The One I Admire
He was sure he had been dreaming something pleasant. Well, at least that's what he was thinking, as he was more than a little annoyed as someone shook him awake. For a moment, he just rolled around, as if trying to realize where he was and what was happening. Then he slowly sat up and yawned, rubbing his eyes. His covers dropped down to his waist, revealing his white pajamas. Kikumaru wearily looked up to see who had awoken him, moaning.
"Eiji," his sister began, "if you don't hurry, you're gonna be late for school."
Kikumaru was still for a moment. Then he promptly laid back down, pulling his covers completely over himself. His sister put her hands at her hips.
"Eiji!"
Several minutes of moaning and groaning later, Eiji finally agreed to get out of bed, as if waking up to go to school was some foreign event that he didn't do every single day. He went to the bathroom first, and began washing his face. His sister made her way to the kitchen, but stopped when she passed by the open door of the bathroom.
"Is something wrong? You're whinier than usual." she asked, looking inside.
"Nee-chan, that's not nice..." he said, wiping his face with a small towel. He opened the small cabinet over the sink, gasping when he peeked inside. He immediately turned to his sister with a fearful look in his eyes. "Nee-chan! Where's my toothbrush? What did you do with it?!"
Eiji's sister sighed, putting her hands at her hips and shaking her head. "Eiji... look again."
"Huh?" Eiji stopped, looking again inside the small cabinet. He tilted his head to the side at first, still not sure what she meant. Then he opened up a wide smile as he retrieved something he had spotted. He held it in front of his face, his eyes sparkling, as he examined the still-wrapped brand-new cherry red toothbrush. After a moment, he turned and locked his sister in a tight hug, almost making them both fall to the floor.
"Domo domo nee-chan!" he said cheerfully.
His sister, having a little trouble to breathe, concentrated on getting herself out of Kikumaru's vice-like hug first. "Your old one was practically falling apart, so I got you one just like it-"
But before she could finish her sentence, Eiji was already merrily brushing his teeth. His sister sweatdropped.
"Phew, the end of another long practice..." Eiji stated. He was in the locker room getting his stuff together; the only other one still there was Echizen. "Man, Inui has been extra strict lately."
"Not really." Echizen replied as he was putting on his jacket.
"Hey, you're sweating buckets over there!" Kikumaru retorted, "Don't give me that, chibi!"
Echizen froze for a moment, but then continued to put on his jacket, ignoring the comment. He grabbed his bag and made for the door. "Eiji-senpai, you're the last one, so remember to close the door."
"You got ready quickly just so you wouldn't be the last, didn't you?" But he was gone already. Eiji sighed, "Baka chibi..."
Kikumaru finished putting his things in his bag and started to put on his Seigaku jacket. He closed his locker and picked up his bag. Slinging it over his shoulder, he headed for the door. He passed through it and started to walk away, but a few seconds later he stopped and remembered he had to lock the door. "Nya, damn, forgot..."
He turned around to start heading back and wound up running into someone. He stepped back, a little surprised, looking the person over. It was a girl that was a few centimeters shorter than him. She had bright, blue eyes and shoulder-length black hair tied back in a single ponytail. She had a Seigaku regular jacket somewhat like his, and also carried a racket bag.
"G-Gomen, senpai..." she said, shyly.
Eiji smiled at her, scratching his head. "It was my fault, don't worry about it." He pointed at her jacket. "Hey, you're in the girls' tennis club? And a regular? Wow."
The girl nodded, blushing a little. "It's... nothing special."
"Of course it is. You must be good to be a regular." Kikumaru looked thoughtful then, scratching his chin. "Actually, I don't hear much about the girls' club... We're usually so tied up in our own matches..."
"Ano... senpai," the girl started, "I... think you left the locker room door open."
"Oh yeah!" Eiji exclaimed. "I almost forgot again, heh heh. Ari." He walked over to the door and locked it. "Ok, done."
"Ano... Eiji- Kikumaru-senpai?" the girl said, staring at her own feet.
"Hmm?" Eiji walked over to her. "What's wrong?" He figured being a regular at the club would make him at least a little known around the school, but it still felt weird that she knew his name. She certainly wasn't in his class, maybe not even in his grade.
"Eeto..." As if decided, the girl raised her head, looking Eiji in the eyes. Kikumaru didn't really notice right away, but she was blushing. "May I walk with you senpai?"
"Huh? Oh, sure." Eiji smiled. And then it suddenly hit him. A girl was asking to walk with him, all shy-like. It took a moment for this to sink in. Usually Oishi or Fuji got all the fans. At first Kikumaru felt a little uncomfortable as his mind began to sketch scenarios, but then he simply shrugged and decided to not jump to conclusions. He decided to just be himself, and he found himself relaxing. It could be just an innocent little walk, after all.
They turned and started down the path, towards the school's exit. After leaving the school, they turned and began down a nearby street. For a few minutes they walked in silence, until Eiji decided to speak up.
"So, you seem to know my name," Kikumaru chuckled, smiling at the girl, "What's yours?"
"Oh! Sumimasen," the girl quickly apologized, "My name's Ryoko Aoshima. I'm in the 2nd year."
"Ah, Ryoko-chan," Eiji said, "A regular in your second year, eh? Sugoi. And you're almost as tall as me!"
"A-Arigato..." Ryoko was smiling wide, but she was blushing and had her head bowed, so Kikumaru didn't notice. He was looking straight ahead, anyway. "Ano, Kikumaru-senpai..."
"Hey, what's with all this 'Kikumaru-senpai'?" he said suddenly, "Eiji is fine."
"I... I've always admired you."
"Ah, thanks! My acrobatic play, ne?" Kikumaru laughed, "It's fun and efficient!" The girl was quiet, her head still bowed. But then Eiji became thoughtful again, rubbing his chin. 'Wait a minute,' he thought, 'what if she meant she admired me as a person, and not as a tennis player? But wait, if that were true, does that mean she thinks I'm a bad player? No, wait, that's not it... Maybe, um... Argh...' Kikumaru ruffled his hair in frustration.
"S-Senpai..." the girl spoke up.
"Hai, Ryoko?" Then Kikumaru realized Ryoko had stopped walking a few steps back. He looked back at her.
"There's a... tennis court in this park." Ryoko pointed down a path on the street they were on, leading into a tree-filled park.
"Oh, yeah, I know that court." Kikumaru replied, following her gaze to the park. "It's not really frequented that much."
"Ano, can you practice with me for a bit?"
"Hm?" Eiji didn't respond for a moment. He hadn't really been expecting that request. Well, he really didn't have anything to do, and he didn't have to get home right away, anyway. Playing a little tennis was always nice. "Sure, why not?"
"Ah, arigatou!" Ryoko said, clapping her hands together. Eiji smiled; she seemed happy.
They headed down the path. The park wasn't that big, so they reached the court fairly quickly. Like Eiji had predicted, nobody was there. They both put their bags on the ground and took out their rackets, Eiji a gray one, and Ryoko a blue one. It had an 'R' initial under the handle.
"Oh, nice racket!" Kikumaru said, to which Ryoko smiled and blushed, "Oh, Ryoko-san, I just remembered... I didn't bring any balls."
"Oh," Ryoko reached into her bag again and pulled out a few, smiling.
"Ah, nice save," Eiji started, "Umm... just a moment," he said, resting his racket on top of his bag, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick."
"Ok."
Ryoko watched him leave, and continued watching him until he was out of sight. The public bathroom of the park wasn't too far away, so he shouldn't take long, she thought.
While he went, Ryoko hit the ball up and down with her racket. She looked around, examining the park. It was actually strange that it wasn't very frequented. Maybe it was because it was small, since what it didn't lack was beauty. At least, she thought so. The trees, the grass, the flowers... It was so relaxing.
And what made it all the better was that he was here.
She looked up at the clouds in the sky, letting the ball fall to the ground. She still wasn't finding it very easy to believe that she had done all this. Ryoko had always watched Eiji from afar, but not once had she approached him. She started to wonder if it was all too sudden, if he thought it was weird. She hoped not, and didn't think so. Still, it was so-
"Seigaku?" A voice shook her from her thoughts. She looked around, spotting two boys entering the court. They were maybe about fifteen centimeters taller than her. One had short, brown hair, while the other had almost shoulder-length black hair. They wore shirts and shorts that were fit to play tennis with, and bags were slung over their shoulders. "Hey, Hori, it's a Seigaku." The brown-haired boy said to the other.
"Seigaku?" the dark-haired boy said, ponderingly. "The ones that supposedly have the best tennis players?"
"Yeah."
Hori stared at Ryoko for a moment, making her a little nervous. She looked away, turning her head to the side.
"Hey, hey, what's the matter?" Hori said, stepping towards her. "We play here all the time. It looks like you're here to play, too. Why don't you play with us?" It might have been an honest invitation in another situation, but his sly smirk and the ironic tone of his voice said otherwise. Hori grabbed her arm tightly. "What do you say?"
Ryoko looked at him suddenly, and pulled away firmly. "Let go!" She almost got loose. Hori wasn't expecting it, but he strengthened his grip and maintained it. Hori turned back to his friend. "Hey, Yozo, maybe Seigaku isn't as good as everyone says."
"Yeah, seems like it." They both started laughing out loud.
Hori, after several seconds of laughter, noticed Ryoko staring at him. "Huh?" he approximated his face to hers, grinning, "What's the matter, wanna say something?" For a moment, he thought Ryoko would, but she closed her mouth and just kept staring at him, her expression becoming more and more serious. Hori raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you got a problem?"
"Yes, I do!" came a voice from the court's entrance. The boys turned around, surprised there was someone else there. Ryoko also looked to the entrance, her eyes sparkling as she saw that it was Kikumaru. He was looking at Hori, with a serious expression that was rare for him. "You, let go of her." he commanded.
"Huh?" Hori hadn't been expecting this. He paused a moment before replying. "Another Seigaku?"
"Hey, you think you can order us around?" Yozo exclaimed suddenly, "We always play here."
"Ah, so you wanna play?" At this, Kikumaru opened up a smile and pointed at Hori. "How about a match? You two versus us two?"
They all gasped.
"Ehhh?" Ryoko looked unsure. She knew that her senpai was very skilled, but she didn't know if she would be able to help him... "Senpai, are you sure?"
Hori chuckled, letting go of Ryoko's arm. "You asked for it." He turned to Yozo. "Come on," they started heading to the other side of the court. Hori chuckled again, "Let's crush them."
Ryoko was looking down at the blue racket in her hand while Kikumaru bent down to pick up his own. Suddenly, her racket seemed much more fragile and small in her hand. She quickly found herself becoming very nervous, as doubt started to fill her. It was true that she was a Seigaku regular but... it's just a whole different level... She was so into her own thoughts that she almost jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She found herself looking into Eiji's eyes.
"Ryoko-san, daijobu." He told her, smiling comfortingly, "This should be good practice. Let's beat them, ne?"
"Oi, Seigaku-tachi!" Ryoko and Kikumaru looked at the other side of the court. Hori and Yozo already had their rackets out and were in position. "You guys can serve first." He was smiling as he said it. Obviously, he was inferring that they were giving them a handicap.
Eiji just looked at him for a moment, then opened a big smile, making a 2 with his index and middle finger. "Heh, ari!"
"Tch." That wasn't the reaction Hori had been expecting. He frowned, wondering what was wrong with Kikumaru.
Ryoko walked to stay at the front while Kikumaru took position in the back, readying his serve. Hori, who was guarding the rear, narrowed his eyes. 'Let's see how slow it's gonna be...'
Eiji threw the yellow ball in the air. It flew for a few short moments before reaching the peak of its rise, then gravity began to pull it back down. Hori kept its eyes fixed on it. He saw Eiji's racket swinging towards the ball. Then the ball disappeared. His hair ruffled a little as he felt something fly by his head and heard it hit the wall behind him.
Not exactly sure what had happened, he kept looking at Kikumaru for a moment. Kikumaru pointed his racket at him, beaming. "15 love!"
Hori's mouth opened wide. He slowly turned around, seeing the ball still near the wall behind him. 'It can't be... I didn't even see the ball.' He turned back to Eiji. 'What kind of serve is that?'
But Horio wasn't the only one that was surprised. Yozo's eyes were wide open in amazement as he looked back, and Ryoko was exclaiming, "Ace! Sugoi, senpai!"
"Ya got lucky." Hori spat out.
Eiji prepared to serve again. This time, Hori crouched down, preparing to return the serve more seriously. Kikumaru's racket hit the ball.
This time, Hori was expecting it and was able to follow the ball's trajectory. "Heh, I got it." He pulled back his arm, swinging at the ball as it hit the court and came up. However, as his racket came into contact with the ball, its unexpected force threw off his calculations, making the shot go astray. The ball stopped harmlessly at the net.
"30 love!" Eiji called out. He made a fist with his right hand and looked at it. "Hey hey, Inui's workout plan is really working!"
Hori grumbled. That kid's serve was stronger than he expected.
"Hori..." Yozo started, but Hori cut him off before he could say anything more.
"Shut up, I'll get it next time."
The ball left Kikumaru's hands. Moments later he swung his racket, sending the ball at high speed to the other court. Hori pulled back his arm, hitting a strong forehand shot. 'Yoshi, I got it.'
The ball traveled back to Kikumaru's corner. He ran to it, aiming the shot across the court at the open corner behind Yozo. "Hya!" he swung his racket, hitting the ball dead on. It whizzed straight towards the target. Hori saw where it was going and ran after it, but he couldn't reach the ball.
"40 love!"
"Hey, Hori..."
"I told you, shut up!"
Once again, Kikumaru served. Hori returned it, sending it back to Eiji. He tried hitting a deep court shot, but Yozo appeared in its path.
"Heh." He returned the shot to the opposite corner, where Kikumaru couldn't hope to reach in time. Ryoko ran after it, and was able to reach it just before it hit the ground a second time. Eiji was expecting her to lob it, since it was a difficult shot, but Ryoko was able to return it almost like it was regular shot.
Eiji didn't have time to admire that, though. Hori was approaching the net, and would reach the ball soon.
Hori cursed mentally. He had meant to end the point with his approach... But, the return wasn't that powerful. Hori hadn't been fast enough to get to the net, and Ryoko's return had made it hard for him to smash, anyway.
Kikumaru noticed then... both adversaries were close to the net. Eiji prepared himself. As the ball approached him, he brought the racket towards it, low to the ground, then pulling it up and hitting the ball high into the air.
"Volley!" Hori exclaimed to Yozo, "Get back!" They both ran back but didn't get there nearly fast enough. The ball came down hitting just inside the line.
Kikumaru made a two with his fingers again. "Moon Volley! That's one game for us!" Ryoko opened a wide smile, jogging over to Kikumaru.
Hori and Yozo grumbled as the two celebrated. "Tch, we didn't even get one point." Yozo whispered low to Hori.
"Yeah, that kid's good," Hori whispered, "I underestimated him." They both turned their heads a bit to the two at the other side of the court.
"Sugoi, senpai!" Ryoko was saying happily to Kikumaru.
"Heh heh, no biggie. But you know, your return was really good!" Kikumaru replied, smiling as well.
"Ehhh, honto ni?" Ryoko bowed, "Arigato, Kikumaru-senpai!"
"Yozo." Hori whispered to Yozo, getting his attention again.
"Hai?"
Hori's dark glare was on the unsuspecting Ryoko. He paused a moment before answering. "Let's focus on the girl. We'll break them up that way."
Yozo followed his gaze, nodding. "Hai."
"Oi, Seigaku-tachi!" Hori called out, getting Eiji and Ryoko's attention. "We're starting!"
"Ok, we're ready!" Eiji called back. He quickly winked at Ryoko, giving her a thumbs up. She looked away, blushing.
'Alright,' Horio thought, 'Let's see how they like my serve.' Horio threw the ball in the air, serving as hard as he could. But, to his frustration, Kikumaru returned it without much effort. 'Damn! Grr...' His gaze then fell upon Ryoko. He grinned, and returned the ball towards her.
Ryoko hadn't been expecting it, but returned it perfectly. This time it was Yozo that appeared, hitting her ball right back at her, though a little to the side, making her run a bit. She returned it, and once again, Hiro hit it to her side, a little farther out. Ryoko ran after it as fast as she could, succeeding in hitting the ball. However, she only managed to hit it with the rim of the racket, sending the ball to the net.
"15 love." Hori chuckled.
Eiji watched on as Hori and Yozo high-fived, both seeming more confident. 'Hmm...'
The next point began much like the first. Hori and Yozo insisted on returning the ball to Ryoko's direction, making her run left and right. She returned many of the shots skillfully, but missed some that seemed to be in reach or otherwise simple to return.
Pretty soon, Eiji and Ryoko were down 2-1, losing 40-15 in the fourth game, with Yozo to serve.
Kikumaru returned the serve very skillfully with a cross-court shot that was just on the line. Just when he thought he had gotten the point, Hori appeared, hitting a powerful backhand to the corner opposite of Kikumaru. Ryoko once again ran after it fast. When she was almost reaching it, she reached out with her racket, trying to extend her reach, but the ball passed it by a few centimeters. In trying to stop, Ryoko tripped and fell, her racket sliding on the ground.
"3-1, our lead." Hori said proudly as he began turning to high-five Yozo again.
Eiji looked at the two, narrowing his eyes. He had quickly seen their strategy. They planned to focus only on Ryoko, tiring her out and forcing her to make errors. Actually, Kikumaru knew these two weren't all that good, but Ryoko seemed to be disconcerted, which aided in their plan...
For a moment, Ryoko didn't move. Then she slowly got on her hands and knees. She was breathing heavily. She had had to run a lot the past games. Drops of sweat slid down her face, falling to the court.
She wasn't hurt, but she was a little afraid. She was scared that Kikumaru-senpai was mad at her for losing so many points. Screwing up and costing them points had been exactly her fear before the game, and now it was coming true.
Ryoko slowly lifted her head, looking over to Kikumaru. He was looking at Hori and Yozo with a serious expression on his face. 'Ohh... He must be mad at me.' She wanted to just find a hole and crawl inside of it. How could a pleasant little walk with the person she admired have turned into this? She should never have-
"Daijobu ka, Ryoko-san?" It was Kikumaru, standing over her, and he didn't seem mad at all. Ryoko looked up at him, a wave of relief washing over her as she saw he was smiling pleasantly at her.
"H-Hai." She answered, getting up and picking up her racket. She walked back to Kikumaru, bowing her head a little and averting his gaze. "Ano, Kikumaru-senpai... I'm sorry for... losing all those points. It's my fault we're losing."
There was silence for a moment. Then, without a word, Kikumaru turned around and started walking away, stopping at the baseline. 'So he really is mad at me...' Ryoko thought, her fears confirmed. But then, a few moments later...
"Ryoko-san,"
Ryoko looked at Eiji's back, but didn't reply, not really knowing what to expect.
"It seems like you're scared of screwing up. You should just let loose and play naturally, ne?" Kikumaru turned his head, looking back, smiling and winking at her. "A game's all about fun, right?"
Ryoko didn't know what to say. She thought he was mad at her, but it was clear now that he certainly wasn't, which made her so relieved and happy. She beamed, making a fist with her hand as she felt confidence returning to her.
"Hai, Kikumaru-senpai!"
"Oi oi, I told you, Eiji is fine."
"Hai, Kikumaru-senpai!"
"Eh…"
A yell came. "Seigaku!" It was Hori. "Hurry up and serve!"
"As you wish," Kikumaru replied pleasantly.
Ryoko and Eiji got into position, and Kikumaru served. The receiver was Hori, who grinned as he pulled back his arm to return the shot. 'The serve's weaker than before. This'll be an easy point.' He hit the ball as hard as he could to Ryoko's corner.
With more confidence now, Ryoko ran towards the ball, quickly reaching it and hitting a strong return shot.
'Huh?!' Again Hori wasn't expecting this. He jumped to the side, reaching his arm out as far as he could to hit the ball. Still, the ball hit the racket weakly, making the ball go high up in the air.
"No!" Yozo frowned, "Chance ball!"
In the blink of an eye, Kikumaru disappeared from the baseline and reappeared in the air, ready to hit the lob. He chuckled, looking at their adversaries' worried faces.
"Kikumaru Beam!" he shouted, hitting the ball to one of the open sides. It hit the ground with incredible force, flying up high and way out of reach.
"Heh heh," Kikumaru chuckled when he landed. "15 love." He turned back and gave a thumbs up to Ryoko, who blushed and smiled back.
'I did it.' She thought happily.
The tide quickly turned, and pretty soon the game found itself at 5-3, 40-0, with Kikumaru to serve. Hori and Yozo were both panting. Sweat was clear on their faces; they seemed to be at their limits.
"Hori, this is looking bad... They won four games in a row..."
"Shut up..."
Kikumaru served. He, along with Ryoko, had also worn themselves out. Kikumaru's serve didn't have the strength it had at the beginning of the game, anymore. As soon as he hit the ball, Eiji knew Hori would return the shot. Eiji ran towards the net.
Hori saw this. 'Approach, huh? Then how about this?' Hori lobbed the ball up and over Kikumaru, who stopped his run and could only watch it go over him. Just as Hori began to open a smile, thinking the point had been won, however, Ryoko appeared at the baseline, hitting the ball back to the other court.
'Yoshi! Time to finish this match!' Kikumaru thought. He started running to the net again.
Yozo also saw his approach. Kikumaru was running to one side, anticipating the shot based on Yozo's position and where the ball was coming from. Yozo saw this though, and hit the shot in the opposite direction, trying to throw off Kikumaru. 'There's no way he can return that. He won't be able to turn around in time.'
Kikumaru noticed his 'predicament'. He grinned at Yozo as his arm went behind his back, catching the ball that was going behind him. It went back low over the net, and jumped to the side of the court and out of Yozo's reach.
Yozo twitched. 'H-How did he...?'
"Game and match, Seigaku." Kikumaru smiled warmly to Hori and Yozo, who were dumbfounded.
"Senpai! We won! We won!" Ryoko jumped up joyfully, grabbing Kikumaru by the neck from behind and almost making him fall.
"Oi oi, that hurts, ow!"
The sound of a racket hitting the ground cut their commemoration short. They looked over at the other two; Hori had thrown his racket down in anger. "This is insane!" He started to walk towards the two with what looked like violent intent.
Hori was taller than Kikumaru, so he was a little intimidating, making Eiji a little afraid. But, Kikumaru stepped in front of Ryoko with determination, opening his arms. "Hey, we won fair and square!" But Hori wasn't listening. He jumped the net and reached Kikumaru, grabbing him by the shirt.
"Hey, calm down, Hori." Yozo took a step forward, reaching out with his hand.
"Shut up." Hori growled back at him.
"S-Senpai!" Ryoko called out, but couldn't do anything.
"Ryoko, get out of here!" Eiji commanded.
"N-No!" She responded franticly, "Of course I'm not gonna leave you!"
Kikumaru gasped. 'Ryoko...' Even in the face of danger she would stay? It's true she had said she admired him, but... So she really did like him?
"Grrrrr!" Hori growled. Kikumaru thought he heard footsteps as Hori pulled back his fist. Then he heard Ryoko exclaim something, but his focus was on Hori's fist, which started to close in on his face quickly. Kikumaru closed his eyes, expecting to feel the impact at any moment.
But it never came.
"Huh?" Kikumaru opened his eyes again, seeing that another fist was wrapped tightly around Hori's.
"I don't like people who mess with my senpais." a familiar voice said.
"Momo!" Eiji gasped. Momoshiro grabbed Hori by the shirt with both hands, pushing him back. He let go of Kikumaru, falling back on his rear. He immediately got up, red with anger, but then noticed that Momoshiro wasn't the only one that had arrived.
"Kikumaru-senpai, what kind of trouble are you getting into?" another familiar voice asked.
"Chibi!" Kikumaru patted Echizen's head (much to Echizen's frustration), then looked back, "Fuji and Oishi, too!"
"Lucky, we were just passing by..." Fuji said, eyeing Hori and Yozo suspiciously.
Hori, now clearly outnumbered, got up as quietly and he could, trying not to draw attention to himself. He and Yozo gathered their things and quickly left without saying anything.
"Phew!" Kikumaru sighed after they left, "Thanks guys. But I thought you all had gone home already."
"We... did, Eiji," Oishi said, laughing a bit, motioning to their clothes.
"Ore?" It was then that Eiji noticed that they were all wearing regular clothes, and not the Seigaku uniform. Man, had they gone and come already? How long had he been playing? "Oh, hahaha..."
"Hm?" Fuji motioned to Ryoko, who was nearby, shyly looking down at her racket. "Aren't you going to introduce us, Eiji?"
"Ah, gomen, that's Ryoko," Ryoko looked up when Kikumaru said her name, waving to everyone and blushing a little. "Ryoko-san, this is Momoshiro, Oishi, Syusuke, and Chibi!"
"Ryoma, not chi-" Echizen was cut short by Kikumaru snatching his cap and ruffling his hair. "Hey, stop that, senpai!"
"Chibi chibi!" Kikumaru laughed, keeping Echizen's cap out of his reach. Everyone laughed at the scene (except, of course, Echizen).
Eiji and Ryoko gathered their things. The six left the court, heading to the park's exit. As soon as they reached it, Ryoko stopped. The rest of the group was heading left, but her house was to the right. She called out to them to get their attention.
"What's wrong, Ryoko-san?" Kikumaru asked, "Is your house that way?" he pointed down the other direction, and Ryoko nodded. "Oh... ok." He smiled.
Ryoko looked at the other boys. She sure didn't expect it to turn out like this. First, those two at the park, and then half of the male Seigaku regulars. It would make saying goodbye to Kikumaru a little harder in front of all of them. Still, Ryoko was happy. She had spent a good time with Eiji-senpai, and that made her happy. She figured properly thanking him was the least she could do.
She stepped forward, standing in front of Kikumaru. Being too shy to look directly in his eyes, she simply kept her gaze at his chest, blushing wildly. "Ano..."
Kikumaru raised his brow, wondering what she had to say. "Hmm?"
"Kikumaru-sem... Eiji-kun," she corrected herself, "thanks for... practicing with me and all. It... means a lot to me." She bowed, then turned around and started jogging in the opposite direction. "Bye!"
"Ah, you're welcome!" Kikumaru replied quickly, but he had his doubts on whether she heard it, since she had gotten far away quick. He scratched his head. 'What a shy girl.' He thought, smiling to himself.
Then, he slowly felt something. It was his danger sense, and it was tingling. He slowly turned around, half-knowing already what was going to happen.
"Kikumaru-senpai sly!"
"Ooh! Kikumaru's got a girlfriend!"
"Oi Eiji, why didn't you tell us before?"
"Hey, maybe that's why he didn't come to the movies with everyone last week..."
"Eiji-kuuuunnnn!"
"Guys, guys, guys!" Kikumaru cried out, motioning with his hands for them to stop, "She's not my girlfriend, she just... um..." ...said she admired me, was concerned about me and what I thought about her... Hmm...
"Hey, he's thinking..."
"Yep, definitely girlfriend."
"Hey, hey, wait, I didn't even say anything!" Eiji protested.
"Senpai has good taste, she's a Seigaku regular and everything."
"Oi, chibi, be quiet!"
"Tatata, that hurts, Eiji-seennpai..."