Love Tennis and Yumiko Miura

"Okay, then...goodnight."

"Good night."

After saying goodnight, the only sound in the room was the patter of rain outside the window. Though it was pouring heavily, it wasn't very distinct through the glass. It was probably a little louder than the occasional chirping of birds in the early morning, after all, it was a heavy downpour.

Youmeizi lay flat on the bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her eyes gradually became clearer and adapted to the dark environment.

Even when Zhixian found her, she probably never thought that she would sleep in Zhixian's room with him.

As for the morning, she probably didn't think she would see Zhixian, or even if she did, they would just pass by each other like strangers, without any eye contact - this was how the two of them had been living for the past year.

The incident happened suddenly, and she had no time to calm down and think carefully until just now.

Now lying in bed, she finally had time to sort out her chaotic thoughts.

We are now...this should be considered a reconciliation, right?

Thinking of this, Youmiko hesitated for a moment. Usually, she didn't like to pay attention to others, so she rarely had the experience of quarreling and making up. She didn't know how to judge the current situation.

Even though I wanted to find Zhixian to ask him about it in the afternoon, when we actually met in the evening, I couldn't even ask him a single question.

Zhixian invited her to a mixed doubles competition, and to be honest, she had the urge to accept it immediately.

But she didn't do that. She felt that she was not qualified as a partner, and now she had abandoned tennis for more than a year and could not keep up with him in tennis.

What's more, even if she hadn't abandoned it, she didn't think her tennis skills could compete with Zhixian.

He hadn't told her that she didn't understand before, but now she was no longer the warmongerer who was obsessed with attacking recklessly.

It is true that her desire to attack is very strong, but Zhixian, who is standing behind her to support her, obviously has a scoring ability that is many times stronger than hers, but he is willing to cooperate with her to make up for her shortcomings.

After playing against Chixian twice, Yumiko had a rough idea of ​​how strong Chixian was now. His playing style had changed drastically from his junior high days. If they teamed up again, there would definitely be a lot of trouble to solve.

After fully understanding Zhixian's strength, how could she feel at ease to implement tactics as the core of the attack?

Why play it as if there are four twos? This is why Yumiko refused Zhixian.

Zhixian is a special sports recruit. If he fails to achieve good results because of being on the same team with her, no one can guarantee that Zhixian can continue to enjoy special treatment in Sobu.

She couldn't let her selfishness affect Zhixian again, especially since the university admission quota would most likely be decided after this year. If something went wrong at this critical juncture, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life even if Zhixian didn't say anything.

Youmiko turned her head to look at Zhixian who was sleeping under the bed and snoring softly, and her heart was filled with grief.

She also wanted to play basketball with him, but that was probably all they could do... Wouldn't it be better for him to pursue his dreams of championship trophies and conquering the world on his own? She just had to be there for him, supporting him forever.

Yes, wouldn’t it be nice to be his number one fan?

That's fine, right?

......

Her consciousness gradually became blurred, and Yumiko fell asleep.

She had a very strange dream. In the dream, she saw her tennis racket, which was standing alone in the corner.

----split line----

When Yumiko woke up the next morning, she could no longer hear the sound of rain.

Zhixian was no longer visible under the bed, but the curtains were still drawn, not a single ray of sunlight coming in.

Yumiko put on her slippers, walked to the window, opened the curtains, and was immediately bathed in sunlight, which made her raise her hands to cover her eyes.

Sure enough, the rain stopped.

She glanced out the window and saw that the rain on the road was no longer noticeable. Had the rain stopped in the middle of the night? As the sun rose, the temperature rose, and the surface temperature rose, so naturally it could not hold water.

This shouldn't affect my trip home, Yumiko thought.

Mrs. Miura and Mr. Miura will be back today.

The clock on the bedside table showed that the current time was 8:17 in the morning. Yumiko simply folded the quilt and left the room and went downstairs.

When she came to the first floor, she found Zhixian wearing an apron and busying around in the kitchen, probably cooking.

"Good morning, Zhixian." Youmiko thought for a moment and took the initiative to greet Zhixian.

"Good morning, Youmiko." Zhixian turned his head and smiled at Youmiko. "Wait a moment, breakfast will be ready soon."

Youmiko, who was not good at cooking, had no choice but to sit at the dining table and stare blankly at Zhixian. She knew that if she went over to help, she would only cause more trouble, so it would be better for her to just sit there and wait obediently to avoid making things worse.

After a while, Zhixian brought over breakfast - it was a very traditional Japanese breakfast.

Rice, miso soup, grilled fish, egg roll, pickled radish strips.

(Author's voiceover: I don't like natto, so I didn't write it.)

Youmiko was very surprised that Zhixian could make such a Japanese breakfast. She thought that someone like Zhixian, who pursued efficiency, would make a simple and quick Western breakfast - such as milk bread.

There are virtually no breakfast shops in Neon. While some businesses provide breakfast when traveling, most people either cook at home or order instant food from convenience stores. Convenience stores offer a wide variety of food and other items, so office workers often go there for breakfast or have the store staff heat up their food and take it to work.

The traditional breakfast of Japanese people usually consists of one soup and three dishes, which is a very simple miso soup, meat, vegetables and some soy products. These are all made at home. No one has opened a store specifically to sell this more traditional breakfast, which is a thankless task.

There are also many full-time housewives in Japan who do not work. They have plenty of time to prepare breakfast and make lunch boxes for their children.

Mrs. Miura also makes this kind of breakfast, but sometimes she also makes Western-style breakfast.

So when Zhixian brought out such a breakfast, it really exceeded Youmeiko's expectations.

"Try it. I don't have much experience in cooking, I can only say that it's cooked." Zhixian also took off her apron and sat opposite Youmiko.

"I'm starting." Although it was just her and Chixian, Yumiko still put her hands together as usual.

Zhixian was stunned for a moment, then he also clasped his hands together.

"I'm gonna start now."

60. Don’t you understand the girl’s heart?

Zhixian took a sip of the miso soup and then sighed, "It's been a long time since I had breakfast with others."

"Won't Uncle Ju join you?"

"He's busy with work, and I have to do morning exercises, so we often stagger our schedules. We eat breakfast and lunch separately, and only occasionally have dinner together."

"Is that so..."

Xian stretched out his chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth. He felt that he had done quite well this time and it was not difficult to swallow.

It’s been a long time since I last had a Japanese breakfast, Zhixian sighed to himself.

He still woke up on time in the morning according to his stable biological clock. Yumiko was still sleeping soundly, so he tiptoed out of the room to do morning exercises.

During his morning run, he suddenly wanted to make a traditional Japanese breakfast. Coincidentally, Yumiko was there. If he were alone, he would not make such an inefficient and time-consuming breakfast.

If you're tempted, you must act; otherwise, it's just wishful thinking. So, upon returning home, Zhixian opened the refrigerator and began preparing. While she rarely made breakfast like this, she still had the basic ingredients in the fridge, so there wasn't the drama of running out of fish or rice.

Unaware of Yumiko's wake-up time, Zhixian didn't rush, instead taking his time preparing the ingredients, steaming the rice and making the soup. Perhaps because he had plenty of time, and perhaps because slow work yields excellent results, Zhixian tasted the food and found it quite good, much more successful than before. This delighted him; if his painstaking efforts turned out to be awful, it would have been a waste of ingredients and a nuisance to him.

So when Mr. Tachibana was home, Zhixian would always choose dishes he was familiar with and couldn't easily make mistakes. Otherwise, it would be too pitiful for his father to come home from a long day of work without even a proper meal. He would usually practice new dishes when Mr. Tachibana was sure he wouldn't be home. If he failed, Zhixian would quietly eat the food. If he succeeded, he would leave some for his father and put it in the plastic container.

But now that Zhixian has been teaching himself to cook for over a year, he's a completely different person than when he first started. He can now expertly prepare a simple meal. Breakfast like this is no problem at all, but he doesn't make it often because it's too much trouble.

More importantly, Zhixian felt that eating breakfast like this alone was a bit too lonely, and it was also a hassle to prepare. He had to go to school after morning exercise, so he didn't have the time or energy to make a Japanese breakfast. Normally, he would eat leftover food from the previous night, or bread, milk, and eggs, or simply buy instant food from the convenience store for breakfast and lunch, such as rice balls or sandwiches. It seemed like a long time ago that the two of them had sat face to face for breakfast together, unless he was staying overnight at Ms. Sato's place.

"What's wrong?" Yumiko noticed that Zhixian was a little dazed, so she asked.

"Ah, nothing. Does it taste okay?" Zhixian said with a smile.

"It's delicious." Yumiko replied.

"That's good."

----split line----

After breakfast, Zhixian refused Youmeiko's request to wash the dishes, saying that she could go change her clothes and he would take her home when he went to the club for training later.

Zhixian's firm tone made Youmiko realize that she probably couldn't think of working in his house anymore. Once this man made up his mind, nothing could change it.

So Yumiko had to go upstairs to her room to change her clothes, and put on the clothes that Ms. Sato provided, which Zhixian was said to like.

After changing her clothes and carrying her bag downstairs, Yumiko suddenly remembered that although her parents said they would be home today, they hadn't said what time they would be back! She also hadn't figured out how to explain why she didn't take her keys and stayed out all night.

......

Yumiko thought that the only way was to borrow Chixian's cell phone to call Yui to get a statement.

......

When she came downstairs, Zhixian had already cleared the dishes and was waiting for her. When Zhixian saw Youmeizi, his eyes lit up - the skirt the girl was wearing was indeed the kind of skirt he liked.

Zhixian thought helplessly, "My mother really knows me well." He had seen the dress Yumiko was wearing at Ms. Sato's shop before and had expressed his fondness for it. He hadn't expected his mother to not only remember it but also give it to Yumiko.

"Youyouko is very beautiful." Zhixian smiled at the girl.

"Really? It's all because of Aunt Sato's good taste." Yumiko couldn't help but feel a little shy. Ms. Sato really knew her son very well.

"The effect of 1+1>2 is not achieved by everyone."

"Then I'll accept your compliment." Youmiko couldn't help but laugh. Zhixian was always generous with his praise, especially when it came to Youmiko.

Zhixian would praise her for a good shot during a match, and would also compliment her on her casual attire when they met outside of school. Throughout their partnership, Zhixian was always the one to encourage and comfort Yumiko, acting like a mentor to her, even though they were of the same age.

Zhixian was just like that in junior high. Although he didn't talk much, he was always forthright in expressing his kindness to others. This is something that people who only knew him in high school wouldn't be able to appreciate. After all, his suffocating behavior of throwing a love letter from the opposite sex into the trash makes people think that Zhixian must be a straight man who doesn't understand the hearts of girls.

Compare him with the considerate Ye Shan, and it is clear who has a higher status in the girls' hearts.

Contrary to popular belief, Zhixian understands the hearts of young girls and occasionally offers suggestions to Ms. Sato's shop. His actions in Sobu are simply a way of not caring about the hearts of young girls; otherwise, he'd be constantly pestered like Hayama. Hayama responds to others' expectations, but he chooses not to respond to insignificant ones.

As for Yumiko, she had undoubtedly always been extremely important. Even before that, the two of them had been on the verge of a year-long estrangement. Call it a misunderstanding, fate, or simply insincerity.

In short, Zhixian felt that the past could no longer constrain them, and that they should just let things take their course and there was no need to continue pretending.

61. Call

"Um, can you lend me your cell phone so I can check my statement with Yui?" Yumiko said.

"Okay." Zhixian handed the phone to Youmeiko very straightforwardly.

"But do you have Yui's number?" After getting the phone, Yumiko realized that Chixian and Yuigahama didn't seem to be very familiar with each other. Generally speaking, they don't exchange phone numbers, right?

"......" Zhixian pondered for a moment, "I have Totsuka's number. Call him and ask him to help contact Yuigahama."

"Okay." Yumiko immediately operated her phone and opened the address book.

"You call him, I'll go get something."

There weren't many numbers saved in Zhixian's phone book. Most of them were family members or friends from junior high school. Basically, they were people that Youmeiko could call out and imagine their faces.

Yumiko also saw some high school names, such as Umetaro Nozaki, Mikoto Mikoshiba, Hori-senpai from the drama club, and Kashima and others.

Totsuka's name was found quickly, but what surprised her was that Zhixian also had Ye Shan's number. She thought that the two of them didn't get along well so Zhixian wouldn't have Ye Shan's number.

Just as she was about to call Totsuka to tell him the truth, the phone in her hand rang first.

The caller ID read "Chiyo Sakura".

Youmeko frowned, but did not handle the call without authorization.

"Chixian!" Yumiko raised her voice and called out, "It's Sakura Chiyo calling."

"Please answer the phone for me. If it's not urgent, just say I'll be there this afternoon." Zhixian's voice rang out.

???

Yumiko was completely confused.

This Sakura Chiyo should be the petite girl who seems to have a good relationship with Zhixian, right? She is not sure what their relationship is, but it seems that they are quite close.

Anyway, answer the phone first.

"Ah! I'm Sakura! Sorry to bother you, Tachibana-san!"

"Zhixian is a bit busy right now and can't make it easy. He said he'd go over in the afternoon if it wasn't urgent."

After Yumiko spoke, she could clearly feel that Sakura Chiyo on the other end of the phone was stupid and didn't respond.

"Ah? Ah! Okay! Thank you so much!" Even the honorifics came out. "Please tell Tachibana-san that Nozaki-san has a very high fever."

"Okay, I'll tell him."

Nozaki? Umetaro Nozaki?

He must be talking about Zhixian's friend, that big, stupid guy who is about 1.9 meters tall.

After the call ended, Yumiko called Totsuka, and after repeatedly telling him that she was safe, she hoped he could help contact Yuigahama.

Less than two minutes after Yumiko finished her call with Totsuka, a number without a name or note called.