Part 7
I went to school with Ami and Haruko the next day. It felt weird, since the one I go to school with is Mitsui.
We brought Haruko to her classroom.
"Niki, how did it feel kissing two guys in one day? And these two are cute basketball players! One is the astounding shooting guard and the ever- popular Super Rookie Ace Player!" Ami squealed.
"Sad." I mumbled.
"Sad? Why?" Ami asked. "I guess that's why you didn't attend the game, right?" Ami said. "Have you picked one between them already?"
"Hopefully, later." I said.
Then as we went inside our classroom, Hanamichi and Yohei went to me.
"There are some thingS for you in your table." Hanamichi said.
"From whom?" I asked. Youhei just laughed.
"See for yourself," he said mysteriously.
When I went to my desk, there were 2 boxes wrapped in fancy gift wrappers.
"From whom were they from?" I asked Sakuragi.
"One is from a certain freshman in section 10 and one is from a certain senior from section 3.I dunno who they are, actually," Sakuragi said, pretending not to know who they are. He turned to Mito. "Who gave those stuff?"
"I dunno either," Mito rode along with Hanamichi's joke.
I smiled. I knew right away whose gift to open first.
Mitsui.
I got Mitsui's gift and tore it open. It was a blue box. I opened the box to see what it contained.
"Awww. oh my god he bought this?! But. this is expensive! Maybe that's why he was at the toyshop yesterday!" I exclaimed. I pulled the gift out of the box. It was the jack-in-the-box with an 'I'm sorry' note popping out when you open the box that I saw in the toyshop yesterday. I became teary-eyed again. "Mitsui makes me cry a lot, that's why I hate him so extremely," I joked while wiping the tears from my eyes.
I opened the box from Rukawa. When I took a peek on what's inside the box, I laughed while crying. "It's the same thing! That silly Kaede boy," I laughed as I wiped away more tears. "Maybe that's why I saw them both in the toyshop yesterday.Because they bought the same thing." I said with a smile.
"Now, what can you say? Have you now forgiven the two?" Youhei asked.
"Of course, yes. They melted my heart in a special way. Anyway, it's the thought that counts, right?" I asked.
"There's a note inside Mitsui's box.Maybe you would wanna read it," Youhei showed me the box.
"Oh yeah, there is a note," I said. I unfolded the pink paper that was taped inside the box. I read the note.
Greetings, Miss Niki! I am Jackie in a box, wanting to say a very important thing to you. My master wants to deliver a certain message to you. His message is, aside from 'I'm Sorry' is 'I Miss You' and especially, 'I Love You'. He hopes that by the time you get to read this, you have already forgiven him. He promised that if you give him a chance to win your heart, he would make you the happiest person in this world. He will still treat you like a best friend, because that's where your relationship started: by being best friends. And he hopes that by the next time you get to have ice cream again at the ice cream parlor, he will be the one to spill the ice cream on the table so that he can see your smile for that's what he likes so much in you: your loving smile. That is all. That's why he used pink paper is because he knows you love candy colors especially pink. The next time he sees you in the corridor, you should talk with him already. Alright? You will always be the princess of his heart. Bye-bye, Princess!
I put down the jack-in-the-box. I rushed outside and ran to his classroom.
"Soap opera time!" Yohei cried as he ran outside the door. "Let's watch the romantic scene, c'mon!"
I ran to his classroom. He was just about to enter his classroom when I ran to him and gave him a big hug.
He dropped his bag and hugged me too.
"I'm sorry, Micchy. I'm in love with you too. I was just bewildered when you told me that you loved me. I love you so, so, so, so, so, so much, best bud. I love you." I whispered in his ear.
"It's alright, Niki. What matters is now, we're okay.I missed you very much! I didn't know what I was going to do! I thought I already lost you!"
"No, you didn't lose me because if you lost me I'd be lost myself!" I whispered to him.
"I wouldn't be stupid to lose a thing so close to my heart."
I looked into his eyes. "Kiss me again, Micchy," I said.
He looked into my eyes as well and then he kissed me.
Loud applause and cheering roared throughout the school.
Mitsui and I smiled at each other.
Thank God it's over. The long disguising is already over.
+++
The next day, everybody was laughing at Sakuragi's new haircut. He had himself made into a monk-head. People claimed he looked hideous. But for me, I think the haircut is just okay. More manly, I should say.
Mitsui and Miyagi claimed they spent the whole day laughing at his new 'do.
Sakuragi claims it was a disciplinary act. And boy did he become a better player. He changed into a more serious player.
And also, rumors said that Rukawa and Sakuragi engaged in a fistfight (heck, Rukawa!) last night at the gym.
Rukawa has become moodier after Mitsui and I already became a couple. He hardly talks to anybody.
One day, I was lining up in the cafeteria to buy lunch when I saw Rukawa.
I hesitated for a while to talk to him but I still talked to him.
"H-hey, Rukawa," I greeted. "What's up? We haven't talked much recently."
He didn't answer. "Are you still mad?" I asked.
"What do you think?" he snapped.
"Listen, I'm really sorry-"
"Leave me alone." He stomped away.
"Kaede, talk to me!"
"We have nothing to talk about," he shot back.
"What's wrong with you?!" I pulled his arm.
"You." He said.
"What?" I asked angrily. "Why are you like that, Kaede?"
"Leave me alone. Didn't your boyfriend tell you we have a half-day basketball practice today for the finals? I have to go." He emphasized the term 'boyfriend'.
"Look, I'm sorry if I picked Mitsui over you-"
"No big deal," he snapped. "You didn't even appreciate the gift I gave you! All you see is Mitsui, Mitsui and Mitsui!"
"No, Rukawa, that's why I approached you! I wanted to thank you for the gift! But you push me away!"
"That's because you're also pushing me away! If you and Mitsui have a fight, you always run to me. You only treat me as a toy!"
"Kaede! Listen, I'm sorry." I tried to say.
But he left me.
I don't know but I think all the Kaede Rukawa fan girls looked at me with glaring stares. Especially his private cheerleading group. Uh-oh.
Gotta get outta here.
+++
Anyway, before Shohoku played with Ryonan, they played first with the Takezato team to fill in their loss. Luckily, they won. :) (of course Shohoku would win! They have my Micchy in it, ne? :รพ)
And before the Ryonan game, Ryonan also had a game with the unbeatable Kainan. Of course, as everybody has expected, Kainan won. Uozumi told Maki that Sendoh would supersede Maki but still, Maki is still the undefeated best player of Kanagawa.
One night, I was doing my homework for Monday (hah. Intelligent me. Today's just Friday) when the phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Niki." somebody on the other line said.
It was Mitsui. He sounded very melancholic than usual.
"Hey, what happened? What's wrong? You sound sad today," I asked.
"Niki. It's Coach Anzai." he said in a hushed tone.
"What's with Coach Anzai?" I asked. I was beginning to get nervous.
"He had a heart attack. He's at the hospital right now. And now, he can't attend the game tomorrow afternoon." then, it sounded as if he was already crying. "I can't play anymore without him. He's the reason why I returned to the team. He served as my guide. he still cared for me though I became so bad. and now, he can't watch us play. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do!"
"Don't worry, Mitchan," I said with a soothing tone. "I still know you can do it even if Coach Anzai won't be there tomorrow. Besides, I think you'll be more challenged to play for him." I said.
"Oh yeah." he said. "I will help Shohoku enter the Inter-High. That's the least I can do to make up for the bad things I've done to everybody in the team." he said.
"Very good! Now, don't act all sad now, huh? That'll be bad! Put on a happy face for good luck. Okay?" I said cheerily.
"Thanks, Niki. I really love you." He said.
"I love you too. Bye and good luck tomorrow."
+++
I went to school with Ami and Haruko the next day. It felt weird, since the one I go to school with is Mitsui.
We brought Haruko to her classroom.
"Niki, how did it feel kissing two guys in one day? And these two are cute basketball players! One is the astounding shooting guard and the ever- popular Super Rookie Ace Player!" Ami squealed.
"Sad." I mumbled.
"Sad? Why?" Ami asked. "I guess that's why you didn't attend the game, right?" Ami said. "Have you picked one between them already?"
"Hopefully, later." I said.
Then as we went inside our classroom, Hanamichi and Yohei went to me.
"There are some thingS for you in your table." Hanamichi said.
"From whom?" I asked. Youhei just laughed.
"See for yourself," he said mysteriously.
When I went to my desk, there were 2 boxes wrapped in fancy gift wrappers.
"From whom were they from?" I asked Sakuragi.
"One is from a certain freshman in section 10 and one is from a certain senior from section 3.I dunno who they are, actually," Sakuragi said, pretending not to know who they are. He turned to Mito. "Who gave those stuff?"
"I dunno either," Mito rode along with Hanamichi's joke.
I smiled. I knew right away whose gift to open first.
Mitsui.
I got Mitsui's gift and tore it open. It was a blue box. I opened the box to see what it contained.
"Awww. oh my god he bought this?! But. this is expensive! Maybe that's why he was at the toyshop yesterday!" I exclaimed. I pulled the gift out of the box. It was the jack-in-the-box with an 'I'm sorry' note popping out when you open the box that I saw in the toyshop yesterday. I became teary-eyed again. "Mitsui makes me cry a lot, that's why I hate him so extremely," I joked while wiping the tears from my eyes.
I opened the box from Rukawa. When I took a peek on what's inside the box, I laughed while crying. "It's the same thing! That silly Kaede boy," I laughed as I wiped away more tears. "Maybe that's why I saw them both in the toyshop yesterday.Because they bought the same thing." I said with a smile.
"Now, what can you say? Have you now forgiven the two?" Youhei asked.
"Of course, yes. They melted my heart in a special way. Anyway, it's the thought that counts, right?" I asked.
"There's a note inside Mitsui's box.Maybe you would wanna read it," Youhei showed me the box.
"Oh yeah, there is a note," I said. I unfolded the pink paper that was taped inside the box. I read the note.
Greetings, Miss Niki! I am Jackie in a box, wanting to say a very important thing to you. My master wants to deliver a certain message to you. His message is, aside from 'I'm Sorry' is 'I Miss You' and especially, 'I Love You'. He hopes that by the time you get to read this, you have already forgiven him. He promised that if you give him a chance to win your heart, he would make you the happiest person in this world. He will still treat you like a best friend, because that's where your relationship started: by being best friends. And he hopes that by the next time you get to have ice cream again at the ice cream parlor, he will be the one to spill the ice cream on the table so that he can see your smile for that's what he likes so much in you: your loving smile. That is all. That's why he used pink paper is because he knows you love candy colors especially pink. The next time he sees you in the corridor, you should talk with him already. Alright? You will always be the princess of his heart. Bye-bye, Princess!
I put down the jack-in-the-box. I rushed outside and ran to his classroom.
"Soap opera time!" Yohei cried as he ran outside the door. "Let's watch the romantic scene, c'mon!"
I ran to his classroom. He was just about to enter his classroom when I ran to him and gave him a big hug.
He dropped his bag and hugged me too.
"I'm sorry, Micchy. I'm in love with you too. I was just bewildered when you told me that you loved me. I love you so, so, so, so, so, so much, best bud. I love you." I whispered in his ear.
"It's alright, Niki. What matters is now, we're okay.I missed you very much! I didn't know what I was going to do! I thought I already lost you!"
"No, you didn't lose me because if you lost me I'd be lost myself!" I whispered to him.
"I wouldn't be stupid to lose a thing so close to my heart."
I looked into his eyes. "Kiss me again, Micchy," I said.
He looked into my eyes as well and then he kissed me.
Loud applause and cheering roared throughout the school.
Mitsui and I smiled at each other.
Thank God it's over. The long disguising is already over.
+++
The next day, everybody was laughing at Sakuragi's new haircut. He had himself made into a monk-head. People claimed he looked hideous. But for me, I think the haircut is just okay. More manly, I should say.
Mitsui and Miyagi claimed they spent the whole day laughing at his new 'do.
Sakuragi claims it was a disciplinary act. And boy did he become a better player. He changed into a more serious player.
And also, rumors said that Rukawa and Sakuragi engaged in a fistfight (heck, Rukawa!) last night at the gym.
Rukawa has become moodier after Mitsui and I already became a couple. He hardly talks to anybody.
One day, I was lining up in the cafeteria to buy lunch when I saw Rukawa.
I hesitated for a while to talk to him but I still talked to him.
"H-hey, Rukawa," I greeted. "What's up? We haven't talked much recently."
He didn't answer. "Are you still mad?" I asked.
"What do you think?" he snapped.
"Listen, I'm really sorry-"
"Leave me alone." He stomped away.
"Kaede, talk to me!"
"We have nothing to talk about," he shot back.
"What's wrong with you?!" I pulled his arm.
"You." He said.
"What?" I asked angrily. "Why are you like that, Kaede?"
"Leave me alone. Didn't your boyfriend tell you we have a half-day basketball practice today for the finals? I have to go." He emphasized the term 'boyfriend'.
"Look, I'm sorry if I picked Mitsui over you-"
"No big deal," he snapped. "You didn't even appreciate the gift I gave you! All you see is Mitsui, Mitsui and Mitsui!"
"No, Rukawa, that's why I approached you! I wanted to thank you for the gift! But you push me away!"
"That's because you're also pushing me away! If you and Mitsui have a fight, you always run to me. You only treat me as a toy!"
"Kaede! Listen, I'm sorry." I tried to say.
But he left me.
I don't know but I think all the Kaede Rukawa fan girls looked at me with glaring stares. Especially his private cheerleading group. Uh-oh.
Gotta get outta here.
+++
Anyway, before Shohoku played with Ryonan, they played first with the Takezato team to fill in their loss. Luckily, they won. :) (of course Shohoku would win! They have my Micchy in it, ne? :รพ)
And before the Ryonan game, Ryonan also had a game with the unbeatable Kainan. Of course, as everybody has expected, Kainan won. Uozumi told Maki that Sendoh would supersede Maki but still, Maki is still the undefeated best player of Kanagawa.
One night, I was doing my homework for Monday (hah. Intelligent me. Today's just Friday) when the phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Niki." somebody on the other line said.
It was Mitsui. He sounded very melancholic than usual.
"Hey, what happened? What's wrong? You sound sad today," I asked.
"Niki. It's Coach Anzai." he said in a hushed tone.
"What's with Coach Anzai?" I asked. I was beginning to get nervous.
"He had a heart attack. He's at the hospital right now. And now, he can't attend the game tomorrow afternoon." then, it sounded as if he was already crying. "I can't play anymore without him. He's the reason why I returned to the team. He served as my guide. he still cared for me though I became so bad. and now, he can't watch us play. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do!"
"Don't worry, Mitchan," I said with a soothing tone. "I still know you can do it even if Coach Anzai won't be there tomorrow. Besides, I think you'll be more challenged to play for him." I said.
"Oh yeah." he said. "I will help Shohoku enter the Inter-High. That's the least I can do to make up for the bad things I've done to everybody in the team." he said.
"Very good! Now, don't act all sad now, huh? That'll be bad! Put on a happy face for good luck. Okay?" I said cheerily.
"Thanks, Niki. I really love you." He said.
"I love you too. Bye and good luck tomorrow."
+++