France
In the afternoon, two Asian men sat by the window in a quiet restaurant in Paris.
Their different styles, yet equally exquisite appearances, frequently attract the attention of passersby. Occasionally, someone recognizes them and excitedly covers their mouth while patting their friend beside them.
Yukimura noticed the commotion outside, waved in that direction, and then gestured for silence. Seeing the other person nod vigorously, he turned his gaze back to the person sitting opposite him.
He added two more sugar cubes to his coffee cup, his tone carrying his usual gentle smile: "How was your first day of training?"
Tezuka said calmly, "Adaptation to the terrain takes time."
Yukimura was used to his behavior. "This isn't your first time playing on clay, so you'll probably get used to it soon."
As the two were talking, a strange voice suddenly came from beside them:
"Isn't that Kunimitsu?"
The sentence was spoken in English, but Tezuka heard his own name and looked up. A blond, blue-eyed man in front of him was looking at him, and the excessively bright smile on that face, which he hadn't seen for three years, made Tezuka frown slightly.
Noticing that Tezuka was unusually displeased, Yukimura turned around and was taken aback when he saw who it was.
Paulo Mbappé, one of the participants in this year's French Open.
He wasn't ranked very high, but Yukimura recognized him because he had been banned by the European Tennis Federation three years ago for unfair competition. This year, after his comeback, he earned enough points in lower-level tournaments to secure a wildcard entry to the French Open.
In addition, this person was a player for the club that Yukimura played for, and his team had previously paid close attention to him.
Did he have a grudge against Tezuka? Yukimura silently observed the man.
Seeing that Tezuka had finally noticed him, Paul strolled over to the table and stood there. He looked Tezuka up and down for a moment, then elegantly extended his hand and said in a friendly tone, "It's been three years. The super rookie from back then has grown to this extent. I knew I hadn't misjudged him. Congratulations in advance, Kunimitsu."
Compared to the other party's warm greeting, Tezuka's attitude became noticeably colder. He lowered his head, took a sip of water, and ignored the outstretched hand in front of his eyes.
Although Tezuka was aloof, he was rarely rude to anyone. Having known him for many years, Yukimura had never seen him show such obvious dislike to anyone.
Recalling what happened before and after Paul's suspension three years ago, Yukimura had some guesses in his mind. His smile remained unchanged, but his eyes turned cold.
After being ignored by Tezuka, a sinister expression appeared on Paul's effeminate face, but he quickly suppressed it and shifted his gaze to Yukimura beside him, revealing an apologetic smile, "Yukimura is here too, sorry, I just noticed you."
Yukimura seemed oblivious to the provocation and disdain in the other person's words. He raised his face and replied with a bright smile, "Senior Paul, what a coincidence, are you here for afternoon tea too?"
Although Paul had been expelled from the club three years ago, it wasn't wrong for him to call the other person "senior," but it inevitably sounded jarring to the other person.
Sure enough, when Paul heard Yukimura address him, the elegant smile that belonged to a French aristocrat almost disappeared from his face, but he had learned to be more patient now, and it wasn't the time to break off relations.
Thinking this, he seemed oblivious to the barb in Yukimura's words, maintaining a facade of politeness, leaning slightly forward, and extending an invitation to Tezuka: "Kunimitsu, you know, the clay courts of the French Open are not the hard courts you're familiar with. There are far more variables here than you imagine. Coincidentally, I also need to get back into shape quickly this year, so how about we have a pre-tournament friendly match like we did back then?"
Hearing this, Tezuka finally reacted. He put down his water glass, the bottom of which made a slight sound as it touched the table.
Such a faint, almost imperceptible sound somehow caused Paul's hand to tremble involuntarily, as if in fear, before he met Tezuka's indifferent gaze.
Tezuka looked at his once-kind senior and coldly refused, "No need."
His voice was steady, without a trace of emotion, offering not even a reason for the occasion. To Paul, it undoubtedly conveyed a sense of contempt and arrogance. This attitude and stance, a complete reversal from three years ago, was like a silent slap across Paul's face.
Before his smile faded, Paul straightened up, looked down at his two younger teammates who were still sitting calmly, and said to them with a slight smirk, "My friends are waiting for me too. See you on the court. Good luck to you both."
After speaking, she gave an elegant bow and turned to walk towards the dining table not far away.
Once Paul was out of sight, Yukimura chuckled softly and looked at Tezuka: "Looks like we're in for some trouble." His tone was relaxed, as if he wasn't too worried.
Tezuka's expression was somewhat serious: "I'm sorry, Yukimura. I've dragged you into this."
"It's nothing more than those same old tricks," Yukimura said nonchalantly.
He joined the professional tennis team a year later than Tezuka. Back then, the federation was evasive about Paul's situation at the press conference. He didn't know exactly what happened three years ago, but based on his experience over the past two years, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened.
Yukimura asked bluntly, "So you were injured because of him that year?"
"Ah." Tezuka still felt disgusted when he recalled what happened that year. He said seriously to Yukimura, "He used muscle relaxants on the rookie players that year. You have to be careful."
Upon hearing this, Yukimura's smile vanished instantly. "Didn't you say he mistakenly used amphetamine-like drugs?"
"There's no evidence regarding the relaxant." When the topic was brought up again, Tezuka felt no emotion.
Newcomers often exhibit nervousness during their first Grand Slam tournament, such as clumsy movements, decreased reaction time, and lower accuracy. This is similar to the effect of a relaxant, so even the audience does not doubt the newcomer's unusual performance on the court.
The truth is, he preserved evidence after the match and submitted his drinking water sample to the tournament director through legal channels. However, the tournament director later stated that he could not determine that Paul did it, even though the surveillance footage would have revealed the truth. Instead, he advised Paul not to abuse relaxants because he was too nervous about participating in the French Open for the first time.
In other words, the supervisor would assume that he used it voluntarily.
Injuries are commonplace for athletes, and they can use relaxants under the guidance of doctors for treatment. Therefore, most relaxants are not on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List. However, unless in extreme circumstances, athletes using relaxants during competition is tantamount to drinking poison to quench their thirst—this is common sense among athletes.
That was the first time Tezuka had personally experienced another side of pure tennis, witnessing this distorted competition that went against his values, and a deep sense of disgust arose within him.
Yukimura remained silent.
Tennis, a sport that originated among Western aristocrats, is not friendly to people with Asian features. Tezuka would only encounter more of the things that Tezuka experienced during his early career.
Looking back now, Tezuka's playing style in that game against Paul was exceptionally sharp.
Despite having won a hard-fought game and being injured, he still managed to completely overwhelm Paul with absolute and devastating strength.
"Was Paul provoked into using performance-enhancing drugs during that game?"
"ah."
"So he thinks you're the one who got him suspended?"
"perhaps."
"This is so unglamorous!"
"..."
Having successfully rendered the other person speechless, Yukimura chuckled, "Atobe's words are very fitting here~"
Tezuka adjusted his glasses, unable to refute the claim; Atobe had indeed said that when he learned of the matter.
Paul's family has a certain influence in France. The reason why the European Tennis Federation imposed a three-year ban on Paul was not only due to the undeniable drug test results, but also partly due to the influence of the Atobe family.
The heavy topic caused the two to fall silent and think for a while.
Yukimura stirred his coffee, then, as if suddenly remembering something, a mischievous glint flashed in his purple eyes. "I heard you and Kanade broke up?"
"cough!"
Tezuka, who was contemplating how to strengthen the team's defenses, choked on his coffee upon hearing this. He looked up and saw Yukimura with a curious yet innocent expression.
Tezuka: "..."
"Hehe~" Feeling the coldness emanating from his silence, Yukimura laughed even more happily, "That's what the report said."
Knowing he was joking, Tezuka put down his water glass and said coldly, "Read less entertainment news." Having frequently encountered him in various competitions and events over the past few years, he felt that Yukimura's temperament was even worse than Fuji's.
"So, when you came to Paris, did He Zou really not see you off at the airport?"
“Melodia went to Kenya two weeks ago.”
"Oh dear, this day has come so quickly." Yukimura sighed, seemingly unsurprised, at Wakana's destination, and then added, "So you were the one who got left behind? Entertainment news is indeed unreliable. Next time reporters ask you about it, I'll clarify things for you."
It was no secret that he and Tezuka were good friends, and the fact that he and Yagyu Kazuna both came from Rikkai University was also revealed. As a result, some nosy media outlets would ask him about their relationship during interviews.
Yukimura was overjoyed and even called the two of them to ask for "hush money".
“That was the first time I’d ever gotten something from Lady Yagyu,” Yukimura chuckled. “To bow down for something so small, that’s not like her at all.”
It's all for someone else.
Tezuka recalled how he and Kanade had been somewhat frantic that night, punching the living room cushions for a long time, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "She said to make you wait."
Yukimura shrugged confidently: "She probably doesn't even have time to watch your match, let alone come after me."
Tezuka raised an eyebrow: "I'm here."
"..." Yukimura's smile finally froze for a moment. Tezuka Kunimitsu's display of affection must have been his hallucination.
Tezuka remained calm and said indifferently, "Weren't we supposed to arrange a practice match?"
Yes, the hush money he asked Tezuka for was a practice match.
So, does "Just you wait" mean that someone will avenge her?
Yukimura looked at his opponent, who sat upright in front of him, with a complicated expression. He felt that he saw the shadow of his former classmate in that cold face...
Moreover, he clearly felt that Tezuka spoke more than usual when he mentioned wasaka.
Realizing this, Yukimura took the initiative to steer the conversation toward Kanade.
Listening to the stories about Wakana that he didn't know, Tezuka unconsciously revealed a faint smile.
Yukimura suddenly stopped the conversation, jokingly saying, "Alright, you'd probably like to hear more from her own mouth."
Tezuka paused, his hand holding the coffee cup still, and lowered his eyes, curving his lips slightly: "...Ah."
We've been separated for two weeks now.
Perhaps talking about Melodia with others is his way of thinking about her.
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