Chapter 39 Flower Language "You are mine" Thank you~ Gentle God's Child...
On the day of the shoot, Risa and Sonoda worked together seamlessly and successfully completed their duo photoshoot for VIVI magazine.
Editor-in-Chief Nanjo praised Risa's performance highly and even suggested on the spot that he wanted to shoot a cover for her alone.
It was already evening when she finished work, and Risa declined the magazine's invitation to a celebration party, dragging her tired body home.
After boarding the train, a message from Shimizu Kazuko popped up on my phone:
[Kazuko Shimizu: [Image]]
[Shimizu Kazuko: Our new summer products are here! Come to the store and we'll treat you!]
Risa glanced at the route map; five stops away was the tram stop near Kiyomizu-ken. She replied, "【Kazuko-nee, almost there. Are you sure you have anything to eat? →_→】"
[Shimizu Kazuko: Of course! I also have a matcha daifuku and a strawberry daifuku. If you come now, I'll save them for you. By the way, Kenta's making takoyaki~]
[Risa: So touched T﹏T I'll be there in about 30 minutes!]
The tram slowly pulled into the station, and Risa stepped out of the carriage carrying her bag.
The evening breeze carried a hint of warmth, and she gathered her hair, which was draped over her shoulders, into a circle.
Turning the familiar street corner, the warm lights of Qingshuixuan came into view.
The wind chimes tinkled as the door was opened.
"Welcome, Hikari—ah, Risa!" Kazuko Shimizu peeked out from behind the counter, her face beaming with a smile. "Come in quickly, I'll go get you some takoyaki right away."
Risa finally relaxed her shoulders after sitting down on the sofa.
"How did the filming go today?" Shimizu Kazuko brought over steaming takoyaki and two cups of iced oolong tea.
"Yes, it went much more smoothly than I expected."
The cool liquid slid down her throat, comfortably making her squint her eyes.
Kazuko Shimizu sat down opposite Risa, propped her chin on her hand, and laughed, "Looks like our Risa is going to become a big star."
"Don't jinx it," Risa said, taking a big bite of takoyaki. "What's so great about being a big star? I just want to be an ordinary person who is financially independent."
Kazuko laughed at her: "How did you manage to connect these two completely different words?"
After chatting for a while, Risa remembered that her aunt was on night shift that night and that she had promised to bring dinner back for Akaya, so she said goodbye to Kazuko and left with the dessert bag.
As Risa passed a sushi restaurant on the street corner, she unconsciously stopped. Thinking that she would receive her filming fee at the end of the month, she pushed open the glass door of the sushi restaurant.
"Occasionally, that guy should be treated to something good."
Considering that Renji Yanagi was coming to tutor Akaya today, Risa specially ordered an extra copy.
When I left the sushi restaurant, I was already carrying three heavy paper bags in my hands.
Looking towards her home two kilometers away, Risa hesitated in the scorching sunset. A taxi ride costing 900 yen was painful, but it was better than walking for half an hour in this sweltering evening.
"I'll treat myself," she muttered to herself, and hailed a taxi.
The moment I opened the door, a delicate and fragrant aroma wafted towards me.
In the white porcelain vase in the entryway, a bunch of fresh white roses and jasmine bloom in a pleasingly irregular arrangement.
Risa was slightly taken aback.
When I went out in the early morning, this place was clearly still empty.
She bent down and put down the paper bag in her hand, her gaze sweeping over the pair of men's sneakers next to the shoe rack that were clearly a size larger than Akaya's; they must belong to Yanagi Renji.
But when she changed her shoes and walked into the living room with the food, she was met with an unexpected scene.
Under the warm yellow light of the living room, Yukimura Seiichi sat at the coffee table, his slender fingers lightly tapping his workbook, a smile on his lips, yet he inexplicably gave off a sense of oppression.
Beside him, Kirihara was biting his pen, his brows furrowed, looking like he was filled with bitterness and resentment.
"We need to use the law of cosines here. Let's try calculating it again." Yukimura's voice was gentle as water, but it made Kirihara feel like he was walking on thin ice, trembling with fear.
"Yukimura-senpai... I really don't know how..." Kirihara wailed as he looked up, his eyes lighting up when he caught sight of Risa standing at the door.
"Risa-nee! Help!" He cried out as if he had grasped at a straw.
Yukimura turned around at the sound. A ripple passed through his pupils, but he quickly lowered his eyelashes, concealing that fleeting emotion behind his long lashes.
"Is filming over?" He smiled slightly, his voice warm and gentle.
Risa nodded slightly and placed the paper bag on the dining table. "Hmm, it went more smoothly than expected." She walked to the coffee table, leaned over to look at Kirihara's workbook, and couldn't help but rub her forehead. "Akaya, this is basic content, right?"
When Kirihara heard his "lifeline" say that, he immediately looked like a little puppy drenched in rain, drooping his head and looking pitiful: "But it's really so hard..."
"Let's eat first then." Risa winked mysteriously. "Maybe these questions will become easier after we eat."
Yukimura scoffed from the side: "...Did you smear some kind of brain-enhancing pill on the dinner you bought?"
"Maybe it really is." Risa stood up and walked towards the dining table.
When she opened the refrigerator, her fingers suddenly froze on the handle.
"This is……?"
There was an exquisite cake box in the refrigerator, with the logo of that high-end dessert shop in Ginza printed on the packaging. Not only do you need to order in advance, but sometimes you can't even get a reservation.
"Ah!" Kirihara jumped up immediately. "This was brought by Yukimura-senpai!"
Risa turned to look at Yukimura. The boy was resting his chin on his hand. When he saw her looking over, he simply shrugged casually: "I just happened to pass by on my way here."
"Huh? The captain clearly said it was for Risa-nee to celebrate. He won't let me eat it early." Kirihara winked and lowered his voice mysteriously, "Risa-nee, the captain is still at the flower shop for you—"
"Aka," Yukimura interrupted gently, pushing the workbook over. "You can only eat after you've finished solving the trigonometric functions."
The little seaweed immediately shrunk back down like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck, and obediently sat back down at the table.
Risa couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight. Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and even the tips of her hair trembled slightly.
That's really strange.
Leaving home at six in the morning, followed by two hours of makeup and styling starting at seven, and then eight consecutive hours of high-intensity shooting, one should be so exhausted that they can't even lift their fingertips.
But when I opened the door, I saw—
In the entryway were her favorite roses and jasmine flowers, a Mont Blanc cake in the refrigerator, and... and the boy sitting upright at the coffee table. The heavy weariness suddenly dissipated like clouds pierced by the sun, floating lightly into the air.
Why does this light, warm feeling rise in my chest?
Risa's eyelashes trembled slightly.
(Is this feeling of familiarity... due to dependence on family?)
She thought of the past.
Before she turned seventeen, she was the apple of her parents' eye, carefully protected, and the sister they always relied on in her younger brother's eyes. Then, her parents suddenly passed away, and her world consisted only of her brother.
The child who would look up at her and call her "sister" became her reason to work so hard, and a source of comfort and peace for her soul. Even if she suffered great injustice outside, all her fatigue would vanish as soon as she saw his innocent smile.
I see.
She saw her younger brother's shadow in Akaya.
That bright, sunny smile, that simple and genuine personality, that innocent look when he spoke, and even his occasional clumsiness—it was all so much like the younger brother I remembered.
No wonder I always feel a soft warmth and a sense of security whenever I see Akaya.
Yukimura... probably just benefited from his younger brother and Akaya's fame?
After all, in his previous life, he was his younger brother's idol; now he is Akaya's senior and often takes care of him, so he unconsciously projects his affection for his younger brother onto him.
After all, he is a very gentle and considerate person, so it's normal for him to have this misconception.
Yes, that must be it.
Risa came to a conclusion, as if trying to convince herself.
“The Mont Blanc at that Ginza shop…” Risa raised her eyes and said softly, “I’ve really wanted to try it.”
When Yukimura looked up at her, his violet-blue eyes were like the surface of a deep lake. Their gazes met briefly in the air, and a subtle current silently spread between them.
Risa suddenly felt her throat was a little dry and hurriedly turned her face away.
—No, something's not right.
Why is my heart racing? Why can't I look him in the eye?
He was just Akaya's senior, only a year older than his younger brother...
She took a deep breath, trying to break the tension with a joke, just like she always did:
"Thank you ~ Gentle God Noko-sama ~"
The moment the words were spoken, the air seemed to become even more eerie than subtle.
The boy's usual smile froze abruptly, and his violet-blue pupils trembled slightly. Time seemed to stretch out, and in the silence, only the thumping of his heart against his chest could be heard.
After a long while, he suddenly turned his face away. His slender fingers touched his lips, and strands of hair fell, casting shadows on his brow bone, hiding all his emotions in that darkness.
(Huh? Why this reaction?)
(He wasn't like this before...)
(That expression... isn't it the same as it was on the Ferris wheel...)
A burning sensation inexplicably rose in my ears and neck.
Risa turned and darted into the kitchen, her movements suggesting a hasty retreat.
"Yukimura-senpai?"
Kirihara tilted his head back, his emerald eyes filled with confusion. He blinked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice—
"Your face is so red... could it be that you have a fever?"
"fine."
That voice, usually so gentle and warm, was now hoarse and barely audible.
"It's just... I suddenly feel a bit hot."
……hot?
Kirihara tilted his head, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the numbers on the air conditioner—"24℃".
The air conditioning is clearly on full blast...
The seaweed frowned.
...He must have a fever, right?
He discreetly observed his minister, finding his demeanor extremely abnormal. An unnatural blush spread down his neck, and his breathing was much more rapid than usual.
What concerned him even more was—
The minister was deliberately avoiding his gaze.
Could it be... that I'm forcing myself again?
Little seaweed's heart suddenly clenched.
The minister is always like this, hiding all his discomfort behind a perfect smile and silently bearing it all alone.
Almost instinctively, the seaweed took a step closer.
He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and reached out his hand—
"Minister, let me see..."
"Chiye."
A familiar, gentle voice interrupted him.
The moment the minister turned his face, Kirihara felt a chill run down his spine.
Before him stood the same Yukimura-senpai he knew best—a gentle smile, smiling violet-blue eyes, and even the curve of his lips was exactly the same as always.
"Have you finished your math homework?"
Even that light, devilish tone still had that familiar feel to it.
The little seaweed stood frozen in place, as if its five senses had been extinguished, and its previous worries were instantly thrown to the winds.
He was stunned for a long time before he finally realized what was happening—
"Waaaaaah! Sen-senpai, why did you have to ask this now of all times?!"
......
In the kitchen, Risa leaned against the cold tiled wall. She heard their conversation and quietly turned on the tap. The water flowed over her burning palms, but it couldn't dispel the inexplicable restlessness in her chest.
What's with this feeling?
It felt like I'd secretly drunk some fizzy water; a subtle, itchy sensation spread through my chest.
That's so strange.
She shook her head vigorously and pressed her wet palms against her burning cheeks.
"Seriously... what am I getting so agitated about...?"
After calming down, she turned off the tap and shook her wet hands. Turning around, she took three glasses from the cupboard, went to the dining table, and poured freshly squeezed orange juice into them.
"Dinner's ready!"
After arranging the takeout sushi and matcha daifuku from Shimizu-ken on a plate, she greeted them softly.
(Yes, that's right. Keep a calm mind...)
After struggling with math problems all afternoon, Xiao Haidai was finally saved and immediately pounced on the dining table to devour the food.
Risa had eaten takoyaki at Kiyomizu-ken and wasn't hungry. She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the opposite side: "Speaking of which... isn't it Yanagi-kun's turn to tutor Akaya today?"
Yukimura put down his chopsticks, his gaze as gentle as ever: "That was originally how it was. But then Renji from Seigaku suddenly came to discuss data tennis, so I was temporarily substituted."
Damn it... I still can't look him in the eye.
Risa lowered her eyes and pretended to be focused on stirring the juice in her glass.
"Matsuno-kun has such good grades, how come I've never seen you tutor Akaya?" Yukimura suddenly asked.
"Me?" Risa raised an eyebrow at the seaweed that was wolfing down its food.
"How about this, can you describe my relationship with Akaya in four words?"
Yukimura's purplish-blue eyes shifted slightly, and after a moment's thought, he said, "A deep bond between siblings?"
"Bingo~" Risa snapped her fingers, a sly smile on her face. "I don't want this beautiful relationship to turn into a 'domestic violence scene'."
Yukimura: "..."
Speechless for a moment, I deeply sympathize and have no way to refute it.
An awkward silence fell over the table. But the person in question was completely oblivious, enjoying their meal immensely.
-
The semi-finals of the Campus Image Ambassador competition have finally begun amidst great anticipation.
The auditorium was packed, with even the aisles filled with students who came to watch the competition.
Backstage, Risa double-checked the rules card for the semi-finals.
[Round Two: Scenario Challenge]
Format: Assigned performance topic + impromptu performance based on randomly selected topic + audience interaction (randomly assigned scenario)
Designated topic: Nina's monologue in "The Seagull"
Impromptu performance based on randomly selected topics & audience interaction: topics will be randomly assigned by the host or judges.
Judges: Invited Artistic Director, Drama Department Advisor, Student Union Representative, and Fan Committee Representative
"Next up, please welcome the long-awaited grand finale—Matsuno Risa." The host's voice came through the microphone.
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Author's Note: Haha, I saw some readers making guesses about Sonoda Umi. Actually, she appeared in Chapter 5!
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