Chapter 8: The Party Starter
Disclaimer: Why do I have to repeat over and over again that this wonderful work was not mine, is not mine, and will never be mine? –sobs- Tennis no Oujisama/Prince of Tennis is Konomi Takeshi-sensei's.
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A/N: Sorry for the late update yet again. Busy life, easy come, easy go. I know you're itching to go read the continuation so I'll stop blabbering. Enjoy reading!
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His Eyes on Hers
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Eight Chapter: The Party Starter
"Good morning, Baa-chan!"
Sakuno appeared at the stairs, with not a hint of sleepiness in her face. She was dressed in a plain blue shirt with straight-cut pants to match, and it was also evident that she was prepared to go somewhere because she brought a huge bag with her.
The actual day had actually arrived. This is it! She energetically thought to herself as she smiled at her grandmother. Sumire was a little surprised to see Sakuno already up. The first-years didn't have classes today so they would have ample time to do the last-minute preparations and get all dressed up. With this, she did not bother to wake up her grandchild earlier. She even cooked an extra meal for Sakuno (which was already waiting for her at the dinner table) so that she wouldn't have to get tired to do the other house chores. She knew too well how to be excited for a party or for a dance.
"Good morning too, Sakuno. You're earlier than usual today, aren't you?" Sumire asked without looking at her grandchild, as she was finding her car keys in her bag.
"Yes, Baa-chan. The general practice was scheduled by Tomo-chan this morning at around nine. You're using the car again?" Sakuno went to the table and saw that her breakfast was already set. "Thanks for the breakfast, Baa-chan. I missed your cooking during mornings."
"I'm making an appointment with my old friend who will do your make-up, remember? And I'm also going to fetch the dresses at Shimizu-san, so I'll be needing wheels. Don't try to flatter me again, Sakuno. Go ahead and eat all of that, understand?"
Sakuno's eyes grew very wide as she eyed every food set on the table. "All of these, Baa-chan? B-but there's-"
"I'll be goin'. I'll be home by four in the afternoon with my beauty artisans. Remind Tomoka about the time she'd have to go here."
"W-wait, Baa-chan!"
"At four, don't forget the time. I'm off!"
Sakuno sighed. "Take care, Baa-chan. See you later."
The car sped away from their residence, and Sakuno looked at her food. Clasping her hands together, she savored all of the aromas that came from the meal.
"Itadakimasu!"
She got her chopsticks and started to dig in. With the house so silent, she ate her food and munched everything slowly. There was nothing to listen to, so her dream last night went to her thoughts again and she tried to shake trails of it that were still left on her mind. All of the pieces of her dream that was left in her were pleasant, but with them not connecting at all, she felt displeased by thinking of them. They were like pieces of jigsaw puzzle that were needed to be arranged in order to form a coherent story.
Sakuno munched again. Why not? Dreaming is my forte. She tried hard to think about what the dream again, and came up with a little story.
There was a garden with lots of children playing in it. She remembered herself being present in her dream, and she was playing with two other boys, with everything that pertained to the details of the two boys' faces blurry. She was present in her dream as a young girl of five, and so were the boys with whom she played with. They were just frolicking in that garden along with the other kids. Running, chasing… the routine stopped when she stumbled at the other boy. The other one helped her get up. However, the boy that she stumbled upon wanted to stand up as well, so he grabbed her arm and down she fell again at him.
She had to giggle to herself when she noticed the time on her wristwatch. Eight o'clock. She hurried to finish her breakfast, as she had a busy day ahead. She stood up, and remembered a line from the song she was to sing later.
"Shall I be the one for you,
Who pinches you softly but sure?
If frown is shown then,
You will know that you are not dreaming..."
"We're finally done…"
"See y'all later guys!"
"Don't forget to do your best later, understand ?"
"Yeah, let's show them what's Section 1 is made up of!"
"Yeah!"
Time check: Eleven-thirty in the morning. Clusters of the students of Section 1 made their way out of the area to eat their lunches somewhere else. Tomoka reached into her huge bag and brought out two lunch boxes. Before she brought out the entire package, she glanced at Hiroshi, who was then talking to Sakuno. A rare frown appeared in her face. She looked at the package she was about to bring out, and decided to put it back to her bag. She carried it with her as she approached Sakuno and Hiroshi.
"Aren't you two still hungry? We've done a lot of perfecting the presentation for tonight!" Tomoka ran up to them, big, wide grin back on her face.
"I was thinking of the same thing! I was about to ask Ryuzaki-san to go out and eat lunch." Hiroshi grinned back at Tomoka. She looked aside for a split-second and bit her lip then looked back at Hiroshi.
"Why don't you go with us, Osakada-san? My treat, so don't worry!"
"Tomo-chan..?" Sakuno asked upon noticing the swift change of expression in her friend's face. "Are you okay? You look a little…"
Tomoka both grabbed the other two persons by their shoulders.
"My goodness! I can't believe Hiroshi's treating us! Right, Sakuno?" Tomoka gleefully said and pulled the two closer. "I was just thinking of where the three of us would go when Hiroshi treats us!"
Sakuno stared at Tomoka for a few seconds then started to smile herself.
"But Tomo-chan, I've brought lunch boxes with me. There are two of them actually here…"
"You cooked those, Ryuzaki-san?" Hiroshi asked from Tomoka's other side.
"Nope, Baa-chan prepared too much for me this morning that I've decided to bring it with me…"
Tomoka bowed down her head while her arms were still in the two's shoulders.
"Tomo-chan…?"
"Osakada-san?"
Tomoka raised her head up in no time. "Such coincidence! I've brought lunch boxes with me as well… We can have a mini picnic at the park!"
Hiroshi peeked at Tomo's face.
"I've thought you had lost your happy spirit just a while ago, Osakada-san. I'm so glad it's back again. It's what makes you so pleasing to look at."
It was Tomoka's turn to stare at Hiroshi. Her face couldn't hide the blush in it. She then slapped him hard on the back, making Hiroshi shout.
"Hey, that hurt!"
Tomoka laughed in her tiny, high-pitched voice. "If you don't hurry up, we're going to share our very delicious, aromatic, home-made lunches with ourselves. Right, Sakuno?"
Sakuno joined Tomoka laughed while walking away from Hiroshi. Hiroshi shook his head and smiled.
"Girls…"
Time check: Fifteen minutes before six in the evening. Kachirou and Katsuo stood up at the entrance of the auditorium along with the other first years who were trying their best to hide their excitement for the party. Girls were all dressed in elegant and shimmering gowns and in their hands were tiny purses of different colors, while their faces were highlighted by the different hues of make-up. The young gentlemen were clad in formal black attire, some were in blinding white coats, and still others were in neutral hues, but all of them wore neckties.
"Everyone seemed to grow a little taller tonight… and formal." Katsuo said as he looked around. "It's our first time to attend such events like this one."
"Yeah, you said it…" Kachirou answered, when he saw someone approaching them. "Hey, isn't that Horio?"
Horio went up to them and acted as if he was walking in red carpet and all the spotlights were directed at him. His coat is a shimmering grey, and so were his pants and shoes. Kachirou and Katsuo blinked a few times before they confirmed that it was Horio.
"You're totally dressed up tonight, Horio!" Katsuo praised him then gave him a weak pat on the back. Kachirou also went up to Horio and asked why he was dressed that way.
"Maybe, you'll ask the girl you like for a dance…" Kachirou nudged Horio. The unibrowed boy 'freezed' like a small boulder of ice. When the ice 'melted,' he was shaking all over.
"Oi, Horio… Horio!" Kachirou and Katsuo tried to shake him up from his imagination. As they did, a black car drove through the driveway and sent a young but handsome boy of fifteen out of it. The driver sent the vehicle speeding away from the young man. "Try to get yourself a girl tonight!" the driver, who was no other than Nanjirou, said, followed by boisterous laughter.
"Tch, wait till I get home, stupid Oyaji…"
"Ow, that's Ryoma!" Katsuo said in surprise, pointing at the young man of fifteen who was busy freeing himself from dust. Kachirou was surprised, as well as Horio who was now back to being himself. The three of them approached him.
"Man, I thought you hate going to this kind of things!" Horio tried to tease Ryoma as he looked at him from head to toe and observed how the black coat and pants matched with his stature. "Darn, just too good-looking! If Ryuzaki still likes him then I don't stand a chance! No," he shook his head, "it's been three long years so maybe…"
"So maybe, I've got a great chance!" Horio said aloud, making Ryoma, Kachirou and Katsuo look at him with raised eyebrows. Horio, being himself again, wrongly interpreted what those looks they gave him were for.
"No, what you're all thinking is wrong! I'm not that kind of person, you see I was just…"
Click.
"Perfect…"
"Ryoma-sama looks so hot!"
"Keep your voice down!"
"You too should keep your voice down."
"I said, keep quiet!"
"Alright, I understand…"
Weirdly, there were freshmen of the female species, dressed in the same kind of elegant gowns, their eyes were in a weird heart shape, and they were hiding in the skin-itching environment of the busheries. They were all staring at Ryoma while taking photographs of him discretely.
"So cool, Ryoma-sama!" another girl whispered, then took another snapshot.
"Hey, where did all those flashes of light come from?" Kachirou asked. He was not answered then, because the attention of the other three was caught by another car. From the car, two familiar figures came out.
"I'll be back by twelve to fetch you two here." Ryuzaki-sensei said to the two. The female dressed in a yellow, sparkling gown laughed in answer.
"Just like Cinderella, Ryuzaki-sensei!"
"Just like Cinderella. Well, I'll be going! Enjoy your night! Sakuno, act like a Ryuzaki!"
Sumire waved goodbye, then off she was. Sakuno waved goodbye as well.
"Take care, Baa-chan!"
Tomoka took Sakuno's hand and was surprised by the coldness of it. They proceeded to walk towards the entrance of the auditorium-filled people.
"Still nervous, Sakuno?"
Sakuno nodded her head but she forced a smile. Tomoka pinched Sakuno's cheeks.
"Ti…mi…chin… it hirts!" Sakuno tried to remove her friend's hands. Tomoka took pity and immediately let go of Sakuno's cheeks.
"Ouch… ouch…" Sakuno took both of her abused cheeks in both of her hands and pouted. "What was that for, Tomo-chan?"
"That'll help you, you know?" Tomoka replied. "Let's go, now! I'm excited to see everyone!"
"We can't run. We're wearing high-heeled…"
Tomoka did not let her talk anymore. She grabbed her hand yet again and led her to the entrance. It was true that both of them were both in high-heels, so they couldn't run like they used to when they were hurrying. Besides, both of their gowns reached up to the ground. Tomoka took pride in showing to everyone who looked at her direction the following:
a) The yellow gown highlighted with black beads that formed a rose pattern, matched with a sparkling shawl of black color, courtesy of Shimizu-san;
b) Make-up which highlighted her features and her hair carefully arranged into a bun then decorated with fancy accessories, courtesy of Tanaka-san, a friend of Ryuzaki-sensei, who was also responsible for Sakuno's look;
c) Necklace, earrings and bracelet of gold and lastly;
d) Her sandals which were bought from one of those signature shops at Tokyo, for which she pleaded her father to buy her, because formal occasions were not held everyday.
Sakuno, on the other hand, was seen as someone refreshing to look upon, that if one did not look closely, one would not recognize her readily. Her signature braids were gone and were changed into arranging her hair in a half pony fashion, allowing her very long locks that reached up to her thighs to stay free and curly. She wore a locket round her neck which is of silver that matched the dangling earrings on her ears. Her dream gown was what she wore as well, the one that she tried on at Shimizu's- it was white all over, and it had a radiant glow in it. The lower portion was decorated with tiny beads of pink and red that formed tiny rose figures. She wore a shawl round her arms, but its material is light in contrast her very heavy gown. Her sandals were also white, but only lighter.
She did not have a single problem with all she was wearing- her grandmother took care of all that was needed, thanks to her and Sakuno's mother who would call day to day right after she found out that her daughter would attend a formal party.
"Hey, it's Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka shouted upon seeing Ryoma with the so-called freshmen trio consisting of Horio, Kachirou, and Katsuo. "Let's go there, Sakuno!"
Sakuno's heart thumped hard. She tugged at Tomoka's hand, as if trying to stop her from being dragged. "Let's just go inside, Tomo-chan… The program is about to start and besides…"
Too late. The freshmen trio and Ryoma (he was forced to go with them because he felt an annoying aura from the busheries, and he wanted to avoid that) went up to them.
"Osakada-san and Ryuzaki-san are here now, too!" Kachirou and Katsuo chorused when they finally reached the two girls. Horio was behind the two, and Ryoma was beside him. Kachirou, Katsuo, Tomoka and Sakuno started talking with each other freely, while Horio faced back and started mumbling to himself. Tomoka remembered that Ryoma was there as well. She grabbed Sakuno by the hand and showed herself, together with Sakuno, to Ryoma. Kachirou and Katsuo scratched their head.
"Ryoma-sama, I'm so glad that you came!" Tomoka was in her fan girl mode so the high-pitched voice came naturally, "C'mon look, look! Aren't our gowns cute?" she turned around and giggled, and then she grabbed Sakuno and placed her in front of her. "Right, Ryoma-sama?"
Horio immediately looked at the scene of the three and carefully noted Sakuno's facial expression. S-she's… blushing? Oh my, there's no more hope..! She still…
Sakuno felt weird. The fast heartbeats weren't present, she didn't feel like fainting even if she knew that Ryoma saw her like that, and she knew altogether that her face did not absorb heat like it used to. And most of all, she even managed to smile and say to him, "Long time no see, Ryoma-kun."
Ryoma felt weird as well. He remembered another incident back when they were in the tournament against Hanamura-sensei's masterpieces. It was same like this except I don't have my cap and there's no tennis tournament and Ryuzaki's not acting strange…Left with no choice, he turned his back against the two girls and was about to tell them to do their best when another male came up to them.
"Ryuzaki-san is here already?" Two hands covered both of Sakuno's eyes.
"Hiroshi-kun?"
"Ta-da." Hiroshi went up in front of Sakuno and smiled. "It was so un-gentleman of me to arrive later than my date for the party, especially that she looks so beautiful tonight. I'm sorry, Ryuzaki-san."
"DATE?" the freshmen trio asked in obvious surprise, especially Horio. Tomoka and Ryoma's eyes widened.
"Nakayama-san!" Sakuno cried out loud in embarrassment, "don't say such things again!"
"Again?" Ryoma mimicked, as if confirming that he heard the word. He intended to go to Sakuno and lead her away from that guy who declared that he was Sakuno's date but he stopped when he saw Hiroshi laugh a little, take Sakuno's hand and whisper something in her ear.
Time check: Exactly six o'clock in the evening. A voice from the auditorium called out to all the freshmen inside and outside the place and said that the program is about to start. Hiroshi promptly let go of Sakuno's hand, and called out to Tomoka as well. Tomoka sighed happily, and said that she'll introduce the guys to each other later. Kachirou and Katsuo nodded and they went ahead the remaining four. Tomoka held Sakuno's hand and told Hiroshi to follow them. Horio made two fists and stomped as he went inside the auditorium. Ryoma watched everyone that went before him and shook his head.
I find it strange that Ryuzaki's acting so casually today… She used to stutter and act so clumsy that one would wonder if there's anything wrong with her. It's been only two years at most. Maybe… People grow up a little too fast.
"Good evening, young ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, the most-awaited acquaintance party for the youngest ones in our school population will start in a few moments. Please welcome the masters of ceremony, Hayashi Rika-san and Horio Satoshi-san! Let's give them a round of applause!"
Everyone was apprehensive of the event, young and old alike, and to show what they feel right at the moment, they applauded the loudest when they saw the MC's enter the stage and hold their microphones.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" Rika and Horio chorused, "Right now, the acquaintance party for freshmen starts!"
Another round of applause was heard inside the auditorium. Rika and Horio continued introducing the respective guest for the party, which included the principal of Seishun Gakuen, the faculty, and others. Each one gave short meaningful speeches, which the freshmen gave little attention to, except when it was Suzuhara-sensei's turn to give his speech. Almost all the girls shrieked in happiness when the 'most eligible bachelor' among the teachers held the microphone and started delivering his words of wisdom.
Few minutes more passed, and the passion for fun ignited once more when it was the turn of the celebrants of the event itself to present. Based on the number drawn by each of the class representatives, it was section 2 who would have to present first. It was the class in which Horio and Ryoma belonged.
"Hayashi-san," Horio said to his co-MC, "may I have the pride to present Section 2?"
"Go ahead, Horio-san." Rika answered with a smile. Horio nodded and faced the audience once more.
"For the first class presenting tonight, may I present to you the pride of Section 2! Enjoy watching, everyone!"
Another applause. For this class, the presenters lined up into two rows. Finally, the spotlights lit up and were directed towards them. There was no sound that accompanied the presentation of the class- they are the ones who would make the music themselves. A relaxing sound of humming came from the stage, and later on the audience found themselves intoxicated with the angelic voices of Section 2's students.
"Wow, Ryoma-sama can sing too!" a comment came from a girl near Tomoka, Hiroshi, and Sakuno's place.
The presentation finally ended with the audience giving a big round of applause. Soon, the other classes followed to present. One class presented a play, another one a stand-up performance of a huge group of persons, and still others presented a dance. Finally, when it was the class before the Section 1 who was presenting, Sakuno and Hiroshi silently waited for their class' turn at the backstage.
Hiroshi noticed both of Sakuno's hands were trembling. Upon looking at her face, another nightmare flashed through him- sudden and sharp- that he had to cling into something to stop himself from falling down on the floor.
"Eh, Hiroshi-kun, are you okay?" Sakuno ran up to his side. "You look pale!" she groped for his hand, "Your hands are cold too…"
Hiroshi concentrated hard and did his best not to look at Sakuno's face again. He looked at the ground below him.
"Ahaha…" came the nervous and forced laugh from Hiroshi. "I've got you."
Sakuno did not really notice Hiroshi saying that. She took out her hanky and hurriedly wiped away the beads of cold sweat on his forehead. She was halfway in doing so when a hand stopped her from continuing.
"Ryuzaki-san, actually… I feel nervous as well, same as you are right now."
"Hiroshi…kun," Sakuno smiled, both for what Hiroshi said and for relief that he was well, as she could see. "Thanks for that."
Hiroshi laughed. "Come over here, closer. I want to say something to you."
It was then that the MC's announced that the previous presentation had ended, and so, it was Section 1's time to present. Tomoka just finished reminding her classmates of her tips, and she went to call Hiroshi and Sakuno at the other corner of the backstage. Just in time she saw Hiroshi took Sakuno into both of his arms.
"Let's do our best." Hiroshi whispered to a blushing Sakuno. Tomoka went back to her classmates as fast as she could.
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A/N: Finally, the story starts! A million thanks to those who were continuously reviewing and reading this story. I hope more feedbacks would come out of you (yes you, the reader!) so I can improve the way I write my stories. And oh, a little spoiler. There are more HiroSaku than RyoSaku moments from the previous chapters because I thought that since Sakuno is more of an introvert or so, an extrovert person would have to interact and affect her deeply in order for her to be attached to that person, which in this case is Hiroshi. Ryoma would have the problem of weakening a strong bond formed between these two (Hiroshi and Sakuno), and how would the prince of tennis do this? Find out in the next chapters! This is my Valentine present for everyone out there. Have a happy hearts day tomorrow!