what tennis

◎Did you hear that? ◎

Although it was Echizen Ryuya who was walking while pulling Nishijima Mari's backpack strap, it was also Echizen Ryuya who led the way.

Mari Nishijima walked behind him, and he could see his back when he looked up: tall and steady, with a sense of reliability that was completely beyond his age.

She suddenly realized that she didn't understand Echizen Ryuya at all.

She didn't know why Echizen Ryuya ran away from home, didn't know why he didn't return to his original family after he ran away, and didn't know that he had a younger brother who looked very similar and was good at playing tennis.

Because from the beginning, she never thought about getting to know Echizen Ryuya deeply; Nishijima Mari felt that she was just in love.She didn't think about the next step, nor did she think about the future or what to do in the future.

She felt that falling in love with Echizen Ryuya was impossible to have a future.

Just like he confessed suddenly, this kind of person will disappear suddenly one day.He'll live well after he's gone, maybe washed up on the beach a few years later, lazily waiting for the next girl to pick him up and take him home.

After walking to the hospital, Mari Nishijima handed the kitten to the doctor.

The doctor praised them for the good splint, and then took the cat to take an X-ray to see the condition of the bones.After filming for a while, there was still no result, so Nishijima Mari and Echizen Ryuya sat on the rest chair in the hospital corridor and waited.

Nishijima truth sent the status of the hospital to Haitangxun.

Haitangxun didn't reply, he was probably playing tennis, so he didn't look at his phone.She put the phone in her pocket, and glanced sideways at Echizen Ryuya - Echizen Ryuya leaned back slightly, leaning against the back of the rest chair, his eyelashes slightly closed.

The afterglow of the setting sun that came from the end of the corridor shone brightly on his side face, and the edges of his hair were also outlined with traces of beautiful gold.

Mari Nishijima wondered if he was asleep.

The light of the orange setting sun was just above his left eye, and the thin layer of skin covering the eye was shadowed by hair, and tiny veins of blood vessels could be seen.

Mari Nishijima stood up, changed seats, and sat on Echizen Ryuya's left.The peripheral light of the setting sun was immediately covered by her, and it would no longer shine on Echizen Ryuya's eyes.

After sitting for a while, Nishijima Mari also felt a little tired and drowsy.

Summer is always so hot that it makes people tired, and it is difficult to bring up any energy.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling sleepy with a slight headache—Nishijima Mari shrunk down along the back of the chair, and began to close her eyes to rest.

After closing his eyes, the presence of the sunlight shining on the side of his face suddenly became very strong.Even if the eyes are closed, the light will pass through the fragile skin in front of the eyeballs and fall in, illuminating a large area of ​​bright and soft red.

All in all, it's hard to fall asleep.

For some reason, Mari Nishijima felt a little sad.

She didn't know why she was sad.Maybe it was because the sun made people unable to sleep, maybe it was because she didn't understand Echizen Ryuya at all, or maybe... because she knew that Echizen Ryuya had a bad life before.

She knew Echizen Ryuya didn't need sympathy.But 'knowing this' and 'restraining oneself from feeling affectionate' are like a paradox, they can't appear in Nishijima Mari at the same time.

The sunlight shining on her left eye suddenly disappeared, and Nishidao Mari's closed eyes turned into a soft black.

She opened her eyes and looked to the left.Echizen Ryuya did not know when he changed his seat to the left - the chair on the left had no place to sit, so he stood leaning against the chair, completely blocking the light from the end of the corridor.

Half of Echizen Ryuya's face was covered by the soft light of the setting sun, and when he lowered his eyes, he looked gentle: "The filming is not over yet, if you are sleepy, you can squint for a while."

Mari Nishijima: "...I'm not sleepy anymore."

Echizen Ryuya nodded and continued to stand.Mari Nishijima tugged at his pants, and before he could speak, Echizen Ryuya held his hand—he lowered his eyes, with a half-smile on his face: "Truth-chan."

Mari Nishijima: "Huh?"

Echizen Longya said seriously: "If you want to tear your pants, you have to wait until you get home."

"..."

Nishijima Mari's emotions returned to the right track in an instant.

She loosened Echizen Longya's pants and moved them in: "I just want you to sit down."

Echizen Longya sat down obediently, but with a smile on her face.Nishijima thought about it for a while, and tilted his head: "Is it counted just now?"

"What kind of?"

"Bully me."

"..."

Echizen Ryuya confirmed once again: Mari Nishijima is not stupid at all.

This guy just looks unresponsive and easy to deceive, but he is actually smart.Especially in terms of drawing inferences and third intuition, if you go to be a detective, you might be able to get into the newspapers.

The assistant at the front desk called them to watch a movie, and the conversation between the two stopped here.

The doctor took a slice of the kitten's hind leg bone and explained to the two of them: "It is indeed a fracture, and a minor operation may be needed... There is also a problem with the ribs, and I need to stay in the hospital for observation..."

Mari Nishijima has never had a pet, so her eyes are completely blind in this regard, and she can't understand anything.Echizen Ryuya, on the other hand, looked very understanding, asking the doctor for details from time to time.

After confirming the cat's treatment direction with the doctor, they went through the procedure to prepay part of the money.

The current situation of the kitten cannot arrange surgery immediately, and Mari Nishijima can go to see the kitten before the operation begins.

It's locked in a compartment on the second-to-last floor.The cubicle was cleaned and had fresh water and suitable kitten food in it.

But the kitten with stomatitis had no appetite and huddled behind its new nest in the cardboard box.

Mari Nishijima squatted down, and looked at Mao Mao through the iron window of the cage - as soon as Mao Mao heard the movement, it immediately looked over vigilantly.One person and one cat looked at each other, Nishijima also felt a little nervous inexplicably, her hands were pressed tightly on her knees.

She heard a chuckle from above her head, looked up at Echizen Ryuya suspiciously: "...What are you laughing at?"

Echizen Longya restrained his smile, touched the tip of his nose: "It's nothing."

Can't let him say that the scene in front of him is not like one person and one cat, but rather like two unfamiliar cats guarding each other through the bars, right?

After squatting for a while, Mari Nishijima felt a little numbness in her legs.She rubbed her ankle and said seriously, "I don't think this cat likes me very much."

Echizen Ryuya also squatted down, teasing the cat with his fingers through the bars.

The little kitty who had just returned the airplane ears, hesitated for a moment, and actually came closer to sniff Echizen Ryuya's hand.Although it was sniffing through the bars.

Nishijima Mari was shocked: "It's not afraid of you!"

Echizen Ryuya touched Mao Mao's head with his fingers: "Maybe I am more cat-friendly?"

Mari Nishijima: "..."

She looked at Echizen Ryuya suspiciously, grabbed his wrist and pulled him over, lowered her head and sniffed his arm.

Echizen Ryuya was at a loss: "What are you doing?"

Mari Nishijima plausibly said: "I suspect that you secretly painted catnip on your hands."

Echizen Ryuya laughed out loud—Mari Nishijima continued to doubt: "Have you painted it?"

Echizen Longya bent his eyes: "No."

Mari Nishijima: "...that's not scientific!"

The doctor standing behind the two coughed dryly.

Mari Nishijima let go of Echizen Ryuya's wrist, and stood up with his hands on his knees.Echizen Ryuya also stood up, and the two made way for the doctor.

The doctor opened the cage, picked up the kitten, and lovingly stroked the cat's head: "It's very pitiful to have stomatitis and can't eat. It's not easy for a kitten to be forced to eat young people's dog food."

Although he is loving the cat, the doctor looks over sadly from time to time, as if holding a loudspeaker to Chong Nishijima Mari and Echizen Ryuya: That young couple over there, please take good care of the single dog. !

Mari Nishijima put his hands behind his back, looked at the ceiling and then at the floor, pretending not to hear.

Um?You ask Echizen Ryuya?

Echizen Ryuya didn't even change his face.

Because the two had to catch the last tram to go home, they couldn't stay in the hospital to wait for the cat's surgery.After Nishijima Mari sent a message to Haitangxun about the situation of the kitty, she carried her own things and went home with Echizen Longya first.

By the time they got on the tram, it was completely dark outside.

There were fewer people on the last tram, and it was quiet and cool.

Mari Nishijima felt exhausted after a busy day, and the drowsiness and mild headache came back again.Holding the cardboard box full of 'trophies', she leaned closer to Echizen Ryuya until her cheek touched Echizen Ryuya's warm shoulder.

The voice of Nishijima Mari was vague: "I'm so sleepy... I just need to sleep for a while..."

Echizen Ryuya seems to have answered her something.But Nishijima didn't hear clearly, she was too sleepy, and her headache was getting worse and worse.

Mari Nishijima had a nightmare.

A very vague nightmare.

It seems to be by the sea - and it seems to be able to smell the aroma of plants.

All the scenery is covered in a blur of colors, like the gorgeous colors seen through a kaleidoscope.Obviously he couldn't see anything clearly, but Nishijima Maru instinctively felt afraid, as if there was something terrible hidden in this rotten color.

tick-

tick-

Is it a clock?

Or the sound of some liquid dripping on stone?

She heard a crisper sound, the moment the camera pressed the shutter, the sound made.

'Crack--'

Mari Nishijima woke up from a nightmare.

She almost fell to the ground.But before falling, Echizen Ryuya grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms.

The small cardboard box that was not held firmly fell to the ground, and the stand cards and cards inside were scattered all over the floor.

Mari Nishijima held down his fast-paced heart, his mind went blank.At the moment of waking up, she didn't have any thoughts, and she didn't even know what she should think was right.

until……

Her wrist was grabbed, another person's body temperature was transmitted through physical contact, and she heard Echizen Ryuya's steady voice: "Did you have a nightmare?"

Mari Nishijima raised his head and stared blankly at him, tears still streaming from his eyes.She herself didn't know that she was crying, her whole face was pale - but looking at Echizen Ryuya like this, Nishijima Mari felt that she could breathe slowly.

She let go of her hand slowly, and the clothes on her chest were crumpled.

"... had a very frightening nightmare."

Echizen Longya held her down, got up and picked up the surroundings and notebooks that had fallen to the ground and put them back into the small cardboard box.

The young white-collar worker sitting next door couldn't help asking: "Little girl, are you okay? Is it asthma or a heart attack?"

Nishijima gradually came to her senses, but she didn't realize that she was crying, she shook her head slightly, with tears on her pale face, pitiful and well-behaved: "I'm fine... just did it It's just a nightmare."

Echizen Ryuya put the cardboard box at their feet and wiped Nishijima Mari's face with his palm.

Nishijima Mari was still in a daze: "Is there something dirty on my face?"

The young white-collar worker next to him just wanted to remind her about 'you're crying' - Echizen Ryuya smiled and rubbed Nishijima Mari's wet cheek with his fingers: "Well, there's a little dust on it, I've already Clean it up for you."

Mari Nishijima nodded and believed it without hesitation.

After the tram entered the station, Mari Shima picked up the small cardboard box and got off.

Echizen Ryuya was originally half a step behind, walking behind Nishijima Mari.As he was walking, Nishijima stopped and turned around: "Long Ya, hurry up, don't keep falling behind me."

Echizen Ryuya was a little surprised.But he quickly covered up that trace of emotion, sped up his pace a little, and easily caught up with the truth of Nishidao.

His tone was the same as usual, still brisk: "Truth sauce, what nightmare did you have today?"

Mari Nishijima tried hard to recall, and frowned: "I don't remember. I was quite scared in the dream, but I don't remember it at all after waking up."

Echizen Ryuya was silent for a moment.He breathed a sigh of relief in a place where Mari Nishijima hadn't noticed - Mari Nishijima was still thinking about it, and added: "But it seems that I heard the sound of a camera... No, it doesn't seem like, it was indeed the camera that pressed the shutter The voice can be heard very clearly in the dream."

Echizen Ryuya's pupils trembled for a certain moment.

He slowed down a bit, and fell behind Nishijima Mari again.Mari Nishijima was still wondering whether the sound of pressing the shutter was an illusion or a real dream, and she didn't realize that Echizen Ryuya was walking behind her again.

-Complete-