"Ei~ji~" I sang as I jumped onto my best friend's back. He stumbled forward a step but kept on his feet, holding me up. "Hi Yasu-chan," Eiji grinned as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders for support. "Hi Oishi," I greeted his doubles partner as well. "Hello, Hashiba-san." "It's Yasu. I told you. Ya. Su." I corrected him for the hundredth time. "Oh right." "Would it be easier if I call you Shu-chan?" I suggested jokingly. "Sh- Shu-chan!?" I burst out laughing at Oishi's flustered reaction. I laughed so hard that I fell off Eiji's back. "

What's going on here?" A voice suddenly boomed next to us. "Uh oh." I got up again. "Hashiba, please stop distracting Kikumaru and Shu-chan." My eyes widened. No way did he just say that. "T-Tezuka." I burst out laughing once more. It was just too funny to see Oishi so flustered. Eiji joined in with me. "Not you too, Eiji!" I ended up on the floor laughing with tears in my eyes.

I finally started to calm down when Tezuka sent Eiji and Oishi back to practice. But my breathing took a bit longer to return to normal. "Sorry, Tezuka," I apologised to the team's captain. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "So when are you going to tell him?" I looked up at my upperclassman confused, "What do you mean?" Instead of answering he focused on the courts. I followed his line of sight. He was looking at Oishi. I stared up at him as I got back up on my feet, "How... How do you know?" I thought I had done a good job of hiding my true feelings for Oishi. Not even Eiji suspected a thing and he was my best friend. Well, he was also more of a child than I was, so maybe that was it.

Tezuka didn't answer me and just walked off. I sighed and took a seat in the grass near the courts and watched the practice since I had plans with Eiji after. But Tezuka's comment had really thrown me. There was no point thinking about it though, it wouldn't change anything. My feelings were one-sided anyways.

I waited near the changing room once practice was finished. The first one to come out was Oishi. I hesitated for a second but stopped him when he walked by me. "Hey, Oishi, I'm sorry, about before, you know." It's okay," he smiled but then sighed, "I just don't understand why you always have to tease me. Do you not like me or something?" "That's not it," I laughed awkwardly, "Well," I didn't really know how to put it but Tezuka's comment from earlier ran through my mind, "I guess, you know how little boys always used to pull girls' pigtails?" Oishi nodded, "Yea, so?" "They don't do that because they don't like the girl. And well, in this case I'm the boy and you're the girl." "Huh?" He was most definitely confused. I just couldn't bring myself to tell him outright. That's when Eiji came out of the changing room. "Figure it out," was all I said to Oishi before I grabbed Eiji and we left.

I had no idea whether Oishi had understood what I tried to tell him. But even if he did, I probably didn't want to know his reaction. That's why I didn't go to practice anymore and made sure not to run into him in the halls.

I kept that up for a few days but then as I was leaving school Eiji caught up to me. "Yasu-chan, I haven't seen you in days, where have you been?" he whined as he linked arms with me. "Yea, sorry Eiji, I've had a mountain of homework," I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. I didn't want to lie to him, but telling him that I had avoided him in order to avoid Oishi was too complicated. "Do you have homework now?" Eiji asked me. "No," I answered. I realised my mistake as soon as the word had left my mouth. Eiji pulled me towards the tennis courts, "Great, then you can stay for practice," he grinned. Making an excuse now wouldn't work so I just gave up and let him drag me there.

Eiji only let go of me when he entered the changing room. But he did so just as someone else came out. Oishi. "Oh." "Hi." This was so awkward. "Ah. Um." Oishi only looked at me for a second before he hurried off onto the courts. A sigh escaped my lips. I guess I had my answer. I knew it was coming. I just didn't expect it to hurt like this.

I sat down on a grassy patch near the courts and pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. Practice was starting but I wasn't really paying any attention to it. Oishi couldn't even look at me anymore. Why did I have to go and tell him? Well, I didn't really, but I just had to give him enough hints to figure it out himself. As much as I wanted to blame Tezuka for planting the thought of telling Oishi how I really felt in my head, it wasn't his fault. It was mine alone. We had a good thing going and I ruined it. I also had no idea how Eiji would react if he found out. Oishi had to tell him at some point, didn't he?

"You're not yourself, Hashiba." I looked up at the voice. "Tezuka," I sighed, "I told him." "Oh?" Tezuka slightly turned his head towards me. He was actually interested. "Yea, and his reaction is why I never planned on telling him before," I sighed again. "Really?" Tezuka's one word answers were a little annoying. "At least now I know I don't like being rejected. Oishi can't even look at me anymore." Staying positive usually came easy to me, but not this time. "Hm..." I mustered Tezuka, he was acting strange. "Don't get depressed just yet." That was the last thing Tezuka said to me before he returned to the courts. I had absolutely no idea what he meant. Tezuka was really hard to figure out. He was so distant and yet in touch with everything somehow. It was sort of impressive, and yet weird.

Another sigh escaped my lips. I contemplated leaving but that would just upset Eiji and not help me in the slightest. So I stayed. I distracted myself with the homework that I did have. But I couldn't really focus for very long.

Suddenly a shadow hovered over me. I looked up, expecting it to be Eiji or Tezuka. But it wasn't. It was Oishi. I scrambled to my feet. "Oishi..." "Has- Yasu..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "When you said... Did you mean..." Yep, this was very awkward. I shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably, avoiding direct eye contact with Oishi, "Yea... I meant," I took a deep breath, "I actually like you, really like you." I couldn't look at him. He'd already made it clear that he didn't feel the same way. "You're really something else," I heard Oishi sigh. I risked glancing at him. He was smiling down at me. "You could have just told me." I still didn't know what to say. "Yasu," something in Oishi's voice made me look up at him. I bit my lip, preparing myself to be rejected. Instead Oishi took my hand and smiled, "You know you're crazy, but you're also funny, cheerful and one of the kindest people I know." That did not sound like a rejection. I felt the hope, that I'd thought lost, flicker back to life. "Oishi..." "I don't mind if you keep pulling on my pigtails." His words made me laugh. "There's the Yasu I know," Oishi smiled. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. "Good to know I can return the favour," Oishi laughed. "Just this once, Shu-chan," I laughed as Oishi blushed as well. "Shuichirou..." "Huh?" "Call me Shuichirou." I was without a doubt turning into a tomatoe. I hesitated for a second before I opened my mouth, "Okay, Shuichirou..." I had to avert my gaze. Suddenly Oishi pulled me into his arms. "Just for the record, I like you too." I buried my face in his shoulder. I had no idea how to act in this situation. All I knew was that hearing those words made me incredibly happy.

"About time you two finally figured it out." Oi- Shuichirou and I jumped apart at the sound of a familiar voice. "Eiji!" we exclaimed at the same time. The redhead was grinning at us. "Wait, you knew?" I asked surprised. "Of course," he laughed, "You're my best friends." Shuichirou and I looked at each other. And then all three of us started laughing.

We had been so silly, but it all turned out the way it was supposed to.