abnabooks Chapter 22 Rikkai's All-Staff Eight Trigrams Radar Activated
Chapter 22 Rikkai's All-Staff Eight Trigrams Radar Activated
The lively atmosphere in the ward lasted for a long time, as the sunlight outside the window slowly slanted in, warmly spreading across the light beige floor.
The Rikkai University students rushed to Tokyo by train and then walked a long way to get to the hospital. Everyone was exhausted and hungry.
Marui slumped in his chair, no longer chewing his gum, and listlessly rubbed his stomach, whispering to Yukimura, "Captain~ I only had a piece of cake at noon because I was in a rush, and I'm so hungry now~"
"Bunta," Kuwabara said helplessly.
"I was already hungry."
Marui pursed his lips. He knew it wasn't good to ask the sick minister for food, but he still honestly expressed his thoughts.
Kirihara immediately nodded in agreement, his stomach growling loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.
He blushed and embarrassedly scratched his fluffy hair, indicating that he didn't want this to happen, but his stomach was growling and he couldn't control it.
I queued for the entire morning to buy the limited-edition blueberry cake, and I didn't have time to eat anything else. I just had a quick bread, and now I'm starving.
Give him a cow now, and he'll eat it all!
She also imitated Marui, gazing longingly at the omnipotent minister.
Yukimura leaned against the headboard, chuckling as they amused him. Just as he was about to ask them to share the snacks they had brought, there was a knock on the door.
The entire Rikkai team thought it was because they were making too much noise again, and the nurse came looking for them once more.
Yukimura Seiichi didn't think that way. Hearing the unhurried and rhythmic knocking, he roughly knew who it was.
"Please come in."
The door was pushed open.
The person who entered silenced the ward for a moment.
Clearly, the visitors were not nurses. This time, three people dressed in matching black suits walked in, each carrying something in their hands.
"Good afternoon, Yukimura-kun! This is what the young master asked us to deliver." The one leading the group was an elderly butler with a full head of silver hair, dressed in an elegant black tailcoat. He bowed slightly, his attitude gentle and his demeanor composed. "The food box is quite large; it was specially prepared for you and the visiting guests."
He gently placed the bouquet of flowers and a paper bag he was holding on the empty table by the window. The two people behind him also put down their things, which were the same wooden food boxes, all tied with light blue ribbons.
The room full of teenagers stared at this scene, unusually quiet.
A dozen pairs of eyes simultaneously scanned the butler, the oversized food box, and the particularly eye-catching bouquet of pink flowers. Their gazes gleamed with gossip; they exchanged glances, silently conveying their message—the mysterious person who delivered the doll had finally given themselves away.
Marui's eyes widened and shone brightly. He nudged Niou Masaharu beside him with his elbow and lowered his voice, full of curiosity: "Hey, hey, this must be... the butler, right?"
Niou raised an eyebrow, a playful smile playing on his lips, his voice barely audible: "Looks like our department head's 'friend' is quite someone important~ Puri~"
Liu's gaze lingered on the light blue ribbon and the bouquet of flowers on the food box for a moment. Her slightly open, squinting eyes revealed a knowing look as she quietly noted down the data.
Kirihara Akaya was even more direct, craning his neck forward with eyes full of longing to tell him who he was, completely forgetting about his rumbling stomach.
Although Sanada still had a stern face, the fingers gripping his hat tightened unconsciously.
Looking at the table full of food.
Yukimura was somewhat surprised that Mochizuki Ryo knew the tennis club members were coming today, but he quickly regained his gentle smile: "Thank you for your trouble, you even made a special trip."
The butler casually replied that it was his duty, and then politely led his men out of the room, his movements swift and efficient, without disturbing the people in the ward at all.
Once the outsiders left, the gossipy nature of the Rikkai students' eyes became even more apparent.
This "young master" must be the friend who makes the dolls.
So... who is it?
Sending flowers, food, handmade dolls...
This treatment is unlike that of an ordinary friend.
All eyes were glued to Yukimura, the protagonist of the gossip, their thirst for knowledge practically overflowing.
Marui was the first to lose his composure, moving closer to the bedside. He spoke to Yukimura, but his eyes were fixed on the two food boxes, and he swallowed hard. "Captain, Captain... did your friend send these again?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Kirihara excitedly moved closer to the food box, his nose twitching. "What kind of person is it? They even have a personal butler! Mmm...it smells so good..."
"Don't move." Sanada frowned and pulled him back a little.
Kirihara was forcibly pulled back, but his eyes remained fixed on the food box.
Yukimura didn't answer them. He threw off the covers, got up, walked over, picked up the bouquet of flowers, and looked at it.
A bunch of pink roses, a variety he had never seen before, but he thought they were very beautiful.
The petals have a light pink edge and a creamy white center. There are ten stems in total, wrapped very delicately, not like the mass-produced packaging found in flower shops. The combination of paper and the way it is folded reveal an unintentional attention to detail.
It's clear that the person who wrapped the flowers put a lot of effort into it.
He first lowered his head and smelled it; the fragrance was very faint, almost imperceptible.
Then I placed it on the windowsill, next to the slightly wilted pomelo blossoms in the vase. They were all white and pink, so it didn't look out of place.
After placing it properly.
He took out a small food box carefully wrapped in a pale yellow cloth from the paper bag next to him and placed it next to his pillow without opening it.
Liu Lian'er's gaze followed his movements, lingering on the bouquet of flowers for two seconds before moving to his face, and lightly tapping the notebook with the pen in his hand.
……
Starving, Marui eagerly approached the large food box, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Yukimura: "Captain, can I open it?"
"Open it and eat." Yukimura glanced at Marui and Kirihara, who looked extremely hungry, and smiled.
The two, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately rushed to the two largest food boxes, untied the ribbons, and lifted the lids.
Like a seal being broken, a rich, sweet aroma mixed with the fragrance of rice and matcha instantly filled the entire ward, making one's mouth water.
The box was divided into several layers.
The top layer is a neatly arranged Napoleon pastry, with distinct layers of flaky pastry, a light pink and sweet cream filling, and topped with candied peach pieces. The second layer is matcha cream puffs, each one round and plump, sprinkled with fine powdered sugar. The third layer is red bean and rice cake soup, served in a small ceramic bowl, covered, and steaming hot when the lid is opened.
The other large food box was filled with therapeutic sushi, the rice grains were glistening, and the raw fish was fresh; it was clear that this was not something you could buy in an ordinary store.
Marui took a deep breath, his excitement palpable: "My god, this is so luxurious!"
Kirihara stared wide-eyed, swallowed hard, and his eyes lit up: "Minister, I... we can really eat this?"
"Please don't be shy, everyone. Eat as much as you like." Yukimura nodded with a smile.
Upon receiving a definite answer, the boys immediately gathered around, picked up the prepared small forks and spoons, and carefully began to taste it.
The first bite made everyone's eyes light up.
"So delicious!!" Marui swallowed the cream puff in one bite, the delicate aroma of matcha melting in her mouth. "This cream puff is even better than the ones from the best dessert shop in Kanagawa!"
Qie Yuanyuan reached for a Napoleon pastry and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. She was so happy she cried, and mumbled, "So delicious... Waaah... The peach flavor is so strong! The crust is so crispy!"
Niou, who was the pickiest eater, was leaning back in his chair when he saw Kirihara eating with such an exaggerated expression. Curious, he leaned forward, took a bite of a Napoleon pastry, and got a bite.
He chewed twice, said nothing, and then took another bite.
Marui looked at him expectantly: "How was it?"
After finishing the first piece, Niou slowly said, "It's alright."
Then he reached out and took the second piece.
Marui knows him too well. There are very few things in the entire tennis club... no... in the entire Kanagawa region that can make Niou take the second item.
It seems this Napoleon pastry has an extraordinary flavor.
He also took a bite of a Napoleon pastry, then froze, turning to Kuwabara and saying, "Jack, you should have one too, this is really delicious!"
Kuwabara chuckled, patted his bald head, took one, tasted it, and nodded: "Mmm, it's really delicious."
Yagyu Hiroshi adjusted his round glasses, looked at everyone's comments, picked up a Napoleon pastry, and ate it very politely. After finishing it, he commented, "The flaky layers of the pastry are very good, the amount of butter is just right, and the peach-flavored cream is also very refreshing and unique, not too sweet or greasy."
Niou glanced at him, chuckled, and didn't refute him.
Kirihara and Marui had already started fighting over the red bean rice cake soup on the third floor. They were practically fighting over it, taking bowl after bowl, but Sanada glared at them and calmed them down.