New chapter up! I will be gone for two whole weeks, due to some immersion over at China, so I might not, will not be updating in the two weeks. Sorry! Anyway, read and enjoy!
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"50 laps around the field as warm ups, now!" The captain ordered.
Sakuno watched as everybody in the club groaned and started running. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and it was one of the rare afternoons in which she did not have supplementary lessons and work, so she was free to come and watch the tennis club. She sighed. She should take this opportunity and relax, after all of the tiresome work she had been doing…
Ryoma… Sakuno blushed slightly.
Ryoma is running along the tracks, faster than everyone else, as usual… Ryoma really is quite hardworking, as grandmother said… He seemed to be the one of the few that takes the training seriously, even without grandmother's presence. Sakuno smiled. When he likes something, he would give his everything to it, his every effort and time. That's what Sakuno likes the best about him… Sakuno blushed again.
"Hi Sakuno, no remedial today?" Tomoka sat next to her, asking.
"Yeah. Sensei is sick today." Sakuno said happily. Now she gets to see Ryoma-kun finally. Though last Friday she had just seen him in the bar… It had been so embarrassing…
Oops, she had better not blush too much, Tomoka had always been observant; she might see it and make a huge fuss about it…
"T…Tomo-chan?" Sakuno said, after seeing Tomoka's angry face. Tomoka hardly gets angry, so her livid expression kind of scares Sakuno. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"I went to Cake Café on Friday, since I know Friday afternoons is one of your working afternoons." Tomoka stated.
Sakuno almost felt her heart had stopped a beat for that moment. A sense of dread flooded her whole heart. Damn it, she had told her friends that her work place is all the way at Hokkaido, so that they would not bother to visit her and find out that she was not working there anymore. But if Tomoka really went there…oh no, her secret would be exposed…
"They said that they have never heard of a person called Sakuno working there, and said that I must have gone to the wrong place." Tomoka said calmly, but her voice was trembling with anger and hurt. "I went all the way to Hokkaido, Sakuno, I went all the way there to see you, but it turns out that you have been tricking me all along! You don't even work there at all!" Tears could be seen forming in Tomoka's eyes. "Why did you have to lie to me, Sakuno? I'm your best friend! You made me travel all the way to Hokkaido when you don't even work there! If you don't work there, what have you been doing all these times?"
Tomoka…went all the way to Hokkaido…? Why did she do that…? Now what is she going to do…she made her best friend go all the way to Hokkaido! Maybe she should just tell her the truth. After all, she is my best friend… But Tomoka's weakness of all times was that she could not keep a secret, so if the fact that she's working at a bar, furthermore, the Aging Bar, her reputation would be ruined…she could not face anyone anymore, she could not face grandmother… What should I do?
Sakuno fidgeted with the grasses around her, as she tried to figure out her dilemma.
"Answer me Sakuno!" Tomoka demanded.
Sakuno averted her head. "Tomo-chan…please…don't get angry…" She stammered, not knowing exactly what to say. "I…I was working at the Cake Café…but…I…erm…"
"You what? Huh, Sakuno, what?" Tomoka shouted. The whole club was looking at them now, and Horio and gang were approaching, worried. This is bad…now telling the truth is definitely not an option, with so many people looking at them. Sometimes, Tomoka's overly loud voice had a really bad side-effect.
"Ryuuzaki was showing me around the shop."
The two turned around, only to face Ryoma, drinking his ponta.
"Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka blinked in the sudden intrusion.
"I went there too on Friday. The manager got Sakuno to show me around the place for a full four hours. There was quite a lot stuff to see. It was rather interesting. So because I went there, she slacked for the whole time and did not work. I guess that's why you didn't see her." Ryoma stated.
Tomoka calmed down, scratching her head. "Ryoma-sama you went all the way to Hokkaido too? B…but…the person was like…saying that nobody called Sakuno worked there…"
"Oh, I had a bit of trouble finding Ryuuzaki too. She changed her name to Carrie, that's why."
Tomoka stared at Ryoma, and then looked at Sakuno. Her face immediately cleared up to show a bright expression. "Oh, so that's how it is! Why didn't you tell me earlier, Sakuno? Geez, I wasted my time going there." She laughed.
"Erm…I…erm change my name everyday, to protect my privacy. So if you want to see me, tell me first…k'?" Sakuno said. With an early notice, Sakuno could contact the place and beg them to tell her friends that she's out delivering or something along the lines.
"Okay! Phew, I thought you lied to me about going to the cake shop to work. I was so scared." Tomoka laughed. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. I mean, you're my best friend, you won't lie to me, right?"
"Ha…haha…ha…yeah…" Sakuno laughed along forcefully, feeling quite bad inside. She had been lying to her all along, she had been lying to everyone all along…
She glanced at Ryoma, who was being teased by the seniors.
"Wow Ochibi you actually went all the way to Hokkaido to see Sakuno?" "Oh my you really like her, don't you, Echizen?" "First time Echizen abandoned his tennis practice to do something else, ne?" "Hey, Echizen, you're not bad at wooing girls, eh, getting Sakuno-chan to accompany you for full four hours!" "Yeah, what luck you have!" "My hard work of sending you to that bar really pays off hahaha!""…Shut up…"
Sakuno smiled, as she thanked Ryoma in her heart. If it had not been him…she would have…
Nah she doesn't want to think about it.
Maybe meeting Ryoma at the bar was really not such a bad thing after all.
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Ryoma stared at the sky, sipping his ponta. Life had been so busy nowadays; school, work, tennis… he never knew adding just one more itinerary to his life schedule would make everything so packed up. He had no time to hang out with his friends anymore now with his new job…
He sighed. Well, he shouldn't be that ambiguous in the first place, giving Carrie so much money last week. Now he needed to work his butt off to earn the same amount… This is so freaking irritating…
The door creaked.
He turned around. It was Sakuno.
"Ryoma-kun, so you are really here…" Sakuno said.
Ryoma peered at her through his half-closed eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"I…I'm here to say thanks…" Sakuno said. "Thank you, for just now…if you didn't come and save me…I…my secret will be exposed…"
Ryoma glanced at Sakuno. He never dared to look at Sakuno for too long…
"…s' okay." He mumbled, taking another sip from his drink.
Sakuno nodded.
The two stood there for quite a while, staring up at the sky.
"…don't you need to go eat lunch or something?" Ryoma asked.
"Yeah. I brought my lunch box up." Sakuno said, taking out her lunch box. She sat down. "I brought an extra one, too, for you."
Ryoma looked at the lunch box Sakuno prepared for him. Feeling his stomach churn, he shrugged and sat down too, accepting the lunch box. They sat down and ate together.
"…your cooking?"
"Y…yeah…"
"…it's very nice." It tasted like mom's cooking…
"T…thanks."
"…"
"…if you want I can help you make everyday."
"…"
"…as…as thanks for…today and…Friday…"
"…okay, I don't mind."
"Okay…okay…so meet you here…everyday?"
"…yeah. I'm always here."
"O…okay…"
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Reviews! :D (this chapter is a bit short I know…)