Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The dating complexity
FALSE BLACK AND WHITE
Chapter 5: The dating complexity
[RIIIIIIIIING!]
Shin groaned and tapped her alarm clock off. She opened her eyes and remembered that it was the first day of the festival.
She groaned again. She couldn't wait for summer break, but then again, it's still two months away. She stared at the ceiling and recalled dinner with Akira Sendoh last night. It was what she needed, she felt like the guy was the sanest person in the world after listening to Kogane rant about her game plan to win the festival. She understood her persistence though, since the class who raises the most money will have the power to be exempted from three subjects for their midterm exam. She admired her best friend's competitive nature but it was tiring to keep up with her.
Also, the 411 on Sendoh Kogane spilled was quite something. Who knew the seemingly laid back and carefree fisherman was the ace player of the fourth strongest team in Kanagawa. Seriously. She stretched and yawned, "Off-limits." she murmured to herself.
She went downstairs wearing her sleep clothes, a white spaghetti strap top and boy shorts with her hair hiked up in a pony tail.
"Should you be walking around the house like that?" Akira Sendoh's lazy voice greeted her at the pantry.
She saw that he was already seated, with a plate of fresh fruits and wholewheat toast, "Why? Do I make you uncomfortable?" she walked in front of him.
"Do I look uncomfortable?" Sendoh raised a brow at her, cocky girl, he thought, "Someone's coming over." he said getting back to his breakfast.
"So?" Shin shrugged stopping right beside him to get a piece of orange from his healthy plate, "It's not like I'm naked," she stared down at him, sherry gold meeting blue and she tilted her head to the side, "Would that make you feel uncomfortable, Akira-san?" she said suggestively putting the fruit in her mouth, smiling wickedly.
Sendoh turned his body so he faced her, leaning back with his legs spread, "I don't know, why don't we find out."
Shin sighed, "Man, nothing ruffles your feathers huh?" she went over to get her cereal and chocolate milk from the fridge then sat down on her usual place.
"Sometimes it's hard to believe you're my Kouhai. Do you talk like this to everyone? "
"Like what?"
Sendoh sat back on his chair and watched her make her breakfast, she looked too natural and relaxed, he'd never seen anyone move so carefree, especially around him, girls were usually tense and uptight. "Provocatively." he said.
"Well, I was trying to provoke you." she beamed up at him. "But I do tend to tiptoe around girls." she said thoughtfully. Sendoh sighed, so other men tend to see this side of her.
"So, who's coming over at six in the morning." Shin asked, breaking through Sendoh's thoughts.
"One of my teammates. He's your biggest fan, as far as I know."
"A fan? You mean he likes tennis or he likes the rumours?" she swirled her spoon around her cereal and chocolate milk, then took a glance at Sendoh before uttering, "Ah."
Sendoh's amused blue eyes were enough answer, "He knows that you live here and wants me to set the two of you up. So unless you change your clothes or hide, I won't hear the end of it."
"If you two are close friends, then I don't mind." she said before she could fully comprehend her words.
"What?" Sendoh nearly choked on his grape in surprise. A few things surprised him.
Shin looked thoughtful for a second, "It's been ages since I've dated your kind before, never been attracted to one since then, this might be the guy." she said jokingly.
"Never been attracted? Even in Shohoku? Even that freshman Rukawa?" Sendoh asked.
"That childish idiot?" she scoffed before taking the spoonful of cereal.
"Too mature for him, huh?" Sendoh dead-panned.
Shin flashed him her innocent close-mouthed smile, wearing her white blonde hair up in a ponytail made her look more mischievous, "Maybe this friend of yours is better. He'll also stop bothering you. Consider it a favor. Now you owe me one, Mr. Ace-Player." she teased, Sendoh stared at her in amusement, something was definitely up, though he couldn't put his finger on it yet.
"Yesterday you didn't even know I played basketball, googled me huh? Checked for criminal records or something?"
"I didn't have to, my best friend's a big fan." she placed her elbows on the table and gave him a gamine smile, "Why didn't you tell me you were such a big deal?" she asked before getting back to her cereal.
"It's not a big deal for me." he said lightly.
"Well, I think it's a big deal. You should've at least given me a heads up." she finished her first bowl then got another serving.
"Why? would it change anything? Even make you pull that charm on me?" Sendoh fired back, trying to put her on the spot for a change.
"Nah, you look like you'd be kind and sweet in bed, not my type." she meant it as a joke but Sendoh didn't laugh, his gaze was unreadable but after some time his lips twitched to a smirk, "Is that so." he said under his breath before reaching for the bottle of sports drink beside his plate.
Shin shrugged it off and continued, "Still to be one of the best is really something, that's one of my goals in tennis to earn a scholarship for college." her voice quieted down, somber for a while before she caught herself and smiled up at Sendoh,
Her remark surprised Sendoh, "Scholarship? Aren't your parents paying for that?"
"You know that my dad's in hiding after that embezzlement-scandal," she said tonelessly, staring deep into her cereal bowl, "As for my mom, I swear to never touch her new husband's money. I'd rather kill myself."
"So who's paying for your fees now?"
"My dad left an account before everything crashed and burned, that's enough to get me through high school." she calmly explained, then she looked up at Sendoh and surprised him again with a smile, "About that favor though."
Sendoh let that sudden shift in her mood slide, "You collect fast. You want me to also date someone? Your friend?" he asked in his usual merry voice.
"Not exactly, she has a boyfriend." Shin said with a smile.
"Then what is it?" Sendoh asked, clueless, Shin wondered if he'd still be that calm after he heard her proposal.
Shin bit her lip before spilling everything Kogane asked her to do, swallowing her pride and shame she went on, "This week is the school festival."
Sendoh nodded innocently, munching on a pineapple, "Oh, the one where you're selling the prints you sketched."
"Yeah... er... well, there's more to the festival. The winning class will be given exemption and perfect grades in the finals for three major subjects." Shin paused and intensified her stare, letting Sendoh know how important it was to everyone, "That raises the bar for everybody. The class who gets the most profit for the school wins that prize,"
"Ah, I see why it's important, that will pull up your grade average, but, what does it have to do with the favor?" he cocked an eyebrow at her.
"You see... that's where you come in. Everyone's gotten really competitive." she began, "My class is doing Maid Cafe, but then other classes became more competitive and had the horror booth with sexy zombies, candy cafe with kissing booths and all those weird stuff... So, since you owe me a favor," she clasped her hands together and leaned forward, mirroring her desperation, taking a deep breath she bowed her head with her clasped hands above it and yelled,
"Please make an appearance in our club!"
The doorbell rang and Sendoh stood up from his chair to get it but Shin got in front of him before he could take a step. "I'll go out with-" she frowned at Sendoh, waiting for him to supply the name,
"Koshino?"
"I'll go out with Koshino!" she blurted, "In exchange, you'll make a special appearance and participate in our festival." Shin's amber eyes were sharp when she spoke and before Sendoh could open his mouth, she took his hand for a handshake and, turned around and rushed to open the door herself. She didn't know if he intended to say yes or no in the first place, but he wouldn't be able to back out now.
She opened the door and was surprised by the sharp-looking man in front of her, he wasnt as tall as Akira Sendoh, he looked to be about five-foot-ten, lean and muscular with a pretty yet mischievous face.
"Hello," she put on her most flirty smile, "you must be Koshino-san, I'm Yuki Shin," she extended her hand.
"I'm Hiroaki Koshino, hajimemashite." the man said, accepting her handshake at once, appearing blatantly dazzled.
"Akira-san's just finishing his breakfast, please come inside Koshino-san," Shin said innocently. She was sincerely pleased, she was better than she expected, it looked like she won't be getting the short end of the deal after all.