[Net King] Pilgrim

Tokyo has completely entered winter, and the sun is still sunny in the freezing cold weather.

After quitting the debating club, Machida's spare time has been relaxed a lot, and he went to Yokohama with his family to visit his grandfather on weekends.The old man was in good health, and while talking and laughing, he also asked Machida how he was preparing for the next year's entrance examination.

It was only then that Machida realized that after this winter, Machida Jiu and the third-year seniors from the tennis club will graduate from junior high school. When the cherry blossoms bloom in the coming year, they will bid farewell to the campus where they have studied and lived for the past three years. The expectations from family and friends are moving towards their own new journey.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help feeling a bit sad about parting. Although she hadn't known the tennis seniors for a long time, after getting along with them, she really felt that they were warm and kind, just like a big warm family.She also gradually understood why Machida Hisa had a good personal relationship with them even after quitting the tennis club.

During lunch break on Monday, Machida lay lazily by the window outside the corridor, with earphones plugged in one ear, listening to music quietly, while thinking about preparing graduation gifts for his brother and seniors.

The music on the phone has been played several times, and she didn't think about what to give, but she was tormented by an English lyrics for a long time, and she couldn't understand it after going back and forth.

Machida took out his mobile phone from his jacket pocket to check the lyrics, and just as soon as he pressed the screen to turn on, he suddenly heard a plain voice from beside him—"Aren't you afraid of being trained by the teacher?"

She was so frightened that she almost threw the phone out, covered the phone and turned her head hastily, and saw Echizen Ryoma leaning against the window, looking at her calmly, with a hint of cunning in her eyes.

"It's you, you scared me." Machida breathed a sigh of relief, looking away unnaturally.

"Didn't you go to deliver your homework? The Chinese teacher didn't stay with you for a while?" She teased jokingly.

"Teacher has gone to a meeting." Echizen Ryoma looked calm, straightened up from the window and faced out the window.

Machida pursed his lips and smiled, then lowered his head and put the phone in his pocket.Suddenly remembering the lyrics that I didn't understand just now, I turned my head and looked at the ready-made "dictionary" beside me, thought for a while, and took out the phone again.

"I have a question, I want to ask you." She said seriously.

Echizen Ryoma turned his head and waited for the next sentence in doubt. Machida handed an earphone in front of him, and rolled his eyes, "There is an English lyrics, and I really don't understand one word, can you listen to it for me? "

His eyes fell on the earphones, and he paused for a while - she didn't listen to what he just reminded at all.

Silent for a few seconds, sighed slightly, or raised his hand to pick up the earphone, "Which sentence?"

"Wait a minute." Machida lowered his head and adjusted the progress bar of the music, "It's the sentence after ThisiswhyIalwayswhisper, and the word after when I can't understand."[1]

She pressed the play button, raised her head, and saw Echizen Ryoma's handsome face.

He was listening quietly with his eyes downcast, a ray of bright sunlight outside the window shone on his face, clean and warm.

She stared at him silently, and raised the corners of her lips unconsciously, with uncontrollable joy.

"Vagabonds."[2]

It is a standard pure American tone.Machida withdrew his thoughts in a hurry, saw Echizen Ryoma took off his earphones, and completed a complete sentence: "When vagabonds are passing by."[3]

She frowned slightly, and repeated with some difficulty: "Vaga..." It didn't sound like a word she knew.

He was silent for a moment, put the earphone on her arm, turned and walked back to work, "I'll write to you."

"Huh?" She put away her earphones and chased after her.

Echizen Ryoma returned to his seat and randomly took a notebook, tore off a blank page, wrote a few words on it with a pen, and handed it to her, but he didn't explain the meaning of the word at all.

"...Thank you." As soon as Machida took it, he looked at the completely unfamiliar words on the paper, and the English handwriting was casual but powerful.

After a while, he smiled, looked up at him, and nodded as if understanding, "I'll check it myself."

Echizen Ryoma lightly raised the corners of his mouth, sat on his seat, and took out an extra-curricular book to read.

Machida grabbed the piece of paper and walked back to his seat. He just remembered that he was thinking about preparing gifts in the corridor just now, but now the plot has developed a bit unexpectedly...

After thinking about it, he put the page in his book and put it in his schoolbag, then turned around and walked back to Echizen Ryoma's seat.

"Echizen, do you know what the seniors in the tennis club like?"

He looked away from the page and looked at her puzzled.

Machida sat down on the empty seat in front of him, straightened his skirt, "Seniors will graduate soon, I want to prepare some gifts for you..." She rolled her eyes and asked curiously: "Have you Thought of giving gifts to everyone? Maybe we can prepare together."

The hesitation on Echizen Ryoma's face disappeared in a flash.

His eyes fell back to the book, but he didn't read it, and sat in his seat silently for a long time.

Machida originally thought that there were only two possibilities for what he said next, either put down the book and talk to her patiently, or continue reading and not participate in this topic.Either way, she wouldn't be too surprised.

So when he mentioned the third possibility without warning, she obviously felt herself shaken suddenly, and her eyes widened slightly when she looked at him.

"I may... return to the United States after finishing this semester in Qingxue, and I probably won't attend the graduation ceremony."

Machida was stunned for a while, feeling that the voices of laughing and chatting in the classroom were far away and could not be heard clearly.

She subconsciously asked: "Then will you return to Japan in the future?"

Echizen Ryoma pondered, "To be honest, I'm not sure." He paused again, "But not in the near future."

He actually received invitations from several tennis clubs in the United States.

Minamijiro told him the news after the U.S. Open. Although his face was filled with distaste, "What the hell is it that he still received an invitation if he didn't go to the final?", Echizen Ryoma could see the unconcealable joy in his eyes. with pride.

Nanjiro gave him enough time to think about it, and he finally decided to go.

When he made the decision, he was relieved. He couldn't imagine what it would be like not to play tennis. If possible, he wanted to continue on this road and realize that huge dream.

Machida moved his lips and wanted to ask some more questions, but found that he couldn't say anything. Many emotions were mixed together in an instant, and his heart was blocked.

In fact, she could vaguely guess that the reason why Echizen Ryoma left must have something to do with tennis.He couldn't live without tennis, she knew.

She suddenly remembered that they had talked about the future when they were on duty.

Now it seems that he should have decided.

Then she would naturally support him.

She nodded, and tried to bend the corners of her mouth, "Then I hope everything goes well for you in the United States." As soon as the words fell, she thought of something again, "Do the seniors know that you are leaving?"

"No date has been set, so I haven't told everyone yet."

Machida was taken aback, so was she the first to know?

After a moment of silence, "Then tell them in person after you are sure."

Regarding Echizen Ryoma's departure, Machida hadn't told anyone.Regardless of whether she was the first to know about it or not, he was able to take the initiative to tell her because he trusted her, and he should have told everyone about this kind of thing himself.

As soon as Machida returned home, he lay on his back on the bed, as if he was still digesting the fact that Echizen Ryoma was about to travel far away.

He said he wouldn't be attending graduation, and he wasn't just talking about seniors' graduations.

She tilted her head slightly, and her eyes fell on the photo frame set up beside the desk. She framed the group photo in the Enoshima Botanical Garden and placed it where she could see it every day when she looked up.

This young man infiltrated into her life bit by bit before she had time to realize and adapt.

It was raining outside the window, and the cold rain knocked on the glass, creating a misty white mist.

Machida stared at the photo for a long time, until the bright yellow light made his eyes sour, his eyelashes trembled sharply, and his heart felt like a rising tide, full of swollen pain.

"You have to prepare presents carefully..."

To the seniors who are about to graduate, and to you who can't graduate together.

-

During the lunch break every two days, Machida followed Kuriyama Yuho into the music classroom, separated from the noisy classes downstairs, and the environment on the top floor felt cool and comfortable.

In the music classroom, there was a person standing by the window.Hearing the sound of footsteps, he turned his head, with a smile in his eyes, "The choir has not been training recently, we can temporarily requisition this classroom." He walked over from the window as he spoke.

Machida heard Kuriyama Yuho greet him without hesitation, and then introduced: "This is Sato, a third grader. If you want to learn guitar, there is no better teacher in Seigaku than him."

"Please forgive me." Sato smiled, but formally extended his hand, "It's the first time we meet, I'm Sato."

The boy in front of him was wearing Seigaku's winter uniform, with a gentle face, completely incompatible with the identity of "the lead guitarist of an off-campus rock band" that Yukiho Kuriyama said.

Machida shook his hand politely, "Hello senior, I'm Machida, I'm sorry to trouble you during this time."

After much deliberation a few days ago, she decided to use what she is currently best at as a parting gift, but she still needs some assistance.Since Machida Hisahi was among those who kept her secret, she tried to ask Kuriyama-senpai from the Arts Department.

"I don't know how to play the guitar." Kuriyama Yusho shook his head at her at the time, and thought for a while, "But I can help you find someone."

Seemingly afraid that she would think too much, Li Shan-senpai added after listening to her sincere thanks: "I'm helping you not because I know your brother, but because I like you quite a lot."

As a result, she helped her find a "teacher" before school was over that day, and arranged for a guitar lesson in the music classroom at noon.

Sato-senpai has a calm personality and doesn't have any airs of seniors. He is very easy-going and easy to get along with. It didn't take long for Machida to get acquainted with him.

She is a complete beginner, and she was in the groping stage for the first few days. Senior Sato took his own guitar, and borrowed another one for her temporary use.

"The pitch of this guitar is almost suitable for you, but if you plan to use it frequently in the future, I suggest you buy a new one that suits you. It is very important to feel comfortable when holding the guitar and pressing the strings." He said seriously to she.

After practicing for a few days, Machida Kazu's fingers inevitably began to ache. This is an inevitable process. Sato-senpai could only try to help her adjust the position of the strings to relieve the pain.

She didn't hold back at all, she lowered her head and listened quietly to his plucking movements and strength. After a few adjustments, her fingers didn't hurt so much, but Echizen Ryoma suddenly called her at the door of the classroom with a cold voice, which shocked her uncontrollably. Be careful to touch the wound on the fingertip and it hurts too much.

Machida turned his head and saw him standing by the door with a calm gaze, "The math teacher asked you to find him in the staff room after your lunch break." As soon as the words fell, he turned and left.

She didn't even think about it at that time, said hello to Sato-senpai, put down the guitar and chased after him.

Calling Echizen Ryoma to stop in the corridor, he stopped, stood a few meters away and turned to look at her.

Machida Kazu's brain finally synchronized with his body, but suddenly found that he didn't seem to have anything to say.

The noise from the downstairs corridor came up vaguely through the floor and steps, making this floor even more quiet and quiet.

She could still feel a faint pain in her fingers, and she unconsciously bent them.

Echizen Ryoma's gaze also moved down a bit, and he saw faint bloodstains on his slender fingertips.

"Is that why you can't hold the pen because of the pain in your hand?" Frowning slightly, she asked plainly.

Machida was stunned for a moment, then looked down at his hands, "It will be fine after the cocoon is formed."

He looked up and met his amber eyes, "...it's a practice gift for you. It's also a graduation gift for seniors, and it was originally intended to be kept secret."

Echizen Ryoma was slightly taken aback.

After a while, she heard her asking, "How do you know I'm here?"

"I asked Aihara." Echizen Ryoma admitted that after hearing Machida's words, the depression in his heart was relieved a lot.

Her quiet eyes fell on her face, she was silent for a while, and finally calmed down, "Don't forget to go to the staff room."

A smile slowly floated on her face, and she nodded, "Okay."