Chapter 12 Basketball 11
Faced with the brilliant smile of the girl in front of him, Akashi Seijuro found himself stunned for a moment.
Basketball was the first thing his late mother left him.
Born into the Akashi family, one of Japan's most prestigious financial groups, Akashi Seijuro's father was a strict and unimpressive basketball player. He believed basketball wouldn't help him become the heir to the Akashi Group. But as long as he could consistently win at basketball, his father would let him play.
After his mother, the only one who could give him a place to rest, passed away, compared to everything else his father arranged, which required him to learn mechanically and intensively...
Indeed, only basketball can give him a moment of happiness and respite.
On rare occasions, when he touched the orange-red sphere, Akashi even felt as if he was back in the back garden of the manor villa where he lived as a child, with his mother bending down with a smile in front of him and handing him a basketball for the first time.
“…”
After a long silence, looking into the black-haired girl's bright and beautiful blue eyes, Akashi Seijuro showed a gentle smile without any sense of distance, "You are surprisingly intuitive, Kurikawa."
Eh, so he just implicitly agreed?
It's really because of an accidental correct words therapy that the favorability increased, Kurikawa Sana thought to herself.
What she had just said about Akashi's preferences for violin and basketball was actually just her guess.
Akashi's violin sound is really similar to her brother's, and the same is true for her brother - her brother doesn't like the violin, he just silently persists because of his parents' expectations, because only an all-rounder can become a qualified heir in the eyes of his parents.
Sometimes Kurikawa Sana would wonder if it was because she always easily gave up many of her parents' forced arrangements and just wanted to do what she wanted, which made her parents disappointed in her and so much so that they never accompanied her when she became seriously ill.
Kurikawa Sana couldn't help but lower her eyes in despair when she thought of her parents. She had thought she had let it go long ago, but she knew in her heart that she had only selectively forgotten. Whenever she encountered a topic or event that reminded her of her parents, she would still feel sad.
For some reason, the black-haired girl's mood suddenly became visibly depressed.
Akashi Seijuro fell silent.
Is there something wrong with what he just said?
He had no experience in coaxing girls, so he had to bring up a new topic: "Kurikawa, what are your thoughts on the song selection for the show?"
Song selection...
Suddenly, her favorite melody, which had given her strength many times, echoed in her mind.
Kurikawa Sana raised her head and turned her gaze back to the other person. "Have you heard of Arrival of the Birds, Akashi-kun?"
"It's a song I haven't heard of, but it doesn't matter, I can learn it."
"It's definitely not a classical instrumental piece that we're all familiar with. It's a piece by a British band... I personally like it very much."
Kurikawa Sana smiled, walked to the piano in the piano room and sat down, gently opening the piano cover. The girl's slender white fingers covered the black and white keys and slowly began to play.
This is a song she likes very much. During countless painful invasive rescue and treatment processes, and in countless nights when she was lying alone in the hospital bed, she relied on recalling the melody of this song in her mind to get through it.
The girl's slender fingertips danced nimbly, and the melodious sound of the piano flowed in the room.
The melody starts out quite slow and depressing, but gradually becomes light and bright, like a person struggling hard in desperate adversity, finally breaking through the darkness and embracing the light again.
Kurikawa Sana's piano skills are undoubtedly very sophisticated and impeccable, but what is even more rare is the surging emotions she pours into the process of playing.
She played the piano with great concentration, her whole body seemed to be shining, and the sound of the piano flowing from her fingertips could give people an indescribable power.
By the end of the piece, as the beautiful, stirring piano music plays, closing one's eyes, a vision of vibrant life and rebirth appears in one's mind. As the title suggests, the listener can almost see birds breaking free from adversity, soaring through the blue sky and landing in their lush green habitat.
Akashi Seijuro listened attentively, and from her piano music, he was once again able to glimpse the true emotions of Kurikawa Sana.
There's no doubt that Kurikawa Sana is exceptional. She's incredibly talented and incredibly beautiful. While possessing the grace and demeanor evident in her privileged upbringing, she also possesses a playful and playful personality that captivates everyone.
What's more, the sadness and loneliness she reveals from time to time indicates that she has mysterious stories and pasts that others cannot see, which makes people want to find out.
When you start to be interested in someone, it means something is out of your control.
It was precisely to avoid this situation that Akashi Seijuro did not pay any more attention to her than necessary from the very beginning.
However, he now clearly saw that he was very consciously deviating from the originally established safe track.
[Akagi Seijuro, Favorability +5. ]
…
After the song was finished, Kurikawa Sana looked up and asked with a smile, "What do you think of this song, Akashi-kun?"
Akashi Seijuro stared at her intently, the girl's fair and beautiful face reflected in his red pupils. Unusually, he didn't reply for a long time.
"Akaashi-kun?"
"No problem," he finally replied.
"I like it too..." After an ambiguous pause, Akashi Seijuro continued, "—this song."
"That's great. I'll write the music score for you later."
"No, I've already written it down."
"As expected of Akashi-kun, so strong!"
While Kurikawa Sana was praising the other person with rainbow farts, she was puzzled by one thing in her heart——
It's strange. She seemed to hear the sound of Midorima Shintaro's favorability level when she was playing the piano just now?
…
*
It was late at night, and on the way home from school in Teiko, the tall green-haired boy and the red-haired boy walked side by side. After a long silence, it was finally Akashi Seijuro who started the conversation.
"Midorima, you were outside the piano room just now, right?"
"...Yeah." Midorima Shintaro raised his hand to support his glasses. "I need to talk to you about something related to the Student Council. The people in Class A said you were in Piano Room 1, so I came over."
"Is this the budget plan for the Teiko Festival?"
"Yes, I saw you and Kurikawa were busy, so I put it on the table in your student union office." After a pause, Midorima Shintaro continued, "I unexpectedly heard a good song. Kurikawa plays the piano very well."
Akashi Seijuro smiled and said, "Midorima, you are also good at piano. If you tell Kurikawa this in person, she might be happier."
Midorima Shintaro paused for a moment.
This tone... As expected, the relationship between Akashi and Kurikawa has changed, and Akashi is no longer indifferent.
If it was the previous Akashi, he would seem uninterested or avoid the topic of Kurikawa Sana indifferently.
But just now, outside the piano room window, Midorima Shintaro clearly saw that Akashi's eyes were fixed on the black-haired girl, focused and serious.
Kurikawa Sana, playing the piano, shines in the field she is good at, and is so beautiful that it is impossible to look away.
But when the wind blew up the curtains and the setting sun from outside the piano room window streamed in, for a moment, Midorima almost thought that Akashi's pupils had turned from red to yellow.
However, when I look at it again, I feel that I have only seen it wrong.
A long time ago, Midorima Shotaro discovered one thing - Akashi was usually gentle and generous to others, but for some reason, there were times when he would become a completely different person.
At least in Midorima's personal opinion, it was simply another personality of Akashi.
But no matter which personality it is, no one can compete with Akashi, no matter in any aspect.
It’s hard to describe the feeling. Midorima Shintaro frowned, feeling as if his heart was inexplicably covered by a layer of dark clouds, gray and gloomy.
"It seems like you've become closer to Kurikawa recently, Akashi?" asked Midorima Shintaro.
"Well, Kurikawa is a very nice person. I was a little defensive and prejudiced before."
Midorima Shintaro was stunned for a moment, "Warfare and prejudice... why?"
"Perhaps it was an unconscious self-defense mechanism, like foreseeing danger. Now that I think about it, it's a bit exaggerated. Kurikawa isn't some monstrous creature."
Akashi Seijuro looked at him with interest, "But, Midorima, you actually took the initiative to bring up a topic about someone. It's rare."
“…”
Midorima Shintaro glanced away and said calmly, "Nothing, just a coincidence."
Today must be an unlucky day for Cancer.
He thought to himself.
It's terrible.
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