Chapter 55

It's already November.

The maple leaves in the courtyard were ablaze. Xiaokong had grown into a majestic, shaggy golden dog, running like a rolling ball of sunlight. Atobe Keigo called with new news, his voice filled with the unique, irrepressible excitement of a young man.

"U-17 training camp?" I leaned against the pillar under the porch and watched Xiaokong chasing a falling maple leaf in the yard.

"Yeah." His voice came through the receiver, the faint noise of hitting balls and running in the background. "Japan's strongest junior high school teams have been called up. Closed training for two months. Hyotei's regular players are all on the list."

He paused, a barely perceptible hint of guilt in his tone, "...before the competition ends at the end of December, it might be... inconvenient to contact you."

"Got it," I replied, my fingertips unconsciously twisting the phone cord. "Train well."

"Of course!" His voice instantly rose, carrying the absolute confidence of an Ice Emperor. "Just wait and see me step onto a world-class stage!"

In the following days, I heard about life in the training camp from him.

The hellish amount of training, those monstrous high school seniors, Rikkai University's Sanada has evolved again, and that first-year brat Echizen Ryoma of Seigaku is still so arrogant that it makes people want to touch him...

The boy's lively voice dispelled the chill of late autumn.

The days passed by in a mixture of busyness and waiting. The management of the closed training camp was extremely strict, but Atobe always found a way. At a fixed time every week, the video call request would light up on time.

The phone screen lights up and the call is connected.

A sweaty but energetic face appeared in the picture.

His silver-gray hair seemed even shorter, accentuating his jawline. Sweat trickled down his neck, wetting the collar of his sweatshirt. His tanned skin glowed with health under the training camp lights.

In just a few weeks, the immaturity between his brows seemed to have been polished away, his eyes becoming deeper and sharper, like a blade unsheathed, with a tempered, steady edge. Visible growth and increasingly compelling handsomeness.

"How's it going, Captain?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at the high-spirited face on the screen. He had proudly announced that he had become the captain of the junior high school team.

"Hmph," he raised his chin slightly, his eyes revealing undisguised pride and self-righteousness, "Apart from me, who else is worthy of this position?" His cocky look hadn't changed at all.

"Woof woof!" A huge golden head suddenly squeezed into the camera, and the wet black nose almost touched the screen.

It’s Xiaokong.

It was so excited when it heard Teibe's voice that it struggled to get into my arms, its big tail wagging like a propeller and a coquettish whimpering coming from its throat.

"Xiaokong! Stop it!" I held down its big furry head, trying to push it away a little, feeling both amused and helpless.

"Tsk, this guy has gained weight again?" Atobe's voice came from the screen with a smile, "It seems you fed it too well."

"Woof!" Xiaokong seemed to understand and barked at the screen in dissatisfaction. He then tried to move his head closer to the camera and stretched out his pink tongue to lick Echigo on the screen.

"Hey, hey, hey! It's so dirty! Don't lick the screen!" Atobe shouted in disgust, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

A man and a dog "interact" across the screen, which is childish and heartwarming.

After a few more video calls like this, some "discordant" notes began to appear in the background from Atobe's side.

In the middle of a phone call, Atobe was analyzing the playing style of a tough high school opponent with me.

Suddenly, a fiery red head popped out from behind Atobe's shoulder, and Mukaito's baby face was full of gossip and excitement: "Wow! Atobe! Video chatting with the 'mysterious man' again!"

"Let me see, let me see! Is this the legendary girlfriend?!" he yelled while trying to put his face in front of the camera.

"Miraculous!" Atobe's face darkened instantly. He pushed the obstructing red head away and said threateningly, "Go around the field twenty times! Now! Immediately!"

"Ah?! No, Atobe! I was wrong, I was wrong!" Xiangri wailed as he was ruthlessly pushed out of the camera range.

Oshitari pushed up his glasses and slowly sauntered into the camera's edge, his Kansai accent brimming with the leisure of a man watching a play: "Ah, it seems even the Emperor of Hyotei has his share of troubles with 'family matters'?"

"It disappears at this time every week without fail...tsk tsk, it's hard not to make associations." The eyes behind the lenses accurately swept across the screen where I was holding the dog, with a mischievous smile.

"Inuzuka." The veins on Atobe's forehead jumped.

"Hey, I'll go supervise Gakuto's laps." Oshitari raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Before leaving, he added meaningfully to the camera, "Mysterious man, I'll leave it to you to comfort the 'husband-waiting rock' in the training camp."

After saying that, he quickly slipped away.

"Yuushi Oshizuka! Double the training volume!" Atobe growled in anger and was locked outside the door by Oshizuka.

On this side of the screen, I looked at Atobe's handsome face, which rarely showed embarrassment but forced calmness, and then looked at Xiaokong in his arms who was still trying to rub his saliva onto the screen, and finally I couldn't help laughing out loud.

The chill of late autumn seemed to be dispelled by the noise across the screen and the young people's unconcealable love.

On the other side of the screen, Tobe looked at me and smiled, exuding a helpless yet indulgent warmth, and his ears were quietly stained a faint red under the light.

The biting December wind, carrying the salty smell of the sea, hits you in the face, but the Okinawa sunshine generously spreads its warmth.

The school trip bus stopped at the edge of the blue coast. As soon as the door opened, Rie Tanaka and I rushed towards the soft white sand and clear waves like two birds escaping from a cage, screaming.

"The sea! The ripples! It's the sea!" Tanaka excitedly took my hand and stepped barefoot into the cool water, splashing a shimmering spray. The sea breeze lifted our hair and skirts, and the sun fell on our skin, warm and cozy.

This was the first time in my life that I truly stood on the beach. The sense of freedom brought by the vastness filled my chest with a salty joy.

It seems that the overseas training ground for Atobe and his U-17 teammates is also by the sea.

Last night, during the video call, the sound of waves could be faintly heard in the background. He spoke with a hint of pride as he talked about how magnificent the ocean view was over there, and how arduous yet fulfilling the training was.

At that time, I was just busy excitedly packing my swimsuit and sunscreen, nodding off with "um" and "ah", while my mind had already flown away to the blue sea and sky of Okinawa.

Misaki Yamamoto didn't join the school trip this time. It was said that the Yamamoto family had recently encountered some "minor troubles" in their business, and her father was in a state of panic, so she naturally had no mood for fun.

This news made me smile a little.

Without the buzzing flies, even the sea breeze feels fresher.

Tanaka and I put on our swimsuits and chased each other in the shallows, our laughter carried far away by the sea breeze. Just as I bent down to pick up a shell washed up by the waves, the phone in my pocket vibrated.

When I took it out and took a look, it turned out to be a video request sent by Yuushi Ozawa?

I was a little surprised, but I still clicked the answer.

The screen shook, then stabilized.

What appeared in the camera was not Oshitari's smiling face with a Kansai accent, but a golden beach and the tall figure on the beach who was so familiar that he was doing stretching exercises.

Atobe Keigo.

He was wearing only a pair of black sports shorts, and sweat rolled down his broad shoulders and tight back muscles, reflecting a honey-like luster in the sunlight.

His hair was a little messy from the sea breeze, and the profile of his face looked even more three-dimensional and profound in the strong light, like a carefully carved statue. He was concentrating on moving his wrists and ankles, his movements full of power and smooth beauty, and he was completely unaware that he was being secretly photographed.

"Hey, Kiriyama," Oshitari's voice came from outside the camera, with a smile on his face, very low, with a hint of mischief, "live broadcast, you're welcome. Look at this gorgeous creature who brings the spotlight wherever he goes. Wow, the lethality..."

The camera scans the surroundings at the right time.

Sure enough, under a parasol not far away, several blonde white girls in bikinis were gathered together, staring at Atobe with burning eyes, whispering about something excitedly, with undisguised surprise and interest on their faces.

This guy... I secretly complained, he really is the focus generator wherever he goes.

"Yeah, I see." I said to the screen in a calm tone, even with a hint of objective evaluation, "You've maintained a good figure, and your stretching posture is also standard."

"Oshitari-kun, your candid photography skills need to be improved, the camera is a little shaky."

"..." The screen was silent for a second, and then Ninja's suppressed chuckle could be heard, "Your reaction... is truly amazing."

He seemed to want to say something, but the camera suddenly shook violently, probably because Atobe discovered him.

I decisively pressed the hang-up button.

The world is quiet.

I stuffed my phone back into the waterproof bag as if nothing had happened and continued to splash around in the shallow water with Tanaka.

On the beach at the U-17 training camp.

Atobe Keigo frowned and snatched the phone that Oshitari was trying to hide: "Oshitari Yuushi! What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing, nothing," Oshitari said, pushing up his glasses and smiling innocently, "I just wanted to let Kiriyama appreciate the 'high-quality sea view' of our training camp."

Atobe's temples twitched, and just as he was about to explode, his own cell phone rang.

It was a video request from Rie Tanaka.

He frowned in confusion. Why would Tanaka suddenly look for him?

But he still walked to the lounge chair next to him, sat down, and connected the video.

"Mr. Atobe! Good afternoon!" Tanaka's energetic voice came out, the camera was shaking violently, and the background was the noisy sound of waves and laughter.

"What's the matter?" Atobe's voice was slightly hoarse from training.

"Hey, it's nothing serious, it's just..." Tanaka's voice was a little cunning, "I want to give you some beautiful scenery! Watch it carefully!"

The camera suddenly turned, no longer focusing on Tanaka's face, but on figures playing on the beach in the distance.

The moment he saw the picture clearly, Atobe's breathing suddenly stopped!

It is hidden in the fog and mountains.

She wore a royal blue bikini that was simple in design but showed off her amazing curves.

Her fair skin seemed to glow in the sun, her long neck, graceful shoulders and back, slender yet powerful waist, and her straight long legs, every inch of her was breathtakingly perfect.

She was facing away from the camera, bending over to grope for something in the shallow water. Her long, seaweed-like hair was blown by the sea breeze, revealing her smooth nape and beautiful butterfly bones. Fine sand clung to her calves, and water droplets rolled down her smooth skin.

The next second, a naughty wave came and wet her back.

Water droplets slid down her smooth back, and a playful line of water followed her slender waist, disappearing at the edge of her bikini bottoms, outlining a plump curve that would make one's blood boil...

“Snap!”

Atobe felt like something in his brain suddenly snapped, and a stream of scorching heat suddenly rushed to his head.

"Wow! Atobe! What interesting things are you looking at? I want to see it too!" Oshitari leaned over with his curious head.

Like a cat whose tail was stepped on, Atobe reacted with astonishing speed.

He suddenly pressed the screen of his mobile phone against his chest, and with his other hand, he grabbed the large white towel draped on the chair next to him and covered his thighs with it.

The action is done in one go, as fast as lightning!

His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, the thump-thump-thump sound numbing his eardrums. Blood seemed to be rushing to places it shouldn't be, and his cheeks and ears were incredibly hot.

The screen was still held tightly against his chest, as if he could feel the burning impact of the breathtaking beauty in the picture just now through the phone case.

"Hey, hey, hey! Atobe! That's so mean!" Oshitari shouted dissatisfiedly.

At this moment, Oshitari's gaze fell on Atobe's face. His eyes behind the lenses widened instantly, and with an expression of disbelief and astonishment, his voice suddenly rose:

"Atobe! You...you're bleeding from your nose?!"

Atobe subconsciously raised his hand and wiped it - and sure enough, his fingertips were stained with a glaring bright red!

boom--!

The huge sense of shame instantly overwhelmed him like a tsunami, making him more embarrassed than losing any game!

"Shut up!" Tsuchiya growled, no longer caring about anything else. He jumped up from the chair like a lit cannonball, covering his nose tightly with one hand, and holding the towel covering his legs with the other hand, and ran towards the lounge.

That back view was filled with unprecedented embarrassment and panic.

Rushing into the lounge, he splashed cold water on his forehead and the back of his neck, finally stopping the embarrassing nosebleed that had been spilling into the Pacific Ocean. Looking in the mirror at his red ears and disheveled appearance, he cursed in frustration.

He took out his cell phone, and with trembling fingers, he quickly sent a message to Tanaka Rie.

[Atobe Keigo]: Send me all the photos and videos.

[Tanaka Rie]: [Shocked.jpg] Atobe-sama! What...what do you want this for?

[Atobe Keigo]: You can set the conditions.

[Tanaka Rie]: ...[covering her mouth and laughing.jpg] I understand! Atobe-sama is so impressive! (PS: Since you're so sincere, I'll take a few more photos! Guaranteed high-definition!)

The sea breeze is cool at night in Okinawa.

After taking a shower, I sat on the hotel balcony in my comfortable pajamas, looking at the sparkling sea in the moonlight in the distance.

The phone rang, it was a video request from Atobe.

Connected.

The screen showed him as if he had just taken a shower, with wet hair hanging on his forehead. He was wearing a simple T-shirt, and the background was the training camp dormitory.

However, there seemed to be a suspicious blush on his cheeks and ears, and his eyes were a little vague, and he didn't dare to look directly into the camera.

"Ahem...did you have fun?" His voice was much deeper and hoarse than usual.

"Yeah! Very happy!" I nodded with a smile, the excitement of the beach still not completely fading. "The sea in Okinawa is so blue, and the sand is so soft! But..."

"What is it?" Atobe asked immediately.

"I just don't know what to wear tomorrow." I complained casually, "I brought too few pretty swimsuits..."

"You don't need to wear a swimsuit!" Atobe blurted out, his tone firm and unquestionable.

Then he seemed to realize that he had overreacted, coughed to cover it up, and softened his voice, "Um... I had someone send you a new set of clothes. Tomorrow... wear that tomorrow."

"New clothes?" I wondered. "What clothes?"

"Well...it's just..." Atobe's eyes wandered even more, "T-shirt...and beach shorts. It's more...convenient to move around."

"What?!" My eyes widened instantly and I protested in dissatisfaction, "Who wears a T-shirt and beach shorts to the beach? What's your aesthetic sense, Keigo Atobe?"

"Anyway... no more swimsuits!" Atobe was a little angry and embarrassed, his voice tense again, and the blush on his ears seemed to deepen. "Be good! Wear that tomorrow!"

After saying that, he seemed afraid that I would refute him again, so he quickly made an excuse that he had something to do at the training camp and hung up the video.

I looked at the black screen, feeling both angry and amused.

What's wrong with this guy?

With full of doubts, I casually checked the Instagram that I downloaded for Keigo Atobe.

Pay special attention to that column, Atobe Keigo’s avatar just updated a status.

No pictures.

There is only one line of text:

"The waters of the world will meet again, the Arctic Ocean and the Nile will mingle in wet clouds."

I stared at the poem for a few seconds, and sure enough, the comment section below had exploded, like the surface of a lake after a huge rock was thrown into it.

[Oshitari Yuushi]: [lights a cigarette.jpg] Captain, take care of yourself and drink more herbal tea.

[Matsuhi Taketo]: ??? The captain's account was hacked?! What's this talking about?

[Ryo Shishido]: ...What kind of art is this Atobe doing now?

[Hochotaro]: This is Hesse's "The Last Summer of Klingsol"... It's very poetic!

【Kawachi Takahiro】: USU.

I put down my phone and walked to the balcony, where the cool sea breeze caressed my burning cheeks. Gazing at the distant, moonlit waves, I seemed to see that awkward, overbearing young man, also surrounded by the water, standing on another shoreline, on the other side of the ocean.