Chapter 349: Where is my teammate?
Feelings require careful nurturing, whether it’s pure love that lasts until death or firm friendship that lasts forever. If one party takes advantage of the so-called foundation of feelings and squanders it without restraint, the end result is bound to be a breakdown.
Besides parents, no one in this world will give you unconditional love without reservation or expecting anything in return.
Kazumi understood this point better than anyone. The girl who would have done anything for her in her youth could barely remember her appearance now. Her close friend of many years had completely lost contact due to a loan that was neither small nor large. Reality, in itself, was much more real and cruel than the so-called emotions conjured in one’s mind.
This was precisely why Kazumi had been continuously showing goodwill towards Sato Shinichi. Setting aside the trivial affection that surfaced due to physical reasons, it was essentially the young girl’s desire to maintain this relationship from her own perspective, or rather… to deepen it.
Although Kazumi now knew the young man’s personality like the back of her hand, and she could manipulate this simple-minded blonde young man with her own little tricks, she couldn’t afford to be careless.
Even though her favorability rating had reached its peak and their relationship had advanced to the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend, she couldn’t afford to squander this affection carelessly just because he liked her.
Even the most carefree golden retriever wouldn’t hang around its owner like a fool if the owner didn’t feed it or play with it, and instead, often kicked and punched it. Animals are like this, let alone humans.
She could completely ignore the feelings of her past self regarding this relationship, or even directly break up with Sato Shinichi, but what would she gain from that?
Compared to the discomfort she felt due to her own psychological aversion, the heroic family background that the young man represented, along with his corresponding network, offered her much more.
Furthermore, due to this broken body… spending time with him…
Actually… it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.
“I slept for a while, and when I woke up, I came to see you.”
The young girl looked at the earnest-looking young man with her signature faint smile, then, as if she had prepared it in advance, she handed the item in her hand to Sato Shinichi.
“Are you done over there? Do you want to rest?”
“Mmm… okay!”
Sato Shinichi accepted the water handed to him by his cute girlfriend with trembling hands. His smile was uncontrollable, and he nodded hurriedly as he led Kazumi towards a nearby resting area.
Men’s vanity is always simple and direct, and for Kazumi, she was precisely the person who could empathize most with what men wanted. Especially in school, those students with such simple minds; if a girl handed them a small bottle of water after exercise, the sense of honor that arose in their hearts would be equivalent to a knight being knighted by a queen.
Moreover, this was a special girlfriend-provided “dog food” version (hands on hips).
Completely ignoring the envious and surprised glances from her classmates, the young girl rested her elbow on the small round table, tilted her head, and propped her face on her hand. She looked at the foolish young man in front of her, who was so happy about a bottle of water that his tail was almost wagging, and her slender fingers traced circles in the air with his movements as she asked.
“So happy?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Sato Shinichi carefully put down the mineral water he was drinking and nodded quickly in response. He didn’t know how he managed to drink a bottle of ordinary mineral water as if it were some nectar of the gods; his exaggerated gesture left one momentarily speechless.
“Because you, Kazumi, specifically gave it to me! It tastes ten times better than ordinary mineral water, no, a hundred times better!”
“It’s not that exaggerated…”
Kazumi turned her head away shyly. The young man’s actions seemed to draw the attention of the surrounding crowd, causing Kazumi’s already rosy cheeks to deepen in color. Her hands on the table fidgeted nervously. She pulled out two tissues from the nearby tissue box and extended them to the young man, ordering him like one calls their pet.
“Come here.”
“Ah… okay.”
The young man unconsciously leaned forward at the girl’s familiar commanding tone. When he came back to his senses, he realized that the slender hand holding the two tissues had already covered his right cheek.
“It’s so hot today, don’t exercise for too long. It won’t be good if you get heatstroke…”
The girl’s voice was as cold and aloof as ever, but the tenderness hidden beneath the tone was completely perceived by the young man. Like a mother nagging her child, her words of admonishment and gentle actions, mixed with the faint unique fragrance from the girl’s hands, were like the first gentle rain of early spring, silently nourishing the young man’s heart.
“Kazumi, I… I’ll be careful…”
The young man, who had been taken by Hamano Tsukasa to swim and train in volcanic lava not long ago, now nodded obediently like a puppy, his face filled with emotion as he patted his chest and promised that he wouldn’t get hurt by such things.
“Mmm, that’s good.”
The white tissues were rolled into a ball after being stained with sweat. Kazumi cleaned the young man’s slightly sweaty face, revealing his handsome yet somewhat simple face.
Kazumi gently patted the young man’s cheeks twice and looked at her work with satisfaction. Her gaze couldn’t help but drift to the perfect, tempting body beneath the head, now even more alluring due to the faint sweat. She shook her head helplessly.
If possible, the young girl would have preferred to wipe the sweat off his body. After all, the slightly hard yet soft touch she had felt earlier was still somewhat memorable. However, with so many people watching, Kazumi suppressed this somewhat perverse and strange thought.
“Thank you, Kazumi.”
Sato Shinichi looked at the clapping girl in front of him with a look of tenderness, his affection for her almost overflowing.
It was difficult for the young man to describe his current feelings. He already liked Kazumi to the fullest, yet whenever he was with her, his affection for her always deepened.
Such a gentle and thoughtful girl; the young man couldn’t think of any other words to describe her besides wanting to protect her with his entire life.
“It’s nothing, I just came to see you. I’m planning to go to the shopping area later, want to come along?”
Seeing the young man’s overwhelmed expression, Kazumi’s smile deepened. Having achieved her goal, the girl planned to leave. After all, this resting area was still too hot, and Kazumi preferred to visit more comfortable resting areas.
“I’m free, Kazumi, I’ll accompany you!”
“Huh? Is that okay? Have you finished your match?”
“It’s finished!”
…
On the other side, Sobakada Asada, who had simply drunk water and rested, stepped back onto the court. He himself hadn’t expected that by simply participating with a mentality of playing around, he would actually reach the finals.
The prize for the finals, a motorboat, was beckoning him. At this moment, he could still picture himself showing off in front of his classmates while riding the motorboat. Perhaps even Kiyomizu-san too…
Shaking his head to dispel the unrealistic fantasies in his mind, Sobakada Asada focused his attention on the match. He silently felt that his body had been adjusted to its peak state. Sobakada Asada turned his head back confidently, looking towards the resting spot of Sato Shinichi.
“Shinichi, our match…”
Before the young man could finish speaking, what met his eyes were two empty stools and two figures in the distance that were barely visible.
“Where is my teammate?”
