Chapter 63 The Truth
The dawn spread across the sky, swallowing up the deep blue of the night inch by inch. The bright lights on the coastal road went out one after another, and the rising sunlight lengthened the shadows of the people walking.
"Are you still worried about what happened a few days ago?"
Yukimura's gentle voice mixed with the sea breeze blew in. Kazama said nothing, holding the fish he had just brought from the seafood market in one hand, and kicked the stones in front of him heavily with his toes.
His voice was like a sigh. "Don't listen to what Asagiri says. You didn't cause the car accident back then. Don't keep punishing yourself for someone else's mistakes."
"Giving up my hobbies and not participating in any essay competitions for five consecutive years is enough."
Feng Jian slowly stopped walking. Even though five or six years had passed, the scene of that day still played clearly in his mind like a high-definition slide show:
At the school gate after school, the girls holding hands, the figure who had just run in the opposite direction but was squeezed out by the throng, the clear sound of bones cracking as a car whizzed past and ran over the calf, the doctor's regretful answer at the end, and the girl's heart-wrenching cry in the ward...
She slowly squatted down, the plastic bag rustled in the wind, and the smell of the sea was bitter like tears.
"If I could have held her back then..." She crossed her arms and didn't say anything else.
Yukimura leaned over and patted her shoulder gently. "No one could have imagined what happened back then, and it wasn't you who knocked her out."
"But I was closest to her, but I didn't grab her..."
"You were also a victim at the time. Even if..." He paused, "even if she wants to blame you, you've done enough."
"From then until now, it has been five years, and you have also given up your hobbies, Kazama. That's enough."
He gently put his arm around her shoulders and let her lean against him without saying anything else. It was so quiet that the only sound they could hear was the splashing of waves hitting the shallows.
Feng Jian stared at the sky, which was turning pale, and was silent for a few seconds before rubbing his eyes, sniffing, and standing up. His voice was still muffled, "...I'm fine."
"Wipe it off." Yukimura said helplessly and handed her the tissue.
"I didn't cry." Fengjian held the tissue tightly and didn't look up.
"Hey, hey, I know you're not crying," Yukimura smiled, his tone light as if he was coaxing a child, "I'm wiping your nose, it's all running."
Feng Jian's voice jumped out first, "No way!"
Yukimura smiled, "Well, no, I was just kidding."
“…”
Fengjian stared at him angrily with red eyes.
Yukimura looked away, squinting his eyes at the horizon, which was ablaze with rosy clouds. After a few seconds of silence, he turned to look at her. "The Autumn Sports Festival of Seigaku is about to begin, right? I remember you won the championship in the shot put for three consecutive years when you were at Rikkai University. I wonder if you've improved since you entered high school?"
Kazama choked, then quickly remembered the bad experience of Yukimura secretly taking ugly photos of him at the elementary school sports festival. He crossed himself with his hands, "You definitely won't be able to take any photos this time."
Yukimura tilted his head and smiled, "I haven't said anything yet, is Kazama the worm in my stomach?"
"No, that's not the case," Feng Jian said as he ran, carrying the fish, "You are full of bad intentions."
Yukimura pressed his joints until they crackled, smiling harmlessly, but gnashing his teeth as he blurted out a few words, "Kazama, don't run away, how about we have a good chat?"
“Anyone who doesn’t run is a fool.”
The sunlight penetrated the morning mist, lengthening the shadows of the two people running away, and was blown away by the sea breeze, drifting further away.
——
Everyone tacitly kept silent about what Chao Wuyuan had said that afternoon. The rest of the day was also filled with various festivals.
The ginkgo trees are turning yellow, the autumn wind is blowing, and the Autumn Sports Festival arrives before the school festival.
The campus was filled with a rich atmosphere of joy. The fiery red playground was lazily basking in the afternoon sun like melted honey. The sound of the starting gun almost shattered the leaves on the edge of the field. Yuan's chattering lasted from morning until lunch.
Momoshiro and Kikumaru were fighting over the last piece of eel rice; Fuji and Tezuka were sitting together, discussing something; Oishikawamura Kaido and the others were exchanging their bento boxes; and Minamoto, who had rarely been around, ran away from Inui, squeezed next to Kazama, poked her shoulder, and said excitedly: "April, there's an impromptu double jump rope this afternoon. I've been practicing for a long time. Let's go and join in."
Feng Jian swallowed the last mouthful of rice with difficulty. Before he could say no, he was annoyed by the other party's arm shaking, so he had to agree with a dizzy head.
Taocheng came over and said, "Why don't you sign up for tug-of-war? If you win, I'll treat you to a burger."
Fuji also stood behind him without knowing when, and added with a smile: "If Taocheng takes the lead, we might be pulled into the enemy camp."
"Eh—" Momoshiro complained, "That's really too much, Fuji-senpai."
"I'm sure Kaido will sign up for the long-distance race."
"Hiss~"
Fengjian looked at the noisy crowd, said nothing, and just listened quietly.
The sunlight in the autumn afternoon is soft, like whipped cream.
The double rope skipping team was at the end, having completed the basic tug-of-war event. Feng Jian sat cross-legged on the lawn with his chin propped up, feeling bored.
Until a shadow fell over her head, she looked up and saw Tezuka standing behind her.
He adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Do you want to go for a walk?"
As he spoke, his right hand stretched out towards her.
Feng Jian stared at the hand stretched out in front of him, stunned for a few seconds before taking it and standing up.
There was a faint warmth in the palm of my hand, which left as quickly as it touched, as if it were an illusion.
"Have you read the German book I gave you last time?"
Fengjian's heart skipped a beat. He had been so busy with Asagiri's affairs recently that he had no intention of studying at all, let alone learning German.
She wanted to look away, but unexpectedly her gaze met Tezuka's. She immediately lowered her head guiltily, like a child who had made a mistake.
"I'll study when I get home tonight." She promised hurriedly, fearing that being a second late would leave a bad impression on the other person.
"No rush," Tezuka said, looking away, his gaze fixed on the figure running at the edge of the playground. "It's better to be down-to-earth than to rush into anything."
Feng Jian was startled and looked up at him. The boy's chestnut hair tips were glowing with warmth.
He clearly didn't say anything, but it seemed like he said everything.
"If the strings are stretched too tight for too long, they'll easily break." He lowered his head, his brown eyes as calm as the clear surface of a lake. "If there's still no answer, try slowing down a bit."
"Things may not get better, but we can try to change our pace."
He clearly didn't say anything, but he felt like he had said everything.
Fengjian pursed her lips, suddenly remembering the encouraging look in the other person's eyes when he mentioned her selection for the competition in the library that day, and the words he said when he met Asagiri that afternoon that he would not participate in the competition...
Will he be disappointed in himself?
Would he think she was a loser who escaped reality?
"Tezuka-senpai, I..."
Feng Jian opened his mouth, but before he could say anything else, Yuan's voice interrupted, "April, why are you still here..."
The other person stood in front of her, panting, grabbed her hand and ran towards the playground, shouting, "The skipping rope competition is about to begin!"
Kazama was dragged and could only run forward, the wind whistling in her ears. She subconsciously turned around and saw Tezuka still standing there. The light behind him made his face unclear, and she could only see him nodding slightly at her.
At that moment, the sound of the wind in his ears seemed to weaken. Fengjian withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath and relaxed. His heavy steps gradually became light, and his tense fingertips slowly relaxed.
Tezuka-san is right.
The situation will not get better. Her past with Asagiri is always there, and conflicts are always there, but the only thing she can change is herself.
——If there is no answer for a long time, slow down.
She relaxed her feet, clenched the hand that was pulling her, and quietly followed Yuan's pace, blending into the bright autumn breeze.
——
Since that day after school, Asagi never came to see her again, as if the words she said and the things she did that afternoon were all a dream that was too cold.
After lunch, Feng Jian walked hand in hand with Yuan and passed by the bulletin board in the corridor. He quickly glanced at the small words below the notice of the essay competition. The registration deadline was tomorrow.
His palms clenched slightly, and Fengjian sighed silently in his heart.
The school gate at the end of the school day was like a can of sardines. Feng Jian walked out of the school gate with his head down, and was immediately attracted by the gasps of the people around him. He followed their gaze and saw the extended luxury car on the side of the road.
Are there such rich people in our school?
This was the only thought that flashed through his mind as Feng Jian withdrew his gaze and walked to the side, avoiding the crowd of people staring at him.
The sound of a luxury car beeping went straight into my eardrums.
Feng Jian wondered in his heart who was so rude. He looked up angrily but was suddenly met with a familiar pair of gray-purple eyes in the back seat.
The young man half-supported his chin, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye sparkled, and he looked at her leisurely.
A moment later.
In the luxury car with soothing pure music playing, Atobe leaned back on the seat with his arms folded over his chest, glancing at Kazama who was fidgeting beside him, "Don't you have anything to say to me now that you see me?"
Fengjian touched the bridge of her nose and slandered herself in her heart. She really had nothing to say.
Atobe glanced at her and slowly uttered a few words:
"Don't you want to know the truth about the car accident five years ago?"
Feng Jian turned around suddenly and blurted out, "How did you know!"
The corners of Atobe's lips were slightly raised, and the teardrop mole at the corner of his right eye was as gorgeous and flamboyant as his expression.
"certainly."
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