply curious, "So, putting aside personal feelings, Hiroshi, do you think Tezuka would be a satisfactory 'brother-in-law' candidate?"

The words "brother-in-law," and the fact that these two words were associated with Tezuka Kunimitsu... these two shocks caused Hiroshi's lips to twitch uncontrollably.

Yukimura didn't think he had said anything unacceptable at all, and he waved happily to Fuji, who was also smiling broadly.

The two overly similar smiles caused Hiroshi's temples to begin to ache slightly.

The only one present who didn't make eye contact was Tezuka, who was focused on changing the grip tape. As expected of Tezuka Kunimitsu, isn't he?

But the thought of becoming related to Tezuka in the future made him dislike Tezuka even more.

Yukimura said he wanted to put aside personal emotions... but it's impossible to put them aside at all!

Teasing his cousin is one thing, but actually seeing her is another—when he heard Yukimura say the word "Yagyu," his body looked at Tezuka before his mind could process it.

Hiroshi remained silent for a moment, and after regaining control of his facial muscles, he mechanically spoke: "It's too early."

Yukimura gave a meaningful "Oh~".

To avoid Yukimura saying anything more that would be hard for him to process, Hiroshi pointed to the folder in Yukimura's hand and abruptly changed the subject: "You know, Mero understands the nervous system much better than I do. She's more qualified to speak on this subject. You can consult her if you have any questions."

Although neither of the parties involved spoke of what happened back then, Hiroshi knew that it wasn't his cousin's fault.

To be honest, given the current state of the two of them constantly exchanging barbs whenever they meet, he suspects that Yukimura is doing it on purpose, with Mero cooperating.

As expected, Yukimura did not object upon hearing this; instead, he chuckled softly, "You're right."

His acquiescence seemed to be exactly the answer he had been hoping for.

As he spoke, he stood up, picked up the folder, and walked towards the medical team. His steps were so light that his silhouette exuded a triumphant satisfaction at his successful plan.

"Ara~"

Fuji took in all of this, his icy blue eyes curving into crescent moons.

He rested his chin on his hand, watching Yukimura walk across half the stadium with an innocent smile, and stop in front of Yagyu-san.

“Wakana-sama,” Yukimura began, his voice as gentle as his smile, “I hope I haven’t bothered you.”

Training had ended, and Kazusa was tidying up the medical equipment on her desk. Hearing the sound, she didn't look up and said, "If I said I was disturbing you, would you put aside your current thoughts, Child of God?"

"Still so perceptive." Yukimura wasn't surprised by Kanade's directness. He waved the folder in his hand, mimicking Yagyu's earlier tactic of changing the subject. "However, what I need more right now is professional medical advice. Hiroshi said that for some of my data, it might be more appropriate to consult you directly?"

After putting the last bottle of pain relief spray back in its place, He Zou looked up at him. The slightly melancholy look in his eyes that she remembered due to illness had been replaced by determination, but his mischievous nature hadn't changed much.

Oh, and there's a coat draped over my shoulders.

Even though she knew the other person had devil horns on their head, Kanade still took the folder and quickly browsed through it.

Her gaze became calm and focused as her fingertips traced the various data on the paper.

"I say, Lord Kami," Kanade said, looking at the terrifying data and automatically elevating him from a child of god to a god in her address, she looked up with a hint of helplessness in her eyes, "did you secretly practice extra again tonight?"

The reason for "again" is, of course, because she has a history of catching him before.

"Oh, I've been found out?" Yukimura readily admitted. "I just slightly increased the basic physical training. After all, seeing someone maintain such a self-torturing training intensity always makes one want to work harder too."

His tone was wistful, and he meant something. But even without being explicitly told, Kazusa knew who he was referring to as "someone."

With both of them so stubborn, Coach Sakaki's access control measures aren't very effective.

However, the training intensity set for this Davis Cup training camp is likely lower than their usual basic training volume at their respective clubs.

In order to maintain their peak physical condition, Coach Sakaki probably tacitly agreed that they could proceed at their own pace.

Therefore, the key point in Yukimura's words is not additional training.

Kazuna resisted the urge to rub her temples, and a half-smile curved her lips. "So, you actually want me to suggest to Tezuka-kun that we reduce the intensity of the training so that you can have a chance to catch your breath?"

Is this how it gets maintained?

Yukimura couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Wakana-sama, you are a member of Rikkai University after all." He paused, his tone becoming more meaningful, "I heard you specially customized a physical recovery program for him? The effort you put into that is much more meticulous than ordinary medical support."

“To correct you, I’m from Heidelberg now.” Kazuna’s eyes were clear and open as she readily admitted it. “Tezuka-kun is a key research and observation subject in the Heidelberg University laboratory, so naturally we’re different. If you’d like, Professor Antberg would be very happy to collect your physical data from all angles.”

Yukimura jokingly declined, "Let's forget it. I don't want to go back and have those people from the club nagging me." He paused for a moment, then looked at Kanade with genuine sincerity in his eyes, "I didn't have time to say it back then, sorry."

After going around in circles and saying all that, this is what he really wanted to say to her.

The apology came suddenly, but Kanade knew what he was talking about. She gave a soft "hmm," and her slightly confrontational attitude softened as Yukimura changed his tone.

It's an old story, not a misunderstanding, nor can it be called an enmity.

A long time has passed since the time of the song.

—

"What an interesting scene!"

"Fuji sighed."

Yukimura and Yagyu Kazuna were talking face to face, both with smiles on their faces, and the atmosphere seemed very harmonious.

At first, the two argued back and forth, neither willing to give in, and it was unclear what Yukimura said that even made Yagyu Kazusa sneer.

Before long, they were chatting happily again.

The aloofness that often lingered around Yukimura disappeared, and he leaned against the wall in a relaxed posture, talking to Yagyu and Kanade on the other side.

After hearing Yukimura's words, Yagyu and Kanade pointed at the coat on Yukimura's shoulder and mocked him mercilessly.

When these two people are together, they present a harmonious, even intimate, picture to outsiders.

The other students from Rikkai University also slowly gathered around.

At first glance, Yagyu Kazuna doesn't seem like someone from Rikkai University. She doesn't have the "meritocracy" spirit that Rikkai University has. But upon closer observation, you'll find that her pragmatism, efficiency, and relentless pursuit of goals perfectly embody the core spirit of Rikkai University.

At this moment, she stood with the people from Rikkai University, creating an invisible magnetic field that belonged only to Rikkai University.

Even Sanada would smile at her "incompatibility" with Yukimura.

Fuji observed with great interest.

"I don't think I've ever seen Yagyu-san cheering for Rikkai during previous matches." However, it had been quite a while since the last match against Rikkai, and the genius Fuji seemed a little unsure of his memory, so he turned to the person next to him for confirmation, "Hey, has Tezuka seen him?"

"..." Tezuka, who was carefully wrapping his hands with glue, was speechless for a moment, then said indifferently, "No."

"Don't you find it strange? Yuta was also in the audience during my finals. Besides, the Yagyu siblings seem to have a very good relationship, which is really enviable."

Tezuka had already changed his grip tape, put the remaining tape back in his bag, and then gripped the racket lightly or heavily to adjust the feel.

His movements remained meticulous, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with him. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, either on the netting of the court or somewhere further away.

She was looking down and talking to Liu on her notebook when Yukimura also came over, and the two of them stood very close together.

Tezuka changed his grip on the racket and naturally looked away.

His expression remained unchanged. There was no fluctuation, no displeasure, not even a hint of inquiry.

Fuji almost sighed for him.

Just then—

"Kuoguang!"

Kobel waved to Tezuka from the entrance, as if he needed to speak with him.

Tezuka nodded to Fuji, put away his racket, and quickly walked towards Kerber.

Meanwhile, Hezai, who was listening to Kirihara gesturing wildly as he spoke, seemed to catch Kerber's voice, even though the venue was a bit noisy after training.

The smile on her face hadn't faded, but her gaze quietly followed the departing figure. Her eyes lingered on his straight back for only a moment before focusing back on the junior in front of her.

That glance was more like an unconscious, subconscious search.

"Ara~"

Fuji propped his chin up again, and a look of understanding and pleasure appeared in his open, icy blue eyes.

——

What is "liking"?

"It's the moment someone looks up when they call your name."