Chapter 56: Suddenly Got Good at Playing Ball
The noon sun in September was really strong. Being outside at that time felt like getting fried in hot oil.
Luckily, the school had an indoor sports area, so they didn’t have to take P.E. class outside. That made things a bit better.
After doing some basic warm-up exercises, it was free activity time.
But before letting the students go, the P.E. teacher made an announcement: this year’s physical fitness test would likely be in early October.
Even though the college entrance exam didn’t include P.E., the school still had a fitness test every year. People said the results would be recorded in their student file.
“Ugh~ it’s the 1000-meter run again.”
Even though class was dismissed and everyone was free to do what they wanted, Lin Muqing wasn’t happy at all. The fitness test was coming, and that meant she’d have to run 1000 meters!
In the fitness test, she wasn’t afraid of anything, except the 1000-meter run. She could even do 10 pull-ups, easily enough to pass.
But that 1000-meter run… it really felt like torture for her.
If it were 800 meters, she thought it would be much easier. At least she wouldn’t have to try so hard.
“Hey, do you know any way I can pass the fitness test easily?”
As she thought about it, she turned to look at her good buddy sitting beside her. She looked super frustrated as she asked.
The two of them were sitting on a bench near the gym, watching the other students moving around. They were basically just chilling and doing nothing.
One of them was too lazy to exercise. The other just didn’t like working out in this kind of place.
So by the end of the whole P.E. class, Lin Muqing barely broke a sweat, because she was just too lazy to do anything.
“There is a way.”
Ye Ziming looked at Lin Muqing’s eyes and replied seriously.
“Really? What is it?!”
Lin Muqing immediately sat up straight, full of hope, and looked at her buddy like he was her only chance at survival.
“Move more, practice more.”
“……”
Just four simple words.
After hearing them, Lin Muqing felt like it would’ve been better if he hadn’t said anything at all. If she was that hardworking, would she still be sitting here?
For someone as lazy as Lin Muqing, there was no way she was going running. At most, she’d lift a dumbbell at home.
“Lin Muqing, wanna play ball with us?”
While Lin Muqing was still lost in thought, Wang Wenxin suddenly appeared in front of her, with Zhang Xiaoling standing next to her.
Both girls were holding badminton rackets. Wang Wenxin smiled and asked if Lin Muqing wanted to join them.
“Huh? No, thanks.”
Without even thinking, Lin Muqing turned them down right away. She was honestly just too lazy to move.
Doing sports felt like suffering to her.
“Alright then.”
After being turned down, Wang Wenxin looked at Lin Muqing, then glanced at Ye Ziming sitting next to her. Her expression looked a little… complicated.
Then she pulled Zhang Xiaoling by the hand and headed toward the last two free courts nearby.
As they walked away, the two girls whispered to each other while sneaking glances at Lin Muqing and Ye Ziming. Their expressions were not exactly easy to read.
“Getting a little exercise would be good for you.”
After the girls left, Ye Ziming lowered his head and thought for a moment. Then he raised his hand, gently placed it on Lin Muqing’s shoulder, and softly said to her.
“Huh?”
Lin Muqing turned her head in shock, mouth open and eyes wide. Her best friend’s words had clearly startled her.
Her best friend was actually encouraging her to exercise—was there something wrong with her ears!?
"Give me your card."
With a straight face, Ye Ziming looked at her and stretched out his right hand.
By "card," he meant the student card or meal card. It could be used not only to buy things on campus but also to borrow sports equipment from the equipment room.
Lin Muqing looked at his hand, then at his face. She was completely confused and didn’t understand what was happening.
Even though she didn’t get it, she still handed him her card.
Then she blankly watched him stand up and walk away. About two minutes later, he came back and stood in front of her again.
This time, Ye Ziming was holding two badminton rackets and a couple of shuttlecocks.
"This is yours."
He handed one of the rackets to Lin Muqing, using a tone that clearly didn’t allow refusal.
"Uh... I don’t think I know how to play badminton."
Lin Muqing stared in a daze again. She hadn’t expected that the reason her best friend borrowed her card... was for this?
But she still didn’t want to move. At the end of the day, she was just too lazy.
Ye Ziming wasn’t surprised by her attitude. In fact, a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face.
That sudden smile gave Lin Muqing a bad feeling.
"If you want that complete anime figure next week..."
With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, Ye Ziming slowly said one sentence.
It sounded like a casual statement, but it instantly made Lin Muqing’s pupils shrink. Her eyes widened, she suddenly remembered something.
It was about the promise he made. That next week, he would give her a figurine of “Eromanga Sensei.
After saying that, Ye Ziming turned around and calmly walked toward the last empty badminton court.
"Wait! Hold on! I just remembered something, I do know a little bit of badminton!"
Lin Muqing quickly stood up, grabbed the racket, and ran after him, loudly explaining as she ran.
Ye Ziming’s face still had a very confident smile, like he had expected exactly this kind of reaction from her. He was completely calm.
At that moment, he believed he had found a way for Lin Muqing to pass the physical fitness test.
After that, the two of them happily played badminton together.
Although... Lin Muqing's skills were really bad. If Ye Ziming hadn’t gone easy on her and kept feeding her the shuttlecock, she probably wouldn’t have had any fun at all.
"Aiya~"
On another court nearby, Zhang Xiaoling was hit right in the forehead by a flying shuttlecock.
The reason? She had been staring at Lin Muqing and Ye Ziming playing badminton, and she spaced out. Then the shuttlecock smacked her right in the face.
"What are you looking at—wait..."
On the other side of the court, Wang Wenxin was just about to go over and make fun of her friend, but she froze as soon as she glanced over.
She was so shocked that she couldn’t even laugh.
"Don’t tell me... the rumor is true!?"
Zhang Xiaoling suddenly remembered what Wang Wenxin had told her earlier, that there was a rumor Ye Ziming might be gay.
And the latest rumor? That Ye Ziming and Lin Muqing were really close, more than just friends kind of close.
She hadn’t believed it at first. After all, without solid proof, who would actually think the quiet guy sitting next to you was into guys?
"...It’s hard to say."
Wang Wenxin’s eyelid twitched hard twice. She suddenly felt a bit defeated.
If they had only been rejected, it would’ve been fine. Some people just don’t like sports, she could understand that.
But what she couldn’t understand was, after rejecting two of the class’s prettiest girls, he turned around and said yes to another guy?
What the heck!?
Did this mean their charm didn’t even compare to a boy?
The P.E. class went on, and Lin Muqing suddenly realized that playing badminton was actually kind of fun. It wasn’t as hard or unbearable as she had imagined.