Hi! I'm back! I deeply apologise for my slowness.
Anyway, enjoy!
XxXxX
"Competition is coming up soon. Even though Ryuuzaki-sensei is not here to help us get through this stage, and guide us along the way, we believe that with our potential, we can still make it. We must prove ourselves as strong tennis players whose mind and soul remains unwavering despite turbulences. We must make Ryuuzaki-sensei be proud of us, we must prove our strength to the world, this way, Ryuuzaki-sensei could then relax and do her treatments properly, without having to worry about us." Tezuka said solemnly, standing in front of the whole tennis club members. Every single member of the club was wearing an equally serious face.
"In order to do that," Tezuka increased his volume. "We must work hard! We must practice hard, for the competition, for our school's name!" He paused for effect. "And for Ryuuzaki-sensei." He added, with the members nodding their heads in agreement. "We will show Japan, no, the whole world, of our standard, that even without a coach, we are still good, and let them be scared of us in the next competition with our coach back!" The tennis club members started cheering in agreement unanimously. Tezuka waited for them to be silenced before continuing.
"So, I have asked Inui to increase the menu in our daily practice. Now, practice will last all the way till 8 o'clock everyday, and there will be an increase in morning practices along with lunch practices. I have spoken to the teachers in our school, raising their awareness of our schedule, asking for leniency in giving homework to the tennis club members just for this month. I want you guys to focus on this upcoming competition." He looked around. "There is no complain about this new schedule right?"
There was no response. Che, of course there would be no response. If someone ever disagreed, they would never see another sun arise again. Ryoma fidgeted around a bit uncomfortably, unsure of whether to raise his hands up or not. Seriously, until 8pm? How was he going to visit Sakuno anymore? How was he going to find time to coach those brats anymore? He sighed. Now he is literally, seriously stripped of all of his free time…
"Echizen."
Everybody turned around immediately to look at the freshmen that the Captain mentioned so suddenly, eyeing him rather reproachfully.
Ryoma blinked. "Yes?" He answered. Why did Tezuka call him suddenly? Why is everyone staring at him like that when he had done nothing wrong so far? He did not say his thoughts out loud, did he?
"I saw you sighing. You've got a problem with this new schedule?" Tezuka asked curtly.
Damn it, his captain had such sharp eyes. Or maybe it's just the rumours made Ryoma especially eye-catching (in a negative way) in everyone's eyes now. "No." He denied, though he silently cursed himself for not daring to say the truth. Yes, he has got a problem with that schedule, I need to meet Sakuno at five every Friday,and I need to work for the better of this tennis club, Captain, and this stupid schedule just wrecked my own packed schedule and now I have to rearrange everything again!
Tezuka held his stare on Ryoma for another few seconds, waiting for him to say more. Ryoma remained silent adamantly, and Tezuka went on to conclude his debriefing speech. "All right, I'm glad that everyone has agreed to this new schedule. You have all agreed to this, so I don't want anybody leaving practice early for whatever reason." This sentence seemed to be aimed at Ryoma, as Ryoma felt his heart clench in frustration. "We will start the schedule next week. Let us all work hard. Let's all aim to win the next competition, and don't let your guard down!"
"Seigaku!" "Fight-o, fight-o, fight-o!" "Seigaku!" "Fight-o, fight-o, fight-o!" "Win the competition!" "Fight-o, fight-o, fight-o!"
Ryoma cheered along half-heartedly, his mind filled with his plans for the near future.
If he was going to have practice until 8pm, this means he'll have to change the timing for his work, and push it all to Saturdays and Sundays. And Saturdays have practices too… Basically this means his whole weekend would be taken up. He would also have to call up that Carrie to tell her that he would be visiting Sakuno at 8.30pm instead, and also inform Sakuno when he reach home. 8.30 is quite a late timing, and he wasn't sure that he could even reach the bar by 8.30… Maybe he could be Sakuno's last customer, and then just go home with her after that. Yes, that'd be perfect…
His whole weekend would be taken up…
His whole weekend would be taken up…
This means…he would have no time for the date that he wanted with Sakuno. The only time available is…this weekend, before the schedule starts…
Yes, Sakuno promised him to a date, and she have to fulfill it somehow, but not with the new traumatising schedule. Maybe he'll ask Sakuno out for a date this Sunday. He'll ask immediately when he gets home. He blushed slightly thinking about it. Sigh, how is he going to ask…? Plus he have not even planned anything yet…
"Ochibi!" Eiji appeared in front of Ryoma suddenly, scaring him out of his little thought bubble. "What are you thinking, nya, I've been calling you since a minute ago!"
Ryoma pulled his trademark hat down, covering his pinkish face. "Nothing."
Eiji smiled cheerfully. "Wanna go out with us? Since today would be our last day that we can ever go out together, after next week our days would be packed!" Eiji exclaimed, doing large exaggerated hand movements and facial expression. "And it has been a long time since Ochibi last ate with us at the Burger Shop."
Ryoma glanced at his watch. It's 4.30. "I can't, Kikumaru-sempai, sorry." I need to meet Sakuno at 5.00…
Eiji stared at Ryoma, his childish grinning face slowly faded into a grave and serious face. "Echizen." Ryoma blinked. Eiji always called him 'Ochibi', suddenly calling him by his last name kind of scared him a bit. (A/N: Is it his last name or first name…?)
"Y…yes?"
"Tell me seriously." Eiji stared at him intensely as he asked his question in a very serious way that was very out-of-character for him. "Have you really been going to…that bar?"
Ryoma averted his eyes away from his senior. Damn it, it had been so long already, and nobody in the tennis club ever asked him any questions, probably didn't want to, or didn't dare to. He thought no one would ever ask. He never knew how to properly answer that question. Normally he would just ignore any loud-mouthed nosy strangers that just come and ask him questions like that so openly, but this is his senior. The reason Eiji asked him this question was perhaps because he could not believe those rumours, so telling the truth would ruin the trusts they had build between them for so long. But he could not lie too…Ryoma was bad at lying… "Why do you ask?"
Eiji sighed. "Because, I do not believe you would do these kinds of things. I need to know how much of those rumours were true." He pointed to Inui, who was standing quite near them, with his head. "Inui also said that the rumours don't match his data."
"Hn…" Ryoma answered, frowning, still figuring out how to answer this question. "Kikumaru-sempai…" He fidgeted with his hat, coming out with the best way to phrase what he was going to say. He sighed. "Trust me, I'm not a pervert."
Eiji continued staring at him, unable to trust him until he said his last words of confirmation.
"I…I do not go to the bar for whatever the reason the rumours state." He watched as his senior's cat-like eyes grew bigger. "But…yes, I do go to the bar…"
Eiji's mouth dropped open when Ryoma confessed, overcame with shock. "Y…you really…do go there…?"
"Not for whatever reason you are thinking about." Ryoma tried to defend himself.
"Then for what reason?" Eiji demanded.
Ryoma looked away. He cannot say. Sakuno's reputation would be ruined, and she would hate him forever for not keeping the secret. "I'm sorry, Kikumaru-sempai, I cannot say…I really can't."
He turned around swiftly and walked back home as fast as possible, walk back to where Sakuno is, where his comfort zone is, leaving Eiji behind, mouth agape. He could feel the burns on his back caused by Kikumaru-sempai as he was walking away. I'm sorry, Kikumaru-sempai…
XxXxX
Sakuno stared at her wardrobe, biting her lips as she looked at all the plain and boring clothes she had. Ahh, she really had no nice dresses or anything, all her clothes are so uninteresting and simple! What was she going to wear to today's date? She sighed as she took off all her dresses from her cupboard and laid them on her bed, carefully analyzing them.
She really didn't have any nice dresses. Ryoma was going to be really disappointed in her… And this was her first ever proper date she was going to have with Ryoma…
"Sakuno, are you done?" Ryoma opened the door.
"No! I'm not!" Sakuno exclaimed, a little too loudly that made Ryoma close the door almost immediately, thinking that she was still half-way changing. "I mean…I…don't know what to wear."
Ryoma opened the door carefully again, peeking in. He relaxed a bit when he saw that Sakuno was still fully dressed. "What do you mean you don't know what to wear?" He looked at the bed. "Oh."
"Nothing's nice, right?" Sakuno said sadly. "I seriously have no nice dress to wear."
Ryoma frowned. "Che, why wear a dress?" He walked in the room and simply took out a few simple clothes. "Wear these." He ordered, and left the room.
Sakuno pouted as she stared at the T-shirts Ryoma took out. They were even more plain and boring than those dresses…Ryoma really did not have good taste, didn't he know that women liked to look pretty? Oh well, since he 'ordered' it…
She put on the T-shirt and shorts, and walked out of the room.
Ryoma's lips perked up slightly at the sight of Sakuno. "Not bad, you look cute in everything." He commented, laughing at Sakuno's blushing face.
"Alright, let's go." He said, casually tugging Sakuno's hands and walking out of the house.
Sakuno's face was still burning. She stared at her right hand, the hand that was lucky enough to be held by Ryoma's hand, when no one else in school or anywhere else had the opportunity to (and probably even his mother, Sakuno thought). Her heart was throbbing so hard, pumping so much blood into her face, she could almost feel it coming out of her chest.
"A…Anou…where are we going to…Ryoma?"
"I don't know." Ryoma said, a little bit too truthfully. He smiled cheekily. "I haven't got time to plan anything nice, I just needed a date with you before the crazy club schedule starts and I won't be seeing you a lot anymore…so..." He shrugged. "Where do you want to go?"
Sakuno shrugged as well, fidgeting under Ryoma's stare. "I…I don't know…I…I've never been to dates before…"
"Hn. Me too." Ryoma said simply.
"Y…You too? But…I thought…" Sakuno stammered in consternation. I thought you were the school's most popular guy…
"Well, a lot of girls ask me out, but I rejected them all, so…" Ryoma said, slightly regretfully. "I should have agreed to one of them, right? Then at least I'll be more experienced in these kinds of things…" He mused to himself.
"It…It's okay…we…we can go…erm…watch a movie or something." Sakuno suggested frantically.
"Hn. 'Kay." Ryoma said. "Alright, let's go."
They headed towards the cinema, hands held together tightly.
"You wait here, I'll go buy the tickets." Ryoma said when they reached the cinema. Their hands broke off for the first time since they left the house, and it was (as Sakuno noted) quite hesitant and reluctant.
Sakuno stood in the middle of the crowds, waiting for Ryoma to buy the tickets. Just now…Ryoma's hand let go of her hand so unwillingly, she thought happily. She felt her hand. It was still warm, and Ryoma's touch seemed to linger there still. She caressed her hand gently, feeling the last of Ryoma's warmth.
"Sakura?"
Sakuno blinked, and spun around to the voice. Her eyes widened. "Mr….Mr. Carabella?" The 40-year-old man was standing behind her, looking at her ecstatically. Sakuno suddenly felt a sense of dread forming inside her. Damn it…she shouldn't have answered that man…now he knows perfectly that she is the Sakura working in the Aging Bar…her identity is now revealed. She gulped as she realised what she had done to herself.
"Oh, so you are Sakura! I remember your eyes, your face, and your…" Mr. Carabella stared down at her body. "…figure."
Suddenly, the clothes that Ryoma chose for her felt so exposed now, as her hands moved up consciously to cover her assets. "Erm…well…nice to meet you here…Mr. Carabella…" Sakuno forced out a smile.
Mr. Carabella edged closer. "Why are you so afraid, Sakura?" He laughed in a voice so sickening that it gave Sakuno shivers. He wrapped his hands around Sakuno casually. Sakuno cringed but, knowing the exact shape of Sakuno's body, he carved Sakuno's butts with his hands, and stopped Sakuno from moving any further by squeezing her butt whenever she tried to move. "Are you here to watch a movie too? Care to watch it with me?"
"A…Anou…Mr. Carabella…I'm out of work right now…so…" Sakuno said, struggling out of Mr. Carabella's hands, yet maintaining a nice smile.
"Oh, come on, I'll give you extra tips the next time I go to the bar, so come let me snuggle with you in the theatres, yeah?" Mr. Carabella said, whispering into Sakuno's ears.
"P…Please…S…stop…" Sakuno implored, struggling in vain, while that man continued to grope. "I…I can't…" She squirmed as Mr. Carabella pulled her up. "Please…" She shut her eyes. She cannot let Ryoma see this…this…scene…She must get away…Today is the special day where she had a date with Ryoma…
But no matter how much she struggled, she could not pull away. She's still a girl, and is still weaker, so much weaker than a man. Someone…save me!
Ryoma…come back and save me…please…
XxXxX
End! Reviews!
I'm sorry for my ultra slow updating. Please forgive me! Go ahead and scold me, I'M REALLY SORRY!