X-X-X

(1) Strangers with no drinks on their hands have no dance to share

X-X-X

---

Who knew that looking for his missing racket would lead to chaos, a series at that, which would begin the moment he found it back?

He had to look for it. It was his favorite racket and he didn't have any other spare. He certainly wouldn't borrow anybody else's. A disappearing racket; this had happened before. The first time was upsetting, leaving his racket on the bench and finding it gone the next moment. Then what is upsetting turned eerie when he found the said racket back in his own house, beside the door, as if it had been laid there intentionally to deride him.

He just concluded it was one of the girls in his school who did it. They were whimsical when it comes to their gestures of so-called affection. All in day's work, perhaps, for a popular tennis athlete. Kunimitsu Tezuka had ignored the incident until today when it happened again, much to his unimaginable discomfort.

This isn't cute anymore, he thought—oh wait, scratch that—it was never cute at all. As he walked along the corridors and opened the doors to empty classrooms, he wished the girls with their unwanted bento boxes would leave him alone. Twice a week of love letters from six different girls is tolerable. He can sometimes come up with a polite correspondence to decline their proclamation of "love." But this is not normal. Tezuka is starting to think this already crosses the lines of harassment. An hour passed. He is heading to the laboratory, his patience thin.

Maybe the racket is left by his doorstep again. This is ridiculous and infuriating! He must catch the thief in the act and report whoever she or he (you never know but he considered it) to Coach Ryuuzaki.

When he got home, the racket was there, waiting in mock reverence.

Tezuka was patient so he went on with his mundane tasks as the captain. He tried to use diversion to delay the confrontation for now since he doesn't have any suspect yet. He is sure to find one when the said responsible fiend makes a move. Tezuka has to put a stop to this stunt.

It was by the end of the week when he executed his plan. He kept this all to himself and never even bothered telling either Oishi or Fuji. So when the right time came, he was sure there would be no flaw in his plan. That day he left his racket as usual in the bench and waited for the thief to make a move. Tezuka doesn't want to chase this annoying little thing because he decided to take a step forward in advance. He went home earlier, slipping by his teammates unnoticed.

There at the doorstep of his house, sitting on the ground with the racket clutched to her and looking up as he approached her, was the girl. Tezuka watched her for a long moment. She was older than he expected, not even a schoolmate, and she was looking at him with something near cold self-assurance that Tezuka didn't like at all.

"If you wanted to meet my acquaintance, Tezuka-san, all you have to do is ask." She was plucking the strings of his racket, holding his gaze forcibly with calm ease that he couldn't look away. "No need for cunning ploys, sweetheart. You already have my attention."

Tezuka maintained his manners. "I don't need to know who you are since you obviously don't go to our school—"

"I'm from a college somewhere, thanks for asking."

"I did no such thing. Would you kindly hand me back my racket and leave?" Tezuka fixed his gaze on her intently, trying to intimidate her but she hardly flinched.

"You must be desperate to know who is screwing with your mind, eh?" She stood up slowly, swinging the racket playfully. "You don't respond well to challenges."

"I wouldn't like to talk to you anymore. Please hand back my racket and leave."

"Iku Agano, nice to meet you." She extended the racket to him and instead of taking it immediately, Tezuka still tried to figure out what's her game. He has to so he could take the necessary precautions to avoid her in the future.

"To clear things up, Tezuka-san, I'm not stalking you for a romantic intention."

Tezuka said nothing. He lowered his gaze to the racket.

She went on. "I'm stalking you out of fascination."

Tezuka finally took the racket and repeated his demand firmly. "Please leave now, Agano-sempai."

"I'll be seeing you around."

"Don't make this difficult for you. I could report this behavior—"

"I'm teaching in the freshmen class, you see. I'm a student teacher; you might have seen the announcement on your bulletin board." The Agano girl continued with a small smile forming on her lips. Her eyes lit as she saw some slight reaction on his face. Tezuka walked passed her to open the door.

"I will forget about this and you will stay away from me." Tezuka closed the door behind him. He doesn't have time for childish play. He doesn't have time to deal with somebody as creepy as she seems to be. Tezuka aimed only for his lifetime goal and nothing should distract him from that. This is just one those trivial matters.

All in day's work.

The weekends were relatively good. After finishing his assignments early, he stayed in the library with a book he couldn't wait to read. It was an Oscar Wilde novel and he was eager to understand literature like this since he believed reading can be very essential for mental growth and he needs to strengthen every aspect of his being. Everything is all about evolution. He will devote all the time of his life to become better and stronger.

"Wilde is rumored to be a homosexual but there is admittedly strength, a daunting centrifugal force even, in his prose."

That voice. Tezuka didn't turn to acknowledge it. He kept his eyes on the paragraphs and then he turned to the next page.

"His sexual orientation bears significance to his writing. The passionate exchange of language and adoration between the Dorian Gray and his painter Basil Hallward reeks of the scent of his hedonistic tendencies—"

"I don't need a lecture from you, sempai." Tezuka kept his tone polite and firm.

"Or maybe you're simply uncomfortable about certain discussions as a Japanese adolescent. It's endearing that young boys like you are so conventionally bound. Needless to say, if you want something intellectually stimulating without homoerotic implications, then may I advise you to refrain from reading that? Although Wilde is a favorite of mine, many critics called that novel as unclean, effeminate and contaminating."

Tezuka turned his head slightly to look at her but making sure he doesn't engage further inquiry from the older girl. "Would you be everywhere from now on?"

"It's really just a coincidence that we're both here. I'm always here. You just happened to drop by." She rolled her eyes and yawned.

"I see." But he didn't. He didn't want to understand. But as far as the ironic loathing goes, he's undoubtedly curious about her. The curiosity might be a product of a strange, suffocating mindset that Tezuka should never be a prey of. He tried to keep his gaze calm as he closed the book. "If I follow your advice, what kind of book could you recommend?"

"You should never ask someone's opinion if you're not going to abide, Tezuka-san." Agano remained standing while he was sitting, looking up at her and suddenly it felt wrong to be looked like that as if he was a child who is grasping to remain stubborn. Tezuka was anxious that she managed to make him feel like that in just a matter of minutes. So he offered her a chair. He wanted them to be in the same level despite she's older. It doesn't matter. She's trying to control him and he won't let that pass.

Agano took a seat in front of him and pressed her knees together. Then she placed her hands on her lap and smiled demurely at him. Something about her manners felt like an insult. She was acting, Tezuka could tell. Judging by how self-assured her manner of speaking is, she would not sit so still and submissively.

What's her game?

"I gather you like physical activities, that much is obvious. There's fluidity in sports that can also be found in literature, Tezuka-san. It's very refreshing to see you consider reading a book once in a while."

"I do read, sempai." Tezuka prevented that from sounding defensive. He adjusted his pose and tried not to slouch in his chair since she is holding her own poise quite effectively.

"You can read Wilde all you like, just be wary of the indicative themes that novel entails." Agano tossed him a look he didn't quite get but he nodded anyway.

Tezuka didn't want this conversation to last long. He didn't want to ask her about her job as a student teacher or if reading is her utmost hobby. That would be hypocritical; it would suggest that he cared.

But he did want to know this: "Agano-sempai, why do you keep taking my racket without my permission?"

Agano shifted her gaze to a shelf behind him. Then she answered. "I don't know, Tezuka-san, there is a variety of reasons: It is fun to watch you look around for something you can never find and that something is in my hands. It's also enjoyable to touch your racket and imagine how tight you clutch the grip and how you sway your body as you hit the ball with your fullest power. I can give you a list if you want."

"Sempai," Tezuka replied, eyes focused on her face. "I could report you."

"But you won't."

"Yes, I won't. It's because you're my senior and you don't strike me as someone who is capable of danger—at least, in my observation. But this isn't good for me, what you're doing. It's a disruption and I don't think I can approve of it, sempai. You might not see it because it's my side but I hope sincerely that you will." Tezuka softened his gaze and adjusted his glasses. He exhaled a sigh of relief.

Agano was grinning at him now. "There's something about you that disrupts me as well. I'm as uncomfortable as you are. I came here because I like to teach silently and be left alone to that duty but you also don't see my side whenever I watch you play tennis. It's a sensual experience, the way you play..." she trailed, her voice softer and eyes downcast.

Tezuka's cheeks boiled at that baffling compliment and it shook him. He focused on his lap instead and then looked up again after he composed himself.

"I'm sorry for being rude then. I think we should agree on something so we wouldn't bother each other anymore." He responded, meaning it. Agano looked at him and shook her head then she extended her hand.

Tezuka instinctively extended his hand as well, anticipating a hand shake to close a deal or form a truce but it wasn't what she intended as he figured out later. Agano pressed her hand on his, their palms meeting then she closed her eyes and muttered something. This wasn't a hand shake but he had no idea what it is either. Her hand was steady against his, her fingers wrapped around his fingers and her skin feels cold. He should be asking her what she's doing but all he could is watch.

Agano opened her eyes. "Sorry. It looked like I was praying or something. I wasn't. I just needed to touch you so I can know you're real."

Tezuka's eyes narrowed, not appreciating the weird remark and certainly not going to encourage many more of it. He removed his hand slowly and held her gaze, betraying nothing in his expression. "I don't mind if you watch me during practice. It would be incredulous to forbid that. I just wanted you not to do things like taking my racket away. I couldn't play without it, you see and if you are a fan of how I play then surely you couldn't keep doing this, sempai."

"But I can talk to you when I please, Tezuka-san?"

He paused. She's not crazy but she's not absolutely sane either. This is confusing but he tried to think this over before replying. He sees no potential harm. She's a faculty member and she's reasonable enough to talk to. But there's a feeling about her he couldn't fathom and it's starting to creep its way under his skin. It's not even curiosity anymore.

"I see no problem in that, sempai. But please do it in acceptable time. I'm occupied with many things as I know you are as well." Tezuka stood up and took the book from the table. He is still going to read this because once he planned on doing something, he wants to see it through and her comments about his choice of book sounded like a challenge and he couldn't back down. It's the competitive side he developed when he played tennis that held control over his guts at this moment.

She didn't stand up and for the first time, to his relief, she's looking up at him but she didn't seem to mind the way he towered above her like that. It's unfair, Tezuka thought, when he was so conscious about it himself.

What's her game?

"I will be going now, Agano-sempai. It was a pleasure to meet you." He wished he didn't mean it but the words didn't seem empty anymore.

Agano extended her hand again and watched Tezuka as he reluctantly extended his. She took it and shook it this time. When she withdrew at the same time that he did, Tezuka bowed his head down for respect neither of them were sure of if she earned it from him yet. Then she pointed at the book tucked under his arm and shrugged her shoulders.

"Upon reading that and you still remain in your barricades then I will be disappointed with Wilde. It would seem as if he couldn't bring you out to taste liberation for a change."

Tezuka didn't care to know why she would assume things about him. She's annoying but bearable. So he answered. "Then maybe you can give me another book to do the job, sempai. Yet I don't yield easily."

"If you're as much of a stoic as you present yourself to be," Agano responded, "Then why are we to assume that you're real?"

Then she grinned wider. He knew the rhetorical tone of her question and he turned his back to leave because Tezuka, for the first time in years, didn't answer back not because he didn't care about conversations and arguments but because he's speechless and a little anxious to get away from her and that dread in the air she displayed.

--

--