"Close your eyes," Tezuka said.
Ryoma gave him a look. Tezuka never asked him to do things like this. Tezuka never drew up suspense before a surprise, he just got on with it.
"Ryoma," Tezuka said in a voice that would have ended with laps 10 years ago.
"Fine," Ryoma relented.
He shut his eyes and listened to Tezuka walk into the other room and then return.
"Hold out your arms."
Ryoma sighed and did as he was told. Then, something furry and warm and quite heavy was put into them. He immediately opened his eyes and found himself looking into the big, brown eyes of a yellow labrador puppy. He pulled it close and the puppy started to try and lick his face.
"He doesn't have a name yet," Tezuka said, stepping forward and rubbing the puppy's face.
"He's ours?" Ryoma asked.
"Of course," Tezuka replied. "Labradors are bred to retrieve game, he can be our ball dog."
"He'd better not get in the way of the match," Ryoma said. "Why did you buy us a dog?"
"Don't you want him to stay with us?"
Ryoma hugged the puppy to him defensively, "I didn't say that!"
"Then it's fine."
Ryoma sighed dramatically and then grinned, Tezuka could be so tricky sometimes. Any further questions were stopped by the puppy finally wriggling into a position where he could lick Ryoma's face and he couldn't talk for a while.
