DAY 2: Hey, guess what? I'm writing in Japan! It's just so that I can do
something during my spare time. DAY 3: Japan is really dangerous right now.
Good thing I didn't see that kid who was doused with gas and set aflame.
Now I'm continuing this in the comfort of my home seeing no time to write
this in Japan.
PS. I changed his arrival to next week. ^^x
***
Rika's jaw dropped to the floor with eyes growing as big as saucers. Her voice got caught in her throat. It was all she could do not to scream. Gathering up what little sense she had left, she spoke, rather whispered, "He's coming because of his cousin, right?"
"Dual purpose, I guess," Rina shrugged her shoulders, quite unsure herself. "Dad told him where you study and oji-san invited Arnold to stay in his house for a day as 'suggested' by dad."
"I hate him," she muttered angrily. "Does he know about that snob?"
"Oh he knows, all right," her older sister snorted, "Arnold sucks up to him so that he could get closer to you. He's not all that bad, Rika. Once you get to know him, that is."
"He's your type of guy; not mine." The younger scoffed in annoyance. "I want him out of my hair."
"If I have got correctly what you have written me about him," Sendou joined in knowing a bit about what they were saying, "He's even going to move Fuji- san if it gets in the way of the view of his house."
"More like bury it underground, Akira." His best friend scowled. "Do any of you have any idea how to lay him off?"
"Is posing as a boy friend as hazardous as a nuclear core?" Rukawa asked trying the best he could to help.
"Less than that. Thankfully, he believes so much in love," Rika sighed, "If I tell him, I don't approve, he's going to get me and a family feud might result with his father being the same rank as ours. He's also a spoiled brat, mind."
"If that's the case, then I agree with Rukawa," Sendou nodded approvingly, "After all, we have no other options, or is there?" Everyone shrugged and agreed to the plan.
"Oh, before I forget," Rina voiced out, "I'm supposed to have one, too. I told him that Rina can't have one before I do, so..."
"That's not a problem, there's the two of us," Sendou pointed to himself and Rukawa. "Why won't we talk this over at our place?"
"In your mansion near here or your house back in Kanagawa?" Rika asked.
"In our mansion," Sendou spun his car keys in around his index finger.
"Rina's eyes widened in disbelief, "You have a mansion here? I mean, You've become that rich? Do you have butlers, too?"
"Not that kind of mansion." Rika said suppressing her laugh as both guys laughed their heads off. "They have these classy, suite-like condominiums that most rich people live in. You can even buy those units. Akira and his folks have the biggest unit there."
"Well, you didn't make it clear," Rina countered stubbornly. "Well, let's go. I'll take Rika in my car and just follow you and Rukawa in your car."
***
As a typical day in school comes to a close, Team Shohoku began their warm- ups before anything else started, Ayako, Haruko, Rika and Anzai discussed about the team's performance during their game with Sannou. The screeches of rubber shoes, bounces of balls and cheers of students were shut out from the others.
"I must say, Sannou has definitely improved," Ayako told them grimly, "It's not enough for the team to stand like this."
"You're right, Ayako," Rika nodded in agreement, "I haven't seen their past games, but if you say they have improved, I fear Shohoku's strength won't be enough for my standards."
"But what are we going to do?" Haruko asked concerned, "They're almost pushed to the limit."
"That is not enough," Anzai added hesitantly, "A game of 78-70 will not even satisfy even the players even if they are victorious."
"Coach, with your permission," Rika winced at the uproar in the gym, "I would want to teach them a 'quick lesson' before this ends. It will be a bit of torture on their part but I need-"
Before she could continue someone tapped her by the shoulder, [So this is where you throw balls now, huh?]
Rika jumped from her seat and fell on her bottom in surprise. She sputtered before any word could come out, [What in hell-? Arnold? Are you allowed in here?]
[Is that any way to greet an old friend?] Arnold sneered and looked around, [These are the guys you manage? They don't look so tough.]
Rika suddenly had a spark of an idea in her head and grinned broadly, "Coach, I don't think I have to use that torture with Shohoku after all. And I really want to kill this yarou." As Anzai nodded, she turned to the American boy, she smiled sweetly, [Arnold, this is Ayako, Akagi and my grandfather. Let's you and I teach them how to shoot the hoops. What do you say, Gemini?]
[Nice to meet you all. Sure thing, Gemini.] he nodded and followed after her.
The whistle was blown signaling everyone to stop as Rika whispered in Ryota's ear. Positioning her place at the center for an announcement she cleared her throat. "All right, I will be straight with everyone. You didn't do well enough against Sannou to satisfy us. What you lack, you must find out and I guess you can't learn it fast enough if you don't play it. Tell you what, the first five against the two of us and if you beat us, I will not say that you played badly. Full court, no time limit, first to 20 points, real game rules. Move!"
The players all scrambled leaving Rukawa, Sakuragi, Kimori, Ishijiro and Ryota. Ayako stood in to become the referee. Rika smiled at Arnold and nudged her head toward the court. He approached the center for the jump ball eyeing Kimori coolly then noticed that he was as tall as the other man. He chuckled. Rolling her eyes at his overconfidence, Rika growled at her former teammate, [Arnold, we're here to win, not to mock.] Arnold gave her a you'll-fall-for-me smile that he gave other girls and Rika gave her an I'll-kill-you-if-you-continue-to-look-at-me-like-that look.
Ayako blew the whistle and threw the ball upwards. Both of them jumped but Arnold made no real effort to get the ball first except to tap it so the other couldn't get it with both hands. Eiji tapped the ball to Rukawa but was immediately intercepted by Rika then ran back to their side of the court only to be blocked by Sakuragi. She grinned at him then posed to shoot and as she jumped up, she let the ball roll backwardto the waiting hands of Arnold who shot it for real with no one else to hinder him.
The ball was passed on to Shohoku and Rika grinned mentally. 'There's a perk to being a stupid lab rat' she thought then ran head on toward Ryota and sped up snatching the ball from his hands and passing it on to her teammate. The others were stunned at the turning of the table and their recovery became slow. They chased after the guy with only Kimori and Rukawa falling in to look after Rika inside the three-point line. She ran backwards out of the boarder as if timed automatically as the ball came to her hands. She shot a three-pointer flawlessly but growled at herself since she's so little help inside the court.
The score ended 21-8 in favor of the "Gemini". When all the players were gathered at the benches, she snapped at them, "Do any of you have any idea why the score was that far?"
Kimori spoke up softly, unfit for his size, "Was it because you understand each other?"
"That and?" she tapped her foot impatiently and waited for anyone else to speak up.
"Because you used your strengths to your advantage and gave way to each other." Ryota added thoughtfully, "That's what we lack."
"Exactly. Now if you please, Ryota, handle that problem." She nodded to him and stalked off dragging the American with her. As they walked out the court, she noticed some eyes - female eyes - were staring at the conceited guy she was dragging along. He flashed them a smile and she heard their breaths catch. Outside, she planted her fists on her hips dominatingly even if she stood head and shoulders shorter than her former senior. "What are you doing here?" [I mean, what are you doing here?]
[I came to visit my cousin, Mito Yohei and,] he scratched his head nervously and blushed, [since I heard that you're here, I came to visit you, too. I've heard your sister has a boyfriend, now doesn't she?]
[Mito Yohei!] she exclaimed in disbelief. [Ooookaaaayyy...Yeah, she has a boyfriend.]
He smiled his best and got even redder, [Well...I was hoping...if I could ask you...]
[Oh yeah!] She cut in, [I almost forgot. I want you to meet my boyfriend later on, too. If you want we could take you with us.]
Arnold suddenly got fired up in a rage 'SOMEONE HAD TAKEN HER?! I WILL NEVER ALLOW THAT!' What was inside him though showed no trace in his exterior, [Sure, it'd be great to meet them.]
***
Sofia/3sh: I'm really sorry for the wait. Anyway, here's the next chap.
ninny: thicker? Thinner...thicker...thinner. ^^x
Imaginator: thanks for the compliment. I do hope you read more soon.
Yumi: than you. I do hope this turns out well. Hope to hear from you soon.
dunkmoonX: it's a teriyaki'd octopus. They're anywhere in shokudos (turo- turo)
PS. I changed his arrival to next week. ^^x
***
Rika's jaw dropped to the floor with eyes growing as big as saucers. Her voice got caught in her throat. It was all she could do not to scream. Gathering up what little sense she had left, she spoke, rather whispered, "He's coming because of his cousin, right?"
"Dual purpose, I guess," Rina shrugged her shoulders, quite unsure herself. "Dad told him where you study and oji-san invited Arnold to stay in his house for a day as 'suggested' by dad."
"I hate him," she muttered angrily. "Does he know about that snob?"
"Oh he knows, all right," her older sister snorted, "Arnold sucks up to him so that he could get closer to you. He's not all that bad, Rika. Once you get to know him, that is."
"He's your type of guy; not mine." The younger scoffed in annoyance. "I want him out of my hair."
"If I have got correctly what you have written me about him," Sendou joined in knowing a bit about what they were saying, "He's even going to move Fuji- san if it gets in the way of the view of his house."
"More like bury it underground, Akira." His best friend scowled. "Do any of you have any idea how to lay him off?"
"Is posing as a boy friend as hazardous as a nuclear core?" Rukawa asked trying the best he could to help.
"Less than that. Thankfully, he believes so much in love," Rika sighed, "If I tell him, I don't approve, he's going to get me and a family feud might result with his father being the same rank as ours. He's also a spoiled brat, mind."
"If that's the case, then I agree with Rukawa," Sendou nodded approvingly, "After all, we have no other options, or is there?" Everyone shrugged and agreed to the plan.
"Oh, before I forget," Rina voiced out, "I'm supposed to have one, too. I told him that Rina can't have one before I do, so..."
"That's not a problem, there's the two of us," Sendou pointed to himself and Rukawa. "Why won't we talk this over at our place?"
"In your mansion near here or your house back in Kanagawa?" Rika asked.
"In our mansion," Sendou spun his car keys in around his index finger.
"Rina's eyes widened in disbelief, "You have a mansion here? I mean, You've become that rich? Do you have butlers, too?"
"Not that kind of mansion." Rika said suppressing her laugh as both guys laughed their heads off. "They have these classy, suite-like condominiums that most rich people live in. You can even buy those units. Akira and his folks have the biggest unit there."
"Well, you didn't make it clear," Rina countered stubbornly. "Well, let's go. I'll take Rika in my car and just follow you and Rukawa in your car."
***
As a typical day in school comes to a close, Team Shohoku began their warm- ups before anything else started, Ayako, Haruko, Rika and Anzai discussed about the team's performance during their game with Sannou. The screeches of rubber shoes, bounces of balls and cheers of students were shut out from the others.
"I must say, Sannou has definitely improved," Ayako told them grimly, "It's not enough for the team to stand like this."
"You're right, Ayako," Rika nodded in agreement, "I haven't seen their past games, but if you say they have improved, I fear Shohoku's strength won't be enough for my standards."
"But what are we going to do?" Haruko asked concerned, "They're almost pushed to the limit."
"That is not enough," Anzai added hesitantly, "A game of 78-70 will not even satisfy even the players even if they are victorious."
"Coach, with your permission," Rika winced at the uproar in the gym, "I would want to teach them a 'quick lesson' before this ends. It will be a bit of torture on their part but I need-"
Before she could continue someone tapped her by the shoulder, [So this is where you throw balls now, huh?]
Rika jumped from her seat and fell on her bottom in surprise. She sputtered before any word could come out, [What in hell-? Arnold? Are you allowed in here?]
[Is that any way to greet an old friend?] Arnold sneered and looked around, [These are the guys you manage? They don't look so tough.]
Rika suddenly had a spark of an idea in her head and grinned broadly, "Coach, I don't think I have to use that torture with Shohoku after all. And I really want to kill this yarou." As Anzai nodded, she turned to the American boy, she smiled sweetly, [Arnold, this is Ayako, Akagi and my grandfather. Let's you and I teach them how to shoot the hoops. What do you say, Gemini?]
[Nice to meet you all. Sure thing, Gemini.] he nodded and followed after her.
The whistle was blown signaling everyone to stop as Rika whispered in Ryota's ear. Positioning her place at the center for an announcement she cleared her throat. "All right, I will be straight with everyone. You didn't do well enough against Sannou to satisfy us. What you lack, you must find out and I guess you can't learn it fast enough if you don't play it. Tell you what, the first five against the two of us and if you beat us, I will not say that you played badly. Full court, no time limit, first to 20 points, real game rules. Move!"
The players all scrambled leaving Rukawa, Sakuragi, Kimori, Ishijiro and Ryota. Ayako stood in to become the referee. Rika smiled at Arnold and nudged her head toward the court. He approached the center for the jump ball eyeing Kimori coolly then noticed that he was as tall as the other man. He chuckled. Rolling her eyes at his overconfidence, Rika growled at her former teammate, [Arnold, we're here to win, not to mock.] Arnold gave her a you'll-fall-for-me smile that he gave other girls and Rika gave her an I'll-kill-you-if-you-continue-to-look-at-me-like-that look.
Ayako blew the whistle and threw the ball upwards. Both of them jumped but Arnold made no real effort to get the ball first except to tap it so the other couldn't get it with both hands. Eiji tapped the ball to Rukawa but was immediately intercepted by Rika then ran back to their side of the court only to be blocked by Sakuragi. She grinned at him then posed to shoot and as she jumped up, she let the ball roll backwardto the waiting hands of Arnold who shot it for real with no one else to hinder him.
The ball was passed on to Shohoku and Rika grinned mentally. 'There's a perk to being a stupid lab rat' she thought then ran head on toward Ryota and sped up snatching the ball from his hands and passing it on to her teammate. The others were stunned at the turning of the table and their recovery became slow. They chased after the guy with only Kimori and Rukawa falling in to look after Rika inside the three-point line. She ran backwards out of the boarder as if timed automatically as the ball came to her hands. She shot a three-pointer flawlessly but growled at herself since she's so little help inside the court.
The score ended 21-8 in favor of the "Gemini". When all the players were gathered at the benches, she snapped at them, "Do any of you have any idea why the score was that far?"
Kimori spoke up softly, unfit for his size, "Was it because you understand each other?"
"That and?" she tapped her foot impatiently and waited for anyone else to speak up.
"Because you used your strengths to your advantage and gave way to each other." Ryota added thoughtfully, "That's what we lack."
"Exactly. Now if you please, Ryota, handle that problem." She nodded to him and stalked off dragging the American with her. As they walked out the court, she noticed some eyes - female eyes - were staring at the conceited guy she was dragging along. He flashed them a smile and she heard their breaths catch. Outside, she planted her fists on her hips dominatingly even if she stood head and shoulders shorter than her former senior. "What are you doing here?" [I mean, what are you doing here?]
[I came to visit my cousin, Mito Yohei and,] he scratched his head nervously and blushed, [since I heard that you're here, I came to visit you, too. I've heard your sister has a boyfriend, now doesn't she?]
[Mito Yohei!] she exclaimed in disbelief. [Ooookaaaayyy...Yeah, she has a boyfriend.]
He smiled his best and got even redder, [Well...I was hoping...if I could ask you...]
[Oh yeah!] She cut in, [I almost forgot. I want you to meet my boyfriend later on, too. If you want we could take you with us.]
Arnold suddenly got fired up in a rage 'SOMEONE HAD TAKEN HER?! I WILL NEVER ALLOW THAT!' What was inside him though showed no trace in his exterior, [Sure, it'd be great to meet them.]
***
Sofia/3sh: I'm really sorry for the wait. Anyway, here's the next chap.
ninny: thicker? Thinner...thicker...thinner. ^^x
Imaginator: thanks for the compliment. I do hope you read more soon.
Yumi: than you. I do hope this turns out well. Hope to hear from you soon.
dunkmoonX: it's a teriyaki'd octopus. They're anywhere in shokudos (turo- turo)