Chapter Two

As he walked through the open courtyard, Taichi found himself laughing at Komano's joke. It might not have been that funny but, with the afternoon sun warming his face and the scent of wisteria heavy in the air, Taichi was simply too happy to care.

It was the final week of term and his whole class had been let out early. Apparently it was a reward for having done so well on their exams, scoring higher overall than any of the other classes. Although it was often denied by staff, it was widely known that the students in Class 1 were the best and brightest.

Well, maybe not that bright, Taichi had to admit. After all, he'd done some remarkably silly things of late. Three months ago, right after the East vs West challengers, he'd decided he was going to do his absolute best when it came to Chihaya, even going so far as to claim to the Meijin that Chihaya was his girlfriend. Taichi still wasn't quite sure what had made him to do that... Jealousy? Anger? Concern? Determination? Hope?

Whatever the reason, as he'd said the words out loud, he'd realised just how desperately he wanted them to be true. Chihaya might have her sights set so firmly on karuta that there was no room in her head for him, but Taichi wasn't going to give up on her that easily.

Karuta might be her whole world, but she was his.

Overhead, the sakura trees dipped and swayed as a sudden breeze stole through the courtyard, stirring the blossoms and sending hundreds of tiny white petals fluttering down. Some of the girls began to laugh and squeal, holding out their hands to catch the falling flakes. The sound recalled Taichi to his surroundings and, with the ghost of a smile playing about his lips, he glanced up at the windows lining the second storey. His eyes travelled along the row, stopping when he reached the middle.

There, thought Taichi. That's where class 9 would be.

Class 9. Chihaya's class.

"Hey, Mashima," a voice called out. Taichi tore his gaze from the windows and grinned as a soccer ball was kicked towards him. He trapped it with his right foot then flicked it up into the air, bouncing it off his knee. With a laugh, he let fall to the ground once more before sending it back to Nakamichi with a kick.

As he passed the ball back and forth with his classmates, Taichi's mind began to wander. He thought back to when he was a child and how, at that time, soccer had seemed the most important thing in his life. Back then, he had been determined to become a world class soccer player and a surgeon. Since starting high school, however, he hadn't even played one game. Hadn't even thought about soccer… Not since Chihaya had come back into his life in her whirlwind way, catching him up and carrying him along in her wake. Soccer was his past, but karuta was his present. Taichi had made his choice and he didn't regret it. He knew that a part of him had only agreed to help Chihaya out because he couldn't stand seeing her so upset; he'd do anything to make her happy, to help her achieve her dream…

…but it wasn't just for her. He was doing it for himself, too. Karuta had worked its way into his skin. He'd-

A sudden shout went up, startling Taichi. Shaking his head, he looked up just in time to see the soccer ball go sailing through the air. His eyes widened when he saw its' trajectory. Without thinking, Taichi dropped his bag and started running. He threw himself forward, reaching upwards just in time to snatch the ball before it smashed against the glass panelling. Taichi dropped back to the ground, stumbling slightly. Whoa, he thought. That was close! A few more seconds and we'd have been in BIG trouble!

With a grin, he looked around at his classmates, ducking his head and blushing when they started slapping him on the back and congratulating him on his amazing save. None of them wanted to face the wrath of their headmaster, and if that window had been broken…Well, it didn't bear thinking about!

Once more, Taichi found his eye drawn towards the windows of the second storey. His heart leapt when he caught Chihaya's face staring out of one of them. He smiled up at her, hoping she might wave back. That girl, he thought. She's never paying attention when she needs to be! I bet she's thinking about karuta. Probably hasn't even realised that I'm down here! Taichi hadn't noticed that the other windows in Chihaya's class were lined with faces, all female, all staring down at him in admiration. As he watched, Chihaya suddenly pulled back, returning her attention to the front of the class, where Taichi could just make out the shape of her teacher. Taichi felt his heart sinking.

She hadn't noticed him.

Turning away with a sigh, Taichi reached down for his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Every day he hoped that Chihaya would notice him; notice him the way that he noticed her. But even now, after three months of doing his best, nothing much had changed. She was still an oblivious, passionate karuta baka, and he was still just her childhood friend.

As the bell rang out, signalling an end for the day's classes, Taichi waved goodbye to his friends and hurried after Komano. He caught up to him at the courtyard's northern door. Falling into step, the pair made their way towards the karuta team's club room. Spring Break might only be five days away, but none of them were slacking off. The whole team had agreed to meet up for practices every day this week. Well, "agreed" probably wasn't quite the right word for it. "Forced by Chihaya" was a more accurate description. She was already counting down the days until this year's Queen and Meijin qualifiers. Taichi shook his head when he realised it was his turn to play against her today. The last time they'd played, he'd beaten her by two cards and Chihaya had not taken it well, immediately demanding a rematch. Today's match promised to be brutal. She'd definitely be out for revenge. Taichi sighed once more. And the afternoon started out so nicely, he thought.

Little did he know that within the next 48 hours his happiness would suffer a far more serious blow.