Chapter 85 Echizen and Niou: The arrogant little prince and the one disguised as Yukimura...
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the sycamore trees, enveloping the two embracing figures in a golden halo.
Risa buried her face in his shoulder, her breath filled with a reassuring scent, and the fatigue of the whole day quietly dissipated.
She knew she was greedy and had no principles; she had agreed to hug him for only five minutes, but she kept extending the time.
"If this keeps up, someone will take pictures of us~" Yukimura chuckled in her ear.
"Then let them take the pictures." She tightened her arms in a huff, snuggling against him like a spoiled kitten. Anyway, it was already all over the internet, and she never cared about such things.
"Ashi, shall we elope?" She suddenly had a whimsical idea, looked up into his eyes, and said, "Let's go somewhere where no one can find us, just the two of us, together forever."
"Okay," he agreed with a smile, his fingertips gently brushing away the stray hairs by her ear. "But before that..." his voice suddenly lowered, tinged with a hint of mischief, "Are Iwai-san and the others still waiting for you?"
"Waaah..." She snuggled into his arms unwillingly.
"Sweetheart." Yukimura leaned down and whispered in her ear, coaxing her gently, "After today's activities are over, I'll elope with you. We'll go see your own 'Garden of the Five Senses,' okay?"
"A special edition?" She tilted her head up from his embrace, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes. A version that exists only for Risa."
Those eyes shimmered with a captivating light, like a gentle, deep sea that slowly engulfs you.
Risa was captivated by the deep sea.
"good."
-
After parting ways at the library, Risa walked through the courtyard and arrived at the deserted club building.
She opened the office door, pushed it open, and pulled out a box of merchandise from the cabinet—Yukimura Seiichi's ink painting postcards and Sanada Genichiro's "Too Lax!" support fan.
There was also a box of "Limited Edition Trickster Badges" by Niou Masaharu.
Okay, let's move them all over together. Let's finish up as soon as we're done selling.
Risa stacked the two boxes together and was about to pick them up and leave when she caught a glimpse of a dusty sample box in the corner.
Upon opening it, I found it contained early sample items sent by the CS development department.
"Anyway, it's just taking up space," Risa muttered softly.
She stacked the three boxes together, picked them up, and walked out.
As she passed the vending machine, she placed the cardboard box on the bench and took out a convenience bag from it.
The doujinshi club's booth was extremely busy, so Yuzuki temporarily brought in the art club as reinforcements. Everyone had been busy for most of the day, and she was thinking of bringing everyone some iced drinks to cool them down.
"Beep—" The scanning sound rang out one after another.
Risa ordered almost every cold drink in the vending machine, the sound of carbonated beverages rolling off the machine echoing throughout.
"Glug glug—"
"Haa—"
Risa sat on a bench, tilted her head back, and gulped down a large mouthful of grape-flavored soda. The cool liquid, with its bubbles, exploded on her tongue, instantly dispelling most of the afternoon heat.
"Drinking soda after working is definitely the best thing ever." She squinted her eyes contentedly and shook the half-empty can.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.
Risa turned around and saw a boy wearing a white FILA hat, his face flushed, rushing to the vending machine. When he reached out to press the button, his amber cat-like eyes lost their luster.
"Damn it! Sold out."
Risa tilted her head as she looked at his annoyed expression.
"Are you looking for this?" She took a jar of Ponta grapes out of the bag.
The boy turned his head, and his eyes, hidden under the brim of his hat, lit up when he saw the soda.
"This is the last can." She handed it over.
"Thanks." The boy took the soda and deftly pulled the tab. The bubbles hissed as they rose.
He tilted his head back and took a big gulp. Under the brim of his hat, Risa saw his flushed ears and the side of his neck slightly damp with sweat.
"Could it be that you got caught in the 'Garden of the Five Senses'?" Risa asked knowingly with a smile. "You drank so quickly, did you try the special cake from the dessert station?"
The boy wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Hmm. Your tennis club's exhibition..." He paused, as if recalling some terrible memory, "...was quite impressive."
Risa couldn't help but laugh out loud.
After downing a can of soda, the blush on the boy's face finally faded considerably. He took out his phone: "I'll transfer the money for the drink to my senior."
“No need,” Risa waved her hand. “You’ve come to visit the Umihara Festival, so consider this my way of showing hospitality.”
"Oh." The boy promptly put away his phone and straightened his hat. "Echizen Ryoma, third-year student at Seishun Academy."
"I am......"
“I know,” the boy interrupted, a mischievous glint in his amber cat-like eyes.
Risa blinked: "?"
Echizen calmly added, "During the last friendly match, the senior who provoked Yukimura-senpai in front of everyone, and was later cornered against the wall in front of the vending machine..."
Risa froze instantly.
Are kids these days all so good at remembering things?!
“...My name is Risa Matsuno.” She gave her name in a dry, curt manner.
When Echizen heard the name, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "No wonder."
"No wonder what?"
“It’s nothing,” the boy shrugged. “I just suddenly understand how Yukimura-senpai came up with the ‘five senses deprivation’ experience at this year’s Kaihara Festival.”
Risa chuckled awkwardly, pretending not to understand.
Echizen glanced at the cardboard box next to her: "Your senior's stuff?"
"Ah, the club has a stall in the square selling these items."
"Moving to the square?"
"Um......"
Before she could finish speaking, the boy had already deftly picked up the three boxes.
"It's very heavy."
"It's still a long way off." Echizen picked up the box and walked towards the plaza, still with that arrogant look on his face.
Risa jogged to catch up, unable to resist laughing, "Echizen-kun is surprisingly kind-hearted."
"It was just on my way." The boy's voice carried a unique arrogance.
When I arrived at the square, there were still long queues in front of the doujinshi (fan-made comics) group's booth.
Echizen easily placed the cardboard box in the designated spot and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute, Echizen-kun." Risa crouched down and rummaged through the sample box.
"Found it!" She straightened up, and a delicate cell phone charm lay in her palm.
A proud-looking Siamese cat doll, its lifelike appearance resembling a Karupin, with two amber beads hanging beside it.
"This is for you, as a thank you gift." Risa handed over the pendant. "It's tiger's eye stone, it looks a lot like your eyes, and it's said to bring good luck~"
Echizen blinked his cat-like eyes, took the pendant, and said, "Thanks."
From afar came Momoshiro's shout: "Echizen! The performance is about to begin!"
"I'm leaving." Before turning around, the boy took something out of his pocket and tossed it over. "A return gift."
Risa hurriedly caught it, and when she opened her palm, she saw that it was a Q-version Yukimura crocheted doll keychain.
Uh... how should I put it?
She received merchandise she designed herself.
-
After the exhibition closed, Yukimura took Risa to the first exhibition area of the Garden of Five Senses.
“Ordinary tourists see a dynamic ink painting,” he gently blindfolded her, “but what you will see is…”
His hand slowly moved away, and Risa's eyelashes trembled as she opened her eyes.
For a moment, her breath caught in her throat.
The walls are covered with her sketches: her profile as she leans against the wall in the library, her smile as she plays with Akaya, her sly cheek as she steals a bite of his lunch...
At the very center is a watercolor painting: she sits on a bench outside the wire fence, gazing at the backs of the tennis players, her feet resting on transparent glass with fine cracks, the wire fence lines blurred, like a rift between two worlds.
“This is…” Risa’s voice trembled slightly.
Yukimura wrapped his arms around her from behind, gently resting his chin on the top of her head.
“That was the first time you came to watch the training,” he said softly. “You were standing in the sunlight, yet it seemed like you might disappear at any moment.”
Risa turned around to face him.
“It won’t disappear.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, looked into his eyes, and said, “See, you’ve got me.”
Yukimura's breath hitched, and a ripple appeared in the depths of his eyes.
He tightened his arms around her waist, slowly leaned down, their foreheads touching, and lowered his eyes to trace every inch of her delicate skin.
"How about I keep you by my side like this from now on?" he asked softly, his breath brushing against her lips.
Risa's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Is Oichi going to imprison me...?"
"Hmm." His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his breathing became heavier.
Just as Risa thought he was about to kiss her, Yukimura suddenly pulled away.
"You are sentenced to life imprisonment."
"......"
Okay, she's overthinking it. =_=
Yukimura took her hand, and the two walked out of the exhibition hall.
In the corridor leading to the next exhibition area, several spotlights moved across the wall, twisting two shadows together.
"Buzzing—"
In the quiet corridor, the vibration of the cell phone was particularly clear.
Yukimura took out his phone, and Sanada's name appeared on the screen. He frowned slightly, his fingertip pausing for a second above the screen.
"Hello, Sanada." After answering the phone, Yukimura paused for a moment. "Wait a moment."
He pressed the receiver, looked at Risa with an apologetic look in his eyes, and said, "Sanada said it's urgent, I'll be right back."
Risa nodded and sat down on the sofa stool by the corridor.
Less than two minutes later, familiar footsteps approached. Yukimura stood backlit and waved to her: "Sorry to keep you waiting."
In front of the silent string section, Risa gazed at Yukimura's perfect profile, blinked, but said nothing.
"Next is the auditory experience segment."
After she took her seat in the audience, Yukimura magically produced a pair of pure white noise-canceling headphones from behind his back and gently put them on her.
There was a few seconds of silence in the headphones, and then—
"Oichi, if you lose the game, tonight's date is canceled~" (Risa's provocative recording)
"You run really fast, Matsuno-kun?" (Yukimura's deep question)
"..."
Risa's fingers hovered in mid-air.
She silently took off her headphones, grabbed "Yukimura's" tie, and pulled him closer.
“Niou Masaharu,” she narrowed her eyes, “you’re quite bold, aren’t you? Hmm?”
A strand of silver hair slipped out from under the disguise.
"Puri, how did Risa-chan see through it... Ouch!" Niou clutched his head and bent over, and in the shadows behind him emerged Yagyu Hiroshi's reflective glasses and his fist with bulging veins.
Risa loosened her tie and clapped her hands dismissively: "You hit too hard, gentleman."
“It’s nothing,” Liu Sheng pushed up his glasses, a cold glint in the lenses. “Drag him out and continue.”
Niou, still struggling as he was being dragged away, cried out, "Wait! The mastermind is actually Yukimura—"
Risa rolled her eyes in exasperation, when a familiar soft laugh suddenly came from behind her.
As she turned around, the real Yukimura was leaning against the wall watching her, a smile playing on his lips. His eyes were gentle, like a tranquil lake in the shadows.
"Still laughing?" Risa raised an eyebrow, deliberately putting on a stern face. "Your girlfriend was almost kidnapped by an imposter, you know~"
Yukimura straightened up and walked closer to her.
“Niou is certainly getting bolder and bolder.” He bent down and pinched her cheek. “But how did Risa figure out that ‘me’ was Niou in disguise?”
"secret."
Risa snuggled into his arms and looked up at him, asking, "So what exactly is true hearing deprivation?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Babies, I've revised the description TT, because the previous description didn't seem to interest anyone, and no one clicked on it, sob sob X﹏X
Being a terrible copywriter is so tough. I wonder if this is to my taste. [Chin resting on hand]
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