[Net King] Pilgrim

The fireworks show ended, and the people on the beach gradually dispersed.

Machida picked up the things at his feet again, and Echizen Ryoma walked slowly along the corridor-shaped beach in the direction of the hotel.

In the silence where only the sound of rolling waves could be heard, she glanced sideways at him and thought for a while, "That..."

Echizen Ryoma moved her gaze over before she continued: "Although I really want to take credit for the fact that 'I just saw such beautiful fireworks', the truth is that being able to see such beautiful fireworks...is purely accidental .”

After seeing his confused expression, she explained weakly, "That is to say, although I took Echizen-kun to see the night view, I didn't know that there would be a fireworks show tonight... To be precise, I forgot."

but.

She raised her free hand and made a flashy gesture, "You can think of it as a pleasant surprise."

After she finished the call without panting for a long while, Echizen Ryoma realized that she didn't intend to take credit.

He let out a "hmm" and continued to walk forward quietly, "But I heard, you said it was the fireworks display in Enoshima."

Machida recalled for a moment, "That, is it a part of me?"

He paused, hooked the corners of his mouth as if there was nothing, but did not answer.

The moon hanging in the sky is dizzy, and the stars are sparse like a Milky Way paved with fine quicksand, reclining on the ultramarine sky.

The two had walked a certain distance from their original position, leaving deep and shallow footprints on the beach along the line.

"Oh, that's right." She remembered what they had said in the middle of the moment before the fireworks flew into the night sky, and asked him, "Why do you say that you can consider bypassing the resistance on the road and take another road?"

Echizen Ryoma was stunned for a moment before realizing that her thoughts had shifted to another topic, "It's nothing. I just think that since some obstacles are really hard to overcome, it's better to change the way. There is more than one way up the mountain."

He spoke bluntly, but he also took some effort to organize his words, but after seeing Machida's slightly surprised expression, he still suspected that he might not be able to express himself a bit.

"...or if it's a tennis game, you don't have to be head-to-head if you want to beat your opponent. After all, everyone has their own way and style of play."

Sure enough, it was much easier to explain that way.

But at the same time, after he said this, the image that immediately appeared in his mind was the tennis court at Haruno University, where Tezuka Kunimitsu had bet on his elbow injury and the match he played.Except for the phrase "become the pillar of Qingxue", in fact, every word the Minister said to him at that time was deeply imprinted in his memory.

Since then, when he kept refreshing his understanding of tennis in every game, a voice in his head gradually became clear, and in the end it was so loud that it was about to burst through the eardrums-what he lacked was never ability.

If after crossing the finish line in front of you, you still want to find and cross the next finish line, then you can't support yourself to go on with your superb skills.

He glanced at Machida Kazu, who was silent with his head down, and finally asked straightforwardly: "So what is your resistance?"

In the next second, she opened her eyes wide and looked over, her pupils like mysterious pearls showed surprise, but she didn't dodge.

In fact, he doesn't mind playing riddles with her like this. Everyone has some secrets that they don't want to tell others, or some insistences of their own, and he doesn't want to expose them.

But compared to this.

"You don't have to say it. It's just that I'm not very good at instructing others...and talking. If I keep talking like this, my head may get messed up." Obviously this is the more difficult thing for him.

Machida Kazu was naturally surprised by his question, but compared to the question itself, she was more surprised by Echizen Ryoma's directness and his frank admission that he was not good at words.

His blunt words at this time did not coincide with the silent and awkward tone of the day.

"Sorry." She lowered her eyes, and couldn't help smiling after a few seconds, "But although Echizen-kun thinks he's not good at instructing others, I actually understood what you just said." She raised her eyes and nodded at him Nod, the smile deepened, "I understand what you are going to say, not just just now, but also when watching the fireworks."

"Thank you."

Echizen Ryoma was slightly taken aback.

He didn't know how much Machida understood what he was going to say, because in fact, even he himself couldn't guarantee that he could dissect his own words clearly.

Whatever aspect of what she had said that evening was almost on his mind from his own experience.

Having been in a similar situation, maybe he will have similar feelings. He just called out the experiences stored in his heart one by one, and then told her in simple but almost suitable language.

As for the reason for doing so, he thought it was probably out of empathy.

More importantly, he has received unreserved help from so many people.That group of warm people, people who don't seem very reliable, and people whose strength is much higher than him have all helped him in his most difficult moments.

He said that he is not good at instructing others, because he feels that instructing must be proactive and well-founded, and for subconscious behavior like his, whether the two parties can communicate smoothly depends mostly on luck.

So when Machida looked at him firmly and said that she understood everything he said just now, Echizen Ryoma felt a moment of astonishment in his heart, but then it was replaced by an inexplicable sense of relief.

After a long time, he said, "No, I didn't help you with anything."

It was rare to see him showing such a candid side, Machida was surprised, and couldn't help but feel that the metaphor he said just now was a bit funny, and it was really difficult for Echizen Ryoma to take care of and cooperate with her silently.

Then she breathed a sigh of relief and said frankly, "It's actually my brother."

Feeling the people around her stunned, she continued, "He is a very, very good person. Although no one is perfect, for me, on the way I want to become good, he has always been the person I want to be. catch-up target."

"But it may also be because of his excellence, which makes me feel that no matter how hard I try, I am still insignificant, and even still shrouded in his halo."

Echizen Ryoma listened quietly, he didn't expect Machida to answer that slightly rash question, but since she was willing to speak, he didn't mind being a listener.

She talked about her brother frankly, and he gradually formed a faint image in her mind.

He was not familiar with Machida Hisashi, let alone knew him, only occasionally saw him a few times during training and competitions from a distance, and most of the time it was because he saw Senior Fuji greeting him.

But on the other hand, Machida Hisaya is indeed a person who will stand out from the crowd as long as he does not restrain himself deliberately.Echizen Ryoma can clearly feel it after just being in contact with him for a day, let alone Machida Kazu who grew up with him as a younger sister.

Although her tone of voice was calm at the moment, and she couldn't hear any negative emotions, he knew that she must be under a lot of pressure and hardship.

He slowed down, "I think, I can somewhat understand your mood."

The kind of mood that wants to surpass a person, but always feels that the road ahead is long.

Machida turned his head to look at him, and heard him say again: "In tennis, I have always wanted to beat someone. Although it is still difficult for me now, I will beat him one day."

His voice didn't fluctuate much, but a pair of amber eyes seemed to ignite a cluster of flames in an instant, full of high fighting spirit and unwavering belief, and radiated light under the night.

But at the same time, Machida couldn't help but be a little curious about his saying that he has an insurmountable goal. After all, as far as she knows, Echizen Ryoma's skills are amazing. He is a player who has been recognized by many outstanding seniors in various schools. Being able to stand on the first position in the country, he also played a pivotal role in this.

But after thinking about it, her source of news was eventually blocked.

There must be many people with outstanding abilities who have played against him, and after all, he is only a fledgling age, and it is very normal to meet very difficult and excellent opponents on the court, so that he is regarded as a target.

In a good afternoon, she frowned, "So confident?"

"Hmm." He nodded.

Seeing her puzzled expression, he raised the corner of his mouth, "Because I like playing tennis, I believe my tennis can beat him."

It took him a long time to realize this, from picking up a racket just to beat his father to slowly enjoying the game for himself.He loves tennis.

Having experienced so many games, he knows that he no longer wins for the sake of winning. After defeating his father, he will meet more powerful opponents, and his love for tennis is enough to support him to go on.

Machida stared at Echizen Ryoma in a daze, he looked fearless in front of him.

Almost instantly, she remembered the adventure in her childhood, the crowd waiting for Ezhiden in front of Kamakura High School with excitement, and they had that extraordinary trip for their respective pilgrimage places in their hearts.

At this time, Echizen Ryoma had his huge dream in his heart, and was walking on his own pilgrimage.

What I have to admit is that Machida suddenly felt powerless at that moment, a kind of powerlessness that she had never felt when talking about Machida Hisashi just now.

Echizen Ryoma looked at her, "Machida."

She frowned slightly, and looked up at him, with a rare confusion and depression on her face.

He froze for a moment and thought for a while, "If what you are doing makes you feel a lot of pressure, and it is even difficult to persist, then stop first."

"Stop and think about it, what started it in the first place."