Chapter 4 is up! Mmmm... part of the plot unfolds here... hohoho!
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Dinner had just ended at the Echizen's household. Nanjiroh was reading the newspaper at the porch and Karupin was sleeping peacefully at his feet. Nanjiroh had let Karupin out of the cage so that it could get some exercise. Nanako and Ryoma's mom had already retired to their rooms. Atobe and Ryoma were still seated at the dining table. Both of them were silent.
"Oi, shitty brat," Atobe began. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
Ryoma looked at him and yawned. "I'm busy tomorrow."
"Oh? Great then," Atobe said. He had called his Hyoutei teammates to come over the next day to keep him company.
"Ah… whatever," Ryoma answered. He looked at Atobe's clothes. What the hell is that guy wearing? Is it a girl's shirt? Atobe was wearing a pink shirt with some frills or something. Ryoma quickly diverted his gaze away. He did not want Atobe thinking that he is admiring his good looks and impressive fashion sense.
"It's great that you are not around the house, shitty brat... cos tomorrow, I will have some pals over-"
The doorbell rang. Ryoma yawned. He hoped that someone else get the door.
"Ah… Did you say something? Something about your pals?" Ryoma asked and yawned. The door bell rang again. He then remembered that the guys from Seigaku will be coming to sleep over at his house. He had totally forgotten about it. "Eh... my pals are coming over tonight," Ryoma said. "Mmm... maybe it's them!"
Ryoma jumped and ran to get the door. Atobe stared at him. His pals are coming too? Those irritating Seigaku brats? Damn, that Echizen, Atobe cursed. He hoped to irritate him tomorrow by having the guys from Hyoutei over, but Echizen beat him at that. Atobe could not believe the little brat. How dare he?
"Ochibi!! I brought snacks!!!" Kikumaru yelled. He pointed to his huge haversack, which was filled with junk food.
"My dad packed some leftovers from the restaurant too!" Kawamura said showing 2 huge plastic containers filled with food from his dad's sushi restaurant..
"Eh heh, is this a sleepover or a party?" Fuji asked, smiling.
"Yo, Echizen! You sure your dad is okay with us sleeping over?" Momo asked. Ryoma looked at him. He had not asked his dad yet. In fact, since all of them will be squeezing in his room, he didn't think his dad would mind.
"Hey, hey! Where will we girls sleep?" Tomochan asked. Ah, Ryoma thought. He had forgotten that the two girls will be coming too. Maybe he could get them to sleep in his cousin's room.
Tomochan turned to Sakuno. "Hey, Sakuno! Isn't this great! Ahah! Ryoma's house is so cool!! Sugoi!!"
Sakuno blushed. "Mmm… yeah." She turned to Ryoma. "Sorry to be a burden."
"Mmm... it's okay as long as you don't try to cook something," Ryoma said.
Sakuno's face turned bright red. Ryoma still have not forgotten about that incident. "Ryoma-kun…"
"Oi, what are we waiting for?" Oishi said. "Let's go in!"
Atobe was peeking from the kitchen window. "Darn!" he cursed. "Shitty Seigaku regulars, the three irritating freshmen and the two noisy girl are here! Echizen, you trying to provoke me, huh?"
Atobe thought that only the regulars will be coming over, he didn't think Echizen would call his entire posse over!
He pulled out his cellphone and dialed Kabaji's number.
"Usu?" Kabaji answered at the third ring.
"Kabaji, what time are the guys coming over tomorrow?" Atobe demanded.
"12 pm," Kabaji answered.
"That's too late! Gather the guys and come over here first thing tomorrow morning," Atobe ordered.
"Usu," Kabaji said loyally. Atobe put down his phone. He grinned. Mada, mada, Echizen. Tomorrow, the Echizen's household will get pretty crowded.
"Ack! That bratty son of mine never tell me he's having some friends over! Why that little-" Nanjiroh cried, shaking the newspaper angrily. He shook the newspaper so hard that his erotic magazine fell out. "Ack!" he yelled again and quickly hid the magazine in his shirt. He looked around to see if anyone saw that. Atobe looked at him from the kitchen window, disgusted. That idiot was a tennis pro? More like a perverted monk.
"Hey, Nanjiroh," Atobe began. Echizen Ryoma is busy outside so it is a good chance for him to talk to Nanjiroh alone.
"Don't speak to me so casually," Nanjiroh said. He scratched his back. "What do you want, kid?"
"When are you available to teach me the Nanjiroh Zone?"
Nanjiroh stared at him. He yawned. He looked at Atobe's injured leg.
"Your leg had not healed yet," Nanjiroh said. "And what makes you think I will teach you-"
"Or would you prefer a letter from my lawyer?" Atobe asked, keeping his face cool. He looked at Nanjiroh's face for any expression. Nanjiroh just yawned and scratched his back.
"I'll let you know next week. Be prepared," Nanjiroh said as he got up to leave. Atobe watch him go. He turned to see if anyone had overheard their secret conversation. The Seigaku brats seemed too busy to notice.
"YEEEAH!" Tomochan yelled when she was inside the house. "Your house is cool!! Wonderful!! HYAH!!"
"You two can sleep with my aunt. You guys come with me!" Ryoma said.
"What?! We want to see your room!!! Right, Sakuno?" Tomochan cried. Sakuno blushed again.
"Well, it's really okay, Tomochan," she said slowly.
"What??? Isn't that the reason why we are here in the first place??? RYOMA-SAMA!!! Let us see your room!!!!" Tomochan yelled.
"Hey you!" Atobe barked. Tomochan jumped, shocked. Her voice really pissed him off. "Quit screaming like that. It's irritating!"
"Ack!! It's that gorgeous guy from Hyoutei!" Tomochan whispered to Sakuno.
"Ah… Seigaku!" Atobe said, looking at all the familiar faces around him. They seemed to be looking at him with great awe. He ran a hand over his hair, self-consciously. He raised his arm and pointed his index finger to the air. It was his popular Atobe-sama pose. That pose usually make all the girls scream.
"Chih, irritating guy," Kaidoh hissed. Atobe stared at all of them. None of them spoke. They must be too amazed by his good looks that they are at lost for words. Atobe pointed a finger at them.
"Are you amazed by my amazing confidence and good looks?" Atobe asked.
"We are amazed by your ability to think so highly of yourself," Kaidoh said. "And what makes you think you look good in pink?"
Atobe felt awfully offended but he kept a cool, straight face.
"Seigaku, don't try to be funny or you'll regret it," he said, glaring at all of them. He then ran a hand over his locks and turned away. He will have his revenge tomorrow. Now he needs his beauty sleep. He walked away.
"Eh… he never change, eh?" Momo said, when Atobe was out of earshot. "Phew, I though he was going to beat us up!"
"This will be very interesting," Fuji said, smiling.
"Uh... you 2 girls can go to my aunt room. It's the third room on the second floor. You guys will have to squeeze in my room," Ryoma said, changing the topic.
"Ack!" the Seigaku guys cried in unison. Tomochan and Sakuno laughed. They wished the guys good luck and then headed to Nanako's room.
"You are joking right, Ochibi?" Kikumaru asked. He looked at Ryoma, tearfully.
"We can't all fit!" Oishi added. Ryoma thought for a while. He never thought about that before.
"Or you all can choose to share the same room with Monkey King!" Ryoma said.
"Eeeee!" the three freshmen cried. They hugged each other in fear.
"Mmm," Fuji said, thoughfully. "You think Atobe will mind?"
"Fuji! You are seriously not thinking of sharing the same room with that man!" Kikumaru yelled.
"Ah… I want to know what he's like behind his façade. You are able to know one's personality by the way he sleeps," Fuji explained. Momo nudged Ryoma.
"Eh, Fuji seems weirder today than usual!" Momo whispered.
"Ah," Ryoma said. "He's irritating as usual."
"Mmm… I think only a few people could fit in Ryoma's room," Inui said. "I guess Kikumaru, Momo, Oishi and the three freshmen can be in Ryoma's room. Fuji, Kaidoh, Kawamura and me can be in Atobe's room."
"Chih," Kaidoh began. "Why do I have to be in the same room as that idiot?"
"Or would you prefer to be in the same room with Momoshiro?" Inui asked. Kaidoh thought for a moment.
"I'd rather be in the same room with idiot Atobe than be in the same room with idiot Momo," Kaidoh said.
"Ah, mamushi! Who are you calling an idiot?" Momo demanded.
"I am calling you an idiot, idiot!" Kaidoh yelled at him. They both glared at each other.
Atobe was halfway up the stairs to his room when he heard the shoutings coming from downstairs. The Dunk Smash guy and the bandana guy seemed to be having a verbal match, he thought to himself, amused. Irritating, brawling idiots!
"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Kaidoh yelled.
"Mamushi! You take back calling me an idiot!" Momo yelled.
Atobe smiled to himself. Maybe he should go and add more fuel to the fire.
"Ah, squabbling children," he said, coolly.
"SHUT UP!" both Kaidoh and Momo yelled at him in unison. Atobe still kept his cool.
"What's all this squabbling? If you want to fight, take it outside-"
"Atobe, we can't all squeeze in Ryoma's room so I suggest Fuji, Kaidoh, Kawamura and me sleep in your room," Inui interjected. Atobe looked at him, expressionless. Both Momo and Kaidoh stopped arguing to look at Atobe.
"The Prodigy, Viper, 'Burning' guy and you in my room?" he said slowly. He thought for a while. "I guess it's okay if you all don't mind sleeping on the floor."
"Well, I guess it's settled then. Everyone go and have a good sleep. We'll start training tomorrow," Oishi said. Everyone grabbed their bags.
"Training, huh?" Atobe said. "You regulars never rest, huh?"
Atobe laughed. He turned and led the guys to his room. "My room is this way. It's just beside Echizen's room."
The guys separated to their designated rooms.
In Ryoma's room, everyone was just settling down when Momo asked Ryoma, "Where's your cat?"
Ryoma sat on his bed. "Locked downstairs because Atobe is allergic to cats."
"Allergic to cats, huh? Is he an alien or what?" Momo asked. "His face is always angry, he talked funny, wear weird clothes and he have all those servants pampering him! Irritating!"
"Yeah! I wonder how come he didn't have his servants here!" Kikumaru said as he layed his sleeping mat on the floor beside Oishi's sleeping mat. "Then Ochibi can get his servants to do all the housework!!! Or open doors for him! Or bring him chilled lemonade! HAHAHAHA! NYA!!"
"Kikumaru-senpai! That's would be totally awesome!" Momo said and giggled. He tried to picture Echizen in pink clothes, sitting under a huge beach umbrella and having servants serving him chilled lemonade. It seemed incredibly ridiculous and funny!
"But I don't think Echizen will like it at all," Katsuo said, thoughfully. The three freshmen were squeezed together in a corner. Horio had already fallen asleep. "Right, Ryoma-kun?"
Ryoma did not answer. The whole conversation is irritating. Suddenly, there was a loud bang as Ryoma's bedroom door slammed open.
Oishi came in with a worried expression on his face. He had just finished brushing his teeth. Everyone stared at him weirdly. Oishi had looked worried ever since he stepped into Ryoma's house.
"Oishi? Is everything alright? Nya?" Kikumaru asked.
"I… I wonder what's going on with the others next door," Oishi said, worriedly.
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