Chapter 153 Tennis 41
Shibuya, sneaker store.
Ryoma Echizen paid the bill silently, paying for a pair of new FILA sneakers. The expression on the boy's face was full of hesitation to speak.
So, what about her?
——Where is she?
Echizen Ryoma wanted to know the answer to this question, but when faced with Inui Sadaharu's playful expression, he was choked, and a breath of anger was stuck in his chest, unable to be expressed.
Tsk, I got fooled.
Seriously, it was a good day off, but he didn’t rush to Shibuya from home to buy sneakers.
So, that laughter on the phone just now was just too similar to hers? Echizen Ryoma frowned.
But it was impossible. How could there be a sound so similar? It was almost a one-to-one replica. He couldn't be mistaken.
Inui Sadaharu adjusted his glasses and said, "You really are here to buy shoes, Echizen."
Echizen Ryoma: “…”
"Senior Gan really has a bad taste."
"I'm not lying to you." Inui Sadaharu shrugged. "Didn't you notice Momoshiro and Kikumaru aren't here? They've already caught up with her."
“……!”
Upon hearing this, Echizen Ryoma's amber cat eyes shrank for a moment.
"So, do you want to meet her?" Inui Sadaharu gave a mysterious smile. "I can't just go out and buy a pair of sneakers today and go back."
The dark green-haired boy fell into a brief silence, the brim of his white FILA baseball cap obscuring the expression on his face.
Just when Inui Sadaharu began to reflect on whether he had gone too far and whether Echizen was angry, he finally heard the other party's answer.
The boy hummed softly.
Inui Sadaharu opened his mouth slightly in surprise, and even the reflective glasses could not hide his surprise.
Echizen Ryoma looked up at him and said, "Senior, you just want to watch the fun, right? It doesn't matter to me. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
"So, let's go, Senior."
"……good."
Watching the boy's back as he strode out of the store, Inui Sadaharu silently took out his notebook from his bag, quickly wrote something on it, and then closed it.
This was indeed a bit beyond Inui Sadaharu's expectations. He originally just wanted to read some gossip and collect information about Echizen's personality from it, and then analyze his data tennis, but he didn't expect Echizen to behave like this.
I originally thought that Echizen was just a little interested, but now it seems that there is more to it than that.
It’s so good to be young—Inui Sadaharu, who is only two years older than Echizen, sighed in his heart.
Echizen possesses a courage and high spirits that are unique to young people, which is completely different from Tezuka's introverted silence and Fuji's excessive thinking - a different style.
…
*
Tokyo, Ginza, Tsukiji Sushi.
When Echizen Ryoma followed Inui Sadaharu to this restaurant, as soon as he entered the door, he saw two respected seniors leaning against the screen of the next private room in a strange posture.
"Taocheng, move closer, I can't see you anymore!"
"I understand, Kikumaru-senpai. Should we keep our voices down? We'll be heard!"
Echizen Ryoma: “…………”
The private rooms in this restaurant were separated only by a screen, and the privacy and sound insulation were not very good. He had no doubt that Senior Momoshiro and Senior Kikumaru had been discovered next door.
But could the person next door really be her?
Echizen Ryoma vaguely saw that the empty sushi plates on the table next to him had piled up like a small mountain, which made him uncertain again.
Putting aside the question of whether the person next door is really Sana-senpai, is this the amount of food a human should have?
…
On the other side, Kurikawa Sana fell silent behind the screen, and was sweating profusely in her heart.
Help, how could this happen???
She had already noticed from a while ago that Takeshi Momoshiro and Eiji Kikumaru from Seigaku were right behind her.
She also heard the sound of Echizen Ryoma's favorability +1, so could Echizen be nearby?!
Not only that, she also saw Yuushi Oshizuka at the table not far ahead! Help, there are so many people——
The other person seemed to be dining alone. He was a tall boy with dark blue shoulder-length hair and glasses. A plaid long-sleeved jacket was casually draped over his broad shoulders. He was wearing casual clothes with a very literary atmosphere, and he was quite eye-catching as soon as he sat there.
But when he saw her, a hint of surprise was visibly shown on Yuushi Ozuki's face.
Kurikawa Sana felt like her whole body was stiffening.
...Will my favorability be deducted?!
But wait, Oshitari has the ability to lock his heart, so even if his favorability was reduced, she wouldn't know. Kurikawa Sana could only be thankful that she didn't feel any discomfort, which meant that the other party's favorability probably didn't decrease.
Yuuji Oshitari's eyes first moved between her and Shiraishi Kuranosuke who was sitting opposite her, and then he smiled at her, a smile that seemed to be a comforting one.
Finally, he looked away and ordered the food as normal, as if nothing had happened.
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
Why is Tokyo so small? Is Ginza the only place in Tokyo where you can eat? Is this the only sushi restaurant in Ginza? Ahhhh—
The system comforted: [Sanae, calm down.]
Kurikawa Sana: [I can't calm down at all. Kuranosuke doesn't know about my wonderful love story in Tokyo! If he knew that while I was dating and playing with him, I also confessed my feelings to Atobe Oshitsuka, Tezuka Fuji, and Yukimura... I can't imagine what would happen. He would definitely hate me, uh...]
[Also, with Momoshiro and Kikumaru from Seigaku showing up here, I'm also worried about whether Fuji and Tezuka will find out that I went on a date with Shiraishi today. Especially Fuji-kun... He's finally stopped hating me. If he finds out that I'm still this stubborn, will his favorability rating drop even more...]
The girl's heartbeat sounded increasingly depressed, and her expression was a mask of pain. The more she analyzed it, the sadder she became.
system:【……………】
The system fell into self-reflection for the day: [This is all my fault. Sorry, Sana.]
Kurikawa Sana got angry when she heard this: "Of course it's your fault! But I've heard this so many times that my ears are almost callused. Why don't you think about what to do now?"
System: [Actually, I don't think you need to worry too much. I don't think Ozuki Yuushi will tell Shiraishi Kuranosuke about what "I" did. He doesn't seem to have any intention of doing so. As for Seigaku, Fuji Shusuke won't easily lower his favorability. After what happened with Yuta, he's already changed his mind about you.]
Hearing this, Kurikawa Sana was stunned for a moment.
Yes, that seems to be the case.
Yuushi Oshitari is not such a boring person. He would not come to their table specially and tell Shiraishi Kuranosuke a bunch of gossip about her in front of her.
And Fuji Shusuke has always only cared about his younger brother Fuji Yuta. After confirming that she did not play with Yuta's feelings, Fuji Shusuke never lowered his favorability towards her.
All in all, it's probably true that Fuji Shusuke has no interest in her love life.
Thinking of this, Kurikawa Sana finally relaxed a little and turned her attention back to the sushi and Shiraishi Kuranosuke in front of her.
Shiraishi Kuranosuke was staring at the pile of sushi plates in front of him in a daze, with a look of shock on his face.
“……!”
Kurikawa Sana couldn't help blushing, "S-Sorry, did I scare you?"
She was like this, her appetite returning as soon as she felt a little better, and she couldn't control her appetite when she encountered something delicious she liked. She had abstained from food for so long because of her need for treatment in the real world, and now it was like she was eating in revenge.
Thinking back to when she first entered the basketball world, she ate more than a dozen hamburgers right away, and even Midorima Shintaro was speechless.
"I ate a little too much... Let me pay for this meal, Kuranosuke-kun!" Kurikawa Sana said ashamedly.
"How can that be?" Shiraishi Kuranosuke frowned for the first time in front of her. He immediately said seriously, "There's no reason for me to ask you to pay. You accompany me to visit Tokyo, so I'll treat you to a meal. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Hmm...Thank you, Kuranosuke-kun. So, are you shocked by my appetite?"
"No..." Shiraishi Kuranosuke looked at her, "I just think you're amazing, Sana."
[Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Favorability +1. ]
Kurikawa Sana: “Huh?”
"You eat more than our team's Xiao Jin, that's amazing." Shiraishi Kuranosuke held his chin and looked at her, his eyes full of a doting smile, "It's amazing, seeing you eat so happily, I feel satisfied too."
“……!”
For some reason, Kurikawa Sana's face became even redder.
Kuranosuke always says some very extraordinary things in a serious manner, which is really ecstasy.
"Really? What a coincidence."
Hmm? Did she hear correctly? This voice was—
"Seeing Senior eating so happily, I feel very happy too."
It's really Ryoma Echizen's voice!!
Kurikawa Sana looked up in surprise, and saw a young man with dark green hair suddenly standing in front of them, with a smile on his face.
"You seem to be in a good mood today, Sana-senpai—"
There was a hint of teasing in the boy's drawn-out tone, and his amber cat eyes reflected the figures of both her and Shiraishi Kuranosuke.
Kurikawa Sana: "!!!"
Oh my god! Echizen came with Momoshiro and Kikumaru from Seigaku!
Facing the boy who suddenly appeared, Shiraishi Kuranosuke paused and said, "You are...?"
"My name is Echizen Ryoma." The boy raised his chin proudly. "I heard that you are the captain of a school called Shitera Tenpo? If we meet in the national competition, I will beat you."
At the same time, the three members of the Qingxue group behind the screen: "..."
"My God, does Echizen know what he's talking about?"
Momoshiro Takeshi thought he already knew enough about how arrogant Echizen Ryoma was, but it was clear that Echizen was still breaking his record every day. "He's a third-year senior from another school whom I've never met before!"
Kikumaru Eiji couldn't help but wipe his sweat, "If Tezuka and Oishi knew that the Seigaku members were provoking like this outside... Oh no, Oishi will definitely be mad at me!"
Even Inui Sadaharu fell silent. "He even called out the name of the school wrong."
Taocheng Wu: “…”
Kikumaru Eiji: "..."
"Our school is called Shitenhoji, not Shitenhoji." Shiraishi Kuranosuke just smiled good-naturedly, "Echizen Ryoma, huh? I've got that in mind. I look forward to playing against you in the national competition."
After saying this, Shiraishi Kuranosuke stood up and extended his hand towards Echizen Ryoma in a friendly manner, "You are Sana's junior at Hyotei, right? Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Shiraishi Kuranosuke."
When Shiraishi Kuranosuke stood up from his seat, he instantly created a very strong visual height difference with the boy in front of him, and also created an overwhelming advantage in momentum.
Kurikawa Sana's mouth opened into an O shape.
"puff……"
From behind the screen next door came the uncontrollable laughter of Seigaku-senpai, but he quickly suppressed it.
Echizen Ryoma: “…”
Tsk, do you have the guts to wait until he's the same age before checking his height?
Echizen Ryoma curled his lips in dissatisfaction, but just as he stretched out his hand, another hand suddenly appeared and shook Shiraishi Kuranosuke's hand before him.
"Shiraishi Kuranosuke, huh? Welcome to Tokyo."
Echizen Ryoma: “?”
The voice of the Monkey Mountain King?
The young man with purple-gray short hair parted in the middle was also wearing casual clothes today. The strong-style floral shirt did not look out of place on him, but instead made him look more flamboyant and gorgeous.
It was Keigo Atobe.
He shook Shiraishi Kuranosuke's hand quite naturally. The two captains from different schools were of similar height, with equally matched looks and auras. Even with a simple handshake, the air seemed to surge with the force of a fierce collision.
Shiraishi Kuranosuke's pupils also shrank slightly for a moment. Unlike the ease he had shown when facing Echizen Ryoma, he certainly knew the person in front of him -
The captain of Hyotei Academy, a national-level powerhouse, and the man who leads the Hyotei 200-member tennis team.
Most importantly, this person... is the one closest to her.
"Atobe Keigo." The other party gave his name.
Sure enough, it was him.
Shiraishi Kuranosuke suppressed his smile and said, "Atobe-kun, nice to meet you."
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
Help, why is Atobe here too?!
She couldn't sit still any longer and stood up as well, asking with a guilty conscience, "Atobe-kun, why are you here...?"
A low laugh came from the front, magnetic and low, it was the voice of Yuushi Ozuki.
Kurikawa Sana looked over and happened to see Obusui Yuuji smiling and waving at her, holding his cell phone in his hand, as if to say "You're welcome".
...Okay, the reason why Atobe appears here is very clear. It is most likely the credit of Yuushi Ozaki.
Listen to me and thank you, Oshitari-kun.
"Is there anything strange about my appearance here? This floor in Ginza is a property under the Atobe Group." said Atobe Keigo.
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
Silence is Ginza tonight.
"So you like this." His eyes swept across the plates on the table that were as tall as a building. Even Atobe Keigo was silent for a second, then he said, "This meal is for you, my Lord."
Shiraishi Kuranosuke clenched his fists and smiled back, "No need, Atobe-kun, I already paid the bill. Sana and I were dining together."
“…What did you call her?”
"Sana."
Atobe Keigo turned to face Kurikawa Sana, "Then what did you call him?"
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
Facing Shiraishi Kuranosuke's gaze, she spoke honestly: "Kuranosuke..."
“………”
Atobe Keigo closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing.
Very good, call him Atobe-kun and call this guy Kuranosuke.
Atobe Keigo was almost laughing out of anger.
Very good, very good.
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