A/N: I OWN NOTHING! I am just borrowing Naoki and Kotoko for my own amusement.

-3K+N3-

The next couple of weeks went by in a relatively similar fashion. Naoki would wake up, go through his routine of getting ready in the morning, having breakfast (coffee made by Kotoko regularly appearing beside his plate without him having to say a single word to the girl), walking to school with light conversation, school, then going home for home dinner, studying with Kotoko and learning more about the girl.

At this point they had covered several different topics, basically everything light that you would learn about a new friend: favorite color (grey for him, light pink for her), favorite book (Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Harry Potter), favorite food (Anything Italian, Sushi), worst fear (he could not think of anything, she was scared of spiders). The hardest question for Naoki was what he wanted to do with his life. He really did not know how to answer that. Kotoko encouraged him to go to college to try and learn what he wanted to do. Naoki did not see the point in college, because he could just teach himself anything he wanted to learn. Kotoko pointed out that do so would not get him the certifications he needed for the purpose of employment. When he asked her what she wanted to do with her life, she just talked about college life to discover what she wanted. She also started talking about wanting to help out the man she loved to achieve his dreams. He took that to mean that he might have to figure out a direction for his life, even if he was not positive about them being a forever relationship.

He had not kissed her since her first wish was used, but he was okay with that. He was honestly just enjoying getting to know her, but he was definitely nervous about what her next wishes were going to be. He had not figured out what he wanted to ask her for to fulfill the favor she owed him either. Before Naoki realized it, it was summer break and he had to start practicing for the National Tennis Tournament.

The first morning of summer break dawned, and Naoki's alarm went off at the same time as usual. He completed his morning routine, the only difference being he dressed in his tennis uniform before he wandered downstairs for breakfast. 'Well, looks like I will not be having Kotoko's coffee,' he lamented the fact that the copper haired girl was able to sleep in. Taking a sip of the coffee in front of him, he was startled at the rush of flavor that coated his palate. 'I am so confused… Kotoko definitely made me coffee.' He turned around at the sound of footsteps to see the girl dressed in her school uniform. 'Huh?'

"Kotoko-chan," his mother began confused. "Today is the first day of summer break, why are you in your school uniform?"

"Well, you see," she stuttered shyly. "I have to take remedial classes."

"I thought you got in the top 100 after Oni-chan tutored you for your exams," the matron of the house continued perplexed. Naoki was thankful for her being nosy, because Kotoko had never mentioned this to him during their late-night conversations.

"I did," she smiled softly. "Unfortunately, the midterms before the exams I did not do so well on, so regardless of how my grades have improved I have to do half of the remedial lessons to make up for that part. I thankfully do not have to stay the whole summer like the rest of my class."

Naoki smiled inwardly before a thought struck him. 'I know what to ask for as my favor.' He finished his coffee before going back up to his room to grab his tennis bag. He headed back downstairs, noticing that Kotoko had apparently left without him. 'She probably does not even remember that I have tennis practice. Probably too embarrassed about being in summer school. Although my tutoring seems to be helping her a lot, she has not been failing assignments or quizzes lately.' He pulled out a book and read as he walked to the school, veering off to the side as he crosses the entry way to head to the tennis courts. He puts his book away and begins to stretch and do a warm-up job while he waited for the rest of the team to get show up.

He had just finished the jog when the rest of the team showed, so he paused, looking around as he waited for them to finish their warm-ups. He looked up to the school, seeing a flash of copper in one of the windows. 'Of course, her class would be near the tennis courts,' he huffed to himself. 'Why would I ever think that I would be able to get her out of my mind for a single activity?' Naoki walked over to his bag, grabbing his racket and pulling his wrist bands on before setting up on the court. 'Well, time to focus and practice.'

The next few hours seemed to fly by. Naoki was absorbed in playing his favorite sport, winning every match he played. He viewed tennis as a giant science experiment. After careful observation, he was able to respond to every move his opponent would make, figuring out quickly if they were weaker on one side, or failed to properly execute a back hand. He was just finishing up a match before the team was planning to break for lunch. He smacked the ball into the far-left corner of the court to end the match, glancing up to the window he knew Kotoko had been in earlier, surprised to see her facing him. 'Guess she figured out that I was at the school.'

He walked over to his bag and wiped his face with the towel he kept inside before drinking some water. Naoki then grabbed his bento box and headed inside to buy a sports drink to replenish the electrolytes he had lost throughout the morning.

"Irie-kun," he heard the happy voice behind him. He smiled softly to himself before turning around, his normally bored look back on his face in case she was not alone. He was happily surprised to realize she had come to see him by herself. "I did not realize you had tennis practice during the summer."

"BAKA," he smiles slightly as he playfully drawled the word. "I told you last week that I was going to be training for the National's Tournament." He watches as her mouth forms as small 'O' as she recalled that conversation.

"I forgot about that," she said as she recovered, leaning against the wall by the vending machine he had just used. "I was just happy to see you when we took our break for lunch. I realized that I should have waited for you this morning. I am sorry for leaving without you." She bowed before him, and he could not hold in his chuckle. He watched her jerk herself back up quickly, not understanding why he was laughing.

"Why would you wait for me if you did not know I was coming to school, Silly Girl?" he asked gently. "You were being considerate. I do appreciate it, but you have nothing to apologize for." She smiled at him brightly, and he felt his heart constrict. Naoki was getting very used to that feeling when he was around her, even if he did not fully understand what it was. "Oh, I figured out what my favor is going to be by the way," he says casually, leaning against the wall next to her, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He observed her turning her full body to face him, so he mimicked her stance, one shoulder still against the wall.

"What can I do for you, Irie-kun?" she asked eagerly.

"I want you to come to the National's Tournament to support me," he says softly, not wanting any possibly prying ears to overhear.

"Ah, really?" she asked excitedly. "I would love to! Thank you, Irie-kun!" She was so excited that she leaped forward and hugged him without thinking. Naoki wrapped his arms around her, so she did not fall after colliding with his body, both of them settling into the hug.

'I really could get used to having her in my arms,' he sighs softly, inhaling the vanilla and sakura scent of her hair and skin. 'Her smell relaxes and entices at the same time.' He releases his hold, pushing her back gently, amused to see that red color on her face and drifting below the collar of her uniform shirt. 'Eventually I will see how far that goes…' He forcefully stops that train of thought before remembering her last sentence. "Thank you, Aihara, for agreeing to come."

"Honestly, Irie-kun," she replies shyly. "I think I still owe you a favor, because I would have wanted to go anyways. It means a lot that you invited me though. Thank you!"

He smiles softly before realizing the time and beginning to walk away to head back to practice. "If we based the cost of favors and wishes on whether it was something we wanted to do," he threw back to her over his shoulder. "I would still owe you three wishes. Have a good rest of your day, Aihara. See you after." He laughs as he walks away when he saw her mouth drop, shocked to hear that he had actually wanted to kiss her. 'She definitely does not understand her own self-worth. Sounds like something for us to work on. For now, though, tennis.'

The rest of practice flew by as he started advising his team on improvements, they could make to better Tonan's shot at taking home the National Trophy. Near the end of his last match, he noticed Kotoko running around the track. 'Oh no,' he thinks. 'What did she do now.' He purposely hit the ball harder than he needed to, so it flew over to her, accidentally hitting her in the forehead. 'Oops. Too hard.' He jogged over to her to check on her. "Are you okay?" he asks gently, picking up the ball.

"I am," she said slowly, her face bright red. He leaned closer to examine the spot, noticing it was starting to bruise slightly.

"Sorry about that," he lamented. "It is going to leave a mark for a couple of days. What are you doing out here? I thought you would have already finished school."

"We did," she said while bashfully rubbing the back of her head. "I was kind of daydreaming, so I got told that I have to run laps after class to help myself pay attention."

"What were you daydreaming about?" he asked with a smirk, guessing it was about kissing him. When her blush started to travel down her neck, he knew he was right. "Seems like your inattention is my fault. I think I might owe you for making you have to run today."

"That is not necessary, Irie-kun," she mumbled.

"Are you going to turn down me owing you," he questioned with his lips twitching. 'She really is unintentionally adorable sometimes.'

"No," she answered forcefully, causing her face to flush again.

"AIHARA!" her teacher barked harshly. "YOU HAVE TWO MORE LAPS! HURRY UP SO I CAN GO HOME!"

"Sorry, Sensei," she bowed before she went to take off. "Wait for me?" she asked him pleadingly. He nodded at her before heading back over to the tennis courts. He finished his match quickly, then did some cool down stretches before putting away his gear. As he finished, he saw Kotoko waiting at the gate to the courts for him.

"See you guys tomorrow," he says to the team before walking over to the girl that preoccupies the majority of his mind. "Ready to go now?"

"Yes, Irie-kun. Sorry if I made you wait longer," she said while letting her hair fall to block her face. The two of them set of towards home with her still in that position. Once he was sure no one was around he blocked her path and tilted her head up, moving her hair away from her face.

"I really dislike when you do that," he said simply. Seeing her puzzled face, he continued. "I do not like when you hide yourself from me. There is nothing for it. You asked me to wait for you, so I made sure that I did. You did not inconvenience me. If I did not wish to wait, I would not have waited. I waited because I wanted to. Okay?" He saw her nod with a small smile before he continued walking. "Now can we go home? I really need a shower." He started laughing as her face turned red at the mention of him showering. "BAKA!" he cried while laughing. 'So, she definitely has perverted thoughts about me,' he mused. 'Good to know.' With that thought, they entered the house and went their separate ways until dinner and the tutoring session later that night.