Tennis Riceball
Chapter 11: Christmas Eve
Sakuno was walking to her school. She looked around her and confirmed that Christmas is really drawing near. The decorations around the houses, the yearly Christmas sale at the stores and the families having their simple yet memorable parties together, Christmas is really here.
"December 24th huh?" She thought to herself. Christmas Eve isn't the only thing to remember in that date. It was also someone else's birthday. Ryoma's birthday.
She continued on walking to her school and at the same time, she was thinking if she needed to give Ryoma a gift. Will he accept it? Will he like it? Is it alright for her to give him a gift? Many questions were inside her head but she decided to ignore the thoughts swelling up inside her. "Maybe it isn't that bad to give him a simple gift… right?"
"Hm? Oh Sakuno! Good morning!" She heard someone call her and as she turn around, she found Tomo running to her direction. She waved her hand and decided to wait for her best friend.
"Oh, it's you Tomo-chan. Good morning." Sakuno smiled but to her surprise, Tomo gave her a suspicious look.
"What do you mean oh it's you Tomo-chan? Oh. Were you expecting someone else~ too bad Tooyama's away now. Oh how tragic Sakuno-san!"
"W-What are you saying! It's not like I was e-expecting Kintaro-kun. Mo Tomo-chan." Sakuno blushed. Well, it's true that Kintaro was one of the people who usually greet her early in the morning. And greeting her with his smile somehow gives her energy to face the day. Boy, with Shitenhouji back in Osaka, things would be a lot quieter than before. Well, it wasn't that Seigaku was boring before Shitenhouji came; it's just that Sakuno was already adjusted to be with them.
"So, so what did Tooyama say to you?" Tomo asked Sakuno making her friend confused.
"What did he tell me? Did he need to tell me anything?" Sakuno replied.
"Geez, I mean, did he tell you anything before he left? I'm sure you went with them to the airport." Hearing what Tomo meant, Sakuno remembered something she shouldn't have making her blush. Tomo saw this and smiled widely. "Whoa, he really did say something? I knew it spill it Sakuno!"
Sakuno shook her head and continued walking towards school.
"Ah Sakuno unfair! Spill it! Sakuno!"
"There's no way I'll say it to anyone! I-it's so embarrassing!" Sakuno thought as she enters the school premises with her best friend begging her to tell her story. Then she remembered what happened again.
"WHAT! NO I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!" Kintaro shouted to Shiraishi who was calmly explaining about their departure. It was decided for them to come back to their homeland since it was Christmas and they needed to celebrate it with their family. "I WANT TO STAY WITH SAKUNO-CHAN!"
"Ma ma, Kin-chan. I understand what you feel but we need to go back. You don't want to make your parents sad in Christmas right?" Shiraishi smiled, he just knew that their decision was all too sudden for their rookie especially when he knew that he was excited spending Christmas with Sakuno. "And Onigiri-chan would be sad if she knew that she's the reason why your parents are sad. Right?"
Everyone nodded at Shiraishi's words. It was a good idea to make Shiraishi explain things to Kintaro, he was the best in making their rookie calm down anyway.
"B-But… "
"It's okay Kin-chan. There's a chance that we'll go back once vacation is over."
"Really?"
"Really."
"YAAAY! Alright I'll go tell Sakuno-chan! Bye!" With that, Kintaro rushed away from the room they're in.
"He really likes her, how cute." Chitose said making everyone smile. "Well, let's get prepared for our flight."
Sakuno was sweeping at some area in her school. She was in cleaning duties that day, and her classmates went to throw the garbage. She sighed; her mind is already filled with the idea of giving Ryoma a present for his birthday. Suddenly, her thoughts were disrupted by a certain redhead.
"Sakuno-chan! I'm going home the day after tomorrow!" Those were the first thing Sakuno heard from Kintaro. Well, of course it was really unexpected so unconsciously, Sakuno lost her grip with the broom she was holding.
"W-What? O-oh is that so?" Sakuno didn't really know what to say in that situation, and Kintaro not smiling wasn't helping her at all. "Oh. Then I should make a bentou for you. Can I?"
Hearing what Sakuno said made Kintaro smile. "Yay! You'll go see me in the airport right?" He excitedly asked Sakuno and of course, the girl would nod happily. "YAAAAY! I'LL WAIT FOR YOU OKAY! BYE!" And just like that Kintaro was already out of Sakuno's sight.
"Shitenhouji's leaving huh?" Sakuno thought as she walked on her way home. She was, of course, sad. Shitenhouji's stay was fun after all. They were fun to be with and at the same time gentle. She felt like all of them were her big brothers and they were taking care of her sincerely.
And as she wonders deep inside her thoughts again, another person disrupted her, but this time, it wasn't Kintaro. It was none other than Ryoma.
"You'll bump into the post if you continue to walk dumbfounded."
"R-Ryoma-kun." After those short returns of words, they started to walk together. "Hey did you hear? Shitenhouji's already going back to Osaka."
"Hmm… gonna miss them?" Ryoma asked making Sakuno blush for no reason. Well, she nodded anyway.
"How about you Ryoma-kun? Are you gonna miss them?"
"No. They'll probably back after vacation. Especially that Tooyama."
Sakuno laughed, "Well, that's probably true."
The day of Shitenhouji's flight came fast. Sakuno was running her way to the airport worried that she might not see them off. "Of all the days to wake up late… It had to be today!"
She hurried but when she was about to run pass a hallway, someone suddenly pulled her to a corner. "Sakuno-chan!"
"K-K-Kintaro-kun! You scared me!" Sakuno said loudly, well of course anyone would be scared when someone suddenly pulled her out of nowhere. "Hm? Why are you alone? Where are the others?"
"They're here but… um… I was waiting for you." Kintaro didn't smile, for some reason he was blushing and seeing that, Sakuno did too. Why? She just thought that Kintaro was cute when he's blushing.
"Hm? Waiting? For me?"
"Well, yeah! Merry Christmas! I wanted to greet you before we leave! And here! I'll give you this!" From his pocket, Kintaro got a bear keychain and placed it in Sakuno's hand. "Wait for me okay? I'll come back for you! And when we get back, let's go to the amusement park again!"
Sakuno blushed at Kintaro's words. He said to wait for him. Yes, it was a common term since they're really be coming back but for some reason, Sakuno just felt her heart skip a beat.
"Oh! Here's your bentou. I hope you like it!" Sakuno suddenly gave the bentou and went ahead to Shitenhouji's direction. "L-Let's go they're waiting for us right? You don't want to be running late in-"
"Sakuno-chan I like you, don't forget. I'll come back for you okay!"
Sakuno stopped; now she was really blushing and she felt like her chest was gonna explode at that exact moment. She was about to turn back to Kintaro's position but then Kintaro suddenly ran and pulled her hand. Sakuno looked at Kintaro's back and she couldn't really see Kintaro's expression but she saw his ears. They were red so she assumed that he was blushing like her too.
Sakuno was walking home now. In the end, she told Tomo what happened, and guess what, her best friend almost died because of Moe reasons. She sighed; it was embarrassing just to remember it so telling it to other people was as twice embarrassing. But in the end, she didn't know her feelings that time, will she be happy or what?
"Thinking too much will make your hair turn white." Sakuno heard Ryoma and she was right. Again, they'll walk together. For some time, it was becoming normal for them to be walking together.
"Ah, it's snowing." Ryoma said as he looks up the sky.
"How pretty." Sakuno said and remembered Christmas, for some reason, she just became fearless and asked Ryoma a question.
"Ryoma-kun, it's almost your birthday, do you want any gift?" She smiled, and smiled. For a moment Ryoma stared at her, but as time passed, he continued to walk and replied a simple "Well, not really."
"Mo, you're making it hard for me to decide." Sakuno said but Ryoma didn't reply anymore. She didn't know how but silence just suddenly crept between the two of them. She made this her chance to think of a gift for the guy beside her. Then it hit her. "I know! I'll give you a gift! B-But don't expect much o-okay."
"… Sure."
What Ryoma said made Sakuno happy. "Okay I'll do my best!"
"Sakuno! Merry Christmas!" Tomo called Sakuno who was waiting for her.
"Ah Tomo-chan merry Christmas." Then Sakuno handed her best friend a gift.
"Oh! Can I open it?" Tomo asked excitedly and Sakuno replied with a nod. She started to open the gift carefully making sure that the wrapper won't be ruined that much. Inside was a simple yet cute pink dress with frilly designs. Sakuno thought that a dress would fit Tomo because of her cute figures. "Sakuno I love it! Thank you! Here's for you!" She said and handed her a gift back. As Sakuno opened it, she saw a headband with a flower design.
"Use that in your birthday so Ryoma-sama won't tease you for your hairstyle!"
"Tomo-chan it's pretty, thank you. I'll treasure it." Sakuno smiled and saw another gift Tomo was holding. "Hm? Is that a gift from someone?"
Tomo suddenly blushed hearing what Sakuno said. "W-Well you see. Horio suddenly gave me a g-gift the other day s-so I thought it's better to give him a gift back. B-But it's not because I-I like him okay! I-I'm just giving him a gift because o-of gratitude nothing m-more!"
"Alright, alright I already understand Tomo-chan. Let's go?" Sakuno smiled, never once in her life she saw Tomo being a tsundere, but who knows? Maybe she had that side of her since ancient times. It was already December 24th and the two of them decided to have some fun together. Well, they were already having fun though. They went shopping, then to the arcade and next to karaoke. And later that day, Sakuno decided to change her hairstyle and used the headband Tomo gave her earlier. Sakuno thought it was tons of fun but somewhere along the line, she wanted to see a certain someone. And of course it was none other than the birthday celebrant himself.
"Hey Sakuno, I noticed this but is that a gift for someone?" Tomo noticed and pointed the untouched gift that Sakuno was bringing with her. "Oh! Is that for Ryoma-sama! You're gonna spend Christmas Eve with him!"
"W-Wait Tomo-chan. It's not like that. Well you see, I'm not even sure if I can see him at this situation. I… just thought that I would bring it with me…"
"You should give it Sakuno! What's inside?"
"O-Oh. I knitted him a scarf. I'm nervous with it."
Tomo smiled at her best friend, she patted the girl on her back and made a reassuring thumbs up. "Nah, you worry too much. I'm sure Ryoma-sama will like it so no worries!"
"What will I like?"
Sakuno and Tomo froze, speaking of the devil. The celebrant just came to their side. Sakuno froze and ended up staring at the prince in front of her and by Tomo's surprise, Ryoma was staring back. Though, Tomo didn't want to ruin the string contest, she needed to speak. "S-Sorry Sakuno! I just remembered that my mom ordered me to buy some things for tonight's party I gotta go bye!" Without wasting time, Tomo just left the two surprised by her actions.
"W-Wait T-Tomo-chan!"
"W-What should I do now?" Sakuno thought nervously. Of course she wished for Ryoma to see her gift but not that sudden! She sighed and gathered courage to face the celebrant of that day. And to her surprise, he was looking at her too.
"That hairstyle suits you better. Keep it like that." Ryoma said and started to walk and Sakuno walked with him. Sakuno blushed and held the gift in her hand carefully. She was thinking of how to give it to him without the feeling of uneasiness.
"So where are you going Ryoma-kun?" She asked and Ryoma didn't look at her.
"Gonna buy a cellphone. Dad's gift."
"Oh! That's awesome! So what kind will you buy?"
"Hmmm… Dunno." Ryoma just said disappointing Sakuno. She thought that Ryoma had thought about it more. They continued to walk silently. Though it was silent, Sakuno didn't feel any nervousness at all. She didn't know why though, all that she knows is that Ryoma's aura seemed different.
"Oh, I can help you choose if you don't mind."
"Sure."
Ryoma's answer was one of the things that made Sakuno really happy that day. It was a chance to spend Christmas Eve with the one she admires.
"Oh you sweeties there why don't you take a picture in this booth? It's free for every Teddie bear you buy!" A man in working attire suddenly approached them. Sakuno blushed at the word sweeties and was planning on denying that she and Ryoma were a couple but her plan was ruined because of Ryoma who just bought the bear for some reason. Sakuno stared at the guy in front of her and then to the bear the guy was somewhat pointing it to her.
"Eh?"
"For you."
"EH?"
"Oh how sweet! Thank you for your patronage and stay closer together for a picture." The salesman prepared his camera and waited for the couple to get closer. The problem is, Sakuno was frozen stiff. She can't believe that it was really happening. Ryoma just bought a bear for HER when it was supposed to be her to give a gift. It was already taking the salesman's time so Ryoma made the move to make the two of them closer. He just pulled Sakuno's hand so the both of them would look like a couple in the picture with their hands locked.
*click*
"Here's your copy! Thank you and have a Merry Christmas!" The man said and went to entertain other costumers. Ryoma started to walk again and Sakuno hurriedly followed. Though hesitant, Sakuno asked Ryoma the reason for him buying a bear for her.
"Nothing really."
Sakuno smiled, somehow, that Christmas Eve was becoming more and more unforgettable. Now she has a picture with Ryoma and a gift from him. After walking for a while, the both of them reached the cellphone shop. And after an hour of choosing among the many cellphone designs, Ryoma decided to stick up with the blue one. Sakuno thought it was too simple but then she realized that it suited Ryoma more.
"Congratulations on your first cellphone Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno said and smiled somewhat surprising Ryoma. After saying those words, Sakuno saw white droplets coming down. It was then she realized that it was snowing. "Oh, it's a white Christmas, how pretty." Sakuno tilted her head up and watched the snow fall gently not knowing that Ryoma took his newly bought cellphone and pointed it towards her.
*click*
"Hm? What's that?" Sakuno looked at Ryoma but to her disappointment, she didn't see anything unusual. Before she could see that Ryoma took a picture of her, Ryoma hid it with his fast reflexes.
"Maybe your imagination." He hid a smile. He was successful in his little mission.
"Oh! R-Ryoma-kun, I-I made a gift for you. Happy birthday! I-I hope you'll like it." Sakuno shyly presented the gift she had the whole day. Ryoma accepted it and opened it.
"S-Sorry if it's not good. T-That's all I can do." Sakuno said but the time she looked at Ryoma, he was already smiling. And it was a real smile. And what's more, he was already wearing the scarf in his neck.
"I already received the greatest gift." He replied but he continued inside his mind.
"And it was spending the Christmas Eve with you."
Next Chapter: The Start of a New Year
A/N: OH MY GOSH ! LET ME APOLOGIZE FOR THE LATE UPDATE! :(
Really I'm so sorry, but thank you for all the messages you gave me. This month was so hard for me but it won't stop me from updating. No Way! xD
Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. Really all of you make me happy TT^TT
Ryoma's cap for reviewers~ =)