Awake
Tezuka suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.
A chill crept up his spine and spread throughout his body. He sat on the bed in a daze for a while, and only after his eyes adjusted to the darkness did he realize that his fingers, which were gripping the blanket tightly, were a little stiff.
He flexed his fingers, turned on the bedside lamp, and checked the time; it was only a little past 4 a.m.
His sleep quality has always been very good, especially during competitions, when his body adjusts to its best condition, and he rarely dreams, let alone experiences any fright.
Although there was no scientific basis for it, he almost immediately picked up his phone from the bedside table.
After opening his phone and seeing no new messages, he opened a blue app and watched the little red dot stay motionless in its familiar spot. Only then did his tense nerves slowly relax.
He hesitated, but ultimately did not call to bother her.
Since he couldn't sleep, Tezuka got up, took a quick shower, made himself a cup of morning tea, and sat on the balcony to start researching information about Masabit.
However, this is far too little. Information isolation and lag are two-way issues. An insignificant, impoverished region has no value that would attract global attention.
Tezuka took off his glasses, pinched his eyelids, and the worry in his heart lingered.
The tranquility of the early morning and the soothing aroma of morning tea failed to calm him down.
At 5:30, his alarm clock, unchanged for years, rang. After he turned it off, a phone call came in.
Upon seeing the name that popped up, Tezuka's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly answered the call.
“Melodia”.
Her clear, melodious voice came through the receiver: "Kunimitsu, good morning."
But Tezuka didn't relax because of her normal voice. He asked slowly, "It's only 4:30 over there. Has something happened?"
He Zou sat cross-legged on a deserted hill in the camp, looking up at the dazzling and magnificent Milky Way, and said to him in a coquettish tone, "I miss you, I can't sleep."
The soft voice was right next to his ear, but what touched Tezuka first, even before the joy, was heartache.
It should be "I can't sleep, I miss you," but she changed the order.
She couldn't sleep.
Tezuka got up and sat back down on the edge of the bed. His gentle, deep voice became even more focused: "Would you like to see me?"
"Without the light, Kunimitsu can't see me clearly. And..." She muttered the last few words softly, but Tezuka didn't even hear them.
Tezuka pressed the phone even closer, asking, "And what else?"
Wakana repeated herself, though her voice was still very soft and slightly nasal, but this time Tezuka heard her clearly:
"...I didn't wash my hair."
What kind of reason is that?
But thinking of how she was a little embarrassed, speaking softly with her head down, Tezuka couldn't help but smile: "Then let's turn on the rear camera in Melodia and see the night sky over Kenya."
"But……"
He Zou tried to resist for a moment, but his words of refusal were gently cut off by his voice:
"Didn't you miss me? Don't you want to see me?"
His gentle tone was like a soft coaxing in her ear, and Kozo couldn't resist his words at all, so she compromised and switched to a video call.
However, she insisted on not appearing on camera, so Tezuka's phone screen showed a deep blue sky and a spectacular starry night that was not visible from the Northern Hemisphere, looking like velvet inlaid with jewels, incomparable.
In May, the Milky Way reaches its most magnificent zenith of the year. Viewed from the equator, it is not a blurry band of light, but a collection of truly bright stars.
So even without lights, everything around us can be illuminated by starlight.
Tezuka held his breath as he stared at the scene on the screen. Even though it was the same night sky, he felt a sense of antiquity and solemnity.
"See that? The legendary Southern Cross." As if sensing his amazement, He Zou moved her phone to show him a more complete view of the night sky. "Next to it is Sagittarius, and that's Alpha Centauri."
Tezuka listened quietly to her, and the slight impatience he felt because he couldn't see her gradually subsided.
My mind finally calmed down.
He Zou tapped his handsome features on the screen and asked happily, "Isn't he beautiful?"
The tone was as if she had secretly given him a gift, hoping for his approval and praise.
A smile bloomed on Tezuka's face as he praised without hesitation, "Yes, it's beautiful. Thank you, Melodia, for letting me see such a starry sky."
Praise the starry sky, praise her.
His words and the gentleness in his voice were like the fluff of a dandelion, tickling and soothing the softest part of my heart.
He Zou held his phone, staring at the person on the screen, and remained silent for a long time.
Tezuka couldn't see her appearance at that moment, but he accurately captured her emotions. "Melodia, are you tired?"
He Zou gave a soft "hmm".
Tezuka asked again, his voice very soft: "Is it enough for me to just talk to you?"
He Zou didn't answer immediately. She bent her knees and hugged herself, resting her chin on her knees, and then softly hummed in agreement.
Tezuka then told her about the daily training routine and the match schedule.
He Zou pinched the necklace around her neck, occasionally responding with a sound.
"Is the competition starting tomorrow?"
"Hmm." Tezuka nodded, then added, "I was also lucky with the group draw; all my opponents are on the other side."
He was amused by him.
Since his goal is the championship, he will eventually face strong opponents, so the draw is neither a matter of luck nor fortune for him.
He just wanted to make her happy.
With her back to the chaotic campsite, Kanade listened to him talk incessantly, his deep, gentle voice enveloping her, as reassuring as his embrace.
Guoguang was a piece of candy for her when she was tired.
—
The French Open began the following day.
As the No. 2 seed, Tezuka's first match was scheduled for the second day, but he still had a tight schedule.
On the way to the hotel restaurant, Kobel took the opportunity to check the day's arrangements with him.
"After breakfast, training will proceed as usual. In the afternoon, I need to attend the pre-match press conference required by the FFT (French Tennis Federation) at the media center. I don't know what the point of doing these things is except wasting the players' time. By the way, several news agencies and TV stations have already requested one-on-one interviews."
Tezuka was used to her occasional witty remarks, but when she finished speaking, he made a request: "Try to reduce the number of interviews."
Kerber knew his temperament all too well, and laughed, "Don't worry, I've refused them all I could." After deftly crossing out the names of a few unnecessary media outlets, she asked him, "Do you need me to arrange physical therapy for you tonight? Or a therapist? I heard you got up very early today, are you under pressure?"
Tezuka calmly declined: "Physical therapy will suffice. Also, help me apply for a Kenyan visa."
"Hmm?" Kerber paused, his hand holding the pen pausing, and asked in surprise, "What happened?"
"No."
It's nothing, he's just missing his girlfriend.
Kerber nodded knowingly: "Okay, the tournament lasts 15 days, plenty of time." As they approached the restaurant, she suddenly remembered something, "Oh, right, your opponent in your first match tomorrow—"
Good morning, Kunimitsu.
Upon seeing the person who had sent the greeting, Kobel looked as if he had seen a ghost and continued speaking to Tezuka in German: "There, it's him."
The restaurant was bustling with people, many of whom were contestants and media reporters. Paul greeted Tezuka with a friendly smile.
Tezuka ignored his outstretched hand without any hesitation and walked straight past him.
But for some reason, he seemed very persistent about provoking Tezuka. As Tezuka brushed past him, he chuckled in a smug tone, "I'm looking forward to tomorrow's match."
Tezuka seemed not to hear and walked towards the table where his team was.
Kerber glanced back at the Frenchman who was standing there smiling sweetly at her, and said with a disgusted look, "What kind of lunatic is this? I have a feeling he's risking his career to drag you down with him."
"Stay vigilant."
"Don't worry, he won't have the chance. I won't make the same mistake I did three years ago."
Kerber's assurance, delivered on, proved true. With tight defense, Paul was not given any chance to cheat until the end of the game the next day.
As she followed Tezuka to the post-match press conference, she could still feel the strange looks he was giving her, but she couldn't be bothered to think about the thought process of a lunatic.
Anyway, the person being interviewed at the largest press conference venue at Roland Garros was her student.
The venue was already packed 10 minutes before the press conference started.
Tezuka sat calmly and composed on the stage, facing countless cameras.
After the match, he showed no signs of fatigue, his expression was clear, and his posture was upright, making it clear at a glance that he was in excellent condition.
The game ended too quickly.
Before the audience could even cheer, he won the match 6-0 in 54 minutes, taking three straight sets.
In one set, he even took only 18 minutes, breaking a record for the shortest time to complete a single set in a French Open men's singles match.
Those who once said his relationship would affect his performance in the game have quietly disappeared while watching the live stream.
The reporters were clearly aware of Tezuka's personality; questions about his private life would not elicit any response, so their questions were rigorous and professional, and the scene was orderly.
The host, who was already "unemployed," stood aside with peace of mind, watching the contestants on stage with appreciative eyes.
Everything was normal at first.
Until a reporter asked a question:
"Congratulations to Tezuka on his debut victory! The match ended very cleanly. Compared to his last match against Paul, the time was even shorter. Did you do a lot of special training to help Paul concentrate?"
Tezuka sat cross-legged on the stage, facing countless camera lenses, and calmly replied: "Defeating him is not something that requires complete concentration."
As soon as he finished speaking, the press conference hall fell silent for a moment.
The next second, the sound of camera shutters went off like crazy.
Tezuka has always been low-key, and his interviews are always very proper, mostly discussing his own skills. When has he ever made such a public statement that seems to be disrespectful to his opponents?
Anything unusual becomes news!
Unsurprisingly, this statement sparked heated discussions online.
"So cool! I love it!"
"Do these two have some kind of grudge?"
"Really? The last time we bumped into each other was three years ago, and we've hardly had any contact since then?"
"Wasn't this guy suspended for doping? He's not a very good person. He must have done something to anger Tezuka-kun before."
"It's not about showing off or provoking, it's just stating the facts. For Tezuka, who is still improving rapidly, this person is indeed not a difficult opponent."
"Didn't anyone notice that before the match started, when the two shook hands, Paul said something to Tezuka?"
"It wasn't just my imagination; I felt Tezuka's eyes turned incredibly cold for a moment!"
"To make Tezuka-kun, whose core is so incredibly stable, angry, he must have said something really outrageous."
"So what did he say?" Kerber was very curious. How did Paul manage to always step on the wrong landmines so precisely?
Tezuka remained silent.
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