Chapter 98 Yukimura's Gift (Added 500 words of cleavage storyline) Only...

When Risa groggily opened her eyes, the bus was stopped in front of a familiar mansion.

Dusk had fallen, and the carriage was empty.

"...That guy Akaya didn't wake me up?" She rubbed her eyes and then noticed that Yukimura was looking at her with his head turned to the side.

The car door suddenly opened with a "click".

"Did you sleep well?" Yukimura stood up and reached out his hand to her against the light from the car roof.

Risa instinctively placed her hand on his palm, her mind still foggy from not being fully awake, and followed him out of the car.

"Where's Akaya?" Risa asked, rubbing her eyes.

"We're home now." Yukimura said, pulling his suitcase as he walked ahead of him.

Why didn't you call me?

"When Sister Qiu Nai saw that you were sleeping too soundly, she called you several times but you didn't wake up, so she gave up."

"Ah..." Risa was embarrassed. Indeed, she had been staying up late drawing for the past few days and was not getting enough sleep.

Until he led me into the entryway—

"Wait, wait a minute, isn't this your house?!" Risa's eyes widened, belatedly realizing.

“Yes, my family went to the restaurant early to celebrate for me.” Yukimura closed the door behind him.

The moment the shadow fell, her back pressed against the wall. Yukimura's arm braced against her ear, so close she could count his eyelashes.

"...Finally, it's just the two of us left." His voice was lower and husky than usual as his fingertips brushed her face. "I kept looking at your sleeping face in the car, and I almost couldn't resist."

Risa's heart was pounding in her chest. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly felt a chill on her hair.

She turned her head to look at the entryway mirror, where a delicate hair clip was inserted diagonally into her right side of her hair.

"This is......?"

“A gift from the champion.” Yukimura stepped back half a step, letting her see herself clearly in the entryway mirror.

On the hair clip, four black pearls shimmered with a dim luster under the light, as if the waves of the night had been frozen into eternity.

“Black Pearl…” Risa looked up as if she had just remembered something. “Could it be—”

"Yes, a specialty of Tahiti." Yukimura smiled. "When choosing a gift, all I could think about was..."

He suddenly leaned down and kissed the spot where she wore her hair clip.

"...the way it looks when it's pinned to your hair."

“And…” The kiss moved to his eyelids, like moonlight kissing the waves, “the light in your eyes when you look at me.”

"Last time you said you couldn't do anything in someone else's house?" He kissed the corner of her lips. "But what if... it's our own house in the future?"

"......"

Light kisses landed on her cheeks, the tip of her chin, and the side of her neck. Their kisses were tender and lingering, their lips pursed against each other.

All the lingering longing melted into the deepening, intertwined breaths, hair tangled, and breaths mingling.

Outside the window, the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon.

It was January, but the air inside was stuffy and sticky, like a salty mist rising from the sea on a summer night.

In her dizziness, Risa vaguely heard the sound of waves.

-

Shortly after returning to Japan, Yukimura flew to Australia to participate in the ITF Junior Championship.

Under the scorching Melbourne sun, he defended his Australian Open junior title without dropping a set. Moving on to the M15 Futures tournament, he displayed terrifying dominance. From qualifying to the main draw, he swept his opponents in seven matches, decisively earning his first ATP ranking point.

Before he could even adjust to the time difference, he flew to Thailand to participate in the M25 tournament. In the final, he crushed the champion with a score of 6-0/6-1 in just 48 minutes, maintaining a 100% serve hold rate throughout the tournament. In the CH80 Challenger in March, Yukimura, playing with a wildcard, caused a series of upsets, easily defeating the defending champion in the final.

In a post-match interview, when asked about his motivation for winning, Yukimura smiled and said, "Someone once said they wanted to meet me at my peak. Right now, she is also working hard."

The girl watching the live stream on the screen trembled.

When Yukimura said that, it was as if he knew she was watching, looking at her through the camera lens.

At the same time, my phone vibrated.

[Yukimura: We won the championship in March. I want to see you.]

Risa picked up her phone and replied: 【Yeah, me too.】

For the past three months, Risa has been completely immersed in preparations for the trade show in May. During spring break, she almost never went out, and her mobile phone was her only means of maintaining social contact with the outside world.

As the printing date approached, my connection with Yukimura gradually transformed into:

[01:27] "Just finished drawing the seventh set."

[Read 05:49]

[14:15] “We won today.”

[Read at 01:08 the next day]

Occasionally, she would wake up in the early hours of the morning to find her phone still clutched in her hand, the screen displaying the last unread message: "Remember to eat on time and maintain a regular sleep schedule."

The black pearl hair clip that Yukimura gave her lay quietly next to the drawing tablet, gleaming dimly under the desk lamp.

The phone lights up again, showing the Line interface:

[Yukimura: I'm planning to go back to Japan tomorrow, can we meet?]

Risa: Of course ^_^

(Types in progress... 2 minutes)

[Risa: All the products related to the trade show have been sent for printing! I can finally be a couch potato in April (○ˇˇ○)]

[Yukimura: Are you sure?]

[Yukimura: [Attachment: Rikkai University new semester schedule.jpg]]

[Yukimura: Opening ceremony on April 5th, placement test on the 6th, and the 7th—]

【Risa: ╥﹏╥...】

[Risa: Ahhh, retract it quickly! These kinds of horror stories shouldn't be posted at night!!]

(Retract a message)

[Risa: [Cat vomiting blood.jpg]]

[Yukimura: Too late]

[Yukimura: I've already sent a screenshot to Sanada]

[Yukimura: He said he would personally supervise you in catching up on your winter break homework]

Risa: ......

[Risa: [Tsuchiaza.gif]]

[Risa: Champion, spare me!]

-

In early April, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

As if echoing the vibrant spring, the youth film "Blue Bird," directed by renowned director Akito Kurosawa, sparked a phenomenal viewing frenzy after its official release.

With its exquisite visuals, poignant narrative, and highly infectious performances by the lead actors, the film successfully captured the hearts of its audience.

With the overwhelmingly positive reviews and buzz surrounding "Blue Bird," almost overnight, the previously unknown newcomer actress, Risa, who debuted under the stage name "Risa," became inextricably linked with words like "stunning," "talented actress," and "promising future," frequently appearing in film reviews and trending topics on social media.

Meanwhile, the crime thriller "Missed Call," in which she starred, also premiered on television during prime time. After its simultaneous release on streaming platforms, it quickly topped the platforms' trending charts.

On the big screen, she's a heart-wrenching, healing young woman; in television dramas, she's an unpredictable, dark villain. These diverse roles, coupled with her vastly different acting skills, have made her a sensation with her unique charm within a short period—she truly became a star.

The price of her fame was that, after the start of the new semester, Rikkai University's campus was no longer the ivory tower where Risa could live a peaceful life.

You can hear hushed exclamations anytime, anywhere: "Look! It's the one from 'Blue Bird'...!" and the ever-present presence of cell phone cameras.

So tired.

Being a public figure is really, really tiring!

That noon, Risa finally dragged Kirihara Akaya up to the rooftop of the teaching building to steal a moment of peace amidst the aroma of bento boxes.

However, as soon as she opened the lunchbox, she heard news that was nothing short of devastating.

"Hyotei...invited Rikkai to collaborate on a recruitment promotional video?" Risa bit her straw, her heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition rose within her.

"Yeah! So cool!" Kirihara Akaya waved his chopsticks excitedly. "I heard Hyotei specifically requested that our tennis club's 'outstanding image' members appear on camera!"

Risa: "So...?"

"So the minister recommended Yagyu-senpai—" Akaya raised his voice, looking smug, "Praise me for being so well-informed," "—and Risa-nee too."

The straw in Risa's hand snapped with a "snap".

—Sachi, Mura, Sei, Ichi!

You actually plotted against me!

Risa immediately dialed Yukimura's number.

"Hello?" came the boy's gentle voice from the other end of the phone.

"Yukimura Seiichi!" Risa gritted her teeth. "You actually recommended me to film a promotional video at Hyotei?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"...What promotional video?"

"Don't play dumb!" Risa lowered her voice. "Akaya said that you recommended Yagyu and me to be the laborers in Hyotei's recruitment video."

"Risa, I really don't know anything about this."

Risa was stunned; the confusion in Yukimura's voice didn't seem feigned.

Just then, Sanada's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Yukimura, Atobe just called and said..."

After a burst of noise, Yukimura's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of danger: "Risa, I have a general understanding of the situation. I'll handle it."

-

After school, on the tennis court.

Niou was leisurely drinking a sports drink when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

“Niou,” Yukimura’s voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, “I heard you once made some decisions on my behalf?”

Niou froze, nearly spilling his drink.

"Pfft... Minister, let me explain..."

“No need for explanation.” Yukimura smiled and picked up his racket. “I need some exercise lately. Let’s play a match, a seven-ball duel.”

Thirty minutes later, Niou collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat. Yukimura remained as elegant as ever, his breathing perfectly steady.

“Next time you impersonate me and make decisions,” Yukimura said gently, “it’ll be an official match, understand?”

Niou nodded weakly: "Pfft, pfft..."

-

When Risa went to the tennis club to find Kirihara to go home together, she happened to see Niou Masaharu limping out of the court, leaning against the wall.

The usually carefree white fox was now deathly pale, as if it had escaped from hell.

"What's wrong with him?" Risa nudged Akaya beside her.

The boy with the seaweed-like hair suppressed a laugh, lowering his voice with schadenfreude: "Senior Niou impersonated the club president to recommend you and Senior Yagyu to Hyotei, but the club president found out..." He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Risa raised an eyebrow, watching Niou's staggering figure, and scoffed, "He brought it on himself."

Kirihara leaned closer curiously: "Risa-nee, are you still going to Hyotei?"

“Go ahead.” Risa squinted her eyes. “Why wouldn’t you go?”

Akaya shivered inexplicably, his animal instincts causing him to take two steps back.

I always feel—

Risa's smile is strangely similar to the minister's smile when he punishes someone...

-

Hyotei University's invitation was very formal, and they submitted a letter of invitation to the university for cooperation. Rikkai University, adhering to the principle of "promoting inter-university exchanges," readily approved Yagyu and Risa's short-term exchange application.

Three days later, at the entrance of Rikkai University.

Yagyu pushed up his glasses and looked at Risa, who had arrived late: "This is really unexpected. I thought you would make an excuse to cancel this job."

Risa waved her phone, and the screen displayed an email from Hyotei Tennis Club:

【Kind tips】

The Hyotei school bus will arrive at your school promptly at 8:30 AM.

Latecomers will be automatically upgraded to helicopter transfer service.

"After all..." She glanced at the fancy signature at the end of the email and scoffed, "They've even prepared a helicopter; wouldn't it be a waste not to go and show them my 'enthusiasm'?"

The roar of engines came from afar, and a long limousine slowly drove up, the little golden figure on the hood gleaming in the sunlight.

Yagyu's glasses flashed: "It seems this short-term exchange meeting will be very interesting."

When the car door opened, Risa and Yagyu were both stunned—Niou was there too, and was being "escorted" by two Hyotei students, sitting right in the middle of the car.

Behind the three of them sat Huadi.

"Pfft..." Niou chuckled awkwardly and raised his hand to greet everyone, "Good morning..."

Risa raised an eyebrow: "Looks like someone got a 'special invitation'?"

One of the Hyotei students explained, "President Atobe said that since it was specially recommended by Captain Yukimura, it should naturally be given attention and preferential treatment."

Yagyu pushed up his glasses, a cold glint flashing in the lenses: "Truly... a thoughtful arrangement."

"It's worth it to have the minister personally involved. Piyo~" Niou said jokingly, but he seemed to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Risa was embarrassed: "...Where did you get the courage to say something like that?"

Niou lazily held up one finger: "Because—"

He suddenly lowered his voice and imitated Yukimura's tone: "'Niou, the next time you impersonate me, it'll be an official match.' Pfft~, don't you think that's something to look forward to?"

Risa: "......"

This person is beyond saving.

-----------------------

Author's Note: I did some research on Yukimura's matches, but I'm not an expert in this field, so any discrepancies are the fault of the internet [laughing and crying emoji].

Added 500 words of career-related plot on 8/31, I missed writing it in the previous part, lol.