Author's Note: Yay! My first story up on FanFiction. ^-^ It's not that great, but... I just wrote it for fun. LOL. And it was for my best friend, Kim, anyway! Erm... what else... what else... OH RIGHT! The Japanese translations and the disclaimer! Well, here are the Japanese translations!
-Nii-san means "brother" in Japanese. ^^
-Ryoma's quote, "Mada Mada Dane" means "No, not yet" or "Not good enough". Ryoma's favouritee quote. Haha.
-Nee-san means "sister".
-Moshi-moshi is like.. a hello or something for a call. =P
Please write a review if I missed a word! *^^*
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis in any way. However, I do own Risa, since she's my own character. Everyone else, however, is not mine, and it rightfully belongs to Takeshi Konomi-sensei. The song Risa sings, "Make You Free" is one of the openings for Prince of Tennis, and the person who sang it is Hisoca. That song isn't mine, either.
Anyway, go ahead and read! And do me a favour. . . please review?
*smiles*
"W- What do you mean, 'he's gone'?"
"Risa…" The eight Seigaku regulars stood in front of a young seventh-grader freshman, Fuji Risa, also known as "Fuji Syusuke's baby sister". Momoshiro Takeshi was the one who broke the terrible news to her; the news that the one boy she'd grown to love, was now gone. Their relationship together, shattered into many pieces, as tears flowed down Risa's cheek.
"Why… Why didn't he tell me?! Weren't we friends?!" Someone walked up to Risa, and embraced her in his arms, "We'll miss him, too, Risa… but I think this is best for Echizen…" Risa looked up, and saw Momoshiro, "He went to the U.S. Open, and I guess… he just didn't want to break your heart by telling you."
Risa broke out of his hug and turned around, looking away from the eight pair of eyes that looked at her. She wasn't the type of person to cry in front of anyone except her family; Ryoma knew that. He'd been her best friend, after all. They ate lunch together everyday; she stayed after school while he finished off tennis practice. She even came to school early in the morning, just to watch him play. To her, Ryoma was everything. She'd grown to love him. At first, they were enemies, getting on each other's nerves, but once they started to know each other, they were getting closer and closer to each other. Close enough to become an item. But now that he was gone…
"He won't be coming back, at all? When did he leave?"
"There's a high chance he'll never be coming back to Japan." Inui Sadaharu, the boy who played data tennis, said, as he pushed his glasses up, reading from his notebook. Risa became tense; the thought of Ryoma never coming back…
A hand touched Risa's shoulder, "He left two days ago, Risa. I'm sorry, Risa; I knew how important he was to you." The calm, smoothing voice obviously belonged to her brother, Fuji Syusuke. But even though he had spoken to her in his kindest tone, she was still upset and angry about the whole thing.
Tears began to roll down Risa's cheeks as she turned around, crying into her brother's arms. "Nii-san! I miss him! Why didn't he tell me?! Why?!" Risa's breathing was becoming harder, as more tears flowed down her cheeks. Fuji crouched down, hugging his sister, "Risa, don't cry. I understand how you feel."
"But Nii-san, I miss him so much… I thought- I thought we were both…" She slowed down her words, carefully thinking about her sentence. What were they? They weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, but they obviously weren't just friends either.
"Fuji," A low, monotone voice called, as the two Fuji siblings turned, and looked at Seigaku's captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, "Practice will end early today. Take your sister back home, and let her get some rest."
Oishi Syuichirou, Seigaku's "mother", picked up Fuji's tennis bag, while Kikumaru Eiji grabbed Risa's school bag. "I'm staying over at Eiji's today, and since he lives near you, Fuji… we'll help you carry your things."
"Tezuka, Oishi, Eiji," Fuji smiled, "Thank you." He got up, and put Risa on his back, "It's been a while since I've given you a ride on my back…"
Risa tried to laugh, but she couldn't speak. The weeps she'd done while she cried must've put a lot of strain on her throat. Her eyes began to close slightly, "Nii-san…?"
"Hai?"
"Did… Did Ryoma say anything about me… before he left for-?" That was all she could say. Risa's eyes closed, as her hands fell limp; her mouth was opened for air. The tired out girl was now resting on her brother's shoulder.
Fuji looked straight ahead with Oishi and Eiji beside him, "Fuji, didn't you give her the letter?" Oishi asked. Fuji shook his head, "I'll be giving it to her tonight, after she rests her eyes." Fuji's blue eyes opened, as he stared out to the setting sun, 'Risa… Echizen didn't want to leave… He wanted to…'
-------Flashback-------
"Ryoma-kun, are you okay?" Risa and Ryoma were having lunch on top of the school roof once again. Everything seemed normal, except for the fact that Ryoma was just nibbling on his lunch. He usually ate it quicker than Risa, but today, she was nearly finished, while he wasn't half done his lunch.
"Hm?" He stopped poking at his rice, and looked up at Risa; his golden eyes watching her. "You heard, right? I was requested to go to the US Open."
"No, I haven't. My brother told me about it, but I never thought you'd be going, Ryoma-kun." Of course Risa over-heard from Kachiro, Katsuo, and Horio, but she wanted Ryoma to tell her himself. "So…?"
"Well, I'm not going to America."
"Ryoma-kun!" Risa was confused with the situation. She didn't want Ryoma to go to America, but he still looked so… unsure… about his answer that, maybe, he wanted to go to America. "Why aren't you going?"
"Well… the Nationals are coming up… and well…" Ryoma's words ended, as he looked down, "Don't you think I should-"
"Ryoma!" Risa's loud voice made Ryoma quickly lift up his head, and stare at her, his eyes widened. She was standing up, looking furious. "Of course everyone will miss you, but don't let the whole National thing bug you! If you want to go to America, go! No one's going to be angry with your decision… No one's going to hold a grudge against you just because you made your choice of going to America!" She turned around, walked towards the gates, and looked out at the tennis courts. "Sure… everyone will miss you… but it's your life, Ryoma…"
"Risa…"
Risa turned around, facing him, hoping that her tears weren't visible to Ryoma, "Ryoma-kun-"
"Thank you, Risa," Ryoma stood up, and walked where she was, looking at the tennis courts, "But my decision is clear. I'm staying here, and going to the Nationals, with everyone." He packed up his lunch, grabbed his tennis bag, and left the roof, with Risa standing there.
"Ryoma…" Tears dropped down her cheeks, 'Ryoma… at least think about it…'
-------End of Flashback-------
Risa shot up from her bed, gripping the bed sheet slightly. Why did Ryoma have to leave without her? They were close friends, were they not? But apparently to Ryoma, America meant so much to him, that he'd forgotten about the girl who spent most of her time with him. Was there no hope at all? Was he never coming back, just as Inui predicted?
A sigh escaped out of Risa's mouth, as someone knocked on her door. "Risa, can I come in?"
"Huh? Oh, sure, Nii-san." The door opened, and Fuji came in, with a tray of food in his hands, "I thought you would be hungry." He placed the food on her lap, and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
"How are you doing?"
"I could be better…" She said, as she poked at her food, "So Ryoma changed his mind after all."
"He left something for you before he left." In Fuji's hands, there was an envelope with her name on it. "Read this after you're done, okay? Finish up eating, and I'll come back in and grab the tray." Fuji got up from the bed, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Risa looked at the envelope. Ryoma's writing was always neat; her name was written in cursive. So he had written her a letter instead. Was she not important enough to go and say goodbye to him in the airports?
She looked at envelope that hand her name on it, while she finished eating. Once she was done, she placed the tray down on the floor, and began to tear the envelope open. But stopped half way through. Why should she look at it? He was already gone. Disappeared out of her life forever. She opened her dresser and threw the half-opened envelope in there. No use in reading it now. The right decision would have been for Risa to throw it away, but she didn't have the guts to. This was the last connection she had with Ryoma.
Risa's cell began vibrating as it started to move, almost to the point where it was about to fall off her bed rest. She quickly caught it and looked at the Caller ID. "M- Moshi-Moshi?" Oh she wasn't in the mood to talk to Ryoma's number one fan: Osakada Tomoka. 'Course they were friends, but she was kind of annoying.
"Hey-Hey Risa! You wanna hang out?" Did she not know the news about Ryoma? "We heard you finally found out about Ryoma-sama's departure, and Kachiro, Katsuo, Horio, Sakuno, and I wanted to cheer you up! However, the other tennis regulars wanted to come, too, so it's decided! We're going-" Risa hung up on Tomoka. She knew it was rude, but she couldn't stand it. Was she the last to know everything about Ryoma?!
Risa cuddled her blanket, bringing her knees close to her chest, and laid her head on her knees. At this time, she'd be hanging out with the tennis regulars, along with Ryoma, watching a movie or doing anything. But how was she supposed to go back to her normal routine, without the one boy she cared and desired for? Of course the tennis regulars were awesome, but still, without Ryoma, there wouldn't be much fun in it. He didn't talk much, but when people ganged up on him, he always had that funny pout on.
Suddenly, Risa's door opened, and Fuji popped his head in, "Are you in the mood to hang out with a couple of the tennis members?"
"No," Risa said, as she shook her head.
"Risa, you should leave the past behind. Did you read Echizen's letter?" Fuji asked, as he sat close to her, stroking her head. Risa shook her head, "I didn't want to remember him…"
"Forgetting about him will only make things worse, Risa. The best thing for you to do now is just read what he wrote. What could hurt, right?" Fuji got up from her bed, took the tray, and left the room, but not before saying, "I'll be leaving in fifteen minutes. If you want to come, just meet me at the front doors. Oishi and Eiji will be coming shortly."
Risa looked up, and saw that her brother was gone. Maybe he was right. Forgetting about Ryoma was just going to make her more miserable, so she should just move on, right? Risa looked at her dresser, and slowly opened it. The letter was firmly placed there, just waiting for her to open it. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to…" The door bell to the house rang, as Risa was about to grab the letter.
"Risa, are you sure you don't want to come?" Fuji's voice was faint, but she could still hear it; she could also hear Eiji's whines about how she should go and have fun.
"No, I'm coming!!" Risa yelled, as she got up from her bed, and opened the door. "Please, just wait five minutes." Fuji nodded, "Sure. We're going to go sing karaoke at Nee-san's work place. Isn't it a lucky day for you?"
Risa's smile faded, "Erm… yeah…" How was it a lucky day for her? Everything was going down-hill! The tennis players didn't know Risa could sing; only her brother did, but she wanted Ryoma to be there when she sang for everyone. "I'll be out soon."
After five minutes, Risa came out of her room, looking fabulous. She was wearing a white dress that had a blue belt tied on her waist; her long, light brown hair was tied up by a blue clip. Around her wrist, there was the bracelet Ryoma had given to her just a few days ago, before he left.
-------Flashback-------
"What?"
"Well, it's going to be your birthday soon, right? I thought I'd give you your present in advance." Ryoma was turning red, while he said this, but quickly turned away so Risa didn't have to see his expression.
"Th- Thank you, Ryoma-kun. I didn't even remember it was my birthday." Risa opened the blue box that was laid on her lap. The ribbon was tied so well to the gift; she didn't even want to touch it. Once she opened it, though, she was glad that she opened it there in front of him. "Ryoma, it's beautiful!" She hugged him, "I appreciate it this a lot!" She put the sparkling blue bracelet around her wrist, twisting and turning it around her bare wrist, seeing how nice it looked on her.
"It's looks amazing on you. I'm glad you like it." Ryoma stared at Risa, as she continued to turn the bracelet on her wrist. He saddened a little, but regained his unemotional face once Risa turned her attention to him.
"Really, Ryoma, you didn't have to! It's amazing!" Risa placed the empty box in her bag, "Seriously, the box is just as nice as the bracelet!" Her face looked concerned, "You didn't spend too much money, did you?"
"No, I didn't, don't worry." Even though he was telling her he didn't, his expression looked utterly confused, which made Risa worried.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah; I'm fine," He sounded shocked about Risa's concern, but Risa didn't get a chance to ask him any more questions since their teacher just walked into the class.
"Everyone, take your seats and open your textbooks to page thirty-nine." Everyone did as they were told, but Risa continued to stare at Ryoma, as he stared into space, thinking about something.
-------End of Flashback-------
"Risa?" Oishi asked, as he stared at Risa, who continued to day-dream.
"Huh?" Risa looked at Oishi, and found that his expression seemed to be concerned, "Oh, sorry, Oishi-senpai…" She looked down and gripped her purse, "Le- Let's go." She walked down the stairs, only to be stopped by Fuji, "Are you okay?" Risa nodded her head, "Of course; why wouldn't I be?"
"You just seem upset." The foursome were out of the house, walking towards the karaoke place, "Still confused about whether or not you're going to open the letter?"
"I've decided I will open it, just later on tonight." Risa said, as she stared straight ahead at the distance. She looked at Oishi and Eiji. They were both talking to Fuji, discussing something in private. Risa shrugged; whatever they were talking about, it was probably about tennis and the Nationals. It was none of her business. However, she noticed Eiji and Oishi were dressed nicely, so was her brother! Was something going on today?
"Um…" Risa's quiet voice was barely audible, but the boys stopped their conversation, and stared at Risa, waiting for whatever she was going to say. "Exactly what's with the occasion? You guys are dressed like you're going to celebrate something."
"Well, tonight, we thought we'd dress up, nya~" Eiji was carrying something in his arm but Risa couldn't see what it was. "Glad to see you decided to dress up as well, Risa-chan!"
Risa tried to smile, but inside, she was devastated. So they were celebrating something without Ryoma when he just left? Were they just pretending like Ryoma never existed, and he never came to Seishun Gakuen at all?
"We're here."
"Already?!" Risa was shocked; it only took them fifteen minutes to get there. The place seemed small on the outside, but it was nicely decorated. The place was reserved for the rest of the night. Yumiko, Risa and Fuji's sister, must've saved it just for them.
Risa opened the door, but couldn't find anyone. She didn't know if anyone was there or not, but the lights weren't switched on. There were no sounds at all, and it didn't seem like anyone was there. However, Fuji gave Risa a little push, and the four of them walked in. "There's no one even here, Nii-"
"SURPRISE!"
Risa was shocked. Everyone was there. Most of the tennis club members were there, and all her family members were there, too. Except… a certain someone. However, Risa couldn't help but feel happy inside. Everyone had done this for her; just because it was her birthday. She cracked open a smile. "Wow… thank you…" She was amazed. There was confetti everywhere, the tables were clean, and there was even a banner hanging from the ceiling that said, "Happy Birthday, Risa!"
"Happy birthday, kiddo." Risa's dad and mom came up to her, giving her a big hug. "Happy birthday, sweetie. I know you had a rough day, but enjoy this as much as you can." Risa's mother gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"Thanks, Okaa-san, Otou-san." Risa looked at her sister, "Thank you, Nee-san."
"Aw, you know I'll do anything for my little sister. But I have a slight surprise for you," Yumiko stood to the side and showed Risa her other brother. "Yuuta, go say hello to Risa. She hasn't seen you in a really long time."
Yuuta smiled at Risa as he approached her, "Happy birthday." He crouched down, giving Risa a hug, "Happy to see your brother?" He looked up, and there was Risa, crying her heart out. She sniffled, "Of course I'm glad to see you!"
"Risa, for tonight, just enjoy yourself. We'll be opening presents later," Kawamura said, as he handed Risa a cup of tea.
"Thanks." Risa set her purse on a spot next to Tomoka and Sakuno. She was probably going to be hanging out with Horio, Katsuo, and Kachiro, as well. Possibly Momoshiro, as well, since he liked to bug the three boys. Taking a sip out of her cup, she also examined everyone's mood. They were all so… happy. How she wished she could be like them. Celebrating and playing around with each other.
"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to my family member, also known as the birthday girl, Risa!" Yumiko, Fuji, and Yuuta stood in the platform; all eyes were on Risa. Risa blinked, as Tomoka forced her to stand up. "Risa, come here!" Yumiko signalled her to come forward, which she did, with the help of her classmates pushing her.
Risa stood on the stage, her eyes wide-eyed. Even Kaidoh and Tezuka were there; mostly everyone smiled for her. "Um…" Risa looked at her siblings, covering the microphone. "What am I supposed to say?!"
"Oh, right," Fuji walked up beside her, leaning close to the microphone. "Everyone, today is a very special day because my sister here will sing for all of you." Hollers came out of the middle table, where all the freshmen were. Momoshiro and Eiji stood up from their seats, giving loud cheers, while everyone else clapped.
"Nii-san, I don't have my music here…" Risa whispered into her brother's ear. Fuji smiled, "Yumiko, Yuuta, and I will play, while you sing. You'll be fine. Just do your favourite song."
Risa looked shocked, but smiled slightly. "You know what, you're right. I will be fine." 'I don't need Ryoma here to hear me sing. He may be important, but I love singing, and these are my friends. I should sing for them…' She grabbed the mike from her brother and watched him walk to his instrument, while Yuuta and Yumiko were already getting ready.
"Are all of you ready for a song?!" Risa asked, as she pushed aside her shy side, and brought out her musical side. "Tonight, I have a special performance! This is my favourite song: Make You Free!" She turned around, and the lights dimmed. All eyes were on the Fuji siblings.
The music started to play; the notes rushing into Risa's ears as she turned around, and sang her song.
"kawaita kaze ni me wo sorasazu ni LENS wo shiboru,
neratta ashita no katachi wo ima utsushidasu yo,
hitori no yoru ni kakureteita,
sabita kizuato wo kodou no nami ni keshite.
MAKE YOU FREE kazemuki wo,
MAKE YOU FREE kaeru no sa,
SHAKE YOUR SOUL omou mama ni.
tooi asa yori mo tsuyoi hizashi tachi wo hikiyosete,
oikosu no sa samayou kinou no kage wo.
nando mo onaji michi de mayotteru ki ha suru kedo,
CURVE no tsugi no keshiki nara kono mune ni egaku yo,
RULE no ito ni ayatsurete,
suwarikomu hi ni mo mezashita sora miagete.
MAKE YOU FREE bikiyou ni,
MAKE YOU FREE sasou you ni,
SHAKE YOUR SOUL sukoshi de ii,
atsui nodo no oku kitsui yokubou dake,
oshikomete,
amai yume no togegoto sono te ni tsukamu.
kirei ni hikaru kara ryoute de kabatte,
miugoki torezuni miteta GLASS no yume nado,
kobushi de kudaite,
mata sono te de ubaeba ii.
MAKE YOU FREE itsumade mo,
MAKE YOU FREE dare yori mo,
SHAKE YOUR SOUL jiyuu dakara.
MAKE YOU FREE kazemuki wo,
MAKE YOU FREE kaeru no sa,
SHAKE YOUR SOUL omou mama ni.
MAKE YOU FREE bikiyou ni,
MAKE YOU FREE sasou you ni,
SHAKE YOUR SOUL sukoshi de ii,
atsui nodo no oku kitsui yokubou dake,
oshikomete,
amai yume no togegoto sono te ni tsukamu..."
-------
Once the song ended, Risa breathed heavily. She'd never sang that hard in her entire life, but today was the day she'd actually released herself and sang in front of a real audience. She just wished Ryoma was there to watch her. The happy, excited expression Risa had on quickly faded, as she reminded herself of Ryoma. Fuji came up beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder, "Everyone, wasn't that a great performance?"
"YEAH!" Everyone cheered, banging on tables: anything to make Risa feel accomplished and satisfied, but she just put on a fake-smile, which everyone saw through.
"It was a terrific performance." A voice said from behind the room; everyone stopped cheering and clapping, as Risa turned around, her eyes widened. 'R- Ryoma!?'
The figure stepped out. There, dressed in dark-washed jeans and a white polo, stood Echizen Ryoma. "I finally get to hear you sing." Everyone smiled slightly, as Risa started to tear up again.
"Ryoma, is that really you?"
"I told you your birthday was coming up." He walked onto the platform as the three Fuji siblings left the stage, but Fuji whispered something into Ryoma's ear before he left. He just nodded, but focused his attention on Risa, who was practically balling. "Silly. Now you're crying. Mada Mada Dane." He gave her a small smirk.
She punched his arm slightly, "Don't insult a girl like that." The two looked at each other, still on the stage.
"Hey! Echizen! Take her outside for a walk!" Momoshiro yelled; his hands close to his mouth. Eiji stood up, "Ochibi! Go for it!" Everyone cheered them on.
Risa blushed, as Ryoma stared at her, smiling, "You know, they'll continue to bug us until we head out. Would you like to walk around the block with me?" He tilted his head, waiting for an answer. Risa smiled, as she walked off the stage. Ryoma just looked confused.
Once she was close to the door, she looked at Ryoma, "Hey, aren't you the boy who's supposed to take me out for a walk?" Ryoma's grin widened, as he walked down the stage, walking out with Risa.
The team club members stared at Fuji, as he took a sip out of his tea. "Fuji-senpai, you're not going to follow them?" Fuji shook his head, "Now why would I do that? I trust Echizen."
Inui stood up, "Well, in that case…" He was soon followed by Eiji, Momoshiro, Horio, Katsuo, Kachiro, Sakuno, and Tomoka. "We'll go spy on them for you!" Eiji held up a camcorder, "I brought my camcorder, nya!" Momoshiro smirked, giving Eiji a thumbs up, "Nice job, Kikumaru-senpai!" They rushed out of the doors, slowly following the couple.
-------
"I can't believe your back." Risa and Ryoma had stopped near the docks, and looked out at the dark ocean. "I mean… I'm glad you're back… but what about the US Open?"
"I forgot about something, actually someone, when I left." Ryoma stopped staring at the ocean, and turned his attention to Risa, causing Risa to blush a bit.
Ryoma looked away from Risa and stared back into the ocean, his arms rested on the wooden railing. "I missed you a lot. I realized during the plane ride, that I couldn't play well if I didn't express my feelings towards you, Risa…"
"R- Ryoma…" Risa looked at Ryoma. His eyes were pained and sad; he was probably thinking of a way to stay in touch with Risa while in New York. "Oh!" She reached inside her purse and pulled out Ryoma's letter. "I forgot to read the letter you gave me."
"Erm…" Ryoma seemed like he was blushing, since, even though it was still dark, Risa saw a light pink on his cheeks. "Maybe you should read it when you get home… when I'm not here…"
"Don't be silly." Risa opened the envelope and read the letter. The letter said:
"Risa,
I've decided to go to the US Open, and it's all thanks to you. If you didn't tell me about making my own decisions and taking the chance to go for it, I would've never gone. But… out of everything I'll miss in Japan, I'll definitely miss you the most. I know we weren't good friends in the beginning, but we've turned out to be the best of friends… but I want us to be more than that. I don't want to be just friends. I want to be something more. Someone I can look forward to when I come back to Japan. I want that someone to be you. It may be late now, but maybe when I come back, you and I can go on… um… a date?
-Ryoma"
Risa smiled, giving a look towards Ryoma. He remained silent, staring at the ocean; his face flustered. "Ryoma, I'd love to go on a date with you."
"R- Really?" Risa nodded, leaning close to Ryoma, "Of course."
Risa leaned close to Ryoma, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But… I'm going to miss you when you go to New York…" She wasn't about to kiss him yet.
"We can call each other." Ryoma said, as he wrapped his arms around Risa's waist, leaning forward. He rested his forehead on hers and stared into her sky blue eyes. "But Ryoma, it won't be the same…" Risa said in the smallest whisper, as Ryoma stroked a piece of her hair away from her face.
"I know, but… you just have to wait a couple months… Can you wait that long?"
Risa nodded, "Yeah… I think I can…"
Ryoma stared into her eyes, "Risa, I love you." The smile Risa had on told Ryoma she felt the same, "Ryoma… I've fallen in love with you ever since we started to hang out more often… You're very special to me…" Risa smiled, before her and Ryoma leaned forward, and kissed each other.
Their kiss didn't last long, seeing as though the "camera" crew butted in. "ECHIZEN! FINALLY!" Momoshiro went in front of Ryoma's face, nearly spitting on him, "DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG WE WERE WAITING FOR?!" Katsuo, Kachiro, and Horio nodded in agreement, right behind Momoshiro.
"Ochibi! You finally kissed someone!" Eiji came in, as he held his camcorder. Risa blushed, "We- Were you guys following us?"
"RISA!!!" Tomoka went up to Risa's face, scaring her to death, "DON'T CHEAT ON RYOMA-SAMA NOW! IF YOU DO, I'LL-" Tomoka was interrupted by Sakuno, "Tomo-chan!" Sakuno turned to Risa, and gave her a warming smile, "So you and Ryoma are finally dating."
"I have perfect data on you now, Echizen, Risa." Inui came up behind the entire crew, with his scary look on. Risa blinked, "D- Does he collect data on everyone?" Ryoma nodded, "Yeah."
"Come on, lovebirds, you can kiss all you want in the restaurant. It's time to cut the cake!" Horio yelled in his loud voice, as he signalled everyone to follow him. The "camera" crew followed Horio, while Risa and Ryoma stayed at the far back.
"Sorry our first kiss was interrupted," Ryoma said, as he tried to hide his embarrassment. Risa giggled softly, "Oh, please. It's okay. I don't mind, you know… Now that I know for sure you like me the same way…"
"I'm glad you want to be something more than just friends." Ryoma said, as he slipped his hand through Risa's, and they walked back to the karaoke restaurant, together.