Chapter 648: Chapter 406: Do Not Stare at the Inappropriate_2
"Hurry, tell us!"
Everyone kept urging Kobashi Rikai, but she just shook her head silently and then said:
"No."
"Come on~"
"Still nothing, huh."
"By the way, Rikai, what kind of handsome guy do you actually like? We’re really curious!"
The people at the tea party pressed even deeper, and someone even teased:
"Isn’t it Hanabi’s husband?"
As soon as these words were out, they immediately caused an uproar of laughter among the group of girls.
"I also think he’s so good-looking!"
"Yeah, totally handsome..."
"Just now... did you see it! When he took Hanabi’s hand!"
"Saw it, saw it!"
"I heard Hanabi say he’s very considerate, really caring."
"When did they meet again? Eh, I’m so envious of them as a couple, why didn’t I meet Uesugi earlier? If we were still in high school, with my figure, hmm! There wouldn’t be any problem!"
"Haha, they are childhood sweethearts, how could you meet him."
"That’s not certain, haven’t you heard that a childhood friend can’t beat a new love?"
"Even if that’s the case, Uesugi’s ’new love’ wouldn’t be you! It would be me!"
"Oh, you, Yousuke!"
"Haha, don’t get mad, don’t get mad, anyway, Uesugi is already married to Hanabi, none of us has a chance!"
The girls’ tea party quickly turned chaotic, filled with a lively atmosphere.
Only Kobashi Rikai, the girl with glasses, clutched her phone tightly without saying a word.
...
The afternoon tea party came to an end.
Kobashi Rikai, having bid farewell to her female classmates, returned to her room on the fourth floor.
She collapsed onto the large bed in the hotel like she was releasing a burden.
She rolled back and forth, her mind unsettled.
Finally, she took out her phone and turned it on while lying on her side.
On the phone screen was a picture of Uesugi Sakura.
Uesugi Sakura, dressed in kendo clothes, with a face calm as water.
However, this picture seemed a bit odd; it didn’t look like something captured by a camera, but had a paint-like quality, as if... drawn.
Kobashi Rikai unlocked the phone screen, habitually opening the browser.
In the quick search input field were the three characters "Uesugi Sakura."
She tapped it expertly.
The webpage loaded in a flash, followed by an interface displaying all sorts of information about Uesugi Sakura available online.
Lately, the internet has been abuzz with him being the new strongest rising star in the Kendo World.
He’s been given several titles which seem very adolescent and showy to outsiders.
These pieces of information appear in daily searches.
Kobashi Rikai scrolled through them one by one, the screen’s light shining on her face, revealing an expression of fascination and longing.
She found a video and clicked on it.
The video content was of a match where Uesugi Sakura advanced in a district competition.
There were many comments below, and the most liked one analyzed Uesugi Sakura’s calm handling of the match.
It was well-reasoned, quite convincing.
It was said to be from the account of a Vice Master from a dojo, which also had many followers.
But on the internet, there are always opposing voices.
Kobashi Rikai sorted the video comments by "time."
As she scrolled down, she saw some unpleasant people.
The comments were posted 11 minutes ago.
The gist was that the guy in the video was nothing special, just someone excessively praised and hyped; the so-called kendo champion was merely a "fake title" obtained by pulling strings.
Kobashi Rikai really disliked seeing such people, thinking these folks were just irresponsible with their words,
but Uesugi? He was genuinely a famous young swordsman in the Kendo World with formal competition experience and authority.
So she habitually provided evidence, explaining line-by-line the advanced techniques Uesugi Sakura used in this match, elaborating over 300 words.
But the other party just replied:
[You must be him, right? LOL, using an alt account in your own comment section to boast about yourself]
Kobashi Rikai was infuriated.
She pounded the hotel bed with hands and feet to vent her frustration at that foolish netizen.
After venting enough,
she blankly stared at the ceiling, her phone resting on her chest.
She wondered if Uesugi Sakura could see such a staunch fan of his.
If he did, he might develop a tiny bit of affection for this fan...
Maybe... he’d even private message her for a chat...
Kobashi Rikai fantasized about this for five seconds and then gave up.
Because she had left comments under every video of Uesugi Sakura, replied with at least five hundred long messages... but in these months... never succeeded once.
—Uesugi Sakura never reads these.
"Should I... go tell him?"
Kobashi Rikai pulled the quilt over herself; she had seen Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi go out together this afternoon... they looked so happy as a couple...
She had been seeing him a lot lately.
Previously, Uesugi Sakura seldom visited Tokyo Art University, so Kobashi Rikai hardly had a chance to see him even once.
To go or not to go, afraid of disturbing their married life.
If not, her mind would constantly dwell on these things.
"Ahhh! What a dilemma!!!"
She buried her face in the pillow, realizing her heartbeat had quickened a bit.
Thinking back to the jokes from the afternoon tea party.
She thought, could she be... in love with Uesugi Sakura?
No, no, it must be the admiration for an idol, after all, Uesugi-kun is so handsome... so accomplished... still a dual champion in the Kendo and Kyudo Worlds.
That must be it!
Didn’t everyone... also find Uesugi-kun very handsome?
Now these chaotic thoughts unsettled Kobashi Rikai’s mind, making her feel unable to rest, so she decided to go to the seaside to clear her mind.
...
From the fourth floor, she descended, walking outside the hotel lobby, under a starry night sky.
The night breeze from the sea was slightly cool, street lamps on both sides of the street extending into the distance, adorning the night.
Kobashi Rikai reached the shoreline where they had previously fished, strolling slowly under the bright moonlight in the distance.
The spacious setting and refreshing air gradually soothed her heavy heart.
"Ah~~ so nice!!"
She spread her arms wide, feeling vindicated for coming out.
Just as she was leisurely walking, she suddenly saw two fishing gear setups not far from the seaside.
"Strange, is someone still fishing at this time?"
Kobashi Rikai stopped, looking at the concrete platform extending from the coast.
Before long, two figures walked onto it.
Kobashi Rikai suddenly covered her mouth.
Because she recognized them as Hanamaru Hanabi and Uesugi Sakura.
They seemed to be out for a stroll too.
For some reason, an urge to secretly watch them arose in Kobashi Rikai’s heart, she wanted to see what would happen between them as a couple.
She promptly found a tree by the shore and hid behind it, peering out.
The story took a somewhat unexpected turn; Hanamaru Hanabi, compared to what she remembered, seemed more proactive, she even boldly sat on his lap, letting him hold her.
Then, Hanamaru Hanabi reverted to the image she had of her before; at that moment, Uesugi Sakura became proactive, saying something to her, Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded to him.
Finally, in the bright moonlight, Kobashi Rikai saw Hanamaru Hanabi lift her face, tilting her chin towards him.
Uesugi Sakura, while smiling, looked at her for a while, resting his forehead against hers, gazing affectionately at Hanamaru Hanabi, and upon her consent, tilted his head to kiss her.
The kiss was gentle; first, he tentatively brushed her lips a couple of times, and once she grew accustomed to the warmth, he slowly pried open her lips and heart, tightly kissing her.
The silvery sea surface continuously reflected the moonlight with brilliance.
Kobashi Rikai was a bit dazed watching it.
The full moon perfectly reflected their profiles, outlining the details so naturally.
Because of his gentle and intimate moves, the once very shy Hanamaru Hanabi actually became a bit proactive, embracing him, kissing him passionately with her lips constantly moving.
It was then that Kobashi Rikai realized she was intruding on their privacy.
She quickly turned around, crouching against a tree in the bushes.
Touching her chest, she found her heartbeat was fast, even somewhat hot.
What is happening to me?
For unknown reasons, Kobashi Rikai found Uesugi Sakura’s handsome profile in the moonlight, as he kissed, suddenly appeared in her mind.
Really, so handsome, so considerate.