Reach out
On this winter night, the training center fell silent again, except for the medical room at the end of the third-floor corridor, which remained lit up as it had been the previous days.
The lighting was cool and dim. Hezai sat alone in front of the computer, looking at the shoulder and neck imaging report that Sanada had taken that afternoon. As his slender fingers slid the mouse wheel, the images on the screen flashed by frame by frame.
There were slight signs of nerve root compression, but it was much better than expected.
He Zou breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed her eyes and acupoints, and then sent a message on her phone.
Before I could even put my phone down, a message popped up.
"Thank you." —Yukimura
It was rare for the other person to speak to her so solemnly. Kazusa glanced at him, chuckled, and picked up the now-cold black coffee beside her, taking a sip.
Although there was no serious injury, Sanada will be unable to participate in this Davis Cup.
As an athlete registered in Japan, Sanada's achievements are already quite good, so missing the Davis Cup won't have a significant impact on him.
However, Sanada is unlikely to accept this, as the belief that strength is paramount is ingrained in Rikkai's mind. Even if he gets injured, he will only attribute it to his own lack of strength.
This overly upright and stubborn personality had caused Yukimura, the department head, no small amount of headaches in the past.
Kazusa just now chuckled because she remembered Yukimura's helpless facepalm.
The afternoon's match was indeed exciting; even a layman like her could see that Atobe was a formidable opponent.
Atobe...
He Zou held the mug in both hands, his fingertips lingering on the last trace of warmth remaining on the ceramic cup, the smile on his lips slowly fading.
Just then, the half-closed door was gently pushed open, bringing in a wisp of even colder air from the corridor.
"Tezuka-kun".
He Zou looked up and smiled when he saw the person who came, the smile reaching his eyes.
I don't know when it started, but whenever I see him, or just think about seeing him, joy wells up inside me, and even in the cold winter, a warm feeling rises in my heart.
Tezuka fell into the shimmering starlight in her eyes without warning. His fingers, which were gripping the door lock, twitched slightly before he nodded to her, then gently closed the door behind him, shutting out the coldness and leaving only a crack for passersby to see inside.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." His voice remained deep and steady.
As he spoke, he took off his coat and neatly hung it on the hanger next to him. Then he walked to the examination bed and sat down. The whole set of movements was practiced and quiet.
Kanade picked up the nerve percussion hammer on the table, stood up naturally, and told him the good news as he walked: "I've seen the imaging results for Sanada-kun. The situation is more optimistic than expected. He'll be fine after a period of rest. You can rest assured."
"Ah, thank you for your hard work."
Seeing his lips curve into an almost imperceptible smile of about one pixel upon hearing the news, Kazuna couldn't help but chuckle again. As he looked at her with a questioning gaze, she coughed lightly and said, "Shall we begin?"
The two have been undergoing daily routine checks since the start of their training camp.
Kazusa stood beside Tezuka, his cool fingertips pressing and probing the muscles in his shoulders and neck, feeling the tension, temperature, and any subtle abnormalities in the muscle fibers. Occasionally, he would tap the tendons quickly with a percussion hammer, asking about Tezuka's sensations.
Tezuka completely relaxed his body and cooperated with her requests, changing the poses from different angles.
The smell of disinfectant in the air was diluted by the light minty scent on her body. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her slender fingers, and the nerve endings could feel the cool temperature of her fingertips.
Tezuka slowly began to drift off again, but as before, it was impossible to tell from his appearance.
At times like these, Wakana is always completely focused, and her attitude does not change because the object of her attention is Tezuka, nor does she lose her focus because of the mature aura emanating from the body beneath her fingertips.
Her brain quickly processed the information from her fingertips: the muscles were in good condition, and although there was slight myofascial tension in the old injury area, it was still within a good range considering the intensity of his daily training.
"However, we can adjust the previous physical recovery plan."
As she was pondering, Tezuka, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
His voice was exceptionally clear in the empty room. "You handled the afternoon's events very well." He paused, seemingly searching for the right words, before finally choosing the most concise and direct expression: "Calmer than anyone else."
"Mero, you are qualified to be a doctor only when you can face patients more calmly than anyone else."
"Surpass me? Then Mero will have to work really, really hard, because Mom will also work hard~ But Mom is really looking forward to it."
Tezuka's words overlapped with the voice in his mind, causing Kanade's usually steady hand to tremble slightly, and the nerve percussion hammer slipped from his fingers.
The other hand moved even faster than the percussion hammer slid down, and Tezuka caught the percussion hammer and the hand that was suspended in mid-air in his palm.
The warmth of her body, which wasn't his own, enveloped the back of his hand, bringing Hezou back to his senses. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter, and his chest swelled with excitement.
His palms were warm, calloused from years of gripping the racket, and their texture, like his whole being, possessed a softness beneath a hard exterior.
When He Zou saw him look up at her, his usually stern face revealed a gentle concern under the light.
Overwhelmed by intense emotions, Kazuna's stunned expression masked a different side of her—a Kazuna Yagyu desperately trying to hold back her tears.
She had walked alongside her own illusion for too long, and the sudden appearance of this person left her almost at a loss.
"Mom, did you send him to tell me?"
He Zou lowered his head, looking at the face so close to his.
Tezuka Kunimitsu solo...
"bite--"
The water dispenser in the medical room suddenly started working, making a soft sound that broke the silence in the room and brought Tezuka back to his senses.
The time he held her hand was actually very short, maybe only a second or two, but Tezuka felt as if he had stayed for a long time, so long that the original coolness of his palm was tinged with his warmth.
He only slowly released his grip after making sure the percussion hammer had landed steadily in her hand.
Only after he was completely away from her body heat did he anxiously add, "Be careful."
"Sorry, I was daydreaming."
Tezuka didn't press her about why she was daydreaming. He simply looked at her quietly for a moment, then sat up straight again, cooperatively exposing the shoulder and neck area that needed to be examined, and his tone returned to its usual calm: "Continue."
The subsequent inspection was conducted in a subtle and quiet atmosphere.
He Zou tried to concentrate, but she could always feel his gaze briefly falling on her fingers or the side of her face, gently enveloping her.
When the examination was finally over, Kazusa quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
For the first time, she didn't prioritize talking to her "patient" at the end. Instead, she turned around, walked to the table, and out of professional habit, picked up some alcohol and sprayed it on her palms a few times. The smell of the alcohol disinfectant helped her calm down more quickly.
"Hiss!" The sudden sharp pain made Hezou cry out in pain.
She looked down and examined her left hand, searching for the spot where the alcohol had stung. She then noticed that her ring finger had cracked at some point.
This is an old problem caused by frequent handwashing and disinfection in autumn and winter, and she herself didn't pay much attention to it.
“Melodia”.
Kazusa turned around and saw Tezuka holding a very small, tubular object in his hand, lowering it towards him.
He Zou tilted his head and looked at the tube packaging in front of him. It was a small hand cream with a simple black and white packaging. There was no fancy logo, only a string of German words. It should be a niche German brand.
Um?
She looked down at the hand cream handed to her, then looked up at Tezuka.
Although the packaging was in Tezuka's style, it said "rose flavor," and Kanade instinctively felt that this was not his product, a realization that caused her mind to go blank for a moment.
Whose is it?
“It’s from Kobel.” Tezuka explained as he watched her hesitate to take it. “She usually keeps a lot of these in winter, and this one has never been opened.”
Yes, athletes' hands are more prone to chapping in winter, so it's normal for Kerber to carry it with him. And the rose scent wouldn't have been intended for Tezuka.
Why did it appear on Tezuka? Did he specifically ask Kerber for it?
Having thought of all this, Kazusa couldn't help but think a little more—was it for her that he specifically asked Kobel for it?
Kazusa stared intently at Tezuka. How could he have noticed? The discomfort that she herself had become accustomed to and even ignored, he not only noticed but also specially prepared such a thing for her?
"Thank you," she said, taking the hand cream that still held his warmth, her eyes shining as she looked at him. "I needed it."
She unscrewed the cap in front of him and squeezed out the milky white ointment.
The jar of hand cream was full, and a lot of it spilled out without me even realizing it, far exceeding the amount needed for one use.
The strong scent of roses filled the air, even overpowering the distinctive smell of the infirmary.
“Tezuka-kun,” Kanade looked up at the person staring at him, a sly smile on his face, and winked, “Give me your hand.”
He guessed what she was going to do, but those bright eyes, with a hint of mischief and anticipation, made Tezuka unable to even think of refusing. He obediently extended his left hand.
He Zou saw that hand with distinct knuckles, hesitantly extended in front of her, palm facing up, hovering beside her hand.
He's very self-aware. And compared to hers, his hands are much bigger.
"Hey, Tezuka-kun, can you help me out?" Kanade's smile deepened as she scraped the excess hand cream from the back of her hand onto the back of Tezuka's hand.
After distributing the hand cream evenly, Tezuka was about to withdraw his hand when Kazuna grabbed his fingers.
With his head down, Kazusa clearly saw the fingertips she was holding tremble uncontrollably. But she didn't speak or let go; instead, she focused on using her fingertips to dab on the cream, gently spreading it on the back of his hand and carefully and evenly applying it to his knuckles.
Her movements were light and slow, as meticulous as when she examined a body as a doctor, yet completely different, carrying an indescribable gentleness.
Tezuka watched her intently applying the ointment, and aside from his initial surprise, he neither flinched nor looked away; his gaze remained gentle.
The slightly cool balm melted between their hands, slowly becoming warm and penetrating their skin.
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