A/N: Thank you for sending Mizuki some love! Once again, sorry for taking so long to update. Unlike before when I'm still working, I have all the free time to write chapters and daydream about Rukawa but I'm a full time mom now and I only get to update during the evening after I put my little one to sleep. The problem is he's such a fussy sleeper and by the time I opened my laptop, my eyes are all droopy, my mind's going blank, and my bed is calling me to sleep. So yeah, there you have it, my excuse for the late post. :D

Anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy reading!


Chapter 15: Expect the Unexpected

Five sets of mouth were comically hanging open as they stared at the white paper plastered on the bulletin board. The Sakuragi Gang stood deathly still, huddled in a group, all wearing stupefied expressions with their eyes never leaving the sight in front of them.

Standing in the middle of his four friends, Sakuragi roughly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and blinked hard, convinced that they were playing tricks on him. Because there is absolutely no way in hell anyone will believe this shit.

His pot-bellied friend, Takamiya shared the same opinion. Every now and then, the word 'unfreakingbeliavable' would come out of the portly guy's mouth.

Ohkusu leaned closer, his nose almost touching the paper as he repeatedly read the list. "Am I in the twilight zone or something?" He mumbles to himself.

Mito, whose view was blocked by the blonde haired boy, forcibly shoved him away. He looked at the paper again, squinting hard. "Is this some kind of a joke?" He murmured after a moment's consideration. Then, glancing at Sakuragi he asked, "Hanamichi, did you put this?"

Sakuragi shook his head vehemently, his gaze never leaving the bulletin board.

"Well, something's definitely wrong with my eyes because there's no way I'm reading Noma's name under the Prince Charming role."

As soon as Mito said those words, all four skeptics turned their scrutiny to the person who's the primary cause of their disbelief.

Noma also had his mouth gaping open as he look fixedly at the list, but unlike his friends, his reaction was more in silent amazement rather than contempt. He absentmindedly stroked his mustache - which was growing quite rapidly much to Sakuragi's displeasure - as he inwardly gloated over his triumph. 'Sugoi!'

Takamiya suddenly jumped on Noma's back and tightly wound his arms around the latter's neck. "Tell me, what kind of sorcery did you used?!" He demanded as he had him in a chokehold.

"Get off me, you stinky hippo!" Noma wailed as he struggled to escape from Takamiya's grip. The latter ignored Noma's plea and tighten his hold on him instead. "Not until you tell us what tricks or secret strategy you played for you to land that role!"

"There are no tricks or whatsoever! Why can't you all losers just accept that I am a better actor than any of you combined?"

Noma's haughty announcement earned him a head butt from Sakuragi. Only a genius like him was allowed to brag. Anger burning through him, he bellowed, "Who's the moron who thinks Moustache deserves the role?!"

From behind him, a loud cough and clearing of a throat was heard.

"Ahemm."

The five of them simultaneously shifted their attention to the source of the sound, and an uncontrolled chill coursed through their body when they saw their teacher, Yamada-sensei, observing their group with an irate expression on her face.

"That would be me, Sakuragi-san." The petite brunette answered the redhead's inquiry. She pushed her red framed eyeglasses up her nose before adding in an icy tone. "And I certainly don't appreciate your choice of words."

"Yamada-sensei! I was just... er... just...joking. Just joking!" Sakuragi emitted a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of his neck.

But their teacher didn't find his joke to be funny. "It seems to me that you're completely opposed to having Chuichirou-san as the leading man in the play. May I know the reason why, hmmm?"

"Er- well,you see, I do not think...he's ummm... leading man material." stuttered Sakuragi. He wanted to say that Noma was way too ugly for the role but for once, restrained himself from speaking crude words. After all, he didn't want to make a bad impression on his favourite teacher

"Is that so?" Yamada-sensei arched one perfect eyebrow. "Who do you think deserves the role then?"

Sakuragi wanted to say he very much deserved the part but incredulously, he was able to clamp his mouth shut. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders in response.

"If you don't have anything more to say, let me give you my reasons then for picking Chuichirou Noma out of all the countless candidates."

"Although he's not exactly that good looking to be the prince," – the four losers snickered at the remark while Noma had a crestfallen look on his face, " But," The teacher added and Noma's downcast expression abruptly turned to anticipation. "I must say that he has enough charisma to fill in the role." Her statement made Sakuragi almost want to vomit. So shocked was Takamiya that his arms went limp to the side, releasing Noma from his tight hold causing him to fall hard on his butt.

"He has effortless dramatic skills," Yamada-sensei continued and with every compliment, Noma's head started to swell. "He came fully prepared to the audition, complete with the costume and all, he was very much in-character, knows his lines, had a very clear, deep voi-"

"Please stop, Yamada-sensei. Noma's head is about to explode!" Ohkusu pleaded.

The bespectacled young woman ceased talking and learned that the blonde haired boy was not exaggerating. Noma's head was now as big as a balloon.

Realizing that she's gaping at him, she quickly closed her mouth. Pressing one fist into her lips, she cleared her throat and said, "Very well, then. I hope I was able to convince the four of you nonbelievers with my reasons.

Not wanting to contradict her, Sakuragi and the rest of the doubters nodded their head dumbly.

Upon seeing their affirmation, a triumphant smile formed on Yamada-sensei's lips. Turning to Noma, her expression then became serious as she said to him, "And Chuichurou-san, don't make me regret my decision of casting you."

"Yes, Sensei, I will do my best." Noma bowed, his voice filled with absolute gratitude. And for a moment, his friends were dumbfounded by the uncharacteristic display of sincerity and the determination that crossed the moustached boy's face as he declared fiercely, "I won't fail you."

xxxxx

"Someone's in a bad mood." Mizuki stated after Sakuragi set his tray on the table with a loud clang, slightly startling her.

The scowling redhead ignored her and began to scarf down his food.

Mizuki rolled her eyes at him and continue eating. Sakuragi throwing temper tantrums was nothing new.

"So...," she drawled as she picked a piece of fish with her chopsticks. "Who pissed in your coffee?"

"Grrrr!" Sakuragi growled as he furiously stuffed his mouth with rice.

Chewing silently, she regarded the cranky boy sitting across the table. "What are you so mad about, anyway?" She asked him shortly even though she already knew the answer. There was never a day gone by without him complaining about Rukawa being the bane of his existence.

"So arrogant! I can't stand him!" He growled again, bits of rice spitting from his mouth.

Mizuki quickly covered her tray of food with her hands, her nose scrunched up in profound disapproval at her friend's lack of etiquette.

"Where are your manners, Hanamichi?" Mito chided as he and Ohkusu joined the pair at the table.

Mizuki took a sip from her drink, hiding her grin behind the bottle of her fruit juice. "You should know by now that his table manners are practically nonexistent."

"Clearly, he hasn't moved on." The blonde haired boy sitting beside Sakuragi commented between mouthfuls of rice.

With a resigned sigh, Mizuki put her drink down. "Come on now, Hanamichi," she said in an assuring tone. "There's always the next time. You can always try outscoring Rukawa in the succeeding game."

Sakuragi stopped mid-chew and blinked at her. "Huh?"

Turning to Mito, he pointed his chopsticks at Mizuki and asked, "What's she talking about?"

"Obviously, the two of you are not on the same page." Mito answered without bothering to look at any of them, too engrossed with his meal.

Mizuki's forehead creased in confusion. "What do you mean not on the same page? He's upset because Rukawa outscored him at yesterday's match. Right, Hanamichi?" She asked him and the deep scowl returned on the redhead's face, irked that she brought that up.

"Who says I'm talking about that ugly fox?"

"Sorry, I'm kinda lost here," says Mizuki, more baffled than ever. Because truthfully, when did he ever stop whining about Rukawa?

"The only reason he got to score more than me was because he keeps on hogging the ball." Sakuragi explained as he violently dug into his rice bowl. "Selfish bastard." He added in a voice full of vitriol.

"Okaayy." She drawled as she watched him devour his food. "So, if it's not Rukawa, to whom is your anger aimed?

"The answer to your query can be found at your 4 o' clock." It was Mito who replied, eyes never leaving his lunch.

Mizuki turned her head towards her right, scanning the cafeteria. A large group of students from different year and class dining together caught her attention. And a familiar looking guy sporting a moustache came into view.

"Huh?"

Mizuki was completely taken aback when she saw Noma sitting beside drama queen Ohara Fumiko, whose face clearly says that she doesn't want to be there.

"Charming my foot!" Sakuragi fumed, shooting daggers at Noma who was laughing loudly – most probably at his own lame joke.

"Why would Nom – Ahhhh." Her words were cut off as realization finally dawned on her. Mizuki leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "That explains why. Chuichirou-kun just snagged the coveted role of sleeping beauty's beau."

Her nonchalance had Sakuragi narrowing his eyes at her.

"What?" Mizuki asked defensively.

"What do you mean what? Why are you not even a bit shocked that he was chosen for the male lead?"

"That's really not a shocker. After all; Chuichirou-kun had a flair for drama." She stated. "Besides, Fuji's sister" – she pointed to one of the girls – "the one with the hair tied up in a red ponytail and seated at the head of the table, she's the drama club's president. And she told Fuji-chan that Noma's audition was exceptionally good."

"Exceptionally good?" Sakuragi blanched in disgust. "She probably lost some of her brain cells after watching that dreadful performance."

Raising one eyebrow, Mizuki leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "And how would you rate Noma's audition, O clever one?"

"Worst acting I've ever seen." The redhead remarked before taking a swig of his ionized drink. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he added sourly, "Definitely not leading man worthy. Can't even pass as an extra. Thinking about Noma and his horrendous acting and ugly moustache makes me want to vomit my lunch." He shuddered in an exaggerated fashion.

"Uh-huh." Mizuki said, unimpressed. "Are you sure you're talking about Noma's performance or are you referring to your own? Or perhaps Ohkusu's?

The blonde haired boy coughed and nearly choked on his food. "Hey! Mine is absolutely better than Hanamichi's cringe worthy audition." He said defiantly much to Sakuragi's irritation.

"Oh yeah? Says the idiot who keeps saying Auwowa instead of Aurora!" Sakuragi retaliated by making fun of Ohkusu's difficulty in pronouncing the sound R.

"Seriously, guys. You should be happy for Chuichirou-kun." Mizuki said chidingly. "He finally found his passion. Just like you Hanamichi. You have basketball that inspired you, that keeps you motivated." Glancing over at Mito, she gave him a light nudge with her elbow. "How about you, dear cousin of mine? When will you join a club that will keep you busy and put an end to your idle moments?"

Mito gingerly placed down his chopsticks on his empty plate. He then slowly pulled the ring tab from his canned soda and took a few sips, intentionally delaying his response. He felt a nudge – with more force this time – in his ribs. He set his coke down on the table, a small smile playing on his lips. "Actually," he started, "I'm thinking of creating my own. I'd like to call it" - he made a gesture with his hand as he enthusiastically announced "- the Slackers Club. Sounds promising, don't ya think?"

The two previously arguing duo nodded their head in approval. Once again, Mizuki roughly nudge her cousin on his ribs.

"Sign me up on the club!" Ohkusu piped up.

Glancing around, Mizuki noticed another member of the gang is currently missing in action. "Speaking of slackers, where's Takamiya?"

"Lost his appetite," was Mito's quick answer.

"Really?" Mizuki asked incredulously. Takamiya had never missed lunch before and he certainly had never lost his appetite.

"No. He got stomach ache."

"Really?" She asked again, unconvinced. She always thought that Takamiya's bottomless pit of a stomach was made of steel.

"Serves him right for being such a glutton." Sakuragi said. As the redhead stated the lists and amount of food Takamiya had consumed for today, Mizuki began to scan the cafeteria, her eyes automatically straying towards the far end of the room - to where he was usually seated.

It was starting to become a habit – one she'd like to get rid of because it's completely freaking her out. She didn't want to turn like all those obsessed admirers of him.

Lately she would find herself checking up on him - to see whether he had taken his lunch or decided to skip it and take a nap instead, or if some of his fan girl (who are gutsy) approached him and ask if she could join him. When this happens, a feeling of anxiety would wash over her but then relief would soon take over when he decline or ignore most of the girls' requests.

She returned her attention back to Sakuragi, who was still babbling about how much of a glutton Takamiya was. As she listened to her friend talk, Mizuki fiddled with her bottle cap as she tries to control her eyes from drifting back to the lone boy eating his lunch at the far end of the room.

Half a minute later, she felt her cousin tensed up besides her. She threw a questioning glance at him but when he ignored her unspoken query; she followed his gaze and saw him staring at Rukawa – whose attention was now focused on the girl with shoulder length hair standing beside his table. Mizuki couldn't see the girl's face as she had her back to them, but there was something familiar about her.

"Haruko-chan."

As soon as Mizuki mentioned her name, Sakuragi's face spontaneously lights up. "Haruko-chan?!Where? Where?" He quickly turned his head from side to side, searching for his blue-eyed inspiration.

The cousins pay him no heed, both silently scrutinizing Rukawa and Haruko's interaction.

Mizuki watched Rukawa vaguely nod his head at what Haruko was saying to him. She wished she could hear what they're talking about. She observed that Rukawa was more accommodating towards Haruko than any of the girls who approached him during lunch.

Was it because she's the team's assistant manager? Or was there something more?

A sense of uneasiness settled over her.

Mizuki's doleful thoughts were put to an end when Sakuragi abruptly stoop up and run towards Haruko, strategically placing himself between the girl of his dreams and the bane of his life.

She shook her head, feeling pity for her forever friendzoned buddy but at the same time, the redhead's too obvious and unceasing jealousy towards Rukawa exasperates her even more. Not to mention that he was acting in a rude manner by suddenly interrupting the pair's conversation.

"How pathetic." Takamiya voiced out what the three of them were thinking. The plump guy's abrupt appearance on their table came as no surprise. After all, nothing can keep Takamiya from having his lunch.

Ohkusu exhaled audibly as he placed his right fist under his chin. "Sigh. There's really nothing we can do."

Just then, Noma emerged behind the blonde haired boy. Bending down, he put one arm around Ohkusu's shoulder and leaned forward. "Never lose hope, my friends. There is another way to put an end to our favourite redhead's woes." He said with an evil glint in his eyes. They all stared at him, waiting in hushed anticipation and noticing how sinister Noma look at the moment, the gang had to commend him for his Oscar worthy act.

"We can just -" Noma paused for dramatic effect, and with a smirk, he added, "- kill Rukawa."

Everyone present in the cafeteria turned their heads towards where Mizuki and the boys were currently seated, some students have look of curiosity while others seems irritated by the group's loud outbursts.

Mizuki slapped her head in frustration as the rest of the boys make suggestions on how they will commit the deed and how they will get away with it. Seeing the stares of their schoolmates, she slowly slid down in her seat, embarrassed to be associated with these wackos.

xxxxx

Her legs won't stop bouncing, her palms feels clammy. The metal band around her pencil's eraser had long been gone, and her poor pencil had to suffer numerous bite marks because she can't stop herself from chewing it. She placed her hands on her lap and wiped her sweaty palms on her knee length navy blue skirt, glancing every now and then at the clock located on top of the black board.

2:45 pm.

Only a few hours left until her interview with Rukawa.

Mizuki wanted this to be over so she could have her inner peace at last, but at the same time, she wished time to slow down so she could mentally prepare herself. She heaved a sigh. This interview is seriously messing with her brains.

As the clock ticked nearer to the appointed time which is 5pm, her anxiety seems to be getting worse. This was a hundred times frightful than having a surprise quiz or getting to the front of the class to do a presentation.

She haven't spoken to him, doesn't even dare look at him during class. After yesterday's humiliating episode at the restaurant, she absolutely has no idea how she's going to face him. A bit disconcerting on her part since she's been pestering him for weeks to do the interview, but when he finally agrees, she realized she's not yet ready. She still had hundreds of fan queries that she needed to sort out. Uncertainty began to creep in. Could she pull this off, make an ice block suddenly start talking? And what if he had forgotten all about it? Should she remind him about the interview?

Mizuki was so consumed by her troubled thoughts that she didn't hear the class representative's command for all the students to rise in order to bid their teacher farewell. A nudge on her right foot put an end to her inner musings. She looked up to see Satoshi discreetly signalling her with his hands to stand up. "What?" She mouthed at him. Just then, she heard the class erupted in laughter – the loudest coming from the three idiots Noma, Takamiya and Ohkusu. She glanced around and her face instantly went crimson when she ultimately realized she's the only person who's still seated.

"Ah sorry." She responded as she promptly stood up.

After bidding the teacher goodbye, the students began heading out towards their respective clubs and school activities.

When Mizuki finally gain her composure and courage, Rukawa had already left for basketball practice.

xxxxx

Stepping out of the newspaper's club room, Mizuki felt the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Iwata - the editor in chief, dismissed her earlier than usual from the club's meeting so she could better prepare for the interview. Honestly speaking, she didn't know if she'll ever be ready for this. And with the way she acted around Rukawa yesterday at the restaurant, she fully expected a repeat of that humiliating moment.

But what she discovered a minute later was something she never expected to happen in a gazillion years.

As Mizuki turned around the corner, she nearly collided with Haruko coming the other way.

"Whoa! That was close!" Mizuki cried out, relieved that she managed to prevent another disaster from happening. Her butt had enough unwanted encounter with the cold, hard pavement already.

"Gosh! Mizuki-chan! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going. It's tota-"

"Hey, no harm done." Mizuki assured her, patting her lightly on the shoulder. She observed that the blue eyed girl was acting not her usual cheery self, and appearing to be somewhat distraught. Deeply concerned, she asked, "What's going on Haruko-chan?"

Haruko twisted her fingers anxiously, and bit her bottom lip in worry. "It's Matsui. We can't find her."

The short haired girl's brow scrunched up in confusion. "She's missing?"

"Yes. She ran away after Takamiya kissed her!"

Haruko's unanticipated response made Mizuki's eyebrows shot up practically to her hairline. "Whoa," she said, holding up a hand. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

Haruko nodded her head and begin to tell her what happened. "Yes. It was actually an accident. The two of us, together with Fuji, were on our way to the gym when Takamiya-kun suddenly appeared out of nowhere – well, it was hard to believe, but I think he just dropped down from the sky or the roof or I don't know, everything happens so fast and the next thing we saw was he was lying on top of Matsui and – oh my gosh -" she covered her face to hide her blush, "and his... his lips were on hers and Matsui looks like she's going to pass out - "

"Puke, most likely." Mizuki interjected.

"- but then, she screamed and slapped Takamiya-kun so hard there were palm prints on his cheek and she was crying madly and then she started running away and we tried to run after her but she's just too fast and now we don't know where she is." Haruko said, her voice cracking slightly.

Mizuki was not used to Haruko looking so distressed and unhappy and she wanted nothing more than to see the bright smile on her face again. She wanted to blame Takamiya but just as Haruko had said, it was unintentional, but she bet his stinking patootie that he enjoyed every moment of it even though he got the slap of a lifetime in return. She suddenly felt pity for Matsui – imagine having her first kiss taken out of the blue and from Takamiya of all people, who probably just finished eating his spicy tuna sandwich or garlic filled snack.

Mizuki let out a shudder at the thought of being kissed by the gluttonous boy. Erasing the nasty thought from her mind, she returned her focus to the girl in front of her. Placing both her hands on the slightly smaller girl, she said in an encouraging tone, "Don't worry, Haruko-chan. We'll find her."

She was rewarded with a small smile from her and together they begin searching for Matsui; her scheduled interview with Rukawa all forgotten.

Halfway through the search, they cross path with Fuji, – another friend of Haruko – and she informed both of them that one of the students saw Matsui enter the third floor's comfort room.

"Matsui?" Haruko called out as she stepped inside the tiled room.

Low, stifled sobs were heard coming from one of the toilet cubicles.

"Matsui." Haruko called out her name again. Mizuki silently gestured to her two companions the cubicle where the crying girl was presently hiding.

"Come on, Matsui. We know you're in there." Fuji said, knocking softly on the door.

They heard Matsui blowing her nose before telling them to go away.

"Please, Matsui. Open the door. We're your friends. Don't shut us out, we're here for you, you know that." pleaded Haruko.

"I said go away!" Matsui wailed. "Go away and just let me die!"

Fuji and Haruko both gasped in fear. "No! Please don't say that!" They cried out.

While the two girls were busy pounding on the door and begging Matsui not to end her life, Mizuki was standing silently behind them, utterly unused to this kind of girls drama. She didn't personally know Matsui that well, so she can't tell if she's just being overly dramatic or if she's being serious about it. After all, first kiss are a big deal to most girls. But in her opinion, being kissed by someone - regardless of who he is – was a stupid reason to kill oneself. Even if it's Takamiya who's involved. But if it ever happened to her, she'll make sure that the person who's going to get buried six feet under is Takamiya himself, after he experienced one hell of a beating and torture through starvation.

Mizuki didn't know how long they listened to Matsui wailing how life was so unfair, how Takamiya stole the most precious thing to her, how she wished she would just stop breathing, blah, blah, blah. It was beginning to get tiring to say the least. In all honesty, the person who should be whining about how unfair life is should be her, considering the predicament she's currently facing. She almost wanted to snap and tell that to Matsui, but the concerned faces on Haruko and Fuji restrained herself from doing so. She was impressed by the two girls' patience on their friend, which truly shows how much they care for her.

"You don't know how I feel," Matsui said between sobs. "You don't know what it feels like to have your first kiss stolen from you."

Haruko and Fuji looked at each other, lost for words.

"Actually, I do," Mizuki interjected.

The two girls stare at Mizuki while Matsui's crying abruptly stopped.

Upon seeing the surprise look in their faces, Mizuki merely shrugged. Leaning against the tiled wall, she continued speaking. "If it's any consolation to you, my first kiss was also stolen from me. But unlike yours, mine was not by accident. It was purely intentional."

Fuji gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, beyond shocked at her revelation.

Matsui's sobs settled down into sniffles. After a while, the stall door cracked open and Matsui's red, puffy eyes peered at her. "Who did that to you?" She asked Mizuki.

"I shared my first kiss with a red haired monkey."

A heavy silence fell and then Matsui said in a choking manner, "Sakuragi was your first kiss?"

Mizuki's eyes almost popped out of her sockets. "What?! Eeeeeewww!Why would you say something like that?" She complained loudly, utterly repulsed by the notion.

Matsui's face turned apologetic. "I'm sorry. I just thought –"

Realizing the confusion, Mizuki explained further. "No. It was not Hanamichi," - she made a gagging noise again - "My dad and I went to the zoo; I think I was 10 or 11 that time. Anyway, there was this cute monkey and I asked my dad to take a photo of me and the ape. So there I was, happily sitting besides the monkey, stroking its thick hair when the creature suddenly hug me and planted a wet kiss on my unsuspecting lips."

"Oh," The sapphire-eyed girl managed to say after a deafening silence.

"So yeah. There goes my first kiss." Mizuki said, shrugging her shoulders like it's no big deal.

The three girls continue to stare at her, and Mizuki shifted her feet, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes.

Without warning, Haruko burst into a giggle. She pressed her fingers to her lips in an effort to stifle her laughter but failed when seconds later, her short haired friend Fuji joined in the giggling. The laughter proved contagious as Matsui also started to giggle.

Mizuki can't help but smile as she watched them giggling uncontrollably. It felt good to make somebody else happy.

"Thank you for finding my misfortune hilarious." She said teasingly after the three giggling girls finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to laugh at your expense. I just can't contro -" Mizuki quickly cut Haruko's apology off with a wave of her hand.

"No worries. My dad and I had a good laugh about it too."

"Ah. That felt really good." Matsui declared as she exited the cubicle. Wiping her tear stained cheeks, she then turned to Mizuki. "Thank you for the funny story and making me forget my troubles for a while."

Sniffling, the pony tailed girl lowered her head as she said, "And thank you all for listening to my woes. I'm really lucky to have such wonderful friends!" Matsui cried out before encircling the three girls in a group hug.

After exchanging hugs and words to boost Matsui's spirits, Haruko suggested that they should all have ice cream afterwards, – her treat – as she playfully announced that the cold dessert is the answer to all of life's problems. The rest of the girls immediately agree with her thinking.

It is only when Mizuki heard Matsui muttering her half-hearted apology to Haruko for the latter missing her daily dose of Rukawa goodness that she remembered her scheduled interview with the ace player.

"Oh, crap." Mizuki whispered as her steps faltered.

"What's wrong, Mizuki-chan?"

The rest of the girls stopped walking as they watched Mizuki with worry.

"I forgot about the damn interview." She said as she runs her hands down her face in agitation. Noticing the confused look on their faces, she informed them about her interview with Rukawa today after basketball practice.

A look of surprise was now etched on their features.

"Rukawa-kun finally said yes?" Haruko asked in disbelief.

"Yes! I was supposed to meet him at 5 today." Mizuki glanced down at Fuji's wristwatch and bit out a curse. "And I'm already an hour late!"

"Maybe you could still catch him. He's usually the last person to leave practice." Haruko, who's the team's assistant manager, informed her.

Mizuki's face lit up. "I really hope so! This is a onetime deal! If I screw this up, I don't think I'll be given a second chance."

Bowing, she mumbled her apologies about not being able to join them for ice cream and after that; she was out running as fast as her legs could carry her, hoping and praying that Rukawa– the boy who has been plaguing her mind as of late, – haven't left the gymnasium yet.