Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve You seem... a little dead? ...
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the entrance to the contestants' tunnel, filling the air with tension and anticipation.
"Ladies and gentlemen! On this arena, a symbol of power and glory, we will witness a sacred duel that will go down in history."
The background music was deep and rhythmic, a blend of taiko drums and strings, with slow, heavy beats that resonated with everyone's heartbeats.
"He was a genius boxer, a fighter who never backed down. In the past, countless strong fighters have fallen to his iron fists in the ring."
The strings turned more intense, and the drumbeats gradually intensified, echoing the audience's increasingly rapid heartbeats.
"He is the 'silent storm,' the 'unsinkable warrior.' Can he turn his talent and sweat into the final step on the throne?"
Tonight we will witness the answer!
"Now, it's time to welcome tonight's star! Let's give them a warm round of applause—"
The music suddenly reached a climax, the announcer shouted at the top of his lungs, and all the lights in the stadium suddenly turned on!
"Song! Tian! Zhang! Tai! Lang!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, a deafening roar that nearly lifted the roof off.
Matsuda Jotaro, dressed in a simple battle robe, nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on the ring like a hawk, and walked step by step toward his destiny.
Young Ikuya Nekono was overwhelmed by this magnificent aura.
"No wonder so many people enjoy watching boxing live; the atmosphere is just too exciting."
Nekono Ikuya's eyes were sparkling, and her face was flushed from the rousing music and the surrounding atmosphere.
With his sunglasses on, he seemed to care about no one. Most of the time, Blake was composed, making it difficult to discern his true emotions beneath those sunglasses. But now, however, his emotions were more outwardly expressed, his expression more excited than during the previous car chase.
He nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on the arena in front of him.
The bell tolls, the round begins.
His opponent launched the first attack, but he moved quickly, using jabs to control the distance. Based on the commentator's explanation, Ikuya Nekono understood that his advantage lay in his agile footwork and speed, and that his tactic was to fight on the move, avoiding any close-quarters combat with Jotaro Matsuda.
He would throw a jab every now and then, then retreat immediately, never greedy for more. He understood his own strengths all too well, and was also extremely wary of Matsuda Jotaro's powerful punches.
"Oh—" Nekono Ikuya clenched her fists and exclaimed in surprise.
On the ring, an opponent's beautiful combination punch nearly hit Matsuda Jotaro's head. Matsuda Jotaro parried in time, but his body still swayed.
Completely drawn into his opponent's rhythm, Matsuda Jotaro's opponent is really strong. Nekono Ikuya's attention was briefly drawn to Matsuda Jotaro's opponent.
Fortunately, Matsuda Jotaro was no pushover either. He suddenly ducked and charged forward, taking two jabs and successfully forcing his opponent to the edge of the ropes.
Matsuda Jotaro's true strength lies in his powerful resilience and ferocious strength. Matsuda Jotaro's opponent is in danger!
Matsuda Jotaro delivered a vicious right hook to the abdomen, followed by an uppercut aimed at his opponent's chin! The opponent instinctively tilted his head to defend, barely dodging the punch.
The commentator almost shouted: "Right hook to the body! Oh—it hit! Immediately following up with an uppercut! Oh, what a pity, just a little bit short! He dodged it! But Matsuda Jotaro's punches are famous for their power; this body strike must have made his opponent very uncomfortable. We can see his breathing rhythm change!"
Nekono Ikuya's gaze was once again drawn to Matsuda Jotaro, and she stared intently. The opponent was formidable, but Matsuda Jotaro seemed even more so!
The two exchanged blows, and the match gradually became intense. As time went on, both Matsuda Jotaro and his opponent suffered physical blows, and the match gradually turned into a contest of willpower.
"Ring ring~"
The phone rang, its sound drowned out by the cheers and applause of the crowd in the venue. It was so faint that it was hard to hear, but Nekono Ikuya did not miss it.
Nekono Ikuya struggled to look away from the ring, glancing quickly with displeasure. Who is it?
"!!!"
Nekono Ikuya's eyes widened. "Eh, Mom?!"
How could it be Mom? Why would Mom suddenly call him?! Could it be—
Nekono Ikuya suddenly turned to look at Black beside her, her eyes narrowing as she fired a death stare.
stare--
Tell me, did you tattle on me to Mom? Didn't we agree to keep it a secret?
Damn it!
Why does it suddenly feel a bit chilly?
Blake jolted awake, his attention abruptly drawn away from the increasingly intense and exciting boxing match. He looked around blankly, finding nothing amiss.
Finally, with a sense of foreboding, he slowly lowered his head and met Nekono Ikuya's death stare.
Nekono Ikuya: Stare—
Blake: ? ? ?
Although he didn't know why, he gradually broke out in a cold sweat under Nekono Ikuya's death stare.
Nekono Ikumi angrily looked away from Blake, feeling a little guilty. He took a deep breath and carefully pressed the call button with his fingertips.
"Mother?"
When he spoke again, his demeanor had changed. His tone was light and quick, and the last syllable of his voice was drawn out softly.
Yes, Nekono Ikuya is being affectionate.
"Huh, Sakura missed me?"
The woman on the other end clearly sensed Nekono Ikuya's coquettishness, swallowed her words for the moment, and asked a question in a lively tone.
Sakura is the nickname of Nekono Ikuya.
"I miss him! I miss my dad too!" Nekono Ikumi answered crisply and directly.
"Sakura, Daddy's here! Daddy misses Sakura too!"
Suddenly, a lively male voice came through the microphone. The voice was very young; it was the voice of Nekono Ikuya's father.
"Ouch~"
Before Nekono Ikuya could speak, Nekono Ikuya's father suddenly exclaimed "Ouch!" and then his voice trailed off, clearly not directed at Nekono Ikuya.
"Don't be so stingy. What's wrong with letting me and Sakurato say a few words?"
Nekono Ikuya blinked.
Oh, I get it. Dad must have been pushed away by Mom again.
"Ahem, don't miss your mom and dad too much, okay? They'll be back soon." Nekono Ikuya's mother pushed Nekono Ikuya's father aside and said to Nekono Ikuya as if nothing had happened.
She then asked, "What is Sakura-tori doing? Did anything unusual happen to Sakura-tori today?"
It seems that this is what she really wanted to know, and it's also the purpose of her phone call.
It didn't sound like an accusation. Could it be that I had wronged Blake? Nekono Ikuya wondered.
But what was unusual about what happened today?
Nekono Ikuya looked around and answered decisively, "I did a good deed today! Black and I helped the police solve a case, cleared a boxer's name, and got him into an important match!"
"Blake is watching that boxer's match with me; he looks like he's about to win."
Just then, the commentator on camera suddenly shouted excitedly, "He's down! Matsuda Jotaro's opponent is down! He's lying down on the ring! The referee immediately rushed over, pushed Matsuda Jotaro aside, and is about to start the count!"
Everyone held their breath, their eyes focused on the arena.
"...1!...2!...3!...His eyes were unfocused, he began to try to get up!...4!...5!...It's over, he can't stand up!...6!...7!...8!...Is victory about to belong to Matsuda Jotaro?!...9!!...10!!!"
The commentator shouted hoarsely, "The uncrowned king has finally been crowned! Matsuda Jotaro—wins!!!"
"Roar—!!!" A thunderous roar and cheers erupted from the audience, and many people couldn't help but jump up and high-five their companions.
Nekono Ikuya's eyes lit up with an inexplicable pride, and she almost jumped up.
"Mom, did you hear that? Matsuda Jotaro won!" he said happily into the phone.
"I heard you," the woman's voice on the other end said softly. "As long as Sakura is happy."
After chatting for a while, she hung up the phone with a smile.
Thousands of miles away, Nekono Ikuya's mother and father had a brief, untold conversation.
Nekono Ikuya's father asked in confusion, "Darling, didn't you say you just sensed a change in the River of Fate? And it was brought about by our lovely Sakuragi. How come...?"
Nekono Ikuya's mother calmly said, "It's okay. Fate isn't unchangeable. Besides, it's not the first time. It has always liked to attract Okuori, letting Okuori witness or change some fates."
Nekono Ikuya's father was still puzzled. Could fate be changed so easily? Then the legend of the Sword in the Stone, the destined king, would not have been passed down.
Although the sword in the stone is just a legend in the eyes of many, he successfully married a 'witch' and learned from her that the legend was once true.
The witch explained, "When others are drawn into fate, it's like a drop of water flowing into the ocean; they'll only be swept along by the sea. But when Sakura is drawn into fate, it's like a butterfly flapping its wings; it will eventually create a storm."
“Okatori is no ordinary child; he is very much favored by fate.”
The witch guessed that fate might just be playing a trick on him.
Mao Ye is just an ordinary person, but his wife and children are anything but ordinary. The father shrugged and said, "You're the expert. I'll listen to you, my witch."
The witch slowly smiled.
...
Outside the boxing stadium, Nekono Ikuya suddenly stopped and stared intently in one direction.
Although Matsuda Jotaro earnestly invited them to his victory celebration, Nekono Ikuya had no interest in the adult's celebration and they had already parted ways.
Blake stopped with Nekono Ikuya and followed his gaze to see candied hawthorns!
Nekono Yuuya smiled subtly: "Hey, Black, I want to eat that!" He pointed decisively.
That's anything but subtle!
Blake hesitated: "...Young Master Yumi, you really can't eat any more sweets today."
But I really want to eat it! I've been thinking about it since this morning!
Nekono Fumiya: Cat-eye stare—
A moment later, Nekono Ikumi, holding a tempting string of hawthorn gourds, skipped and hopped ahead, looking very happy.
What Nekono Ikuya wants, Nekono Ikuya gets!
Black trailed behind Nekono Ikuya, looking annoyed.
Why did I give in so easily again? Can't I just be firm even once? You promised that once you put on your sunglasses, you wouldn't care about anyone!
I might be wearing fake sunglasses.
Nekono Yuuya took a bite of hawthorn, chewed and chewed, when suddenly her expression changed and she slowly stopped walking.
When he thinks of hawthorns, he thinks of the case; when he thinks of the case, he thinks of what the policewoman said.
Blake asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is the hawthorn too sour?"
Nekono Ikuya spun around lightly, tilting her head back with a look of bewilderment and confusion.
"Blake, do you think we've forgotten something?"
Blake raised an eyebrow: "Like what?"
Nekono Ikuya pinched her chin: "For example, what about Matsusaka-sensei, who promised to pick me up?"
Matsuzaka-sensei?! Yes, where is she?
Blake and Nekono Ikuya looked at each other in bewilderment.
...
"Thank you so much for remembering me!"
Having finally learned Nekono Ikuya's true location and successfully reunited with Black and Nekono Ikuya, a weary Matsuzaka Ume stood with her hands on her hips, panting heavily.
Looking at Matsuzaka Ume's appearance, Nekono Ikuya was very puzzled: "Matsusaka-sensei, why are you in such a sorry state? Where's your phone?"
Matsuzaka Ume's face fell: "Don't even mention it. The whole journey to find you could be made into a feature film, and it would be called 'Matsusuzaka Ume's Unlucky Day'."
"It was like going through a series of adventures, encountering many accidents along the way. In short, I lost my phone, and I had to borrow someone else's phone to make the call."
The accident, Mr. Matsuzaka, you mentioned an accident, right?
It seems that today was a long and complicated day for Matsusaka-sensei as well.
"Oh, I was also wondering how everyone would react if I didn't go to school today." Nekono Ikuya was a little disappointed; he could already tell that Matsuzaka-sensei wouldn't know the answer.
"What kind of reaction? Maybe surprise and curiosity, or worry? It can't be happiness!" Matsuzaka Ume replied casually.
The sudden absence of a popular and well-known student is bound to attract attention. Maybe tomorrow, Nekono Ikuya will be surrounded by everyone.
But speaking of classmates, has she forgotten something? Matsuzaka Ume frowned in thought.
What was it? A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through her mind, and Matsuzaka Ume's eyes widened, instantly turning to stone.
Oh no! She forgot that a transfer student was supposed to be coming today! Has he arrived?
I don't want to give the transfer student the impression of being an unreliable homeroom teacher on the very first day! No way!
Matsusaka Ume cried out silently in her heart.
"Matsusaka-sensei? Matsuzaka-sensei?" Nekono Ikuya exclaimed in shock. "Matsusaka-sensei, what's wrong? You seem... a little dead?"
Bathed in the setting sun, Matsuzaka Ume's eyes, like the setting sun, seemed somewhat lifeless as she slowly gazed at the innocent-looking Nekono Ikuya.
Whose fault is this anyway?!
"Today has been a long and complicated day," Matsusaka Ume remarked.
Coincidentally, Matsuda Jotaro, along with his son and friend, were filled with doubt and curiosity as they watched their son, who had been worried about the rumors of his arrest just moments before, now return home beaming with honor.
"What exactly happened today? That's a long and complicated story."
After a wonderful day, Rei Furuya, leaving the school in the sunset, gave a similar answer to the questions from an older woman he liked.
"How was your first day at the new school? Well, I can only say it was a very long and complicated day, and quite magical."
“However—” Furuya Rei tilted his head and gave a slight smile, “which makes me start to look forward to tomorrow.”
A note from the author:
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