Chapter 124 The Conman's Gamble I'd rather you did something because of me...
As night deepened, the tennis courts on the Waseda University campus were more spacious and desolate than usual due to the winter break.
Niou Masaharu had just finished an evening practice session, his silver hair damp with sweat. He sat on a bench, unscrewing a bottle of water, his gaze somewhat vacant.
After a long while, he put down the water bottle and took out the small box from his bag. Inside the box was a pink hair tie, a gift from Risa.
"Thank you, Niou. I had a very pleasant day. Consider this a token of my gratitude."
It's that simple.
Her feelings for him were merely those of a friend.
But what about him?
He can deceive everyone, weaving a web of countless illusions, but he cannot deceive his own heart.
I don't know when it started, but that growing, inappropriate feeling for his friend, like a slow poison, seeped a crack into his perfect mask.
He knew she only saw him as a friend, he knew she was his best friend Yukimura Seiichi's girlfriend, he knew everything... A silent betrayal tormented him every time.
Nevertheless, he did not regret that seemingly impulsive confession.
The con artist's pride made it impossible for him to continue playing the role of "good friend" between her and Yukimura, while harboring such a shameful secret in his heart.
He was tired of pretending, tired of the daily self-torture.
He needs an end.
So he risked everything, revealing his truest self in a grand confession, to bring an end to this long, silent ordeal.
Only through explicit rejection can he completely extinguish the hope within himself, truly retreat to the position of "friend," and gain liberation and rebirth.
He simply hadn't expected it—
All of this will be witnessed by Yukimura Seiichi.
Footsteps approached from afar, clearly audible in the silent night.
"Nioh."
Niou's body stiffened. He turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.
Yukimura Seiichi stood in the shadows beside the tennis court, his figure tall and slender, his expression obscured by the backlight.
He was dressed in simple casual clothes, with a hooded cardigan over them, his hands casually in his pockets. He seemed to blend into the night, except for his iris-purple eyes, which reflected a cold, sharp light in the dim light.
"Yukimura? Why are you suddenly looking for me? Is there something you need?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
Yukimura did not respond.
He slowly emerged from the shadows, moonlight streaming inch by inch across his flawless face. There was no emotion on it, a suffocating calm.
He walked silently to King Ni.
Compared to high school, he is now more upright and his aura is more calm and powerful.
His gaze first swept lightly across Niou's face, and then, slowly and with an overwhelming sense of pressure, landed on the box in Niou's hand.
Yukimura's gaze lingered on the pink rubber band for several seconds. The air seemed to freeze under that gaze.
Then, he raised his eyes and looked at Niou again.
"This rubber band," he began, his voice calm and even, "was it a gift from Risa?"
——！ ！ ！
"Ah... this..." Niou's brain was working frantically, but he couldn't find any reasonable explanation.
"It was Risa who sent it, wasn't it?" Yukimura stated bluntly, tearing away all pretense.
“I heard everything you said to her at the door yesterday.”
Niou's pupils shrank sharply, filled with horror.
He heard it! He heard it all! He heard everything!
Yukimura leaned forward slightly, and there was still a step between them, but the invisible pressure made Niou feel breathless.
"...Saying things like 'I can become anything you want me to be' to someone else's girlfriend..."
Yukimura's tone was icy, his eyes fixed intently on Niou's. "Tell me, what exactly do you want?"
The air was deathly still.
"Or perhaps, Niou, you feel that..."
Yukimura curled the corners of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes, only a chilling coldness and disappointment.
"...I'm away from home most of the time, so you've got the illusion that I'm vulnerable and can take advantage of you, right?"
“I didn’t.” Renwang’s face turned pale as he blurted out the rebuttal.
Yukimura's words were more jarring and hurtful than any anger he had anticipated. Like a poisoned dagger, they nailed his feelings to the pillar of shame for "taking advantage of someone in distress" and "betraying a friend"!
"No?" Yukimura repeated coldly, "Then tell me, what exactly is your confession that abandons yourself and imitates others? Is it a questioning of my choice, or an insult to her feelings?"
Niou opened his mouth, but his throat seemed frozen, and he couldn't make a sound. All his sophistry and explanations seemed pale, ridiculous, and meaningless under Yukimura's all-knowing, icy gaze.
“I thought there was still some camaraderie between us from when we fought side by side.” Yukimura stopped looking at Niou and turned his gaze to the empty stadium. His profile looked cold and distant in the moonlight.
"It seems I was overthinking things. Take care of yourself, King Ren."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Niou stood frozen in place, his entire body ice-cold. The chill spread from his heart to every limb and bone.
He knew Yukimura would be angry.
But he never imagined that this anger would erupt in such a cold and quiet way, like a silent avalanche that buried him in an instant.
Just as Yukimura's figure was about to disappear into the night, a tremendous and unstoppable force suddenly erupted from the depths of Niou's heart.
He couldn't let this friendship end like this! Absolutely not!
"Yukimura——!"
Niou sprang up from the bench and staggered over.
Yukimura stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. His back was cold and unyielding, keeping everyone at arm's length.
Renwang rushed a few steps behind him and stopped, his chest heaving violently, his sweat mixed with the cold sweat that had just dried, making him look utterly disheveled.
"Yes! I said it, that's what I thought!" He gasped for breath, his voice trembling. "I admit it. I had feelings for Risa that I shouldn't have! I know it's awful! It's betrayal!"
He practically roared it out, each word tearing at his heart, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing honesty, yet also a strange, painful pleasure.
"I'd rather you hate me for what I did than pretend to be your best friend for the rest of my life with these... these disgusting thoughts that even I find despicable!"
"It's because...it's because I still want to be friends for life!" He stared intently at Yukimura's retreating figure, choking back tears.
"It's precisely because I cherish our bond... that I can't stand myself like this! I have to end it all! I have to hear her reject me outright, I have to let you know, I have to tear off this bastard side of me and show it to you, only then can I..."
His voice lowered, thick with nasal tone and a sigh: "Only then can I truly give up and go back to where I belong!"
It wasn't a defense, but rather a raw and unvarnished disclosure of my most vulnerable and authentic self, laid bare before him, awaiting the final judgment.
A night breeze swept across the empty stadium, bringing a chill.
A long, suffocating silence.
Yukimura finally turned around.
The moonlight illuminated his face, softening some of the frost and revealing complex and unfathomable emotions surging in his violet eyes.
Looking at the disheveled and distraught Renou before him, the image of his once cunning yet trustworthy partner, who had fought alongside him on the field, became blurred.
"......madness."
Yukimura's voice rang out in a low tone, it was reproachful, but without the cold sharpness of before.
Niou looked up.
“Seeking liberation and redemption in this way…” Yukimura’s gaze swept over him. “Niou, you fraudster, in the end, the one who will be deceived the most is yourself.”
“Your feelings are your problem. The way you handled them was foolish and disappointing.” He took a step forward, getting closer to Niou.
"You have hurt Risa's feelings and insulted our friendship."
Niou lowered his head in shame, speechless.
“However,” Yukimura’s tone shifted slightly, “if what you mean by ‘filthy thoughts’ is being uncontrollably attracted to her sincerity and strength…”
He paused for a moment, "...that might not be entirely unforgivable."
Niou was stunned, staring blankly at him.
Yukimura took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel all the pent-up emotions from his chest.
“There won’t be a next time, Niou.” His voice regained its usual calm. “This is the first and the last. Handle your own feelings. If I find you overstepping any boundaries again, or causing her even the slightest distress…”
Yukimura didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning carried more weight than any threat.
“…I understand,” Niou replied hoarsely. “I’m sorry, Yukimura.”
Yukimura didn't say anything more, but just glanced at him again. Then, he turned and left.
After taking a few steps, he turned his back to Niou, his voice drifting faintly on the wind:
"Next time we meet, let's have a good practice match."
After saying that, his figure disappeared completely into the night.
Niou stood alone in place, motionless for a long time.
The huge, cold stone on my chest was removed, leaving deep marks and pain, but fresh air finally rushed into my lungs again.
After a silent avalanche, there is also the possibility of new life beneath the ruins.
At least in this bet, he won.
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