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Sun And Sunflower

Yukimura x OC, Tokugawa x OC, Tanegashima x OC

Chapter Nine

"There's a festival this weekend, have you heard?"

"What's the point? It's not like we can go."

"Court ten, there is no talking allowed during practice. Sato, Nakamura, you are demoted."

While Kurobe was watching the courts from the control room in his chair, Saito was leaning against the desk, watching his colleague with a soft smile. Unable to shake off his look, Kurobe eventually gave in and sighed, turning to face Saito, waiting for him to speak. "Ever so harsh," Saito smiled. "I appreciate that you are only raising the standards of the players. As the saying in Chinese goes; a strict teacher produces outstanding students."

"Is there a but in there or are you wasting my time?"

"You said you would think about revising the rule regarding leaving camp. Have you thought about it yet?" Saito asked. "It's clear to see that the players are losing concentration. Maybe it's about time they get a day off too?"

There was no reply from Kurobe as he swiveled in his chair, back to facing the monitors. He hated to admit that Saito was right but mentality training was Saito's field of expertise, not his. And it was obvious that the students were not having the initial enthusiasm they brought into the camp with them. The training they had to undergo diminished that enthusiasm and if it continued, they would not be producing the result they wanted.

As if trying to convince him further, Saito slid a flyer across the desk, leaving it next to Kurobe before leaving the control room with a smack to his head as he exited. Kurobe picked up the flyer, glancing through. It was a flyer advertising for the festival coming up this weekend, the one the students were talking about.

"Where do you think she is, Melon Bun?"

No one would believe Hikaru if he was to tell them that he happened to be in the neighbourhood while walking Haruka's dog when he walked into the U-17 camp. Since he came home, Hikaru only saw his sisters for only a week. The house felt empty without the three of them running about and shouting at each other because one of them used something belonging to someone else. Hikaru would not admit it out loud (because it was a little embarrassing) but he missed his sisters.

And after hearing from Haruko that the youngest Kobayashi was starting to have nightmares again, it only got Hikaru worried. So with the excuse of walking Melon Bun, Hikaru left the house with the dog and arrived at the camp for a visit. It brought back a lot of memories for him, just being at the camp. It had been quite a few years since he was last here, and there were some upgrades here and there, but Hikaru still remembered the place well. The U-17 camp was where his career started. This was the place that took him to international levels.

But with absolutely no idea where any of his sisters were, Hikaru could only wander around the grounds of the camp, talking to the dog as if he would give him a reply. He should have asked Saito when the coach was letting him into the camp but he ran off, saying he had work to get back to the second Hikaru walked through the gates. Hikaru let out a sigh, to which Melon Bun tilted his head at. That was when Hikaru walked up to a court where some middle school players were practicing on. He stood by the fence, watching the little practice match going on.

Though it was a little hard for a pro tennis player to go unnoticed. It was only about a minute or so before the players on the court started realising that they were being watched and all turned to look at Hikaru, surprised to see the man himself.

"Oh! Kobayashi Hikaru!" Eiji gasped. "That's such a cute dog!"

"Isn't your focus a little off, Kikumaru?" Atobe asked.

"Kobayashi-senpai," Yukimura smiled, opening the gate to the court for his upperclassman, allowing him in. "It's a surprise to see you here. Are you here for a visit?"

"What's your name, doggy?"

Before Hikaru could even walk through the gate, Eiji was already waiting by the entrance, squatting down to the dog's level and greeted it with a grin. As he reached out to touch Melon Bun, the dog was calm and stared at Eiji, only sniffing his hand a little when it got close. Even as Eiji was petting him, Melon Bun sat by Hikaru's feet, not making a single move. "He's Melon Bun," Hikaru smiled, giving the dog a pet on the head.

"Melon Bun?" Eiji frowned, tilting his head. "What kind of name is that?"

"I bet Haruka named him." Both Yukimura and Fuji spoke at the same time. "Because she likes melon buns."

"She named him Melon Bun because when we got him, he was just so cute that she could eat him up. Like melon buns," Hikaru chuckled.

Melon Bun looked up at Hikaru, tilting his head as if to ask what he was laughing about. But just like that, he was suddenly the star of the court as the middle school players rushed up to pet the dog. Despite the attention, Melon Bun still remained by Hikaru, never making a sound. That was, until something finally caught his attention. Or rather, someone. Tearing his attention from Hikaru for once, Melon Bun turned his head to the right and stared hard.

When two figures turned the corner and was coming down the path by the court, Melon Bun stood up and tugged on the leash. Hikaru noticed the sudden tightness on his leash and looked up, seeing two of his three sisters coming their way. "Melon Bun!" Haruka gasped. It was so typical of her to notice the dog before her beloved older brother. Ever since they got the German Shepherd, they had been inseparable.

Hikaru let Melon Bun off his leash and the second he was free, the dog bolted down the path, running straight into Haruka's arms and started licking her face, jumping up on her as if he was hugging her. Haruka giggled and gave kisses back, hugging the dog back. Once their little reunion was over, Haruka picked up the basket of water bottles and with Melon Bun by her side, walked up to the court.

"What are you doing here?" Haruko asked, looking to Hikaru.

"I was walking Melon Bun and was in the neighbourhood so I thought I'd pay a visit." Haruko raised an eyebrow, not believing in the obvious lie. In fact, everyone else was looking at Hikaru but none of them dared to point out his lie.

Though, Hikaru was more concerned with Haruka. Seeing her so happy, however, he was a little relieved. Bringing Melon Bun was obviously clever on his part. Despite how attached Haruka was to him, there was only one person who could ever bring Haruka out of a state instantly and that was Melon Bun. Whatever it was that triggered her nightmares again, it seemed like Haruka had already forgotten about them as she was playing with the dog.

Not forgetting her work even with the presence of her brother and dog, Haruka played with Melon Bun in the form of work. With the basket she was carrying set up by the side of the court, Haruka took the bottles out one by one, putting them in Melon Bun's mouth before directing him to a person and the dog would flawlessly deliver the water bottle. Once the basket was empty, she then asked the dog to start bringing her the tennis balls scattered all over the court.

While this was a show of how perfectly trained Melon Bun was, there was one person who found it a little odd. Being a fellow dog owner, Atobe was no stranger to a dog's behaviour or the type of tricks they could do. Even from the beginning, he noticed how disciplined Melon Bun was sitting next to Hikaru. He never once barked at a person who approached him. When they were all showering him with pets, he simply sat still with a little wag of his tail. Only when he saw Haruka did the dog get a little excited. Not even Beat, who was professionally trained, was that well-behave.

"Is Melon Bun a service dog?" It was a question out of the blue but Atobe only asked out of curiosity.

"He's Haruka's service dog." Before Haruko could elbow her brother in the rib, Hikaru blurted the answer out. Several heads turned at once; Yukimura's and Fuji's included. "Oh...um..." Hikaru realised his mistake when he saw the confusion on some of their faces while Yukimura and Fuji were both frowning in concern. "What I mean is, Melon Bun was trained as a service dog but for some reason, he wasn't taken on so we adopted him. And since Haruka is the one who takes care of him the most, Melon Bun is naturally her dog. Yeah, that's it!"

It was rather obvious that Hikaru was lying. Haruko rolled her eyes, knowing that there was no coming back from this. The middle school players, however, did not question the pro tennis player. It was almost as if they were having pity on him for trying so hard to lie.

"Whatcha talking about?"

"Just talking about Melon Bun," Hikaru smiled.

"Yeah, we were talking about how cute he is," Fuji smiled, squatting down to give the dog a pet on the head. Melon Bun raised his nose and sniffed Fuji's hand before giving it a lick. This was the most affectionate he had been with someone else besides Haruka. "Oh my, look at that."

"Of course he's cute," Haruka grinned, scratching the dog behind both ears. "He is Melon Bun! He's the cutest in the world. Aren't you, Melon Bun? Isn't that right, Melon Bun?"

It was not unusual to gather the players for an announcement. It was, however, unusual that they were gathered in the middle of the day. But when everyone arrived, they realised that the gathering seemed a little suspicious when even the volunteers of the camp appeared, claiming that they were called to the gathering too. There was something about an important announcement that was really putting everyone on the edge. What could possibly be so important that even non-players were asked to come?

"Ow!" Saito's shout from above once again got everyone's attention. The coach had his hand to his head, rubbing gently with a sigh as he strolled out from the control room before greeting everyone with a big smile as always. "Hello there! I can't believe everyone's here right on time," he smiled. "Well then, let's not waste anymore time. As mentioned, there is an important announcement that involves everyone. Over the years, we realise that despite there being a rule, you are still sneaking out of camp. We have been lenient with you, although it has come to our attention that perhaps the rule is a tad...strict.

"You are teenagers after all. And with some discussion, coach Kurobe and I have come to the decision that every week, on Saturday, you will be allowed out of the camp. The right amount of relaxation would boost your performance and will be good for your mental health overall. I know you are all dying to go on a date with that cute girl. Curfew is still in place, however, and if you do not return before then, there will be consequences. That is all. Practice will resume in half an hour."

Instantly, the crowd of players started talking among themselves, clearing excited about the sudden change. There were several of them who were more than happy to be able to leave the camp to do something other than tennis while some of them were already on their phone, asking their girlfriends out on a date. But it was the spectacular crowd around Koharu that became the main focus.

As soon as the rule change was announced, the players took advantage of their new found freedom and with the festival coinciding on the one day they were allowed out, many of them chose to attend, the Kobayashi sisters included (though they only went because Haruka insisted on going, because it had been a while since the three sisters got to do anything else besides volunteering at the camp). Though neither Haruko nor Koharu minded when they saw how happy their little sister was.

While they were having fun, Koharu could not help but notice how most people who came to the festival were couples. Some of the girls were dressed up in a yukata but they were all looking so smitten, their arms hooked onto their boyfriends' while going from stall to stall and playing the games. "It's a little sad that we're here with each other and not a date," Koharu suddenly mentioned.

"I don't mind being here without a date," Haruko shrugged.

"Yes, but you're Kobayashi Haruko."

"Excuse me, may I borrow Koharu-chan?" Out of nowhere, Irie approached the sisters and took Koharu's hand. While he seemed to be asking the sisters for permission to take away the second daughter, Irie tugged on her hand and dragged her off before any of them could register what was going on.

"Koharu-nee got kidnapped..."

"Wasn't that Irie?" Haruko raised an eyebrow. "He's your friend, isn't he?"

With just two of them now, Haruko and Haruka wandered around the festival, visiting mostly the food stalls as they tried the food. When Haruka wanted to get some fried squid, Haruko stayed back to wait. She hated the smell and the taste of squid. Though the second she heard a voice, she was starting to think that perhaps squid was not too bad. "Lil Spring!"

It had been a rather peaceful time at the camp this year because she was not bothered all the time by Tanegashima. Winning that childish game was possibly the best thing she had ever done in her life. She did think initially that Tanegashima would never be able to keep to his promise. He did not seem like the type who would be able to keep away. But to Haruko's surprise, she never saw him once since they played 'Look Over There'. "What are you doing here?" Haruko asked. "You promised you won't bother me."

Tanegashima tutted and wagged his finger from side to side. "No, no. I promised I wouldn't bother ya for the rest of the camp. We're not in camp right now." Haruko glared instantly. There was a loophole that she never figured out. A loophole that Tanegashima found and used against her. "Are ya here alone, Lil Spring? Mind if ya went on a date with me?"

Haruko rolled her eyes in response and turned to leave with Tanegashima following right behind, still pestering her, and promptly forgetting about Haruka. When the youngest Kobayashi turned around, she frowned to see that Haruko was no longer there waiting for her. "Oh? Haruko-nee?" Haruka started walking around herself, looking for her either of her sisters.

"Isn't that Matsuoka-san?" Shiraishi was the first to spot Haruka walking by herself, looking around as if she was lost. The trio in room 201 had decided to come and have a look at the festival that everyone was talking about. They were talked into it too, by the rest of the middle school players, though it did not take long for them to split up into groups when they arrived and somehow, the roommates ended up with each other. "What is she doing alone?"

"I thought she came with her sisters," Fuji commented.

"Haru."

As she turned around, the trio approached her. "Oh? What are you guys doing here?" Despite knowing that they were roommates, it was still rather surprising to see the trio together. They were from different schools, from different areas, yet somehow they fit together so well. But it was more surprising to Haruka that the three of them were at the festival together.

"We came with the rest of the middle school students but everyone broke off into groups," Shiraishi explained. "Somehow, we ended up together."

"I thought you came with your sisters?" Fuji asked.

"They abandoned me..." Haruka sighed.

"Then how about you join us?" Yukimura suggested. "It'd be more fun with a group, wouldn't it? And safer for you too."

At the mention of joining the trio, Haruka looked up at Yukimura. It was bringing back some memories for her of when they were younger. When they became friends, so did their mothers. They brought their children out on play dates and going to the festival was one of those many activities. Haruka's mother would always dress her up in a kimono or yukata while Yukimura's mother would match him with her. And at the end of the night, they would be on their mothers' backs, sleeping while holding a toy each that they won at a stall game. Those were times that Haruka thought of quite often.

Without hesitation, Haruka nodded with a smile. Just like she did with her sisters, they went from stall to stall, trying out most of the food before coming to the game stalls. One by one, the guys played the games flawlessly, winning Haruka so many stuffed toys that she had to get a bag in order to carry them. As the night went on, they were soon calming down from the games, enjoying a cone of green tea ice cream each.

"Did you see the man's face?" Haruka laughed, walking backwards while happily recounting the events earlier. "He thought you guys were going to win his entire stall!"

"Be careful, Haru," Yukimura warned.

"Oh! And did you guys see the crowd of girls when you guys were playing? You would think only a celebrity would get that much attention. Though...it was a little surprising to know that Kura-kun is the most popular with girls."

"Kura-kun? And why is it surprising?"

"Haru gives everyone a special name," Yukimura smiled. "Sei-kun, Shu-kun, and she obviously likes you enough to call you Kura-kun."

"I am honoured," Shiraishi smiled. "But what was that about it being surprising that I'm popular?"

"I don't know~"

Haruka turned on her heel, turning to face the front again but before any of the guys could stop her, she crashed right into someone. As she pulled away, Haruka was about to apologise when she saw just what a mess she made. Her ice cream was all over the person's shirt and although she was trying to be nice, her first instinct was to wipe it off and it only made the mess worse.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Do you know how much this shirt costs?"

The girl she bumped into was not happy. Rightfully so, Haruka thought. Anyone would be angry if some ditzy girl crashed into them and got ice cream all over them. But the way she spoke, her tone, was especially harsh and condescending. Haruka did not think it was reasonable to be spoken to that way. "How would I know?" That was when both Yukimura and Fuji let out a sigh, knowing that she only just got herself into more trouble.

"Is that how one should speak after they made a mess?" the girl asked.

"Hey now, she apologised," Shiraishi said.

"Yeah? And? You think her apology will magically clean up this green mess?" The girl was not backing down at all and she was not going to let it go just because Haruka apologised. It was obvious she wanted more than just an apology. "I'll tell you, you pay me fifteen thousand yen, I'll forget about this."

"You must be crazy asking for the amount," Yukimura stated.

"We'll buy you a bottle of water to wash that off and you can walk away," Fuji offered.

Before the girl could say anything else, however, a guy stepped in. "Oh, if it isn't the mighty Yukimura Seiichi," the guy smirked, tilting his head a little as he placed an arm around the girl. "What's up, babe? They bullying you?"

"Yeah, that brat there ruined my shirt."

"Well, how about this? They call you the Child of God, don't they? Let's settle this with a game of tennis. You win, you go. I win, you pay for the shirt."

"Sei-kun..."

"Deal."