Chapter 56 An embrace is more touching than a confession (Bonus Chapter) ...Ugh...
Those eyes shone like amethyst in the sunlight, with a slight upturn at the corners, carrying her familiar gentle smile.
"Yukimura?"
He wore a simple white T-shirt with a light blue linen shirt draped over his shoulders, the hem of which was gently lifted by the breeze. He looked like a model straight out of a summer poster, incredibly refreshing.
"Are you the 'Shadow's Guardian'?" Risa blurted out.
"Hmm?" Yukimura raised an eyebrow slightly, a handsome smile curving his lips.
"How come you always seem to show up whenever I'm in trouble?" It sounded like a complaint, but she was actually very happy to see him.
Yukimura smiled: "Last time it was a knight, this time it's a 'Shadow Guardian,' but essentially there seems to be no difference."
"What...?" Risa tilted her head, a big question mark appearing in her clear eyes.
Yukimura stopped teasing her and pointed to the location icon flashing on her phone screen, "The drugstore is at the next intersection, turn right."
Risa looked in the direction he pointed: "I've been there, there's only a bamboo grove..."
"The sign is blocked by the bamboo grove," he casually replied. "Want me to show you the way?"
"Eh? Won't this be too much trouble for you?"
"It's okay, I'm off today."
"Thank you so much." Risa moved the parasol closer to him, then stopped. "Um... do you mind?"
"Hmm?" Yukimura paused for a moment, then laughed, "Actually, I'm quite sensitive to heat."
He reached out and took the parasol. "Let's go."
The sun cast long shadows of the two people, overlapping them on the stone path.
Perhaps it's because she's no longer deliberately avoiding it? Those blush-inducing, romantic dreams have recently disappeared, and even the awkwardness when meeting her has faded somewhat.
Risa quietly raised her eyelashes, glancing at the boy beside her out of the corner of her eye.
When he said he was "afraid of the heat," his voice, tinged with laughter, was like a gentle breeze sweeping across a lake on a summer evening, unintentionally creating ripples in the calm lake of her heart.
—He's such an unpredictable person.
Despite being a minor, much younger than her, he exuded an air of effortless composure in his speech and actions; beneath his seemingly gentle and refined features, he always inadvertently revealed a desire for control.
Was he genuinely afraid of the heat, or did he sense her discomfort and thus take the umbrella so naturally?
Risa pursed her lips, her thoughts drifting.
Humorous yet not frivolous, powerful yet not pretentious, cunning yet not overstepping boundaries—truly a gentle presence that inspires peace of mind and makes one irresistibly drawn to her.
......etc.
She snapped back to reality, her ears suddenly feeling hot.
—What was she thinking about just now?
-
The two walked into the alley side by side.
The space under the umbrella was a bit cramped, and occasionally arms would accidentally touch.
Silence, subtlety.
Mixed with a hint of youthful, budding excitement.
Yukimura slowed his pace, as if to match her rhythm.
Risa's gaze swept over the paper bag in his hand, and she paused in her tracks.
"You went to the hospital?"
"Yes, routine check." He said calmly, but moved his right hand back, hiding the paper bag behind him.
(Why hide it?)
The moment the thought crossed Risa's mind, she felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.
"Your body... should be fully recovered by now, right? Two years ago, before the World Cup semi-final, the doctor said..."
Yukimura paused, his pupils contracting: "What are you talking about?"
"Isn't that right?" Her voice trembled slightly. "During the U-17 training camp two years ago, Marui and Kimishima made a deal, and there were also test results from overseas medical institutions... Didn't any of these things happen?"
Yukimura's expression froze. His thick eyelashes drooped, obscuring his eyes.
He didn't answer her question; his thin lips were pressed into a straight line.
Silence is spreading.
Risa's heart sank.
"Yukimura..."
She reached out to grab the medicine bag he had hidden behind his back, but it was gently avoided before she could touch it.
This subtle movement sent a chill down Risa's spine, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
(Could it be...?)
The butterfly effect does exist; it's just that she had never thought about it or sought to verify it.
A seed of doubt hung between the two, refusing to fall.
His silence intensified Risa's fear.
Scenes from the hospital flashed through my mind: the frail figure sliding down the wall, the screams in the rehabilitation room.
"!"
A chill crept up her spine, and an unknown fear washed over her chest like a tidal wave. Her breathing suddenly became rapid, instantly engulfing her.
Yukimura finally raised his eyes.
His gaze swept over her trembling hands and landed on her uneasy face.
(He's giving me that look again...)
(How did she find out about that incident two years ago?)
(What did she see in me? Was it the defeated son of God, or...?)
"Yukimura... say something..."
Risa grabbed his shirt, her voice trembling: "Your body has fully recovered, hasn't it? What I just said...it all really happened, didn't it?"
A drop of warm liquid fell onto the back of his hand.
As if startled awake, Yukimura suddenly came to his senses.
He looked down at the water stains on the back of his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
When I looked up and met her eyes, I froze on the spot.
His palms clenched, and the umbrella handle groaned under the strain.
The girl who always had a smile on her face, was stubborn but soft-hearted, and loved to tease him, was now looking up with red eyes and tears welling up like pearls from a broken string, constantly overflowing from her eyes.
(Why is she crying? Is it because of me?)
My heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, a dull ache throbbing within me.
The usually composed "Son of God" was unusually flustered, his knuckles curling up and then relaxing at his sides.
"No..." he said hoarsely, "Don't cry."
His hand, which had been hanging by his side, slowly rose and covered her cheek, his fingertips immediately soaked with warm tears. Her tears were so hot, they made his chest feel tight.
“Those things did happen.” He carefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but new tears kept welling up. “So now… I’m very healthy, just going to the hospital for a routine check-up.”
Tears fell one after another, like an unstoppable summer rain. They soaked his fingertips, spread along the lines of his palm, and dampened his hand.
His memory flashed back to that afternoon on the rooftop, and a sense of helplessness gripped him once more.
After hesitating for a moment, he gently pulled her into his arms.
"...If you hate me, just push me away."
The body in her arms stiffened for a moment, then went limp. Slender arms wrapped around his waist, and she buried her face deeply in his shoulder.
Then--
She cried even harder.
Tears soaked the fabric of his chest, the warmth seeping through the clothes and reaching his heart.
The muffled sobs in his arms, filled with unspeakable grievances and unease, transformed into subtle tremors that spread throughout his body, piercing him with pain.
Yukimura brought his arms together and gently rested his chin on the top of her head.
Those unasked questions and those illogical details all became irrelevant at this moment.
After a long while, the trembling in my arms finally subsided.
When she looked up, her eyes and the tip of her nose were red, and tears were still clinging to her eyelashes.
"You...you're not lying to me?"
Her voice was hoarse from crying.
"Hmm." He wiped away her tears. "Should we call the doctor now to confirm?"
She shook her head, lowering her eyes somewhat embarrassed.
(You're crying so hard...)
(Is it because you're worried about me?)
The question stuck in my throat, and I ultimately didn't ask it.
"What you just mentioned..." he began, seemingly casually, "was it Akaya who told you?"
Her fingertips trembled slightly: "...Mmm."
Kirihara couldn't possibly know these things.
Yukimura didn't ask any further questions, but instead pointed to the depths of the bamboo forest.
"Let's go, the drugstore is just ahead."
She didn't move, but instead twisted her fingers together, saying, "Um... thank you, I can go by myself."
Yukimura's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded knowingly.
He handed the parasol back to her: "See you tomorrow."
-
Risa lowered her eyes and pressed her aching chest until Yukimura's figure disappeared at the alley entrance.
(What am I even doing...?)
Even though I'd seen all the past events, and I knew he was fully recovered, the moment I saw him hide the medicine bag, all the rationality that an adult should have crumbled.
What if? What if her intrusion causes the world to deviate from the original story?
Whether in her past life or this one, she seems to be an unlucky person. One by one, the loved ones she cared about left her. The career she pursued also crumbled at the height of its success.
If her reincarnation into this world really changes his future... she trembled with fear at the thought.
In that instant, the fear of "loss" transformed into an invisible darkness, gripping her heart and engulfing her.
This sudden loss of control and collapse has happened once before.
It wasn't the day I received the devastating news of my parents, nor when my younger brother was diagnosed with a genetic disease, nor even when I received the death certificate from the hospital... but rather on some ordinary morning.
That day, when she woke up, she looked at the empty room. Those memories that had been deliberately sealed away—her parents' warm hands, her brother's adorable smile—all came alive in an instant.
In that instant, tears welled up uncontrollably, like a torrential downpour.
True grief never arrives suddenly. It lurks in the calm of daily life until, in a moment of complete unawareness, it comes back to haunt you with interest, utterly shattering you.
Yukimura must have sensed something was amiss, but he chose not to ask.
That way... might be for the best.
Risa took a deep breath, turned around, and walked towards the drugstore.
The wind chimes tinkled softly as she pushed open the door and entered.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Sorry for the late update today, I'll update on time tomorrow. The plot is a bit stuck right now. It'll flow smoothly later. Sending you all love! [heart emojis]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com