Disclaimer: I do not own Tennis no Ohjisama. Iwase Kumiko-san and the Reverie Café are my own creations. Any similarities with real people and/or place are unintentional and coincidental.
Author's Notes: In the first part, Ryuzaki Sakuno reads a line from Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, translated from French to English by Richard Howard. I do not own any rights of that classic book. I'm not promoting it whatsoever.
Enjoy reading!
The Sadist of Seigaku
Chapter 2: Momentum
"The snake said, But I'm more powerful than a king's finger,"
"That's good, Ryuzaki-san. You may sit down."
Sakuno releases the breath she has been holding while answering the teacher's question. It's a funny thing to happen, really, but how she did it, she does not know. She bows her head humbly, as some of her seatmates pat her shoulder as encouragement for reading their assignment well. She cannot believe that she was able to read it clear and straight. Yesterday, when she practiced reading with Fuji-senpai, she was stuttering. Now, though, she can say she has improved. Of course, she does not have Ryoma-san's perfect English accent, but at least, she is doing well herself.
She takes a glance at her teacher who gives her a warm smile. Sakuno leans back to her chair, utterly happy for once in English class.
It is English time today. It is the most boring class for Echizen Ryoma. It's as if he were being punished for no reason at all. Oh well…at least he can catch up for some sleep at this time of the day. Then again, they are having a graded recitation based on their assigned reading. He remembers hearing his classmates groaning. They are surprised after all. The Little Prince, regardless of it being a children's classic, is not an easy read, especially for them – well, except for him. His mother has read that to him a hundred times when he was younger so today's recitation is like transforming himself to a human recorder.
By now, he is supposed to be sighing his lungs out, but not today.
To say he is surprised at Sakuno's performance is an understatement.
He feels as if some one slapped him at the back of his head with a tennis racket.
That does not sound good and he does not want that to happen, but that is how he feels, mind you.
Besides, learning how to read and speak in English does not happen overnight, especially if one has been speaking Japanese for sixteen years of his or her life.
Echizen eyes Sakuno.
It is funny that he wants to know who has been helping her. He actually has a hint of who her tutor may be, but that is very unlikely. It is very difficult to point out who, among their classmates, are helping her. Sakuno is a very shy girl and is rarely close with any one especially that her loud-mouthed friend is away. Another is that, even if she were with several girls, her companions are not that competitive in English. Not that he is underestimating his classmates. He is just thinking of the truth.
He continues to watch her until he finds himself not just watching her anymore.
There I go again…
He shakes his head to take his mind off her pretty face, sweet smile, dainty fingers…
"Echizen-san, you do not want to recite?"
Echizen slightly jumps off his seat as he hears their teacher calling him. He turns his head to their teacher in front, eyes wide in surprise. The teacher raises an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to stand up and prepare for his turn in their graded recitation. His classmates are staring at him with wide eyes. He sighs for the first time that day, as he stands up lazily.
"Please repeat the question, sir," he requests, speaking in English in a slight cocky tone.
It is his teacher's turn to be surprised, as is the whole class.
"Who is Antoine de Saint-Exupery?"
"Antoine de Saint-Exupery is…"
Echizen answers the question in straight English, his book closed and his eyes fixed in front. His classmates stare at him in wonder. He can even see, at the corner of his eye, Sakuno's amazed expression. He is smiling inside, while his classmates are thinking of one thing in mind:
Echizen Ryoma is really good in English.
It is lunch time.
It is one of those hours that Echizen Ryoma supposedly likes, but because there is noisy Horio, he eats as fast as he can. That way, he will have more time to spend either to sleep at the rooftop or be somewhere else where there is peace and quiet. He prefers to eat alone, actually. However, he cannot deny Kachiro's and Katsuo's invitation to eat lunch with them. One reason is that the two are pretty much good company. What he means is that they do not force him to talk when he does not want to talk and they do not embarrass him in front of a huge crowd. The second reason is that eating lunch with them keeps him from being pestered by girls.
The last reason is that he can use it as an excuse to watch her during lunch time without being noticed.
It is a habit he wants to stop.
Fortunately for him, he cannot stop himself.
His habit is like a fungus. It grows on him.
And why shouldn't it?
The group she eats with usually sits at a table parallel to theirs so that he either gets a view of her auburn head, or – when he gets pretty fortunate – a full view of her face.
But now, he has another reason not to enjoy lunch time.
She is not with the group.
Echizen furrows his brows as he takes a last sip off his drink. After that, he gathers his bento and his can of Ponta on to the tray and stands up to leave.
"Excuse me," he whispers in English, loud enough for Kachiro and Katsuo to hear.
The two whip their heads towards Echizen. Of course they understand what he has just whispered. They do not understand Echizen leaving early though. Perhaps Horio has something to do about his early departure at the table, but that rarely happens. Echizen usually tolerates their noisy friend. Kachiro looks on worriedly.
"Where are you going, Echizen?" Katsuo politely asks.
Echizen regards Katsuo for a moment then looks at Kachiro who also looks as if he were expecting an answer. "Some place quiet. It's getting noisy in here," he answers cockily, loud enough for Horio to hear.
Well, Horio definitely hears Echizen. His eyes are now ready to jump out of their sockets.
"Oi, Echizen! That's a foul!" He starts shouting at the departing tennis prince, unaware of the humiliated looks on Kachiro and Katsuo as every one in the cafeteria are looking at them.
"Oi!"
A voice interrupts Horio. The first year looks up only to freeze all over again.
"Momo-senpai!"
"You're being loud, you know? Tone down your voice a bit," Momoshiro suggests the first year amiably as the first year abruptly stands to greet his senpai.
"I…I'm so…sorry senpai! I'll be quieter now," Horio promises as he bows in apology. Momo-senpai is nice to the first years but who knows, he may have a grumpy side, too. If he has one, that's the last thing Horio would ever want to tap.
"Ah," Momoshiro says as he waves his hand off at the first year. He winks at Kachiro and Katsuo who are giving him appreciative smiles for stopping Horio from embarrassing them further. But something is amiss, as Momoshiro observes. Echizen is not with them. His 'ward' usually hangs out with these three tennis club members, but apparently, not today.
"Where's Echizen?"
"He left just before you came here, Momo-senpai. We do not know where he is right now. Didn't you see him when you entered the cafeteria?" Katsuo replies.
Momoshiro frowns. "Well, no, actually," he answers back while scratching the back of his head. Echizen is too quiet to be noticed at times. Or perhaps, the commotion Horio has caused a while ago has diverted his attention from seeing the tennis prince. "Oh well. I'll see you guys at practice later," he finally says as he taps Kachiro's and Katsuo's shoulders.
Sakuno is huffing in exhaustion. She has been running for who knows how long and she thinks she is lost, too. After several minutes of catching her breath, she stands up straight but she lets her shoulders slump in obvious fatigue. She is not used to running, which may be the reason why she never really improved in tennis.
She frowns.
Now is not the time to think about her past failures.
Sakuno shakes her head. Little does she know that some one has been watching her all along.
"Ne, Sakuno-chan, is something wrong?"
Sakuno's head shots up only to meet Fuji-senpai who is bending his knees to meet her height. She blinks a couple of times before delivering a very late reaction. "Eh!"
Fuji watches her innocent face change into several different reactions upon seeing him.
He smiles to himself.
"This is actually the second time you have ignored me when I am asking you, Sakuno-chan," Fuji says, a deliberate frown plastered on his face. He makes sure Sakuno sees it.
Realization dawns on Sakuno: She has been ignoring Fuji-senpai all this time.
If that is not bad, she does not know what is.
Without thinking, she flails her arms wildly – cutely for Fuji – as she stutters a series of incomprehensible apologies to the tennis prodigy in front of her. Fuji, on the other hand, is enjoying the moment. Teasing people is one thing he really likes. However, teasing Sakuno-chan is becoming a better idea for him than just teasing the 'others'.
"Ne, Sakuno-chan, you don't have to get worked up like that. I'm just teasing you," he quiets her down as he pokes her right cheek with his pointing finger.
Sakuno blushes involuntarily. Being innocent, she ignores the warm feeling in her cheeks. She gives Fuji-senpai a bow. Fuji cocks his head to his left, surprised at her actions.
"Ano…uhm…senpai, thank you very much for helping me with my assigned reading yesterday," she says while fiddling with her fingers, not meeting her senpai's gaze.
Fuji smiles.
"How was your graded recitation, Sakuno-chan?"
It better be good.
They have spent hours at the Reverie Café discussing the whole book. He has assessed that Sakuno is not dumb but is not just good in English. He knows Echizen will do well because the kid grew up in the United States. He has even heard the first year mutter cocky statements in English in some of his matches.
One thing puzzles him though.
If Sakuno-chan likes Echizen, why approach him when she can approach her classmate? Besides, a lot of girls their age do that either to get close to their crushes or to plainly flirt with them. Fuji regards Sakuno. She may not be that kind of girl. The kid is too shy to even talk in straight sentences to him. She may be the last kind to flirt with her crush.
Oh well. Helping Sakuno-chan is one way of practicing his English skills. He may need those one of these days.
"Ano…I did good, Fuji-senpai. Thanks to you," Sakuno replies as she bows for the second time in gratitude.
"That's good, then," Fuji says before taking a glance at his wrist watch. "Ne, Sakuno-chan, I'll go ahead now. Study harder in English," he says as he prepares to saunter away.
He stops, however, when Sakuno remains rooted to the ground. It is in that moment he notices that she is carrying something with her.
"Ano, senpai, I made lunch for you," she shyly presents the bento to Fuji-senpai. "It has sample desserts from the café, too. I hope you'll like them."
To say he is surprised is an understatement. He has been receiving bentos from his girl classmates and from the other sections. Eiji and Momoshiro have told him that it is one of the ways girls say 'I like you' to their crushes without uttering those words. He never really takes those things seriously. One is that the two do not look so serious whenever they tell him things of that sort. Second, he never really has time to look at any girl. His life revolves around three things: family, school and tennis. Period. That is why receiving a bento in appreciation for what he has done is so new to him that he does not know how to react.
Sakuno-chan, no matter how familiarly he addresses her, is just short of an acquaintance.
Nevertheless, he masks his face with his eternal smile and accepts the generous offer.
Strangely, he feels good after seeing the shy yet bright smile on Sakuno's innocent face.
"Saa…don't forget about our meeting on Saturday, Sakuno-chan. Ja."
He does not know how to interpret what he has just seen.
Annoyed at Horio's noise and at not seeing her at the cafeteria – the latter being a matter he is still denying to himself – he leaves the cafeteria to get some fresh air. Well, he is not exactly outdoors, but the quietness of the corridors is very welcoming to him compared to the stuffy cafeteria. A lot of girls are ogling at him. Horio is too loud, and well, you know the last part. He decides to walk around, not expecting to see from a corridor window Fuji-senpai and Ryuzaki talking at the school grounds. He observes them, and somehow, overhears incoherent parts of their conversation.
He sees Ryuzaki flailing her arms, apparently flustered at something Fuji-senpai has just told her. He clenches his fists for some unknown reason.
He looks on.
Several words and several smiles…
There are too much words and smiles such that he feels his stomach has decided to ride a rollercoaster without his consent.
Then, he sees Ryuzaki handing a bento to Fuji-senpai. The latter pauses, perhaps surprised, but accepts the offer nonetheless.
Echizen frowns at the scene.
So, Fuji-senpai has tutored Ryuzaki for their graded recitation today. He has been right all along but he cannot deny that he is still surprised. Somehow, he is puzzled of why Ryuzaki has asked Fuji-senpai's assistance, of all people. She could have asked him. They are classmates after all. Then again, realization dawns on Echizen: Ryuzaki may be still friendly with him but she is not giving too much attention to him, unlike when they were in middle school.
He grits his teeth.
Why should he care anyway?
It's not like she matters to him, really.
Echizen furrows his brows as Fuji-senpai amiably waves goodbye at Ryuzaki.
Perhaps, not before, but she does now.
He does not know how to explain why, and that makes him really angry.
Clenching his jaw once more, Echizen takes a last glance from the window only to find Ryuzaki looking for her way back to the building. Or perhaps, he should say, she is actually looking for the entrance. She may have forgotten where it is. He stays rooted on his position until Ryuzaki does find where the entrance is and goes back inside the school building.
He leaves afterwards.
However, he does not know that Momo-senpai has been behind him a few feet away all along. His senpai has studiously studied his reactions during Fuji-senpai's and Ryuzaki-chan's interaction. It could have been a funny sight to see the usually nonchalant first year twist his face in annoyance. Then again, Momoshiro has decided not to laugh his heart out, especially when he has seen Echizen clenching his jaw.
Well, well, well. Echizen is actually experiencing the J word.
J as in jealousy
She does not have to repeat over and over again that she is not good in sports.
Running around the park is not actually a sport, but then, she has to admit that her stamina is too poor for any athletic activity. She will be meeting Fuji-senpai at some place in the park. She does not know if she were too puzzled as to why Fuji-senpai has asked for this meeting that she hardly remembers where he has told her to meet him. That is why she feels as if she has been running around the whole park in vain.
Ryuzaki Sakuno finally decides to sit on a bench to catch her breath. She does not want to be late, but she cannot do anything about that right now because she is definitely late. Her wrist watch tells her so. She is supposed to meet Fuji-senpai at 10 a.m. It is already four minutes past ten and all is attributed to her getting lost as always. She frowns at herself as she hopes that Fuji-senpai is patient enough to wait for her.
She stays a good minute on the bench before standing up to look for Fuji-senpai.
"Where are you going, Sakuno-chan?"
Sakuno halts and turns to her left only to see that Fuji-senpai is sitting on the same bench she has sat on.
"Eh!" Sakuno stares at him, wide-eyed in shock. "A...ano…Fuji-senpai?"
Fuji Syuusuke blinks at her innocently. Well, he has been at the park fifteen minutes before ten in the morning. It is a little habit Tezuka has taught to all the regulars. And perhaps, it is a habit he must be happy he has developed. It is actually providing entertainment. He remembers chuckling lightly as he sees Sakuno-chan plops herself on the bench in exasperation in looking for him. He has been watching her all along. She, on the other hand, is too preoccupied with looking for him or even remembering where they will meet. He has decided not bother to interrupt her musings. Teasing her is fun. Besides, he likes it when she gets flustered. She is just too cute…
He blinks at himself with the last thought, but he disregards it immediately when he sees a wide-eyed and stuttering Ryuzaki Sakuno. He swears he can feel that his smile is much, much larger than his face.
"Good morning, Sakuno-chan! It's nice to see you. Don't worry, you're not late."
Sakuno's eyes widen more. "Not…late? Ano…Fuji-senpai, it's five minutes past ten…" she whispers after looking at her wrist watch. Her brows are furrowed in worry. It is impolite of her to arrive late in a meeting with her senpai. "Ano…I'm sorry, Fuji-senpai. I did not mean to forget where we will meet…ano…"
She is about to continue her series of apologies if it were not for Fuji who stands up and pats her auburn head affectionately.
"Maa…I said you're not late, Sakuno-chan," he says as he bends to her height. "Don't you trust me enough?"
"Ano..." Sakuno manages to stutter before whispering, "I trust Fuji-senpai".
"Well then, let's start, Sakuno-chan."
Sakuno cocks her head to her right in confusion. "What are we going to do, senpai?"
Sakuno blinks. Fuji-senpai told her yesterday to wear gym clothes for their meeting today. She is wearing a white-collared tee and blue warm-up pants. Obaa-chan tells her that this ensemble is good enough for gym clothes so she follows without question. Up until now though, she does not know why Fuji-senpai has arranged this meeting.
"We're going to jog, Sakuno-chan."
"Jog?"
Echizen Ryoma rubs his left eye sleepily.
He yawns after that.
The only thing he has not done yet is stretch his arms like a lazy cat. Well, not exactly like Karupin, but he refrains himself from doing so. Besides, he can feel the prying eyes of people behind him.
He furrows his brows partially to wake himself up and partially in annoyance at the people staring at him. He quickens his pace until he reaches a set of stairs leading to a park of some sort. The place he is at has been his sanctuary since he has started in senior high school. Few people know where it is and that it has a tennis court at the further end. That is an incentive since being with Momo-senpai and playing street tennis with him brings all sorts of troubles to the first year that he barely has time to practice by himself. He does not mind occasional bouts with the other players, but really, they do not pose any challenge to him.
He snorts at the last thought as he finally arrives at the far end of the park where the tennis court is located. He stares blankly at it, debating whether to leave his bag there as he warms up or warm up while carrying his bag.
Echizen sighs as he chooses to do the latter. The place may be unknown to many, but he does not want to risk losing his bag. He breathes out another annoyed sigh and proceeds to jog, not minding how ridiculous he may be looking right now. So caught up is he with his own thoughts that when he rounds a corner, he accidentally bumps in to some one.
Echizen instinctively embraces the person in order for him not to fall off.
Time stands still for several seconds, and it is enough time for Echizen to notice how soft the person is. Realizing it may be a girl, he immediately loosens his hold and prepares to apologize…
…or may be not…
…since it is Ryuzaki Sakuno who is in his arms…
He can hear his ragged breathing as he continues to stare at her wide eyes. He has not completely let go of her, and the urge to imprison her tightly once again is getting stronger and stronger with every second that he can feel his blood rushing to his cheeks.
Disappointment, however, washes over him as Sakuno pulls away from him.
It should not have bothered him, if only she has pulled away less reluctantly.
"Ano…I'm sorry for bumping into you, Ryoma-san…ano…" Sakuno stutters in embarrassment. She is not expecting to bump into some one, especially into Echizen Ryoma.
"Ma…" Echizen quickly purses his lips before he sputters what Momo-senpai calls his famous libretto. He is at a loss for words that he just nods his head as he pulls down the bill of his baseball cap.
He is, after all, human.
Only an alien from outer space will not blush when he gets to embrace some one like Ryuzaki.
At the last thought, Echizen can feel his breath getting ragged all over again. He furrows his brows, annoyed at himself. Poor him though. Sakuno is still in front of him and she misinterprets his body language.
"I'm sorry Ryoma-san. I'll be more careful next time," she says in between bows.
"Huh?"
He blinks several times in wonder. Realizing that Sakuno may get dizzy in bowing before him for no reason at all, he instinctively takes hold of her shoulders to stop her from 'apologizing'.
"Ryuzaki…" he whispers as he gazes deep into her eyes.
He is almost glad when she stares unwaveringly back at him, only to have the moment cut short.
"Maa…what's going on here?"
Echizen quickly releases his hold on Sakuno's shoulders to meet the questioning eyes of Fuji Syuusuke. The tennis prodigy has two cold bottles of water and a towel slung over his right shoulder. Echizen unconsciously glares at his senpai as a surge of wrongfully woven ideas wind in his head.
"Ano…senpai…I bumped into Ryoma-san…" Sakuno trails as she takes a glance of Echizen. She worriedly looks at him since the first year tennis prince looks like he is about to be gobbled up by the earth.
"Ah," Fuji whispers in understanding, a sly smile starting to spread in his face. He turns to Echizen. "What's the matter, Echizen? You look so shocked."
Echizen hardens his glare as he gives a boyish snort to his senpai. "I'm fine, senpai."
Actually, he has just lied. He wants to find out why Fuji-senpai and Ryuzaki are at the same place. He wants to find out why Fuji-senpai has two cold bottles of water with him. One is enough for the tennis prodigy. Unless…
"Sakuno-chan, I dropped our bags on the bench near the tennis courts. You may rest there. I'll talk to Echizen for a while about tennis club 'stuff'."
Sakuno blinks at Fuji-senpai. Then, she gives a slight bow to Ryoma-san as she proceeds to run to where the bench is. When she has gone, Fuji faces an Echizen Ryoma with a strangely twisted face.
Echizen knows that Fuji-senpai has indirectly shooed Ryuzaki away. For what reason, he does not know, but his guts seem to warn him about something really, really bad.
"You almost disturbed our date, Echizen," Fuji tells Echizen amiably.
It is a good thing Echizen does not have his trusty Ponta drink with him or else, he would have spit the contents out to his senpai. Not that he really minds right now.
"Date?"
"Yes. Date. When two people agree to meet at a specific time and place, they are having a date," Fuji explains as if he were a teacher. "What were you thinking of, Echizen?"
"Nothing," he answers back. He turns to leave when he remembers that Fuji-senpai wants to talk about tennis club stuff with him. "What about the tennis club, senpai?"
"Huh?"
Fuji blinks at him innocently.
"What are you talking about?"
"You said you are going to tell me something about the tennis club," Echizen answers, rather annoyed.
Fuji blinks several times before smiling widely.
"Hehe…I forgot about what I am supposed to say," he says as he scratches an invisible itch at the back of his head. "Well, Echizen-"
"Why is Ryuzaki with you, senpai?"
It is not his business to know why Ryuzaki is with him. However, he cannot deny the fact that he is bothered by it that he cannot just be silent anymore. He does not know if Fuji-senpai has something to tell him about tennis club but before the prodigy leaves, he wants to set things straight. Or else, this event will be bothering him for the rest of the day.
"It is a bit lonely to jog alone in the morning, so I asked Sakuno-chan to jog with me," Fuji answers.
"Lonely?"
Echizen whispers the word, but it is loud enough for Fuji to hear it.
"I'll go ahead, Echizen. Sakuno-chan is waiting for me," Fuji finally says as he waves goodbye to his kohai.
Dumbstruck Echizen stays rooted to the ground, his eyes following the trail Fuji-senpai has just taken. He, then, stares at the direction of the tennis court, unconsciously tightening his grip on the strap of his bag. He has forgotten the heavy weight on his back. He has forgotten that he is supposed to be warming up.
Perhaps, he may even forget to concentrate for tennis practice this morning.
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