Dating sim loading: My girlfriend is a cunning young lady
Chapter 275 - 147. National Competition (2)_2

Chapter 275: 147. National Competition (2)_2

"Why are girls so interested in topics about love, and why do they enjoy playing those boring ’house games’ where they share who they like?" Kiyono Lin sighed in frustration.

"Boys are also boring. Just play cards properly, but no, the loser has to go to the girls’ dorm to ask for snacks."

"Are you playing this alone? Is it called table tennis?"

"It is called table tennis, but I’m not alone, I’m with my brother." Dubian Che pointed to a sofa against the wall.

There was nobody on the sofa, but next to it in the ashtray were several cigarette butts that had been there for a long time.

Kiyono Lin looked at him sympathetically, "If you’re really lonely, I can..."

"Keep you company? Or play with you?"

"No, buy you a dolphin—my treat. You should thank me."

Dubian Che made a very conflicted expression, "I’d prefer Alaskan king crab over a dolphin."

"I’m paying, so stop being picky. Besides, it’s not food I’m buying you, but a stuffed animal."

"What about the Alaskan king crab? I’d settle for Canadian geoducks, though I’m not fond of their appearance."

"I told you, it’s not food."

"Not good either? How about French Belon oysters then? I can’t change it again, that’s my bottom line."

Kiyono Lin placed her fingers on her gracefully curved chin, nodded, and muttered to herself, "I see, now I understand why you’re alone here."

"No, listen to people when they talk. I told you I’m with my brother."

"You should be the one listening, Mr. Dubian."

The balls were set up again, and Dubian Che took another cue stick from the rack, inviting, "How about a game?"

"Aren’t you with your brother?"

"A brother isn’t as important as a woman."

"You’re really like that."

"Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just any woman, I specifically mean you, Ms. Kiyono."

"Save the flattery." Kiyono Lin placed her water bottle at the table edge, took the cue stick, "How do you play this?"

"First time?"

"Yeah."

"Another first for Ms. Kiyono; I’ll take it without any reservations."

"I’m going home."

"Wait wait wait, my bad, don’t go, really, I was wrong!"

Dubian Che explained the rules to Kiyono Lin.

American pool is simple—sixteen balls in total, besides the white and the 8-ball, the rest are divided into two groups: 1 to 7 known as solids, 9 to 15 known as stripes.

Hit all the balls of one’s group into the pockets followed by the 8-ball, and the player wins the game.

Kiyono Lin nodded, "I understand, how about the hitting technique?"

"I’ll demonstrate. You’re so clever, you’ll learn just by watching."

"Just like flattery, acknowledged truths are also nonsense."

"Sure, as you say."

Dubian Che had played casually on his own, using the cue stick in any way, but when he taught Kiyono Lin, he adopted a relatively standard posture.

Actually, whether it’s standard or not doesn’t matter, like how to place fingers to stabilize the cue, the distance from the cue, foot angles, etc.

The key: bend the waist as much as possible; lift the butt high enough.

"...Your head should be vertical to the cue stick, eyes fixed on the ball and cue, then just hit it at the right angle, got it?"

"What the heck... why is your posture so weird?"

"It’s nothing."

Kiyono Lin looked at him silently, with utter disdain from the bottom of her heart.

Dubian Che stood up straight and continued as if nothing had happened, "Just playing is no fun, how about the loser buys dinner? There’s an udon place not far from here."

"If it’s udon, it won’t upset my stomach, so I agree." As she said it, Kiyono Lin had already hit the white ball.

******

"Lights out!"

"Okay—"

The room darkened, Chisako buried herself in the bedding, trying hard to fall asleep quickly.

However, even after the bedding warmed up, sleep eluded her.

On the wall, the ticking of the second hand of the clock seemed too noisy.

Chisako knew the issue wasn’t with the clock.

She wasn’t used to sleeping anywhere other than her own home, and so she hadn’t slept a wink during the summer training camp. But thanks to this, she had the chance to build a good relationship with Kito Chiri, who also couldn’t sleep.

"...Can’t sleep." Chisako sat up frustrated.

No matter how much she let her thoughts wander, she couldn’t feel sleepy at all.

Since she couldn’t sleep, she decided to go downstairs and buy a hot drink.

The night before the Kansai competition, she had done the same and had smoothly advanced to the nationals. Her insomnia this time might be a sign from God, hinting that if she bought a hot drink, the same miracle could happen in tomorrow’s competition!

Because she cared too much about the competition, Chisako embraced this superstitious thought and put on her jacket.

"Chisako?"

Chisako stiffened, her eyes accustomed to the dark fixed on Sahui, who propped herself up to look at her.

"It’s you, Sahui, you scared me. What’s up, did I wake you?" Chisako whispered.

"No, I haven’t been able to sleep either. Where are you going?"

"I can’t sleep and was thinking of getting a hot drink to see if it would help me sleep." It was best to keep the superstitious reason to herself.

"I’ll come with you." Saying this, Sahui threw off her blanket and picked up her coat from beside her.

Hand in hand, the two left the dormitory and made their way to the first floor.

It was quiet, except for the faint sounds coming from the pool area.

"See that? Plaster? You won unfairly, took advantage of someone’s danger, muddied the waters, took advantage of the emptiness."

"Someone said it himself, this is still my first time."

"...Don’t be too proud, six wins in ten rounds, you’re still far from winning."

"The first three rounds I won two, the next five rounds I won three, but forget it, let’s rack up, playing more will help us eat the midnight snacks."

"You think you’ve won, but my real skill..."

The two girls felt slightly uneasy.

People playing pool in the middle of the night couldn’t be up to any good, especially in the unfamiliar Nagoya.

"Should we go outside to drink?" Sahui whispered.

"Yeah," Chisako nodded.

It was already eleven at night, silence filled the streets, and the noise from their shoes scraping the ground sounded shockingly loud.

The distant, unfamiliar nightscape, with its lights like twinkling stars, somewhat resembled the colors of musical instruments.

The two walked to a park they had passed on the bus in the afternoon.

It was small, with just a bench, a sandbox, and two swings. Under the night lights, it looked incredibly desolate.

Chisako and Sahui exchanged glances and then, smiling, walked toward the swings that seemed prepared just for them.

Chisako plopped down on one, pulled the tab of a canned drink, and rocked the swing lightly while sipping.

Her toes stretched unconsciously, and her slippers slipped from her feet and fell to the ground.

While Sahui, behaving very diligently, held the still hot can with both hands, sitting quietly on the swing, seemingly content.

After a moment of silence.

"I want to win the gold medal," Sahui suddenly said, looking up at the Nagoya night sky.

"I do too," Chisako replied softly.

"We have to win the gold medal."

"Yes!"

"Even if not this time, next year, the year after, I won’t give up."

"No matter how long, I will support you," Chisako stopped the swing and stretched out her hand, clasping Sahui’s tightly.

Sahui smiled back at Chisako.

As they looked at each other, a voice suddenly interrupted.

"Alas, I’m seeing something I shouldn’t."

Chisako and Sahui turned their heads, at the entrance of the park, under a lighted lamppost, stood a boy and a girl.

The night wind blew through the park’s wild grass, fluttering the boy and girl’s hair slightly, their eyes shining brighter than the stars as they looked at them.

The two were stunned by their appearance, watching the scene as if in a daze.

"Don’t you recognize me? ’Sahui sister, I’m your fan,’ remember now?" the boy said, smiling.

The girl beside him sighed in resignation and massaged her temples with a headache.

"Sorry, this guy’s gone crazy," the girl explained, "We were just about to go eat udon noodles, want to join us?"

Chisako and Sahui exchanged a look.

’I’m hungry.’

’Me too.’

’Shall we go?’

’Yeah.’

"Then let’s not disturb you," both stood up.

"Ah!" Chisako suddenly screamed, startling the three.

"What’s wrong, Chisako?" Sahui asked worriedly.

"I forgot to take off my shoes, stepped down to the ground," Chisako’s dejected voice lingered in the empty park.