Love Tennis and Yumiko Miura

"Yeah! Throwing darts is cheaper than buying them directly, and you can also have fun with them." Zhixian looked very happy under the Ultraman Leo mask.

Yumiko burst out laughing. Boys' happiness was so simple and pure. However, she also liked the fox mask. Since she had apple candy in her hand, she wore the mask sideways.

"Do you want to buy some takoyaki?" Zhixian asked when she saw that Yumiko had almost finished the apple candy in her hand.

"Okay!" After all, we came out without having dinner, so of course we need to fill our stomachs before watching the fireworks.

"Please stay here for a moment." Zhixian said and went to queue in front of the takoyaki stall.

Yumiko still had a few candy apples left in her hand, so while waiting for Zhixian to line up, the girl was bored and fiddling with the wooden stick of the candy apple.

"Ah, hello, Miura-san." Just then a female voice sounded.

"Sagami, good evening." Yumiko glanced at the visitor and responded indifferently.

The girl in front of her with short red hair was her classmate, Sagami Minami. To Yumiko, they were just acquaintances, and they didn't see each other much in their daily lives. But since they had run into each other at the summer festival, they still had to say hello.

"Has Miura lost his friends?" Sagami asked.

"No, I just went shopping." Yumiko didn't care much about Sagami's question. After all, she was barely in the second group in the class, and only Yuigahama would be friendly to such people.

Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that Yuigahama's friendly attitude towards everyone gives people the illusion that she's easy to bully. Yuigahama doesn't understand, but Miura Yumiko knows full well that Sagami Minami probably dreams of becoming a top student like her and Hayama—taking on seemingly unrelated tasks without even considering whether she has the skills or not.

"Sorry for the long wait, Yumiko." Zhixian returned with two boxes of takoyaki in his hands.

"Who is this, Miura-san?" Sagami suddenly seemed interested, even though the tone of his words just now was just a normal greeting.

Because Chixian was wearing Leo's mask, Sagami didn't recognize her at all. She just thought she was Yumiko's boyfriend or boyfriend. Although there were rumors in the school that she and Hayama were a couple, it was just a rumor.

If she could be the first to confirm that Yumiko and Hayama had no relationship, as the person who discovered this, she would surely gain the goodwill of many girls, and perhaps her status would rise accordingly.

"Yumiko, help me twist the mask." Because Zhixian was holding takoyaki in both hands, he chose to ask Yumiko for help.

Also because he had hardly ever spoken to Zhixian, Sagami couldn't recognize Zhixian's voice at all.

"Okay." So Zhixian lowered his head, and Youmeiko stood on tiptoe and moved the Leo mask on Zhixian's face to the side.

"Tachibana-san?!" Sagami was shocked. She really didn't think about Zhixian.

"Do you know me?" Zhixian looked puzzled.

"Uh...I'm Sagami Minami, we're in the same class."

"I don't remember." Zhixian glanced at Sagami and said, "Let's go after we say hello."

"See you at school." Yumiko said this to Sagami and left with Chigen.

......

"You really don't know Sagami?" Yumiko asked after walking away for a while.

"It's fake. I'm just pretending not to know them. I know everyone in the class."

"You are so bad!" Yumiko laughed.

"If that kind of person treats her well, she will easily become complacent, so it's better to pretend not to know him." Zhixian's expression of annoyance really made Youmeko laugh.

This expression is like a picky elementary school student looking at green peppers with disgust.

101. "Good"

Candy apples, takoyaki, fried noodles, marshmallows, crepes.

For today only, Zhixian temporarily forgot about his self-discipline and accompanied Youmeizi in eating and drinking. In fact, he was quite happy with it. After all, his appetite was satisfied, which was a rare occurrence for him.

Unlike those who work out for their face who control their intake on a daily basis and occasionally have a "cheat meal", they can still have a good meal every now and then.

But Zhixian is different. He controls his intake for a long time, and his self-discipline has become somewhat masochistic.

However, this trend has improved a lot recently.

In fact, not eating for a long time will indeed feel a bit depressing, after all, you still want to eat very much.

The two of them ate, drank, and had fun for a while. As the sun and moon alternated, the time for the fireworks display was almost up. Even without checking the time, the noisy crowds of people could tell. The moon was already high in the sky.

"Let's go watch the fireworks." Zhixian said.

"Aren't you going to watch it here?" Yumiko asked.

"There's a VIP area with a better view."

"But you can't just enter the VIP area, right?"

"I went through the back door to see my dad." Zhixian smiled and took out two passes.

"No wonder you're not in a hurry to get a seat." Youmeko immediately understood.

"I won't go out until I'm fully prepared." Zhixian stood up from the bench and extended his hand to Youmeizi. "Let's go to the VIP area to watch the fireworks."

"Okay." Yumiko extended her hand.

Holding their hands together, Yumiko could clearly feel the results of Zhixian's years of tennis practice on her palms. Although she had calluses, they were not as thick as Zhixian's.

"There are a lot of people here, don't let go." Zhixian turned around and said.

Yumiko's heart moved.

"As long as you don't let go." The girl replied.

"I won't let go. I'll hold you tight."

The two held hands tightly, not loosening their grip even as they walked through the endless stream of people, just as the young man said - he would hold her tightly.

----split line----

After walking through the chaotic crowd, the two finally arrived at the legendary VIP area.

The reason why it is called the legendary VIP area is because neither of them has ever set foot in this area before.

Mr. Ju's influence was enough to provide his son with a position in this area, but Zhixian had no intention of coming here before.

The entire square where the event was held was surrounded by trees, so it might be difficult to see the fireworks from a normal seat. However, the VIP area was located on a small hill, making it perfect for viewing the fireworks. It was also roped off and there were security personnel patrolling the area.

If you want to better appreciate the fireworks, the VIP area, which is located in front of the launch site, is the best place to go.

Zhixian and Youmiko found a place to sit down and waited for the fireworks to start.

The fireworks were originally scheduled to be set off at 19:30, but due to some reasons, it was postponed to 19:40. This means that there are still ten minutes before the fireworks start.

"I wonder how Rumi-chan is doing," Yumiko said suddenly.

"I think she should be very happy?" Zhixian replied.

Originally, the two of them planned to bring Liumei to attend the summer festival, but the little girl unexpectedly had already been invited by someone else - several other little girls in the training class.

Because their parents would be accompanying them, Zhixian and Youmiko did not go with Rumi, but let her play with her new friends.

"Thanks to Zhixian, otherwise Liumei would still be alone now, right?"

"No, I just introduced her to the training class. It's her own credit that she made friends."

"Although you don't say it, you actually care about Rumi-chan a lot!" Yumiko smiled.

"Isn't it normal for teachers to care about their students? Hiratsuka-sensei cares about me a lot."

"I think Hiratsuka-sensei cares about you because he's worried he might end up beating you up."

"Don't worry, I won't give her the chance to beat me up."

"Woo wow, you guys are so dirty when it comes to tactics."

......

Finally, after a prominent figure's speech, the first firework burst into life. Accompanied by music, a series of enormous fireworks blossomed into a vast flower in the night sky, a continuous display of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, illuminating the darkness continuously.

The fireworks rising into the sky are like stars scattered all over the sky, which is overwhelming, and the colorful beauty makes people intoxicated.

As the fireworks came into view, the light burst out.

Zhixian looked at the yukata girl beside him. Her expression blossomed into a very bright smile as the fireworks bloomed. Her emerald green eyes were filled with joy and excitement that were about to burst out. All of this was in harmony with the gorgeous fireworks in the sky.

What Zhixian wanted to see was never the fireworks, but the brilliant smile of the girl admiring the fireworks, which was more dazzling than the fireworks in the night sky.

There will be a brief pause after the first batch of fireworks.

Then, accompanied by the music, fireworks soared into the sky and bloomed into a heart shape, which seemed to have a meaningful meaning.

At this time, Zhixian once again held Youmiko's hand beside him. Youmiko was startled at first, then held Zhixian's hand in return.

"Zhixian." The girl looked at the brilliant fireworks in the sky and called the boy's name.

"Ah."

"Can I lean on your shoulder?"

"of course."

So the girl moved closer to the boy, leaned slightly and rested her head on Zhixian's shoulder.

"It's still the most reassuring to be by your side like this." Yumiko smiled.

"I also feel much more at ease with Yumiko around."

"As for me, I feel so happy to be able to reconcile with Zhixian. This holiday was really, really happy. We ate chicken wings together, volunteered together, got to know Liu Mei-chan, taught Liu Mei-chan how to play tennis together, went to the summer festival together, watched fireworks together..."

Listening to Yumiko's memories, Zhixian's expression softened as he looked at the fireworks.

Yes, the memories they experienced together during this holiday are real and irreplaceable.

"I've always thought that if I don't face some things, there will always be something missing between us compared to what it used to be."

Realizing what Yumiko wanted to say, Zhixian opened his mouth to say something but gave up.

"Some words are always hard to express. They keep gathering inside me, becoming stronger and stronger... How should I respond to my inner feelings?"

"......" Seeing that Youmeiko had no intention of stopping, Zhixian did not speak rashly and just listened quietly.

"Through what happened to Rumi-chan, I realized that running away won't solve the problem." Yumiko stood up, sat up straight, and looked Zhixian in the eye. "So I think it's better to be brave."

Yumiko closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them.

"Zhixian, let's team up again and win that championship trophy!"

The girl's emerald green eyes were filled with determination, demonstrating her unwavering faith at this moment.

As the girl spoke firmly, the fireworks in the night sky became even brighter and more dazzling.

A golden curtain descended from the sky.

The golden shower that appeared last won great applause.

The applause didn't last long, but for Youmiko it felt like an eternity - Zhixian would give his answer after the applause ended.

The girl was still somewhat uneasy, after all, she had rejected the boy's invitation two months ago.

The applause gradually died down, and Zhixian and Youmeiko met eyes.

Finally, under the girl's nervous and expectant eyes, the boy spoke and answered.

"Okay." Zhixian replied.

(End of this volume)

Ending

Hello everyone, it's time for the end of volume 1 again~ (whispering: This is obviously only volume 2)

The second volume is titled "The Wind Rises, Blowing Back the Past." Considering the 13 words in this volume, you can probably understand the significance of this sub-volume title, right? Reconciliation and the reunion of partners. Yumiko's transformation, altered by the events of her time in the United States. After all, it all begins and ends with tennis. After all, the title clearly captures the three key elements: love, tennis, and Yumiko Miura. With the tennis part pretty much done, it's time to move on to the love story that comes first.

At the end of Volume 1, I kept you in suspense and didn’t tell you the names of the volumes in Volume 3. Now I can announce them.

Little love song, should have your warmth.

I think most people have heard this song, right? Following the naming convention of the first two volumes, it's still a song title and lyrics combination. With a full 20 words already, the long-awaited dog food segment is almost here. The third volume will feature a confession of relationship. As for how many chapters there are left, I'll keep it a secret.

See you in volume three then.

Volume: Little Love Song, When There Is Your Warmth

102. Are all the people in the News Department just sitting there doing nothing but collecting salaries?

On the first day of the second semester, something not too big happened in Class F of the second year.

That morning, Yumiko Miura, the class's leading female figure, arrived at school carrying a tennis bag that looked like it contained at least three rackets. She casually walked from the school gate to her classroom, greeting everyone along the way with a normal expression.

While many people knew Yumiko had won the women's singles championship at the prefectural tournament in junior high, it seemed she hadn't played tennis much since entering Sobu University, nor had she joined the women's tennis club. Most people's impression of her and tennis stemmed from the mixed doubles match they played with the tennis club during lunch break last semester—though it ultimately seemed to be a solo performance by Chih-hsuan, whose skill far surpassed the others present.

After the summer festival, Yumiko took the time to contact the current head of the women's tennis club and expressed her desire to join. After all, individual competitions were submitted by individual school clubs.