Chapter Twenty-Nine

Time seemed to be fast-forwarded; the chirping of cicadas in summer went from being immature to mellow, and then gradually dissipated in the autumn wind.

In the blink of an eye, Zhiyu's skirt had already swept over the last step of the elementary school, and she was about to step into the gates of junior high school.

Yu Feng has long since shed his youthful naiveté. As the captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club, he led the team through numerous challenges this year, successfully winning the national championship trophy and standing at the pinnacle of junior tennis.

Yukimura chose to retire last year, bidding farewell to the tennis court where he had dominated for many years. He opened a small art studio in Tokyo and frequently holds solo exhibitions. His brushstrokes reveal a gentleness and delicacy that he had never shown on the tennis court.

Although Tezuka has not officially announced his retirement from tennis, he has gradually faded from the court and focused more on coaching club members.

On the day of Zhiyu's elementary school graduation ceremony, the sun shone exceptionally brightly.

Yukimura and Hanyu specially canceled all their work to attend. Standing in the crowd, their eyes were always on that small figure in the graduation gown, their eyes full of pride.

After the ceremony, the students dispersed in twos and threes. Zhiyu was about to walk toward her parents at the school gate when a boy suddenly rushed over, his face flushed, clutching a small button in his hand. His voice trembled with nervousness: "Zhiyu, I... I hope you can accept my button."

Zhiyu paused for a moment, then politely shook her head, her voice clear and firm: "Thank you for your kind offer, but I cannot accept it."

The boy's face turned even redder, as if he had mustered all his courage to say those words. After being rejected, he didn't linger and turned to run away quickly.

This scene was witnessed by Yukimura and Yuzuru, who were not far away. The two exchanged a smile. Yuzuru shook his head helplessly: "Just graduated from elementary school? That's too young."

Yukimura smiled faintly, his tone somewhat indulgent: "She's too young. She should be in junior high school at least."

Yuzuru raised an eyebrow in surprise and turned to look at him: "I didn't expect you to be so open-minded. I thought you would be very strict and would wait until Zhiyu graduates from university before you could do it."

Upon hearing this, Yukimura's smile froze for a moment. He opened his mouth, but ultimately only uttered a meaningful silence: "..."

Outside the school gate, Yu Feng was already waiting there on his silver-gray bicycle, his posture upright, wearing the Seigaku uniform, attracting frequent glances from the girls passing by.

Yukimura and Hanyu told Chiyo to "go home early today" before heading back to prepare celebratory dishes.

Zhiyu skipped and hopped up to Yufeng, her eyes sparkling: "Brother Yufeng, are you here to give me a graduation gift?"

Yu Feng nodded and parked his bicycle: "Yes."

"What kind of graduation gift does Brother Yufeng want?" Zhiyu tilted her head, looking troubled. "I haven't decided yet, I've been struggling with this for a long time."

Yu Feng reached out and gently took her small hand in his. The warmth in his palm was still comforting and reassuring: "Anything is fine. I'll like anything you give me."

Zhiyu felt a sweet warmth in her heart and asked again, "Brother Yufeng is going to go straight to the Qingxue Junior High School, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Yu Feng's voice was firm.

"That's great!" Zhiyu's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "I want to go to Seigaku too! I want to visit all the places where Yufeng-gege is, and I want to study in the same school as you."

Looking at her excited expression, Yu Feng smiled gently and added, "Mom said your painting won an award, the gold medal in the National Youth Painting Competition. Congratulations!"

"Hehe," Zhiyu scratched her head shyly, her face full of pride, "I will continue to work hard! I want to draw more beautiful pictures in the future, and maybe I can even hold an art exhibition like Dad's!"

The two walked hand in hand slowly toward Yukimura's residence. Back in Zhiyu's room, Yufeng took a long gift box from his backpack and handed it to her.

Zhiyu couldn't wait to open it. Inside was a brand new set of watercolor paints, with rich and bright colors. It was the limited edition she had her eye on at the art store a while ago.

"Wow! It's a new watercolor set!" she exclaimed in surprise, throwing herself into Yu Feng's arms and giving him a big hug. "I was just thinking of going to check it out and buy a set during the holidays. Thank you so much, Brother Yu Feng!"

After saying that, she let go of his hand and excitedly took out the paints one by one to look at them. Her fingertips gently stroked the labels on the paint tubes, her eyes full of love.

Yu Feng's outstretched hand was still suspended in mid-air, seemingly still retaining the soft touch of their embrace, and a faint blush quietly rose to his ears.

In the evening, Tezuka and Mina also came to celebrate, bringing Chiyo a brand new game console.

"Wow! Thank you, Uncle Tezuka and Aunt Mina!" Zhiyu jumped up happily, clutching the game console. "I've wanted this for so long! I can finally play with Aiko and the others!"

Yukimura and Yuzuru gave him a Lego set that Chiyu had been talking about for half a year. It was an exquisite castle model with densely packed parts, which looked very challenging.

For dinner, we had a steaming hot pot. The broth in the pot was bubbling and boiling, with various ingredients tumbling inside, filling the air with a wonderful aroma.

The sesame paste was the one Yuzuru brought back from his business trip to China last time. It was rich and fragrant, and when mixed with the ingredients, it tasted exceptionally delicious. Everyone was very satisfied with the meal, and there was constant laughter.

After dinner, the adults sat in the living room chatting when Mina suddenly mentioned, "Tezuka is also preparing to announce his retirement. He will officially announce it after the club's selection process ends."

After hearing this, Yuzuru and Yukimura both congratulated Tezuka. Yukimura and Tezuka chatted about the current state of the tennis world and discussed some directions for future career development, their words filled with mutual understanding and support.

Meanwhile, Mina pulled Yuzuru aside to gossip, whispering, "Echizen's going to be a father again!"

Yuzuru's eyes widened in surprise: "Huh? Really?"

“Of course it’s true,” Mina nodded. “I heard she’s already three months along and is having quite a strong reaction. She’ll be going back to China to rest and recuperate soon.”

"Is Echizen also retiring?" Yuzuru asked curiously.

Mina shook her head: "I haven't heard that. He seems to want to play for a few more years, but he'll probably gradually reduce the number of matches he plays."

Inside the room, Yu Feng was helping Zhi Yu set up the Lego castle.

Zhiyu lay on the carpet, diligently assembling the parts. Yufeng sat beside her, occasionally handing her tools, his gentle gaze fixed on her focused profile.

“During my vacation after graduation, I should go to a training camp,” Yu Feng suddenly said. “There are exchange matches with tennis clubs abroad, and I need to go to Osaka for a month of closed training.”

Zhiyu paused in assembling the parts, looked up, and said with a look of disappointment, "Oh? Then we won't see each other for a long time. I'm going to Kanagawa during my vacation to visit my grandparents and maternal grandparents. I'll probably be staying for about a month."

"Yes, that's right." Yu Feng looked at her, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible melancholy.

Zhiyu puffed out her cheeks, looking a little aggrieved: "We've never been apart for so long before."

"Yes." Yu Feng's voice lowered a few degrees.

Zhiyu put down the parts she was holding, turned to look at him, and asked with bright eyes, "Brother Yufeng, won't you miss me?"

Yu Feng met her gaze and nodded earnestly without the slightest hesitation: "I can't bear to part with it."

Upon hearing this, Zhiyu immediately smiled, her eyes crinkling like starlight: "I knew Brother Yufeng would miss me! You must do your best in training, and if I have the chance, I will definitely come to watch your match!"

Looking at her radiant smile, Yu Feng felt a warmth in his heart and solemnly promised, "I will do my best!"

After saying that, he took out a small amulet pouch from his pocket, exactly the same as the one he had given her before, and handed it to her: "You can keep this for now."

Zhiyu took the bag, opened it, and sure enough, there was a white shirt button inside, from Yufeng Junior High School's uniform. She carefully put the bag away, placing it together with the button from before, and hid it in her desk drawer, as if treasuring two heavy promises.

"I'll keep it safe and wait for you to come back from training camp," Zhiyu said earnestly, her eyes full of determination.

Yu Feng looked at her and softly hummed in agreement.

Lego pieces were scattered on the carpet, forming the outline of half a castle. Warm yellow light spilled across the table, overlapping the shadows of the two people, as gentle as honey.

Zhiyu suddenly stopped what she was doing, turned her head to look at Yufeng beside her, her eyelashes fluttering gently like butterfly wings, her voice carrying a hint of mischievous excitement: "Brother Yufeng, do you still remember what you said before?"

Yu Feng was helping her sort through the small parts when he heard this. He paused, looked up at her, and asked, "What did you say?"

His gaze was clear and earnest, carrying the purity unique to a young person.

Zhiyu pursed her lips, a faint blush rising on her cheeks, but she still mustered her courage and slowly moved closer to his face.

The two drew closer and closer, and he could smell the faint scent of soap on him, mixed with the aroma of sunshine.

Zhiyu tilted her head slightly and gently kissed his warm cheek, like a soft flower petal falling.

"If we can kiss in junior high, right?" she said, then immediately stepped back a little, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him like a little fox who had just stolen a piece of candy.

Yu Feng's face instantly flushed red, spreading from his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears, and even his neck turned a light pink.

He stood frozen in place, his fingertips still hovering in mid-air, as if he could still feel the soft touch on his cheek, his heart pounding as if it would shatter his chest.

After a long while, he finally found his voice, which was slightly hoarse, and softly replied, "Yes, I remember."

Zhiyu looked at his flushed cheeks and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She winked at him playfully and said, "This is your graduation gift, Yufeng-gege. Do you like it?"

Looking at her radiant smile, Yu Feng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he slowly nodded, his voice as soft as a feather: "I like it."

The air in the room seemed to freeze, leaving only the two people's slightly rapid breathing and the occasional chirping of cicadas outside the window.

Moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, falling on Zhiyu's smiling eyes and Yufeng's blushing ears, quietly hiding this sudden, youthful flutter in the summer night breeze.