pdf-ebookys Chapter 146 Ryoma Echizen's Provocation
Chapter 146 Ryoma Echizen's Provocation
"No." Yukimura shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "I just didn't expect your upbringing to be so unique."
"Sigh, it's all so boring."
Wang Yueling waved her hand, her tone instantly becoming languid, "I can't be bothered with those old foxes. Last time, some old man insisted on talking to me about the Renaissance, and I almost fell asleep."
Yukimura imagined ten-year-old Mochizuki Ryo, dressed in a little suit, chatting seriously with an old man, and found it particularly adorable.
Yukimura couldn't help but laugh, his violet-blue eyes curving into crescents. "And you were able to talk to him for so long?"
"There's no other way, business comes first." Mochizuki Ryo shrugged, making a helpless expression. "Where there are people, there is business. Whether it's art or tennis, they are ultimately human activities."
"But none of that matters. I'm here today to accompany you to see the paintings. We can talk about other things another day."
As he spoke, he took Yukimura's hand again and led him deeper into the exhibition hall. "Come on, I'll take you to see Duke's private collection; that's the highlight of this exhibition."
Just as the two turned a corner, a furry white figure suddenly emerged from behind a pillar beside them.
Yukimura felt something brush against his feet.
Looking down, he saw a cat circling around his ankle.
The cat had a very unique coat color: cream-colored fur, dark brown face, ears, paws, and tail, and very light blue, round eyes.
It looked up for a moment, then lowered its head again, rubbed its head against Yukimura's trouser leg, and made a soft purring sound.
"Huh?" Yukimura crouched down, gently reached out, and tentatively touched the cat's chin.
The cat immediately came over, tilted its head back, squinted its eyes and purred, rubbing its head against his palm with its tail held high.
Wang Yueling looked down and saw it too, her azure eyes brightening. She squatted down, reached out and scooped the cat up, holding it in her arms with practiced ease, as if she had done it countless times before.
"This is a Himalayan cat."
He scratched the cat's chin and gently stroked its fur. "This breed was developed from Persian and Siamese cats. The coat color gene is very interesting; the lower the temperature, the darker the coat color."
The cat rolled over in his arms, exposing its belly, its four paws tucked together, its eyes narrowed into slits, and it purred even louder.
"You can bring your cat to art exhibitions now?" Wang Yueling continued scratching its chin, her tone tinged with doubt. "Aren't you afraid it'll jump onto the paintings and scratch them?"
"It says on the back of the ticket: Pet-friendly art exhibition."
Yukimura reached out and took the cat, rubbed its ears, and said with a smile, "I thought it was just something I wrote for fun, but I didn't expect someone to actually take care of it."
He had barely finished speaking when a series of hurried footsteps came from not far away, accompanied by a boy's drawn-out voice, tinged with anxiety.
"Karubin! Karubin! Where have you gone?"
Upon hearing that voice, Wang Yueling paused in her actions.
This name... sounds familiar.
He turned his head and, sure enough, saw a boy wearing a white baseball cap and carrying a tennis bag running towards him. His dark green hair peeked out from under the cap, and his amber eyes held a hint of arrogance.
Ryoma Echizen.
Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence.
Ryoma Echizen ran up to them, bent over and took a couple of breaths, then looked up and saw Yukimura and Ryo Mochizuki squatting on the ground, as well as Karupin who was snuggling in Yukimura's arms.
My steps faltered.
His gaze first fell on Karupin, then shifted to Mochizuki Ryo's face. When he realized it was Mochizuki Ryo, he was visibly taken aback.
His eyes changed.
The anxiety of searching for the cat transformed into a sharp, scrutinizing fighting spirit.
"Hey, isn't that Hyotei's substitute coach?"
Ryoma Echizen tugged at his hat brim, his tone cocky and youthful indignation carrying it all, "We're playing against Seigaku the day after tomorrow, and you still have the leisure to browse this art exhibition?"
"Do you think Hyotei has a sure win, or do you think Seigaku isn't worth your attention?"
Mochizuki Ryou stood up and brushed the cat fur off her hands. The smile on her face vanished instantly, making her look like a completely different person from when she was smiling at Yukimura.
He crossed his arms, looking down at Echizen Ryoma, his tone flat and emotionless, "Where I am is none of your business."
Yukimura stood up, holding Karupin, and stood beside Mochizuki Ryo, quietly looking at Echizen Ryoma, his purplish-blue eyes devoid of emotion.
Ryoma Echizen glanced at Yukimura before quickly shifting his gaze back to Ryo Mochizuki, his tone becoming even more aggressive. "Of course it matters. If you waste your energy on this useless thing now, it'll be laughable if you lose the day after tomorrow."
Mochizuki Ryo raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Lose? With your Seigaku?"
He looked Echizen Ryoma up and down, his tone full of disdain, "Your tennis is only slightly better than that of kindergarten kids. Playing against you is a complete waste of Hyotei's time."
"What did you say?"
Ryoma Echizen's eyes widened, and he gripped his racket bag tightly. "If you're so good, let's go to the court outside and play a game right now! Let's see who's wasting time!"
"Not interested."
After saying this calmly, Mochizuki Ryo turned to look at Yukimura, her expression instantly softening. "Seiichi, let's go. Let's not be bothered by irrelevant people."
Karupin, who was in Yukimura's arms, cried out, struggled to jump down, ran to Echizen Ryoma's feet, and rubbed against his trouser leg.
Ryoma Echizen bent down and picked up Karupin, but his eyes remained fixed on Ryo Mochizuki's back.
He watched as Wang Yueling spoke to the blue-purple-haired boy beside him, the gentleness in her eyes contrasting sharply with her earlier indifference towards him, and a strange sense of displeasure rose within him.
"Hey!" Ryoma Echizen shouted, chasing after them and blocking their way. "You're afraid to fight me? Are you afraid of losing?"
Wang Yueling stopped and frowned.
"I told you, I have no interest in fighting with little brats."
His tone was clearly impatient. "If you have nothing better to do, go back and practice your serves. Your tennis skills are only good enough to play against the substitutes at Hyotei. Playing against me? That's a waste of my time."
"I won't lose!"
Ryoma Echizen retorted defiantly, his gaze then falling on Yukimura, scrutinizing him from head to toe. His tone was unfriendly as he asked, "Who are you? What's your relationship with him?"
Before Yukimura could speak, Mochizuki Ryo stepped forward, blocking his way, her eyes turning cold. "Who he is is none of your business."
His voice carried a hint of warning, "Mind your own business and don't talk nonsense."
"I was just curious."
Ryoma Echizen scoffed, "It's so boring to spend time browsing art exhibitions instead of playing basketball. I'd be better off playing a few more games on the court."
Yukimura saw the undisguised fighting spirit and a hint of barely perceptible jealousy in Echizen Ryoma's eyes and understood.
The child is jealous.
It is a more instinctive, more animalistic possessiveness.
Like a lion cub that instinctively bares its teeth when it sees another lion approaching its prey, Ryoma Echizen might not even realize it, but his body is far more honest than his mind.
Yukimura lowered his eyes and stopped looking at him.
But his hand subtly moved to the side, his fingertips touching Wang Yueling's sleeve and giving it a gentle tug.
Wang Yueling turned her head and met Yukimura's gaze. Seeing the reproach in his eyes, she immediately put on a wronged expression, "I didn't say anything wrong."
He muttered under his breath, "He was just looking for trouble."
Yukimura ignored him and looked at Echizen Ryoma, his tone gentle but with obvious distance, "I am Yukimura Seiichi from Rikkai University."
"Yukimura Seiichi from Rikkai University?"
Ryoma Echizen paused for a moment, then his fighting spirit intensified. "So you're the legendary 'Child of God.' I've heard you're very strong. Let's have a match sometime."
"Let's talk about it when you can beat Ling," Yukimura replied calmly.
Ryoma Echizen, having been repeatedly ignored, frowned, clenched his fists, and looked at Ryo Mochizuki. "In the match the day after tomorrow, I will definitely defeat Hyotei, led by you! And then I will defeat you!"
"We'll see," Mochizuki Ryo said dismissively, then grabbed Yukimura's hand and started to leave.
Ryoma Echizen bit his lip, his amber cat-like eyes filled with resentment.
He knew he had no right to say these things. This person wasn't his coach, his teammate, or even a friend.
But he was just not willing to give up.
This person defeated over two hundred players from Hyotei High School without losing a single point. It was also because he knew of the incredible legends surrounding this person throughout the junior high tennis world. And it was because this person, even when standing right in front of him, wouldn't even give him a second glance.
Meanwhile, the "son of God" from Rikkai University next to him got the attention he wanted without doing anything.
"Hey kid, you can't be so sure of yourself." A nonchalant voice came from the side.