The practice begins as usual, they warm theirselves up with 20 laps around
the courts inside the gymnasium. Sakuragi was on the front; as usual he has
those excess stamina.
"Ganbatte, Sakuragi-kun!!" Haruko who was standing beside Ayako all along as the assistant manager gave support to them by raising her voice and cheering out loud.
"Un! For Haruko-san, I'll do my best!!" And with that Sakuragi increased his speed and passed through everyone. But in the end, he ends up being too exhausted and he barely had the strength to start the real practice.
"Do'aho…" And as usual, Rukawa kept on bugging him by calling him names and taunts and Sakuragi will just never give up to fight back.
On the managers' desk, Ayako had her attention focused on Ririku who was leaning against the doorframe. Somehow, her eyes were different towards her. "Ano, Haruko-san… Who is that girl on the entrance of the gym? Why is she here? Who is she watching? Is she another one of Rukawa's fangirls?" In just a short period, she had thrown Haruko heaps of inquiries, leaving Haruko confused of which one she should answer first.
"Eto… Uh… That girl, she claims to be Ririku Carmenita. She was here because she wanted to talk to Rukawa-kun demo… I don't know why she is still here."
"Talk to Rukawa? Declaration of love?!" With the top of her lungs, she shouted out to Haruko in front of her ears deafeningly.
"Aaa… I believe not, Ayako-san… And I believe she's doesn't sound like interested in Rukawa-kun. She haven't known much of him either…" It wasn't a detailed information but Ayako had heard enough to start her logic moving.
"Not know much about Rukawa? How many years have she been hidden in the corners of the world? Man, she is really outdated." Said Ayako in a content tone. "Demo, Haruko-chan," she started. This time her voice was different. It is risen up filled with curiousity. "Don't you think it's strange for her presence here? I mean, through all the times that I've spent with Rukawa, even at the junior high, girls who started to talk to him won't last long. I mean… They'll just go home with teary eyes like that in a snap and won't come back. And now that Ririku, she's here and she seemed to be content. Have Rukawa treated her nicely? Or is she special to him?"
"I don't know too, Ayako-san… Demo, you're right about one thing. At first Rukawa-kun doesn't sound interested when I said that there's a girl who's here to see him. And then after I mentioned her name, he quickly left me and headed outside to see her. Doesn't that sound suspicious, Ayako-san??!"
"Ara… It does… Maa, maybe she is Rukawa's first love… Who knows?"
"Don't say that, Ayako-san!!!!!" Her eyes went teary and her lips pouted.
"E? Oh! Gomen, gomen, Haruko-chan!!! I completely forget that you have a major crush on Rukawa-kun!! Heehehehe!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She asked for forgiveness towards Haruko but with the sound of no intentions of doing it. However, that doesn't stop Haruko from concerning about it. In fact, it made her increase her worries deep inside her thoughts.
'Could it be true???' Haruko kept questioning herself, losing herself from reality, drowning in her own thoughts.
"Maa, don't worry, Haruko-chan… Actually, that girl isn't Rukawa's crush, well, at least his feelings towards her haven't grown much yet… Well, he's related to Rukawa-kun because… Ano, have you heard about the current issue?" Youhei tried to soothe her out of her own desperations.
"Issue? Huh? Which one, Youhei-kun?" As usual, she was the very latest about catching gossips since her brain itself is lagging.
"About Rukawa-kun's suspension?? Oh!" Haruko paused to gasp.
"Yes yes, Haruko-chan…"
"Sou ka? Akihara-san ka? She looks so young…"
Boink. There were one huge bead of sweatdrop on each of the Sakuragi Gundan's head.
"Aa... I'm not talking about Akihara-sensei, Haruko-chan…"
"Sou ka? Oh! I got it!!" Haruko clapped her hands together and held it tight before her chest.
The gundan wiped off the sweats off their foreheads. "Finally you got the idea, Haruko-chan…"
"Masaka," the words escape her lips as she was pondering to herself. "That couldn't be! I mean… aren't the principal supposed to be a male?"
The four boys fell flatheaded onto the floor. How come she were thinking so blunt? Can't she at least use her logic to think? "Well, Haruko-chan… She's not Akihara-sensei and she's not the headmaster… Remember about that vulgar girl we told you about? The one who got herself suspended along with Rukawa- kun? Ya know, the one who blasphemes a lot?"
"Oh… that girl… Oh! *gasps* Could she be..?!"
"Yeah, and that's what we're tryin' to tell you all along!!"
"Sou ka?"
Thwack! A fan paper landed on Haruko and Youhei's head. As usual, it was Ayako's secret legendary weapon that she had used from the very beginning of her manager-ing career in junior highschool. "Haruko-chan… I know you're interested a lot in Rukawa. Demo, you're not doing anything to help me. Start focusing on the game and help me with the scoring, will ya?"
Haruko bowed down in apology as she run her hands through her head, right on the spot where she was hit. It ached a lot and it's feeling hot right now. "Suman, Ayako-saaan…"
***
Finally today's hard practice had ended. Everybody went outside to heave down fresh air into their lungs as they stretch their weariness out of their muscle. Rukawa was busy undressing himself out of his sweat-soaked clothes and drying himself with his towel on the corner of the gym.
"Chi, Teme, Kitsune Otoko. I know you have those fully-built packs but don't show it off, okay? It's making me sick!" Sakuragi tried to pick up a fight on him by throwing off comments and rude remarks towards him.
"Who says that you are interested? I'm sure you're not a fag, aren't you? Get lost if you don't like the view, Do'aho…"
"TEME!!" Sakuragi crumpled his fist and his veins started top pop on his head. Just one derisive word from Rukawa's mouth could drive him angry, even though sometimes he himself caused the trouble. "Aah," Sakuragi turned to look at Ririku's figure on the doorway, "trying to impress that cute girl, huh?"
"Cute?! What do you mean? She's a monster and she cusses a lot…"
"Hmmm," rejoined the redhead self-proclaimed genius as he rub his chin with his fingers, "never knew Rukawa has that kind of peculiar type of girl…"
"Urusai, Do'aho…" He had enough of playing along with Sakuragi's nonesense talk. He wanted to end it soon so that he could regain his own freedom.
Slowly he chuckled and then sharpened his eyes. He stole glances between Rukawa and Ririku, back and forth. "Rukawa's turning reeed…!!"
"Says who?"
"Say me!"
"Chi… Idiot crap."
"Say what?!"
"Do'aho!"
"Teme, Kitsune….!!"
"Will you two stop? Oi Iceman… Shouldn't we get straight going? I mean, it's getting late and I have more important things to do…" Ririku's patience were getting shorter. In fact, without their knowing, she approached them and started hollering in front of Rukawa and Sakuragi's face. The entire gym become so silent in all of a sudden. Their attention were now turned towards Ririku now who was standing between the two tall lads. "Oi we better get going…" She yanked the edge of his clean shirt, instructing him to leave immediately.
"Wait a minute, Kitsune… Just where are you going? I'm not done with you!"
"I'm through with you, Do'aho…" Rukawa simply raised his hand as he turned his back against Sakuragi to head straight home with Ririku beside him. "Ja na, minna… won't be seeing y'all for a while…"
"Wait a second, you haven't answer my question, Kitsune Otoko!!! Where are you going early like this?!" Sakuragi insisted his question to be answered.
"…I'm going home…" He placed his burden (his bag) on his right shoulder and started to walk off without looking back at the members of the club. "Ja na… Minna…"
All of the members watched them leave the gym. They pouted to themselves as the air were dense than nothing but silence. They won't be seeing them anymore for another 15 days, or 3 weeks of school.
***
"Mou… are we here yet?" Ririku sighed impatiently. It's such a long walk from the school. She thought he said that his house were close to Shohoku. And now she's been walking for about 4 miles and they're not even close to it yet.
"Stop complaining. I thought you were the one who said that you wanna go to my house." He himself was being edgy for himself has to walk with her all the way through other than riding on his fave red bike.
She kept grunting to herself as she crossed her arms. "Can't you at least give me a ride? I mean… It'll make it easy…"
Rukawa arched his brow as he stared through his back towards her. "A ride? No."
"Why?!"
"Look at yourself… You looked heavy…"
A vein popped out on her forehead. How could he say such things? She was armed to explode now; any moment from now. In her mind Rukawa is a horrid male. He didn't know some manners and he's so boring, he barely talks. She couldn't imagine how she'll work out with him on the project that the principle had handed her, it'll be a bizarre. "Forget about this! I'm going home!!"
Surprised at her reactions, Rukawa stopped walking and looked at her from the corner of his sharp eyes. "What? How come?"
"Geez! And you don't even know why?!" Ririku shrieked out on top of her lungs on the vacant, narrow path that they're walking on. "You're a lamer, ya know that?! Listen, I'll give you days for you to work on your disgusting behavior, and I won't do a damn thing about our project until you've learned something!!!" She stomped her black, polished shoes to the asphalt and started stride away. Rukawa's still somehow confused about what's going on.
Ririku's alone in the dark streets of the night. She somehow felt so bad, she felt like crying. However, she didn't want to spill her tears just now, though. Biting her lips, she tried to pull it back so that it won't roll down her cheeks. Somehow this road is feeling so cold. Nobody was there, and any kind of person with bad intentions towards her could be standing there, ready to jump on her. In some way she regretted to leave Rukawa just like that. How she wished that he would be here around somewhere. "Oi."
Just like that in a snap, her wish came true. Rukawa Kaede, on his red bike, approached him slowly. He's still in his uniforms. "Rukawa?" Ririku asked softly, her eyes turning red and teary.
"Hey, I don't know what happened but… Are you sure you wanna go home?"
What? He came all the way here just to ask her that foolish question? Engulfed by her embarassment; afraid that Rukawa would see her tears run down any moment, she didn't think much for an answer and started yelling. "What do you think?! Hell yeah, sure I am!!!!!"
For a moment, there were no replies. They both stood there, staring into each other's eyes. Rukawa's face gave no expression. He then finally shrugged and then cycled to her side. "Oh well, my house's just about half a mile away, though. But if you really wanna go home, here," he tapped the unoccupied seat behind him, "I'll take you home. It's dark and you won't know what'll happen if you're walking alone 'round here."
How imprudent she was. He came here with all good intentions and yet she was being too careless and started screeching out towards him, spitting all those painful words. She hadn't realized until now that he was being patient to her. He could've just sit on his bike and paddled away, leaving her right there on the spot when she was griping about most of the things. He could've shout back such piercing things at her, just like the way she did to him. But he didn't, he held it all back. And now he's here, offering her to take her home, caring enough about her own safety.
Ririku honed her eyes and then fell onto her knees and calf. She started to snuffle to herself. She hid her face away from Rukawa's; burying it in her palms, mortified by her own teardrops. "Oi? Oi!" He rushed to approach Ririku and knelt down beside her. "Stop that…" From his bag that was dangled onto his right shoulder all the while, he pulled out a white, clean towel and offered her. Seeing that she didn't try to accept it onto her own fingers, he quickly snatched her small hands away from her wet face and smudged the dampness from her face with his own effort. "I don't know what went wrong but… If it is something I said, I'm sorry."
She almost chocked in astonishment. She stopped wailing for a while and remained tense. She didn't know what she should say right now. "Hora… Can you stand up now?" He placed his gentle fingers on her arms and helped her to regain her balance on her toes. He erected his bike and then fixed his bag that was hung on his arms. "Oi… Come on." Obeying him, she slowly sat on the empty seat and then slid her arms around Rukawa's waist. Her left hand were still holding the towel that had been used to wipe off her tears.
"Suman," she started softly, "I'm sorry… I don't mean to say such cruel things…"
"Huh? What cruel things?"
"Nevermind," Ririku leaned her cheek upon his broad back and smiled to herself. She felt good after she had asked for forgiveness. It feels like her heart was now open and free.
"…?"
"Oi, Rukawa? Do you have cocoas in your house?" Her intonations were different from before. This time it's more lively and more merry. Rukawa himself was perplexed. Is that how girls are? How come they can change drastically in such a short period of time?
"Sure…" He answered simply as his attention was focus on the paths.
"Alrighty. Let's go. It's close from here, aren't it?"
"…Sort of…" Then something rang the bell in his head. "Hey, I thought you wanna go straight home."
"Nope. I changed my mind." She tightened her arms that were wrapping his abs. "Arigato, Rukawa-kun…"
Rukawa continued to strike the rubber-layered paddles of his bicycle and headed towards home in confusion. 'How come girls are so complicated?'
a.n : hee hee… I should've make Ririku sing mandy moore's walk me home. Hee hee… baby would u walk me homeee? I dun wanna go all the way alonee… *walks of singing*
"Ganbatte, Sakuragi-kun!!" Haruko who was standing beside Ayako all along as the assistant manager gave support to them by raising her voice and cheering out loud.
"Un! For Haruko-san, I'll do my best!!" And with that Sakuragi increased his speed and passed through everyone. But in the end, he ends up being too exhausted and he barely had the strength to start the real practice.
"Do'aho…" And as usual, Rukawa kept on bugging him by calling him names and taunts and Sakuragi will just never give up to fight back.
On the managers' desk, Ayako had her attention focused on Ririku who was leaning against the doorframe. Somehow, her eyes were different towards her. "Ano, Haruko-san… Who is that girl on the entrance of the gym? Why is she here? Who is she watching? Is she another one of Rukawa's fangirls?" In just a short period, she had thrown Haruko heaps of inquiries, leaving Haruko confused of which one she should answer first.
"Eto… Uh… That girl, she claims to be Ririku Carmenita. She was here because she wanted to talk to Rukawa-kun demo… I don't know why she is still here."
"Talk to Rukawa? Declaration of love?!" With the top of her lungs, she shouted out to Haruko in front of her ears deafeningly.
"Aaa… I believe not, Ayako-san… And I believe she's doesn't sound like interested in Rukawa-kun. She haven't known much of him either…" It wasn't a detailed information but Ayako had heard enough to start her logic moving.
"Not know much about Rukawa? How many years have she been hidden in the corners of the world? Man, she is really outdated." Said Ayako in a content tone. "Demo, Haruko-chan," she started. This time her voice was different. It is risen up filled with curiousity. "Don't you think it's strange for her presence here? I mean, through all the times that I've spent with Rukawa, even at the junior high, girls who started to talk to him won't last long. I mean… They'll just go home with teary eyes like that in a snap and won't come back. And now that Ririku, she's here and she seemed to be content. Have Rukawa treated her nicely? Or is she special to him?"
"I don't know too, Ayako-san… Demo, you're right about one thing. At first Rukawa-kun doesn't sound interested when I said that there's a girl who's here to see him. And then after I mentioned her name, he quickly left me and headed outside to see her. Doesn't that sound suspicious, Ayako-san??!"
"Ara… It does… Maa, maybe she is Rukawa's first love… Who knows?"
"Don't say that, Ayako-san!!!!!" Her eyes went teary and her lips pouted.
"E? Oh! Gomen, gomen, Haruko-chan!!! I completely forget that you have a major crush on Rukawa-kun!! Heehehehe!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She asked for forgiveness towards Haruko but with the sound of no intentions of doing it. However, that doesn't stop Haruko from concerning about it. In fact, it made her increase her worries deep inside her thoughts.
'Could it be true???' Haruko kept questioning herself, losing herself from reality, drowning in her own thoughts.
"Maa, don't worry, Haruko-chan… Actually, that girl isn't Rukawa's crush, well, at least his feelings towards her haven't grown much yet… Well, he's related to Rukawa-kun because… Ano, have you heard about the current issue?" Youhei tried to soothe her out of her own desperations.
"Issue? Huh? Which one, Youhei-kun?" As usual, she was the very latest about catching gossips since her brain itself is lagging.
"About Rukawa-kun's suspension?? Oh!" Haruko paused to gasp.
"Yes yes, Haruko-chan…"
"Sou ka? Akihara-san ka? She looks so young…"
Boink. There were one huge bead of sweatdrop on each of the Sakuragi Gundan's head.
"Aa... I'm not talking about Akihara-sensei, Haruko-chan…"
"Sou ka? Oh! I got it!!" Haruko clapped her hands together and held it tight before her chest.
The gundan wiped off the sweats off their foreheads. "Finally you got the idea, Haruko-chan…"
"Masaka," the words escape her lips as she was pondering to herself. "That couldn't be! I mean… aren't the principal supposed to be a male?"
The four boys fell flatheaded onto the floor. How come she were thinking so blunt? Can't she at least use her logic to think? "Well, Haruko-chan… She's not Akihara-sensei and she's not the headmaster… Remember about that vulgar girl we told you about? The one who got herself suspended along with Rukawa- kun? Ya know, the one who blasphemes a lot?"
"Oh… that girl… Oh! *gasps* Could she be..?!"
"Yeah, and that's what we're tryin' to tell you all along!!"
"Sou ka?"
Thwack! A fan paper landed on Haruko and Youhei's head. As usual, it was Ayako's secret legendary weapon that she had used from the very beginning of her manager-ing career in junior highschool. "Haruko-chan… I know you're interested a lot in Rukawa. Demo, you're not doing anything to help me. Start focusing on the game and help me with the scoring, will ya?"
Haruko bowed down in apology as she run her hands through her head, right on the spot where she was hit. It ached a lot and it's feeling hot right now. "Suman, Ayako-saaan…"
***
Finally today's hard practice had ended. Everybody went outside to heave down fresh air into their lungs as they stretch their weariness out of their muscle. Rukawa was busy undressing himself out of his sweat-soaked clothes and drying himself with his towel on the corner of the gym.
"Chi, Teme, Kitsune Otoko. I know you have those fully-built packs but don't show it off, okay? It's making me sick!" Sakuragi tried to pick up a fight on him by throwing off comments and rude remarks towards him.
"Who says that you are interested? I'm sure you're not a fag, aren't you? Get lost if you don't like the view, Do'aho…"
"TEME!!" Sakuragi crumpled his fist and his veins started top pop on his head. Just one derisive word from Rukawa's mouth could drive him angry, even though sometimes he himself caused the trouble. "Aah," Sakuragi turned to look at Ririku's figure on the doorway, "trying to impress that cute girl, huh?"
"Cute?! What do you mean? She's a monster and she cusses a lot…"
"Hmmm," rejoined the redhead self-proclaimed genius as he rub his chin with his fingers, "never knew Rukawa has that kind of peculiar type of girl…"
"Urusai, Do'aho…" He had enough of playing along with Sakuragi's nonesense talk. He wanted to end it soon so that he could regain his own freedom.
Slowly he chuckled and then sharpened his eyes. He stole glances between Rukawa and Ririku, back and forth. "Rukawa's turning reeed…!!"
"Says who?"
"Say me!"
"Chi… Idiot crap."
"Say what?!"
"Do'aho!"
"Teme, Kitsune….!!"
"Will you two stop? Oi Iceman… Shouldn't we get straight going? I mean, it's getting late and I have more important things to do…" Ririku's patience were getting shorter. In fact, without their knowing, she approached them and started hollering in front of Rukawa and Sakuragi's face. The entire gym become so silent in all of a sudden. Their attention were now turned towards Ririku now who was standing between the two tall lads. "Oi we better get going…" She yanked the edge of his clean shirt, instructing him to leave immediately.
"Wait a minute, Kitsune… Just where are you going? I'm not done with you!"
"I'm through with you, Do'aho…" Rukawa simply raised his hand as he turned his back against Sakuragi to head straight home with Ririku beside him. "Ja na, minna… won't be seeing y'all for a while…"
"Wait a second, you haven't answer my question, Kitsune Otoko!!! Where are you going early like this?!" Sakuragi insisted his question to be answered.
"…I'm going home…" He placed his burden (his bag) on his right shoulder and started to walk off without looking back at the members of the club. "Ja na… Minna…"
All of the members watched them leave the gym. They pouted to themselves as the air were dense than nothing but silence. They won't be seeing them anymore for another 15 days, or 3 weeks of school.
***
"Mou… are we here yet?" Ririku sighed impatiently. It's such a long walk from the school. She thought he said that his house were close to Shohoku. And now she's been walking for about 4 miles and they're not even close to it yet.
"Stop complaining. I thought you were the one who said that you wanna go to my house." He himself was being edgy for himself has to walk with her all the way through other than riding on his fave red bike.
She kept grunting to herself as she crossed her arms. "Can't you at least give me a ride? I mean… It'll make it easy…"
Rukawa arched his brow as he stared through his back towards her. "A ride? No."
"Why?!"
"Look at yourself… You looked heavy…"
A vein popped out on her forehead. How could he say such things? She was armed to explode now; any moment from now. In her mind Rukawa is a horrid male. He didn't know some manners and he's so boring, he barely talks. She couldn't imagine how she'll work out with him on the project that the principle had handed her, it'll be a bizarre. "Forget about this! I'm going home!!"
Surprised at her reactions, Rukawa stopped walking and looked at her from the corner of his sharp eyes. "What? How come?"
"Geez! And you don't even know why?!" Ririku shrieked out on top of her lungs on the vacant, narrow path that they're walking on. "You're a lamer, ya know that?! Listen, I'll give you days for you to work on your disgusting behavior, and I won't do a damn thing about our project until you've learned something!!!" She stomped her black, polished shoes to the asphalt and started stride away. Rukawa's still somehow confused about what's going on.
Ririku's alone in the dark streets of the night. She somehow felt so bad, she felt like crying. However, she didn't want to spill her tears just now, though. Biting her lips, she tried to pull it back so that it won't roll down her cheeks. Somehow this road is feeling so cold. Nobody was there, and any kind of person with bad intentions towards her could be standing there, ready to jump on her. In some way she regretted to leave Rukawa just like that. How she wished that he would be here around somewhere. "Oi."
Just like that in a snap, her wish came true. Rukawa Kaede, on his red bike, approached him slowly. He's still in his uniforms. "Rukawa?" Ririku asked softly, her eyes turning red and teary.
"Hey, I don't know what happened but… Are you sure you wanna go home?"
What? He came all the way here just to ask her that foolish question? Engulfed by her embarassment; afraid that Rukawa would see her tears run down any moment, she didn't think much for an answer and started yelling. "What do you think?! Hell yeah, sure I am!!!!!"
For a moment, there were no replies. They both stood there, staring into each other's eyes. Rukawa's face gave no expression. He then finally shrugged and then cycled to her side. "Oh well, my house's just about half a mile away, though. But if you really wanna go home, here," he tapped the unoccupied seat behind him, "I'll take you home. It's dark and you won't know what'll happen if you're walking alone 'round here."
How imprudent she was. He came here with all good intentions and yet she was being too careless and started screeching out towards him, spitting all those painful words. She hadn't realized until now that he was being patient to her. He could've just sit on his bike and paddled away, leaving her right there on the spot when she was griping about most of the things. He could've shout back such piercing things at her, just like the way she did to him. But he didn't, he held it all back. And now he's here, offering her to take her home, caring enough about her own safety.
Ririku honed her eyes and then fell onto her knees and calf. She started to snuffle to herself. She hid her face away from Rukawa's; burying it in her palms, mortified by her own teardrops. "Oi? Oi!" He rushed to approach Ririku and knelt down beside her. "Stop that…" From his bag that was dangled onto his right shoulder all the while, he pulled out a white, clean towel and offered her. Seeing that she didn't try to accept it onto her own fingers, he quickly snatched her small hands away from her wet face and smudged the dampness from her face with his own effort. "I don't know what went wrong but… If it is something I said, I'm sorry."
She almost chocked in astonishment. She stopped wailing for a while and remained tense. She didn't know what she should say right now. "Hora… Can you stand up now?" He placed his gentle fingers on her arms and helped her to regain her balance on her toes. He erected his bike and then fixed his bag that was hung on his arms. "Oi… Come on." Obeying him, she slowly sat on the empty seat and then slid her arms around Rukawa's waist. Her left hand were still holding the towel that had been used to wipe off her tears.
"Suman," she started softly, "I'm sorry… I don't mean to say such cruel things…"
"Huh? What cruel things?"
"Nevermind," Ririku leaned her cheek upon his broad back and smiled to herself. She felt good after she had asked for forgiveness. It feels like her heart was now open and free.
"…?"
"Oi, Rukawa? Do you have cocoas in your house?" Her intonations were different from before. This time it's more lively and more merry. Rukawa himself was perplexed. Is that how girls are? How come they can change drastically in such a short period of time?
"Sure…" He answered simply as his attention was focus on the paths.
"Alrighty. Let's go. It's close from here, aren't it?"
"…Sort of…" Then something rang the bell in his head. "Hey, I thought you wanna go straight home."
"Nope. I changed my mind." She tightened her arms that were wrapping his abs. "Arigato, Rukawa-kun…"
Rukawa continued to strike the rubber-layered paddles of his bicycle and headed towards home in confusion. 'How come girls are so complicated?'
a.n : hee hee… I should've make Ririku sing mandy moore's walk me home. Hee hee… baby would u walk me homeee? I dun wanna go all the way alonee… *walks of singing*
