Chapter 58 Newton's Coffin Lid... What kind of code is this?
Sunshine, beach, waves, and a handsome young man.
This is the first day of Rikkai University's tennis club's seaside training camp.
Hormones and the salty sea breeze stirred up the entire beach.
"Hey, guess what kind of swimsuits the girls will wear?" Kirihara Akaya lay in the shade of the parasol, his emerald eyes sparkling, looking like an overly excited seaweed spirit.
"Don't move!" Sanada tapped his restless junior on the head with sunscreen spray in his hand.
Last year during training camp, this forgetful little seaweed got sunburned and peeled because she was lazy and didn't apply sunscreen. She had to stay in bed for three days before she could resume training.
Kirihara shrank back and finally calmed down.
Niou Masaharu fiddled with his braid, a sly smile spreading across his face: "Pfft~ I bet 100 yen that Asuka is definitely the sporty type. As for Iwai-san, she'll probably be the sexy bikini type."
"Sato-senpai is definitely cute," Marui Bunta said confidently, popping a bubble gum. "She's as sweet as a strawberry cake."
After Sanada finished applying sunscreen to Akaya, he scolded the fox and pig, who showed no respect for their seniors, with a dark face: "You're too lax! We're here for training, not to discuss girls' swimsuits!"
“But Sanada,” Renji Yanagi said with his eyes closed, his notebook scribbling away, “according to the data, your understanding of swimwear fashion ranks third in our department.”
"What?!" Sanada abruptly turned to Yanagi Renji, "This kind of boring data—"
"Why don't you make a prediction?" Renji Yanagi interrupted him, his half-closed eyes revealing a mischievous glint. "What style will Matsuno-kun wear?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
All the boys turned their heads simultaneously, their gazes fixed on the minister who was elegantly spraying sunscreen in the distance.
Yukimura Seiichi's hand, holding the sunscreen spray, froze in mid-air: "...?"
Just then, the four girls who had been the subject of much discussion finally arrived late.
The tennis club boys all turned to look.
Just as Marui predicted, Chinatsu wore a strawberry-print bikini with a cute bow tied around her waist. Yuzuki wore a sexy bikini, her long light blonde hair tied back, exuding an aura of unapproachability. Asuka's sporty swimsuit resembled a professional diving suit, and she was also holding a camera.
then--
All eyes were focused on the figure at the back of the group.
"Risa-nee, why didn't you change your clothes before coming down?" Kirihara Akaya was the first to call out.
Risa: "...I changed."
“But these are just ordinary clothes!” Kirihara shouted, pointing at her. “We came to the beach!”
Risa, holding her sketchbook, calmly walked to the parasol: "I'm afraid of the sun and don't want to go in the water. This is perfect."
She wore a light green dress-style swimsuit with halter and cutout elements, and ruffles at the chest, layered with a semi-transparent white cardigan for sun protection.
At first glance, apart from the shorter hem, it really doesn't look much different from a regular dress. It's more suitable for a hot spring than a beach outfit.
The boys looked at each other in bewilderment, but only Liu Lianji quickly jotted down notes in his notebook:
[Sun protection awareness 100%, fashion sense 90%, conservatism... 99.999%]
[Special Note: Upon seeing this outfit, one of the observed individuals appeared to reach peak pleasure, with their smile widening by 5 degrees compared to usual.]
Niou Masaharu quietly approached Yanagi Renji from behind, who slammed his notebook shut as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Yuzuki tilted her head, poked Risa's arm with her fingertip, and whispered, "Hey, were you two really not confessing just now?"
Risa: "No, I'm just clarifying some misunderstandings... You've asked me this a million times."
As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously glanced in Yukimura's direction. His skin was as smooth as a Greek sculpture, his complexion pale and almost translucent in the sunlight.
Seemingly sensing her gaze, the boy looked up at her, his purple eyes as calm as the deep sea, captivating all who looked upon him.
Risa silently looked away, her ears turning red.
Yuzuki narrowed her eyes, scanning the two of them back and forth: "...Is it really just a misunderstanding?"
Risa quickly covered her mouth: "Stop gossiping, we can't be together."
A sea breeze blew by, and under the shade of a parasol, someone quietly turned another page in their notebook.
-
After applying sunscreen, the young men and women rushed towards the azure sea like wild horses.
Holding her little yellow duck swimming ring, Chinatsu turned back to look at the girl under the parasol before leaving: "Risa-senpai, are you really not going to come and play with us?"
Risa lay on the beach chair, stretching like a lazy cat: "I'm frail and sickly, and I stayed up all night reading comics last night, so now I just want to be a quiet, lazy bum."
"Alright then~" Chika's voice drifted away on the sea breeze.
Risa put on her sunglasses and adjusted herself to a most comfortable position.
The sea breeze caressed my cheeks, carrying a salty, damp scent, while in the distance, waves crashed against the shore, creating a natural white noise.
Peaceful and serene.
Time becomes blurred here.
It's like floating in a warm ocean, where all your worries are carried away by the tide.
Half-asleep, I heard the energetic cheers of the boys around me.
Risa sat up, her sunglasses sliding down to the tip of her nose. Through the top edge of the frames, she saw Yuzuki and the others playing beach volleyball with the tennis club.
Under the azure sky and sea, the flying sand grains glittered, like gold dust scattered on the ground.
The scene was so beautiful that Risa couldn't help but take out her phone.
A few clicks captured the moment the boy leaped up to spike the ball, while the girls smiled broadly, their pure joy overflowing from the sea and sky.
Without realizing it, she seemed to have become that observer as well.
She put down her phone and took out her sketchbook.
The pencil glides lightly across the paper, sketching smooth lines.
At first it was just ordinary play, until—
"Watch this! Rocket serve!" Kirihara Akaya delivered a jump serve, sending the volleyball hurtling towards the opponent's court like a cannonball.
"Too naive." Sanada Genichiro crossed his arms. "Immovable as a mountain!"
The volleyball actually bounced off his arm the instant it made contact!
Risa's pencil stopped on her sketchbook, and her jaw nearly dropped into the sand. What's going on? Can you use tennis moves in beach volleyball?
What happened next completely overturned her understanding of "beach volleyball".
Marui Bunta used "tightrope walking" to precisely hit the volleyball onto the net, sending it rolling into the opponent's court; Yagyu Hiroshi's "laser beam" made the volleyball fly in a straight line; Niou Masaharu even transformed into the appearance of an opposing player to create chaos...
Ah, it seems Newton's laws are going to have to take a break again.
As Risa sketched, her hands drenched in cold sweat, she wrote in Chinese beside her:
Newton must have turned to death.
And then drew a face with a wide noodle covered in tears on the back.
After witnessing all sorts of strange and bizarre moves, Risa even began to look forward to the scene of Yukimura using "annihilation of the five senses" to wipe out everyone.
Unfortunately, he never used this move in the end.
He is really a picky son of God...
-
It was 2:30 p.m., and the sun was blazing.
Risa felt like she was being roasted alive, no different from a squid on a hot plate. Meanwhile, the beach volleyball players seemed tireless, like perpetual motion machines.
"So this is what high school students in sports anime are like..." she muttered to herself, deciding to seek refuge in an ice cream shop.
When Risa returned with ice cream and chilled soda, she found someone sitting next to her.
Yukimura sat back under the parasol, his long legs casually stretched out, his chin resting on his hand, staring at the sketchbook she had placed on the recliner, looking thoughtful.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up with a warm smile: "Matsuno-kun, 'Newton's coffin lid'...is that some kind of code?"
Risa: "......"
Pupil constriction.jpg
Oh my god! She forgot to close her sketchbook before she left.
How can a native Japanese person understand Chinese?! This is illogical! This defies common sense! Who gave you this setting?!
etc--
He can read Chinese? Then that means... he could also understand the sentence she wrote in her modern Chinese textbook that day?
"...Would you believe me if I said I was studying physics?"
She gave a polite but awkward smile, her toes curling up inside her sandals, wishing she could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the sand and crawl into it right there and then.
Yukimura blinked in confusion: "Studying physics? Does that mean our beach volleyball violates the laws of physics?"
"No, of course not!"
Risa was so embarrassed. Risa wanted to die. But Risa still had to figure out a way to get through the current situation.
"I just...uh..."
In her panic, she grabbed the limited-edition ice cream she had queued for twenty minutes to buy and forcefully changed the subject: "Um... do you want some ice cream?"
Yukimura's gaze lingered on the ice cream packaging for a moment before slowly shifting to her guilty-looking face, puffed up like a bun.
(Is this some kind of taboo topic? She's even willing to give away ice cream that's so expensive.)
"Thank you." He took the ice cream. "This is exactly what I wanted to eat."
Risa: "......"
She stared at her suddenly empty palm, and a barely audible sob escaped her throat.
(My limited edition...)
"I heard that this brand of ice cream is a local specialty, and sometimes you can't even buy it even if you queue up."
Yukimura slowly unpacked the package, and milky white mist rose from the opening.
Seeing her staring at him with a pitiful look, Yukimura couldn't help but smile and hand her the ice cream, "Here, have a bite."
Risa: "Huh?"
"If you don't want to eat, then forget it." Yukimura made a gesture as if to withdraw his hand.
Her body reacted faster than her brain. She grabbed his wrist and, in that position, took a vicious bite.
"No wonder it's a limited edition!" The girl squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
(Hehe, once I've eaten it, it's mine.)
(Now you should give me the rest, right?)
Risa secretly rejoiced, praising herself for being such a master planner.
Yukimura stared at the ice cream with a large piece missing, and chuckled softly, "You're really not being polite, Matsuno-kun."
The next second, right under her cunning gaze, he calmly took the spot she had just bitten into into his mouth.
Thump—thump—
Risa could hear her heart pounding faster than normal.
"Um, that..."
A miniature volcano erupted in her mind, burning her face bright red.
She pointed at the ice cream and stammered, "...I...I've eaten it."
"Hmm?" Yukimura looked at her innocently and took another small bite.
"......"
He ate all the parts she had bitten.
In the distance, the beach volleyball game had ended sometime earlier.
Chinatsu and Yuzuki were playing in the sea, while Asuka stood beside them with a camera in hand, their laughter carried on the sea breeze.
Kirihara Akaya, Niou Masaharu, and Marui Bunta start playing rock-paper-scissors for the last popsicle; Sanada and Yanagi Renji stand under a sunshade, discussing something in front of a form; Yagyu and Kuwabara are discussing the SPF value of sunscreen...t.
Laughter, the sound of waves crashing on the shore—everything seemed distant.
In a daze, the conversation we had in the car that morning suddenly replayed in my ears:
"When Yuzuki feeds Mitsuya-senpai, they're just like an old married couple."
"That kind of natural intimacy that makes you oblivious to others can't be faked."
The scalding heat spread from my ears all the way up to my whole body.
Risa placed her hand on her cheek.
(It must be because the sun is too strong...it's definitely...)
-
Tennis Doujin Club's "School Limited Series - Issue 12"
[Theme: Foodie Genius × Reliable Partner]
[Series: Parody and Meme Play]
→ "Weight Conservation" Keychain
Marui carrying a mountain of cake vs. Jackal lifting a barbell (Note: "I'll take care of my teammate's calories")
→Emoji Stickers
Marui: "I want both the cake and the victory!"
Jackal: "Bunta, eat after training..." (facepalm)
Risa packed and sent the completed artwork, then stretched.
When the phone screen is turned on, the time is displayed as:
[22:45]
"That Yuzuki guy..."
She glanced at the empty bed next to hers. He'd said he'd go help out at the hotel at dinner, but he hadn't shown up since.
After using her brain, Risa felt a little hungry.
Remembering the "Candy Paradise" that Akaya and Marui Bunta had mentioned during the day, she grabbed her room key and phone, slipped on her slippers, and went out.
"Candy Paradise" was a name given by Marui Bunta and Akaya, and its official name in the hotel brochure is: Night Snack Supply Station.
Swipe your card to enter the glass doors on the 28th floor, and you'll be greeted by a completely transparent viewing space, like a crystal palace suspended in mid-air.
The vending machines lined up along the wall, their glass cases overflowing with snacks. The warm yellow lights made the packaging sparkle, making it look more like a modern art exhibition.
The "midnight snack station" was deserted late at night, with only a few couples huddled in the corner on beanbag chairs, whispering to each other.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sound of the tide can be faintly heard.
Moonlight spilled across the sea, breaking into silvery ripples, while the beam of a distant lighthouse slowly swept across the water.
Risa stood in front of the vending machine and bought a box of lemon sea salt Pocky. When it was time for her drink, her finger hovered over the selection buttons. Finally, it stopped on the purple-packaged Ponta.
As far as I can remember, that cat-eyed boy always seemed to love drinking this.
"Is it really that good?" she muttered to herself as she pressed the buy button.
The aluminum can makes a crisp sound when it rolls down.
As I bent down to pick up the drink, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure on the balcony out of the corner of my eye.
Risa turned her head to look.
Yuzuki stood sideways on the balcony, the moonlight outlining her slender figure. Her left elbow rested on the railing, the night breeze ruffling her hair, as if she were talking to someone.
Just as Risa was about to push the door open and go out, a tall figure flashed into view from opposite Yuzuki.
The man grasped Jieyue's wrist and pulled her into his arms. Her long, golden hair fell down, partially obscuring her face. He tilted his head slightly and kissed the girl's lips, his movements gentle and practiced.
The girl tilted her head slightly, her fingers gripping the other person's clothes tightly, and slowly moved upwards to embrace the young man's neck, pressing her body closer to him.
Risa stared wide-eyed, frozen in place. She nearly dropped the Ponta from her hand.
(OMG!)
(The pairing of Asuka and Chinatsu... is actually real?!)
but......
Since Yuzuki doesn't intend to make it public, she should just pretend she didn't see it.
Risa quietly stepped back, but froze the moment she turned around.
There is someone.
He's staring at her.
In the shadows to the right, a tall, slender figure leaned against the wall, his knuckles bent, casually tapping the can of lemon tea.
The moonlight hid behind the clouds, obscuring his face; only his sharp jawline was faintly discernible.
(......who?)
The night breeze lifted the gauze curtains, and the clouds drifted by.
The moonlight gradually bathed his silhouette.
First, his distinct knuckles; then, the slight movement of his Adam's apple. Finally... his violet-blue eyes suddenly rose from the shadows, their gaze falling upon her.
Risa's heart tightened.
(...Yukimura?!)
"The moonlight tonight..."
He had a smile on his lips and a deep voice.
"...It really is a secret."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Today's discussion question: What was the village brother thinking when he stared at Risa in the dark?
Evil F (raising hand): I bet he's thinking about what kind of expression those perpetually composed eyes would show if he were to suddenly kiss her. (His Adam's apple bobs slightly as he imagines it.)
Village (laughs): Watch my hands.
Author (in horror): Brother, don't do this, I'm scared. You're still a minor, Jinjiang won't allow it.
U in front of the screen: Bro, let's go for it! We're not afraid!
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