Pictures on the wallet

A/N: This chapter is finally beta-ed! Thanks to my best beta-reader, WINDY!!

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Epilogue

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The Seigaku Tennis Club Regulars were doing another relaxing activity today. It was not something like bowling, playing billiard or any other competition sports since they really needed a REAL relaxing activity. And of course, the fact that they will face Rikkai dai soon gave a strong reason for Inui not to put any of his juices around.

And there they were, standing in a long queue in front of the closed cinema locket as they waited to buy the ticket. After a long discussion, Oishi's plan to watch a movie together won the debate.

"Echizen…" Momo called the smaller boy.

"Echizen…!!" Eiji's voice came too.

"Oi, Echizen!" Momo finally tapped Ryoma's back, making an effort to bring Ryoma back to reality before failing once again. His voice was clearly sounded of impatience.

The shorter boy who was in front of Momo seemed a bit surprised before he turned back at Momo. "Doushitano?" He asked with his bewildered eyes. He hadn't fully recovered from the earlier shock Momo gave him.

"We were talking to you, Ochibi!" Eiji who stood in front of Ryoma said with an exasperated tone. His mouth pouted as usual when he didn't get what he wanted.

"You seem distracted." Momo commented. "Something in your mind?"

"Eh? Betsuni." Ryoma quickly answered. He tried to sound convincing, but it ended up as a hint, telling them that he WAS actually distracted.

"Wai!!" Eiji exclaimed. His eyes were glinting with naughtiness. "Ochibi is distracted!"

"Nani?" Fuji who stood in front of Eiji in the row turned back. His ears have caught an interesting conversation happening behind him. "Echizen distracted? Is that a new habit of yours?" He asked directly to Ryoma who didn't seem to be pleased with the question.

"I'm NOT!" Ryoma said firmly. He wished his voice was as convincing as the last one before.

"Well… it's human nature, Echizen!" Momo said. His voice was a tone of teasing, but he clearly meant what he assumed. "Sometimes people have their own thoughts."

"Is there something in your mind, Ochibi?" Eiji repeated the unanswered question Momo gave before. "Tell me-tell me! I wanna know!" He called out as excited as usual.

"It's nothing!" Ryoma snapped.

Fuji gave his usual innocent smile while he moved to adjust his position beside Eiji. "Well… this 'nothing' means nothing then." He teased as if he could read Ryoma's mind. "Then we can watch the movie without any burden thoughts, ne Eiji?" He turned to Eiji who looked at him questioningly.

"Eh? What do you mean, Fuji?" Eiji asked. "Of course nothing means nothing." He frowned. "And what is that suppose to do with watching the movie?"

Fuji only smiled before Oishi was in the front row and called him. He turned to his original position and Ryoma was back to his own thoughts once again.

"So, Echizen!" Momo called again. "You haven't answered our question yet."

"What question?" Ryoma asked back reluctantly. The 'nothing' in his mind kept disturbing him.

"Do you know how Tezuka's condition is now?" Eiji repeated the unheard question before.

And those words gave Ryoma another shock - hard one for sure. Since what actually occupied his mind previously was Tezuka. Something related to Tezuka in fact.

"Why do you ask me?" Ryoma asked, sounded clearly disturbed.

"Well… it seems you are the one buchou usually contacts," Momo gave the reason he assumed himself, "since you seem to know everything about him." He added.

Ryoma went back to his own mind for a moment. Momo wasn't wrong. In fact, he was completely right. Ryoma seemed to know everything about Tezuka since they always make calls and talked to each other nearly every day. Ryoma was extremely worried about Tezuka's condition lately after the buchou told him that he would stay there a bit longer than he had planned. It was hard for Ryoma not to hear Tezuka's voice longer than three days. And the same goes to Tezuka. After all, they were a couple.

"Oi!" Eiji's voice broke through Ryoma's mind again. "You're distracted again! What are you actually thinking of?" His tone has gone infuriated again.

And back to what Ryoma thought before he was asked…

"Eiji, Echizen, Momo…" Fuji called from his place. "Take out your money for the ticket. Give it to Taka-san."

Ryoma suddenly rebounded and left the row. Of course, that surprised Momo and Eiji, who both had their eyes on the shorter boy.

Momo abruptly shouted and left the queue to chase him. "Oi! Where are you going?"

"Buy me the ticket!" Ryoma said while tossing his wallet to Momo. "I have something to do." And with that, he left the cinema building. Soon, he was nowhere to be seen.

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Ryoma ran through the small stores on a specific direction. His mind was still asking him questions, but he ignored it as he finally reached the place he was aiming for. He stopped in front of the glass window of the bookstore and examined the shelf where the new released books were placed. His eyes trailed around the new books and stopped at a certain book with a green coloured cover and a golden font title carved in the middle.

That was the 'nothing' that disturbed him previously. He knew exactly that Tezuka was waiting for the newest series of that book and he couldn't get it since he was still in Germany.

Ryoma pulled out his mobile phone from his jeans pocket and unlocked the key. He hesitated for a moment. Calling Tezuka just for asking about a certain book sounded really stupid upon Ryoma's eyes. But, he also couldn't suppress his wish to buy him one. So finally, Ryoma called Tezuka.

A few dialing tones was heard before the line picked up finally.

"Moshi-moshi." A stoic voice greeted Ryoma.

"Are you busy?" Ryoma asked.

"No. I'm on break time." Tezuka answered. "Is something wrong?"

"Iya. Just wanna inform you. The newest of the series book you usually wait for is in the store now." Ryoma explained. "I'll buy you one. So I want to make it sure you haven't got any yet."

Tezuka was in silence for a moment before answering. "No. I haven't bought any. Thank you."

"Don't mind about it. I'll send it to you soon." Ryoma said. "Okay then"

"I'll go home soon." Suddenly Tezuka's voice cut him. "You don't have to send it."

"Really? You said"

"It's a good progression." Tezuka tried to explain. "I'll go home very soon." Silence occurred between them again. "So don't worry."

"Okay." Ryoma answered. His lips subconsciously curled into a smile. And he had a strong feeling that Tezuka was smiling as well. "Well, gotta go."

"Kiyotsukete (Take care)." Tezuka said slowly and Ryoma answered with a "you too" before they hung the line.

Ryoma put his mobile phone back and walked inside the bookstore before suddenly realizing that he had left his wallet in Momo's hand. Well… it means he has to go back to the bookstore after they watch the movie.

But suddenly as he turned back to the cinema building, Ryoma slapped his own forehead, making some people around him startled. "Gosh! The pictures!"

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"Momo!" Eiji called as he saw Momo let Ryoma disappeared. "Where's ochibi going?"

Momo gave his sempai a confused look as he walked back to the queue. "Dunno. He said nothing." He explained while shrugging.

"Oi! Collect the money!" Oishi's voice from the front called. "The locket is opening now."

Momo pulled his money from his denim jacket pocket and passed it to Eiji who had his own on his hand already. Then his eyes set on the unfamiliar wallet on his other hand, the wallet Ryoma gave him before.

"Whose wallet is that?" Eiji asked curiously.

"Echizen's. He told me to buy the ticket for him." He answered while opening the wallet and took the money as much as needed for one ticket. And when he was about to close the wallet, Eiji held his hand to stop him. "Doushi" He was about to ask his sempai the reason and suddenly something unusual inside the wallet caught his sight.

"Whose picture is that?" Eiji asked.

Momo frowned and brought the wallet closer to his eyes. Two pictures, placed side by side, are gradually becoming clearer to his sight. And when the small pictures were close enough to his eyes, he widened his eyes in surprise for the realization he got. He gasped silently.

"Whose picture is that, Momo?" Eiji asked again, pulled the wallet away from Momo's hand and examined it closely. "HOI!?"

"Where's the money, Eiji?" Oishi asked as Eiji hadn't given him the money yet. He stopped beside Eiji and fell into curiosity on what his double partner was looking at. "What are you doing?"

Momo was too shocked to answer. And Eiji just couldn't find the proper word to explain. So, Oishi just peeped at the small wallet and tried to get a clear vision of the pictures Eiji was looking at before. "What's that?"

"Buchou." Momo said confusedly.

"Eh?"

"Tezuka?" Inui asked as he stepped closer.

"It's… Tezuka, deshou?" Eiji asked uncertainly, handing the wallet to Fuji who now stood beside him.

Fuji looked closely at the small pictures and couldn't hide the surprise that waved at him. Two pictures were right upon his eyes. The first one he recognized as Tezuka's picture, reading a book with a cup of tea placed on the table in front of him. And the next one that gave him most of the shock was a picture of Tezuka and Ryoma together. Tezuka stood behind Ryoma, encircled his arms around Ryoma's neck and rested his chin on Ryoma's shoulder, while Ryoma had his arm up to hold Tezuka's arm. Both of them were smiling genuinely, something that hardly occurs between them.

"A very compromising pose they have indeed." Inui said startlingly. He was actually looking at the wallet through Fuji's shoulder. He asked for the wallet, examined it for a while before giving it to Kaidoh.

The mamushi had his face slightly blushed from the sight. The thoughts about his buchou going out with the freshman regular had never ever crossed his mind before.

Takashi who looked at the picture together with Kaidoh frowned in confusion. He had totally forgotten to buy the tickets as the collected money were still in his grip. "Why did buchou and Echizen got a picture together?" He asked plainly.

"Baka! Isn't it obvious already!?" Eiji suddenly cried. "They often went outside together without us!"

"It's not just that, Eiji." Fuji said patiently. Suddenly he remembered about the picture of Echizen on Tezuka's wallet. "Moshikashite?"

"Nani, Fuji?" Eiji turned to Fuji curiously.

"Tezuka has Echizen's picture on his wallet too."

"It's obvious then!" Inui suddenly gave a smirk that sent the others except Fuji a shudder. "Definitely!"

"What's… your conclusion, Inui?" Oishi asked, rather afraid to admit it.

"Sempai…" Kaidoh called. "You don't mean to say that… that they… are…"

"Hai, Kaidoh!" Inui answered as if knowing what Kaidoh was going to ask, even though he hadn't finished the sentence yet. "They are obviously… clearly… and simply…"

"Are you sure, sempai?" Kaidoh asked again but ended up being hushed by the others.

"Hai, Kaidoh! 99.9%." Inui gave a wide grin before turning back to the other regulars. "They are…"

"Spit it out, Inui!" Eiji nearly shouted.

"They are…"

"Hey! Do you guys wanna get the ticket or not!?" Angry people who waited in the same row behind them shouted.

"SHUT UP!" All the regular members except Inui and Fuji shouted back in unison, making the people immediately lock up their mouth.

"Well… it's obvious…"

"Don't repeat the same words over and over again, Inui!"

"They are… lovers…" Inui said with a huge smirk upon his lips.

"USO!!!!" And the other thundered in unison once again.

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The end!!

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A/N: That's the end, thanks to you all... my reviewer, my friends, my beta-reader and my computer!! Ehehe!!

Now, review please!!!