Early Monday morning, we find our stoic buchou walking to school, reading the note he had received the Friday before. This note… I don't understand what it is trying to get across. Besides that, who could have spent the time writing something like this? I wonder… The brunette once more read over the note which had occupied his thoughts all weekend.
Tezuka-kun,
Your lips speak soft sweetness
Your touch, a cool caress
I am lost in your magic
My heart beats within your chest—
Tezuka blinked a few times as the words came to an abrupt end, as they did each and every time he'd read them so far. This… is a love letter? He pondered the words a while longer before releasing a sigh and shaking his head to clear his thoughts. It doesn't make any sense.
Tezuka neatly folded the note once more, and hid it in his brown-hued book bag. Rounding the bend in the sidewalk, he noticed Seigaku's number one rascal securing his bike into the bike rack. Ryoma yawned nearby as the taller of the two spoke enthusiastically to him.
"I still don't think you should bring me along to the street courts to confess your undying love to An-chan," the shorter said bluntly. Momo sputtered and blushed. Ryoma smirked and poked fun at the taller, "Besides, why would I want to come with you anyway? It's too troublesome. I'd rather play with Karupin."
To Echizen's surprise, Momo returned the smirk. "Say, I bet you can play that Ibu kid. That should keep you busy for a while—you owe him some grip tape, anyway, right?"
Ryoma glanced up at his senpai, realization dawning. "Shinji—from Fudoumine?"
Momo gave a goofy grin and teased, "See, you even know his name better than I do. Think you'd make a cute couple?"
I should try my best to stay out of that… Tezuka thought, assessing the situation and thinking it better not to stalk his kouhai, as Kikumaru and Inui insisted they would do once either of the two went on a 'date.'
Ryoma huffed, "Che. Mada mada dane, Senpai. I'm going to class." The prodigy walked away from the power player and crossed paths with Tezuka. Looking up, the shorter gave an, "Ah, good morning, Buchou." Tezuka offered a nod to the younger before Ryoma was off to his home room.
Upon arriving at his shoe locker, he was surprised to find yet another blue envelope sporting the words 'To Tezuka' neatly inscribed on the front in that perfect font. He looked over to see Eiji humming a jaunty tune—probably a Chocolates song—while slipping on his school shoes.
"Eiji," Tezuka raised an eyebrow in question and indicated the letter in his hand, "do you know about this?"
Eiji smiled wolfishly. "Sure do! In fact, I was entrusted to put that letter in your shoe locker." The red-head laughed, "I'm like a Cupid!"
Tezuka coughed, "Do you know who wrote it?"
"Nope!"
"How did you know you were supposed to deliver this letter to me, yourself?" Tezuka asked, slightly puzzled—not that he would let it be shown on his face, whatsoever.
"Oh." Eiji shrugged, and reached in his pocket. "Because this was on the letter."
Eiji held out a bright sticky note that read:
'Kikumaru-san, if you would: please put this in Tezuka's shoe locker for me. Thank you—you're my cupid. '
"…" Tezuka was silent, and gave the sticky note back to Eiji. That explains that, then… Eiji was popular among his classmates and the grades below him, so someone having Eiji deliver things wasn't unnatural, but…
"You really don't know who it is?" Tezuka looked up from the note to Eiji for confirmation.
"Nope—sorry, Tezuka-kun!" Eiji smiled playfully. "But it's cute, isn't it? You've got yourself an admirer who is too shy to say anything to your face," he chuckled. "Now, I have a few more letters to deliver; I'm not sure if I can find all these shoe lockers…" Eiji peered into his book bag with a dramatic sigh. Taking that as a sign he was being dismissed, Tezuka nodded a goodbye after depositing the new note in his school bag and walked off to his first class.
Oishi rounded the corner and smiled. "Nice job."
Eiji laughed and looked to his friend. "The sticky note was a nice touch; did you think of that yourself?"
Oishi proudly nodded and gave a shrug, "I figured he would ask how you knew it was for him, so I threw it in just in case he said anything."
Eiji frowned. "This handwriting is so perfect, though… I could never write like this," he murmured, analyzing the handwriting on the sticky note.
"That's why I'm rewriting the letters, not you," Oishi said with an uncharacteristic smirk.
"Oishiiiii!" The adorable pout the red-head was sporting was easily heard in Eiji's tone of voice.
Eiji glanced across the lunch table to see his best friend still immersed in different kinds of poetry books. Sighing, Eiji went back to eating his meal. What could he be doing that requires so much of his attention? The red-head wondered dismally, as Fuji had rejected all attempts at conversation.
Honey toned hair tossed back and forth as Fuji went between writing down notes with a pen on a pad of paper and looking over a few different research books.
"Ne, ne—Fujikooo… what are you doing?" Eiji tried again, desperate for his friend's attention.
"I'm simply taking notes, Eiji. It's just literature," Fuji mumbled, promptly ending the topic of conversation.
Eiji huffed. "Fujiko! You're no fun, nya!" He poked at his food for a while before getting up and throwing the bedraggled leftovers away.
Red hair was rumpled by slim fingers as their owner began to plot like never before. I need to get Tezuka and Fujiko together somehow—soon!—but at the pace Fujiko is going it'll never happen. I need to get someone on the outside to help assess the situation. I need to know what Tezuka thinks; and, by some miracle, I need to get Fuji to confess on Valentine's Day. Oishi wouldn't be too keen on the idea… I had a hard time dragging him into helping Fuji in the first place. Someone else—but who?
-Third chapter-here you go. ^^
mcangel1976- Hahahh, I would hope so. :D -Thanks. ^^
supremekikay24- Seems your wish has been fulfilled-doesn't it? Hahahh, glad you like it. ^^
yukitenshixxx- Awh! TToTT That was too sweet of you to say! XD
SayuHide-Yes, yes, I'll do my best. Hopefully-three times lucky? :D