Tennis Riceball
Chapter 14: I Like You
Kintaro kissed her.
Ryoma kissed her.
Kintaro kissed her.
Ryoma kissed her.
"STOP!"
Sakuno mentally shouted. She just couldn't take those happenings out of her mind. And guess what, it's been three days and she still can't sleep at night. Man, she was so sure that she'll go crazy moments later. She didn't let it ruin her studying though, she needed it to forget what happened for a while.
"no… kuno… Sakuno… Sakuno!"
Sakuno froze, she was totally shocked hearing her name shouted near her ear. She turned to see her best friend looking at her quite irritated.
"I've been calling you and you won't respond. Geez what's wrong with you? You've been acting weird since your birthday." She said with worried tone on her voice. She couldn't help it, Sakuno was acting weird and won't even spill a bean about it. But one thing is for sure, something happened and it might concern both Ryoma and Kintaro. Though she knew this, Tomo didn't insist Sakuno to tell her. She wanted her best friend to talk to her willingly, and she's willing to wait. "Come on, or we'll get late."
Sakuno smiled as she felt Tomo's warm hand holding hers. Though Tomo said nothing, she knew that her best friend would always be there for her. And when something happens to her, she would be with her like she does. They walked together to the school's premises before they could be late for class.
"I'm so lucky to have her as my friend. Maybe I'll tell her what happened later."
"RYOMA-SAMA WHAT!" Tomo shouted loudly the moment she heard what happened, and that made Sakuno winced in pain as she hears her friend's voice echo in her ears. She was too loud actually. "I can't- OH MY GOD SAKUNO! YOU'RE, LIKE, THE LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE! TO THINK RYOMA-SAMA WOULD KI-"
"T-Tomo-chan! N-Not too loud! S-someone might hear you!" Sakuno said and covered the face of her best friend. She didn't want anybody else to hear something as embarrassing as that.
"BUT! HELLO! SAKUNO! Why would he do that? That's definitely because he likes you!" Tomo said as she whispered loudly to Sakuno, careful not to make anybody hear them. "So… What do you think?"
Sakuno silenced for a moment and blushed. "I… I think he's just teasing me."
Tomo, if possible, turned into a stone. "What? Teasing! Gosh Sakuno how dense can you be? He won't do that if he doesn't like you!"
"I-I don't want to assume things yet T-Tomo-chan… It's hard to be disappointed."
"If you say so Sakuno… Just remember I'll be here for you!"
"Thank you Tomo-chan." Sakuno hugged her best friend.
Classes were done and Sakuno was walking through the buildings of the school to rest her mind. Then along the way she saw none other than the captain of Shitenhouji, Shiraishi.
"Oya, if it isn't Onigiri-chan. What's up?" Shiraishi smiled making Sakuno somewhat tensed. She wasn't sure of it but there's something wrong with his smile. But after a while, the feeling disappeared so she thought she was just tired.
They started to walk together and tour around the school premises, fortunately for Sakuno; they didn't go near the tennis courts. She wouldn't want to see Ryoma and Kintaro by the moment. If she did, she would blush madly and be embarrassed.
"Aww. You're making me jealous Onigiri-chan. You're with me but you're thinking of someone else." Shiraishi said which made Sakuno blush because Shiraishi knew that she was thinking of Ryoma or Kintaro. When she was about to respond, she saw Shiraishi stare at her.
"U-Um… P-please don't stare at m-me." Sakuno said shyly which made Shiraishi looked somewhat surprised. She noticed that after hearing what she said, Shiraishi shook his head lightly and looked startled. Sakuno thought that Shiraishi must also be surprised by his own actions. "U-um… Shiraishi-san? Is there something wrong?"
Shiraishi looked at Sakuno, which made the girl somewhat uncomfortable. For a moment, they stayed like that and Sakuno was inwardly wondering if Shiraishi is sick or what. Then, suddenly, Shiraishi spoke.
"If you were to choose Onigiri-chan… who would you pick between Kin-chan and Echizen?"
Sakuno froze at the words that came out from Shiraishi. It was a sudden question, and by the moment, she doesn't know the answer either. Sakuno was about to ask what was Shiraishi planning but-
"Can I kiss you too Onigiri-chan?"
"Eh?" Sakuno, if possible, froze more. She didn't know what to do anymore. And what's more, Shiraishi was really acting strange and she's starting to get scared because of that. Little seconds later, she was being driven to a corner by Shiraishi's strange aura.
"You know Onigiri-chan…" Sakuno's heart jumped.
"I like you."
She couldn't take it anymore as tears are starting fall into her cheeks. Shiraishi noticed these and started to snap back to reality. "A-ah…"
"I-I don't know h-how much you hate me Shiraishi-san, b-but you should tell it t-to me rather than t-teasing me like this!" Sakuno said between her sobs and ran away.
"W-Wait O-Onigiri-chan!" Realizing it's too late to run after her, Shiraishi took steps back and punched the wall. "What the hell am I doing?"
Sakuno raced outside the school, not wanting anyone to see her in that state. Not Tomo, not Kintaro, not Ryoma. She hated herself. She knew that Shiraishi meant no harm but she couldn't help it she got scared and ran away.
"Mo… I look stupid. Why did I say that to Shiraishi-san!?" She cried out loud as she continued to run through the streets. Not caring if everyone sees or hears her crying as long as it's someone she doesn't know.
But then she bumped into someone.
"Oopsie careful there miss."
Sakuno didn't stop crying as she bowed and let out a small apology to the one she bumped into. She didn't hear a response so she hung her head low as she continued to sob.
"Eh? Is she the princess of Seigaku?" She heard. Oh no, someone she knew saw her. Wait princess? She mustered her courage to see the person she bumped into and saw a redhead acrobat. It was Mukahi Gakuto of Hyotei, and of course his teammates were behind him.
"What is this? Why are you crying?" Concerned, Shishido asked.
"A-ah, t-this is n-nothing…" Sakuno covered her face to hide her teary eyes but that didn't hide her sobs.
The Hyotei members didn't know what to do. But surely, they didn't want to see a girl running in the streets with her face full of tears. Certainly, that was not good. But then the king didn't just stood there and did nothing. He quickly stepped forward and took Sakuno's shoulders.
"Did Shiraishi do this?"
Sakuno, hearing Shiraishi's name, froze. She didn't expect Atobe hitting the cause on the spot. "U-Um… T-that's…"
"Alright!" Shouted Atobe as he pulled Sakuno with him. "Hyotei will be giving a friendly visit to Seigaku today!"
"W-What!" Sakuno thought. She didn't want her friends to see her condition. No way.
"U-Um… Well then I should go n-now." Said Sakuno but Atobe's grip didn't lose.
"No way… I told you last time. You are ore-sama's hostage. Hahahahaha!"
"NO WAY!" Sakuno thought.
"Shiraishi? Are you alright? Did you eat something bad today?" Kintaro asked his captain who was unusually down at the moment. Heck he looked miserable.
"Ah this is nothing Kin-chan. You should go to practice. I'm just tired."
"Okay! If you want to have a match just call me!" Kintaro said and went back to the court.
"Ahh… Ecstasy… he's worried about me…" Shiraishi smiled but then he hung his head low and released a low whisper. "Even though I was…"
"Hyotei's here! Hyotei's here!" Shiraishi's thoughts were disrupted by Horio's loud voice. He then wondered why the said team would be in the school premises. He sighed, if he didn't get his act up, Atobe's insight might detect him again.
"I need to be careful…" He said as he rubbed his temples more. "What the hell is wrong with me?"
Before entering the school premises, Atobe and the others were welcomed by an unexpected person. It was none other than Ryoma Echizen.
"Why are you here baldy?" Ryoma asked frankly to Atobe which earned a few strained laughs from his teammates.
"Why is ore-sama here? Of course ore-sama is here to show Seigaku and Shitenhouji my awesomeness! Hahaha!" Atobe said with pride but then his mood suddenly shifted and Ryoma didn't left it unnoticed. The king looks obviously pissed.
"Oy Echizen brat, is that how you treat someone who generously brought back your princess to safe hands huh?" Gakuto asked quite pissed because of Echizen's tone.
"Princess?" Asked Ryoma, not understanding what Atobe meant. But then, he heard a few sobs from behind Atobe and he also saw that Atobe was holding someone's wrist that's actually wearing a Seigaku uniform.
If Atobe wanted to laugh because of the amusement, he already did. It was fun to see Ryoma's stoic face change dramatically. But as said earlier, the king was in no mood for things like those. But then, his teammates were always there to express his feelings.
"What did you do?" Ryoma asked in a low and dangerous tone. This was not left unnoticed by the king himself, and that includes the other regulars.
"Why don't you ask someone from inside this school? He might know." Atobe grinned arrogantly. Well, it was fun manipulating Ryoma who was obviously not in the mood anymore.
"Cut the chase Atobe, I asked you a question."
"Oy Echizen, is that how you should ask someone you owe from? We actually found her crying while running on the streets you know." Gakuto said loudly and hearing that, Ryoma's glare leveled up. Now he knew what Atobe meant, the cause was someone from either Seigaku or Shitenhouji.
Before Ryoma could jump into conclusions, Atobe gently threw Sakuno to Ryoma. Of course this made the freshmen looked shocked; shocked because Ryoma saw her state. She was still crying, and her tears are still falling from her eyes continuously. This made Ryoma boil from the inside, though he didn't want anyone to know what he felt, the Hyotei regulars still knew what was inside him. It was kinda obvious anyway.
"I'll see you later brat." Atobe said arrogantly as he started to walk towards the tennis court not giving Ryoma the chance to reply to his words. Atobe had something to do, and Ryoma wasn't a part of it, a certain captain is.
After the Hyotei regulars left the both of them, Ryoma and Sakuno greeted each other with silence. Of course, Sakuno didn't know what to do or say and she wondered inside if Ryoma was the same. Of course, as usual, Ryoma was quiet and that makes it hard for Sakuno to read what was inside his mind. But unexpectedly, when Sakuno was about to speak to break the tense silence between them, Ryoma gently held Sakuno's wrist.
"Wash your face, so you can calm down." He said in a tone that Sakuno never heard before. She was pinpointing in what kind of tone is it and reached a theory. It was a concerned tone, or at least that's what she hoped. When they were walking, Sakuno decided to stop walking and of course, Ryoma noticed it.
"U-Um… I-I don't need to wash my face anymore… T-Thank you…" She said with her head hung low. With that said, Ryoma decided to let her rest on a bench nearby. She was still sobbing lightly and Ryoma noticed that. A couple of seconds later, Ryoma went closer to her, and did something unexpected.
He hugged her.
"T-There, there… It's alright." Though she heard him stutter, Sakuno was sure that Ryoma was calming her down. This made her face flush and it wasn't because of embarrassment; it was because of joy. Knowing that someone was there for her when she feels bad really made her happy.
"Thank you."
Hearing that, Ryoma slowly broke the hug. He was blushing too. Sakuno made a mental note to remember his face when he was blushing, it was cutely priceless. "Are you okay now?"
She nodded and smiled at him; one filled with pure happiness. "Yes. Thank you."
"GAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"H-Hyoutei? A-Again?" Oishi said in surprise. Really, Hyoutei didn't fail to surprise them.
"And why is Hyoutei here again? I suppose you don't have any hostages this time." Tezuka said calmly and faced Atobe who was wearing a smile on his face. Though smiling, Tezuka couldn't make sure if that smile was real or not. Deep inside, he feels that Atobe was not amused or happy at all. He was rather releasing this cold aura, and Tezuka was sure that that aura isn't directed to him.
"Why does everyone ask that? Ore-sama simply came here because ore-sama is awesome! And worry not commoners, the hostage you speak of is safe in Echizen's hands." Atobe said and took a chance to sneak a glance at Shiraishi who caught his glance.
"Hostage? You mean Sakuno-chan? She's with Echizen?" Momo asked and displayed a playful grin on his face. The same goes for Kikumaru who understood Momo's actions.
"There you are Kikumaru! I challenge you for a sweets contest again! Rematch!" Gakuto suddenly burst through from behind Atobe and went straight to Kikumaru who was obviously hiding behind Oishi the moment he saw Gakuto. "Why the hell are you hiding you cat!"
"Oishi~ He's scary! Stop that girl!" Kikumaru shouted and grinned. He was obviously teasing Gakuto which was effective.
"Why you!" With that, Gakuto took a racket and a ball from who knows where and served it. Luckily, Kikumaru dodged it because of his reflex and the ball hit Kaidoh instead.
"What the hell bastard!" Kaidoh said and charged at Gakuto. Hiyoshi, seeing his doubles partner being attacked, stopped Kaidoh by holding his forearm rather tightly. This made Kaidoh pissed more. "Wanna go at it? Huh!"
"Just make sure you won't go home bruised." Hiyoshi said threatening Kaidoh.
"H-Hay let's stop this please?" Ootori said panicking, and Koharu saw his reaction. Actually, he found it cute.
"Another target found~ Ah Ootori-kyun can I hug you?" Koharu said loudly making Shishido hear it.
"Hey you're scaring my partner freak! Get off him!" Shishido said and pulled the collar of Koharu close to his face, ready to attack any minute.
"Hey hands off my Koharu!" Yuuji shouted.
Again, because of Hyotei, Seigaku and Shitenhouji's practice was disrupted. Though almost all of them were fighting, people would just think that it's just their way of showing their friendship towards each other.
Kintaro laughed at the scene, but something inside him wasn't laughing. He was curious the time he heard that Sakuno was with Ryoma. Alone. He lost his smile and thought that it was weird. He was feeling something between his chest and gut whenever he remember the fact that Sakuno and Ryoma was together. It's as if he can't breathe and he's being stabbed by a knife in his chest. It was the first time he ever felt like that and he was sure he didn't like it, but one thing is for sure: He wanted to go where Sakuno and Ryoma is. And as soon as he realized what he wants, he dashed away from the court.
"My, what a mess aren't we?" Shiraishi said as he watches the scenes from a corner. He was alone by the moment because all of the players are currently distracted at the scenes of ramblings between the regulars of the three teams. Then a couple of seconds later, he saw Kintaro run out of the court with a serious look on his face. "Kin-chan? Where's he going?"
"You know where…"
Shiraishi heard a voice and it's the voice of someone he really doesn't want to talk to right now. He was sure he'll be damned. And who was the owner of the voice? Of course it was none other than the king of Hyoutei, Atobe.
Shiraishi didn't greet Atobe with a reply or even with a smile. His sight didn't leave Kintaro who was slowly disappearing from the tennis courts. And what Atobe did was releasing a sigh.
"You're getting impatient… don't you think?"
"Please, Atobe-san… don't rub it in." Shiraishi's face worsened more. He wanted to bury himself under the ground. And Atobe let out an amused laugh at the sight.
"So I guess you'll start to be a prince now?" Atobe asked seriously, Shiraishi didn't even think that he would hear the King of Hyoutei this serious. It was somewhat scary because of the pressure he gives.
"Who knows Atobe-san? I don't even know that the princess that I like would even consider me her prince; especially now that she has two princes at her side."
Atobe let out another amused laugh.
"So… you're already admitting it? That you…"
"Like Sakuno-chan?" Shiraishi finished for Atobe. "Yeah… I do... I like her."
"This'll be fun to watch." Atobe said and laughed as hard as he could, sour mood washed away. And of course, he was aware that someone was listening at their conversation since the beginning. "And this'll be more fun when you watch with me Tezuka!"
"T-Tezuka-san!" Shiraishi blushed. He didn't even feel Tezuka's presence.
"Let's not be careless…" Said Tezuka then Atobe laughed harder.
Kintaro was running as fast as he could, the longer he runs, the more things come into his mind, imagining things that he doesn't want to happen. Then, when he turned to a corner, his chest tightened more, as if his heart stopped beating. There, at a bench, he saw Ryoma hugging Sakuno. He couldn't move, or even speak. It was the first time he ever felt like that, as if all his strength left his body and as if his world crumbled to pieces. And seeing Sakuno's face worsened his unwanted feeling. He saw her smiling with all her heart, as if that moment was the best thing that happened in her wanted that smile. He wanted to be the one to make her smile like that. He wanted to be the person who was hugging her. He wanted to be the one she likes. He wanted her. Now he knows what he was feeling, and he admitted it, for the first time of his life, Tooyama Kintaro felt jealousy.
"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" He shouted soon after Sakuno and Ryoma exchanged a few words. Of course that would surprise the two who was having a conversation. "IT'S SO UNFAIR!"
"U-Unfair?" Sakuno asked surprised.
"I FEEL JEALOUS! I WANT TO HUG SAKUNO-CHAN TOO! I DON'T WANT TO BE JEALOUS OF YOU KOSHIMAE!" He shouted out loud making Sakuno blush of course. He just admitted that he was jealous of Ryoma because he hugged her.
Ryoma stared at Kintaro who was glaring at him. Then, his so called rival, suddenly held Sakuno's hand, he was, although he wouldn't admit it, slightly pissed. "Do you think I don't get jealous when you hug her, or when she makes a lunch for you, or when you call her by her first name, or when you kiss her? I do Tooyama. I want to be the guy who can make her happy."
Sakuno froze, registering what was happening to the three of them inside her head. She couldn't understand what was happening at all. She was staring at the two boys between her and she was sure that she was trembling. They continued to glare at each other and Sakuno wanted to break the tense atmosphere between the three of them. Mustering up her courage, Sakuno decided to speak.
"U-Um I don't understand…"
"I don't want to lose to him…" They said in unison still glaring at each other.
"In tennis and to you." Then they looked at her with serious faces and seeing those expressions made Sakuno blush once again. They spoke at the same time, with the same look, same tone, and same passion.
"Because I like you."
Next Chapter: When Shiraishi Joined In…
Author's Note:
And yaaaaay that's my hardest chapter so far~ and the plot's going near the end already! Though the end is still a ways a way. This'll be a long journey :D
Sorry if this was a late update. I'm sad to say I'll be updating veeeeeeery slowly since my life is so busy with so many personal things… But still I'll update maybe once in every two months or whenever I have a free time. TTnTT Just wishing you'll all be still with me till the end.
Also thank you for the anonymous reviewers since I can't reply to them :)
I LOVE YOU GUYS ~ thank you for supporting this story, I hope we still be together till the ending ~ hearts !