Chapter 144 Tennis 32

Kanagawa, Tatekai University Affiliated High School.

"Renji, how was the match you watched in Tokyo this time?"

"It was well worth the trip. As expected of Atobe and Tezuka, it was a truly spectacular match. Tezuka, in particular, displayed awe-inspiring perseverance."

"That's a really high compliment! It makes me want to fight Tezuka too." Yukimura Seiichi said calmly, "We should be facing Seigaku soon in the upcoming Kanto tournament, but the singles match against Tezuka will probably be handed over to Genichirō then. He's always wanted to face Tezuka."

Yanagi Renji shook his head. "I'm afraid we won't meet. In the match between Tezuka and Atobe, his shoulder injury was very serious. He will probably need professional treatment. Tezuka will probably miss the Kanto Tournament."

"So serious?"

"Well, Tezuka already had an old elbow injury. His entire match against Atobe, including the tie-break, lasted two and a half hours. He won entirely on willpower. After this, if he doesn't rest for a while and get proper treatment, his tennis career might be over."

Having also experienced the torment of illness and the possibility of never being able to play tennis again, Yukimura Seiichi slowly commented: "Tezuka Kunimitsu, an amazing player."

"That's right." Yanagi Renji nodded in agreement, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, "By the way, I saw Kurikawa when I went to watch the match between Hyotei and Seigaku this time."

Yukimura Seiichi paused for a moment, then asked, "How is she?"

Yanagi Renji: "She cried."

“………”

"She cried watching Tezuka's match?"

"To be precise, she didn't just cry watching Tezuka's matches. She also cried when she watched Seigaku's Kawamura Takashi play," Yanagi Renji recalled the scene. "The thing Tezuka and Kawamura have in common is that they both played despite arm injuries. She's quite sentimental indeed."

Yukimura Seiichi was silent for a moment.

"Speaking of which, I gave you Kurikawa's phone number before. Did she reply?" Yanagi Renji corrected his question and said, "Should I say, Seiichi, have you sent her a message?"

"I sent it, but she didn't reply." Yukimura Seiichi's tone was light, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Yanagi Renji: “…”

Wait, is there something wrong with his ears?

Is there really a day in Jingshi when someone won’t reply to your message?

"Didn't she see the message?" Yanagi Renji asked again uncertainly.

Yukimura Seiichi said expressionlessly, "She has read it."

Yanagi Renji: “…”

So, was she angry? Was she so badly rejected before that she no longer wanted to reply to Jingshi?

Yanagi Renji tried hard to keep a calm expression on his face, but he was actually quite shocked inside.

This is really rare.

Jingshi looked no different from usual, even his expression and tone were a little cold...

But as the other party's best friend, Yanagi Renji realized one thing clearly - he was confused.

Kurikawa Sana, she is indeed extraordinary.

This stunningly beautiful girl rushed into other people's hearts in an almost reckless manner, leaving significant traces, but then disappeared in a chic manner.

No matter whether the traces she left behind are positive or negative, it is impossible to forget her.

It may not be related to liking someone, but she has indeed made people pay attention to her.

The current performance of Jingshi is the most obvious evidence.

…

*

Late at night, at Yukimura's house.

Seiichi Yukimura looked at the message on the mobile phone screen in silence. There was no response from the other party, and the message he sent was like a stone falling into the sea.

——Kurigawa Sana.

He repeated the name silently in his mind.

Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I last saw her.

Ever since he rejected her again in front of everyone in the tennis club, she seemed to be completely disappointed in him.

It seemed that, just as Niou had said, she had completely given up. Therefore, she never came to Rikkai University again, and never looked for him again.

None of this matters, it doesn't matter, he doesn't care at all.

But Yukimura Seiichi couldn't accept that someone would completely disregard his precious life and health.

The message he sent her clearly showed as read, but she didn't respond.

Why? Is she angry?

Because he rejected her time and time again before, she was completely heartbroken and gave up. So, she saw the message from him but didn't want to reply?

Yukimura Seiichi closed his eyes with a headache.

That's it, Jingshi, her body is her own. If she doesn't cherish her health, it has nothing to do with him, so don't worry about it anymore - he told himself this in his heart.

Sending messages again and again but getting no response can be described as "humble". Is Yukimura Seiichi such a person? Absolutely not.

Although he had clearly decided to ignore her, as soon as he closed his eyes, he could see the pale girl falling down and the serious and nervous words of the hospital nurse.

Yukimura Seiichi opened his eyes again.

…never mind.

People only have one life, so it doesn't matter if she is upset now... He wants to try again.

Moreover, it is just a matter of moving your fingers and sending text messages, which seems to have nothing to do with the word "effort".

Yukimura Seiichi was a little surprised when he found that he subconsciously used the word "hard work" in his heart.

It has nothing to do with effort. I can only say that the process of waiting for the other party to reply but getting no response is indeed a bit difficult.

Yukimura Seiichi was silent for a moment.

So, when he kept rejecting her confession before, was she also having a hard time during this process?

No, it should be sadder than this.

After all, he had never fallen in love with her, and he already found the process of waiting for a reply anxious, so it would have been even more so for her in the past.

Should I continue to send text messages? What if I continue to read but not reply?

“Knock, knock…”

Yukimura Seiichi bent his long, bony fingers, which he used to hold the paintbrush, and tapped them lightly twice on the wooden table.

By the way, Renji said that she went to watch the match between Hyotei and Seigaku.

The boy stood up and sat in front of the computer desk. He clicked the mouse twice and the video of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament soon appeared on the screen.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The sound of ball after ball echoed through the room. Outside the window, the night darkened, the moon and stars dimmed. When the progress bar reached the bottom, Yukimura Seiichi realized that he had actually watched the entire match between Seigaku and Hyotei with rapt attention.

It's a fascinating duel, especially the one between Atobe and Tezuka. After watching it, I completely understand Renji's high regard for Tezuka. I also have some clues as to why Genichirō suddenly intensified his training after returning from Tokyo.

The light from the computer screen danced in Yukimura Seiichi's deep blue pupils, reflecting the figure of the black-haired girl in the video.

The photographers filming the Tokyo Metropolitan Games seemed particularly drawn to this strikingly beautiful young woman off the field, their cameras repeatedly focusing on her. She seemed to possess a magical quality that captivated everyone, making it impossible to look away.

Even the scene of Kurikawa Sana crying was shot so clearly.

She cried when Kawamura Takashi hit the wave ball again and again and the muscles in her arm twitched in pain.

At the end of the match between Tezuka Kunimitsu and Atobe Keigo, when Tezuka was in so much pain that he couldn't hold the racket and pressed hard on his left shoulder, she also cried.

Yukimura Seiichi dragged the cursor and the progress bar went back to the scene in the corner of the camera where a black-haired girl was crying.

The fact that she cries when she sees other people's pain shows that she is quite empathetic.

If she can empathize, why can't she cherish her own body? Why doesn't she accept proper treatment?

In addition to Kurikawa Sana, the video shows that many audience members were in tears, especially the students of Seigaku, who were all moved by Tezuka Kunimitsu's persistence.

Despite an arm injury, Tezuka Kunimitsu resolutely fought for nearly two to three hours for Seigaku's victory and to shoulder his captaincy. By the end, it had become a test of willpower, with each goal echoing the unyielding spirit of this man.

Kunimitsu Tezuka is indeed a powerful and admirable man.

So, does she like the other person more?

The light from the computer screen shone on the boy's purple hair, and the cool light made his expression look even more indifferent.

He suddenly remembered that the last time she came to Rikkai University to find him, she said sorry to him and promised that she would never do that again.

At that time, he thought, when she said "I won't do this again", did she mean that she would give up pursuing him alone, or give up pursuing all the people she had confessed to?

Kunimitsu Tezuka was also one of the people she confessed her love to.

So, she hasn't been to Kanagawa or Rikkai University recently. Is it because she gave up on him and only pursued Tezuka Kunimitsu?

Or is there someone else besides Kunimitsu Tezuka?

Yukimura Seiichi's indifferent gaze swept lightly between Atobe Keigo, Fuji Shusuke and Obuta Yuushi in the video recording.

So, she just doesn't like him?

“…”

Never mind, thinking about these questions was too boring. He didn't care about the answers to these questions, but no one liked the feeling of being fooled, and the "Son of God" was no exception.

Back to the question I initially thought about -

Yukimura Seiichi picked up his cell phone, his fingertips dancing on the keyboard, and sent a text message to Kurikawa Sana's number.

——The last time.

This really is the last time, he thought.

Even though he was not familiar with her, and could not even be considered a "friend" for the time being, as a normal human being, he should have awe for life and the most basic empathy. He could not bear to watch her willfully consume and wear out her health.

It is just to remind the other party to receive scientific treatment in time. It is just to fulfill the empathy and reminder obligations that an ordinary person should do. It has nothing to do with anything else.

This is really the last reminder.

After sending the message, Yukimura Seiichi was about to close his computer.

The image on the computer screen was still frozen at that moment. The black-haired girl's eyes were sparkling with tears, and her indescribable beauty and sorrow almost overflowed the screen.

“…”

Yukimura Seiichi paused for a second.

At the same time, his cell phone vibrated - it was Kurikawa Sana who replied to the message.

Yukimura Seiichi paused, intending to shut down his computer, and turned to look at his phone. His phone vibrated several times, and the other party had replied with more than one message.

【???】

[Yukimura? Is this Yukimura from Rikkai University? Is this your number?]

Seeing the message interface that finally responded on the screen, Yukimura Seiichi's pupils shrank slightly, and he also replied to the other party -

It’s me, Yukimura Seiichi from Rikkai University.

Almost immediately, the other party showed that it had been read.

"Eh? Did Yukimura-kun send me a message before? I didn't see it!"

[Wow, did I accidentally touch it and then exit? ...I'm only just seeing your last message, Yukimura-kun!]

Thank you Yukimura-kun for your concern. I'm so happy! I'm even a little flattered! o((*^▽^*))o]

[As for my health? I'm fine. Look, I'm in great spirits! (Hands on hips) (Showy emoji)]

…

The girl's information was like a floodgate that had been opened, popping up like mushrooms after rain.

Her liveliness and cuteness seemed to overflow in each message, and Yukimura Seiichi was stunned for a rare moment.

…So she didn’t ignore his message on purpose? She just didn’t see it?

She's not angry?

After thinking for a moment, Yukimura Seiichi continued: "Kurikawa-san, you haven't yet learned about the results of the last examination at Tsuchiya General Hospital and the treatment plan given by the doctor."

Inside the room, the young man's slender fingers flew across the mobile phone keyboard, as if he was painting with a pen.

Kurikawa-san, when are you free?

【Come to Kanagawa again】