The Princess of Cherry Blossoms

By CleideJam

Chapter 7: Three Locations


"Where is she?!"

Securing her bag pack over her right shoulder, the intelligent brunette begins her search for her latest friend as she heads towards the train station. Turning her head from left to right, Riko made sure that she wouldn't miss a single pink-head along the way.

"Not here…"

Even though she is not a member of any sports club, Riko's father made sure that her body is perfectly built for an athlete and so running like there' s no tomorrow is nothing for her. Well, that is what's supposed to happen, however, the brunette finds herself halting trying not to catch her breath but the rapid beating of something within her body.

"What was that?"

She slowly raises her right hand searching for that rapidly beating object. She softly taps her chest part taking note that the beating is becoming louder on that part. Moving her hand from left to right, Riko sighs recognizing the small pocket on her left chest. She pulls out her vibrating phone from the mentioned pocket recognizing the ring tone whenever someone is calling her. Looking at the screen, her eyes narrow trying to recognize the unnamed number.

"I wonder who it is…"

Pressing the answer button, Riko brings the phone near her right ear as she tries to recognize the owner of the voice.

"Who's this?" Riko doesn't know why but she could feel another beating in her left chest. But the beating is kind of slow. "Must be the running I did earlier..."

"R-Riko…chan?" hearing that familiar voice, the brunette's face almost beamed like how a child who wants a candy would.

"Satsuki? Is that you?" Moving the phone nearer to her ear, Riko waits for the anticipated reply from the other line.

"Y-Yes" Smiling at the confirmation, Riko couldn't help but release a sigh from knowing that Satsuki is alright. "Why am I even worried? Pink-chan is older than me I'm sure she could handle herself. Sheesh! Maybe I'm becoming a worrywart like Dad"

"Great! Where are you Satsuki? I thought we're supposed to go home together…" Riko feels a sudden tug on her chest when she realized how sad her voice sounded when she said the last line. Then the tugging become painful…slowly painful.

"R-Riko…chan…?" the brunette flinches at the sad tone of the girl on the other line. She couldn't put a finger on it but she thinks that somehow Satsuki isn't feeling well. Knowing that Satsuki isn't in a good situation made her heart beat a little bit too fast than her liking and her worry-ness level took a sudden increase in measure.

"Uhm… Satsuki, are you alright? Where are you anyways? Are you home already? If not, tell me where you a-" "No" getting cut-off with that simple word made Riko's world to suddenly stop.

"What?" frozen in place, the brunette's mind can't seem to recognize the cold tone of one Satsuki.

"I said No. You can't come see me, Riko-chan"

"Huh? W-why?" Riko made a lopsided grin as if telling herself how desperate she sounded when she was saying that. But she still haven't realized something that has been happening from the very beginning of their phone call.

"I…don't know…" the voice on the other line pause for a few seconds. This gave Riko enough time to hear a familiar sound of water and a familiar song on the background "I called just to let you know I'm alright. That's all" Riko breathes in then breathes out trying to control an urge to shout at the pink-head.

"T-That's a-all?" "God. I sounded so desperate! I never sounded so desperate!"

"Yes, that's all. Good bye, Riko-chan" Satsuki ended along with the other line dying.

"Wait! Satsu-!"

"…."

Sighing at the sight of an ended call, Riko shuts her phone close then put it back on her pocket. She begins to slowly walk towards her house as she thinks of any possible reason for the sudden change in attitude of her pink-haired friend.

"Satsuki…"

All the while during their conversation Riko still has not realized how tight her hand is wrapped around her device. And how the slow beating of her heart increase in its pace.


The trio, composing of the athletic members of the student council, has just arrived at a train station near their school. They were all talking about the upcoming tournament when suddenly Kise asks an obvious question.

"Have anyone seen Rikkun and her self-proclaimed girlfriend?" the blonde guy asks turning his head searching for a familiar bundle of brown head. Not seeing any trace, Kise decided to simply ask the most knowledgeable of them all.

"Ne, Midorima. You know something, don't ya?" he asks staring at the bespectacled guy with a straight face. Midorima irks at the emotionless expression given towards him by his team mate.

"I think I saw Satsuki head home first. Then Midorima here told Riko about it" Akashi simply said without sparing a glance towards his friends.

"Aww men… Rikkun could have waited for us! That girl is such a meanie!" Kise whines too loud and pouts making some girls within their vicinity swoon over him.

"Kise, it would really be hel-" Midorima gets cut off when his phone begins ringing. Picking out of his jacket's pocket, his eyes widen a fracture recognizing the familiar number.

"Speak of the devil" he mumbles gaining the odd look of Kise while Akashi simply listens to what is about to happen.

"Midorima here. Rik-"

"Midorima! Listen! Do you…uhm… know of a place where you'll hear water and a sound of an ice cream track?" Riko's question made all three looked at Midorima's phone dumbfoundedly.

"Ahem! Riko, we do understand that you're totally stressed out. This is why you-"

"No! Midorima! I. Am. Serious. As. Hell!" the faces of the trio suddenly turn white from the unfamiliar cursing of their student council president.

"You better take her seriously, Midoricchi. You know Rikkun when she's mad" Kise whispers in a scared tone already getting the image of a furious Riko.

"He's right, Midorima. Just give her an answer" Akashi urges not really wanting to get on the bad side of their leader. The green-haired guy gives a quick and firm nod.

"Listen, Riko. Your description is quite vague. Would you give me a more detailed description?"

"Oh! Right! Right! Well… I heard a swish-like sound of water…"

"Okay…"

"And…the sound of an ice cream track. You know the one that sounds like a piano"

"I got what you mean. Okay. What else?"

"Oh! And Satsuki's voice!"

"Is that it?"

"Err…yeah?"

"Okay. Wait a sec. I'll try to remember the possible places…"

Midorima decided to pass the phone to Kise while he ponders on the possible and helpful answers.

"Yoh! Rikkun! What's up?" Kise greets right after acquiring Midorima's phone. Even though he knew that Riko can't see her, the blonde still gave a toothy grin.

"Kise? Where's Midorima?"

"He's here doing his brain storming thingy. Anyways, Rikkun! How dare you leave us! You just got yourself a girlfriend then you decided to abandon us!?"

"K-Kise… that's not true. Satsuki is j-just a friend" at this point Riko begins to wonder why almost all of her friends and even her brothers think that she and satsuki are together. She sighs simply thinking that they are teasing since it isn't every day that she'll befriend a girl.

"Huh? But I thought…we all thought…" Kise's voice loses its joyfulness realizing what the brunette has just said. "Poor Satsuki…" he mentally scolds Riko for being a dense girl.

"You guys thought what?" his blonde eyebrow twitches at Riko's question. "Haay… Maybe Tetsu has influenced her so much…" rubbing his temples to ease the oncoming frustration, Kise decided not to scold their leader since it seems that Riko is trying to understand their situation.

"Tell me, Rikkun. Are you currently in a romantic relationship or not?" He asks in a very calm way that it made Riko's trembling nerves to slowly tense at his question.

"Uhm… no?" Riko's innocent tone seriously put Kise on the edge since the blonde guy hates it when someone plays with a woman's heart.

"Eeenk! Eeenk! Wrong answer, Rikkun!"

"Wrong? Wait. How can I be in a relationship without me even knowing it? And who am I supposedly dating?" at this point Riko obviously sounded like she's about to lose her mind. Kise understands Riko's situation since the brunette isn't really one for romantic stuff.

"Oh my god! Rikkun you are so hopeless! I wonder how your self-proclaimed girlfriend fallen for you!" this quirky side of Kise always help in difficult situations since this provides them the break they needed to ease their trouble minds. But for Riko, this attitude is not what she really needs right now.

"Umm…Kise, you're not really helping my situation right now" with a deadpan look, the brunette groans knowing that Kise is obviously teasing her.

"*sigh* Look, Rikkun. What I wanted to say is that you've gotten yourself into a romantic relationship with your girlfriend, Satsuki Momoi, without you knowing it. Really? Who does that? You better fix this, Rikkun or else… you'll have to face a woman's wrath!" Kise is really trying his best to provide some helpful advice to Riko since he knows very well what it feels like to face a broken-hearted woman's wrath.

"Kise…just give the phone to Midorima…" Riko gives up. It seems that Kise's advice wasn't able to reach the sleeping romantic mind of the ever dense brunette.

"I wonder how evil Satsuki could be. Hmm…"


"Give me that, you blonde idiot!" Midorima, after a good five minutes or so, has finally discovered the answers to his friend's question. Roughly grabbing his phone from a shuddering Kise, he quickly brings it near his ear.

"Midorima? Is that you?" feeling relieved that Kise is out of her hearing vicinity, Riko quickly shifts to her serious mode. Her ears eager to hear her friend's reply.

"Ahem! Yes. Sorry about that. Listen, Riko. I got three possible places for you to search"

"Really? That's neat. What are those places?" Riko nods on the other line not really caring that almost everyone walking by are looking at her.

"The amusement park although I think you'll be having a hard time there so that's your first location. The other one is that an ice cream truck might be parking near a seaside park. And the final target location would be the small park near the town's shrine. That's all the places I could think of"

"Okay. I got those three in mind. Thanks, Midorima!" the brunette is just about to shut her phone when Midorima shouts at the other line getting her full attention and halting her.

"Wait! Riko" at this the brunette raises an eyebrow as she questions the sudden action of her friend.

"Yeah?"

"Are you…maybe… searching for your self-proclaimed girlfriend?" Midorima asks as if it's the most natural question in the entire world and to another girl nonetheless.

"Ugh! She is not my girlfriend! And to answer your question, Yes. Yes, I do" Riko didn't realize the sudden burning of her cheeks during her frustration.

"I see. Good luck on your hunting, Miss President" however, Midorima seems to clearly hear it from the other line. "I think this Satsuki has already claimed Riko in a way she herself doesn't really know …"

"Riiiight. Whatever!" the brunette stops her urge to groan and throw her phone on the other side of the street that she's currently at. But remembering that she'll be searching for her supposed-to-be girlfriend, she simply clenches her fist around it.

"Oh. And Riko?" Midorima pause waiting if Riko has forgotten to end their call.

"What is it?" he can clearly recognize the shortening fuse of his leader.

"Make sure to have a proper heart-to-heart talk with Satsuki. You two need to clear things up" at that statement Riko couldn't help but smugly grin at her place.

"Heh. That's what I'm about to do. I really need to go. Bye now!"

"Sure. Bye!" shutting his phone off, the bespectacled guy looks at Akashi who seems to be quietly waiting for their ride. But Midorima knows that the red-headed guy is smirking inwardly knowing too well that an eager and dumb-looking Riko is such an interesting thing to watch.

The green-haired Midorima stands beside Akashi while looking at an exhausted and tired Kise. "How unfortunate that you won't be able to witness our president looking so stupid over some romantic stuff" the guy didn't reply but simply smirks.

Kise stares at the both of them as he silently sends a secret message to the two, "Well that was a thing" and the three of them sigh knowing the trouble that their poor president has gotten into.


A/N: Happy New Year, Readers! Sorry for the late update. My life's been very busy since winter break Read and Review! Ciao~