Chapter 71 A Terrible Reunion Jump down, I'll catch you.
The national tournament has come to a close, with Rikkai University winning their second consecutive championship. The tennis club members also got a short break.
[Rikkaidai Tennis Club Regular Player Group]
[7:07]
Niou Masaharu: @SeaweedIsNotAVegetable →_→
Niou Masaharu: Isn't your Risa-nee back? Call her out to play! (/≧▽≦)/~┴┴
[7:08]
Kirihara Akaya: Huh? Risa-nee just got back the day before yesterday. She slept until last night, then did a part-time job as a magazine model yesterday, and is going to the gym today.
Bunta Marui: Terrifying Σ( ° △°|||)︴
Marui Bunta: Is this still a high school student? The schedule is terrifyingly packed.
Kirihara Akaya: He said he wanted to train until he could punch Vice-Captain Sanada and send him flying -_-#
Genichiro Sanada:......
[7:09]
Renji Yanagi: (Quick notes) Matsuno-kun's busyness rate increased by 99.5% after the training camp ended.
Liu Lian'er: Speculated reasons: ① Work requirements ② Improving physical fitness ③ Tactical avoidance
[7:10]
Kirihara Akaya: Yanagi-senpai @DataSupreme
Kirihara Akaya: I need to leave early for today's tutoring session. Risa-nee's yoga class ends at 8:30, I'll go pick her up~
[7:11]
Yukimura Seiichi: @SeaweedIsNotADish
Yukimura Seiichi: Is Akaya's English quiz after the start of school even more important?
Yukimura Seiichi: I'll go pick up Matsuno-kun; I need to talk to her about something.
[One minute of silence in the group chat]
[7:13]
Bunta Marui:! ! !
Niou Masaharu: Pfft?! [Fox in shock.jpg]
Yagyu Hiroshi: [Reflective glasses.jpg]
[7:14]
Kirihara Akaya: Huh? The captain wants to meet with Risa-nee alone??
Genichiro Sanada: [Animated emoticon] Thumbs up
[7:15]
Yukimura Seiichi: ^_^
Within the Rikkai University tennis team's regular player group, everyone tacitly sensed a subtle sense of crisis.
[The scammer changed the group name to "Protecting the Best Seaweed Guy"]
Jackal Kuwabara was still fast asleep and hadn't seen the group message.
-
At 10 a.m., Yukimura returned from the affiliated hospital. The late summer wind swept through the treetops, carrying a few early fallen leaves.
As he walked through the cherry blossom grove in Central Park, he thought he heard someone calling him.
"Yukimura...kun?"
Yukimura looked around but didn't see anyone.
"Yukimura~Yukimura~"
The sound grew closer, as if it were coming from above.
Yukimura looked up and was slightly taken aback.
"Matsuno-kun?"
The girl leaned against the sprawling branches of the cherry tree, smiling at him against the light.
"Yukimura, what are you doing at the park at this hour?"
"I just came back from picking up my medical examination report at the affiliated hospital and was passing by on my way."
Yukimura raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring light. The dappled light and shadow danced across her body, outlining her slender figure, while a few rips in her over-the-knee stockings stood out starkly.
“But you—” He narrowed his eyes slightly, a sly smile playing on his lips, “What are you doing climbing a tree in this sweltering heat? Catching cicadas?”
“Well…” Risa swung her legs, which were dangling in the air, a strand of hair twirling between her fingertips.
"...It's a long story."
On the night of the summer festival, the moment she saw the flight information, she made a decision as if possessed—under the guise of "festival magic," she let herself indulge in his tenderness.
Secrets are shared, embraces are made, fingers intertwine, kisses are exchanged... After midnight, the magic wears off, and reason returns.
She practically fled, trembling as she set up the scheduled email in the taxi on her way to the airport.
When I turned off the phone, my palms were covered in cold sweat.
She thought he would be angry, or even block her. After all, she seemed like an irresponsible, manipulative woman who flirted with someone and then ran away.
But he didn't.
His occasional Line messages, in a normal tone, seemed to genuinely accept her explanation and gently let bygones be bygones regarding that night.
He chatted with her about everyday things and the weather in Kanagawa, but he never mentioned the intertwined breaths of that night.
This maturity of "seeing through things but not saying them" made her feel relieved, but it also made her feel more guilty.
Sometimes, she even wished he would question her or simply ignore her, instead of leaving her feeling guilty while... vaguely harboring expectations.
Risa peeked down and saw Yukimura still standing under the tree, a familiar, gentle smile on his lips as he looked at her. It was as if he was waiting for her to explain the unfinished "long story."
"A little kid's helium balloon got stuck in a tree, so I helped him get it out, and then..."
The voice grew softer and softer, and even he himself probably thought the reason was ridiculous.
Yukimura seemed shocked by her reason, his gaze sweeping over her sleeveless shirt and short skirt: "Climbing a tree dressed like that?"
"Hey!" Risa grabbed her skirt. "Don't look up!"
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in huskies," he said with a sardonic laugh.
"...You really did peek! You pervert!"
In Japan, short skirts are unlined, making it very easy for them to expose oneself. She usually wears leggings under her school uniform skirt for a little bit of reassurance.
However, she was wearing those quirky safety shorts covered in husky prints. If anyone peeked under her skirt, they would see a bunch of huskies looking down at them with disdain.
Half an hour earlier, on her way to Qingshui Pavilion, she saw a little boy crying loudly over a helium balloon hanging in a tree. Feeling sorry for him, she climbed the tree to help him get the balloon.
result.......
He found himself trapped in a tree three meters above the ground.
Looking back now, Risa wishes she could strangle herself.
Why lie to the little boy and pretend you like to cool off in the tree? You could have just had the little boy call his mother over so she could call for help.
The habit of saying one thing and meaning another is truly deadly.
"Let's call the fire department instead."
A clear, melodious voice came from under the tree, and Yukimura silently took out his phone.
"No! Absolutely not!" Risa crossed her arms in front of her chest, making a big "X".
Yukimura's thumb hovered above the call button, and he raised an eyebrow slightly: "No way?"
If the firefighters were actually called, wouldn't she be on the local news and become a laughing stock of Rikkai University and even the entire Kanagawa Prefecture?
She can still tell the difference between dying in the sun and dying in the heat.
"Um... don't worry about me." Risa forced a bright smile. "The view from up in the tree is amazing. I'll stay a little longer and then come down."
"Oh?" Yukimura seemed thoughtful, then put away his phone. "I'll be going now."
The footsteps under the tree gradually faded into the distance.
"Waaah~ He really doesn't care anymore..."
Risa slumped her shoulders and buried her head in her arms.
I regret it, I regret it so much right now.
"What an idiot... It's better to die in the office than to starve or die from the sun here, sob sob /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~"
She finally understood what it meant to "climb a tree for a moment of pleasure, but come down to your doom."
"Just as I thought."
Just as she was muttering to herself in frustration, a familiar, gentle voice came from under the tree.
"Whoa!" Risa clung to the tree trunk, almost slipping off the tree.
She looked down.
Yukimura stood under the tree, looking at her with a half-smile.
"You...how could you...?"
Risa's cheeks flushed; could her earlier mutterings have been...?
"Jump down," he said succinctly.
"Are you kidding me?! You'll fall to your death from that height!"
"I'll catch you."
"..."
He stood in the light and shadow, his figure tall and slender. His arms hung casually at his sides.
—It turns out he was just putting down what he was holding.
Thinking of this, Risa's heart skipped a beat.
etc--
So all that rambling inner monologue just now...
Did he overhear everything?!
So embarrassing, I just want to die T﹏T
"Jump down," the boy under the tree said, looking up. "Hurry up."
“You…” Risa clung tightly to the tree trunk, “How could you say such terrible things with that seemingly harmless face?”
If she jumped from a height of three meters, even if she was lucky enough not to break her leg, she would definitely have seriously injured him, right?
"Believe me."
He slowly raised his hand and opened his arms to her.
A gentle breeze ruffled the wispy curls on his forehead, revealing deep, iris-like eyes. He was handsome and refined, breathtakingly beautiful.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at that moment. The wind stopped, the rustling of the leaves disappeared, and even my own heartbeat seemed to have forgotten to beat.
Reason slammed an alarm in her mind: Matsuno Risa, you have the mind of an adult, how could you do something so dangerous?
The body reacted before the mind could process it.
"...You have to catch me safely."
Before she could finish speaking, she had already jumped down.
In the moment of weightlessness, the world seemed to be slowed down.
The wind brushed past her ears, her skirt billowed in the air, and her hair flew. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, shattering into golden glimmers before her eyes.
The boy's arms tensed abruptly the moment he caught her, revealing the smooth lines of his muscles beneath his shirt sleeves. The impact caused him to take a slight half-step back while still holding her.
Sunlight poured down, weaving a flowing golden veil around them.
The moment their eyes met, memories of that summer festival night surged back—his body temperature, his breath, his soft sigh falling on her hair...
The laughter of children in the distance seemed to come and go, as if veiled by a hazy mist. Only the sound of their intertwined breaths and the clear, audible heartbeat of the boy remained.
What a terrible reunion.
Her body heat radiated through her thin shirt, making her scalp tingle.
Although he was younger than her, his innate composure made her feel like the bewildered child.
"...Stand firm."
A slightly hoarse voice came to Risa's ears, bringing her back to her senses.
She touched the ground with her toes, and his arm remained loosely around her waist, not letting go immediately.
"Th...thank you." Risa withdrew her hand, her fingertips touching the ends of his slightly curled hair.
The soft touch made her freeze, and he seemed to be stunned for a moment as well.
As Risa stepped back to create some distance, her hair got caught on a button of his shirt.
"Feel sorry......"
The two of them reached out to untie their clothes at the same time, their fingertips touching, and as if struck by static electricity, they both pulled their hands back.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
"......Um."
Risa lowered her hand, letting it hang silently at her side, her fingers curled tightly.
She looked at his thick eyelashes, which fanned out like fans covering his lower eyelids. Beneath his high, straight nose, his thin lips were slightly pursed.
As if he knew she was looking at him, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
Risa blinked, then guiltily looked away, her gaze falling on his hand. His fingers were long and slender, with prominent knuckles, like jade bamboo.
With a gentle flick of his jade-like fingertips, a strand of hair slipped from the button. In the instant that strand fell, he caught it without a word, lifting his eyelids to look at her.
Risa had no time to look away; their eyes met, and Risa's clear eyes reflected her helpless face.
My breathing became labored, and my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest.
The three-time Best Actress winner, possessing top-notch acting skills, looked like a young girl experiencing her first love. She couldn't even manage the most basic facial expressions, let alone be as at ease on set.
"Long time no see, Matsuno-kun."
The wisp of hair that was loosely wrapped around his fingers was like a red thread tied by a god.
Welcome back to Kanagawa.
An ordinary, mundane sentence, like Cupid's arrow, pierced Risa's heart.
The heart that was so composed in front of the camera was now completely out of control, beating rapidly and erratically.
“Yes, I’m back,” she replied.
Their eyes met, and a tension seemed to spread through the air.
“Thank you for getting me down from the tree,” she broke the silence.
"It was nothing, don't worry about it." He slowly loosened the strand of hair.
He stirred up a breeze as he passed by her.
Risa unconsciously turned around with him, watching him bend down and pick up the document bag placed on the flower bed.
After a month apart, the throbbing in my chest not only didn't subside, but intensified.
“There are often playful little stray cats around here,” he said with his back to her, his voice clearly mischievous. “They always recklessly climb to the treetops and then can’t get down.”
—A stray cat?!
The chaos of war has paused, and the romantic filter has been removed.
She's a young woman in the prime of her life, tall and beautiful, gentle and generous, with a great personality, yet he compared her to a stray cat?!
Risa, in a fit of anger, made a dramatic face at his retreating back.
Just then, Yukimura turned around.
Unexpectedly, their eyes met.
"......."
"......."
The cicadas' chirping abruptly stopped.
Time stood still at this moment.
Even the gentle breeze that brushed against my cheeks paused briefly.
Risa froze, still stuck in that childish, silly face.
"Oh......"
Yukimura curled the corners of his lips into a knowing smile, a hint of mockery in his expression, as if he had anticipated her reaction.
"Haven't you been eating properly lately?" he asked her abruptly.
Risa: "Huh?"
"Weight," he said with a smile, "much lighter than last time."
"......ah?"
"I'm leaving now."
Risa looked completely bewildered.
There were no questions, no mention of the escape that night, and not even a second glance at her.
That's fine too.
If we become friends, I can watch over him for a lifetime.
After calming herself down, Risa pinched her burning earlobes and walked towards the direction of Qingshui Pavilion.
Five minutes later—
The figure in front of her suddenly stopped and turned around to look at her.
Risa stopped and looked up, meeting his gaze.
-----------------------
A note from the author: "Long time no see."
"I'm back."
-----------
The way the village brother caught Risa was inspired by the first volume of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun. It's high-risk and unrealistic, but incredibly romantic. In reality, this kind of action would get you and your partner killed. Please do not imitate it! Please do not imitate it! Action instructions can be found in the inspiration notes section of this column.
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