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Tezuka slept very soundly.
Surrounded by a reassuring atmosphere, all his physical and mental exhaustion was released, allowing him to fall into a deep sleep.
His biological clock kicked in, and he woke up naturally around 9 a.m.
The moment he opened his eyes, the unfamiliar ceiling left him momentarily stunned. Then, the familiar scent lingering around his nose reminded him where he was.
He was in her room, on her bed.
Tezuka raised his hand and touched the spot by his ear that had long since lost her warmth, a sense of peace settling over him.
He unusually didn't get up immediately, and just lay there doing nothing.
Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the slightly open curtains, where tiny dust motes danced silently. The entire room was enveloped in a languid tranquility, soothing every subtle nerve in his body.
He lay there quietly for a while, watching the sunlight, then tilted his head slightly and looked around the room for the first time.
It's simple, but not as monotonous and cold as his room.
In the distance, a small bookshelf holds a few cute little ornaments; in the corner, the orchid he gave her is just getting some sunlight; on the bedside table, there's a neurosurgery journal she reads before bed, next to a mug she often uses.
His gaze swept over her small belongings—everything here belonged to her.
"Including me."
The thought flashed through his mind, and when Tezuka caught it, he was momentarily stunned. Then he raised his hand to cover the deep smile in his eyes with the back of his hand.
After carefully considering the existentialist philosophical questions raised by those three words, he slowly sat up, picked up his glasses from the bedside table, and put them on. He then noticed that she had carefully silenced his phone and charged it.
And so the smile that had not yet faded from his face deepened even further.
He picked up his phone and opened it; the notification bar was filled with layers of messages from friends. He opened the messaging app, and at the top of the list were several greeting messages from his mother, Ayana.
"Xiao Guang, did you land safely?"
"Remember to let me know you arrive safely."
"You've worked hard in training and the competition, so get some rest."
Seeing his mother's concerned words, Tezuka's eyes softened, and he replied simply, "I have arrived safely, please rest assured."
Less than a minute after the message was sent, the phone screen lit up; it was a video call from my mother.
Tezuka paused for a moment, but quickly tidied his messy hair and collar before pressing the call button.
"Hikaru!" Ayana's happy smile appeared on the screen. She was also seeing her son through a screen, but reading the report and video chatting with him directly were different. She carefully looked at her son's face. "I'm relieved to see your reply. You must be exhausted after this competition."
"I'm fine, Mom, don't worry." Tezuka looked at his mother, his expression softening considerably.
Ayana knew her son never complained, so she grumbled with concern, "What's so good about it? This competition schedule is so tight, he's been working non-stop for over a month, he must be exhausted. Huh...?" Suddenly, her gaze shifted from her son's face to a pendant in his background, and she asked with wide eyes, "Hikaru, where are you right now?"
That eerie yet adorable miniature skeleton was definitely not her son's style. Upon discovering this strange place, she immediately scanned the area visible through the camera lens and was certain that this was not her son's room.
Just as Ayana had her answer, she heard her son's very honest voice come through the radio: "Here in Melodia."
"Oh, I knew it!" Ayana chuckled, covering her mouth, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Where's Kanade?"
Under his mother's teasing gaze, Tezuka showed no embarrassment and calmly stated, "I've already gotten up early to go to the hospital for my internship."
Ayana looked her son over carefully again and found that he did indeed look well and was in a good mood. This deepened her smile, which was filled with understanding and affection: "It seems that what our little Hikaru said about 'being very good' is true~"
To her surprise, her son, who was not used to showing his emotions, nodded at her and smiled slightly: "Hmm... I rested very well."
Ayana paused for a moment, because of the unconscious affection and tenderness in her son's words. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen such a relaxed and gentle expression on her son's face, that look of relief after a heavy burden had been lifted.
This made Ayana suddenly realize that her son's feelings for Kanade were much deeper than she had thought.
"That's good." Her voice softened unconsciously, and she said with a genuine smile of relief, "Now Mom can rest assured."
Tezuka gazed at his mother on the screen, who seemed to accept whatever he said, and suddenly wanted to tell her the thought that had taken shape and he didn't want to suppress.
"Mother."
"Um?"
“I…” He paused as if considering the most accurate words. In the end, he chose the most straightforward expression, one that could not lead to any ambiguity, and said softly, “I want to get married.”
"...!"
Ayana on the other end of the video was clearly stunned, her smile frozen on her face, as if she hadn't heard clearly, or as if she was too shocked by the sudden announcement to react.
She blinked, and it took her several seconds to find her voice before asking in a questioning tone, "Xiaoguang, you just said...marriage?"
"Yes." Tezuka answered honestly, a smile that was a mixture of tenderness and helplessness spreading across his deep brown eyes.
He knew, of course, how inappropriate the idea was at the time; he had never even mentioned it to Melodia. They were both too young, both had careers to focus on, and talking about marriage now was clearly premature.
Reason told him this.
However, once the thought of "wanting to spend the rest of my life with her" arose, it was uncontrollable. It was as if only "marriage," a word that he saw as representing a certain future, could contain the overflowing affection he was about to have and give him a definite and permanent sense of security.
He just wanted to tell his mother how he felt.
He looked at his mother, his eyes even clearer and purer than when he was a very young child and still dependent on her. “I know it’s too early now, but Mom…” He looked up, his gaze falling on the orchid in the corner that she had taken such good care of, and it was incredibly soft. “Just thinking about it, if I could live with her… I feel so good.”
Cai Cai understood perfectly well.
Xiao Guang said, "He thought." This wasn't a decision, but rather a feeling, a sincere yet clumsy expression of emotion from her usually reserved and self-controlled son, amidst a mix of immense happiness and unease.
At that moment, Ayana seemed to suddenly feel the indescribable emotions that filled her son's heart, a mixture of bitterness and joy that brought tears to her eyes.
She quickly blinked away the tears welling in her eyes, and spoke again, her voice choked with emotion yet full of tenderness: "Xiaoguang, Mom knows, Mom understands..." She took a deep breath, and a warm smile bloomed on her face, "It's beautiful in itself to have such thoughts, Mom is so happy for you. It's alright, take it slow, you have a very, very long time ahead of you, right?"
"Mm." Hearing his mother's words, Tezuka's emotions, which had been overflowing since he woke up, found an outlet. His mature adult features softened and became gentle. He nodded. "Mom, thank you."
"Why are you thanking your mother?" Ayana shook her head and laughed at him.
After asking a few more questions about her son's life, just as she was about to hang up, Ayana suddenly remembered what had happened that morning. The smile on her face gradually faded, and a hint of worry appeared as she asked, "Xiaoguang, those news articles online, did they affect you two?" Her voice was still a little displeased as she mentioned this, "This morning, a few reporters came to our door, wanting to interview us about you and Xiaozun, but your father and I politely declined. We're fine with it, but we were just worried that it might bother Xiaozun."
Tezuka listened quietly, and when he heard that reporters had already surrounded his doorstep, the coldness between his brows returned.
"Mom, please don't tell them about Melodia for now. I'll handle it." Looking at his mother's worried face, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry for troubling you."
Ayana looked at her son on the screen, who was still blaming himself and radiating coldness, and scolded him, "What are you saying, child? What's there to be bothered about with such a small thing? We can share the honor and joy with you, and naturally, we will face the little troubles that come with it together as a family."
"And to us, seeing that you have found someone you want to cherish, and seeing that she makes you so happy, this little disturbance is nothing at all. We are all happy that you have someone you want to protect."
"...Thank you." He whispered his thanks again. Although his family didn't want him to say thank you, he didn't know how else to express his feelings.
"You!" Ayana sighed, but she was too lazy to correct her son anymore. She only told him, "Just focus on taking care of your own affairs, protect Kanade, and don't let her suffer any grievances. Don't worry about anything at home."
"good."
After ending his call with his mother, Tezuka opened his phone and searched for content and comments related to himself on Chinese social media platforms.
"—Just one step away! One step! I forgave Echizen Nanjiro when he was about to reach the top, but I really can't stand another one like that. Don't make me dig up that woman!"
"Dating? How long did it take him to get back to his peak after his loss at the Australian Open last year? Now there are less than two months until the French Open, which is the most crucial period for refining his skills and building up his physical strength! He was just one step away from taking Japanese tennis to unprecedented heights, and he's in a relationship at this critical juncture? I really thank her whole family on behalf of the nation."
"That woman had better pray every day that Tezuka-kun can win the French Open and give our country its first world number one ranking, otherwise I will curse her forever!"
These were all outrageous comments, some even more outrageous. After reading only a few, Tezuka tightened his grip on his phone.
He couldn't imagine how Melodia would feel when she saw these comments directly linking the pressure of the French Open to her...
He then closed the software and made a phone call.
"Hey? Guoguang, I was just about to call you." Kobel's voice came from the phone. "Did you see the trending topics online? They're more specific than before, and some of the things said... are really harsh."
"Hmm." He uttered only one syllable, yet it was as sharp as a knife.
Aside from the time he was targeted when he first joined the company, Kerber had rarely seen him like this. She couldn't help but shudder, then cautiously said, "We've assessed that if the public opinion continues to escalate, it could affect her. We need a clearer strategy. What do you think?"
“My previous statement was very clear.” Tezuka’s voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable coldness. “My relationship with Melodia is a matter between the two of us, and there is no need to explain the details to the public. Any unfounded speculation and attacks against her are overstepping boundaries.”
Thinking about the comments he had just seen, his eyes turned cold. He directly instructed his team through Kerber: "Contact Attorney Sato. If there is any fabrication of facts, defamation, or any behavior that affects her normal life and work, collect evidence and prepare to take legal action." He paused and added, "Melodia is not someone who needs to be hidden behind the scenes. She has her own life and career to focus on."
Kerber immediately understood: "I get it. I'll have the team keep a close eye on things and make sure not to go back and bother her."
After ending the call again, Tezuka opened another pinned chat window. Having composed himself, he slowly typed a line of text on the screen:
"Melodia, I'm awake. How's your internship going?"
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