must love tennis

"Hey, have you returned home?"

They all spoke in unison again.

"..."

Ryoma decisively shut up.

I saw Vulcan Tai I full of hope—at least it looked like this expression—and cautiously asked tentatively: "Are you lost too?"

Don't use the word "also"!

……

After getting rid of the suspicion of running into ghosts, both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Ryoma explained: "I'm at the tennis court down the mountain, and the person I played with seems to have lost his way. I'm here to find him."

"Oh." Vulcan nodded, and said, "I went out to play with my friends. He said that there is a very spiritual shrine here. Aren't we going to play a league game soon, so we planned to draw a lottery or something, but... "

As a result, not only got lost, but the two got separated!

From the slightly embarrassing expression of the high school student, Ryoma understood the message without hindrance and expressed deep regret.

"It's my first time here too." She frowned slightly and thought about it. After all, it was the best tennis court. If there is any famous place nearby—"Shrine? I haven't heard of it."

"Well, I heard it's still a bit mysterious." Vulcan said solemnly, and he didn't know whether he heard it himself or the unreliable friend who brought him here and got lost, "It is said that this shrine Built on the boundary of another dimension, it appears and disappears from time to time, and it depends on luck to meet it."

"Does your friend know the exact location?"

Vulcan coughed dryly, and then confessed: "Well, we came here based on the strategy..."

"..."

It's too unreliable, I say!

But then again.Long Ma curled his lips: "I'm going to a strange place with my friends, and if I said 'I got separated by accident', don't you think too much?"

"Ah, this, there is really no way." Vulcan Fu forehead complained, "You have no idea how special my friend's physique is! Why did you accidentally get separated... because I got used to it!"

"..."

Your friend is the one who hit the ghost.

While talking, Vulcan suddenly came back to his senses, looked towards the end of the path, and asked, "By the way, is this direction?"

"……do not know."

Sure enough, you are also lost.This layer of information was also revealed in the other party's eyes, with a clear face.

Ryoma: "...I've said it all, it's my first time here."

How can you know where the road is when you come here for the first time?What's more, she is still burdened with the burden of finding Fuji Yuta, who knows where he is, so she can only walk around aimlessly.

"Why don't we go together?" Vulcan thought for a while and suggested, "If there are two people, we can take care of them if they are in danger."

"I'm free."

Ryoma dropped those words and strode forward.

"Hey...hey you little brat! It really hasn't changed at all." Vulcan rubbed his bangs, muttered, and chased after him, "Slow down! The forest might be dangerous, don't wander around!"

"Are seniors afraid?"

"Just kidding!"

Yes, even though this guy is tall and burly, he is not so courageous. Sometimes he is frightened by a super fierce Chihuahua walking by the roadside and runs for 800 meters.

It's unbelievable, should I say...is this cute in contrast?

For this reason, Ryoma still fondly remembers their first meeting in America.

No, it cannot be said that it is the first "meeting", but the first intersection.

At that time, strictly speaking, she should be passing by.

Compared with Japan, there are far fewer street tennis courts in the United States than basketball courts. One day, Ryoma missed the bus. Ryoma found a place to sit, dazed, and waited for the next bus, which happened to be next to the basketball court.

There are a few middle school students in the stadium, they are very big, and they already have the natural advantages of Caucasians at a young age, which is enviable.There is an Asian face, and they are actually on par with them-the physique, strength, and playing skills are all outstanding.

At the end of the game, he was surrounded by his companions and kept boasting, and Ryoma took advantage of the situation to take a few more glances.

Then, the middle school students playing ball dispersed, and the Asian man walked towards the side of the court, bent down to pick up the water bottle next to his schoolbag, and took a few sips.

It can be seen that his physical fitness is quite good.After a fierce game, he didn't sweat much, his face wasn't red and he wasn't panting, and he seemed to be at ease, as if he was just playing a warm-up match.

Ryoma withdrew his gaze and checked his watch.The bus was coming soon, she picked up her schoolbag, got up and left.

She thought it was just a random encounter on the street, but later, for a few days in a row, she could see this red-haired boy appearing on the field, and the people next to her said that he had just transferred from another school, and his name was Vulcan.He has good golf skills and a straightforward personality, and he naturally and smoothly mingles with a group of people.

until that day.

Carrying her bag as usual, Ryoma walked past the basketball court without turning her eyes, and went straight to the station, but vaguely heard some commotion behind her, as if someone was calling her.

She turned her head, and saw Vulcan trotting over, stepping out of the steps in a few steps, with a nervous expression on his face.Behind her are a few golf friends who seem to be a little familiar-just "seemly", after all, the faces of foreigners are really not recognizable to her.

Today there were only three or four people, and they didn't start fighting. They stood aside and muttered something.

"Hey! Well, can you do me a favor?" Vulcan scratched his cheek.

Longma raised his eyebrows: "If you don't have enough people, I can't help you."

As she spoke, she tugged at the shoulder straps and showed him her tennis bag.Not much to say, of course, anyone with eyes can understand what it means.

"Uh, no." The other party was a little embarrassed, raised his hand and coughed a few times to cover up, "Well, our venue has been taken..."

ha?

Aren't these street teenagers all tall and big, who dare to compete with them?

Ryoma looked sideways.

"Look!" Vulcan pointed to her immediately.

The few golfers who were whispering to each other have dispersed, revealing the complete appearance under the ball frame behind them.

It's a Chihuahua!

It should be domesticated, with a collar around its neck, but I don't know where the owner has gone—or maybe this little guy sneaked out while the owner was not looking.At this time, it majestically occupied the most favorable position on the field, with its forelimbs stretched forward, sticking out its tongue as if enjoying the cool.

"It has been squatting there, we can't fight it!" Vulcan was very distressed.

"Just drive it away..." Ryoma's mouth twitched.

Then, the tall red-haired boy suddenly turned pale, and even his vivid eyebrows became stiff: "No, I... can't pass!"

Are you allergic to hair?

Long Ma thought casually, and said, "Tell your friend to go."

"No, they are dog slaves." Vulcan was even more distressed, "I discussed with them, but they said that this is the dog's freedom and cannot interfere."

"..."

What's going on, you guys? ?

"So please do me a favor." Vulcan put his hand to his mouth and whispered, "Please, just help me open it!"

"……Oh."

So Ryoma passed by, and easily picked up the chihuahua that was barking because of vigilance.Vulcan's eyes widened: "Aren't you afraid that it will bite you? - It didn't bite you?!"

"Well, it's alright."

Maybe it's because she has a cat and knows how to deal with these pets.

Ryoma released the Chihuahua, and as soon as it landed, it jumped towards Vulcan, barking fiercely.

This is the "personality" of most Chihuahuas, it seems, so to speak.

Although it is small in size, it always screams fiercely, and it is not afraid of anything.Looking at its current posture, Ryoma didn't seem like a natural counterattack after being frightened, but... simply excited, right?

Chihuahua rushed over.

Vulcan's face changed drastically... He, he turned his head and ran away screaming!

"Help, ah, don't come here!!"

Ryoma: "..."

Are you afraid of dogs? !

"Why does it feel chilly?" Vulcan grumbled as he touched his arm.

"Really?" Ryoma raised his head.The sunlight is getting thinner and thinner, and the branches above the head have obviously become thicker, covering most of the sky.

Did they go deeper and deeper?

The two stopped and looked around.

The surroundings are quiet, with occasional birds chirping and cicadas chirping, other than that, it seems that there are no living things.It's like a scene from a horror movie.

The gloomy woods, the lost passers-by, followed by the big boss waiting for them to fall into the trap in the dark, right?

"No." Vulcan said to himself, pulled himself together, patted his cheek, and said loudly, "Believe that this world is scientific! It is materialistic!"

Materialism doesn't seem to work that way.

Ryoma couldn't help but said: "As far as I know, this world is really not very scientific."

"Huh?" Vulcan turned his head immediately, and stared at her sternly, as if trying to make himself appear confident, but his voice was a little erratic, "Why do you say that?"

"When my friends and I came here, I heard them mention a strange story..." Ryoma pondered, repeating the legend.

"..."

Vulcan said nothing, emotionally stable.

No, it just looks peaceful.

Ryoma glanced down, then raised his head again, and pointed out sharply: "Senior Vulcan, your legs are shaking."

"Ah, shut up!"

"In short, it's just a strange story. Isn't there a lot of such strange stories in Japan? There are all kinds of messes, so how can you believe it casually." Ryoma was very calm, trying to persuade, "Everyone likes to find excitement, in fact... ..."

Vulcan's face showed a strange blue color under the dappled light.

"Echizen." He said slowly, "Don't you know that when we are in the middle of it, no matter how unreliable the strange story sounds, it will appear very real?!"

Only people like you can be scared!

"Then, think optimistically." Ryoma said slowly again, "Didn't you say that the shrine is very mysterious? The more mysterious the place, the harder it is to find. Now that we have come here, maybe we will meet soon. Are there signs?"

"Where is the optimism?" Vulcan complained, "Now that I think about it, it would be weird to open a shrine in such a place? Maybe it was opened by a monster who lived for 500 years and dug a trap for us, etc. jumping."

"Impossible? This seems to be the plot of Inuyasha, and it's too old-fashioned." Ryoma said suspiciously.

"The point is not old-fashioned!"

After the Vulcan roared, he asked again: "So where are we going?"

"Well, I choose at will."

"what??"

Ryoma nodded: "Based on intuition."

"It's a matter of course, your attitude!" Vulcan raised his forehead, "It's no wonder that you can find it, whether it's the shrine or the way back! ——Ah, I don't know where Heizi went, at such a critical time , is he alright by himself?"

He faced the tree trunk with a worried expression.

Then, he suddenly changed his eyes, pulled Longma over, and lowered his voice: "Hey, Echizen, look over there!"

Ryoma probed in the direction he indicated: "Where is it?"

"Is it brighter over there?"

Both of them had good eyesight and glanced at each other.

"Well, maybe it's just the reflection of the leaves." Ryoma mused.

"Anyway, let's go and have a look." Vulcan said, "It doesn't mean there are things like mirages in the forest, right?"

"However, there may be a barrier of monsters." She reminded solemnly.

"Okay, don't say that kind of stuff anymore!"

"Strange, didn't you mention it first?"

The two walked towards the open forest clearing, pushing away the dense bushes that were too obstructive, and the sound of clicking and clicking could be heard for a while.

"Be careful, don't get caught by the branches." Vulcan stood in front, reminding him a few words from time to time, very protective, it seems that he is used to taking care of others.

"Be careful too, don't step on any trap..."

As soon as the words fell, there was a sudden change.

At that moment, for Vulcan, it was probably the coming of hell.

——Although, Ryoma only heard exaggerated screams and a series of joyful dog barks.

When he came back to his senses, a figure ran past his eyes with an "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", followed by a small dog behind him, chasing them excitedly on dead branches footprints...

Wait, the figure in front seems familiar too?

Ryoma: "Ah... ah!"

She looked at the two figures from behind.

I can't imagine that the heir to the Mafia is so afraid of Chihuahuas.

Vulcan must be very pleased!

The figure at the end of the woods disappeared in a blink of an eye. Ryoma withdrew his gaze, sighed, and looked back at the open area of ​​the woodland.

This is the shrine mentioned by Vulcan, right?

At the top of the steps, a man in a dark kimono was looking at her coldly. Seeing her looking up, he said, "Outsiders are forbidden to enter here."

"Oh." Ryoma agreed, she had no plans to visit the shrine anyway, straightened her hat, and was about to leave.

Those calling for help and dogs barking in the distance disappeared completely after a while.

Ryoma walked halfway, suddenly slowed down, and belatedly glanced in the direction of the shrine: "Huh?"

Have you seen that person before?

She frowned and thought for a while, but she still only had a vague impression.

Ryoma usually doesn't care so much about people and things other than tennis, but because of a strange sense of disobedience in her heart, she couldn't help but think about it for a while, and then came to her senses, a tennis court guardrail was in front of her. .

"...Ah." She rubbed her eyes, it wasn't a hallucination.

In such a remote place, there is still a school, and such a school also has tennis courts!

The players who were practicing on the field quickly became aware of the sight outside.

"Hey, kid, what's the matter?"

"Excuse me." Ryoma said, "Have you ever seen a person with a scar on his forehead?"

Several people wearing Yinhua team uniforms looked at each other.

One of them looked at her with uncomfortable eyes, and suddenly raised his lips and smiled: "Yes, your friend?"

"Well, where did he go?"

"Look at you, you also play tennis, right, brat." The man ignored it, and continued on his own, "If you want to know, come and have a trick with me, brother?"