Chapter One

There was a male lurking around the campus.

So far as Sakuno heard about this male, he was hot and handsome and tall and perfect and hot (from Tomoka, of course). The male had been here since lunch break- which is a very long time since it was now time to attend to club activities- but Sakuno hadn't had the chance to have a glimpse of him. He wasn't likely a new student because she haven't heard of anyone transferring. Not like she cared.

She was busy wondering if she would just buy a plush toy or make one. For Kikumaru. Sakuno must have a decision now before she goes to Sylvia's, a store she frequently goes to whenever she undertook knitting or if she needed to patch a hole on any fabric. If she ever decides to just make it herself, she'll have two days to finish it.

"Sakuno, you don't have to do this." Tomoka said. They were walking down to the courts, Sakuno felt. If not in the courts then by the courts. They were always by the courts.

"But I do, Tomo-chan. I feel that this is a responsibility I have to properly act." she said, trying to change their direction.

"As what, Sakuno? He's not your boyfriend. God, you're not his girlfriend."

Sakuno shuddered as she remembered the recent event. She occasionally plays with the Women's Tennis Club, but the matches lessened because Inui had caused her great trouble. "He believes he is because of the potion Inui-senpai made."

"Which wasn't made for him! Besides, it isn't your fault that he drunk it instead of Ryoma-sama." Tomoka grabbed Sakuno's arm, pulling her to the right way. This is the way to Ryoma-sama, Sakuno could almost hear Tomoka thinking. "Come on. Let's just go find the mysterious guy or cheer on Ryoma-sama- which is your responsibility, by the way."

"It's not. I don't have to see him practice; I still see him even if I don't cheer him for something as irrelevant as a practice match. We walk home together."

Tomoka covered her mouth in mock shock. "Irrelevant? It's important to see him everyday."

"But I do see him everyday!" Sakuno suddenly knew this isn't about making or buying a stuffed toy for Kikumaru-senpai; the whole thing is about Ryoma. "We have classes together. We are biology partners, we eat lunch together. At the rooftop. Alone. We walk to and from school to our homes. Missing one or two practice sessions won't matter."

Tomoka eyed her, "You certainly have changed. Before, seeing him practice is the only thing we both live for. You're throwing away what we are living for, Sakuno."

Sakuno choked back a laugh. "You don't mean that."

"But I do, Sakuno." Tomoka repeated what Sakuno said before.

"Yeah?" Sakuno steeled herself. "Gratefully, I spent enough time with him to learn that he will never like me, though he is capable. Saved me from the embarrassment of confessing to him, I tell you."

"Nonsense," Tomoka said softly. "You still like him, right?"

Sakuno didn't answer. She wasn't so sure; it was like she was rejecting that she still liked him. Or maybe she already got over him at the same time she got over her stuttering. Something tells her that she still loved him as before and that would explain why she still hadn't cut her hair and kept it in braids- braid, now. It was French braided into a single, with no hair pin by her bangs that stayed at the right side of her forehead.

Tomoka kept talking about the guy she saw walking around campus and just remembered that he had raven black hair. It was slightly long, Tomoka said, but looked good on him. His body is front-cover perfect and that was just him in his tight black v-neck shirt. Tomoka also mentioned that Ryoma and Sakuno didn't eat lunch alone, entirely, because Kikumaru was with them.

She has decided: she'll stitch a plush toy for Kikumaru-senpai. Stitching something that can be bought already stitched makes things considerably special. Kikumaru should feel special, now of all times. Even if he is merely a victim and not the victim (because she's clearly the victim), Kikumaru was brought into this mess. If only the people around her understood that she and Ryoma will never be together. For argument's sake, they do have the chance and Sakuno would be truthfully happy if that chance would not only be a chance. But it will definitely stay as a chance and no more, given Ryoma's nature.

After another failed attempt to go anywhere but the courts, Tomoka led her near the green metal railings, which was actually good, Sakuno thought. They- Sakuno and Ryoma- had been going home together since their first year in high school. This way, she'll be able to tell Ryoma that she won't be going home with him this time. Then gradually, she won't be going home with him at all. It would save her from all the emotional damage.

She had grown too attached with Ryoma for the past years. Too attached that she felt Ryoma is always there; ubiquitous, dare she say. That he's customary in her life and if he ever leaves or if he ever finds a girl he'll learn to love, she'd be a clock that's missing a hour hand or a machine missing the biggest gear. Because, after all..., it is he who taught her most of what she knows about tennis. Ryoma does not belong to her, and she knows it. He's her precious tennis coach.

Once there, Kikumaru dashed towards Sakuno, greeting her with a hug. In normal circumstances, it would be tight and warm and... well, what a normal bear hug Kikumaru gave to anyone. Since he drank Inui's potion- which was made from whatever Inui makes his drinks with but with an addition of her sweat- Kikumaru's hugs were generally flirtatious. Nevertheless, it made her swoon.

"I missed you..." Kikumaru whispered on her ear causing her to shiver. She tried to push him off her but her efforts are futile.

"Senpai, we ate lunch together."

"Ah, did we?" Kikumaru pulled himself away and grabbed her hand, bringing it close to his lips. "We were hardly alone. There was an elementary student in our presence; we can't call that 'together'."

Sakuno winced. She wished this would end sooner. "Are you really going to speak like that?"

"I found that a lot of women admires a Renaissance man. I did try to appear many-sided and chivalrous to you. Renaissance men are not common these days. Did you not like it?"

"I'm comfortable with the normal way you speak, senpai. Please return back now." Tomoka interjected. Sakuno held back a laugh when Kikumaru groaned. "See, I told you, you don't have to please him." Tomoka whispered at her ear.

He turned his face to wryly look at Tomoka. "I really don't want you to ruin my moves, Tomo-chan."

Tomoka crossed her arms. "I really don't want you to ruin my plan, senpai."

"You won't win. Sa-chan's mine, not ochibi's." Kikumaru crushed Sakuno in his chest and wailed. "Mine. Mine. Mine!"

"I think you're confused. You didn't answer her confession." Inui said as he neared them. A towel was draped on his shoulders over his Regular's jacket. He just won a doubles match with Momoshiro against Kaido and Takashi*. His rival pair were now engrossed with a singles match with Takashi earning the first point. Oishi was rallying with Ryoma. Ryoma didn't even look at her.

"Then I answer you." Kikumaru pulled back enough to look down at her. "You're my girlfriend now."

"I think you're even more confused. She didn't even confess to you." Inui said, grinning. He looked at Sakuno now. "Sakuno-san, I finished another tonic. If it works accordingly to my hypothesis, he would return back with no side effects."

All Sakuno could just say was "That's great." Though she really meant it.

"I could bring it tomorrow, if you'd like. We'll all meet at the public tennis court at the park." he was still smiling "And then Echizen would be able to hug you now."

"Yes! And you'll make another one of your drink for Ryoma-sama. The love potion, I mean. With extra dose of her sweat and sugar. And you'll burn the recipe for the antidote so you'll never have to turn Ryoma-sama back." Tomoka squealed in joy.

Sakuno frowned. She loosened Kikumaru's hug and pulled away from him. "You won't. Don't make one for Ryoma."

Tomoka laughed. "I was only joking."

"Don't joke about that. It's really creepy on my part." she faced Inui. "I'm fine with meeting at the park. I'm not fine with you making another one of that love potion. Can we do that?"

"Of course. I'll inform Oishi about this. Kikumaru, you're going to work on your stamina." Both of them walked towards the empty spot where Oishi and Ryoma had their match. Ryoma was on the bench, retying his shoelace with a towel on his left shoulder. Obviously, Ryoma won. He got up and walked, making her believe that he's walking towards her.

She had let herself believe that he keeps walking to her dozens of times. One time, it had been at the corridor. She was talking with a new kid named Tetsuya, and she talked him into joining the tennis club after knowing that he played. "When we were in Middle School, the boys picked up the balls and then swing their rackets for a hundred times," she'd said to Tetsuya. "But we're in High School now. I don't think you're going to go through the picking and the swinging-a-hundred-times." That made him laugh. And that made Sakuno laugh.

"Then what do we do?" Tetsuya asked.

"I don't know, pick a match, maybe? That's what I saw them do. That's what you're gonna do. And the middleschoolers will pick up the balls." she'd said.

"Why do I get the feeling that you meant to say 'pick a fight'...," they talked more about the club. Sakuno couldn't help but brag about Ryoma. They were both touching by the arms and laughing and she'd brush the hair away from his face because it was too long at the front. Like bangs. Do guys call them bangs? She asked him- more like commanded him- to have his hair cut short. He said he would and that's when she saw Ryoma walking to them. Jealous, she thought, jealous, jealous, jealous. She kept talking to Tetsuya as if she didn't see Ryoma in her line of vision. When Ryoma passed them, there were parts (part of her wished he would stop by them and tell Tetsuya "Don't talk to her."; part of her knew that she wasn't anything major to him like a girlfriend; part of her still wanted to be dragged away from Tetsuya because she wants Ryoma jealous; et cetera). The next day, Tetsuya came to school with his hair styled with gel and shorter at the front. She didn't remember asking him to cut his hair because Ryoma was talking about joining a gym and if she brought an extra shirt for a training with him, with hair the least of their concern. She said no- no, he can't join the gym and no, she didn't bring an extra because she already has one in her locker. Ryoma didn't join the gym.

Now, Ryoma was actually walking towards her and actually stopped in front of her. He asked if she can accompany him to the vending machine and called her by her name. Because they're in first-name basis nowadays. Inside, Sakuno was bursting with tears and joy. She didn't want to stop spending time with him, after all. She should have just gone here to the courts without a fight with Tomoka because she truthfully wanted to see him practice everyday.

"Sure," she said, not able to utter anything else. She told Tomoka, who was watching Kaido drink his water from a big jug, that she's going somewhere with Ryoma. Tomoka happily let her go quickly before Kikumaru noticed she was gone.

They both talked about going to Sylvia's, if he wanted to go with her or not. Ryoma said he'll go with her, but clearly opposed the idea of her making a stuffed toy for Kikumaru. "Boyfriend" and "not boyfriend" was suddenly the subject. He handed her a grape Ponta, now knowing that cherry-flavored Ponta tastes like medicine. They then walked back to the courts and talked more.

Times like this, Sakuno wished they would go on forever. She decided to call these times 'Absolute Flirting Moment'. AFM.