Chapter 15
"Attention, Namura sensei...please report to the principal's office, thank you."
Meiko and Namura broke apart at the announcement. Yuu watched them as they gave in to one final kiss and then Namura stepped away and left the library. Meiko remained where she was, looking dazed.
Yuu sat back. Who would have thought that the calm and collected Meiko would have a secret affair with a school teacher. And with Namura sensei at that! A teacher that everybody looks up to.
Not wanting to remain there behind the shelves any longer, Yuu thought of going back out the window he came through earlier to avoid Ginta. But as he moved, suddenly his elbow knocked off a book from the shelf.
A gasp sounded from Meiko who was shocked out of her daze, "Who's there! Show yourself!" Yuu could hear her coming closer. Darn, he was going to be discovered.
With a sigh, Yuu got up and gave up hiding. He stepped out and stood before a shocked Meiko. "You should be more careful next time. This isn't exactly the right place to have a secret meeting. Anyway, bye," Yuu walked away from Meiko.
"Wait!" Meiko called out desperately. Yuu stopped. "What you just saw...you won't tell anybody, right?"
Miki's face flashed in Yuu's mind,"Can I ask you a question?" He could feel Meiko nodding. "Does Miki know about this?" He turned around to hear Meiko's answer and to see her reaction to his question.
Meiko glanced down, looking ashamed, "No, I haven't told her."
Having heard that, Yuu turned to walk away, feeling dissapointed yet sorry for Meiko. Miki was going to be hurt when this secret love affair is discovered and she won't be able to understand why Meiko would want to keep it a secret from her, her own bestfriend. But Yuu could understand a little. Afterall, he was hiding a secret of his own that no one must know. Not even Miki, whom he has come to care for.
------
The next day, the incident was momentarily forgotten. Occasionally, when he came face to face with Meiko with Miki, she would tense up as if expecting him to reveal all to Miki. But he would just smile politely and walk on.
Yuu had thought of telling Miki, but the end result wouldn't be worth it. It was better for Meiko to tell her herself when she was ready.
Now, Yuu was sitting in the school's tv studio for a short interview. Earlier on, he met with a student reporter in the hall who wanted to ask him about the tennis tournament that he would participate in. But he had a feeling that that was just an excuse to dig out more juicy gossip from him.
The reporter sat down beside him and faced the camera. Somebody from the background gave out the countdown, "And we're going on live at 3...2...1...,"
"Good day, fellow students! This is your regular lunchtime news brought to you live from the school's tv studio. Now, every week we would do a brief report on a club activity on campus. Today, I'd like to announce that tomorrow is the Young Men's Invitational Tennis Tournament whereby our school's tennis players will have a friendly match with one of our neighbouring school right here at our campus' tennis courts. Moving on, I'd like to introduce you to someone that is idolised by all the girl students, Matsuura Yuu!"
Yuu had to fight back a cringe at the last statement,"Hi, everyone!"
"Yuu, I heard that you were going to be playing during this tennis tournament and you're not even a tennis club member. Why is that? Are you just helping the club?" the reporter paused and Yuu had a bad feeling at what's coming out next from his mouth. The reporter continued on, a glint in his eyes,"Or is it because of a love triangle that's rumoured to be going on between you, Miki and Ginta, our tennis club members?"
Yuu winced inwardly. He knew it. He should have known not to participate in this interview. But why deny it? The school would believe anything even if he denied it. "It is as you say it is."
The reporter looked dissapointed at the short comeback," Hmm, a vague and evasive answer..."
Yuu, not giving a chance to the reporter to dig in further, he changed the subject,"Anyway, do come and see us play tomorrow! The bigger the audience the better we'll play. So, please come and watch!"
The reporter, knowing a closing when he hears one, ended the session,"Well, you heard what he said boys and girls! It's going to be an interesting tournament. So, be sure you're there to see it!"
Yuu left the studio as fast as he could. When he entered the classroom. An odd tension hung in the air. He glanced at Miki. She was glaring daggers at him. Not good. He turned to look at Ginta. Ginta was also glaring at him. Yuu sighed and turned to walk to his table and sat down. Well, nothing can be done about it.
--------
The next day, Yuu was waiting at the tennis court to warm up before the tournament start. He was just looking for Miki when she suddenly stepped up to him.
Yuu's heart leaped at the sight of her. At home she was still miffed about the news incident and wouldn't really talk to him but here she was, standing before him. Miki looked at him, "Well, um...good luck, Yuu."
Yuu smiled at Miki and nodded his thanks.
"Yuu!" A girl called out to him from behind. He turned and saw Arimi coming up to them. Arimi paused when she saw Miki, "Thanks, Miki, for the snack the other day."
Yuu was a little puzzled at that but thought nothing of it,"Arimi came to cheer us on," he informed Miki. Miki wasn't looking too pleased to see Arimi. Could she be a little jealous?
"How did you find out about the match, Arimi?"
Arimi looked up in surprised at Yuu, "Oh, didn't you know? You're challenging my school, Sagaki Academy."
All the fuss about joining the tournament and he hadn't even bothered to ask about the school they were playing against. And then a sudden dread came to him. He looked at Arimi in horror,"Does that mean that that guy will be coming!"
"Which guy is coming?" Miki looked puzzled at the turn of their conversation.
"Hey, Yuu! It's time to warm up," Ginta came running up to their little group. "The other school's team is already here."
Yuu felt his stomach turned at that,"You know, Ginta, I'm not feeling reallu up to it."
Ginta stopped and glared at Yuu,"What do you mean, you're not really up to it! The tournament is about to start!"
"Well, you see...there's this one person from this school I don't get along with very well. During middle high we were classmates and fellow tennis club members. He was always out to beat me in tennis but never could, so he's hated me eversince. And he's been in love with a girl that didn't like him for a long time, so when she went out with me, he..."
Ginta, not able to grasp the sudden flow of info, put up a hand to stop Yuu from continuing," Whoa, there...had a girlfriend?" Ginta looked puzzled and glanced at Miki.
Yuu didn't want to do this in front of Miki, but he had to in order to explain the situation,"Yeah, Arimi was my girlfriend back in my old school," he gestured to Arimi who was standing behind him. Arimi peered at Ginta and smiled at him.
"Uh, hi," Ginta greeted.
"Anyway, I don't want to meet with this guy because he's a bit annoying and the old issues will surface again," Yuu shrugged.
A sudden revelation came to Ginta and he looked up at Yuu with a serious face,"Would the guy you're talking about happen to be Rokutanda Tsotomu?"
A sudden understanding came to Yuu at the sound of the name and he asked,"Is that the guy that you absolutely cannot lose to?" they both looked at each other and they could read the confirmation in each others' eyes.
"it's been a long time, Matsuura! I've not seen you for a long time!" a curly haired boy came up to them arrogantly.
Speak of the devil...Yuu sighed and muttered under his breath,"Apparently, not long enough."
The boy named Tsotomu smirked,"I've been looking forward to this moment to getting even with you."
"And you haven't changed a bit," Yuu muttered again.
Tsotomu turned and saw Arimi. A sudden change came to his features, "Arimi! Did you come to cheer for me?" Tsotomu looked almost comical at the sudden change from the arrogant boy to the happy puppy.
Arimi stuck out her tongue at him and declared,"Not in your lifetime!"
Tsotomu's face broke and he whined,"Arimi..."
Ginta laughed loudly at the exchange,"I've always known you were a loser!"
Tsotomu glared at Ginta,"Oh yeah? You won't be so smug when the tournament starts. I will surely beat you and I'll be the one laughing."
The quarrel between the two fired back and forth until it was getting a little on Yuu's nerves to listen to them, so he interrupted,"Er, sorry to break this intimate moment, but do you guys know each other?"
Ginta and Tsotomu turned to Yuu at the same time and both shouted,"We're cousins!"
A stunned silence filled the air.
Ginta glared at Tsotomu,"We're of the same age, and we're always compared to each other by our relatives and because of that we've been competing against each other forever."
"Hmm, now that you mention it, you two kind of seem alike," Yuu observed.
Ginta and Tsotomu didn't take the comment too well and both shouted at Yuu at the same time,"We're nothing alike!"
But them ganging up on him, both looking remarkably similar in temperament confirmed Yuu's opinion of them that they were alike in every way. But it was best to keep it to himself for now.
Suddenly, Miki spoke up for the first time during the exchange,"Wait a minute, Ginta said he received a Wimbledon souvenir from his cousin...was that from you?"
What souvenir? Yuu wondered.
Tsotomu paused and looked at Miki,"Are you the girl that Ginta gave the pin to?" Miki nodded.
Yuu felt a twinge of jealousy when he reaslied what they were talking about. It was probably during the time when Miki had strong feelings for Ginta and when Yuu was not even in the picture.
"So, you're the one who lost out when Ginta accidentally dumped you!" Tsotomu laughed out loud.
Miki was stunned and Ginta looked positively ill at Roku's lack of consideration for Miki's feelings.
People were starting to gather and whispers were starting to go around because they overheard the loud conversation between them. "...she gave him that love letter..." "...so, they really cared for each other?..." "...why did he dump her?..." "...but isn't she with Yuu now?..."
The whispers were too much for Miki to handle. Miki looked up at Ginta and tears were starting to form in her eyes at the public humiliation. Miki glared at Ginta,"You told him about us? I hate you, Ginta!" and with that, Miki ran away, crying.
Yuu felt angry himself. Because of their petty argument, Miki was hurt in the process.
Tsotomu continued to laugh. He was just pleased that Ginta got what he deserved from the girl he still had feelings for and probably now hated him. Now they were even in that regard.
After a while, Namura sensei called out that it was time to start.
Ginta glared at Tsotomu,"That's it. Let's settle this in court!"
They headed to the court and the tennis racquet was spinned to determined who would start first.
Tsotomu stepped on the other side of the net and declared,"Loser kneels!"
Yuu rolled his eyes. Here we go again. But what shocked him further was what Ginta said next.
"How about we raise the bet a bit. The losers will shave their head," Ginta challenged Tsotomu back.
Yuu was shocked. It would seem that Miki was not the only one that would fall victim to their childish rivalry. If they lost, he might have to go around bald!