CHAPTER 4 – SEIGAKU'S APPLE OF THE EYE

She ran towards the tennis court where the regulars are. She came towards Momo first.

"Momo senpai," she began to talk.

Momo noticed her and looked at her closely.

"Why does this gorgeous girlwant to talk to me? Does she admires me? I am very lucky." He murmured to himself.

Momo smiled and said:

"What can I do for a pretty and cute girl like you?" "I'm so…" "What is it? Don't be shy. Just tell me straightly that you adore me and I will be very proud to have you." He said to himself again. "W-wait a minute. Did he said….a girl….a pretty…..cute…..girl….a girl! " she thought. "Oh yeah, I forgot that I am a girl now!"

She remembered that she is a girl now, that she isn't Ryoma anymore.

"What is it, cute girl?" asked Momo.

Ryoko thought of what will she say to him that will continue what she said earlier.

"Um, I am s-so, so, um, I-I , I am so," "Don't be shy." Momo encouraged her.

At last, she finally thought of what she will say.

"I am s-so, so happy, right. I am so happy to…to see you in person, sir." She tried to smile.

Momo blushed and seemed to be very happy.

"I-I am v-very delighted to m-meet you too."

Ryoko a bit unhappy upon seeing Momo's expression. She will just say good things to avoid offending him.

"No, I should be the one who's happy to meet YOU in person." Ryoko lied.

Momo blushed even more. He was very flattered and glad hearing those words from a pretty and angelic girl like Ryoko. He feels like his in heaven.

"What's your name?" Momo asked her shyly. "My name is Ryo…..ko..right…I'm Ryoko." She answered. "Cute name, a very cute name. It fits you." "Really?" she doubted. "L-let's have a handshake." Suggested Momo. "Ok." She agreed.

Momo blushed more and more. Ryoko was about to hold the hand of Momo when:

"MO-MO-SHI-RO, let's have a….woah!" Eiji saw Ryoko.

He was very amazed of her angelic beauty. His heart beats faster as he looks at her. He gaped.

"CUTE…." Eiji said. "E! Eiji hurry up and get lost! You are in a wrong timing!" yelled Momo angrily.

"Hey, hey, what's happening here?" asked Oishi.

He went closer to Eiji. Fuji, Kaidoh, Inui, Kawamura, and Tezuka also went closer to him.

"Eiji, what happened here? Eiji? Eiji?!" asked Oishi.

But Eiji did not say a single word. He didn't even paid attention to him.

"It seems that he's not in himself." Said Fuji. "Why is he gaping?"asked Kawamura.

Tezuka saw Ryoko.

"You should ask 'WHO IS HE GAPING AT?' " said Tezuka.

Everybody looked at Tezuka.

"What do you mean?" asked Inui. "He's gaping at that girl." Tezuka pointed her.

They all looked at what he pointed. They saw Ryoko. Most of them are amazed of her beauty. Fuji was not really that amazed. And Tezuka, definitely not amazed.

"She's cute." Said Inui, Oishi and Kaidoh. "Who is she?" they asked Momo.

Momo smiled proudly. He put his one arm around Ryoko's shoulders.

"Well, she's just a FAN of mine." "E!!" they shouted. "Oi, oi, don't put your arm around her shoulders!" yelled Kaidoh. "Yeah!" yelled Inui, Oishi and Eiji. "I told you, she's a fan of mine!" answered Momo.

They got angry at Momo.

"But," said Ryoko.

Everyone looked at her.

"I never said I was a fan of yours." She said calmly. "E!" Momo said shockingly.

Everyone, except Fuji, Tezuka, and Ryoko herself, laughed at Momo. He was very disappointed.

"Ryoko-chan!" Tomo called her. "Let's go back in class!"

Tomo went closer at Ryoko. She grabbed her hand and they ran out of the club.

"W-wait, what about our handshake?!" said Momo.

He looked down sadly.

"That's what happen to an overcooled guy like you." Eiji provoked him. "Shut up! It's all because of you! You appeared at a wrong time! We were about to have a handshake!" "Well I guess I appeared in a very perfect time." Said Eiji.

They fought and fought. Tezuka stopped them. He punished them both. He made them run 20 laps around the court. Ryoko and Tomo reached their classroom. They both sat down.

"Thank goodness you arrived on time." Said Sakuno. "I kept finding her almost around the campus! Where have you been, Ryoko-chan?" asked Tomo. "I-I went to the tennis club to see the regulars of Seigaku." "E!!" "You really went there?" asked Horio. "How come you knew the exact location of the tennis club?" asked Kachirou curiously.

They all stared Ryoko with curious looks.

"Gulp! Um, I- I looked…..looked…."

They came nearer at her.

"I looked…I looked at…at a bulletin, yeah, right. I looked at a bulletin where there are the exact locations of the destinations here in this school." Answered Ryoko nervously. "Oh." "Maybe she's talking about the bulletin board near the school gate." Tomo said.

Everybody nodded. Ryoko was relieved. She thought that she couldn't answer that KILLER question anymore. But, anyway, she answered it and was saved. The class started. Once again, her classmates stared at her. But she was less insecure. She thought that this will always happen to her so she should be used to it. One of her male classmate made a paper airplane. He let it flew to her. The paper airplane landed at her desk. Everybody, except the teacher, saw it. Ryoko looked for the person who threw it to her. She found out that it was Ryu who threw it to her. He signaled Ryoko to open it. She followed and opened it. Something was written on the paper airplane. She read it.

It says:

Dear Ms. Ryoko,

When I saw you at first, my heart beats faster. I wonder why is my heart like this. I s this love? I thought of this over and over again. I stared at you over and over again. I realized that, This definitely is love.

You're the peanut of my butter, You're the ice of my cream, You're the hot of my dog, You're the pop of my corn, You're the guardian of my angel I see, Cause you're everything to me.

Love, Ryu

Ryoko felt so disgusted. She crumpled the paper. Ryu saw what she did to his paper. He was now a broken hearted person. He was very lonely. He really cried hard. After few hours, the teacher announced that it is lunch time. Some of the students went out. Tomo, Sakuno, Horio, and Kachirou went closer at Ryoko.

"Let's eat our lunch together." Sakuno suggested. "It will be fun!" Tomo said.

Ryoko just nodded. They was about to eat their lunch when some boys went closer to them.

"Hey, why are you coming closer to us?" asked Horio.

Horio, Tomo, Sakuno, and Kachirou stared at those boys angrily.

"We just want to join you eating." Replied the boys. "Well, we don't need others to join us." Answered Tomo. "We're satisfied if the 5 of us eats together." Added Kachirou. "Wouldn't it be happier if we join you?" asked the boys. "We're really happy that the 5 of us will eat together. I guess if we eat with you, it will only be a mess." Sakuno answered.

The boys became angry.

"Why won't we let Ms. Ryoko to decide?" the boys said. "Deal!" agreed Tomo. "Well," Ryoko started. "I am very happy…..to eat with them rather to eat with you boys." She answered.

Tomo and her friends are very happy. The boys became disappointed.

"So what now? A deal is a deal." Boasted Horio.

The boys went away. Ryoko, Tomo, Sakuno, Horio, and Kachirou ate together. After few minutes, the lunch break has ended. The class started. After few hours, the class has ended. The pupils went home. Ryoko, and the others went outside the classroom. Horio and Kachirou bid goodbye to them and went home first.

"Aren't you going to go home?" asked Ryoko. "Of course not yet." Answered Tomo, and Sakuno. "Why?" "We won't go home unless you go home first." Said Sakuno. "We are your guardians. We won't let anyone harm you. We want to make you feel secure." Tomo said.

Ryoko was a bit touched to what they said.

"Um," she started. "What is it?" they asked. "I, I want to make friends with you both." She said.

Tomo and Sakuno smiled.

"Of course we're friends!" said Tomo. "We're friends even at first." Sakuno said.

Ryoko smiled and seemed to be happy. Tomo and Sakuno saw her smiled.

"You're so cute!" they said.

She blushed. She saw the old woman. She bid goodbye to her new friends. She went to the old woman. They both went inside the car.

"So, how's school?" the old woman asked. "It's just fine." She answered. "I guess you made some friends." "Then?" "Were you able to enjoy school?" "Mada mada dane."