Chapter Seven: Taka's Advice: Help her with Things
Ryoma had initially thought having Ryuzaki Sakuno over to his house was an idea that might've been personally sent from Hell. But after the first couple of hours with her, he found it was actually nice talking with her. She didn't annoy him (that pretty much made up 95% of why he enjoyed her company) and she was interesting.
As Ryoma sat down at the table waiting for lunch after destroying all evidence of the pictures of him and Sakuno, he looked at his cut on his hand. Despite Sakuno implying it would hurt, it didn't at all with the gentle way she was handling it. Her touch was also something that slightly confused him. Her hand felt warm, soft and generally comforting. He smiled as he thought back on it. Not full-blown grinning but just his signature smile.
"You have one girl over and you're already lighting up," said Ryoga, sitting down across from him, "See what kind of lifestyle you've been missing, Chibisuke?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Ryoma, "Having your face slapped numerous times from being rejected doesn't seem like such a great lifestyle."
"Hey, when you learn all the tricks, the chances of you getting rejected are slimmer," said Ryoga, "Plus the chance of you ending up single at 45, eating crappy instant meals and living in a dusty rented place because you can't cook or clean is also less."
Ryoma glared at him, "Shut up and where's Ryuzaki?"
"She'll come down soon," replied Ryoga as Rinko began putting out the food; a bowl of rice with egg and chicken on top for each person. She also put out a plate of sushi.
On cue, Sakuno appeared in the kitchen. Nanako was helping set out the table and smiled at her, "Sakuno-chan! We'll start eating soon so find a seat, OK?"
"Y-Yeah," smiled Sakuno. Ryoma observed, interested. She had taken a quick liking to Nanako but she still stammered around her. Ryoma wondered if she stammered around her friend, Tomoko or if she talked confidently. He wondered how long Sakuno had to spend time with someone to be able to trust them enough to talk without stammering.
Yosh… That'll be my next goal… Ryoma smirked to himself. He wanted to have Sakuno be able to trust him enough to talk confidently around him.
Ryoma reached out and took Sakuno's hand, pulling her down to the seat beside him. She blushed madly and Ryoga chuckled, though he seemed to approve of Ryoma's actions.
Later, once the whole family was eating, Nanako attempted to start up a conversation.
"So, Sakuno-chan, do you play tennis?" she asked.
"Her grandmother is a tennis coach," said Ryoga.
"So? That doesn't mean she has to play tennis," Nanako retorted.
"I do, Nanako-san," said Sakuno, "I enjoy playing it but I'm not very good."
"Didn't I get you to teach her and her friend last time?" demanded Nanjiro, looking accusingly at his son.
"Someone doesn't improve overnight," said Ryoma, "They have to keep practicing, right?"
"Well, Ryoma, you can help teach Sakuno-chan today," suggested Rinko, "You haven't any homework or chores to do and it's a good day. I'm sure Sumire wouldn't mind and Sakuno-chan's brought along her racket anyway."
"Fine," said Ryoma, swallowing a piece of chicken, this is Kawamura-sempai's advice then.
"I-Is that alright?" said Sakuno.
"Sure," smiled Rinko, "Be sure to have fun, OK?"
"H-Hai!" said Sakuno.
"Are you ready to go?" asked Ryoma, after lunch and getting his racket.
"Y-Yeah," nodded Sakuno, "Um, t-thank you for doing this, Ryoma-kun."
"It's fine," said Ryoma, as they walked around the corner and immediately nearly ran back inside as he saw a familiar spiky-haired sophomore across the road and hiding behind the corner motioning for him to go over there.
"Momo—!" said Ryoma before remembering to shut himself up.
"Momo…?" said Sakuno, looking at him curiously, "I-Is something wrong? Did you see a peach?"
"I'll be right back," said Ryoma, trying to keep calm and not really succeeding. Leaving a confused Sakuno, he ran across the road and around the corner.
"Momo-sempai, what are you doing?" demanded Ryoma, quickly checking over his shoulder that Sakuno hadn't seen the said sempai. She seemed confused but luckily didn't cross the road to see what was wrong.
"What? Atobe-san got the little microphones yesterday and I came to give it to you," Momo defended himself, "And speaking of which, you're going pretty good, aren't you? You already got the girl to your house! Good job! What did you do, anyway? You weren't being really cold to her, were you?"
"Why do I even need you tracking me?" said Ryoma irritably, ignoring the last couple of questions, "Who else is tracking us?"
"Marui-san and Akutagawa-san," replied Momo, "We have to track you because you will definitely mess up otherwise. You're arrogant, cocky and obnoxious all rolled into one. And you have a habit of saying the wrong thing and getting in trouble with people older than you. We're just trying to make sure Sakuno-chan doesn't get caught up in your messes."
"You have lots of trust in me, sempai," said Ryoma sarcastically, but placing the small earpiece on. His hair covered up a part of it and hopefully Sakuno wouldn't notice.
"On the contrary, I have no trust in you whatsoever," said Momo, not seeming to notice he was being sarcastic. He switched on his own earpiece and said, "All right, let's do this quickly so you won't keep her waiting. Can you hear me clearly?"
"Yeah," said Ryoma as the perfectly audible and clear voice of Momo passed through. He had to admire the ability that Monkey King had to get the very best equipment on such short notice.
"OK, then get going," said Momo, pushing him back in view, "You better not mess up, hear me? Or you'll never hear the end of it from me!" he shouted.
"Ow," said Ryoma as the words blasted in his ear as well. He walked back across the road to Sakuno, one hand holding his ear.
"A-Are you OK? Did something happen?" asked Sakuno.
"No, I'm fine," said Ryoma, slowly lifting his hand. Luckily Sakuno didn't seem to notice the earpiece, "Let's go."
"Hm…" said Sakuno, still sounding a bit concerned and even a bit suspicious. Ryoma tensed. He knew she wasn't stupid but… he just hoped she would brush it off as nothing.
"R-Ryoma-kun…" said Sakuno, "Y-You're acting… strange."
Crap, thought Ryoma, "Really?"
"Y-Yeah," said Sakuno.
"So how are you going in your tennis?" said Ryoma, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. They nearly reached the halfway point to the tennis courts now so all he had to do was put up mindless chatter until they reached them.
"Are you trying to change the subject?"
Ryoma flinched at the fact she didn't stammer. Because she was worried. For him. Because she thought something was wrong. He didn't want her worrying over nothing.
Quickly searching his brain for a reply, he suddenly thought back on the ramblings his brother and father gave him. At first, he'd fallen half-asleep but maybe there was something useful in their lectures…
~Flashback~
"OK, Chibisuke, if the situation should arise that the girl is suspicious of you for something, there are three ways to handle it," said Ryoga.
"Three?" said Ryoma, yawning.
"Yeah," said Ryoga, ignoring the fact that he was bored, "The first way is to talk your way out of it. You have a pretty smart mouth so that will probably work for you. Or it could potentially make the girl slap you, either way."
Ryoma nodded to make it seem like he was paying close attention.
"The second way," said Nanjiro, "Is to just kiss her. Usually when women are kissed, they forget everything, especially if you're good. Of course you could, again, get slapped."
"Uh-huh," said Ryoma.
"And the last way is to generally have some sort of contact and then charm your way out of it," said Ryoga, "Although I think this one will be impossible for someone like you…"
That was the moment Ryoma fell asleep.
~End Flashback~
Impossible, huh? thought Ryoma, we'll see about that.
Timing until she was directly behind his side, he quickly turned around and wrapped one arm around her waist, the other holding the back of her head. He could tell she was caught completely off guard, blushing crimson and decided to use that to his advantage.
Attempting to mimic one of Ryoga's smiles when he was trying to charm someone, Ryoma followed that up with talking gently and quietly, "Nothing's wrong." He remembered one of Ryoga's tricks was also leaning in slightly for effect so he copied that too. For once, he was grateful to his brother.
Whoa… good going, Echizen! came Marui's voice through the earpiece, somehow, you're really good at this! Who knew?
Ryoma let go of Sakuno. She seemed too shocked for words to start being suspicious about his behaviour now. That tip from Ryoga had actually worked. Maybe he should trust his brother more often. Plus, he got a sempai's approval, for once. He smiled at that and continued walking ahead, Sakuno following behind in mute shock. He had felt some sort of thrill when he touched her. Adrenaline? Like the sort of feelings he felt when playing tennis; happiness, adrenaline and a warm feeling he couldn't describe, only different. He knew he was happy though, like he hadn't ever been before.
Using his peripheral vision, he looked at Sakuno's face. Her face had a light tinge of pink but her facial features were a mix of concern, worry and confusion all in one. Was she still concerned about his weird behaviour? Deciding that must be true, Ryoma silently sighed. If she kept up the worrying, it would affect her tennis when they went to practice. That, combined with her natural worrying and slight clumsiness, would result in her messing up more than usual.
Turning around again, Ryoma placed a hand on her shoulder, "Ryuzaki."
"E-Eh? What is it?" she asked.
"I want you to trust me when I say nothing is wrong and nothing is. Really."
"Y-you're acting r-really strange…" said Sakuno.
"I know. But just trust that everything is fine," Ryoma looked her evenly in the eye, trying to will her to trust him.
Wow, you ARE pretty good, commented Jirou this time, And this conversation you're having is WAY deep.
Ryoma could hear Marui and Momo sniggering in the background and figured wherever they were, they had a good view. He tried to will them to shut up.
Sakuno, meanwhile, still looked concerned and it made her look even more delicate and fragile when her facial expression was worried. But then she breathed a few times and smiled slightly, "OK. I trust you, Ryoma-kun."
"You didn't stammer," said Ryoma, letting his hand rest on her shoulder for a second more before letting it drop, "Good job." Then he continued walking.
The tennis courts were mostly empty except for a few people scattered here and there. Ryoma led Sakuno to an empty, private wall where she could practice, "Here's good."
"O-OK," said Sakuno, getting out her racket. Ryoma gave her a tennis ball and sat to the side to observe her.
"Remember to keep your knees bent," said Ryoma before she even hit the ball, "If you hold the racket near the end, you'll have a better grip and if you hold it that tight you won't have much power in your shot."
"H-Hai," said Sakuno. She bent her knees slightly and loosened her grip on the racket. Then she threw the ball in the air and hit it. Ryoma's eyes widened slightly, her form's better than last time and she hit it in the centre. Her return's pretty good too.
He watched her for a while, finding nothing to comment on.
She's improved, thought Ryoma, smiling slightly, This is her longest rally so far.
Just then though, she swung and missed the ball, "Ah!"
Ryoma walked over and saw her blushing a bit, "Gomenasai…"
"What are you apologising for?" asked Ryoma, "That wasn't bad."
"Really?" said Sakuno, instantly happy and then blushed again, "G-Gomenasai…"
Ryoma nearly laughed but settled for a smile, "And again with the apologising… But that was pretty good. Your accuracy has become better but you still hold the racket a bit higher than you need to. Your hair's too long too."
ECHIZEN! roared Momo from the earpiece. Ryoma nearly flinched, You NEVER insult a woman on her hair! What the hell's the matter with you?
"Ite," said Ryoma under his breath but Sakuno didn't miss that.
"Ryoma-kun?" she said.
"I'm fine," he replied and put his hand over hers on her racket, gently pushing it down a bit, "Just hold it there."
"OK," said Sakuno, still looking a bit worried but seemed to remember she said she trusted him and turned around and began practising again. Her shots stayed consistent in power and accuracy longer this time.
She's pretty good, thought Ryoma, feeling quite proud actually, remembering when she used to be incapable of having a rally of more than five shots. Now she easily went into the twenties and once even into the thirties. Her backhand and forehand were both decent although he'd have to help her practice them another time. Her timing was a little off but not enough to make her miss the ball.
Heh… She's not bad, came Marui's voice followed by the pop of a bubble.
"She's improved, although she is still unskilled in some areas," whispered Ryoma as quietly as possible so Sakuno wouldn't hear. She would really think he'd gone insane if she caught him talking to himself.
Oi, Echizen, don't just sit there! Practice alongside her or something and show her how it's done! Momo's voice from the earpiece.
"OK," whispered Ryoma. He had been itching to play anyway. Getting up and picking up another ball and his racket, he stood beside Sakuno but still a fair distance away so they each had their own space. He served the ball and kept hitting it consistently. After a while, he saw Sakuno adjust her own flaws by watching his form. He smiled inside at that, she's good at recognising her mistakes and fixing them quickly.
"Y-You're good, Ryoma-kun," smiled Sakuno as she hit her own ball.
"Heh…" said Ryoma, doing a backhand shot, she can talk while hitting the ball now, "Thanks. You're pretty good yourself."
"!" Sakuno blushed and missed hitting the ball again, "Ah!"
Ryoma looked at her blushing face, "Done already?"
"No," she replied, getting back up.
He smiled, you'll improve quickly like this, Sakuno.
Before they even knew it, it was afternoon and they were both tired. Ryoma's arm was sore and he knew Sakuno's was even worse. He received special training every day after all while she didn't.
Deciding that was enough for one day, Ryoma caught both their balls on his racket in an instant and looked at Sakuno, "We're done. You're tired right?"
"Y-Yeah," said Sakuno, seeming to realise that just then and held her arm. Ryoma walked over, "Are you OK?"
"Y-Yeah, just a bit sore," said Sakuno, smiling.
"Good," said Ryoma as he placed his racket back inside his bag and zipped it up. He slung it over his shoulder and approached her, "You're racket strings are still strong, right?"
"Um…" said Sakuno, looking at the face of her racket, "I can't really tell…"
"Let me see," said Ryoma. Sakuno handed her racket over and he observed the strings. There didn't seem to be any loose or damaged badly.
"It's OK," Ryoma concluded and gave back the racket but as Sakuno took it, he moved his hand and placed it over hers on the racket. Sakuno looked up at him, a bit shocked but she didn't blush as much as he thought she would, "You played well today. Keep improving."
"H-Hai," said Sakuno, beaming happily.
"Ryuzaki," said Ryoma. He wasn't ready to address her by her first name to her face yet, "You're having fun, right?"
"Yeah," nodded Sakuno and he could tell she meant it. He smiled and dropped her hand, "Good."
Then he turned and walked down the steps back to his house.
NOTE: I have changed the order of which people will give Ryoma their advices. So check back on the 'Meeting' chapter to see the changes. Other than that, hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review, OK?
NOTE 2: Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes and late update~
