Chapter 19

In short, since things have come to this, let's just take things as they come.

I just accepted the fact that I was having dinner with a large group of people. After all, if there were too many people, those guys lurking in the dark would be even more afraid to act rashly.

Get the plan!

However, not everyone joined us. Some seniors had their own activities, so the only ones who joined us were Kikumaru Eiji, who looked like a cat, Oishi Shuichiro, who had a strange hairstyle but was very thoughtful in what he said and did, and... Fuji Shusuke, who always smiled with his eyes squinting.

I looked at Fuji Shusuke a few more times.

Of course, Echizen Ryoma's teammates were all handsome men in their own unique ways, but Fuji Shusuke's temperament stood out among the crowd. His flaxen hair was layered, his fair skin was incredibly smooth, with not a single pore visible. His angular features were framed by delicate features, and he squinted his eyes, always smiling with a calm and relaxed expression. He gave people a refreshing feeling, and standing next to him made one's mood inexplicably brighten...

Compared with other stiff and smelly teno boys (especially Echizen Ryoma), he looks like a noble young man who walked out of a book.

Elegant, so elegant!

But, if he squints, can he really see?

I was thinking when I met his eyes suddenly. The feeling of being caught on the spot made me look away immediately in embarrassment, so I didn't see the corners of his lips slightly raised.

Being caught peeking... social demise, it's just too social demise!!

The group came to a nearby ramen restaurant.

"Welcome!"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall man wearing an apron. He was wearing a mask and his head was wrapped with a white towel, but a few strands of blond hair were still exposed.

Most importantly—

Brother, you don’t think that no one will recognize you if you wear a mask, right?

You are basically Furuya Rei!!

My pupils couldn't help but tremble. After all, just a moment ago I was a referee on the court, and in less than half an hour I'd transformed myself into a ramen shop employee. Who wouldn't say "suspicious"?!

However, no one except me seemed suspicious...

I watched them calmly nod to Zero, who was disguised as a waiter, and then walked in to find a seat.

"Miss?"

With a smile in his eyes, Rei Furuya reminded me in a pointed way,

"Please go in... Don't keep your friends waiting too long..."

Only then did I walk in as if I had just woken up from a dream.

Seeing that I looked a little strange, Echizen Ryoma couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

I looked at Rei Furuya, who had perfectly integrated into his new persona, skillfully introducing the shop's specialty ramen and its preparation to the other members of the tennis club. I watched as everyone else seemed oblivious to anything odd. I shook my head, hesitant to speak, and began to change the subject.

"It's okay, Ryoma. You'll treat me, right?"

Well, it's a statement, not a question.

Before Echizen Ryoma could say anything, Kikumaru Eiji sniffed the air and came over. He patted him on the shoulder and announced loudly to everyone:

"Pass it on, Little One is going to treat all of us to ramen!"

Everyone cheered, and I silently lit a candle for Ryoma Echizen's wallet.

It doesn’t matter. Don’t feel sorry for a man’s money. Feeling sorry for a man’s money will bring you bad luck for the rest of your life!

What's more, this brat seems to have never lacked money since he was a child. He has all kinds of pocket money and prize money from various competitions... He might have been financially independent for a long time!

With this in mind, I ordered the most expensive ramen set meal in the store without hesitation.

Then he patted his shoulder and said seriously: "Thank you, you are such a good person."

Echizen Ryoma: “…”

There's really no need for good guy cards or anything like that.

While waiting, we started chatting, mainly with Senior Kikumaru. He was quite talkative and outgoing, and since I was a new face, he kept asking me questions.

For example—

"What grade is your junior? Where does she go to school?"

"Currently, I'm in the third year of junior high school at XX Junior High School..."

"So what does the schoolgirl like to do?"

--Do you believe in eating, sleeping and playing games?

Of course, in order to maintain my image as a sweet, lovely and pretty school girl in everyone’s mind, I would definitely not answer like this.

So I thought about it, and said slowly with a thoughtful expression:

"As for me... I don't have many hobbies. If I have to say, I like staying at home and reading..."

Comic books are also books, but there’s no need to describe them in such detail, right?

"Also... I like to appreciate some works of art..."

The fairy cosplays and various fairy merchandise that the ladies have created are a form of art! !

"And... flowers and plants. I've recently gotten into growing plants..."

Cactus is also a kind of plant, right?!

Kikumaru Eiji's eyes lit up as he praised me, "You're such a pretty schoolgirl! Even your hobbies are unique... reading, art, and gardening—you seem quite elegant..."

I was very pleased with this and smiled triumphantly.

However, Echizen Ryoma ruthlessly retorted, "How could I not have known you had such a noble hobby? Tell me, what plants do you like to grow?"

Echizen Ryoma, you really are here to tear me down, right?!

but--

I smiled with ease and said, "I've recently taken a liking to raising cacti... Longma, you probably don't know this. After all, we haven't seen each other for so many years. There are definitely some things you don't understand. Don't worry, when I have time, I'll definitely come to your house more often to visit and learn more..."

What this means is that when you have time, go to your house and complain to Aunt Lunzi!

Echizen Ryoma naturally understood what I meant, sneered, and turned his head away.

To solidify my image, I continued to show off the knowledge I had recently learned from my senior cactus expert on how to grow cacti. "Although everyone has the impression that cacti are easy to grow and can grow even without water in very harsh environments, the actual situation is not entirely like that... For example, the White Star variety is not very resistant to direct sunlight, and its roots are prone to rot. Therefore, you must regularly loosen the soil and ventilate it. Even in summer, it should not be exposed to direct sunlight..."

Perhaps Ryoma Echizen himself didn't expect that I knew so much, and was stunned on the spot.

Not only him, everyone else also looked stunned. Could it be that this topic was too boring?

I was just about to open my mouth to make amends, but I didn't expect that the first person to support me was Fuji Shusuke, who had remained silent the whole time.

He clapped his hands at me with a smile on his face. His gentle voice had a slight nasal and hoarseness, a characteristic of a cold. I found it pleasant and familiar. "Xiaoquan-sister, what you said is very good. It seems you're really taking good care of your cactus!"

I felt a little embarrassed by his praise.

Oishi nodded first and explained, "Fuji also likes to play with flowers and plants. To get his approval, it seems that Koizumi-san is also an expert..."

I was stunned. So Senior Fuji likes to fiddle with flowers and plants?

Fuji Shusuke picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said, "Generally speaking, people who like to play with flowers and plants are kind-hearted people..."

At this moment, I noticed his bony hand when he grabbed the teacup. It was slender but powerful, so white and clean. Suddenly, my mind flashed with the fingers passing through the green branches and leaves, twisting the blooming buds, and plucking out beautiful arcs. The white and spotless ones and the tender green and colorful ones combined together to form a strong contrast.

When I raised my eyes slightly, I met a pair of eyes that contained the sky. I don't know when Fuji Shusuke opened his eyes, and he was looking at me gently. His eyes were so blue and bright, as if he could see through my whole body and even my soul.

When I thought about how I had just been fiddling with the insignificant knowledge I had borrowed from others in front of him, I felt a sense of guilt.

Like playing with flowers and plants, kind-hearted and gentle... No one has ever used these adjectives to describe me...

Besides, this is just my disguise.

So, I lowered my head in panic, not daring to meet his gaze, and replied in a sly voice:

"Hahahaha, really? This is the first time I've heard that..."

Maybe it was because I felt too guilty, I felt my ears were burning.

Ryoma Echizen frowned and was about to ask me why I knew so much, when Rei, disguised as a waiter, suddenly appeared with ramen in his hand.

"Everyone, your ramen is here!"

He had no choice but to suppress all his doubts.

After that, we went our separate ways. Echizen Ryoma offered to take me to the bus, but I couldn't resist, so I followed him to the nearest station, planning to get the change after he left.

"When did you learn so much about cactus care?"

He suddenly asked this.

I glared at him and replied angrily, "Why do you look so skeptical? I've already told you that I'm really raising a cactus recently..."

Even though that cactus died heroically in the explosion, the care and love I poured into it are real, okay...

"What I mean is, why are you suddenly growing cacti lately? You've been a plant and animal killer since you were a kid. None of the tomato seedlings you used to grow in biology class survived more than three days..."

"Hey, hey, hey, are you bringing up the past to mock me?"

"That's a very reasonable suspicion."

"...Because my boyfriend likes to keep cacti, and Aunt Huimei happened to bring me a pot of cactus when she was on a business trip, so I wanted to try it out. I didn't expect it to be so good."

Before I could finish my words, Echizen Ryoma suddenly stopped, and his mind suddenly recalled the description of his boyfriend that this guy had given him in the past:

--My boyfriend... has a great personality, a nice voice, and excellent academic performance. He always wins awards in city math competitions... He's also multi-talented, playing many musical instruments... He likes small animals and plants (specifically cacti)... And, like you, he can play tennis...

Besides, what's this guy's online name?

--I really like Fujiya.

An absurd thought gradually formed in his mind. It was so absurd that he almost exclaimed without thinking: "Is your boyfriend Fuji-senpai?"

I was stunned, and then blurted out:

"Are you crazy or am I?"