Chapter 14: Atobe makes his appearance—what's with this mix of coolness and awkwardness...?
Saturday morning.
Risa dragged her heavy steps downstairs, sporting dark circles under her eyes.
Kirihara's mother peeked out from the kitchen, holding a wooden spatula for frying eggs.
Didn't you sleep well last night?
Risa forced a smile, pressing her fingertips against her temples: "Yeah, I'm having a bit of insomnia."
If being engrossed in watching anime until 3 a.m. and then cruelly woken up by a 7 a.m. alarm clock can be considered "insomnia".
The refrigerator door emitted a slight humming sound.
She took out a bag of chilled udon noodles, closed her eyes, and pressed it to her forehead. The coolness slightly relieved the throbbing pain in her nerves.
"Risa-nee!"
Kirihara swept over to my side like a gust of wind, with crumbs of strawberry jam still stuck to the corners of his mouth.
"The tennis club has a friendly match against Hyotei today, do you want to come watch?"
Just as Risa was about to say "I won't go," she suddenly remembered something and changed the subject: "Okay."
She recalled an analysis post she had browsed in her previous life, which might have been a smear post, saying that the boys in Rikkai University's tennis club appeared to be upright and honest, but were actually xenophobic and protective of their own.
Undeniably, these young men are all walking heartthrobs: they come from illustrious families, have stunning good looks, and any one of them could easily be the male lead of a shoujo manga.
But in Risa's eyes, no matter how perfect the model's face was, it couldn't change the fact that they were a group of minors. She had no interest in influencing minors, nor did she ever think of using her identity as "Kirihara's older cousin" to get close to anyone.
However, the tennis club's security measures were extremely stringent.
Every time they met, Renji Yanagi's scrutinizing gaze and Genichiro Sanada's guarded posture made it seem like they were in a spy thriller.
What infuriated her most was Yukimura Seiichi. Although she was wrong to pinch his cheek first, even if we take a step back, wasn't he completely without fault?
He was the one who first let the rumors spread, wanting to watch the show, but then, after the situation got out of control, he put on a concerned, savior-like act—what a despicable quirk.
Even if she could convince herself with reasons like "children are just holding grudges and don't think things through, it's understandable" or "adults shouldn't be so petty," Risa didn't want to convince herself anymore. She was just narrow-minded and just unhappy.
Since they're treating her like a spy, she doesn't mind being a true "villainous older sister." Hmph.
Risa squinted, tapping her fingertips absently on the marble countertop, a wicked idea suddenly popping into her head.
Kirihara's milk glass suddenly stopped in mid-air.
Was it just my imagination? Risa was actually showing that same interested smile that her boss had.
"Risa-nee-san?" The seaweed-haired boy instinctively shrank back.
"Akaya~" Risa suddenly leaned closer, her voice sweet, "How about I come cheer you on at today's friendly match?"
Kirihara swallowed hard. As someone who had long been under the minister's "special attention," he knew all too well what that smile meant.
-
The stands at Rikkai University's tennis courts were packed with students, with no seats available.
Due to Tochehara's "special treatment," Risa was placed in the VIP seat closest to the stadium, right next to the stairwell.
She straightened her skirt and sat down, the excited chatter of the girls behind her reaching her ears:
"Have you heard? Seigaku has also been invited as special guests today. Maybe we'll get to meet the genius Fuji Syusuke."
"The main focus was clearly on the exhibition match between Atobe-sama and Captain Yukimura!"
"Ahhh, just imagining the two ministers on stage together is suffocating!"
Risa paused for a second.
Atobe versus Yukimura?
Wait... where is the plot now?
She instinctively reached for her phone, wanting to check the current U-17 timeline, but froze the moment the screen lit up—
Isn't she in the world of a comic book right now?
Damn it! It's all because her past life memories awakened too late; she completely missed all the original storylines.
The current timeline is an unknown future that even the original author never depicted.
A deafening scream suddenly erupted from the stands.
Risa looked up and saw Yukimura, wearing a coat, leading the Rikkai University tennis team slowly onto the court.
And opposite him—
"Be captivated by my amazing skills!"
Keigo Atobe snapped his fingers, and rose petals rained down from the sky.
This is...
Are these living, breathing tennis princes?
Risa gasped.
These guys...
The live-action version is ten times more exaggerated than the comic book version!
As expected of Hyotei's King.
Her every move exuded an aristocratic air that was dazzling and captivating. But for someone who had read the original work, this ostentatious display made her want to dig her toes into the ground.
Help……
What's with this feeling of being both handsome and awkward...?
So...
Is it really this embarrassing yet irresistible when anime and manga come to life?
Risa pinched her thumb tightly, thinking through the saddest things in her life and her past life, trying hard to keep her expression from breaking down.
Even a triple award-winning actress with countless roles and superb acting skills almost lost her composure at this moment.
The girls' screams rose and fell, but Risa was lost in professional contemplation:
This scene is both romantic and awkward...
It's even more outrageous than the most melodramatic idol dramas...
Do those female colleagues who film idol dramas, those juniors who can deliver their lines without batting an eye amidst a shower of flower petals, all possess such an astonishing sense of conviction?
In her past life, Ruan Lisha, with her model height of 179cm and striking features, was destined to be a completely different person from sweet romance dramas.
After gaining fame, she played a decisive female general, a shrewd business queen, and even a young man in a martial arts drama.
Even when she occasionally plays romantic roles, she is either the superior one or the second male lead who evokes sympathy from the audience.
That's really surprising...
Those female protagonists in romantic dramas who get romantically pinned against a wall...
It takes such strong mental fortitude...
Risa subconsciously touched her burning earlobe, feeling a sense of respect for her female colleagues in the entertainment industry.
On the field, Atobe made another elegant turn, forcing her to turn her face away, afraid that her professional expression management would collapse.
Atobe's appearance was so impactful that Risa didn't even notice him—
In the shadows on the sidelines, Renji Yanagi was rapidly jotting down something.
And standing next to Yanagi is Sadaharu Inui, the data maniac from Seigaku.
The "professor" from Rikkai University and the "doctor" from Seigaku University—these two people with such bloated data together can't be anything good.
During halftime, Risa got up to go to the restroom.
As she emerged from the restroom and turned the corner in the hallway, she heard a deep male voice:
"Yes, I see it. He's definitely a completely different person."
That voice sounds like that data fanatic from Seigaku.
Risa walked behind the cherry blossom tree, peeked out from the side, and sure enough, she had guessed correctly.
Standing next to Kane Sadaharu is Rikkai University's strategist—Yanagi Renji.
Outside the restroom, Sadaharu Inui's glasses reflected a cold light:
[Observation subject: Risa Matsuno (formerly a 1st-year student in Class E at Tokyo Metropolitan Seirin High School)]
[Personality Profile: Introverted/Socially Anxious/Had Suicidal Tendencies Due to School Bullying]
[Current Status Comparison: Significantly Increased Aggression / Social Skills Enhanced / Micro-expression Management Approaching Professional Level]
After completing the above analysis, Gan Zhenzhi concluded that "the outliers exceeded twice the standard deviation."
Liu Lianji: "The degree of behavioral pattern reconstruction is as high as 92.4%, which is equivalent to two completely different personalities."
The two exchanged a glance, and a strange light flashed across their dry glasses.
Hypothesis 1: Post-traumatic personality disorder.
"Hypothesis 2: Long-term disguised antisocial personality."
"Assumption 3:..."
Liu's pen suddenly hovered on the paper.
"Could it be... a soul swap?" Gan's voice showed an unusual fluctuation. "Although the probability is only 0.000000001%..."
Risa stood in the shadows, her pupils dilating violently.
Help! Why are these tennis players even more perceptive and persistent than paparazzi?
Where's the high-energy sports anime and the innocent, good-natured boys we were promised?! This looks like a scene from Detective Conan!
Sadaharu Kane: "Interesting. Her level of embarrassment at Atobe's exaggerated performance is 8.9 times that of an average passerby."
“The probability is 96.7%,” Liu’s pen paused slightly, “and the tolerance is far lower than that of ordinary people.”
The two looked at each other simultaneously and said in unison, "It's worth observing further."
Risa held her breath and tiptoed backward, only to step on a tree branch.
"Creak—"
Liu and Gan turned their heads simultaneously, their sharp gazes sweeping over the bushes. Li Sha froze on the spot, her heartbeat seemingly stopping.
"Who's there?" The dry lenses reflected a cold light.
The footsteps grew closer.
Risa's back was covered in cold sweat, and her fingertips dug deeply into her palms.
"Meow--"
A cat's meow came from the tree above Risa's head. A silvery-white shadow flashed through the tree's shadow.
“It’s a cat.” Liu closed his notebook.
The sound of their footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Only then did Risa dare to exhale the breath she had been holding for so long, and quietly leave.
A gentle breeze blew, and the treetops swayed slightly.
Niou Masaharu leaned lazily against a branch, his fingertips twirling the silver ends of his hair behind his head.
“piyo~”
A note from the author:
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