Pursuing Dreams

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Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

09: Day Out

"Welcome to Seishun Dai (1)." Eiji said as soon as they got a glimpse of a small settlement from inside the shuttle. Seishun Academy sits on top of the existing Seishun Dai colony, connected by a shuttle service that lets the students visit the colony on their day off. The colony was small in comparison to Hyotei and Rikkai but it was cosy in Ryoma's opinion. When they stepped out of the shuttle, Ryoma was bombarded with the lively sounds of people living their lives, enjoying their time. It was a stark comparison to the colony that his Oyaji and himself had lived in for the past year.

"It's really a great place. Taka-san lived here before attending Seishun Academy." Momoshiro pointed at a sushi house close by the station. "There's a lot of facilities here in such a small colony. Most people move away once they graduated but there's still a lot of people living in this small space."

"Where are we going now?" Ryoma asked, noticing the bustling activity around the station. Everything was capturing his interest. It had been quite some time when he last set foot on friendly grounds.

"Burger first! Burger first!" Momoshiro shouted, leading the way to his favourite burger shop. "It's lunch time so we might as well eat."

As they walked down the busy streets, Ryoma was glad that they managed to stop by his dorm first to change out of the uniform. He would be standing out in the crowd if they left straight away. It might have been his Oyaji's incessant mutterings about how it was more beneficial to stay incognito and an unknown. But glancing around at the people's reaction to their group, they were attracting a lot of attention. He was glad he had his cap on as he pulled it down lower.

"Are you settled in Seigaku?" Tezuka asked as they settled in the burger shop. Momoshiro and Kikumaru were in charge of buying their food. At any other time, he would not have spoken. But without Fuji here, as he went to pick up something he ordered a few month ago, it was awkward just sitting in silence.

Ryoma nodded, waiting for the Captain to continue. He was curious what type of person the Captain of Seigaku would be. The information he retrieved from the database only revealed him to be a competent and strict leader. However, he was also caring about the welfare of his subordinates. But he was a stickler to the rulebook. Ryoma concluded it would be best to stay on the good side of the Captain, just to make his life in Seigaku that much easier.

"You'll probably know later tonight or early tomorrow but you've been placed in the competition line up. Do you have your own craft?" Tezuka was sticking to safe topics, even though he itched to know more about Echizen's background. He was not the type of person to pry but there was something in Echizen that triggered his curiosity. It was as though he should know the person in front of him—at least know what his name stood for.

Ryoma nodded again at the question. Though he was surprised to be placed in the line-up. He heard that freshman do not get the chance until they rise to the Junior rank, which is at least nine months after they boarded. But he guessed it was because of his performance that they allowed this exception. Though he was sure it may raise some discomfort with the older crew members.

"It looks like I'm just in time." Fuji sat down at the exact time Momoshiro and Kikumaru returned with a tray of food each. Tezuka heaved an internal sigh of relief knowing he did not have to make small talk with the young boy.

Fuji noticed the look of relief, even though it was well hidden, on Tezuka's face. Years of studying together made him capable of reading the various, miniscule, reactions portrayed on the stoic Captain's face. However, the look on Echizen was harder to read. The boy was either in deep thought or complete boredom. Fuji placed the package on the table, and even though Momoshiro and Kikumaru looked interested, they had not voiced the question. Echizen, on the other hand, ignored his gesture all together and reached for the nearest burger, fries and drink as though nothing happened. It seems that the boy would not turn down a free meal.

The group sat in the burger shop for an hour, finishing the tray of food then sat to chat. Ryoma opened up slightly, feeling much better after there was some food in his stomach. Even though he was still tired, it was better than an hour ago when he could literally fall asleep on his feet.

"How about we go to the game centre next?" Kikumaru suggested, obviously leading the way to their next destination even without everyone's consent. "I heard that they have a new shooting game…"

On the way, they passed by a seemingly empty lot. There were trees surrounding the lot, with two low poles set up in the middle, and a line of bleachers on the side. There was also a board of some sort and a high chair. But the place was empty and looked disused.

"Something caught your interest Echizen?" Fuji noticed the distracted look on the young boy's face. He glanced over at the object of interest.

"That's the old tennis court. A remnant of the past." Kikumaru, who apparently heard Fuji's question, turned his head back. "Barely anyone knows how to play the sport now. But they thought it would be good to keep the courts here. For multi-purpose space and such."

"Do you know how to play Echizen?" Fuji knew that those who know the sport would most likely be one of the older families that help establish the colonisation. It would also mean that there was a high chance Echizen was involved in the Earth's Force through family, similar to Tezuka and his own situation.

Ryoma shook his head after a moment's thought. He was not sure what his sempai was trying to get out of him. But he knew the less he divulge his past the better.

"Shame really. It's such an interesting sport, right Tezuka?" Fuji did not receive a reply from the Captain standing next to Echizen. The three had to walk quick to catch up to the pair of avid gamers who apparently were waiting for them at the intersection.

Arriving at the game centre, Momoshiro and Kikumaru went off to the newest game console and started playing. It left Fuji, Tezuka and Ryoma standing in the front doors. Ryoma looked up at the florescent sign, noticing that it was lighted up even in the middle of the day. There were a few UFO (2) machines set up by the sliding doors. Stepping inside was like cutting themselves away from reality, where music blasted from wall speakers and sounds from the gaming consoles bounced of the reflective walls. It took a while for Ryoma to adjust but he soon found where his two other sempais were and headed over to see the game. Ryoma had rarely visited such stores, preferring to stay in quiet parks.

"Looks like the two of us are designated guardians." Fuji joked with Tezuka by his side. They both noticed the spark of interest in Echizen's eyes and did not stop the boy from venturing deeper into the game centre. It was only natural for someone like him to be attracted. Though both wondered why the attraction was so intense.

A/N:

(1): Seishun Dai literally means "Seishun platform". It's actually the name of the station in the anime.

(2): UFO machines are those that you put in 500 yen and try to grab the toy/gift with the forks. You always see them outside gaming centres. If you don't know what they look like, google it.