Love Tennis and Yumiko Miura

"...It's better not to let her know." Zhixian sighed, "Otherwise... forget it."

"...Is this okay?" Ebina asked. She could sense the boy's hesitation.

"......That's good." Zhixian glanced at the sky, "Sorry to bother you, Ebina-san. See you at school." After saying that, he walked towards Mikoshiba who had a dazed look on his face.

Ebina looked at Zhixian's back and inexplicably felt that this young man, who should have been full of vigor and vitality, was a little lonely.

----split line----

While walking towards Miko Chai, Zhixian forced himself to adjust his mood.

"Are you convinced?" This was the first sentence he said.

"I accept." Mikoshiba replied subconsciously, "But you two know each other, right?"

"You can you up?" Zhixian raised his eyebrows. He felt that Yu Zishiba wanted to shirk his debt.

"...I won't talk, okay."

"good!"

"Don't talk to your pet in that tone!"

"Okay, okay, you're a master of rhetoric, so you have the final say."

“…” The master of rhetoric was stuck again.

What Miko Chai envies most is people who can make others speechless.

So, are you too weak? If she fell into the hands of Yukinoshita Yukino, Mikoshiba would probably be taught to withdraw from school immediately.

Although he was not very familiar with her, he could more or less guess that Yukinoshita's strong-willed style was not so popular, at least he really disliked that style.

Moreover, this girl is a very stubborn person, with a sharp tongue and convincing arguments.

But it's very hurtful and not subtle.

Mikoshiba is thin-skinned and can't stand it after just two sentences.

Poor Miko Shiba, all his friends take advantage of him.

"Don't be silent, do you want to talk about sister-themed works? By the way, aren't you close to Nozaki's brother?"

"Wulusai, what does this have to do with liking sister-themed works?"

"I was wondering if you'd be interested in brother-themed works in the future since you like sister-themed works."

"Ju!" Mikoshiba blushed.

"Sorry, this is revenge for what Dio Rongrong said just now."

"You're too calculating!"

"It's normal for straight men to seek revenge when questioned."

"But apart from Sakura, you don't have any good relationships with the opposite sex, right? And you don't like galgames, and you only buy figures of male characters..." Mikoshiba said as he counted on his fingers.

"...There are many boys who meet the requirements. You don't even meet the standards." Zhixian was helpless, thinking that it was no wonder that this guy only got a passing score. "To put it another way, if I were you, I would have suffered a lot. I have countless opportunities to make you 18 times the plot of the book."

Mikoshiba imagined the plot between men ♂♂♂, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"I'm sorry, Ju. I shouldn't have questioned you!"

"I'm playing a normal game, why do you always imagine something abnormal? Is the Dragon Quest you're playing modded with Darabonba?"

"What is Dara Bangba?"

"Nothing, I just made it up."

"Would you like to come to my house to play games?" Mikoshiba invited when the game was mentioned.

"Let's go." Zhixian agreed after a brief thought. His previous conversation with Ebina had made him less inclined to train, so he decided to take a break and play some games. "Let's make a deal: I won't play time-consuming games like galgame."

"Okay, okay, let's play FF, okay?"

"can."

----split line----

Miura family.

"Yumiko, you're back~" Mrs. Miura greeted her lovely daughter with a smile.

"I'm back." Yumiko looked her mother up and down. "Why are you so happy?"

"I discovered a new store today. The owner is so nice. I bought several pieces of clothing there. How about I take you there next time? You'll definitely suit those dresses perfectly, Yumiko. They're so pretty!"

"..." This shopping hobby of his must have been inherited from his mom, right? No wonder his dad always said he could catch up with his mom because of his good legs.

She felt that the word "chase" meant chasing in a physical sense.

"Give me the address and I'll go there myself."

"Oh my? Yumiko, are you worried that your friends might see you shopping with your mom? Cry, cry."

"Don't peek if you're crying, Mom!"

"Hey~" Mrs. Miura pulled out a business card like a magician. "Yumiko can go with her friends then. It's a shame that even when Mom and Yumiko are together, people still think they are sisters."

What kind of wife did my father marry? She's too strong, isn't she?

"By the way, Yumiko, Mom ordered some clothes from that store, but I'm going to your grandma's in a few days, so could you please pick them up for me then?"

"Okay, okay, I got it." Yumiko waved her hand in response.

Just run errands, just consider it as a way to slim down your legs.

44. The Past Gradually Becomes Clearer

Yumiko felt that something was not right with her friends these days.

First, Yuigahama inexplicably stopped attending the Service Club's activities, and she no longer went to the Service Club to have lunch with Yukinoshita Yukino every day. However, anyone with a discerning eye could see her disappointment.

As for Ebina, the big fujoshi, although she still promotes BL and gets nosebleeds every day, she always feels that something is wrong with Ebina. That indescribable sense of incongruity is hard to describe.

Yumiko knew that Ebina Himena was a very smart girl. However, recently, she often found that Ebina seemed to be thinking about something, not in her usual state, but really thinking about something seriously.

Yumiko was somewhat affected by her two friends' current state. The date for the custom-made clothes that Mrs. Miura had asked her to pick up was approaching, so she gave up on inviting her friends and decided to just go home after her errand.

"No one told me anything." Youmeko kicked away the small stones on the roadside, looking quite angry.

"If you don't say it out loud, who will know what you're thinking?" Yumiko muttered to herself in anger, "Maybe I can help!"

Yumiko once introduced boyfriends to Ebina in a very motherly manner, but without exception, Ebina politely rejected them all.

Ebina didn't want to be in a relationship, so she didn't need Yumiko to introduce her to anyone. At the time, Ebina had told her that she didn't want to be in a relationship, so she hoped Yumiko would stop introducing her to anyone.

So this time, Ebina was in a daze, which made Yumiko wonder if there was something that was bothering her and making her hesitate.

Whatever the reason, how could anyone possibly know if he didn't tell me? Could he just leave it to people to guess?

Yumiko doesn't like that approach. She is the type to speak her mind and be straightforward.

Just like in tennis, she's the type to take the initiative. Passively taking the beating? That's too boring! Holding on for long shots, forcing the opponent to make mistakes? That's too frustrating. Powerful volleys, powerful smashes, and powerful spin—aren't these the defining characteristics of tennis?

Yumiko's playing style is as passionate and energetic as her shining blonde hair. She enjoys the thrill of defeating her opponents in evenly matched situations.

The faster pace of doubles is more in line with what she is looking for, so after discovering that she and Zhixian had an unexpected synergy, her focus since junior high school has been on mixed doubles competitions.

However, she also found time to take a break from her busy schedule and won the county championship in a singles competition.

Thinking of tennis, Yumiko gave a helpless smile. Her racket was probably gathering dust in some corner.

"Forget it." Yumiko covered her head and shook it vigorously, as if trying to shake the memories of tennis out of her mind.

However, how can we forget important things just by saying so? How can we let go of past regrets just by saying so?

----split line----

"Is this the place?" Yumiko held the business card given by her mother and followed the address on it to find the place.

The store isn't particularly large, but the owner put a lot of effort into the decor. And the clothes I saw at a glance were mostly nice.

Yumiko decided to come back and have a look when she had the chance. A friend was coming to her house to return something, so she didn't have much time to hang out.

"Hello, my last name is Miura." Yumiko came to the counter and greeted a woman who looked like the owner, who was looking down at her. "My mother has ordered some clothes, and I'm here to pick them up."

"Oh, Miura, huh?" The woman picked up a booklet and flipped it open, glancing at Yumiko casually. "Wait a moment, it might take a while to be delivered..."

Then the hand that was turning the page stopped.

"Excuse me, but is your full name Miura Yumiko?"

"Huh? So, do you know me?" Yumiko was also surprised because she obviously didn't know this aunt.

"My son's name is Tachibana Chigen, and I often heard him mention the name of a girl named Yumiko." The proprietress smiled, "What a beautiful and lovely girl!"

"Um, you're too kind, Mrs. Tachibana." Yumiko was a little embarrassed, and changed her address because the other party introduced herself.

"Ms. Sato, see you next time!" At this time, a lady carrying shopping bags greeted the proprietress and left.

"Sato?" Yumiko was stunned.

Did you use your old surname because you started working?

"Excuse me, Yumiko-chan, can I call you that?" Ms. Sato brought a glass of water and placed it in front of Yumiko, who nodded in agreement.

"Actually, Zhixian's father and I have been divorced for over a year now. As you can see, I'm starting my own business." Ms. Sato smiled wryly. "Zhixian chose to follow his father at the time."

"He must be very distressed. Junior high school students have to face the choice of choosing between their parents."

Ms. Sato was talking to herself, but Yumiko was so overwhelmed by the sudden amount of information that she forgot for a moment that she was only there to pick up the clothes she had ordered.

More than a year ago, in junior high school, divorce, decision.

When a series of words are strung together, the once mysterious past seems to have an explanation.

Was this incident the reason Zhixian was so depressed at the time? Yumiko bit her lower lip, the disposable paper cup in her hand dented.

"This kid has always been very competitive. When he was in junior high, his counselor urged him to focus on singles and suggested that he participate in some domestic and international competitions, but he refused. But now, after his father and I divorced, he has started playing singles and often participates in tournaments with prize money."

Yumiko heard Ms. Sato's words again in a trance.

She suddenly recalled that when she was in the third year of junior high school, a female tennis player named Tong Tai told her that the coach was not optimistic about her and Zhixian's combination, saying that she was delaying Zhixian's development in singles.

At that time, Yumiko snorted with disdain, and flicked her blonde hair to say that the "Platinum Combination" was the strongest, and the consultant had no idea how strong they were.

In fact, there were many problems in their game that year, and she simply attributed those problems to Zhixian's lack of concentration, without considering her own overly hasty playing style.

The two even had a dispute after being eliminated.

It had been over a year since the incident, and Yumiko no longer remembered the details of the match. Although she had reflected on herself now, she still couldn't figure out where the mistake had gone wrong.

Perhaps her junior high school counselor still had the video of the competition! Yumiko suddenly decided to go back to junior high school to visit her former counselor and find some answers.

45.Tea Flavor

"6:2, Orange wins." The referee announced the result.

Zhixian shook hands with his opponent and returned to the bench to pack his tennis bag.

This was a small prize-giving tournament within Chiba Prefecture, and the participants were mostly junior high and high school students. And because it was only within Chiba Prefecture, very few people from other areas came to Chiba on this wonderful day off to participate in this small tournament.

Not only is the competition of low quality, but the prize money is barely enough, so there is no need for people from outside the area to participate.

Zhixian's reason for participating in this competition is much simpler.

He is a local, he wants to play games, and he wants to earn some pocket money.

So he came and made it to the finals smoothly.

He will face the final in a few hours, and before that he plans to find a place to rest.

The championship was basically in his pocket, and he was too lazy to watch other people compete.

"Hey, isn't this Ju! Long time no see!" At this time Zhixian met an old acquaintance.

"It's been a long time, Advisor." Zhixian bowed slightly. "Are you bringing your students to the competition?"

"Hahaha, yes, this class of students isn't quite up to par with yours, so we're bringing them out to gain more experience," the counselor replied. "Are you participating in the competition, too?"

"Yes, there are fewer opportunities to play in Soubu, and I want to adapt to the rhythm of the game before the individual competition begins."

"Your request is really tough on these contestants! How can they possibly meet your requirements?" the advisor smiled and patted Zhixian on the shoulder. Although he was the advisor for the junior high school section, he also paid attention to the high school competitions. He was definitely aware of the outstanding results achieved by his former students.

"I've seen your 'Guardian of the Hundred-Armed Giant' before, and I can only say that it's worthy of you!" By the way, Zhixian's current coach in the club and the consultant in front of him were once classmates, so it's normal for the two to mention Zhixian in private.

"You're too kind. This is not my own credit." Zhixian said modestly.