[Net King] Pilgrim

It had rained during the day, the air at night was fresh and sweet, and the quiet residential area was lit with warm yellow lights.

Echizen Ryoma's footsteps were slow and steady, stepping on the still wet ground, avoiding several small puddles.

Instinctively, Machida slowed down his breathing, feeling his own heartbeat slowly falling into the same rhythm as his steps.

"Are you tired? If you're tired, let me down." She remembered something, "And your arm was injured before, during the New York Open..."

"...The injury has healed, it doesn't matter." His tone was gentle.

She nodded and asked him about his training during the day.

"Yi." He said suddenly.

"Ok?"

"... From now on, don't be so polite with me."

Machida froze slightly, as if he had just realized his habitual refusal just now.

The body and mind that was still tense a moment ago slowly relaxed, and after a while, she gave a soft "um", "...I may be used to it. I have been outside alone for the past two years, and I have to do many things by myself. After a long time, I am not used to bothering others..."

"I'm not someone else." Echizen Ryoma tilted his head slightly, his tone was gentle but he didn't evade, "I'm your boyfriend. I can help you share the burden."

The shadows dragged out under the street lamp, for a moment they couldn't tell each other apart. Machida's expression gradually became gentle, and he tightened his arms to get closer to him, "Well, we will share the burden together in the future."

After a while, she said softly, "Ryoma."

The corner of Echizen Ryoma's mouth rose a little, "Yes."

"When you were in America, did you live alone, or with your family?"

"Most of the time it's just me and my family is in Japan, but they visit me a lot."

"In this case, wouldn't you have to live independently a long time ago...then will you miss them?" Before he could answer, she continued, "Oh, what's the problem with me, I will definitely miss them. "

Echizen Ryoma smiled lightly, and was silent for a few seconds, "...I have been competing all over the world since I was a child, and I have often been separated from my family since I was sensible, and it has been until now. I will think about it."

Machida felt sorry for him suddenly.She thought, if she hadn't asked, Echizen Ryoma would not have taken the initiative to say that he would miss his family, and he would probably just keep it in his heart.

"Are you homesick?" he asked.

"...Well. During the day, I have videos with my family." She sighed slowly, "I didn't feel like a family person before... I only feel it now when I am alone. Although I also made psychological preparations, I found that this This road is harder than I imagined——of course, after all the hard work, I still learned a lot.”

Echizen Ryoma listened silently. He guessed that she might never have talked about this with her family, and she had never been very good at complaining.

When he reached the door of the apartment, he put her down and said, "Actually, I originally thought that you would stay in Japan forever."

"I didn't think about going abroad at first, and I hesitated for a long time... But I wanted to learn more and watch more. When you won the French Open, I was thinking, you have opened up your own world, and I want to do it for you." Only by working hard on your own goals can you…”

She was blown by the wind and shrank her neck, a little disappointed, "But slowly I also found that hard work is not difficult, what is difficult is persistent hard work, and the future is unknown... So I think you are really amazing, Ryoma, You must have gone through a long period of dormancy to achieve the results you have now."

Echizen Ryoma was startled.He didn't think that Machida had his figure in his firm determination to move forward. During the years when they were separated, it turned out that he had given her strength.

But in fact, along the way, in addition to continuing his love for tennis, he is also fulfilling his parting promise. He promised her that he will not forget his original intention and become stronger on the way to his dream.

She has also been giving him strength.

Echizen Ryoma raised his hand to help her brush away the shattered hair blown by the wind, "There is a saying, I don't know if you have heard it."

"What?"

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her seriously, "Whoever will eventually shake the world will be silent for a long time."[1]

Machida was stunned, "... whoever will ignite the lightning in the end will drift like a cloud for a long time."[2]

Her eyes gradually filled with a smile, "Ryoma, thank you."

Echizen Ryoma didn't blink, "You're welcome."

She couldn't help laughing, and was pulled into his arms by him.

The sky above was a clear night, and his lips lightly rubbed against the top of her hair.thank you too.

The winter sun is covered by clouds, and the sunlight leaking from the gaps in the clouds cuts down along the floor-to-ceiling windows, half of which is wrapped in the snow outside the windows, and half of which is cast indoors.

Echizen Ryoma sat in the restaurant of the club, and after lunch, he sat in his seat and texted.

He has returned to the same busy study and training life as in the United States, but his mood is quite different from before, and Machida is the warm and bright background.

Kebin, who was sitting across the table, was eating eel rice, feeling more and more that love is really great.There was a smile in Echizen's eyes, without the coldness of the past, he knew who the person on the other end of the phone was without even guessing.

Kebin recalled the scene he saw in the Echizen apartment two weeks ago, and he tentatively asked during the training the next day: "Is she the person you told the coach to meet?"

He once "accidentally" heard the conversation between Echizen and the coach, and asked him many times, but he never answered, but when he asked again during training that day, he unexpectedly "hmm".

Kebin was stunned for a few seconds at that time. If he remembered correctly, the girl named Machida Kazu should be the person Echizen had been secretly in love with for many years.Although he has not tried to prove it, he believes that with his excellent reasoning ability, he is almost close to the truth.

When I was in high school in Los Angeles, because of an "accident", Kebin saw a photo of a girl in Echizen's computer album, who looked about the same age as them.

He just thought it was incredible at the time, Echizen never liked to deal with girls, there were a lot of female students in school who thought they had the upper hand, and he didn't see him pay more attention to anyone.Moreover, Kebin discovered that the girl in the computer photo album seemed to be the same person as the girl in the crystal photo frame in the Echizen bedroom that he had seen long ago.

When he saw the photo frame for the first time, he pointed to the photo and asked who the girl was. At that time, Echizen Ryoma was taking Ponta from the refrigerator.

Kaibin held up the photo frame and said excitedly: "She is so beautiful, she should be about the same age as us, can you introduce me?"

Echizen Ryoma took a sip of Ponta, took the photo frame from him without expression, turned and walked out of the kitchen, "Her, don't even think about it."

Kebin naturally forgot all about the joke that time, but gradually he also figured out the way. It turned out that there was a reason why Echizen's emotional life was blank.

Later, when he applied for an exchange student, Kaibin looked at his frighteningly high grades and teased him, "Hey Ryoma, don't play tennis. If you want me to say, you should just go to Wall Street and become a financial analyst. I recommend a few stocks."

When I saw Machida Kazu in the apartment that day, Kebin reacted for a long time, and could vaguely see the shadow of the girl in the photo, and then realized that this was the person Echizen Ryoma had liked for so many years.

He has never seen Echizen have any intimate behaviors with any girl, let alone bring them back to the apartment, or even allow them to enter the bedroom. He is obviously a person with a strong sense of territory.

But in those few minutes, Kebin thought it turned out that this guy was not so emotionally cold, and he would also be interested in girls.But the premise is that it depends on who that person is.

Echizen Ryoma was about to leave the restaurant, Kaibin came back to his senses, and stopped him, "I found two apartments to show you later, and let me know when it's settled." Thinking of his previous mistakes, he promised: "...you live It will be fine until graduation.”

Echizen Ryoma nodded in response, put on his hat and looked out the window, thought for a moment, and then said to Kaibin, "Do me a favor."

It snowed until evening.

Machida's one-day appreciation class was held at the exhibition center a few kilometers away from the school. After class, when she walked out of the automatic glass door, she saw a white Land Rover parked on the street.

Kebin had already jumped out of the driver's seat, greeted her with a smile, and opened the car door for her.

Noticing the snow under his feet, Machida walked over quickly and quickly said, "Thank you."

"It's okay, Ryoma is still training, otherwise he would have come to pick you up."

During lunch break today, she inadvertently told Echizen Ryoma in a text message that she was attending classes at the exhibition center. He asked about the location, which was a little far away, and said that it was not easy to take a taxi in snowy weather, so he asked Kaibin to drive to pick her up.

The heating in the car was sufficient, and the windows on both sides were covered with a layer of white mist.

The Cabin drove steadily, but it didn't affect his enthusiasm and lively chatting.

Holding the steering wheel, he glanced aside at Machida Kazu.

In fact, apart from having met twice before, Kaibin’s impression of Machida only exists in the photos. Now that I meet her, I find that she is cheerful and informal, and at the same time polite and careful. In this snowy evening, her pupils It is set off more clearly and brightly.In comparison, even the pretty face in the photo is a bit inferior.

Of course, he has no extra thoughts, but he can also understand why Echizen Ryoma has persisted for all these years.

When driving near the school, Kebin talked about Echizen's application for exchange students, "To be honest, I have known Ryoma for so long, and I have never seen him do such a romantic and courageous thing, just to meet you, I still admire him."

Machida was taken aback for a moment, "See me?"

"Yeah. And, if it wasn't for his injury at the Australian Open, it looks like he's going back to Japan the year he graduates from high school."

"...Injured at the Australian Open?"

"Oh, it was the injury from the New York Open, and it was the injury from the Australian Open a year later..." Kempin belatedly stopped talking, "...Don't you know?"

"...I only know that he was injured in the New York Open." Machida suddenly became nervous, "Hasn't he recovered?"

She remembered that she had been paying attention to the news of his injury at that time, and even sent a message to ask him once, and he had fully recovered.

Kebin realized that he had said too much, and quickly explained, "Healed up... He was a little overtrained during that time, and it happened that his opponent in the Australian Open was a strong type... But now the injury has healed, and there is no more pain." What's the problem?"

Even so, Machida Kazu was still fluctuating in his heart.Unconsciously tightening the seat belt in front of him, he couldn't help asking more about Echizen's recovery from his injury.

Kebin answered patiently, and then thought about talking to her about Echizen's conversation with the coach.

Snow light illuminates the apartment building at night as bright as day.

When Echizen Ryoma returned to the apartment after training, Machida Kazu was sitting on the carpet in front of the sofa in a daze.

Hearing the sound, she threw the pillow aside and walked quickly to the entrance.

Echizen Ryoma recalled the ins and outs that Kebin told him-"I don't know you didn't mention the Australian Open injury to her, and you accidentally said too much...I said your injury was healed, but she still seemed worried, you Explain it to her."

"...Did you eat?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Why haven't you eaten yet? Didn't you say there's something in the refrigerator..." Before he finished speaking, Machida walked up to him and raised his arms to hug him without saying a word.

Echizen Ryoma hesitated slightly, looked down at her, put his hands on her shoulders and tried to move away, "I'm cold."

He moved, but was hugged even tighter.

The person in his arms deliberately misinterpreted his words, "Are you cold, then I will pass the temperature to you."

"...Don't you think your words will arouse people's imagination?"

"Don't you think about it?"

...sounds like it's still his fault.

"Of course not to others...but you are different." The tone was awkward but straightforward.

Machida felt sore in his heart, and pressed his forehead against his shoulder.

For a moment, I thought that he was obviously injured, but he still hadn't recuperated well, and he wanted to go back to Japan bravely; he thought that he was under the pressure of studies and tennis, and he ran to find her desperately; he thought of the words he said when he confessed... …

She let go of him a little, and pulled his left arm hesitantly, "Your injury..."

"It's all right now." Echizen Ryoma said briefly, and looked up to see her frowning in a worried look.

He remembered the text message from her that he had received when he was in the hospital. The message was very long and he read it many times.

At that time, she should be like this now, but he didn't think much about it at that time. It turned out that her concern was not out of friends.

He patiently explained, "The subsequent relapse was an accident. It was not announced to the public. It was raised before the French Open. I didn't want you to worry, so I didn't mention it."

Machida gradually felt relieved and looked up at him, "So far, there has been no relapse?"

"Hmm." He nodded.

"It's still the same as before when playing tennis? Wouldn't it be uncomfortable?"

"Ah."

After a long silence, "...you came here just because of me?"

Echizen Ryoma looked at her seriously, "Yes."

An indescribable emotion welled up in Machida's heart, "...Why do you always say 'um', can't you say it differently."

In her vision, the dim light from the porch was reflected in her eyes, but they still shone brightly.

Echizen Ryoma's gaze deepened, and he suddenly reached out to wrap her arms around her shoulders, pulling her away.

Unexpectedly, Machida turned around and was pushed against the wall next to the door.

The living room lights shrouded it, and in the dim shadow of the entrance, Echizen Ryoma's breath was close at hand, warmly brushing the tip of his nose.

She leaned her back against the wall, and her heart stopped beating suddenly after a sudden stop.

Aware of her helplessness, he gave a low laugh, "Don't you want me to say it differently?"

As soon as Machida raised his eyes, his eyes lost focus for an instant, and before he could react to his words, his warm lips pressed against him.

Just kissing her up, her breath was clean, and there was still the coolness from the outside, but it made her cheeks feel hot.

He put one hand on the back of her neck to separate her from the cold wall, and wrapped his hand around her waist, gently grinding, a bit domineering, but very gentle.

Machida's eyelashes fluttered slightly, he closed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously clenched his clothes, his heart was throbbing, and his breath was stuck in his throat.

After a long time, Echizen Ryoma finally backed away, and his forehead touched her.

His breathing was still a little heavy, and his voice was hoarse: "The day we met again...do you remember?"

Machida gasped slightly, nodded, "...in the student union."

"Not that day..."

Confused, she looked up at him.

"It's at the bar." Echizen Ryoma smiled with a light touch in his eyes, "There are also stars in the sky."

Machida was obviously taken aback, and after a while, he widened his eyes slightly, "That's..."

"it's me."

That day was purely an accident, but Echizen Ryoma was deeply impressed.

Before going to the airport that night, he was dragged to the bar, and threw himself on the sofa in a dispirited manner. After an unknown amount of time, when he saw that figure inadvertently, he felt sleepy.

Across the crowd, he recognized her at a glance.

Sitting at the bar with a wine glass, the corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and there is an obvious lying silkworm when he smiles.

His eyes fixed on her, and at that moment, he suddenly remembered the experience of being dragged by his seniors to travel to southern Shonan when he was in junior high school.

At Jiangdao Shrine, she handed over the bag containing octopus crisps and asked him, "Do you like seafood?" She raised her eyebrows, said this and that to him very proudly, and raised her hands Octopus crisps, smiling like a little fox.

At that time, besides thanking Echizen Ryoma, she only felt that she was really... talking too much.

She was encouraged by her friends to go on stage. Under the lights, her slightly powdered face was unmistakably beautiful.The voice has changed a bit, but it still touches people's hearts.

The bar is surrounded by a flower garden. Before leaving, he picked a bunch of baby's breath and asked the little girl who recognized him just now to send the flowers in exchange for an autograph...

Machida was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't believe it.

"did not expect?"

"How could you imagine that..." She thought they were far away, but it turned out that they were only so close.

"The time was a bit tight that night... I didn't expect to meet you there." Echizen Ryoma looked at her, lowered his head, and lightly touched her lips, "I saw you at the bar the other day, and I wanted to say goodbye to you." You do."

As soon as Machida regained consciousness, the heartbeat that had just slowed down was disturbed again.

Suddenly, a question came to mind, "Then...why did you send Mantianxing?"

"I remember you didn't say that I don't know many flowers. There are many stars in the sky."

"..."

Seeing her depressed face, Echizen Ryoma gradually smiled, pulled her into his arms, and tightened his arms, "...I miss you very much."