Chapter 15: Unrequited Love
Inner Taro: I hope that isn't talking about me... T.T
"What do you want?" Yuuta snapped. Clearly his bad mood from losing the match hadn't rubbed off. 'That's okay. I'll cheer up his spirits.'
"Oh, come on, Yuu-poo, don't be like that," she pouted, crossing her arms stubbornly.
'Yuu-poo? Don't tell me-'
"Swear upon death that you'll never, ever tell anything that I tell you right now," she held out her pinky, "Pinky swear."
'This girl belongs in an asyl-'
She grabbed his pinky and shook it vigorously, and Yuuta was caught off-guard by her enthusiasm and strength.
"Truth is..." Her lips lurked closer to Yuuta's ear. "I'M TEZUKA KUNIMITSU'S LITTER SISTER!" Yuuta immediately cringed as she blasted through his eardrums. 'She really didn't have to yell in my ear.' His head slightly fazed by the shock, she continued blabbing.
"Not only that, but I was the one who was on the court humiliating you. You see, it's unfortunate, but I have to cross dress to get on Ginka's boys tennis team. I hardly think it's worth it, but-"
"You're Tezuka Kunimitsu's little sister?" Yuuta repeated, perplexed and disbelieving.
"That's what I told you, didn't I?" she retorted, annoyed that he had rudely cut her off at the beginning of her rant. "But-"
"You were the one on court?" Yuuta blinked, not knowing what to believe.
"Hai, hai," she rushed, impatient. How slow can the guy get? "As I was saying-"
"You cross dressed to get onto Ginka's boys tennis team? What's wrong with the girls' team?"
"If I join the girls' team, I'll be behind onii-chan from the very beginning," Kin protested, "I can't stand having him look down on me."
"But you're behind Tezuka already," Yuuta pointed out ignorantly, earning him a smack on the back of his head. "Itai!"
"I'll catch up in no time! Just you wait," she pouted childishly, feigning hurt.
"Funny, I think that's what I said earlier..." Yuuta scowled slightly. "Itai!"
"So are you calling me a hypocrite, hmm? Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows up dangerously.
'This girl's awfully defensive about this. Then again, I'm the same way.' He inspected her carefully, begrudged to see that the resemblances were undeniable, although her curvy hair was in a ponytail. 'That was probably a wig.' Still, his lips curled in derision and disbelief. He had been beaten by a girl? The thought was humiliating. A blush rose in his cheeks at what Syuusuke would say if he knew. Still, he realized how dangerous that was. If anyone found out and reported it, Ginka would be automatically disqualified. 'It's her problem, not mine.'
"Itai! What was that for?" 'Would this stupid girl stop hitting me?'
"For staring at me like I'm a different species or something," she replied curtly . "You know, you're really cute when you blush and not so cute when you have that mean face on." That just made him blush harder.
"So, why did you call me out? Just to gloat?"
"No, silly, I want to help you. You do realize that one of us is going to face Seigaku in the quarterfinals, right?"
"Sei-ga-ku..." The idea seemed strangely alien.
"The good news for us is that we only need one more win to secure a place in the semi-finals, since we haven't lost yet," she genuinely grinned, although it was only to hide her fears.
"Sou ka," Yuuta smiled, "You're only doing this to help us eliminate Seigaku before they get to you, neh?"
To his surprise, she blinked at him innocently and slowly she realized what he was saying. 'Strange, why didn't I think of that?'
"Iie, baka, I'm really trying to help you," she sighed . "But you can believe that if you wish." 'Why do boys always have to make things more difficult than they already are?'
"I don't need your help," Yuuta sneered, "Good luck at the quarterfinals."
"Matte! You need my help and you need it bad, especially when it comes to your attitude!" she pulled his arm, dragging him in the opposite direction.
"What's wrong with my attitude?" Irritation filled his hazel eyes.
"Everything!" she shouted . "For one thing, don't walk out on a conversation with a girl when she's not done talking to you!"
---10 Minutes Later---
"Join St. Rudolph."
Very intimidating gray eyes.
Gulp. Blink. 'What is going on here?'
"Well, there's no further argument in that." Mizuki pulled out a transfer sheet and stuck it rudely in Taro's face.
"A-ano..."
"QUIT HARASSING MY FRIEND, YOU FAT PERVERT!" Kin smacked Mizuki in the face, leaving three red streaks. She pulled on Taro's arm and dragged him before Mizuki could even register what happened.
'T-This girl is scary... I wonder if Mizuki-senpai is okay?' Yuuta sweatdropped at the sight, never wanting to get away from her more, but she was clutching his wrist and he grudgingly trudged along.
"Well, Taro-chan," she smiled at him brilliantly . "Enjoy your date, okay?" With that, she pushed him into Fukushi and disappeared into thin air.
---At Night---
"Yuuta, is something wrong?" A slit of blue was visible from Fuji's eyes. "You're awfully quiet today."
"No, nothing's wrong," Yuuta shook his head, although that just confirmed to Fuji that something was indeed wrong.
"It's unfortunate that St. Rudolph lost today, but cheer up, you'll be playing us in the quarterfinals," Fuji smiled, as if that would cheer Yuuta up at all.
"That's not it," Yuuta glanced down at his slice of raspberry pie, "There's this girl who won't leave me alone-"
"A girl?" Immediately Fuji's ears perked. 'Is Yuuta lovesick?'
"Hai, we went out for dinner together, but-"
"What's her name?" This was very serious indeed. Yuuta had found a girl he liked? His little brother was growing up faster than Fuji himself.
"I promised not to tell anybody-"
"Sou ka. Did she-"
"Aniki, it's not like that-"
"It's okay, Yuuta. Well, what happened? Did she reject you?"
"Matte, she's not-"
"You like her, don't you?" Fuji accused bluntly. Yuuta's face immediately became redder than the raspberry pie he was eating, answering Fuji's question without lying.
"Of course-"
"Girls can be a bit much sometimes. I'll never quite understand them, but good luck, Yuuta." The brilliant, genuine smile that Fuji flashed made Yuuta gape in amazement before he sauntered off to his bedroom. 'What was that?' He felt a strange sense of loneliness at being the only one in the room, listening to the soft chirp of tree frogs outside.
Do you really believe you can defeat Fuji Syusuke, Seigaku's tensai with an undefeated record?
So maybe Yuuta exploded after Kin's words. But she had flat-out said the truth. He just wished she wasn't so blunt, breaking the 'silent contract' of not speaking the future that followed all odds. Even if there was a 99.9 percent chance that Fuji would always prevail, Yuuta had to depend on that 0.1 percent above everything, or he may as well give up now and worship at his feet.
His entire body ached. 'How can Tezuka Kunimitsu stand to have her as a sister? She's so hyperactive that I get exhausted from her presence.' Yuuta had never left a crumb of his sister's raspberry pie go to waste, but today he didn't seem to have much of an appetite.
You know, you're really cute when you blush and not so cute when you have that mean face on.
Once again, Kin was right. 'What an annoying little girl.' There was no use in making himself miserable, no use in sulking or hiding. He had to believe in himself and work even harder. After all, St. Rudolph was only going to face Seigaku one time, at least with Fuji in it. In this one chance, Yuuta had to prove himself or not at all.
You're not alone in this, Yuu-chan. I feel just as frustrated, bloodthirsty and unappreciated as you. You know the feeling where no matter how hard you try, no matter how much blood, sweat and tears you shed, the person you want to defeat the most is always one step ahead of you? You're not the only one who has that feeling, Yuu-chan. I feel it everyday, every time I pick up a racket.
Yuuta stood up sighing and left for his room. A good nap cures everything. Perhaps he hadn't appreciated Kin like he should have today.
But in reverse, our brothers are essentially good people with kind hearts. Fuji is the type of person who, at heart, doesn't want to beat the opponent, but doesn't want to lose himself.
'Not everybody can be number one, Kin.' He laid down on his bed, closing his eyes as his fatigued body finally got a chance to rest.
Still, no matter what, there is that feeling of love. Yuuta recalled her laugh. It was mellifluous and genuine, reminding him of bells chiming. I must sound sappy, don't I? We'll always be in their hearts and we'll always be cheering them on. We'll be supporting them when they need us the most. They'll never stop trying and we won't either. In that, at least, lies some guaranteed satisfaction.
'Why is it that the lines I recall all make her sound really mature? It's not fair. They don't sound anything like the childish restless girl I spent my day with.'
To put it simply, I suppose, things have a tendency to turn out all right.
With that, his mind quickly drifted into easy slumber as his breath evened and his body relaxed.
Unfortunately, for poor Yuuta today, no such luck.
"I can't keep quiet about this! Yuuta got his first rejection from a girl today," Yumiko barged into his room despite Fuji's hasty protests. "How are you feeling?"
"Very sleepy. Now let me rest," Yuuta replied, trying to get his crazy sister out of his room.
"Ah, poor Yuuta-chan," Yumiko sat next to his bed, her eyes full of sympathy. As she went on a rant about how he shouldn't be so down on his first date, and as she promised that things would definitely get better, a vein in Yuuta's forehead increased exponentially. "Come on, tell me everything that happened. I won't stop pestering you if you don't."
"Onee-chan..." Yuuta mumbled dangerously.
"She rejected you, didn't she? Was she cute?" Yuuta sighed. There really was only one way to shut her up.
"We practiced tennis, engaged in blood-curdling fights, and went out for dinner. That's all," Yuuta answered flatly. 'Of course, there was much, much more...'
There was something... different about her. She wasn't like the other girls. In a crowd, she wouldn't stand out, but once you got to know her, she was certainly unique. She was just so simple-minded, and in that he felt almost envious. Her sudden bouts of fury and insensitivity only lurked on the surface. Underneath, she was surprisingly childish, like as if she had somehow avoided growing up. Of course, there was a serious side about her, like as if the perfect circumstances were triggered, a monster, the polar opposite of her seemingly ignorant self, would be unleashed. When that happens, her naive demeanor would completely shatter.
To Yuuta's surprise, he felt oddly protective of her. He didn't want to see her hurt or have her innocence crushed. 'Perhaps this is how onii-chan feels about me?' Still, there seemed to be a lot more to Kin than met the eye. 'Good luck, Kin, in defeating Tezuka. If anybody, you can...'
---Earlier That Day---
Taro's eyebrow twitched, but otherwise he was paralyzed in confusion. 'How did I end up here?'
"So, Taro, tell us all about your friend," Tashiro glared at him.
"A-ano..." Taro never wished more than to disappear or melt into the floor. He felt the eyes of every one of Ginka's regulars, but his tongue refused to make words. His heart lurched when he saw Kin laughing and smiling on the other side of glass... with a tomato-red Yuuta next to her. They were probably having fun teasing each other. He couldn't recall the last time she had such a genuine smile.
'I can't believe it. Kin's chosen a boy who's light-years ahead of me in tennis and I'm reduced to nothing. How can I even compare to that guy?'
Inner Taro: Poor, poor Taro-chan. Unrequited love hurts, neh?
"Oi, kid, are you okay?"
Sniff. Sniff. 'I should feel happy for her, but...' He sulked, playing with his milkshake with no appetite at all. Hiroki noticed that he was staring at Kin and quickly gave him a slap on his back.
"It's okay, kid," he encouraged, his lips twitching into a smile. 'Did we go too far?'
---A/N---
Okay, maybe this chapter was a bit too short for my tastes, and I couldn't nail the ending, but I didn't know what else to write. Don't worry, the next chapter will be absolutely hilarious.