Chapter 70: Chess
Miyamoto Tokima stood by the roadside waiting for Satsuki Momoi. As his gaze swept past a pharmacy, something suddenly came to mind. He decided he would buy it after Satsuki Momoi returned.
Suddenly, he felt someone poke his shoulder. He turned his head—and a rose appeared right in front of him.
“Ta-da! Miyamoto, does it look nice?”
Miyamoto Tokima froze, his mind blank for a moment. He asked in disbelief,
“B-babe… th-this… this is for me?”
Satsuki Momoi nodded, her lips curving into a sweet smile.
“Yeah, Miyamoto. It’s for you. Most boys receive their first flower at a funeral. I didn’t want that to be the case for you.”
As she spoke, she took the bags from Miyamoto Tokima’s hands.
Miyamoto Tokima wiped his palms and carefully accepted the rose. The moment it touched his hands, he felt as if he had stepped into another world, like he was dreaming.
He pinched his thigh hard.
“Hiss—That hurts. So it’s not a dream.”
Once he was sure this was real, Miyamoto Tokima broke into a bright smile.
“Babe… thank you… I really like it.”
Satsuki Momoi stood quietly beside him with a gentle smile, not interrupting—just accompanying him as he enjoyed this moment.
After a long while, Miyamoto Tokima finally came back to his senses, his smile still unchanged.
“Babe, let’s go see Midorima. I have something I want to give him.”
Satsuki Momoi nodded, not objecting.
Miyamoto Tokima walked into the pharmacy and called out,
“Excuse me…”
——————————
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Click.
“Hm? Miyamoto? Momoi? What are you doing here?”
Shintaro Midorima opened the door, looking puzzled.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled slightly.
“I came to see how you’re doing.”
Shintaro Midorima pushed up his glasses with his right hand, opened the door wider, and said,
“Come in.”
After Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi entered, Shintaro Midorima poured them a pot of tea.
Miyamoto Tokima asked,
“Midorima, how are you feeling now?”
Shintaro Midorima paused briefly, then recovered and extended his left hand.
“Much better. After a few more days of rest, I’ll be able to play again. You don’t need to worry—I won’t miss the match.”
Miyamoto Tokima shook his head.
“I’m not worried about you missing the game. I’m worried about your injury.”
As he spoke, he took out a small pouch and pulled something from inside.
“This is a gift for you. I think it’ll be useful. When you’re not playing, you can keep this on—it’ll protect your fingers.”
Shintaro Midorima was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Miyamoto Tokima to come all the way to his home just to give him a gift. He accepted the pouch solemnly.
Out of courtesy, he didn’t open it right away.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
“Go on and open it. There’s no need to be so formal between us.”
Only then did Shintaro Midorima nod and open the pouch.
Inside, he saw bandages. He paused slightly, then picked them up and examined them.
Miyamoto Tokima explained,
“You can wrap these around your fingers. They’ll help protect them while you’re resting.”
Touched, Shintaro Midorima immediately wrapped the bandages around his fingers to test them. They fit perfectly and provided excellent protection.
He felt deeply moved—Miyamoto Tokima had clearly put real thought into this.
Shintaro Midorima stood up and bowed deeply.
“Miyamoto, thank you!”
Miyamoto Tokima quickly stood and helped him up.
“It’s nothing. We’re teammates—no need for that.”
Shintaro Midorima’s pupils trembled slightly as he thought to himself,
Teammates…?
After confirming that Shintaro Midorima was fine and that the gift had been delivered, Miyamoto Tokima waved, took Satsuki Momoi’s hand, and headed out.
“Midorima, we’ll get going now. Make sure you rest well.”
Shintaro Midorima nodded seriously.
“I will.”
Only then did Miyamoto Tokima leave with Satsuki Momoi, finally at ease.
After stopping by a small shop and buying a set of chess, Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi headed straight for Seijuro Akashi’s residence.
“Sorry, outsiders aren’t allowed inside.”
The guard at the Akashi estate stopped them.
Miyamoto Tokima said,
“We’re here to see Akashi. Could you check for us?”
Hearing they were here to see Akashi, the guard hesitated, unsure whether they were telling the truth.
“Let them in.”
A middle-aged voice sounded out. The guard didn’t dare delay and immediately opened the gate, letting Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi inside.
Miyamoto Tokima looked at the middle-aged man and vaguely guessed his identity.
The man walked up to him and said with a hint of emotion,
“The Miyamoto family’s heir. What brings you here to see Akashi?”
Miyamoto Tokima replied,
“Sir, I’m your son’s teammate. I came to check on how his injury is doing.”
The man paused, puzzled.
“You… know who I am?”
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
“You look very similar to Akashi, and judging by how flustered the guard was earlier, it wasn’t hard to figure it out.”
The middle-aged man laughed softly.
“As expected of Miyamoto Hiroshi’s son—sharp indeed.”
Miyamoto Tokima smiled politely.
“Then, sir, I’ll go look for Akashi.”
The man nodded.
“Go ahead. If you don’t know the way, have the butler guide you.”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded, took Satsuki Momoi’s hand, and followed the butler toward Seijuro Akashi’s room.
After the two left, the middle-aged man’s expression turned cold again.
Seijuro… compared to others, you still have a long way to go.
——————
“Akashi, surprised?”
Miyamoto Tokima looked at Seijuro Akashi with a mischievous grin.
Seijuro Akashi smiled gently.
“It is unexpected. I didn’t think you two would come to see me.”
Miyamoto Tokima smiled lightly.
“How’s your injury?”
Seijuro Akashi rolled his wrist and replied calmly,
“Much better. There’s basically nothing wrong now.”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded in relief and handed over the chess set.
“Here. A gift for you—something from my homeland. It’s pretty interesting.”
Seijuro Akashi accepted it.
“Oh? Then I’ll have to study it properly.”
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