Chapter 95 The Child of God, Coaxed into an Embryo, Buries a Thousand-Pound Ambition in the Snow, One Day...
A faint rustling sound came from the other end of the phone; Yukimura must have gone to the terrace specifically to talk to her.
"...So in the end, we decided to adopt Mucha's style, incorporating seasonal elements into each card."
Risa paused, then asked Yukimura, "Isn't it... a bit too flashy?"
A soft chuckle came from the receiver; Yukimura's voice was gentler than usual: "A very thoughtful design. But..."
He paused deliberately, "Is there any special meaning behind arranging my cards in the three solar terms of Awakening of Insects, White Dew, and Heavy Snow?"
Risa was curled up on the beanbag chair in the room, wearing Bluetooth headphones and holding a tablet computer in her hands. The screen displayed the proposal sent by Yuzuki.
The other three have already finalized their respective series and corresponding solar terms. Although there were a few overlaps, they were all perfectly resolved after discussion.
"Would you like to guess first, Oichi?"
Is this a quiz with prizes?
"sure."
"I bet you've added some sacred and beautiful setting to my resume again."
"I only guessed one-tenth right," Risa said with a smile.
She turned to the page about Yukimura's project.
Yukimura's series is "The Four Seasons of the Gods", which corresponds to the solar terms: Awakening of Insects, White Dew, and Heavy Snow.
"It's not embellishment, it's just stating the facts and expressing blessings." She clicked on the screenshot and sent the page over.
Meanwhile, on the terrace of the U-17 training camp dormitory, Yukimura's phone vibrated a few times.
He swiped the screen, tapped the image, and his purple pupils widened slightly.
○ Yukimura Seiichi "God's Four Seasons"
1. The Awakening of Insects (March 5th)
• Annihilation of the Five Senses • Thunder Strike: "Spring thunder startles all insects, and the five senses are suppressed in all directions."
2. White Dew (September 7th)
Yips·Frosty: "Morning dew seals the eyes, divine decree cannot be disobeyed."
3. Heavy Snow (December 7th)
Seizing the Future, Rebirth: "A thousand-pound ambition buried in snow, reborn from the ice in a single day."
"A thousand-pound ambition is buried in snow, but it will be reborn once the ice breaks."
Yukimura's gaze lingered on those words for a long time. In that instant, he seemed to see all the struggles and cries he had endured during his illness and recovery.
The next moment, the fog dissipated, and the scenes of participating in the national competition with my teammates, participating in the U-17 training camp, learning of my recovery, and representing the country in the world competition all reappeared before my eyes, vivid in my memory.
Although she hadn't personally experienced that time, it was as if she had always been silently protecting him and witnessing every important moment of his life.
On the night of the summer festival, she said she was very fortunate to have met him when he was seventeen, the one who had experienced confusion and struggle and was reborn from the bottom.
At that time, Yukimura thought that what she wanted to see was the invincible "son of God", not his pathetic state of being abandoned by fate.
Only then did he realize—
The most touching words of love are not "I will always be with you", but "I understand every step you have taken".
She had witnessed his every step of breaking down and rebuilding from behind the fourth wall, silently keeping the pain she hadn't experienced in her heart. She saw all the struggles he thought no one knew, all the bitterness he swallowed alone.
That's why she said those things. It wasn't that she didn't want to be there for him through his low points, but that she couldn't bear to see him suffer again.
A thousand-pound ambition is buried in snow, but it will be reborn once the ice breaks.
In just ten short characters, he captured all his forbearance and brilliance.
Yukimura gripped his phone tightly.
She said she loved him in her past life and in this life, and she wasn't just saying it.
A night breeze began to rise, dispelling the oppressive heat in Yukimura's chest. He longed to see her right now, to hold her tightly in his arms.
“Risa…” He stared at the words on the screen, his voice a little strained.
"Hmm?" came a questioning nasal sound from the other end of the phone.
"Risa".
"What's wrong?"
"Wait for me to come back, okay?"
"......OK."
"...I like you."
"Yes, I know."
"I love you the most, Risa."
"Aichi~ is so clingy~"
The girl's laughter came through the receiver; you could tell she was very happy.
The two chatted for a long time, their topics rambling on and on.
Risa complained that without the lively tennis club, school was too quiet. Yukimura shared funny stories from training camp with her, such as Akaya sneaking snacks at night and getting caught by Sanada, or being scolded by the coach during a pillow fight.
Before I knew it, the call had already lasted 69 minutes.
Yukimura was basking in the sweetness of being understood and cherished by his girlfriend. Just before hanging up, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, what's the theme of Sanada's art cards?"
"Is it from Sanada?" Risa sent a screenshot without hesitation.
Yukimura clicked on the image to zoom in, and the smile on his lips instantly froze.
○ Genichiro Sanada's "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain - A Chronicle"
1. Grain Buds (May 21st)
Yin·Wheat Waves: "It's hard to know when the thunder will rumble in the darkness, but righteousness will reach its peak."
2. End of Heat (August 23)
Fire and Lingering Heat: "Lingering heat forges the soul of the blade, raging fire refines true gold."
3. Cold Dew (October 8th)
• Mountain • Frosty Blade: "The heavier the frost, the more stable the mountain; immovable as the Black Tortoise."
"..."
Regret! Yukimura is now filled with regret.
He shouldn't have asked that question.
How can I describe this feeling? I thought I was favored and pampered, but it turns out the other person is indiscriminate in their affections.
“Speaking of which…” Yukimura began seemingly casually, tapping his fingertips on the balcony railing, “Risa once complimented Sanada on how handsome he was.”
A suspicious cough came from the other end of the phone.
"Why...why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
Risa paused subtly as she spoke, as if she had done something wrong.
"Besides, I was trying to help Akaya out of a predicament."
"Oh? Then why does he write his card explanations with such flair?" Yukimura asked casually.
"It's like... Risa knows him better than I do."
"Because it's required by the character setting."
Risa was surprised that he would get jealous over such a small thing, so she quickly tried to make amends.
“Look, Asuka even wrote ‘gentlemanly conduct’ for Yagyu.”
Yukimura narrowed his eyes: "You seem to have drawn Yagyu before..."
“Oichi!” Risa interrupted him, her voice softening. “Listen, the cicadas are chirping outside the window.”
Yukimura instinctively held his breath and listened; the other end of the phone was completely silent.
"......"
It's September now, where are the cicadas coming from?
But the girl said on the other end of the phone, "This cicada has been chirping since we started talking, but no matter how loud it chirps, it can't drown out the sound of my heart beating for someone."
I heard no cicadas chirping, but my heart was stirred.
Yukimura tightened his grip on the edge of his phone.
That cunning fellow...
He was easily controlled with just one sentence.
"...You've gone astray, Risa."
"Then are you going to punish me?"
"Hmm." Yukimura gazed at the training ground in the distance, where the lights gradually went out.
"Your punishment is... when I return, you must be the first person to see me."
"Heh...Is Oichi's punishment so gentle? I'm more than happy to accept it~"
Her cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone, soft and sweet, so obedient it made one's heart flutter.
After hanging up the phone, Yukimura looked at the girl's bright smiling face on his phone's screen saver, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
It's strange, he's always been known for his calm and self-control, but I don't know when it started, he's become more and more easily swayed by her emotions.
She clearly knows what to do rationally, but once things involve her, her proud self-control completely fails.
Just like now, those jealous words were said without any thought.
but......
She could always immediately sense his emotions, and then indulge his willfulness in just the right way, saying things he wanted to hear to coax him.
If this continues, he will only become more and more greedy.
-
From initial planning to finalization, Tennis Doujinsha spent a week completing the preliminary plan.
"Two months isn't enough?"
Risa chewed on her pen, her gaze lingering on the Gantt chart drawn by Yuzuki: "Wait, even if I guarantee three hours of drawing time every day..."
"Ideally, it will take at least three months." Jieyue turned to the last page of the schedule, her fingertips tracing the densely packed time points.
"We spend 2 days on a concept sketch, 1.5 days on a line drawing, and the four of us work together on the coloring stage. Each card takes 3 days. That would still take 102 days."
Gasps of breath filled the activity room.
“And that doesn’t even include…” Yuzuki drew a striking red circle in the “Risk Warning” column with her pen, “The two-week gap during final exam week. The earliest we can deliver for printing is March 30th.”
“The printing plant,” she turned a page, revealing a contact form, “will take at least 15 business days. To make it to the May trade show…”
“It must be delivered by early April,” Risa replied, the mechanical pencil in her hand spinning rapidly between her fingers.
-
At the beginning of December, Tennis Doujin Club's daily routine completely entered "trade fair preparation mode".
"Ah~ Is Risa-senpai going to draw until dawn again?"
Every day when she arrives at the club office, Chinatsu stares at Risa's increasingly dark circles under her eyes and exclaims in dismay.
"I got so engrossed in drawing that I didn't realize it." Risa opened the canned coffee she bought from the vending machine to perk herself up. "I really can't stay up late anymore. I have to go to bed early tonight."
That's what they say, but once they pick up a paintbrush, they can't stop.
On the other side, Yukimura has also fully entered "World Cup preparation mode".
The U-17 selection tournament had just ended, and he and his teammates were about to fly to Australia without stopping.
At 1 a.m., Risa finally finished the last line drawing of "The Four Seasons of God". She stretched lazily and picked up her phone to find an unread message:
[From Jingshi:
I played a friendly match against Tezuka today. That guy's improved so fast... Are all professional players monsters? (laughs)
However, I will win it back in the official competition.
P.S.: Remember to go to bed on time.
Risa's fingertips hovered above the screen, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Just like back then, behind that seemingly nonchalant "smile" lay a clear sense of resentment.
She reopened the software she had just closed, created a new blank page, twirled the digital pen on her fingertip, and began to sketch with a few quick strokes. Soon, she had sketched a chibi version of Yukimura, his face puffed up in anger.
He sat on a bench wearing his team uniform, with the words "Unwilling to Accept It" exaggeratedly floating above his head. Next to him was an exaggerated scoreboard, and opposite him was a Tezuka with his glasses reflecting light, with the words "Professional Monster" and "Big Bad Guy" written above his head.
After finishing the drawing, Risa stopped drawing and exported the artwork.
After hesitating for a moment before sending, I added another line:
From Risa:
Losing to a professional player is perfectly normal! (Hand-drawn sketch attached)
If Aichi had pursued a professional tennis career from his third year of junior high school, he would have been even more outstanding.
...How about I draw you a "victory special" next time we meet?
P.S.: I stayed up all night because of you~ Don't scold me when you see this after you wake up. [pointing and gesturing.jpg]
After sending the message, Risa turned off her computer, yawned, and crawled into bed.
-
Melbourne, Australia
5:00 AM
The morning light bathed the Melbourne skyline, and the sky was tinged with a hazy blue.
After washing up and changing into his training clothes, Yukimura sat on the sofa in his suite waiting for his roommate.
The phone screen glowed faintly, displaying an unread message. It was sent by Risa after he fell asleep at 1:30 a.m.
After clicking, his finger paused, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
As Shiraishi Kuranosuke walked out of the bathroom, drying his wet hair, he witnessed this scene—the boy's emotions were on full display, and the backlit profile of his face was unbelievably gentle. It almost made him drop the towel.
"What good thing happened, Yukimura?" Shiraishi leaned against the wall and teased.
Yukimura locked the screen.
"Hey, Shiraishi, do you know?"
"A girlfriend is truly the most wonderful thing in the world."
Snap!
The towel was slapped directly onto the floor.
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