Chapter 136 Tennis 24
In the evening, after school, the café is filled with the rich aroma of coffee, mixed with the sweet scent of baked cakes. Soft jazz music flows slowly through the air, and sunlight shines on the long wooden table, bringing a sense of tranquility and comfort.
Looking at the gentle, beautiful and mature older sister in front of her, Kurikawa Sana also felt extremely comfortable.
"Sana-chan~ You finally have time to come to my cafe. Come take a look at the menu. Order whatever you want. It's my treat!" Akutsu Yuuki smiled and handed over the menu. "By the way, just call me Sister Yuuki~ Everyone calls me by my name."
"Yeah, thank you, Yuuki-san!"
It's great, but it's hard to imagine that Yuuki, who is so gentle and considerate, has such a bad temper as her son, Jin Akutsu.
Sister Yuki had invited her many times, but Kurikawa Sana had been busy with her strategy and had not been able to come. Today, she finally made time and came over as soon as school was over.
"Then I'll have a chestnut Mont Blanc?"
"Oh, Sana-chan also likes chestnut-flavored desserts? So does Ajin." Akutsu Yuuki placed the order with a smile and waved towards the door, "Aron, come here!"
When Kurikawa Sana looked up, she saw Kawamura Takashi from Seigaku walking towards the store, but his expression looked quite heavy.
"Hello, Kawamura-san." Kurikawa Sana greeted him politely.
"Ah, it's Kurikawa-san, hello." Kawamura Takashi choked, and the words he wanted to say seemed to be stuck on his lips. "Um, Yuuki, there's something..."
Akutsu Yuuki looked up in confusion, "What's wrong, Aaron?"
"There's something I have to tell you after much deliberation." Kawamura Takashi took a deep breath and continued, "Akuzu came to our school yesterday to cause trouble. He hit Arai and Kato from our tennis club with a tennis ball, and then he used his racket to hit the gravel and injured Echizen. He really went too far."
“……!!!”
"What?! Jin, how could he do this...!"
Not only did Yuuki Akutsu cover her mouth tightly, tears instantly welling up in her eyes, but Sana Kurikawa also subconsciously clenched her fists.
She hates anyone who hurts other people's bodies. This is true for Guan Yuechu and Akutsu Jin. It doesn't matter just because Akutsu Jin is a conquest target.
The wind chimes rang again at the entrance of the cafe, and four teenagers wearing the blue and white uniforms of the Qingxue team walked in. They quickly sat down at another table not far away and covered their faces with the menu cards.
"Aaron's date...is actually a super mature older sister?!"
"And Kurikawa from Hyotei is here too. What kind of team is this? So Aaron knows Kurikawa?"
"Keep your voices down! Otherwise, someone will hear us!"
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
Sorry, she had already heard it with her excellent hearing. Even from a distance, she could feel the shocked expressions on their faces.
Kurikawa Sana glanced silently in their direction.
Then, his eyes met a pair of sharp yet clear amber cat eyes.
[Echizen Ryoma, Favorability +2.]
Kurikawa Sana was slightly stunned.
He is obviously the youngest among all the possible targets, but he always has a feeling of rushing around.
Ryoma Echizen never avoids looking away, and his temperament is always flamboyant, just like his playing style, confident and uninhibited.
“……!”
Kurikawa Sana rarely looked away and looked down at the chestnut Mont Blanc on the table.
What kind of thing is this! As a senior, I was stared down by the juniors and ran away. Wuwu... Who is the one being conquered?
"Hey, Kawamura, you're here again."
A familiar and deep voice sounded above their heads, and a young man with pale skin and strong muscles sat down beside them, his well-proportioned long arms stretched out behind him, and the smile on the corners of his mouth was arrogant and presumptuous.
It's Jin Akutsu.
Kurikawa Sana looked up at him, her extremely beautiful face showing an unprecedented coldness.
Although she was calling Kawamura, Akutsu Jin's sharp eyes were fixed on her.
Yuuki Akutsu sobbed and asked, "Ani, why on earth did you do such a thing?!"
"Oh? No wonder Kawamura came here suddenly today. It turns out he came to tell tales on me. Great, you've become more capable, Kawamura."
After saying that, Akutsu Jin picked up the cup of Coke on the table, then suddenly stood up. His tall body cast a shadow, bringing a full sense of oppression.
Recalling the action of Jin Akutsu pouring a drink on Ryuichi Kawamura's head when they first met, Kurikawa Sana immediately realized what she wanted to do.
This guy wants to use Coke to splash River Village again!
Kurikawa Sana snatched the Coke from Akutsu Jin's hand and drank it all in one gulp.
Akutsu Jin: “……?”
Realizing that she was protecting Kawamura Takashi, Akutsu Jin curled his lips and picked up the other cup of coffee on the table.
Kurikawa Sana continued to be quick-eyed and quick-handed. She snatched the cup of coffee from his hand again and drank it all in one gulp!
Ha, now that you have no tools to commit the crime, let’s see how you can splash water on your classmates from Hecun.
Akutsu Jin: “…”
Yuuki Akutsu: “…”
Kawamura Takashi stared at her in amazement, "Kurikawa-san..."
Isn't this enough??!
Kurikawa Sana gracefully took out a handkerchief from her bag and gently wiped the corner of her mouth. "I'm just a little thirsty."
Akutsu Jin: “…”
He sneered, "Very good, let's see how long you can protect him!"
"You're so annoying, Akutsu-kun."
"…What did you say?!"
"I say, your behavior is disgusting." Kurikawa Sana looked straight at him without fear, looking into his eyes that were as angry as a beast with constricted pupils.
She no longer cared whether what she said next would cause him to lose favorability points. Even though Akutsu Jin already had a favorability score of 67 points towards her, if he couldn't change, she would rather give up on this target.
She hates any behavior that harms other people's health. This is true for Guan Yuechu and Akutsu Jin.
"Whether it was the act of wanting to throw a drink at Kawamura-san just now, or taking advantage of your own strength to go to Seigaku and bully others, both were terrible."
The girl's sweet and melodious voice was extremely cold at this moment.
“……!”
…What did she say?!
She loathed him.
Realizing this conclusion, Akutsu Jin clenched his fists tightly, veins popped out of his pale, strong muscles, and his breathing became rapid and heavy.
The look in the black-haired girl's eyes at this moment showed that she was not joking. She was more indifferent than ever before, completely different from when she had sweetly smiled and praised his beautiful muscles before.
So what if he was disliked? Since he was a child, there were countless people who disliked him, but Akutsu Jin never cared about what others thought.
——But she is the only one who is different.
Jin Akutsu hates being led by his emotions.
But at this moment, he actually cared about her suddenly cold attitude and had to admit that he had been led by her emotions.
"Ah, you're hated by Sana-senpai."
As if afraid that Akutsu Jin's anger wasn't strong enough, Echizen Ryoma, who was originally at another table, came over. The boy with short dark green hair raised his chin and said, "You're still far from it."
Everyone at the other table of Qingxue students gasped.
…What the hell?!
What the hell is Echizen doing?! Doesn't he realize how irritating his catchphrase is? He's actually provoking that Akutsu!
“………”
Akutsu Jin was terribly silent, and the atmosphere around him was also terribly awkward and silent.
After a moment, Akutsu Jin was so angry that he laughed, "Kid, all you know how to show off is your words?!"
"Whether you're showing off or not, we'll know the answer in tomorrow's match." Echizen Ryoma turned to look at Kurikawa Sana, then pointed at Akutsu Jin, "Sana-senpai, come watch the match between Seigaku and Yamabuki Junior High School tomorrow and see how I beat him."
Kurikawa Sana was stunned for a moment, "...Huh?"
She had originally planned to watch the match between Seigaku and Yamabuki Junior High School, but she was not expecting to be invited so solemnly.
So tomorrow's singles match will be between Ryoma Echizen and Jin Akutsu?
"Ha! You arrogant brat!" Akutsu Jin sneered, turned to her and said, "Alright, tomorrow I'll beat him into submission!"
Kurikawa Sana sighed, "Akutsu-kun, could you please speak more politely?"
Akutsu Jin: “…”
"So, Sana-senpai, what is your decision?" Ryoma Echizen's amber cat eyes were fixed on her.
"Okay, I will go to watch the game tomorrow." Kurikawa Sana said softly.
[Echizen Ryoma, Favorability +3. ]
[Akutsu Jin, Favorability +3. ]
…
*
"Sana-chan! Wait a moment—"
Kurikawa Sana turned around in surprise and saw that it was Yuuki Akutsu who chased her out of the cafe.
"Yuuki-sister?"
"I'm sorry, Sana-chan. I finally invited you to the cafe, but you saw such a terrible side of our Ajin." Akutsu Yuuki said helplessly: "Sana-chan, you must hate Ajin already..."
But Jin really likes Sana-chan. As Jin's biological mother who knows him best, Akutsu Yuuki sees it more clearly than anyone else.
"I know it might seem strange to suddenly say these things to Sana-chan, and this is not a reason to forgive Jin for doing these things, but..."
Akutsu Yuuki gave a wry smile. "But the reason why Ren is like this is because he has been without a father since he was a child. We are a single-parent family. In order to raise Ren, I was busy with work and neglected to teach him. By the time I came to my senses, Ren had already become what he is now."
Kurikawa Sana couldn't help but be stunned.
...Huh?
As Yuuki said, she knew very well that even if he grew up in a single-parent family and lacked fatherly guidance since childhood, it was not a reason for the victims to easily forgive what Akutsu Jin did...but she still couldn't help but be moved.
She had never had love from her father. Kurikawa Sana lowered her head and looked at her toes, listening quietly to Yuki's words.
"I look very young, right? I gave birth to Ren when I was 18. Strictly speaking, I was still a child when I was pregnant with Ren. I didn't even know how to be an adult before I brought Ren into this world. It's my fault that I didn't teach him well."
"Aren and I depend on each other for survival. Because I look weak and live alone with Ren, many people come to bully us. To protect me, Ren took the initiative to learn karate, and he beat away all the bad guys who had their eyes on us."
"But over time, as Jin realized how powerful he was, he gradually became overly violent and self-centered... By the time I realized this, it was already too late."
“……!”
Kurikawa Sana was so surprised that she didn't know what to say for a moment.
This is the reason.
Yuki's age is really heavyweight, and the weak and beautiful image of Yuki's single mother may indeed bring many dangers. It is actually in the process of protecting his mother that Akutsu Jin gradually becomes violent and uncontrollable.
"Sana-chan, I know my next request might be a little over the line. Sana-chan has no obligation to care about Ren... But I still want to ask, if possible, can you help me change Ren?"
Kurikawa Sana was stunned.
"Aren isn't hopeless yet. His current state of affairs is simply a result of his rebelliousness and immaturity. I will urge him to apologize to each of the students at Seigaku who he has hurt."
Akutsu Yuuki held Kurikawa Sana's hand tightly, and the woman's gentle voice was filled with sincere and earnest requests, "If it were you, Sana-chan, he might listen. Can you help me?"
“…I understand, Sister Yuki.” Kurikawa Sana said softly.
She also hopes that Akutsu Jin can change and stop hurting others, otherwise she won't be able to get over the hurdle in her heart and continue her strategy. If she can really change Akutsu Jin, that would be the best outcome.
Looking back at the basketball world, she has changed Hanamiya Makoto, who was even more violent and evil than Akutsu Jin. Hanamiya Makoto was not even a target to be pursued, and in the end, he promised her that he would never hurt others again.
Perhaps, as Yuuki said, Jin Akutsu isn't hopeless.
Kurikawa Sana nodded slightly, "I'll try my best."
Akutsu Yuuki almost cried with joy and hugged her tightly, "Thank you, Sana-chan!"
Kurikawa Sana reached out and hugged the other person back, slightly distracted.
This hug is so warm and beautiful.
It's amazing.
She felt at this moment the maternal tenderness that she had never felt in her biological mother, which she had lacked in the real world.
…
*
That night.
Kurikawa Sana was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling with her eyes wide open, her eyes as big as copper bells.
If I had known, I wouldn’t have snatched Akutsu’s big cup of coffee and finished it.
Now I can’t sleep all night.
= =
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