"Niou-kun"
"Niou-kun...Hey..." Yagyuu called the trickster many times but he didn't get any responds. "Niou." He waved his hand in front of the trickster.
"Huh?" Niou startled. "What?" He looked at Yagyuu with a confuse expression.
"..."
Niou frowned and asked the gentleman one more time. "What is it?"
Yagyuu sighed as he stood up and grabbed the trickster's arm. "I'm sorry guys, but seems like Niou-kun is feeling unwell. We're going to leave now."
"What?" Niou widened his eyes and became more confused. Yukimura looked at the two. "Oh...? Sure." The captain said as he understood the situation. The other members also nodded in respond.
"We are very sorry." Yagyuu said it softly.
Niou glanced at Jackal and Mori before Yagyuu dragged him outside. Looks like the half-Brazilian already told everything to the older.
.
.
"Hei...Yagyuu, What's wrong with you?" Niou followed the other guy from behind, frowning. He didn't understand. They shouldn't leave the others like that. Niou looked back at the store. He even didn't finish his food.
"I should be the one who asked that question. What's wrong with you? Frowning like that, Niou-kun?." Yagyuu looked at him.
"What? It just... I couldn't eat my meat because of you-."
"That's not it. How long I've become your double partner? I can easily read your mind." Yagyuu sighed.
"... Ahh~ Forget about it."
"It's about Marui-kun, isn't it?"
"What the hell-?" Niou wanted to laugh. He couldn't deal with Yagyuu after all. Because the gentleman always knew what he was thinking about. He sighed deeply, didn't know how to answer his friend.
"Do you still blame yourself?"
"..."
"You're still thinking that you're the one who made him stopped playing tennis, aren't you?"
"Yeah..."
"I'd do the same thing, Niou... If I was you at that time, I'll let him play too."
"You're trying to cheer me up, huh?"
"No, I'm not."
Niou looked down. He couldn't stop thinking about the redhead at all. This drove him crazy.
"Say Yagyuu..." Niou looked at the other guy. "Do you think Bunta will come back...someday?"
"Who knows?"
"You never asked him to comeback, didn't you?"
"That's right-"
"Why? You didn't care about him?"
"You know It wasn't like that." The gentleman sighed as he thought for a moment searching for right words. "It just... sometimes, the best thing we can do for people we care about... is to respect their choice, isn't it?"
"Respect their choice?" Niou repeated the words. He really didn't understand. Letting Bunta to choose his own step, to let him stop playing tennis like this... is that a right choice?
"Well... If we keep forcing him to do something he doesn't want to. That's only put lots of pressure to him. Don't you think?"
"..."
No answer. Niou didn't reply the gentleman as he suddenly stopped his walk. His body froze.
"Niou?" Yagyuu looked at the trickster with concern.
"Isn't that... Bunta?" The trickster mumbled almost to himself.
"Huh?" Yagyuu turned his head and saw Marui queued in front of sweets store. The redhead wasn't alone; The sleepy head from Hyotei was there. Akutagawa Jirou was with him. Before the gentleman could answer, the trickster already walked towards Marui.
.
"Yo." Niou smirked at the redhead. The smirk he showed was not the same as his usual smirk, it was different. Yagyuu who followed the trickster from behind just looked at Marui. The redhead looked a bit startled.
"Oh? Hi." Marui replied shortly. He didn't expect to meet them here.
"What are you doing?" The tricksters asked him plainly.
"Can you tell? I come to buy some cakes-."
"I asked you what you are doing with this guy." Niou cut the redhead's words. He pointed his finger at Jirou as he looked at Marui with serious expression.
"Huh?" Jirou blinked.
"What? He's just hanging out with me." The redhead frowned. "Is that wrong?"
"Just hanging out with you, you say?" Niou laughed mockingly. "Did you forget our school had a match today?"
The redhead flinched. He averted his gaze away and didn't reply him. There he goes again...Niou hate it when Marui averted his gaze and that was what made the trickster angry.
"Oi, I asked you if you forget about the match."
"No, I remember it clearly." The redhead said calmly. This time, he was looking back at Niou.
"And you chose not to come because of him?" Niou raised his voice. People around them started to look at them.
"Niou-kun-" Yagyuu tried to calm the other guy.
"W-Wait!" Jirou who looked a bit confused at first started to realize something. "Marui-kun didn't-"
"I'm not talking to you." Niou glared at Jirou with his cold eyes. He didn't want to listen anything from that guy at all.
"Stop glaring at him." Marui moved forwards as he tried to blocking Niou. "He has nothing to do with this."
"Ha.. This is really funny." Niou looked at him disbelieve. "Is this guy so important to you, huh?"
"T-That's not it!" Jirou said loudly.
"Ignore him, Jirou. Come on." Marui said as he took Jirou's hand and walked away from there.
"B-But!"
Marui didn't want to make more troubles... Since people around there was watching them.
"I'm not done talking to you. How long do you plan to run away, Bunta!" Niou shouted at the redhead. But Marui didn't care; He ignored it and kept walking.
"Ma-Marui kun. Wait..." Jirou called him.
"You're such a coward!" The trickster once again shouted.
Those words made Jirou stopped. "What... did you say?" He pulled his hand away from Marui and turned his body, moving closer to Niou. "You know nothing! You don't have rights to call him a coward!"
"Jirou!" The redhead called him with a warning on his face as if he didn't want Jirou to continue.
"Take back your words!" Jirou said sharply to Niou. He ignored the redhead's warning.
"I know nothing?" Niou frowned. "Don't act like you know everything about him."
"I know! At least I know He's not a coward!" Jirou shouted to the trickster. "He had a reason why he can't-"
Marui quickly pulled Jirou. "Stop right there."
"But!"
"Reason? You mean to waste his time with you?" Niou said coldly.
"Wha- How dare you? We're talking about his wrist! His time for therapy suddenly changed! That's why he was late! Because you guys finished the game in Single 3 and went back so fast before he could watch!"
"I said stop it!" Marui glared at him. There was anger in his eyes.
Jirou wanted to say more but he chose to shut his mouth. He clenched his fist.
"Therapy...? What... do you mean by that?"
And how he knows we finished the first 3 game just now? Could it be they... The trickster's body became tense.
"I do therapy for my wrist today." Marui replied shortly as he turned to the trickster. "So, would you stop accusing Jirou for this matter? He just wanted to come along with me."
"...You actually came..."
"No. Don't misunderstand me, Niou. I didn't watch the match and that's my intention from the start." Marui said plainly to the trickster then he turned to Yagyuu. "I'm sorry for let your hopes up. I should turn you down last week."
"Well..." Yagyuu adjusted his glasses. He didn't know how to answer him.
Niou stood there, his body froze as Marui continued his walk. Jirou followed the redhead, leave the gentleman and the trickster behind.
.
.
"Marui kun?"
"What?"
"Why you're lying to them?"
"..."
"Even we were late... we did try to come, didn't we?... and you even looked so depressed when we weren't able to watch that match. But why you said - "
"Please... don't ask me anything." Marui cut him off with very deep low voice. His expression looked painful. It made Jirou couldn't say anything anymore.
