Life is Full of Surprises
Chapter 12 : The First Task! Acrobatic player VS the Newcomer
I was really excited playing with Ochibi's younger sister; I kept jumping up and down warming up myself up, getting ready. I could say I feel like as happy as a lad. But suddenly, a hand patted my back, I jolted.
"Nya~! Ochibi-chan, stop scaring me every time when I'm happy! You really freak me out for some reasons, by doing that."
Ryoma didn't hear what I've said, I guess… He kept looking at his twin checking her shoelaces, and her racket strings. He finally opened his mouth.
"Eiji-sempai, please don't make any funny stuffs on the court." He pleaded, and walked to where his twin was standing and whispered some words, which I cannot hear from a distance from there.
TWEEEEEEEET TWEEEEEEEEEET!!
Ryuuzaki-sensei blew the whistle and shouted, "Okay! Kikumaru, Ryona! Go to the last court NOW!!"
"Hai!" Both of us replied her, and ran towards the last court.
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In the courts…
Lot of people gathers around outside the fence of the last court, watching eagerly. Some of my fangirls screamed and cheered, you could say outside of my face is happy waving back at them, and then I will tell you it's wrong. My inner self kept begging them 'Stop it! It's driving me crazy!' of course, if I shout out it will break their heart. You don't want them chasing you at the first thing in the morning, fishing you out for some reasons.
Well… back to the story.
We both walked up to the net and shook hands, I could see her smiling at me saying, "Hi, Nice to meet you! Kikumaru-sempai."
I blushed seeing a girl version of Ochibi-chan, could smile so bright. I immediately snapped out of my perverted minds. I chuckle lightly and said, "Hoi! Don't call me Kikumaru-sempai! Call me Eiji, okay?"
"Haha…" she giggled, "Eiji-kun, you sure are a funny acrobatic player. Let's have a good match." Her hand let go of mine and took her serving posture at the end of the baseline.
'How in the world did she know I'm an acrobatic player?!' My mind twirled inside my brain, trying to get the idea, 'No one didn't have time to tell her who am I?! We didn't even introduce our self! Did she…' my head turned towards to Ryoma.
Ryoma seems to read my mind; he shook his head saying 'No it's not me. Focus on the game, Eiji-sempai.' I felt my mind been cleared and cheer up. I take a receiving posture on the right hand side of the court.
Ryuuzaki-sensei announced, "Kikumaru vs. Echizen. One set match, Echizen to serve!"
Ryona bounced the ball and threw up into the air. Her body also jumped up and hit.
The ball came wheezed pass me, spinning between my legs, shot up to my face. Luckily, my reflexes were flexible, I manage to avoid it.
"Oooo… Isn't it the twist serve?! And it's similar to Ryoma's!" A freshman shouted out.
'True, and it's been polished.' I thought to myself. 'And she's testing me! Smart girl, like her twin.' I smiled.
"15- love!"
Hit. I returned. She ran up to the net, hitting a drop shot. I pounced up, supporting my body with one hand, and hit. She caught the ball, hitting it to the other side. I turned my upper waist, my hand still supporting, manage to hit a lob. But she jump up, smash!
WHAM!
There was silence, instead the ball on my side, it stays on the baseline on Ryona's court. Mark.
"15-all!"
"Oh! Kikumaru-sempai used his acrobatic skills!" someone shouted out. "So cool!"
"But didn't the newcomer use Momoshiro's Dunk Smash?" Another asked.
"Who cares?! Just watch the game quietly, please."
I was puzzled, thinking did I just saw her smash? Why it didn't go to my court? But I pushed aside waiting for the next ball. She serves a normal one.
Hit. Run… left. Right. Lob. Smash. Return…. Mark.
"15-30!"
"Kikumaru beam!" I shouted after landed on the ground. "So Ryona-chan, how is it?"
I waited for a reply, but she didn't. She dug out a ball, bouncing it, and said,
"You're going down cat boy." Chill went down to my bones; I got a bad feeling about it.
She served.
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After about fifteen minutes…
Now I'm panting really heavy, sweat tickle down to my chin, dripping down to the ground. I bet Ryona is tired. But she still can catch up to my speed, copying my acrobatic tricks, yet she didn't see all of my tricks. I grinned.
I took out a ball from my pocket and served with all my might and rushed to the court, using my split move. A clone soon appeared by my side. Ryona returned it, she also ran to the front, instead of running she slide.
My clone hit a drop shot but it didn't notice that Ryona was down there ready to jump. The ball went up to the air; I make a fluke by purposely miss the ball letting my clone to hit a rally.
Again, Ryona appear from nowhere and smash down immediately. I was shocked 'since when did she stayed there?!'
"Game! Echizen 3 games to 2!"
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"Woah! What was that?!" I acted innocent questioning her. "Hey Ryona-chan! Show us some of your real tricks! Don't keep copying mine, your nickname would be 'copy cat' in the near future!"
She kept quiet, waiting for me to serve. I could see her mouth moving, muttering some words. I shook out my mind threw up the ball and serve.
The ball flew…
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"Game and set! Echizen 6 games to 5!" the referee called. Cheers came around the court. We both shook hands and walked back to the benches to get refresh.
"Kikumaru-sempai, you were so cool back there!"
"That was a great game! Eiji-sempai!"
"Thank you, thank you. It was nothing in the end. I still lost anyway." I told the excited freshmen. The freshmen talked to me for a while and retreated to clear the courts.
A towel suddenly slap at my face, I quickly pulled down and saw a bottle of cold water appear in front of me.
"Ryona-chan?"
"Yo. The drink is for you. My treat." She said. "And I wanted to tell you that it was a good game just now." I hugged her, smiling.
"You didn't go all of your might is it? Let play again next time. OK?" there was no response. "Ryona-chan?"
She struggling madly from my bear hug (I didn't feel any strength from me, must be natural). I let go of her. She was gasping for air.
"What with that kind of hug?! Hugging to death?!" she wailed, trying to inhaled some fresh air.
"Ah! Gomen. Gomen. Ochibi's imoto-chan." I apologized. A group of my friends came by.
They seem quite impressed upon to Ryona-chan, especially Fuji, our Tensai of our team. They kept asking questions about her, Inui who is standing beside me, scribbling madly in his precious green notebook, his glasses were glinting, which gave me creeps.
"Inui-sempai, when are you going to stop sticking to your notebook?" Ryona asked when she saw Inui's action. "You know that making notes will not be accurate, even though it helps." She sighed. Inui suddenly raised up his voice.
"Data won't lie, Ryona." He paused pushing up his glasses on the bridge, "Plus, you looked thirsty, why don't you try my new invention of my drink: 101 Super Deluxe?" He held up a beer mug out of nowhere.
The drink was in red and black color. Colors swirl inside the mug, but they didn't mix together, like water and oil. Smoke came steaming out from the surface, with bubbles bubbling on it. Everyone backed away, except for Ryona who doesn't know the fear of it.
"Cool drink, I recommended. One question…" She trailed off, examined the drink. "Did you put insects and vinegar to it?"
Inui was stunned, she may get the right ingredients but she didn't have it all correct. "So why don't you try some, Ryona-kun?" Inui said again, shoving the mug into her hands.
"Okay!" answered Ryona, without hesitating, she drank it in one gulp.
"NNOOOOOOOOOO!!!" The Regulars screamed, but it's too late…
Ryona fainted to the ground, as the mug rolled to Tezuka's feet, Tezuka shouted at Inui.
"Inui, 50 laps for poisoning the newcomer!"
"H-hai…hmm interesting reaction." Inui started running, muttering the data he receives. He didn't notice that Tezuka was glaring at him, when he said those words.
"INUI, 60 LAPS!"
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I quickly rushed to Ryona's side, my friends also squatted down, and checking how's she doing. She was clutching her stomach, muttered "That black… bespectacled freak… so going… to pay…for this…" Oishi, who's like a mother hen, soon began to panic.
"Oh no! We must send her to the nurse office! I think she got a stomachache!"
"Oishi-sempai, calm down. She's just sleeping in pain, I guess." Ryoma stated.
"Sou, sou! Oishi-sempai, don't worry too much." said Momoshiro, "Well, look at the time! We've to get going, Ryoma. Let's grab some burgers!"
"Fsshhh… greedy pig."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY MAMUSHI??!!"
"YOU WANT TO PICK A FIGHT?!"
"BRING IT ON!!"
"MOMOSHIRO, KAIDOH, 40 LAPS!! NOW!" Tezuka roared at them.
"Hai!" both of them also got the punishment. They ran.
"Saa… those troublesome guys are gone. Now what do we do?" Fuji questioned, seeing Momoshiro and Kaidoh being scolded and running laps.
"Nyah~ Ochibi-chan, she's your twin sister, why don't you carry her?" I pouted, using my first special attack: big puppy eyes. But the sad thing is, Ryoma completely ignored. He scoffed, pulling down his cap.
"Yadda. Zettai Yadda."
"Echizen… She's your family member. Brothers and sisters always help each other, you know." Kawamura, a kind young giant, pleaded Ryoma. Still, Ryoma doesn't want to do it. Suddenly Ryona's body been carried on someone's back.
It was Tezuka buchou…
"Tezuka/Buchou!" All of them shouted. But Tezuka kept walked on, he ordered Oishi to take over the practice.
When Tezuka buchou leaved the courts with Ryona, Fuji commented with all of a sudden, "Tezuka and Ryona seem to be a great couple…"
"HAAHH?!"
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In the nurse office.
Ryona, who is now sleeping without any pain anymore, she was dreaming peacefully but woke up this instant. She saw herself lying on a comfy single bed, her legs been covered by a white clean blanket. Ryona rose up her head and saw a lady nearly into her seventies, wearing a doctor's coat. She was making some tea.
She turned around and saw Ryona sitting up straight. She smiled, putting the tea cups on a tray. She walked towards Ryona.
"Ah, Ryona-kun. Good timing, the tea is finished, have some." She placed the cup on the table. "Be careful, it's hot."
Ryona thank her, took a sip of tea. The tea was so warm that the warmth spread through her body from head to toe. A sudden question came across her mind.
"Ano… sensei. Would it be kind of you to tell me who was the one who brought me here?"
The lady corrected her. "Oh, you don't have to be so polite, Ryona-kun. You can call me Umenda-san." She paused for a while, drinking her tea. "The person who brought you here…no, I mean carried you here was Tezuka Kunimitsu-kun."
'Tezuka?! No way! The iron-faced guy?! That is so not true!! Carried me all the way here?!' Ryona's eyes was wide opened, her jaws hanging in mid air, couldn't believe the truth. Umenda-san corrected her again.
"It's true, Ryona-kun. Don't judge people's faces like that. Even though you seen him like an ice block, but his heart is really kind. Try to get in touch with him; he'll change for sure with your attitude."
"Okay… I'll try."
"Ah yes. I almost forgot, he even went to your class and brought your bag and the tennis equipments back here." she pointed at the wall under the window. Ryona's bag and tennis bag were leaning against it.
Ryona quickly got up, placed her bags on her shoulder, and headed for the door. She bowed.
"Umenda-sensei, arigato gozaimasu."
"Don't thank me, thank Tezuka-kun. He's the one who earn it from a cute polite girl like you Ryona-kun." Umenda-san smiled again, seeing Ryona blushed.
"Erm… sensei, I think you got to far already. Goodbye!" Ryona rushed out to the door, while Umenda-san was laughing at Ryona's attitude.
"Echizen Ryona… what an interesting girl…"
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Outside the school gates…
"ARRGGGHHHH!!!! Why the hell did I blushed so madly?! And what's wrong with the doctor?!" Ryona complained, riding her AT in the sky. "Damn! It's the stupid drink that Inui offered me." Her dark side began to involved her mind, she grinned.
"Speaking of that tomorrow is payback time!! Oh yea…" she finally got a plan. "You are so dead, my dear bespectacled freak."
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"AH….AH-CHOO!!"
"Eh, Sadaharu-kun, it's spring time. Are you getting a cold?"
"No. I'm fine, Okaa-sama." replied Inui. 'Somehow, tomorrow is going to be weird.'
AUTHOR: Sorry again for letting you wait. I got busy for studying. Well… that's for chapter 12. Hope you like it. So does chapter 13. This going to be fun! I wonder what Ryona will do for payback. Remember her motto: [You get me; I'll get you]
PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW!!!