Chapter 1: Living People and the Dead Become a Small Life?!
Spring Song / Text
Exclusive publication
2025.5.20
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Have you heard?
"The Prince of Tennis U-17 World Cup final will be broadcast next month."
Two high school girls passing by were excitedly discussing something, and their voices reached Risa's ears clearly.
Has it been updated to the World Cup episode yet?
If that child were still alive...
Across the street, a giant LED screen in a shopping mall is playing the latest jewelry advertisement on a loop. The spokesperson faces the camera, flashing a smile that the media has hailed as "worth a billion dollars."
At the bottom of the screen, the actress's name is prominently displayed: [Triple-Award-Winning Actress Ruan Lisha | Most Valuable Artist of the Year]
At this moment, the hustle and bustle, the fame and fortune, all seemed incredibly distant. She was all alone; what meaning would it hold even if she became a movie queen?
Risa took out her phone and opened the official update page for "The Prince of Tennis".
"U-17 World Cup - Final Preview"
Familiar characters, dressed in their national team uniforms, stand on the world stage.
My fingertip hovered above the screen, not moving for a long time.
This world is always moving forward.
Only the younger brother's time was forever frozen in that winter, the ending he could never see...
"Sizzle—"
The ear-piercing roar of the engine exploded in our ears, accompanied by screams from the crowd.
Risa looked up and recognized the woman's distorted face behind the windshield.
A year ago, in order to promote a rising star, the agency arranged for the two to be paired up as a couple. To put it bluntly, it was about using her popularity to boost the other person's career.
Unexpectedly, the male celebrity's fans didn't buy it, not only smearing her but also launching personal attacks. And this woman was one of his toxic fans.
"Go to hell! Stay away from our brother!"
Excruciating pain. Darkness.
...
"Danger--!"
A gentle and pleasant young voice drifted over.
Before Risa could react, she was suddenly pulled away by a powerful force. She crashed into a wall of flesh, and there was a faint floral scent.
A loud "boom" came from behind.
Glass shards rained down like a storm, refracting blinding fragments of light.
I'm alive?
She lowered her head, her pupils suddenly contracting.
Loafers, a black knitted cardigan, and a preppy pleated skirt.
this……
That doesn't seem right.
She raised her hand; her fingertips were slender, her skin smooth, without the dullness left by long hours of filming, and her palms had no calluses.
Did I possess someone else's body?
Whose body is this?!
Risa's pupils dilated slightly, then shrank to the size of a pinhead when she raised her head.
Dark blue, slightly wavy hair; iris-colored eyes; high nose bridge; thin lips.
That face looks so familiar.
"What happened?"
"It seems there was renovation work upstairs, and a pane of glass accidentally fell down."
"Oh my god! Is anyone hurt?"
"Yeah, that was really close."
The crowd gradually grew, and a man in construction worker's clothes hurriedly ran downstairs, followed by a group of teenagers carrying tennis bags.
"Yukimura, are you alright?"
A dark-skinned man wearing a baseball cap asked worriedly, while several teenagers beside him also looked tense.
"I'm fine."
The boy called "Yukimura" turned his gaze back to her.
(...Yukimura?)
If she heard correctly, those people did call him "Yukimura" just now?
When it comes to "Yukimura", the only name that comes to mind is that of Yukimura Seiichi.
Every time he talks to his younger brother on the phone, he excitedly recounts:
"Risa-nee! Rikkai has won again!"
"Minister Yukimura is the 'Child of God'!"
"He even overcame his illness, that's amazing!"
(...Am I dreaming?)
(Or... am I already dead, and this is heaven?)
Risa shook her head, dismissing these absurd thoughts.
Maybe it's a comic convention! These people are cosplaying!
As if to confirm her guess, Risa reached out and lifted a strand of dark blue hair from the side of the boy's face.
The hair is soft, smooth, and has a delicate sheen, unlike a wig.
She hesitated for a second, then pinched his cheek again.
It's warm.
Her skin was so smooth that there wasn't a trace of powder, and you could even feel the faint pulse of blood vessels beneath it... She wasn't wearing makeup; it was real skin!
Could it be...?
Is he really Yukimura Seiichi?!
Risa stared at her fingertips in disbelief, a chill creeping up her spine and down her neck.
She stiffly turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the boys standing to the side:
The composed young man wearing a baseball cap is none other than Sanada Genichiro, the "Emperor" of Rikkai University.
He was quickly jotting something down in his notebook; that focused expression belonged to "strategist" Liu Lian'er.
The purple-haired boy, who stood upright, pushed up his reflective glasses, and a sharp light flashed across the lenses—it was none other than the "gentleman" Yagyu Hiroshi.
The white-haired boy beside him looked on with amusement, just like the cunning "fox" Niou Masaharu.
Further away, the red-haired Marui Bunta was idly blowing bubble gum, while the slightly darker-skinned jackal Kuwahara beside him watched them with a worried expression, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back…
This lineup is eerily familiar.
"Too lax!"
A thunderous roar suddenly rang out, startling Risa so much that her shoulders trembled.
A tall, imposing man wearing a baseball cap strode closer, exuding an air of intimidation.
"How dare they be so rude to their savior!"
Sanada looked down at her with his dark eyes.
(As expected of Rikkai's "Emperor," he's ten times scarier when he gets angry than in the manga...)
Just as Sanada seemed about to reprimand her further, a gentle voice rang out—
"Sanada."
Risa secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze passed over Sanada and met Yukimura's.
There was no anger or blame in those iris-purple eyes; they were as calm as a deep pool, yet they inexplicably reminded her of the snow leopard she had seen while filming a documentary—elegant, but full of danger.
He didn't say anything more, just glanced at her indifferently, then turned and left, his coat fluttering gently behind him.
Sanada glared at her fiercely and quickly followed Yukimura. The other team members also gradually withdrew their gazes; some frowned and shook their heads, some looked amused, and others cast a slightly pitying glance at her.
"She seems... angry."
She watched the group of boys walk away, mechanically raised her hand, and pinched her cheek.
"it hurts!"
The pain was undeniably real.
Didi——
The piercing horn blared, and Risa instinctively stepped back.
The red light at the intersection turned green, and traffic flowed smoothly.
Risa looked around and saw that the shopping mall across the street had been transformed into an ancient clock tower.
The surrounding architecture has also completely changed, with towering ancient trees lining both sides of the street, their branches and leaves lush and dappled with sunlight.
This dreamlike scene is clearly something that only appears in comics.
"Zzz...zz..."
Risa took out her phone, and the screen displayed the caller's name: Kirihara Akaya.
She hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button.
"Hello, Risa... Sister?" A boy's voice came from the phone.
Upon hearing that familiar "Risa-nee," Risa involuntarily held her breath. Her fingers tightened around her phone.
The voice coming from the phone was almost identical to that of her younger brother.
"Where are you? Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the square in front of the station? Are you lost? What landmarks are around? Don't move, I'll come find you."
His tone of voice was completely different from his younger brother's; he was impatient and fired a barrage of questions like cannonballs.
Risa looked around and gave her location.
"Oh, then it should be near the station. Wait a minute, I'll be right there."
Risa stared at the phone screen where the call had been disconnected, sensing something was wrong.
What should I do? What should I do?
Have I really traveled into the world of "The Prince of Tennis"?
What about the character design? What about the memories? What about the system? What about the time-travel guide? Is there nothing at all?
Although she is good at acting, even the best chef can't cook a good meal without a script or a character setting.
Risa felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.
She couldn't recall any memories of this body.
If it is discovered that she is not the original owner of the body, will she be sent to a research institute as an experimental subject?
"Excuse me... are you Risa Matsuno?"
Risa felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. She was met with the face of an unfamiliar young man: black curly hair with the ends slightly curled up, and a pair of emerald green eyes staring at her with a puzzled look.
"My name is Kirihara Akaya. I'm the one who just called you."
Kirihara Akaya? Matsuno Risa?
Risa abruptly took a step back and blurted out, "...Days of life?!"
Kirihara Akaya: "???"
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