Chapter 08 - Private Talk
"Te-me mamushi!..." Once again Momo-senpai was raving on about Kaidoh senpai, but I didn't pay attention what so ever. "Oi Echizen." He pulled me back by my shoulder. "Nanska." "Let's go have a game of street tennis." "Nande." "Hayaku. You'll see soon enough." If he was bringing me to be a third party in his 'date' with Ann then forget it. We arrived there and found it empty. "Man she's pretty good." Momo senpai muttered. "No one is here though." "Let's play then." We settled in a game. I was about to serve when he spoke up. "Echizen, what's wrong with you these days. Senpai tachi are worried about you." "Betsuni." I served. "I know, or rather, we all know it has something to do with Ryuzaki chan." He returned my serve easily. "Urusai." "There's nothing to be ashamed of to like and care for someone." I straightened registering those words in my mind and I missed. "You've been acting strange for two weeks now, since that date you had." "Urusai! You don't want to play do you? I'm leaving then" I walked off, and immediately a ball striked the back of my head. "Yarou.." "BAKA YAROU! You both have something for eachother, why are you denying it? Are you that ashamed of her or something?" "I'm not ashamed! I want to be with her!" I smashed a ball back at him. "Don't give me words with no feeling in it!" he yelled and returned the ball. "She's been avoiding me all this time! Taku, what am I supposed to do?!" I said viciously. "Baka! Go talk to her! You expect a girl to go up to you?" "She avoids me, she doesn't look at me. Maybe I shouldn't have changed. I wouldn't have all these problems if I remained the way I always was!" "You're afraid to let yourself go." He let the ball go past him and he looked at me. "What do I have to be afraid of." "You were always cold, annoying, a bit of a bastard." I raised my racket at him, and he held up his hands in surrender but he kept talking. "But Ryuzaki has changed you. You were always cold and-" I glared at him. "a- and the rest, but you were only that because of your determination to beat your old man wasn't it? That's all you cared about, and now that you have beaten him, you open up to us more. You hated it when people distracted you from training. That's all you ever did Echizen." I opened my mouth to say something but he cut in. "You can only so far in discovering your feelings on your own, the rest is from the people you allow into your life. Some can just come, some will force their way in, but if you really want to grasp it, you have to build yourself the chance." "Momo-senpai.." "Yahh when did I get so serious." He laughed scratching his head. "But that's what I really think Echizen. Take the chance. Don't let it slip by because you might be afraid of something like that. Nothing will belong to you if you don't give it a try."
The wind blew around us, as we faced eachother. "A-arigato senpai." "So let's play." We played until we were both exhausted and headed home. "Senpai." "un..?" "You said she was good. Who were you talking about?" "Uh? Oh Tachibana's kid sister. I asked her to keep the courts clear today." "Sou." He patted my head. Although I was a lot taller now, it was a habit he couldn't stop.
"Te-me mamushi!..." Once again Momo-senpai was raving on about Kaidoh senpai, but I didn't pay attention what so ever. "Oi Echizen." He pulled me back by my shoulder. "Nanska." "Let's go have a game of street tennis." "Nande." "Hayaku. You'll see soon enough." If he was bringing me to be a third party in his 'date' with Ann then forget it. We arrived there and found it empty. "Man she's pretty good." Momo senpai muttered. "No one is here though." "Let's play then." We settled in a game. I was about to serve when he spoke up. "Echizen, what's wrong with you these days. Senpai tachi are worried about you." "Betsuni." I served. "I know, or rather, we all know it has something to do with Ryuzaki chan." He returned my serve easily. "Urusai." "There's nothing to be ashamed of to like and care for someone." I straightened registering those words in my mind and I missed. "You've been acting strange for two weeks now, since that date you had." "Urusai! You don't want to play do you? I'm leaving then" I walked off, and immediately a ball striked the back of my head. "Yarou.." "BAKA YAROU! You both have something for eachother, why are you denying it? Are you that ashamed of her or something?" "I'm not ashamed! I want to be with her!" I smashed a ball back at him. "Don't give me words with no feeling in it!" he yelled and returned the ball. "She's been avoiding me all this time! Taku, what am I supposed to do?!" I said viciously. "Baka! Go talk to her! You expect a girl to go up to you?" "She avoids me, she doesn't look at me. Maybe I shouldn't have changed. I wouldn't have all these problems if I remained the way I always was!" "You're afraid to let yourself go." He let the ball go past him and he looked at me. "What do I have to be afraid of." "You were always cold, annoying, a bit of a bastard." I raised my racket at him, and he held up his hands in surrender but he kept talking. "But Ryuzaki has changed you. You were always cold and-" I glared at him. "a- and the rest, but you were only that because of your determination to beat your old man wasn't it? That's all you cared about, and now that you have beaten him, you open up to us more. You hated it when people distracted you from training. That's all you ever did Echizen." I opened my mouth to say something but he cut in. "You can only so far in discovering your feelings on your own, the rest is from the people you allow into your life. Some can just come, some will force their way in, but if you really want to grasp it, you have to build yourself the chance." "Momo-senpai.." "Yahh when did I get so serious." He laughed scratching his head. "But that's what I really think Echizen. Take the chance. Don't let it slip by because you might be afraid of something like that. Nothing will belong to you if you don't give it a try."
The wind blew around us, as we faced eachother. "A-arigato senpai." "So let's play." We played until we were both exhausted and headed home. "Senpai." "un..?" "You said she was good. Who were you talking about?" "Uh? Oh Tachibana's kid sister. I asked her to keep the courts clear today." "Sou." He patted my head. Although I was a lot taller now, it was a habit he couldn't stop.