Shin Tennis No Hime-chan
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"No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected." —Julius Caesar
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Chapter 4: That's Not Ryuzaki
No one knew what to do. Or what to say. Or even how to react. Ryuzaki Sakuno, who had been out of their lives for four years, just sat there. And the most shocking thing of all was that she looked so... indifferent. An expression the normal Sakuno wouldn't, no, couldn't make.
"Sakuno?" Tomoka whispered, unable to utter another word. The twin braided girl looked at her long time friend and smiled. Even if it seemed genuine, Tomoka knew it was forced. There's no way, Tomoka thought, this girl could be the same Sakuno. She was the epitome of genuine.
As the silence continued, Sakuno, unwavering to the unexpected meeting, stood up and picked up her hat and bag. She held out her hand to the boy still on the ground, staring at her. "Are you going to get up anytime soon?"
No stuttering.
As she helped him up, she gave another smile to the rest of the regulars. "Well, good luck in the competition."
No blush.
Sakuno walked past Ryoma and towards her teammates who stared at the situation awkwardly.
"Your hair is still too long."
Sakuno stopped her tracks. But it didn't catch her off guard.
No clumsiness.
She turned to the boy who had his back turned to her. She picked up his hat which was still on the ground and walked it over to him. Ryoma turned and grabbed it back, immediately plopping it on his head. Sakuno stood in front of him with a wave of confidence; something the old Sakuno lacked in.
"It's fine," she started. Ryoma only looked in surprise once more. She took off her hat and tied her two braids together. As the regulars stared, she tucked away strands of her hair under the 'S' marked hat until her braids were no longer seen.
"If I hide it under here, it won't make a difference, right?"
No braids.
Sakuno turned around once again and looked at Tomoka before continuing on. "I look forward to seeing a match of yours."
Without saying goodbye, she walked towards the rest of her teammates who were further ahead and faded from their views instantly.
No Ryuzaki.
"We apologize!" yelled the two girls who fought over Sakuno.
"A-Ano! Sa-chan isn't really like that! She's just rude when it comes to a lot of people," the girl with blue cat eyes tried to say. "N-Not that she's rude to everyone! It's just that—"
"I think you're making it worse Ami-senpai," said the girl with the beauty mark. "Anyway, do you guys know Sa-chan?"
"No," Ryoma answered immediately. He grabbed the Ponta can and hit it into a nearby trashcan with his tennis racquet. The Regulars stared at him, surprised at his sudden reply.
"O-Oi! Echizen! That's Ryuzaki-chan," Momoshiro tried to say. Ryoma only turned his back at the team and headed towards the opposite way of the competition.
"I'm going to go practice."
"B-But what about Ryuzaki—"
"That's not Ryuzaki," he said bluntly and left. After his silhouette disappeared, Ami spoke up.
"Ryuzaki? Who's that?"
The Regulars stared back at her. Had they been wrong? Was that not Sakuno? Sure, she'd change her personality, but there was no doubt that it had been Sakuno that suddenly appeared in front of them. There was just no mistaking it.
Tomoka, unable to bear the situation of her best friend suddenly ignoring her, tried to speak out. "Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki Sakuno. T-That's who she is."
The two girls looked at each other in confusion.
"But her name is Sakura Sakuno," Yuki said, with a worried look. "We've always known her as Sakura."
"The pillar of support?" Inui suddenly asked. The team looked at him. It couldn't be. The girl who couldn't even hit the ball back was their pillar of support?
Ami chuckled slightly. "You could say that. She's never lost a match and she's far more skilled than some of us on the team. Ever since we've met her, it's always been that way."
"When exactly did you meet her?" Tomoka asked.
"Hm," Ami thought carefully, "I believe it was around a year and a half ago."
"Well, just for us transfer students. She's known some of the others for a longer time," added Yuki.
Before Tomoka and the Seigaku regulars could ask anymore questions, the girl with the pixie haircut called to them in a strict voice. "Yuki, Ami, it's time to do warm ups. Since you two lagged behind, you'll have to make up for it by running some laps."
"Sumiko-bucho!" they both cried as their captain dragged them off. The Seigaku members sweat dropped as the scene was somewhat familiar. Tomoka only looked at the ground.
Sakuno, what happened to you?
"Sumiko-bucho?" Yuki called to her as the team ran off to do warm ups. "I have a question."
Sumiko answered her with a short hum and continued looking at the paper that informed them about the competition.
"Who is Ryuzaki?"
The sudden question gave Sumiko a reason to lift her head up and look at the girl in surprise. "Where did you hear that?"
Shocked by the captain's uncharacteristic interest, she tried to ponder who she had just spoken to. "I think their name was Seigaku?"
Sumiko continued to look at her, now with a look of subtle worry. "Sumiko-bucho?"
"Sakuno. It was Sakuno before she came to the school."
"Ah. So then, that would be her old school," Yuki surmised.
Sumiko stood up from the bench and spoke in a serious tone. "Yuki, we can't let Seigaku beat us."
"Why?! Did they do something to Sa-chan?" Yuki almost yelled in an angry tone.
"No," she replied immediately. She looked away as if she had many things running through her head. Although their team was close knit to the point they would call themselves a family, Sumiko only knew that Sakuno would push everyone away if they had found out.
"Sakuno, that girl, has gone through many things. If Seigaku were to win, they'll be allowed to stay further in the competition. I'm sure her friends from that school cherished her just as we have. There's no doubt they'll want to pry into what happened."
"Okay," she quickly answered. "If it's for Sa-chan's sake, we'll beat them no matter what."
Sumiko smiled. Yuki only gave her a sullen look in return.
"Will she ever tell us though? We're her family!"
Sumiko gave her a look of sincerity. "She will."
She then looked to the sky. "Once she finally forgives herself."
Yuki looked to the sky as well. Sa-chan, what happened to you?
…
'If I hide it under here, it won't make a difference, right?'
Pik.
No stuttering.
Pok.
No blush.
Pik.
No clumsiness.
Pok.
No braids.
Pik.
No Ryuzaki.
Like that day she had left, Ryoma played by himself near the tennis courts. This time, however, he was not going to miss the ball. As he hit it with intense skill, the ball came back at full speed. He hit it perfectly.
Tch.
AN: I know, I know. It's been like a year since my last update but I started my first year of college and my first job after I started writing this story. I never had time to really write... even if I had this chapter for like a long time now. But anyway, I hope I'll be able to update more. There's two new stories that I've already written a couple chapters for and I'm actually really excited about them. Follow and comment if you want more of this story! I love reading the comments because it makes me feel motivated everytime I read them so please do! :)
