Chapter 60
I never expected that the adventure that Senior Fuji mentioned meant going abroad directly.
When we were on the plane to the United States, this dizzy and unreal feeling finally settled down.
Luckily, my US visa hasn't expired yet...
"No, what did Zhou Zhu tell Aunt Hayami?! She actually agreed so quickly and..."
I didn't continue.
Yesterday afternoon, after I accepted Senior Fuji's invitation to go on an adventure, Aunt Hayami came back. I don't know what she said to her, but in just a few minutes, Aunt Hayami agreed. Then, that night, while I was taking a shower, she packed my luggage.
The movements were so quick and decisive that I almost thought Auntie Hayami had finally lost control and was going to kick me out of the house. I almost burst into tears, knelt down and hugged her thighs, swearing that I would be a good person and begging her not to be so cruel to kick me out... (No)
The result is——
"Have fun when you go out with Zhou Zhu~"
No, why would you pack such a huge box of clothes and supplies for me just to go out and have some fun?!
Are you really not kicking me out?
So it was a trip abroad, no wonder...
but--
“This is America…”
My voice gradually weakened, and my left hand, which was placed on the side of my leg, quietly pinched my pants where Fuji Shusuke couldn't see.
To be honest, I never thought that one day I would set foot on American soil again.
Life in the United States during those years seemed like a dream, so unreal, hazy and confusing. Looking back, it seems like something that happened in the last century.
As I was thinking about this, the unreal and chaotic feeling in my mind was dispelled by Fuji-senpai's answer.
He put his index finger to his lips and spoke seriously and innocently:
"I just said, 'I want to invite Nana to travel abroad, and I hope you'll agree.'"
"Then?"
"And she agreed,"
He touched my head, just like he was touching a puppy.
"They even gave me a lot of travel suggestions! I took careful note of them all!"
As he said this, afraid that I wouldn't believe him, he took out the small notebook he carried with him, and there were indeed a lot of travel suggestions written on it.
But how on earth did you manage to exchange so much information right under my nose in just a few minutes?
My pupils immediately trembled.
I always feel like these two people have been communicating secretly behind my back...
"But why did Zhou Zhu choose the United States?"
Knowing that I had a not-so-happy time in the United States, shouldn't a normal person reasonably avoid this place?
"Because Nana has always wanted to watch Echizen's game, right? Tomorrow is the semi-finals of the US Open, and Echizen will be competing for a spot in the semi-finals~"
His answer surprised me greatly.
I did mention to him the agreement with Ryoma that I must go to watch his games in the future. I didn't expect that Senior Fuji actually remembered it.
"Nana, do you want to watch a movie together?"
His voice brought my thoughts back to reality. I leaned over to take a look. It was a movie by Xinx Cheng that had received high praise recently. I hadn't seen it either, so I nodded quickly.
"I want to see it!"
Watching a movie is always better than being bored on a plane...
The movie's pictures are beautiful and aesthetic, and have a magical power to calm people's hearts.
And then, unsurprisingly, I fell asleep.
*
Feeling a heaviness on his shoulder, Fuji Shusuke glanced at the person next to him. The girl was resting her face on his shoulder, and her left cheek felt fleshy.
Because I was afraid that she would be bored along the way, I specially chose a seat by the window. At this time, the plane was flying smoothly in the stratosphere, with endless clouds and mountains below. The setting sun was constantly approaching the distant horizon, rendering a layered and gorgeous golden color, which set off the girl's profile, as if it was also inlaid with a layer of precious light.
Their seats were adjacent to each other, so as soon as the plane entered the stratosphere, she pulled up the armrest between them.
It made it convenient for her to sleep on me...
At this moment, a flight attendant happened to pass by with blankets, ready to distribute to passengers in need, and Fuji Shusuke asked her for one.
Then cover her gently.
The air conditioning on the plane was turned down very low, and with this blanket, she slept more soundly... The direct result was that her shirt was slightly wet where she leaned against it.
If she wakes up and finds out, she will definitely be furious, right?
He thought so.
It happened that the flight attendant walked back and forth and came back here. Seeing the two of them squeezed under the same blanket, she considerately asked Fuji Shusuke if he needed another blanket.
But he shook his head, carefully pulled the blanket off the girl a little closer, and covered himself loosely with it.
“.......”
Okay, it’s fun for young lovers to share a blanket.
The flight attendant smiled knowingly, then silently took the blanket back and left the aisle.
*
When I finally woke up, the plane was in the process of landing.
It’s not that I slept for ten hours all the way. I woke up intermittently in the middle, but it was dark outside, so I woke up in a daze every time, and fell asleep again within a few minutes.
It must be the biological clock!
It’s not that I can sleep too much!
but--
"Zhou Zhu, when did you put on your coat?" I looked at him and spoke with some surprise.
It seems that when he first boarded the plane, he was wearing a white shirt...
His explanation was that the temperature on the plane was a bit low, and the temperature in the United States would be lower than in Japan, so I had to wear a coat in preparation, and he was very considerate and handed me another coat.
I didn't feel cold before he said it, but as soon as he said it, I shivered instantly and took it and put it on without thinking.
The clothes are warm...
I yawned again, then took Senior Fuji's hand. To be honest, I am now very comfortable holding his hand, and it is as smooth as flowing water.
It’s like holding hands is a daily habit like eating and sleeping.
When we first started dating, I was a little overwhelmed and didn’t know when to hold his hand.
And now——
I met his eyes and said calmly, "My hands are cold! Yours are warm! So, can you lend me your hand?"
I blinked my black eyes like a cunning cat.
Then he started talking nonsense seriously.
He gave me an innocent wink in return, "Yeah, it's yours."
Her gaze drifted to the hand I was holding, the meaning was self-evident—
His hands are mine too.
I was shocked and almost wanted to shake his hand off, but I managed to hold it back. I tried to stay calm and replied nonchalantly, "You're right."
Then he turned his eyes away slightly stiffly and looked out the window, thinking to himself, how could this kid say such things so easily?
Damn it! My practice must not be perfect yet!
*
We landed in New York, and the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the local Flushing Meadows is also the venue for the US Open semi-finals.
It wasn't until I arrived that I realized I had been to this park before. At that time, we had just moved to New York and met the Echizen family. It happened that Ryoma had a children's tennis tournament, so Aunt Renko kindly sent us tickets.
At that time, the woman was not as unreasonable as she was later, so she brought me to this park.
It's been so long now that I've mostly forgotten the details. I just remember that year's competition, and Longma was hailed as a dark horse. He impressed the contestants and judges right from the start of the preliminary rounds, but it seems he withdrew midway through the finals for some reason, which was a shame for many people...
I didn't expect that I would revisit the old place today just to watch the game of that guy Ryoma Echizen.
Sure enough, life is a cycle.
We didn't inform Longma in advance that we were coming to watch the game, and we planned to surprise him after the game.
The person that Longma will face today is called Edward. He is three years older than Longma and made his international debut earlier than him. He was eliminated in the semi-finals of last year's US National Championship due to a mistake, but his ability has attracted a lot of attention and high hopes.
On the contrary, although Ryoma Echizen was in great momentum in the rookie competition, he still seemed too young compared to Edward.
I snapped shut the free Tennis Weekly magazine I'd received with admission and said indignantly, "Ryoma could definitely beat that Edmund guy! These commentary articles are just full of bullshit all day long! Fake news!"
Then Ryoma Echizen on the court seemed to be deliberately singing against me, and was quickly defeated by his opponent.
The audience cheered and applauded, but I just thought they were noisy.
Somehow, even though this was the first time I saw this so-called Edmund, I just disliked this guy for no reason.
Damn it! If Ryoma loses to this guy...
I quickly looked at Senior Fuji beside me, "Shusuke, do you think Ryoma can win?"
His eyes were eager and a little pleading.
Fuji Shusuke had been observing the match and pondered for a moment, saying, "Echizen's style of play is quite interesting. It's unlike his usual style... Overall, I don't think Echizen will have much trouble in this round."
It's not a big problem, but it's still a bit of a problem...
Seeing him look thoughtful, my mood was even more up and down, so I didn't notice the subtle curve of interest on Senior Fuji's lips.
On the surface, Ryoma Echizen was at a disadvantage, but Fuji Shusuke, who was familiar with Echizen's playing style, saw the clues almost from the first ball.
That guy was basically teasing him. This tactic seemed familiar, exactly the same as when he played against Guan Yuechu... I just don't know how many rounds this guy Echizen wants to play.
Also, is there any grudge between them?
Seeing that Ryoma Echizen lost another game, I immediately took out my mobile phone indignantly, and without caring about the high cost of international roaming (because I was in a hurry, I didn’t change my phone card after getting off the plane), and sent a message to Ryoma Echizen.
"All I'm thinking about is learning: If you lose to that Edmund like this, you'll never have to see me again! I'm ashamed!"
Then Lightspeed lost another game.
It's already the fourth game.
Ahhhhhhhhhh——
Echizen Ryoma, are you deliberately trying to go against me?
My heart roared.
This is what Fuji-senpai reminded me, "Nana, the halftime break in a tennis match is very short, so Echizen probably won't see your text message right away..."
"All right..."
I suddenly felt depressed and could only silently cheer for Ryoma Echizen in my heart.
"Also, his name is Edward, not Edmund."
“…”
I was so angry that my face turned pale.
Even in this situation, Senior Fuji actually seriously corrected my name...
"I don't care if it's Edward or Edmund! Zhou Zhu, what country are you from?"
Those chubby, puffy cheeks are so cute!
He couldn't help but reach out and pinch it gently. It was just as he imagined, as chewy as jelly.
To prevent the girl from getting mad, he immediately changed the subject, "Of course I've always been on Nana's side... And, let me make you a bet, Echizen will definitely win the next round."
I was a little skeptical, and my voice became weak. "Really? But how do I see..."
"Want a bet? If Echizen wins a round, Nana will kiss me?"
I was stunned, and then subconsciously thought, "Is there such a good thing?"
Fuji Shusuke: “….”
*
The situation turned out just as Senior Fuji had expected. From the fourth game onwards, the entire battle situation was reversed. Echizen Ryoma won the victory with an unstoppable momentum. The player named Edward didn't even get a single point before he could react.
The speed was so fast and brutal that it seemed as if the previous three games were just a joke played by the little devil in front of him.
How! Is! Possible!
It's just a little devil!
In short, he would never acknowledge the huge gap that was beginning to emerge between the two of them, and simply thought it was a momentary negligence on his part.
I must make a comeback in the next round and win this game.
Let that ignorant kid Echizen Ryoma know that his strength is no longer what it used to be...
The feud between Edward and Ryoma Echizen can be traced back to the junior group match of the US Tennis Tournament ten years ago.
Edward was born into the sports world. His grandfather, father and elder brother were all very famous athletes. Naturally, he inherited a good athletic talent. He showed a talent far superior to his peers in tennis since he was a child. His family intended to train him to become a professional tennis player. He participated in various competitions since he was a child, both big and small, and achieved remarkable results.
So when he knew that he had to compete with Ryoma Echizen, who was three years younger than him and still unknown at the time, Edward was filled with disdain.
His coach advised him not to be careless, after all, that guy was Echizen Nanjiro's son.
No matter how brilliant the other party was in the past as a tennis genius, in his eyes he was just an old antique left over from the last century. He really didn't understand what there was to worry about.
Ten years ago, Ryoma Echizen developed later than his peers. He looked skinny and small, and looked completely insignificant. However, he had been highly praised since he was a child, and did not take Ryoma Echizen, who came from a self-taught background (?) seriously.
"I think my coach is just worrying about nothing. What's with Echizen Nanjiro's son... no matter how glorious his past was, it was only his father who was glorious. Humph... I think this Echizen Ryoma is just a guy who's seeking fame..."
He boasted about this to his classmates and friends who came to watch his game.
He completely forgot what his coach told him.
Seeing that no one else's attention was on him, Edward, who had been regarded as the social center since childhood, felt a little unhappy and looked in the direction of others.
She is a black-haired Asian girl wearing a light yellow floral dress. Her face is delicate and exquisite, and she looks as delicate and cute as a doll.
At first, I just wanted to talk to the girl and strike up a conversation.
But the girl seemed to be deaf. She could not hear him even though he kept calling her from behind and just kept walking on her own.
How could a normal person not hear what he said? It must be that the other party didn’t take him seriously at all.
Thinking of this, he suddenly became angry and was about to run forward two steps to pull the ponytail tied behind her head.
call out--
A tennis ball passed by his outstretched hand just two centimeters away, swiftly and brutally.
The air flow was like an invisible sharp blade, stinging his palm.
The ball hit the iron net on the side of the road with a loud noise, and then fell down, leaving only a slightly concave round hole on the net.
You can see how powerful it is.
If it had been slightly off and hit his hand... Edward didn't dare to imagine what was going on.
By the time he recovered from the blow, the black-haired girl had already gone far away.
He looked in the direction of the ball's path—
The boy was wearing a blue and white tracksuit and a baseball cap, revealing a few strands of dark green hair and a pair of amber cat-like eyes underneath, looking at him indifferently.
He was obviously just a brat who was much shorter than him...but his eyes revealed such sharpness and stubbornness, and the shot he just made was an absolute proof of his unquestionable strength.
On the other hand, he didn't have the confidence to hit the ball like that.
Is it a coincidence?
He wanted to go up and start a fight, but the game time was about to end, and his coach came over and took Edward away, thus avoiding a dispute that was about to break out.
However, his opponent Ryoma Echizen broke his promise.
According to competition conventions, being late for more than ten minutes will be deemed as automatic disqualification.
Edward won without a fight.
Although the victory was unfair, Edward believed that even if the opponent came to the scene, it would only delay his victory and the result would not change.
Then he saw Ryoma Echizen who arrived late.
It was none other than the man I saw on the court just now.
"...Because the venue is so large, it took a little time to find the way... Ah, disqualified? Fine then..."
There was no heated argument or heartfelt plea as one would have imagined. He accepted the decision of being disqualified from the competition calmly with a nonchalant look on his face. Then he adjusted the brim of his hat and turned away without even a glance.
It was as if he didn't take the game or his opponent seriously at all.
Somehow, he recalled the horrific ball again. It clearly didn't touch his hand, but he seemed to be able to feel waves of phantom pain coming from his wrist, and his legs seemed to be fixed in place by nails, unable to move.
After that, he never faced Ryoma Echizen again. It seemed as if the opponent had disappeared from all kinds of competitions, big and small, and his whereabouts were unknown.
That ball was like his inner demon, and from time to time it would regenerate and entangle himself in his dreams like a wild vine that could not be burned out.
It wasn't until this US Open that he accidentally saw Ryoma Echizen's name on the player list again.
The dusty memory came flooding back again.
But this time he will not feel afraid anymore. He has been training hard over the years just to eliminate the fear and shame that follows him like a shadow.
This time, I must defeat this guy...
For himself.
At first, everything went as he expected.
Until the fourth game——
The boy's playing style changed dramatically. From tentative defense at the beginning, he became aggressive offensive, beating him back step by step, leaving him with almost no ability to fight back.
In the next four games, they didn't score a single point and lost the game directly.
Ryoma Echizen successfully advanced to the top four in the United States and secured a spot in the championship.
He lost.
The coach noticed his frustration and stepped forward to comfort him, "Edward, it's okay. At least we still won three games. That guy was very strong...and our loss wasn't too bad either."
Even he himself didn't quite believe this.
Maybe in the eyes of others, it was a back and forth game, with the score of 4:3 being very close.
But he has been a tennis coach for many years, so he naturally saw the twists and turns. This Echizen Ryoma had been playing with Edward from the very beginning, and casually kept him hanging for three games, letting him win for sure. But in fact, from the fourth game onwards, he exerted all his strength, and did not give Edward any chance at all, and won the match.
Giving hope and then pushing it off the cliff is the cruelest thing...
It was so cruel that he even suspected that the two of them had some old grudges behind their backs.
However, as far as he knew, Echizen Ryoma had only returned to the US from Japan in the past couple of years. The two had never played against each other before, nor had he heard of any personal relationship between them... Perhaps it was just Echizen Ryoma's playing style...
The coach patted Edward's shoulder, and the latter slowly came back to his senses.
Amidst cheers and applause, Ryoma Echizen left the field and returned to his seat. He was wiping his sweat with a towel while looking at his phone boredly, looking very relaxed.
On the other hand, it was him...you could tell he was in a very sorry state without even looking.
Just like it was many years ago.
He had never defeated Ryoma Echizen, either in his imagination or in reality.
Suddenly, as if he'd caught some news, he glanced towards the audience, seemingly searching for something. The black-haired girl with an oriental face was seated very close to the front, standing out among the foreign faces in the front row. When their eyes met, the girl excitedly waved at Echizen Ryoma.
It turned out to be her...
He suddenly laughed, feeling a sense of fate as if he had been hit by a boomerang from many years ago.
However, there was another boy standing next to the girl at this time, and their hands were tightly clasped together, and it was obvious that their relationship was not ordinary.
Edward suddenly felt as if a stone had fallen from his heart.
It seems that Ryoma Echizen is not always a winner.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
