Jun Matsueda looked at the girl in front of him. On the top of the tall Tokyo Tower, in Mochizuki Haruka's eyes there was no city, no lights, only him.

He took off his black gloves and put them in the bag. "It's a very practical gift. Thank you."

Mochizuki Haruka also has a pair of cycling gloves, the same style as his, but in white.

"Matsuzhi, you haven't answered me yet." The girl looked at him and said softly.

".......I don't hate you, I just think you're paying too much attention to me right now."

"Maybe you should focus more on yourself."

Your rose is so important to you because you invest your time in her.

But Jun Matsueda didn't want to be Haruka Mochizuki's rose, and he certainly didn't want her to invest her time in him.

"Is there anything wrong with this?" the girl asked, tilting her head.

"Of course."

The hustle and bustle of crowded lights surrounded the two people on the tower, and the joyful atmosphere of Christmas seemed to be leaving them.

"For me, there's suddenly this person who knows how many bites you take, how much sugar you put in your coffee, what time you get up in the morning, and how often you drink water. It's actually a bit scary."

"The feeling of having someone else grasp every detail of these things I don't even understand is actually no different from being monitored. Can you understand?"

Just like last night’s Christmas Eve dinner, the discomfort he felt when he thought of Haruka Mochizuki watching every bite he made overwhelmed his appetite.

"But I don't mind Matsueda understanding me like this?" Mochizuki Haruka excitedly took two steps forward. At this distance, she could reach out and touch Matsueda Jun's body.

"To put it simply, our relationship isn't that good yet."

Jun Matsueda tried to reduce the force of the blow to the girl, but Mochizuki Haruka's face still turned a little pale.

"Think about it, how would you feel if Tomatsu Yuka knew you so well?"

Visible disgust appeared on the girl's face, and then she turned depressed. "Do you hate me that much?"

"I'm just using her as an example. Anyway, I really don't need you to pay so much attention to me. Can you understand?"

"I don't quite understand, but I will try my best to do what Songeda says..."

Mochizuki Haruka felt sorry that the notebook in her pocket would have to rest for a while.

"Also, the more you pay attention to others, the less you pay attention to yourself. If you are alone in the future-"

"do not talk!"

Matsueda Jun's words were interrupted loudly by Mochizuki Haruka, and her voice echoed in the hall.

"Don't talk about being alone, I don't want to hear that..." The girl's lips trembled weakly.

The two fell into an unspeakable silence. After a few minutes, Mochizuki Haruka spoke.

"I will listen to what Songzhi says. Now let's go back."

After exiting the elevator, the two returned to Christmas in Tokyo. Matsueda Jun asked the girl beside him, "Do you want to go shopping again?"

"Let's go home. I want to sleep." Wangyue Yao looked at the black car parked on the side of the road.

The roads were more crowded tonight because of tourists and activities, and the car was driving a little slowly. When Mochizuki Haruka looked at Matsueda Jun, she inevitably saw the scenery outside the window.

Faces brimming with happiness, eyes gleaming with golden light. The people walking together come in many forms: lovers, families, friends. Regardless of their identities, they all smile at each other beneath the glittering Christmas tree.

For people who love each other, such a smile is too common, but the girl in the car is struggling to qualify for this smile.

"Let's take another route," she said to the driver.

After returning to the apartment, Mochizuki Yao didn't stay in 507 for long. She quickly crossed the balcony and returned to her bedroom.

The girl lay on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling with wide eyes. She was not very sleepy. She returned to the bedroom only because, after being persuaded by Jun Matsueda, she didn't know what else to do in 507.

"Isn't it enough to just give?"

Mochizuki Haruka didn't know who she was asking.

She really wanted someone to tell her how to love someone and what to do to keep the person she loved by her side.

The next morning, when Jun Matsueda walked out of the bedroom, the girl next door was already sitting at the dining table.

"Matsueda, I prepared breakfast for today—" Mochizuki Haruka was speaking excitedly when she suddenly remembered something, closed her mouth, and looked at him timidly.

The girl didn't know whether she should show her concern for him.

"What's wrong with breakfast?" Matsueda Jun took over her words, and the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Didn't you buy Chinese breakfast before? I prepared the same fried dough sticks you bought before!"

Today's competition is at 11:00 am. Before departure, Jun Matsueda sits at his desk studying.

This time his water cup stayed safely on the table, but from time to time, the girl would quietly appear at the door, looking at the gradually decreasing water in the cup with a hesitant look.

"If you want to pour water, go ahead." Jun Matsueda said as he looked at the multiple-choice questions that were beyond the syllabus.

"Yeah!" Wangyue Yao walked into the room and took the cup of water away happily.

At 11:20, the Haneda High School basketball team stood in the third branch court. Jun Matsueda watched Sakamuro Ken dribble past Kyushu High School's defense and successfully make a layup.

"Today's match feels more evenly matched." Jun Matsueda said to Ko Tsushima who was standing behind him.

"Kyushu Academy High School is also a long-time rival of Haneda High School. Judging from the match records, we should still have the advantage."

Mochizuki Haruka sat next to Matsueda Jun, a little further away than the previous two days. She watched the two people chatting silently.

"By the way, Matsueda, did you know that after Hanega's first two matches, the audience watching the live broadcast were talking about you?"

"I haven't even been on stage?" Matsueda Jun asked in confusion.

"It's because you didn't look like you were going to play and kept chatting with girls on the sidelines. Now they suspect that you got in here through connections to gild your reputation." Tsushima Kou said seriously.

"Can this also be gilded?" Jun Matsueda didn't know what to say. It seemed that he really got into the competition team through connections?

Yuqiu Gao called a timeout. Chengwei Zhang slightly sprained his right foot, and No. 36, who was sitting on the bench, was substituted in.

The final result of the three-round match was 87:80, and Hanaoka High School entered the quarterfinals. Now only eight teams are left.

"Matsueda, you're not really going to play, are you?" After the game, Natsumi Imokawa put down the camera in his hand and asked him.

"Isn't that good? We are pretty strong."

"Okay..." Natsumi Imokawa followed the girls away regretfully.

It was time to exit. Mochizuki Haruka was walking in the slightly dark passage when Matsueda Jun, who was walking in front of her, suddenly turned around.

"Should I stay away?" The girl's tone was a little panicked.

"No." Matsueda Jun was helpless. "Do whatever you want. Forget about what happened last night."

For the entire morning, whether at home or in the gym, Mochizuki Haruka was indeed trying hard to keep a distance from him.

However, the girl always looked uneasy and could not feel at ease unless she was asked to do something.

"Really?!" Mochizuki Haruka asked in surprise.

"Really, really." Jun Matsueda walked out of the door, and the girl followed closely behind him.

"But don't forget, after the game at Yuqiu High School, I'm going back to the welfare home."

Mochizuki Haruka walked out of the gymnasium, and the glaring light outside forced her to squint.

No matter how hard the girl tried, her obvious love would eventually face the reality of being rejected.

Chapter 171 Inside and Outside the Arena

In the quarter-finals, the Haneda High School basketball team finally walked into the center of the Tokyo Gymnasium.

"It's so big!" The girls in the wind band looked up at the high roof.

The originally large empty area in the stadium has been surrounded by newly installed spectator seats, leaving only a basketball court in the center.

"Are we sitting over there?" The principal tuba player looked around curiously and pointed to the seats closest to the center of the stadium.

"Yes." Yamami Maki looked at the players warming up on the court. Yugaoka High School was wearing a blue and white jersey. The players didn't like it very much because they thought it would get dirty easily, but the girls thought it looked good.

"Don't sit in the wrong seat, the ones on the right are for Tsuchiura High School. If Tadashi cheers for Haneda there, he might get beaten up~"

Tomatsu Tomoka smiled and said that she was in a good mood today because she had passed the interview for the Setagaya Literary Museum.

"I don't know much about basketball, but Tsuchiura High School seems very strong?" said Yamami Matsui while looking at the players on the court.

"How did the minister know that?" Duodai came close to the girl, and the girls who were squeezed away by the big size slapped her twice in dissatisfaction.

"Because, Matsueda-san is out on the court warming up."

The girls looked at the guy on the court who was warming up for the first time.

"Matsueda, when anyone in our starting lineup gets injured, you will be the first one to come on." Sakamuro Ken's face was very serious.

"What's going on with this Tsuchiura Nihon University High School?" Jun Matsueda already felt something was wrong.

"They were the runners-up in the last Winter Cup. They're a boys' school, and both the players and students are very enthusiastic." Joo Oo explained as he dribbled the ball beside him.

"And they are the most troublesome opponent, they have strength and like to take advantage of fouls."

"It's just strong and dirty, right?" Jun Matsueda stared at the audience thoughtfully. The audience on both sides had already started to enter. The students of Tsuchiura High School were wearing the same black and red jerseys as the players, and they had ribbons tied on their heads.

"Fortunately, they only have freshmen and sophomores, and none of them have particularly outstanding abilities." Sakamuro Ken sighed.

"In other words, even if one of them gets fouled, it won't affect the tactical system much." The basketball director standing on the sidelines walked towards them. The third-year students didn't have time to participate in competitions and training, but they still had time to watch the game.

"You should treat this match as a final."

The students of Yuqiu High School looked at the neatly colored auditorium across from them. The substitutes in the front row were holding cheering sticks in their hands, and there was a drum in the front.

"Tomoka, they are so professional!" Mizushima Miya tugged at Tomoka Tomatsu's sleeve.

"It's okay, they don't have a brass band!" Yamami Maki waved her fist, "We won't lose to them!"

At 1:10 p.m., the two floors of the original audience seats and the additional cheering seats were full, and cheers could be heard from the audience seats at Tsuchiura High School.

"Tsuchiura!! Tsuchiura!!"

"Haqiu!! Yuqiu!!"

The boys from Tsuchiura were yelling at the top of their lungs, and Yuqiu, who hadn't used any musical instruments yet, was at a disadvantage in terms of decibels.

At 1:20, the starting players of both teams came on the court, and the audience began to boil like Coke with Mentos added.

"Tsuchiura!!!" A big drum was beating in the red auditorium.

The girls in the wind band raised their instruments, and the neat and rapid playing of the trombones and saxophones were like a marching army, echoing Tsuchiura's shouts.

The red auditorium was quiet for a while, and when the wind music stopped, the boy leading the drums shouted.

"This is not the place for a wind instrument competition! Girls, get out of here!"

Then there was booing and laughter.

"These guys!"

Duodai's round face flushed red with anger, "Blow up the trumpets! Scream them to death!"

"Why don't you play it yourself?" the trumpet leader turned around and asked her.

"The trumpet is very loud, but the tuba is too deep and can't scare them." Duodai held up the tuba with a depressed expression.

"If Songeda plays, can we win?" Mochizuki Haruka looked at the boy next to him wearing a blue and white jersey, her eyes sliding over the lines of his upper arms.

"Basketball isn't a one-on-one game." Matsueda Jun watched Sakamuro Ken run across half court with the ball and initiate his first attack. "Let's just watch the game."

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 17:19, and Tsuchiura was temporarily leading.

"Matsueda-san, do we have a chance of winning?"

Tomatsu Tomoka and several girls who were sitting close to her gathered behind Matsueda Jun. Mochizuki Haruka dissatisfiedly lifted up Tomatsu Tomoka's hair that was hanging on her shoulders.

"There's still hope. Tsuchiura's aura is quite fierce, and Sakamuro and the others haven't let go yet."

At the end of the second quarter, the score was 44:40, and Yuqiu took the lead.

During the half-time break, the cheerleaders came on stage to perform. The girls in the wind band were so excited that their faces flushed and they played even harder. The students of Tsuchiura High School shouted "We must win" in unison and were not in a panic at all.

"Will we not be able to see Songzhi on stage?" Mochizuki Haruka asked regretfully.

"This is not important." Jun Matsueda smiled and waved to Natsumi Imokawa who was standing under the basketball hoop and taking pictures. The girl's eyes also looked a little lost.

Sakamuro Ken, sweating profusely, walked up to the two of them, and Matsueda Jun handed him a bottle of electrolyte drink and a towel.

Although they went from behind to leading, the players' expressions were still serious.

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