Chapter 100: Being kissed and stunned after being fleeced by Atobe.
On the way back in the evening, Niou, exhausted from a day of torment, leaned against the window, utterly dejected.
Risa tapped lightly on the windowsill: "I didn't expect Atobe to be even more generous than I imagined."
Ren-ou sat up abruptly: "Hmm? What did he give you in return?"
Yagyu calmly pushed up his glasses: "We granted the Rikkai University regulars a year of 24/7 access to an indoor tennis court under the Atobe Foundation, including their latest ball-serving machines imported from Germany."
Risa added, "In addition, the portrait rights of the Hyotei regulars will be granted, starting with Atobe's generation, without exception."
Niou's eyes lit up: "Pfft! This is equivalent to..."
"You planned this all along?" Yagyu's sharp gaze, hidden behind his glasses, shot towards Risa.
Risa smiled but remained silent, unlocking her phone to show the chat history from the previous night:
[Risa: Niou's "Special Performance" in exchange for Hyotei's regular player merchandise image licensing, deal struck?]
[Keigo Atobe: In addition, you will personally star in the Hyotei promotional video.]
Risa: No problem.
Niou glanced at the chat history: "Wait, that 'special performance' wouldn't happen to be—"
"It's that 'slow-motion analysis of your magic shot' performance today." Liu Sheng didn't even look up, calmly turning a page of his book. "By the way, remember to report to the Hyotei Photography Club on time every Friday."
"What are you doing—"
Niou, recalling the horrific ordeal he had endured that afternoon, trembled with rage, "Blatant fraud! I'm going to complain to the minister!"
Risa leaned closer with a smile. "Are you sure Yukimura will help you?" She waved her phone screen in front of Niou. "He replied at noon that your 'dehydrated photo' would be perfect as a warning poster in the clubroom."
Niou was instantly petrified.
"You'll get used to it. After all..."
Yagyu closed the book and gave Niou a meaningful look. "This is all you deserve."
-
Risa stayed up all night revising Hyotei's recruitment script and finally came to the conclusion that instead of trying to salvage this outdated elitist propaganda, it would be better to give Hyotei a strong dose of medicine.
The following day, Risa arrived at the Hyotei Student Council office.
"Bang!"
A thick stack of documents was slapped in front of Atobe.
This includes the revised script and new proposals.
"'Villainous Noble Academy'—" Risa's voice was slightly hoarse from staying up all night, "This is the path Hyotei should take."
Atobe frowned as he opened the proposal, where he was greeted by well-reasoned market research data:
[Teenagers' empathy for "aloof elites": 17%]
[Preference for "charismatic villains": 63%]
“There are also many such examples in dramas and movies.” Risa opened her phone and played a clip of the Slytherin group walking arrogantly. “For example, Malfoy in Harry Potter, who can gain fans even by swearing.”
Shinobu couldn't help but chuckle, "That surprisingly makes sense..."
"Nonsense!"
Atobe closed the file. He walked around the desk and looked down at her.
Sunlight shone from behind him, casting Risa in shadow.
"Hyotei will always be the king, not the villain."
“Even a king can be a charming villain. For example…” she smirked, “Loki?”
The air condensed.
After a few seconds of standoff, Atobe suddenly chuckled: "Two weeks." He stroked his beauty mark. "I want to see the complete storyboard."
"At least twenty days. Otherwise, you will continue to be the 'Shadow Emperor'."
“Fine, I'll do as you say.” Atobe snapped his fingers. “Kabaji.”
The silent giant immediately presented a glittering golden card:
[Atobe Foundation - Supreme VIP]
[Privilege: Unlimited access to all of our tennis facilities + redemption of the latest equipment]
The card features a gorgeous rose design and Atobe's signature in the lower right corner.
"For me?" Risa tilted her head.
“Of course.” Atobe raised his chin. “I’ve always valued equal exchange.”
"I don't play tennis, what would I need this for?"
Atobe's fingers froze in mid-air, a vein bulging on his forehead: "You woman—"
“Matsuno-kun,” Shinobu interjected at the opportune moment, “this card… can be gifted.” He paused meaningfully, “For example, to a friend who’s good at tennis?”
Risa's eyes lit up instantly: "That's a good idea."
Ren Zu secretly gave her a flirtatious look, signaling her to take the opportunity to back down.
“In that case,” Risa thought for a moment, then made an outrageous demand of Atobe, “I want eight.”
"......"
This time, not only Atobe's expression froze, but even Oshitari's.
"Do you think this is a convenience store loyalty card?" Atobe spat out the words through gritted teeth.
Risa blinked innocently: "Isn't it an equal exchange? Or..." She smiled sweetly, "Atobe-kun's 'sincerity' is only worth a card?"
In the end, Risa left satisfied, clutching eight heavy, glittering VIP cards.
“This isn’t like you, Atobe,” Shinobu said thoughtfully, looking at his friend.
"Hmph. I only do business that's guaranteed to make a profit."
He slapped the revised script onto Shinobu's chest, saying, "Continue filming with this version until the new storyboard is finished."
Before he finished speaking, he had already turned around and started walking, once again displaying that commanding presence.
-
After getting off the tram, Risa didn't go straight home, but went to school instead.
As dusk fell, the tennis club's activities had just ended.
Through the barbed wire fence, Risa spotted the dazzling figure in the crowd at a glance. Yukimura was talking to Sanada, his profile softly defined in the afterglow of the setting sun.
He turned his head as if by telepathy, meeting her gaze across the distance. After giving Sanada a slight nod, he strolled towards her.
"Why weren't you with Yagyu and the others?"
"They weren't finished yet, so I came back first."
Risa presented the gold card to him like a treasure, her eyes sparkling with a hint of pride.
“Look! This is the money I got from Atobe-kun. It will make your training and testing of new equipment much easier in the future.” She deliberately pulled out the one with his name on it and waved it around. “This one is yours.”
Yukimura took the card, and looking at the gorgeous rose design and Atobe's signature, his smile deepened.
"To make Atobe bleed so much... Should I be glad that Rikkai's 'genius planner' is on our side?" He leaned forward slightly, his low, husky voice carrying a hint of mockery. "His expression at that moment must have been priceless, right?"
"It's like a carefully tended rose garden, only to have a patch of it suddenly plucked bare?" Risa recalled Atobe's final expression of gritted teeth, yet forced to maintain his composure.
"However, he eventually admitted that my judgment was 'worth the price'."
“His assessment is very fair.” Yukimura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’ve worked hard.”
"It's alright. But you, are you done with your training?"
"Yes, I'm just about to go back."
"Let's go then, we'll stop by for a strawberry parfait on the way."
"OK."
The two walked side by side on the street, which was bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, their shadows stretching long behind them.
Risa chattered on about the details of her "battle of wits" with Atobe, while Yukimura listened quietly, occasionally offering a precise "comment" that always made her laugh.
I stayed at the dessert shop for more than an hour, and only got up to go home after it got dark.
When they reached the vicinity of Kirihara's house, Risa stopped and turned to face him.
"Oh right, I almost forgot the important matter." She stuffed the remaining seven gold cards into Yukimura's hand. "Please, Captain, distribute these to the other members."
Yukimura looked at the stack of VIP cards in his hand, enough to drive any tennis pro to madness, and raised an eyebrow: "You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll pocket it?"
Risa tiptoed closer to his ear, mimicking his usual slightly sly tone: "Anyway... 'the minister personally intervening always gets some privileges,' right? And..."
She stepped back slightly, a sly smile on her face. "I believe the Minister is the fairest of all, and will certainly allocate them 'properly'—for example, based on certain people's recent performance?" She winked knowingly.
Yukimura instantly understood her implication: "You're right. It should be... properly distributed." He carefully put the card away, then raised his hand and gently flicked the tip of her nose. "You're such a sly little fox who won't suffer even the slightest loss."
"One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black," Risa wrinkled her nose, speaking with righteous indignation.
“Alright.” Yukimura chuckled, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I accept this ‘generous gift’ on behalf of the tennis club. Thank you for your great contribution.”
Risa didn't shy away as usual.
She glanced at his tennis bag. By this time tomorrow, he'll already be on a flight to Barcelona.
The air fell silent for a moment.
The thought of not seeing each other for half a month made me a little bit of willfulness that arose from the separation.
"...Is this all the Minister's gratitude is supposed to be?" She pouted, her voice a mix of coquettishness and complaint.
Yukimura paused slightly, then looked down at her.
The girl's gaze drifted to the side, her dark hair tinged with a light pink.
It's as if to say: You're leaving tomorrow, shouldn't you show your appreciation a little more?
This isn't like her.
She has always been restrained, especially in places where others might see her, she always subtly maintains her distance.
Seeing that he didn't react, Risa was a little annoyed.
"...Never mind, forget I said anything."
She was angry and tried to leave, but was pulled back a second later.
The warm touch landed on her lips, gentle, tender, and lingering.
Suddenly, the light kiss deepened, domineering and forceful, as if trying to steal every inch of her oxygen.
How could they kiss so deeply and for so long, especially in public...?
She was the one who said she wanted to kiss him, and now she's the one leaning back, trying to escape.
Yukimura only let her go when her legs went weak and she couldn't breathe. He looked at her, her eyes unfocused and her lips slightly parted, as if she had been kissed in a daze.
"Is this... sincere enough?"
He asked in a low voice, his forehead lightly touching hers, his breathing ragged, "If that's not enough, I'll make you something better when I get back."
Risa regained her senses, a burning blush washing over her. She gently pushed him away and whispered, "...Let's go back! We have to catch a flight tomorrow..."
Yukimura smiled and let go of her, watching her turn and run into the yard, both shy and satisfied.
Only after the door closed behind her did Yukimura look down at the stack of gold cards in his hand, smile with a mixture of reluctance and indulgence, and turn to disappear into the twilight.
-----------------------
Author's note: It's Friday again.
There have been changes to the weekly update schedule this week, so we won't be able to add extra chapters, but we will still guarantee daily updates.
Thank you to all my esteemed VIPs for the generous donations, nutrient solution, and Moonstones. I only realized today, while saving the cover for my new story, that several thousand Moonstones could buy an image hosting service – it startled me! [laughing and crying emoji] Thank you to this kind and beautiful reader. Since it's the first time I've received something like this, I'm quite curious and have rambled on a bit.
Have a great weekend, love you all! [kissing emoji]
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