Chapter 109 Uneasiness
Despite Rukawa Kaede's seemingly dazed and indifferent demeanor, he is actually extremely sharp-minded. In just two seconds, he understood why Kanon had been acting strangely these past two days.
Rukawa helped her sit up, awkwardly and stiffly trying to comfort her: "Don't be angry."
Hua Yin curled her lip: "What are you laughing at?"
Rukawa Kaede couldn't suppress the corner of his mouth: "I'm a little happy."
Unsurprisingly, the other party immediately glared at him angrily.
Rukawa Kaede's gaze was focused and intense: "The girl in the photo is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life."
Hanon pursed her lips: "...Let me see?"
Rukawa Kaede: "Look to your left."
Hana instinctively turned her head as he instructed, thinking he was teasing her, and looked annoyed: "What?"
Rukawa Kaede's voice remained cool, but with a touch more gentleness: "Don't turn too fast."
Although Hanon was full of doubts, she was very patient and slowly moved her gaze according to his instructions.
"A little to the left...a little more to the left."
Hanon's gaze fell on the reflection in the glass.
She was taken aback at first, then smiled confidently at the glass.
Such sincere praise makes people feel so comfortable and happy.
Her fox-like eyes softened even more: "From the first time we met, your smile captivated me."
Hanon was surprised: "So, the photo in your wallet is me?"
Rukawa Kaede nodded, took out his wallet, handed it to her, and opened it: "It's very nice."
Hanon looked at the photo in the wallet, and the smile on her face instantly froze: "You call this pretty?"
That was a photo of her when she was about six years old. At that time, her smile was innocent and carefree, but her uneven, choppy bangs and the fact that she was missing two front teeth made it hard to associate her with the word "beautiful".
Rukawa Kaede puffed out his chubby cheeks, his expression serious and stubborn: "It's beautiful!"
Seeing his sincere expression, Hua Yin gave in, but couldn't help but remind him, "This photo... you're not allowed to show it to anyone else!"
She'd rather Rukawa Kaede take the blame than let anyone see this unflattering photo, and she doesn't know where he got it.
Rukawa Kaede replied with an "okay," and then took out a small booklet from his pocket and gave it to her.
"What is this?" Hanon asked, taking the item with a puzzled look.
It was a brightly colored booklet with Doraemon printed on it.
Upon seeing the text on the cover, Kanon couldn't help but laugh: "...Children's savings account? What's that?"
Rukawa Kaede said expressionlessly, "My wife's dowry."
Hanon blinked, looking completely bewildered: "Huh??"
Rukawa Kaede explained, "My mother puts all my New Year's money in there every year; she says it's my savings for getting married."
Hua Yin smiled and teased him, "You think you can get married with just a few pocket money?"
Rukawa Kaede scratched his head: "Invest first, and I'll earn even more later, and it'll all be yours."
Hua Yin couldn't help but pinch his cheek, thinking he was so silly and cute. "Let me see how much my baby Feng has to pay for his wife."
Rukawa Kaede's ears turned red from being called "baby".
Hanon opened the notebook and her eyes widened in disbelief: "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... tens of millions of yen?! That's amazing, Mr. Feng!!"
Rukawa Kaede found her reaction adorable and couldn't resist kissing her cheek. "Hmm, please accept it."
Hua Yin slapped the account into his hand, saying, "I can't take this, you keep it."
"You don't want me?"
Rukawa Kaede's profile was like the surface of a sea hidden in darkness, churning in places where it was not visible.
Hua Yin widened her eyes slightly, a hint of innocence in them: "Don't talk nonsense! I just told you to keep the money safe."
Rukawa Kaede's expression was cold and stern. Without saying a word, he shoved the booklet back into her hand. His aura was icy, and every pore exuded a powerful sense of pressure that said, "You must accept this."
Hanon explained, "I wouldn't feel at ease taking so much money."
Rukawa Kaede lowered his fox-like eyes: "I'm uneasy too."
Hana cupped his face in both hands and rubbed it roughly: "I really, really didn't mean anything by it!"
Rukawa stared directly into her eyes, his gaze revealing an almost obsessive and earnest intensity, and said, word by word, "I want to exchange anxieties with you, is that alright?"
Hanon tilted her head, her face full of confusion and bewilderment. "Okay, how do we exchange them?"
Rukawa grabbed her right hand with such force that Kanon frowned slightly.
His fingers slowly rubbed against her palm, the movements both rough and careful, as if he were wiping something away.
Huayin watched his movements, a strange unease welling up inside her.
Silence stretched between the two, each second feeling infinitely longer.
Five seconds later, Rukawa Kaede slowly spoke: "Can you tell me what the number on your palm is?"
As if struck by a thunderbolt, Hana froze instantly. She looked up and met Rukawa Kaede's unusually dark eyes.
After a long while, she seemed to wake from a dream, and asked in a trembling voice, "You...you can see?"
"Yes, I know, no one else can see it."
His voice was deep and resolute.
Hanon's mind went blank; she had absolutely no idea how to respond.
"Nini... will you leave here when the time comes?" Rukawa Kaede's voice suddenly became hoarse.
His cautious, red-rimmed appearance was reflected in Hana's eyes.
With a hint of heartache in her eyes, Hana asked, "Is this why you feel insecure?"
Rukawa's eyes and brows slowly lowered. "Yes, I'm scared."
Hanon's nose tingled, and her eyes instantly reddened, but her resolve only grew stronger.
"Xiao Feng, I need you."
Hana placed her palm on his palm, their fingers intertwined.
Rukawa Kaede has always provided her with an unparalleled sense of security through his actions. And now, it's her turn to provide Rukawa Kaede with that same sense of security.
Rukawa Kaede's eyes lit up instantly, as if stars were twinkling within them.
Hana's eyes crinkled into a smile: "I can't say too much, but the only thing I'm sure of is that you absolutely have to get first place in the national competition, otherwise you won't be able to give your wife away~"
Rukawa Kaede's eyes narrowed sharply, burning like a raging fire: "Even if it takes all my strength, I will do it!"
Hana shook her head, her tone leaving no room for argument: "I don't want you to give it your all, I just want you to win. Because I know you have the ability. If you don't win, don't tell me you've given it your all."
Rukawa felt a violent impact on his chest and suddenly felt a strong urge to kiss her.
He carried out his desires without hesitation.
Hana's body went limp, losing its support. Her hands instinctively gripped his shirt, her fingertips digging into it as if she wanted to tear the fabric apart.
Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, one beat after another, so loud that she almost lost her composure.
Rukawa Kaede's lips pressed forcefully against hers, his hot tongue sending a shiver down her spine. In her dazed state, Hana couldn't help but let out a soft "hmm."
I could feel the muscles in the other person's chest tense up.
Rukawa Kaede temporarily released her lips to let her breathe. His gaze was even more intense than before, and his breathing was even more rapid. In the darkness, only two flames shone in his eyes, which made Hana's heart tremble.
When is that possible?
Rukawa Kaede's voice was cool, restrained, and hoarse.
Hanon immediately became alert: "Now is definitely not an option! We must consider our physical strength for training and the competition."
A few seconds passed, and Rukawa Kaede's posture remained unchanged, nor did he say anything.
Hanon quietly moved a little distance away, her heart pounding: "It's time to sleep."
Rukawa Kaede's face was expressionless, but his words were explosive: "You sleep in diapers at night?"
Huayin:? ? ?
She looked down—
Rukawa Kaede's fingers were hooked around her pajama bottoms!
Hua Yin was both embarrassed and angry, and kicked him off the bed: "Where are your hands going!"
Rukawa Kaede, looking dazed, climbed back onto the bed, still relentlessly asking, "You still haven't answered me... baby?"
Hana's face flushed red, and she covered his mouth, "Shut up!!"
To prevent him from saying anything shocking again, Hana spent the whole night teaching him about gynecology.
After listening, Rukawa Kaede nodded vigorously, his expression serious: "I understand."
Then, he lay comfortably on the outside of the bed, arms outstretched: "Let's go to sleep."
Looking at his expression, Huayin sighed helplessly and said reproachfully, "This is my room."
Rukawa Kaede, still half-asleep, patted his mouth, his voice deep and languid: "Baby, lie down quickly."
Hana's ears were burning hot, and she said firmly, "You have to go back to sleep!!"
Rukawa Kaede was already snoring softly.
Looking out the window, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
never mind.
Hanon compromised and stopped insisting. She avoided his arm and lay down on the bed.
Rukawa Kaede rolled over and pulled her into his arms.
Hanon's body stiffened instantly, but then, as if remembering something, she gradually relaxed.
She closed her eyes, and a familiar scent lingered around her nose.
Hua Yin twitched her nose, leaned closer to the other person's neck, and clearly felt the other person stiffen their back. She whispered, "Xiao Feng."
"…Um!"
"Could you please not spray the bathroom air freshener on yourself?"
"..."
"It makes me feel like... I'm lying in the bathroom."
"...!!"
Hanon smiled, leaned against Rukawa Kaede's chest, and nuzzled his forehead against him. "Goodnight."
early morning.
The alarm clock rang precisely on time, its cheerful sound echoing in the quiet room.
Hanon rolled over groggily and mumbled a few words.
Today, the Shohoku team had a rare day off, and the players were free to arrange their time as they pleased. However, Kanon still planned to go and watch the players who were doing extra practice.
The alarm clock was turned off.
Hana opened her eyes slightly and saw a familiar figure.
"Sleep a little longer, I'll take care of the coaching at the gym," the other person whispered soothingly in her ear.
Hanon frowned slightly and tried to get up, but was affectionately kissed on the forehead.
"Go to sleep."
Hearing these gentle words, Hana closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep again.
***
A handprint was visible on his fair-skinned, handsome face.
As expected, Rukawa was ridiculed by the three rascals of Shohoku as soon as he entered the stadium.
Mitsui crossed his arms, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. "Hey, Rukawa, that bright red handprint is even more noticeable than Sakuragi's hair! Did you win a one-on-one fight and get slapped in the process?"
With his hands in his pockets, Miyagi circled Rukawa, looking him up and down with suspicion: "Rukawa, did you go out and do something bad last night?"
Sakuragi pointed at Rukawa's face and yelled, "Hahaha, you stinky fox!! You've finally met your match! This slap mark was practically made for your stinky face!"
Rukawa Kaede looked at them with disdain, snorted coldly, ignored them, and walked straight to the basketball hoop, bending down to pick up the basketball to start practicing.
The three rascals, like three clingy little tails, followed closely behind Rukawa Kaede, continuing their banter and teasing.
At that moment, Coach Holzer appeared in the gymnasium.
"Rukawa Kaede, can you spare some time to talk?"
The three scoundrels exchanged a glance: Here they come again, old man!
It is 50 meters away from the stadium.
Rukawa Kaede glanced at him and said coldly, "Speak."
He then put one hand in his pocket, leaned against the wall, and nimbly twirled the basketball with his fingertips.
“Let’s fly to America together,” Coach Holzer laughed. “You’re so talented, you shouldn’t be confined here. You deserve a bigger stage, much bigger than what you have now. Besides, America has always been your dream place, hasn’t it?”
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