As Echizen predicted, the matches were over. They were already packing up their bags. "Oi, Echizen!" Momo called to Ryoma, "What took ya?" Echizen sighed. "Nothing." Kasumi sighed in relief. He didn't mention the whole incident with the tree. Ryuzaki came over and said, "Alright people, let's go back."
Kyomaru poured a cup of tea and handed it to Kasumi. "How was your day?" Kasumi sighed. "Uneventful." Her grandfather widened his eyes. "Oh?" Kasumi sipped the tea. Although it burned her throat, she showed no sign of it.
"I had to play doubles." she said glumly. The old man drank tea from his own cup. "Does that trouble you?" Kasumi looked up at the ceiling. "Not really. But I can't work on my potential." The old man closed his eyes to think.
"Do you think all of those double pairs in the world can't show their potentials?" Kasumi looked at her grandfather. His expression was impassive. "No, because they're better at doubles anyways." The two took another sip in silence. "You do know part of potential is being as versatile as possible, right?" Kasumi nodded. "That means that being good at doubles just as much as singles will make you an even stronger player." "But how?" Kyo smiled. "The trick to doubles is to be able to rely on your partner as much as they would rely on you."
"But," Kasumi said, "This guy doesn't need my help at all!" She folded her arms. "All I did was return when he couldn't reach it." She was startled when her grandfather clapped loudly once. "Very good!" Kasumi looked at him, confused. "If you two already can understand each other's actions, then the real doubles play comes in. It's like you two are already a couple!" Kasumi flustered. It sounded weird when he said it like that. He stood up. "Well, I have an appointment to go to now. I trust that when I come home, this building is not on fire, okay?" "Hai, Oji-sama."
Kasumi sat at her desk in her room drawing something on a piece of white paper. One by one, the blank pages beside her disappeared, replaced by pictures. After a while, Kasumi sighed and fell into her bed. Her grandfather came in her room, and silently took the pictures. He grinned at them then put them back on her table.
"So this is your team, Kasumi?" he asked the sleeping girl as he opened her window. Her slow breath replied. He chuckled then looked up, not to the ceiling, but somehow beyond it. "You raised a fine, talented girl, my son." Kyo then slipped through the door, knowing that he had covered up all of his tracks.
Kasumi woke up and saw that her papers had moved. "I didn't leave the window open, did I?" she asked herself. But when she turned around, a cool breeze brushed her face. Guess not, she thought. Kyomaru opened the door with his foot as he entered holding a plate with scrambled eggs, toast, and strips of bacon.
"Make haste, my granddaughter. I would like to bring you somewhere." Kasumi looked at the clock. "But it's Saturday." He put the plate on her lap. "Like I'd bring you somewhere in the morning on a weekday?" Kasumi slumped. Duh. That's grandfather for you.
Kyomaru parked with superior control. "We're here, Kasumi." The girl had fallen asleep, leaning on the window. The old man smiled, then jabbed her rib with two of his fingers. "Ow!" Kasumi jolted up. "Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, your highness, but we've arrived." Kasumi groaned. Why was he being so cryptic?
Kasumi climbed out of the car door, her skirt flowing with the wind. She had a summer dress on. It was cream colored with gray swirl designs on it. The waistband and neck part were strips of black. However, Kasumi could not part from her tennis shoes, as she wore them disregarding the fact that it clashed with her outfit. "Nee, Oji-sama," she said exasperatedly, "Where are we going?" The old man continued walking. Kasumi frowned then followed.
"Irrashai! This is the Kawamura Sushi Place! Please make yourselves comfortable!" Kasumi stood close to her grandfather. "What is this place?" He looked at her then said softly, "The nice man already said it. This is the Kawamura Sushi Place." Kawamura... As in Taka-san? Here?
"KYA!" A scurry of footsteps followed. "CHIBI-CHAAN!" "Kikuma- oof!" She was hugged ferociously by the childish red-head. "You made it! I'm so happy!" Kikumaru squeezed her. Kasumi looked at him incredulously then looked behind him. The whole team sat there as well.
"It's been a while, Kyo." Ryuuzaki said. Kyomaru chuckled. "I suppose it has." He then walked towards the door. "Well, I'll take my leave." Kasumi turned sharply, with her sempai still clutching her. "Leaving?" "Have a good time, granddaughter!" He tipped his hand and left. As he walked out, he muttered to himself. "One of them has the Samurai's eyes…how interesting."
Kikumaru finally let go. "Ehh!" he then said in awe. "Chibi-chan's wearing a dress! KAWAII-NE!" He grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards the others. "Look, look! Doesn't she look so CUTE!?" "Oho!" Momo-chan-sempai sat up to examine her. "She is, right?" Kikumaru continued happily. Oishi gave him a look that said "you really should let go of her". Eiji-sempai pouted, letting go of the slightly traumatized freshman.
"Sorry for the wait! Please enjoy!" the sushi chef, who Kasumi deduced was Taka-san's father, said. He and his son put out different assortments of sushi. It was lunch-time, the perfect time to have an endless sushi fest. Kasumi stared at them all with wide eyes. They all were hand-made and looked delicious. It couldn't compare to the sushi places elsewhere.
"From that look, I guess this is your first visit a sushi place in Japan, right?" Kasumi turned to Fuji's voice. He smiled. "Your face says it all." Kasumi looked down. "I guess it does." He laughed softly.
"So, do you have any favorite kinds of sushi?" She continued to refrain from eye-contact due to embarrassment. "The only kind of sushi I've ever eaten was a California Roll." "That's all?" Oishi commented, overhearing the previous comment. Kasumi nodded woefully. "Meaning that all of this is new to you?" Another nod. "Wow." Oishi finally ended. Then he eyed a platter a few tables away. "Kasumi, you should go try some of that. It's good." He pointed to the table with his chopsticks. "Oh…" Kasumi stood up. "Whatever sempai says."
"Nee, Fuji-sempai, what's your favorite kind of sushi?" Kasumi asked upon returning from trying out Oishi's recommendation, which was scrumptious. "Heh… I'd have to say anything with wasabi in it." Ryoma, while passing by, leaned close to Kasumi's ear and whispered, "More like 'anything made out of wasabi'."
"Buu-chou." Kasumi called him. "Nn?" Tezuka looked up from his plate, where sushi had been eaten off gracefully. "Why are you sitting alone?" He looked away. "No reason." "Then you should come and sit with us." Tezuka looked at her questioningly. She smiled. "It'd really suck to have an anti-social captain, right?" Tezuka then dropped his head. "Well, you can stay if you'd like. That's fine too." Kasumi ended, walking away, not sensing the depressed aura surrounding the captain. Oishi, a few tables away, felt a vigorous tapping on his shoulder. "Chibi-chan just called buu-chou 'antisocial'. And he didn't scold her back, either!" Kikumaru said, grinning sheepishly.
Kasumi had obtained a soft spot for sushi after the banquet. She loved all the different kinds of it, such as unagi, ebi, and different types of roe. But her favorite was matsubagani. "Oishii-ne." Kasumi sighed after eating her fill. Echizen was sitting next to her. "Are you going to finish that?" Kasumi followed his gesture until her eyes met a plate with a single piece of hirame. "No, you can take it…but I already bit that one."
"Nee, Echizen!" Momo came rather cheerfully. "What?" he replied, picking up the halved piece with his chopsticks. "You know, if you eat a piece she already bit, it's called an 'indirect kiss'." "Eh?" Kikumaru came along. "Chibi-tachi are gonna kiss? What?" Momo restated his argument. "Oh! Indirectly? I got it!" The two then stooped down to the table and stared at Ryoma expectantly. Echizen sighed and put the piece back.
"Not eating it is disrespectful to the chef, Echizen! You took it, so finish it!" "What side are you on?" Echizen commented. "Go, O-chibi, go!" Kikumaru seemed to be bouncing in his seat. Kasumi sighed. Why couldn't I have just finished off that piece so this would never happen? Echizen used his chopsticks to seize the hirame sushi once again. "Gomen ne, Shitoyaka." He said. Kasumi then realized that was the first time he ever used her name. She felt her face flush, and looked away. Why am I blushing…?
"Arigatou for the great sushi, Mr. Kawamura." Kasumi said wholeheartedly. "Ah, no problem. It's nice seeing kids these days that still appreciate sushi." Kasumi grinned. With that, the team exited the store.
"So, where should we go now?" Oishi asked the team. "Fushuu…let's just go home…" Kaidoh mumbled. "Nani? What's up with that, mamushi?" Momoshiro interjected, "You no-life. You're gonna go rot in your house, huh?" "WHAAT?!" Kaidoh roared. Kikumaru broke in. "We should go somewhere fun! Somewhere we can all play games!" He said that statement with such innocence and excitement. Oishi sighed. "Fuji?" "Eh, I agree with Eiji." He replied, smiling.
Kasumi then suddenly thought of something that she probably might regret. "How about an arcade?" The team turned to her. "Oh…never mind. That was stupid huh…" "That's a GREAT IDEA!" Kikumaru cried in joy, and embraced her. "You're so smart, chibi-chan!" "Any objections?" Oishi directed to the team. "Aheh… it sounds fun." Taka said shyly. "Nope! An arcade is fine!" Momo said. "Right, Echizen?" The freshman sighed. "Whatever." "And buu-chou?" Tezuka, with his arms crossed, simply stated, "Don't let your guard down."
"Yatta!" Kikumaru grabbed Kasumi with his right hand and Echizen with his left. "Let's go!"