All the tennis players of Seishun Middle High looked at the Ling-chan as she stood there, calmly, next to Sakuno. She smiled at them again as she waited for their reactions. Finally, Tezuka stepped forward and extended a hand out to her. "Welcome to Seishun Academy, Hitachiin-san. I am Tezuka Kunimitsu, buchou of the Boy's Tennis team. We will be classmates from tomorrow onwards."
"Pleased to meet you, Tezuka-kun. Please address me as Ling-chan. There is no need to be so formal with me. After all, you are, in reality, my senior." Ling-chan shook the offered hand as she glazed up at the captain.
After letting go of the handshake, Ling-chan walked to the first person in line and addressed him directly, which happened to be Fuji. She bowed to him as she asked "You must be Shusuke Fuji. I have heard a lot about you from Taka. According to him, you are the genius of this team. Pleased to meet you."
"Konichiwa, Ling-chan. Taka didn't mention that he got a cousin coming over here to study." Fuji smiled back at the young girl.
"Only for a while. Plus, I didn't tell him that I will be coming to Seishun until the last minute." She then looked at the next person in line, who hurried forward to introduce himself. "Konichiwa! I am Shuichiro Oishi and this is Eiji Kikumaru, my doubles partner. I am the Vice Captain of this team."
"Pleased to meet you both. Eiji-kun, you are certainly what Taka has described u as. Very cat- like. I suppose you do like animals very much?"
"Hai, hai!" The energetic aerobics nodded, bouncing on his feet as he did so. "Do you like them too, Ling-chan?"
"Hai. I do. Perhaps when time permits, we can go visit a zoo or something." Okay!" Eiji beamed at her as he replied "Oishi too?" "Why not?" Ling-chan smiled at him.
One by one, Ling-chan made her acquaintance with all of them. Finally, she ended up at the end of the line, where Taka was waiting for her, smiling sheepishly at her. Grinning impishly at him, Ling-chan exclaimed "Taka-oniisan! Pleased to meet you, AGAIN! It is time to go home, don't you agree? After all, we got school tomorrow."
"Indeed, team. You are all dismissed for tonight. See you at next practice." Ryuzaki-sensei said, as she took in the scene before her with amusement, as all the regulars had followed Ling-chan's movements as she moved from greeting one regular to another. "Come on, Sakuno, let's go home." Turning around, she took her leave, with Sakuno following. Before she left, Sakuno waved to Ling-chan with a smile as she called back to her "Arigato, Ling-chan! For helping me with my homework today. I see you tomorrow at school! Goodnight!"
"Goodnight! Sayonara!" Ling-chan called back cheerfully. Turning around her to cousin once more, she asked "Are you ready to go?"
"Hai, hai. Let's go then." Takashi replied, heisting his tennis bag over his shoulder as he reached for one of Ling-chan's suitcases. Before he could do so, a slender hand clasped over the handle of the suitcase as Fuji spoke up "Let me help you with it, Ling-chan. After all, Takashi got to rest his shoulder more often as he is our power player. Plus, I am going the same way as you two." Inwardly, he is actually more curious about this cousin of Takashi.
"Arigato, Fuji-kun" Ling-chan bowed. Together, the whole team walked towards the direction of the school gates, chattering cheerfully together. Once they crossed the gates, the team then scattered in all different directions, each of them heading for home. Fuji and Ling-chan continued to walk on, with Takashi next to Ling-chan. As they strolled back to their respective homes, Ling-chan suddenly asked "Do you know where I can get fresh flowers at this hour, Fuji-kun?"
"Flowers?" Fuji asked, as a frown crossed his face. "If I recall correctly, I think there is a stall at the next corner. But I am not sure if they are still open. Do you need to purchase some flowers?"
"Hai. For oba-san. I brought gifts for the whole family but it will be better if I can get an additional bouquet of flowers for my oba-san. After all, she does adore flowers." Ling-chan smiled at Takashi as she spoke. At this, Takashi said "Yes, but she does adore you more, Ling-chan. There is truly no need for the flowers, you know."
"Lead the way, Fuji-kun. I will try my luck." Ling-chan laughed. At this, Fuji laughed as well as he turned at the next corner, leading to a different street. Though at a distance, Fuji can still see that the florist is still open. He remarked "You are lucky today, Ling-chan. The florist seemed to be open still."
"Really? Good!" Ling-chan exclaimed, as she hurried forward and into the shop as fast as she could without breaking into a run. Once in the stall, the florist hurried forward and greeted her "Konichiwa! What can I get for you today?" "A bouquet of orchids please, wrapped to go." Ling-chan replied, as she pointed towards the kind that she likes. "Yes Madam, please wait a while."
While the florist is busy with her order, Ling-chan walked about the small store. Flowers all over the world are displayed to their maximum beauty. Fragrances and scents of different flowers and shrubs mixed together, creating a fresh and unique scent. While admiring a particular beautiful display of roses, she did not notice Fuji standing next to her for a while. When she turned to return to the counter, she stumbled into him and would have fallen if not for Fuji's quick reflexes. He grabbed her and held her steady before she could fall. "Fuji-kun! You startled me!" Ling-chan gasped, after she recovered the balance. "Gomen, Ling-chan. I just thought of giving you this," he handed a stalk of pink lily to her. "I hoped to welcome you to Japan with this."
"Oh." Ling-chan exclaimed softly, stunned and touched beyond words. Looking at Fuji, she smiled brilliantly as she took the flower over. "Arigato, Fuji-kun. That is very nice of you." She breathed in the scent of the lily as her smile grew bigger "I love lilies more than roses, you know. Many thanks, again." She bowed.
"You are welcome. Now, shall we go and see what happened to your bouquet of orchids?" He gallantly pointed the way with a bow. Giggling at his actions, Ling-chan swept forward, with Fuji behind her. Picking up the bouquet that she has requested for, she paid the bill and left the store, with the lily tucked in a corner of her backpack.
All three continued on their way till they reached the front of Takashi's front door. Ling-chan stopped and looked up at the building for a while as she let her memories and thoughts flow. Takashi smiled at her and said "Home at last, Ling-chan. Come on in!" So saying, he bade Fuji goodbye and stepped in, with Ling-chan's luggage in hand.
Turning to Fuji for the last time in the evening, Ling-chan smiled and bowed as she said "Arigato, Fuji-kun, for both the lily and helping with my luggage. I see you tomorrow at school then."
"Sayonara, Ling-chan. Goodnight." Fuji smiled as he turned to go.
***INTO THE HOUSE OF TAKASHI***
"Oh my! Little Ling-chan has grown a lot since I last see her!" Takashi's mother cried, as she hugged Ling-chan. "Did you have a good flight to Japan, my dear? I did send Takashi to pick you up! How come you are so late? I expected you earlier!" Questions flew, fast and furious, as Ling-chan tried her best to keep up with the flow.
"Hai, hai. I had a good flight. Ah, I went to the school to handle my administration matters before coming over. You shouldn't have done that, Oba-san. Taka got tennis practice today. I am fine on my own. I took the entrance exams today while Taka went to tennis practice. That is why I got delayed." Ling-chan explained
"Oh! Well…never mind. So long you are here safely! Have you called your parents to notify them of your arrival here? Now, dinner is going to be ready soon, why don't you go upstairs and rest for a while?" Takashi's mother hovered around her, like a mother hen looking after her chick.
"Hai, I called them the moment I reached Japan. No worries, Oba-san. Ah, no. I am not tired at all. Taka had brought my stuff into my room, so I think I will help you out with dinner. After dinner, I will bring out the gifts that I had brought from Singapore. Now, let's go, shall we? Else Uncle and onii-san will be hungry." Ling-chan soothed her oba-san, smiling all the while at her tactics.
***AFTER DINNER, IN THE LIVING ROOM***
"And finally, for you, my dear oba-san, other than that bouquet of orchids earlier, a knitted silk purse!" Ling-chan smiled as she handed the last of the presents to her oba-san, her backpack lying carelessly and loosely on the floor.
"Arigato, Ling-chan! You shouldn't have brought so many gifts."
"Oh hush, it's nothing. After all, I will be staying here for a few months. You refused to take my payment, Oba-san. That is why I insist you take these gifts." Ling-chan grinned.
"No payment. I insisted on that. We are family after all, Ling-chan. Now, how did your entrance exams go?" Takashi's father asked, as he leaned back into his seat, chewing into a piece of fruit that his wife had prepared.
"It went well, Oji-san. I will be starting school tomorrow. Same year as Takashi, though different class." Ling-chan replied, while helping herself to a piece of fruit as well.
"She is being modest, father. She is in the first class, the same as my buchou!" Taka said, smiling from another side of the room.
"You are certainly as intelligent as your mother says, Ling-chan. If you have any problems, make sure you approach Taka for help. Taka, make sure you look after her. After all, she is younger than you!" His father told Takashi sternly.
"Hai, hai."
"How about uniforms? Do you need to purchase any?"
"The Principal mentioned in his acceptance letter that I can go without uniform for a week or so. There is no need to buy uniforms, not yet anyway. I knew a girl from school who said she has an extra set, which I can borrow for the time being." Ling-chan replied.
"Which girl? Oh, my dear, there is no need to borrow one, you know. We can easily pay for it!" Her oba-san exclaimed.
"I know. But I don't wish to. Let me try out the uniform first and we see how, alright? If there is a need to, I will purchase a set on my own. The girl is Sakuno Ryuzaki."
"Ah….Ryuzaki-sensei's grand-daughter!" Taka exclaimed. "How did you know her, Ling-chan? It's your first day here and you already made so many friends!"
Ling-chan explained and it was a long while before the whole family retired for the night. In her room later, Ling-chan laid on the bed as she set up her laptop for usage. Due to the time difference, she is not tired just yet. She logged in to check her e-mails and was about to log off when she saw someone she knows online. Clicking on his username, she set up a conversation with him.
***CONVERSATION ROOM***
Ling-chan says:
Hello there, Oshitari-kun!
Oshitari-sama says:
Ling-chan? What a surprise to see u online. Normally, you will come in later. Not that I am complaining. How are you?
Ling-chan says:
I am fine, thank you! Well, I arrived in Japan today, as I mentioned to you the last time we chatted. I just came online to check my e-mails when I saw u online. That's why I dropped by to say hi.
Oshitari-sama says:
Where are you now?
Ling-chan says:
In my relative's house, in my room. I arrived in the evening, just in time for dinner after I settled the school's administration matters.
Oshitari-sama says:
Which school? Are you coming to Hyotei Gakuen? As I told you before, I am studying there. We have a foreign exchange student program that might be suitable for you.
Ling-chan says:
No. I will be attending Seishun Academy. My cousin is there. I will start school tomorrow. Third year.
Oshitari-sama says:
I see. Congratulations! If you got time, we must meet up. How does the weekend sound to you? This coming sat?
Ling-chan says:
Sounds good. I will give you a confirmation later in the week. I suspect I will have a busy day tml. Can you choose a place? I am not too familiar with the area near here yet. Time to go and sleep, Oshitari-kun. I remember you still have tennis practice tml.
Oshitari-sama says:
A little bit more. I am finishing up a report.
Ling-chan says:
Yes, a report due two weeks later. You workaholic. Well, I am gg off first. I see you around. Can you drop your mobile phone no to my e-mail? I reply later. I still got to set up my phone lines in Japan.
Oshitari-sama says:
Guilty as charged. But look who's speaking now. Pot calling the kettle black, I say. You are a workaholic too, Ling-chan. Alright, I will drop it later. I look forward to your replies soon. Goodnight, sayonara!
Ling-chan says:
Sayonara! **waves**
The conversation ended at 0010h, conversation closed. Ling-chan appears offline.
Back his computer, Yuushi Oshitari leaned back in his leather chair as he smiled. You have arrived in Japan at last, Ling-chan. He mused as he recalled all the memories he had of Ling-chan all these years. "It's certainly good to see you once more." He spoke out aloud into the room where he is sleeping in.
Meanwhile, for Ling-chan, she smuggled into the bed as she closed her eyes to sleep. Her last thoughts are "It's good to see Oshitari-kun again. I hope tomorrow will be a good day…"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
As promised earlier, a character from Hyotei introduced! Personally, I think, this whole story for POT will be a very long one. In fact, I am expecting it be my longest piece of work since Rings of Fate (Fruit Basket). No matter how it turns out, I hope you all will enjoy this chapter of mine!
So, how will Ling-chan spend her next day at school? What kind of adventures will she have? Stay tuned to find out! Till the next chapter, ja ne! Please review!