Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Celebration & Smoke...
Yuyin smiled as she watched Keigo Atobe taking a photo with the regulars. Suddenly, Atobe ran out, took her hands, and walked onto the field. Seeing this, the others started to cheer, "Manager, come along!" and gathered around Atobe.
Atobe Keigo flashed the trophy in front of her, his azure eyes blazing. "You also have a share of this championship, Yuyin, let's raise our glasses together!"
"Okay!" Yuyin didn't refuse and raised the other end with a smile. The person in charge of taking pictures quickly seized the opportunity and pressed the shutter. A group photo of Hyotei's regular players and managers was frozen in time.
In the middle were Keigo Atobe and Gion Saionji, holding the trophy together. Yuushi Oshitari and Taketo Mukai stood on their left and right, smiling brightly. Oshitari had his left hand intimately on Atobe's shoulder. Coach Taro Sakaki and the tallest one, Takahiro Karaji, stood in the middle of the back row, both with blank expressions. Karaji was holding onto the collar of Jiro Akutagawa, who looked a little tired, to prevent him from falling. Beside Akutagawa was Wakahiro Hiyoshi, who had a determined look on his face. Chotaro Hou and Ryo Shishido, the doubles partners, stood beside Taketo with their arms around each other, looking relaxed and happy.
In the future, this photo will be displayed on the walls of the Hyotei Tennis Club's club activity room and the Hyotei Academy's exhibition room as proof of the club's victory in the national competition.
Afterwards, everyone gathered in groups of three or four and took a lot of photos. Yuyin also took photos alone with Atobe, and people she was familiar with, such as Karachi and Oshitari.
At this moment, the cell phone in Atobe's pocket suddenly rang. It was the butler Yamaoki who informed him that the celebration party was ready.
Hyotei won the national championship, and given Keigo Atobe's flamboyant nature, he naturally wanted to hold a grand celebration.
Even though time was tight, thanks to the "super rich" ability of the Atobe family, within an hour of receiving the news that the young master had won the championship, housekeeper Yamaoki had completed all the preparations in an orderly manner, from the venue to the personnel.
So, Atobe dragged Tamane along with him and extended invitations to the other schools still at the venue: "I'm planning to hold a magnificent celebration. All members of the national competition team are welcome to attend, ah~"
In this year's national competition, Hyotei played against schools such as Seigaku and Rikkai University. Several minister-level figures had known each other for the past two years, and the team members also had the friendship they had during the training camp for the Japan-US Youth Friendship Match (mainly teams from the Kanto region). They were familiar with each other and did not think that Atobe Keigo was here to show off, so most of them agreed to participate.
Only Minister Higachu, whom Yuyin had only met once before, was left with a smile. Nagashiro Kito pushed up his glasses and said proudly, "We at Higachuchu are gone. We've already bought our tickets back to Kyushu tonight."
Yuyin casually asked, "Plane or Shinkansen?"
Atobe crossed his arms and said generously, "If you want to attend, I'll cover the rebooking fees. If you have something to do tomorrow or you can't make it, I'll send you on a private jet."
Mu Shouxian's hands froze with guilt when he was asked about the ticket, because Higachu simply couldn't afford a ticket back, whether it was the Shinkansen or a plane ticket that was half the price of the Shinkansen. In order to save money, they had checked out of the cheap hotel early this morning. Now they had the luggage in their hands, and later they would have to run back to Kyushu with the person on their back.
As a result, Keigo Atobe's inhumane offer to cover the rebooking fee and even own a private jet instantly overwhelmed Minister Higa Naka, who came from a "poor" background. He had to forgive him for having never seen the world of a big city since he came from Kyushu.
Mu Shou immediately changed his expression and held Ji Bei's hand, smiling: "It's okay, we will refund the tickets. How can we miss such a memorable celebration." Not to mention the fare for the return trip, it is also good to be able to have a big meal and save on food expenses.
Momoshiro couldn't help but complain to Echizen: "Looking at this guy, I almost forgot how arrogant he was when he played against us and Rokkaku."
Echizen pressed the brim of his hat and said, "It's still a long way to go." I don't know if he was complaining about Mu Shou or Mu Shou's predecessor.
*
Balloons and ribbons have decorated the once spacious courtyard with a new look.
In the center of the courtyard, a huge champagne tower was piled on the white cloth on the table. Of course, due to the age of the participants, all the drinks were non-alcoholic.
There are many long tables evenly distributed in the open-air venue, which are specially designed as a buffet. Countless delicacies are placed on them, waiting for people to eat.
Of course, the people attending today's celebration will not disappoint them. Thanks to the volunteers at the Japan-US Youth Friendly Match, Yuyin can count the number of big eaters in the Kanto team with her eyes closed.
For example, the one with the biggest appetite in Rikkai is actually the petite Marui Bunta.
"Bunta Bunta~ This mousse cake was brought to school by Atobe before. I've eaten it before. It's delicious. You should try it~"
"Really..." (chewing sounds) "Let me try it."
Yuyin didn't need to look sideways, she could see with her peripheral vision that at another table, Bunta Marui was quickly devouring a small cake of his favorite flavor. Beside him was the little lamb of their Hyotei family. Jiro, contrary to his usual listless appearance, was circling around Bunta Marui with great energy, and kept recommending his favorite cakes to him.
"Ah - Marui-senpai, please leave one for me!" Kirihara Akaya was a little slow, and the cake he had his eyes on ended up in Marui's stomach. He couldn't help but let out a desperate cry.
Sanada couldn't help but frown, "Too lax!" Kirihara Akaya instinctively wanted to kneel down and apologize, but Yukimura, holding a bottle of champagne, stopped him with a chuckle, "Genichirō was just worried that Kirihara, you're being too loud and disturbing others." Turning to Sanada, he said, "The tournament just ended, and it's a celebration like this. Genichirō, you should relax a bit."
Seeing that Yukimura was not affected by the defeat and even comforted him, Sanada smiled sincerely again, felt a little more relaxed, and his brows were no longer frowned.
"Hahaha, stinky snake, just give up. You can't beat me in terms of appetite!"
"Hiss, who said I wanted to compete with you?"
Yuyin shifted her gaze to the other side where the noise was going on. Momoshiro Takeshi was holding a cheeseburger in one hand and fried tempura shrimp in the other. From time to time, he would pick up the strawberry cocoa sundae next to him and scoop a big spoonful, mocking Kaidou Kaoru beside him for not eating as much or as fast as him.
"Xiao Jing's banquet is still so exaggerated." Fuji Shusuke raised the lime aloe vera juice and showed his usual gentle smile. There were many foods that suited his taste in the venue, but people who couldn't eat spicy food kept shouting "water water" after accidentally putting some in their mouths. Later, the Hyotei manager called the waiters and asked them to put up a taste reminder sign next to them, which inevitably deprived him of the fun of watching people's "changing faces".
"Ahead, mmm," (chewing sounds) "This takoyaki is delicious!"
Toyama Kintaro excitedly recommended his favorite to Echizen Ryoma. Echizen picked up a skewer of grilled fish and took a bite. He was too lazy to correct him for mispronouncing his name and said casually, "I prefer grilled fish. The chef of Monkey Mountain King's family... is surprisingly good."
The other directors, Kunimitsu Tezuka and Kuranosuke Shiraishi, were talking about something nearby.
Seeing Yuyin looking at this side, Atobe Keigo took Yuyin's hand and joined in: "Tezuka, Shiraishi, my party is good, isn't it~"
Shiraishi smiled and said, "This is my first time attending your party. I was praising your chef's skills with Tezuka."
He is really a very handsome boy, and his smile makes him even more charming. Yuyin thought that the tennis captains have their own unique temperaments. If you put aside the emotional filter, Shiraishi's appearance and facial features should be the first. But people are creatures driven by emotions. She looked back at Atobe, and still felt that Keigo was more handsome.
"What's wrong?" Atobe was very sensitive to her gaze and felt that she was looking at him. He asked her in a low voice in the middle of his conversation with Shiraishi.
"Nothing," Yuyin said calmly, taking his hand and suggesting, "I'm wondering if I should take them to learn about the route to play downstream."
For this celebration, not only did Jibe open up most areas of his villa - the audio-visual studio, billiard court, swimming pool and rose garden were all open to the public for entertainment, he also set up many amusement games throughout the open-air courtyard, such as the goldfish scooping game they played at the last temple fair, and the darts and nesting dolls they played at the Dongdu Aquarium.
Shiraishi was so overwhelmed by the new couple that he didn't dare let Saionji Tamon lead the way. He quickly waved his hand and said, "No need, no need. Exploring freely is also fun."
Atobe verbally agreed with them to hold a practice match when he was free. Shiraishi also politely said that if Hyotei came to Kyoto, he must be notified in advance, and he would also act as a tour guide to Hyotei.
Mu Shou, who was enjoying his meal nearby, raised his hand and interrupted, "And me, if you guys come to Kyushu to play a beach practice match, I'll treat you well too."
＊
Amidst the laughter and joy of the crowd, time slowly creeps into night.
As the night fell, various street lights lit up in the courtyard of the Tobe family, as well as various flash lights arranged for the banquet. For a moment, the night was brighter than the day.
In such a lively atmosphere, two people gradually drifted away from the public's sight.
Having lived in the Atobe family for some time, Yuyin was already very familiar with the roads here, otherwise she would not have told Shiraishi that she would be their "tour guide". However, the road that Atobe took her this time was one she had never been to before today, and even the street lights on the side of the road gradually disappeared.
The moonlight fell on the deserted path like melted silver foil. Yuyin could feel the stones under her heels becoming increasingly sharp and uneven. She accidentally stumbled in her next step, and Tetsuya immediately held her arm steadily. The young man's palm was burning. The moonlight shone down from behind. From Yuyin's perspective, she looked up and saw a flawless and handsome face in front of her.
She couldn't help but think of that stunning sight under the moonlight on a dark night like this more than three months ago.
Yuyin couldn't help but laugh, and took his hand to steady herself.
Although Atobe was puzzled by her sudden laughter, he still held her steady and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Miss you."
Atobe's face turned red after being hit by her direct response, and he coughed quickly.
Yuyin then realized the ambiguity in her words and quickly said, "I mean, I remember that night visit to Building A three years ago."
"That time." Atobe Keigo's expression also became gentle as he recalled the past.
If it weren't for these chance encounters, he wouldn't have suddenly become interested in his once "ordinary" deskmate, and eventually, driven by this slight interest, fell deeply in love.
Yuyin covered her mouth and laughed, "Yeah, if you told me three months ago that Atobe Keigo would be my boyfriend, I would definitely think that I was writing too many novels and my mind was not clear, or that I was under a spell from some monster."
"On the contrary," Keigo Atobe said softly, seeing that she had regained her footing. He took her hand and slowly walked forward again. "To me today, everything seems so beautiful, like a dream. I'm afraid it's just a bubble that will burst at the stroke of midnight, leaving nothing behind."
Yuyin then noticed Jingwu's insecurity, clasped her fingers together, and replied loudly: "Then when I get up tomorrow morning, I will go to your room door and say good morning loudly, and tell you that all this is not a dream."
Atobe Keigo chuckled: "Then you better get up early, otherwise you will be blocking the door of my room."
"No, I get up early too..."
As they walked, the subtle fragrance in the air became more and more obvious. Before Yuyin could finish her coquettish rebuttal, she was interrupted by Atobe's "We're here".
Atobe Keigo opened his arms and showed her what was behind him.
The lights on both sides lit up instantly as Tezuka moved. Yuyin covered her eyes out of habit, and when she looked up, she saw a sea of golden light.
Countless pots of golden roses were arranged in the shape of a big heart in the specially cleared space.
Yuyin asked in amazement, "Is it a champagne rose?"
Atobe Keigo shook his head, his tone extremely proud: "It is a new quality that I cultivated specially. I named it 'Jade Sound Rose'."
He took out a large bunch of "Yuyin Roses" from somewhere, and before he could say anything, the hourly bell rang in the distance. At the same time, the first cluster of fireworks exploded above their heads.
Yuyin heard it again——
"Xiyuanji Yuyin, listen carefully, I like you more than anyone else in this world."
"Um, didn't you confess your feelings this afternoon?" Yuyin took the bouquet and asked in a low voice, her voice a little cautious. "Is it possible that my memory is confused, or that you have lost your memory?"
Atobe Keigo said confidently: "The last time was too unglamorous, it didn't fit my gorgeous aesthetic."
He raised his head and asked proudly, "What's your answer?" His eyes were burning.
The bouquet was so big that she had to hold it with both hands. Tebe came over to help her hold the sides, frowning a little in annoyance for a moment, wondering if his persistence in giving her 99 Yuyin roses had caused trouble for himself again.
Yuyin now has a very accurate grasp of his emotions. She knows what he is thinking just by looking at his frown or pout.
She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"That's my answer."
Atobe was stunned at first, then ecstatic. He hugged Yuyin through the bouquet, but couldn't help blaming himself for the considerable size between them. His face showed a mixture of joy and resentment.
Waves of fireworks exploded in the sky one after another. Some were in the shape of roses, some were in the shape of goldfish and some were in the shape of candy apples. Yuyin even spotted fireworks in the shape of foxes and ancient lanterns. She immediately realized that these were fireworks he had specially designed based on the characteristics of some things they had experienced.
When the last wave of fireworks rushed into the sky, Yuyin's eyes turned, and there was a space between them. The rose bouquet that was disliked by Atobe for taking up too much space was finally sealed into a space spell by her. Now that her spiritual power was exhausted, it would take a bit of time for her to activate it.
She raised her hand to hook it around Jingwu's neck and stood on tiptoe under the light and shadow of the fireworks.
Atobe Keigo looked at her trembling and tightly closed eyelids and kissed her.
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The author has something to say: The main text ends here~
Those of you who have read the previous extras probably know that I originally planned for Atobe to successfully confess his love until the Halloween Shibuya incident. Now this has become an if line. Thanks to Atobe's continuous efforts, the confession was successful two months earlier~
Since many of you don't like to watch plots other than the cases and emotional scenes, I will post some free bonus chapters for the follow-up explanations in this regard. The tentative extra chapters are as follows:
1. Classic meeting of parents for young couples
2. Curse back the classic song and beat the uncle
3. Yuyin drops the author's pseudonym
4. Daily life after dating
5. Some follow-up explanations for Kagome, Natsume and other friends
…
If there are any extra chapters you want to see, you can click on them. I will write them if there is a big demand.
Thanks again to all the readers who have read this.
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