If I Win

Based on The Mercer Sister's Your Most Prized Possession?

Chapter Seven: To-may-toes, To-mah-toes

The sounds of birds chirping signaled another day for Hikaru as he wearily rubbed his eyes and trudged towards the restroom to begin another day. Finally making sure, his hair was back to normal, Hikaru emerged from the restroom. He went downstairs and out the door to the Go Institute, where he had a match today. When he reached there, he spotted a familiar-looking brown-haired boy who looked sleepy.

"Good morning, Yoshi-kun!" he cried out, making Waya's sleepy face disappear, and jump anxiously around before he spotted Hikaru.

"Don't say that!" he hissed, rubbing his temple. Hikaru gave a cheeky grin.

"So how was last night huh?" he asked mischievously. Waya shot him a glare.

"Way better than yours at least." he shot back, shutting Hikaru up. Then both of them let out heavy sighs.

"She's very annoying…" Waya said wearily.

"Well, she seems to have taken a liking to you…Yoshi-kun." Hikaru teased. Waya groaned.

"Don't remind me…" he muttered as the two of them made their way inside.

"But she's not that bad…" Hikaru added. Waya merely grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath.

After the match…

It had been another victory for Hikaru again, as he yawned and stretched, tired from sitting so long. Within minutes, Waya emerged as well, his match also a victory.

"Well, another day, another match eh, Shindo?" Waya asked.

"Yeah, I guess…" Hikaru replied, his mind on other matter.

"So, another day at the café or what?" Waya continued. Hikaru groaned.

"Don't remind me…you can go by yourself this time." Hikaru said, and Waya left.

Meanwhile…

The school bell just rang, and Akari walked out and drove home, in hopes of beginning her homework. As her house came in view, she spotted a familiar shape.

"Hikaru? Is that you?" she asked.

"Hai, I was waiting for you to come back from school." Hikaru said softly. Akari smiled.

"So how was school today anyways?" he asked.

"Same old, same old." Akari replied. Just then, Hikaru pulled out a bouquet of blood-red roses from his back. Akari gasped.

"These are for you, Akari. I'm sorry for setting up that date with Touya for you, and I hope you'll forgive me." he said. Akari smiled, touched at his romantic gesture.

"Of course I do…" she replied, and Hikaru's whole face lit up as they walked inside Akari's house.

"So how was the date anyways?" he asked nonchalantly.

"It was very nice…Touya-kun should get out more often…" Akari trailed off. Hikaru laughed and nodded as they headed inside.

On the next day…

Akira was having a bad day to begin with. He woke up late for once, and rushed over to the Go Institute. Luckily, he made it to his match within the last minute. In spite of that, he still lost the game because his mind was focused on other matters such as lat night's date with Akari.

After his match, he headed towards his father's Go Salon. Well, technically, since his father retired, it should be his, but he's always acknowledged the Salon to be associated with his father, and plus, it's not like his father quit Go forever. He played several games and discussed them afterwards. Pretty soon, it was time for him to leave and grab something to eat. He entered a café and was waiting for his order when a familiar brown-haired girl stepped in.

"Ohayo, Fujisaki-san" he called over to her. Akari, hearing someone call her name, turned towards the origin of the voice. Seeing him, her face broke into a smile.

"Ohayo, Touya-kun!' she replied brightly, and turned away to give her order. Then, much to Akira's surprised, she headed over to sit at his table.

"What brings you here?" asked Akari.

"I just finished teaching at the Salon," he explained.

"I see…" she said.

"What about you, Fujisaki-san?" he asked.

"Well, I just finished my homework and came here to eat dinner, and buy some groceries afterwards." she replied.

"You're still going to school?" Akira asked.

"Hai, my goal is to become a computer programmer." she said determinedly.

"What about you, Touya-kun?" she asked, curious.

"Well, I'm already what I wanted to be, a Go pro, but I'm still continuing my education on the days I don't have matches. My mother raised me up to value education, since it's a skill for the future." Akira explained.

At that moment, their orders came and they continued to talk and eat.

"Anyways, would you like to accompany me to the market, Touya-kun? That is, if you're free." Akari asked.

"Why? What's the matter?" he asked, concerned.

"Iie, nothing's the matter. I just needed to return your suit back to you, remember?" she said.

"Oh, well, it just so happens, that I'm free, so I'll take up your offer to the market." Akira replied.

"Great," Akari said, beaming.

At the supermarket…

Akira watched in amazement as Akari loaded her cart full of food. He had difficulty in believing that she could eat all of that with her slim petite figure. Akari was chatting so much, that she failed to notice a crate full of tomatoes headed towards her way. Luckily, Akira managed to see at the last second.

"Look out!" Akira exclaimed as he pushed her out of harm's way.

Splat!

Touya Akira, the famous Go prodigy with the calm and serious expression, found himself covered with smashed tomatoes. Being the neat freak that he is, he quickly began brushing the red vegetable off him.

"Gomenasai!" said the worker who was pushing the cart for the crate of tomatoes.

"Oh no! Are you alright, Touya-kun?" Akari asked worriedly.

"I'm fine…just a bit messy, that's all." he replied.

"Just a bit? You're covered in tomatoes, Touya-kun!" she said. Then, she turned towards the worker.

"You should pay more attention when you're moving stuff like that! Someone could get hurt!" she scolded.

"Look lady, I already said I was sorry," replied the irritated worker, turning away to continue working.

"Just a sorry?" Akari fumed.

"Fujisaki-san, just let him go. How about this, just go pay for your food, and I'll wait for you at the entrance." suggested Akira, touched at her defense for him.

"Ano, Touya-kun…you're all messy…" she trailed off.

"Iie, it's nothing. I'll be alright, now you go run along." he said firmly.

After she had paid for her food, Akari gave him a ride towards her house, and on the road, she suddenly stopped in front of a store, Rê ve. Akira frowned.

"Fujisaki-san? Why are we stopping here?" he asked, perplexed.

"Well, I feel guilty about you receiving the crate of tomatoes. They were meant for me, after all. So I'm taking you inside and buying you a new set of clothes." she answered.

"That's nonsense, you don't need to buy me new clothes, I can handle this myself." Akira protested, but to no avail, since Akari was already dragging him inside.

"Ohayo Akari! How nice of you to visit me…and who may this be?" asked Myuki bustling from the counter.

"Myuki, this is Touya Akira, the Go pro. Touya-kun, meet Kyshima Myuki, the mastermind behind the Rê ve." Akari introduced.

"So this is the famous Touya-kun. Welcome to the Rê ve." Myuki said.

"Pleased to meet you, Kyshima-san. My mother has always praised your designs." he replied. Myuki blushed.

"Arigato, Touya-kun. So what brings you two in here…together?" Myuki asked slyly. Now it was Akari's turn to blush.

"We just happened to meet at the café, and I needed to return something to him. So he accompanied me to the supermarket, where he caved me from a falling crate of tomatoes. Which, I felt guilty about, so I dragged him here to buy him a new set of clothes." Akari explained.

"How brave of you, Touya-kun, saving my precious model from a crate of falling tomatoes." Myuki sighed.

"Model?" asked Akira. Akari reddened even more so.

"I'm Myuki's model for her clothes…" she mumbled.

"Hai, and she makes a kawaii model, doesn't she, Touya-kun?" Myuki asked cheekily.

"I…er…" Akira faltered nervously.

"Touya-kun, let's go look for your clothes over there!" Akari said hastily, sparing him from answering Myuki's question. Myuki pouted.

"Fine, I see how it is, Akari, just change the subject, huh?" she said teasingly.

"Hai, Myuki. Oh and by the way, did you manage to find a model for your male clothing designs?" Akari asked.

"Hai, as a matter of fact, this cute guy came in today, and I asked him about it. He didn't give me an answer yet, but I'm still working on making him accept my offer…we're planning to have dinner tomorrow…" Myuki said dreamily.

"Who? What? When? Where? Why?" Akari demanded.

"Oh, look, here comes Touya-kun with his selections." Myuki said loudly.

"Fine, be that way…just change the subject, Myuki." Akari mimicked as Akira made his way up to the counter.

"Hm…let's see here, wow, I'm impressed Touya-kun. You have a great sense of style and color…any chance you might be interested in some modeling?" Myuki asked. Akira flustered.

"Haha, very funny Myuki, what about that "cute guy" you were rambling about?" Akari retorted.

"Ano, that's for me to know, and you find out…later…much much later…" Myuki said mysteriously.

"Mou, Myuki!" Akari whined.

"Later, and that will be 13,000 yen, Akari." Myuki said, discounting the price. Akari fumbled through her wallet and paid up.

"Fine…I'll see you later, ok, Myuki?" Akari said, turning to go.

"Ok." Myuki replied.

"It's been nice meeting you, Kyshima-san." Akira said.

"Ja ne!" Myuki cried.

At Akari's House…

"Sorry about that, Myuki tends to speak her mind a lot, but she's a nice person inside." Akari explained as she handed Akira his dress suit.

"Iie, it's fine, Fujisaki-san." Akira replied. The two then stood facing each other in silence.

"Well, I guess you'd better be off before your parents start to worry or something…" Akari said uncomfortably, breaking the silence.

"Hai…I suppose I'll see you sometime, Fujisaki-san…" Akira said resignedly.

"Ja ne, Touya-kun!" Akari said.

"Ja ne, Fujisaki-san!" Akira replied, and she shut the door.

A/N: If you want to find out more about Myuki and Waya, please read my side fic, Upside Down, written in a diary point of view of Waya. For now, you can click the little blue/purple button down there to review. Thanks for reading my fic again! (oh yeah, don't forget to review Upside Down, should you decide to read it)