Disclaimer: This is a definite fact: Tennis no Oujisama has a manga sequel! How cool is that?! Of course. It still has the same author, the ever-great Konomi Takeshi. I do not make any profit from the makings of this story, and that I only used the characters and original plot of TeniPuri both as basis and background.
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A/N: I was planning to write and finish the thirteenth chapter by March 31 and post it up by April 1 with the necessary jokes for April Fool's joke and all but I failed. Hello! I'm sure you would like to continue reading, so I'll pause with my speech here. Thirteenth chapter entitled "Sweet?" is narrated as follows.
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His Eyes on Hers
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Thirteenth Chapter: Sweet?
---
Here she goes again with her identity crisis drama- she would not admit it, but she was happy with her first day of "service" for Ryoma at the rooftop. Supposedly, her task was meant not to favor her but rather, to put pain or at least, suffering, on her. So it came to her confusion when the smile she wore since lunch time did not disappear for a moment, even if the situation demanded for her to be tired and somber and all- the opposite of everything she was. She tried to hide it but the more she put effort in doing so, the sillier came her smile and the stranger she felt. She ended up letting herself be as happy she was. This was evident even until their daily workshop at the Theater Club, and everyone in the said club noticed how she was blooming and happy. It did not even take them a month-long of acquaintance with Sakuno to know that there was something up with her. The exercises given to them were hard and energy-draining, yet they seemed to be drills for the young girl of strange aura today. It was a nice strangeness though, to begin with. Tomoka, who was Sakuno's best friend, had her hunches, but she was not quite sure and simply kept quite while doing the exercises.
A few more movements here and there, water breaks, conversations and chit-chats and it was time for the instructor to dismiss them. The few members of the said workshop went towards their bags and made all the necessary rituals to cool themselves down and get rid of the sticky sweat trickling down their skin. Tomoka and Sakuno attended to themselves; the latter rubbed her pink towel around her neck to do the same thing as Hiroshi approached the two girls. He was also part of the workshop- as was everyone of the club, whether they were experienced or amateur actors. In that same moment, the advisers of the Theater Club were engaging themselves in a small talk which had something informative for the rest of the persons present.
"Attention everyone! Lend me your ears for a while, please." A young adult woman called out to the Theater Club. She was dressed in a white shirt which perfectly fitted her slim body. Her reddish hair was tied in a tight bun and her hand was placed on both sides of her waist, eyes gleaming with energy even after the routine of workshop. She was Kokuten Miko, who was presently the coach and adviser of the club alongside with Suzuhara-sensei. Beside the said instructor was her co-advisor with his same smile.
"You've got to hear what Kokuten-sensei will announce, Sakuno-san." Hiroshi mentioned to Sakuno before settling beside her. "This will be a good break for you."
"Oh,"came Sakuno's reply in her slight surprise to see Hiroshi already beside her, "I will, then."
Without she even conscious of it, she looked hurriedly at Tomoka and a sigh escaped her lips when she saw that her friend was playing close attention to Kokuten-sensei and Keiichi-sensei.
Kokuten-sensei clapped her hands again, and everyone was ready to hear the seemingly important announcement. She began by allowing herself to grin. To the confusion of Sakuno and Tomoka, the members of the club started shivering. Tomoka inched closer to where Hiroshi and Sakuno were sitting and whispered questions in the chocolate-haired boy's ear.
"Why are they shaking like that?" She lowered her voice so as not to attract attention. "Is there something wrong with Kokuten-sensei's smile? Does she have bad breath? She looks fine to me."
Hiroshi chuckled at what Tomoka asked and held both of her cheeks to make her face the person she was inquiring about. With her pink face, Tomoka was getting ready to headlock him as she asked "What was that-" but Hiroshi was able to stop her just in time by simply placing his forefinger atop her lips. She silently returned to where she was previously sat, face reddening by the second. Sakuno watched them in meek amazement, and she was amazed to see the feat Hiroshi did- he just controlled an angered Osakada Tomoka.
Kokuten-sensei faked a cough as she herself watched the two in amazement.
"As I was about to say... Well, this might surprise you guys so listen up." Kokuten-sensei looked at her companion Keiichi-sensei. The smiling teacher nodded and prompted her to continue.
"This might be sudden, but Suzuhara-san and I agreed that we will have the auditions for the roles for the next play..."
"Eeehhh~?!"
Suzuhara-sensei nodded his head yet again, as if confirming the initial reaction of the members.
"When...auditions..? But..." the chocolate-colored-haired girl stuttered. Hiroshi waited for their instructor to continue. Tomoka was biting her hanky to relieve her excitement.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow ?!"
Suzuhara-sensei piped from behind. "Exactly. Tomorrow, we'll be having the auditions. The play would be..."
Sakuno waited anxiously as she placed one hand on top of her chest. She felt her heart beating furiously.
"The classic 'Romeo and Juliet' of William Shakespeare, with a modern Japanese twist." Kokuten-sensei and Keiichi-sensei chorused.
"Woah. That announcement sure brought out a lot of tension." Hiroshi wiped his forehead dry. He looked at his old companions in the club and saw that everyone became excited. Their shivering just a while ago simply meant that they were expecting something great from their advisers. They were not proven wrong by the elder persons at the front who started to hand out papers to their members. Sakuno and Tomoka promptly received their own copies and so did Hiroshi.
"Ryuzaki-san, why don't you try out for the role of Katayama Ayame?" Suzuhara-sensei asked as he watched the girl look at him from behind the paper she was reading. Her other two companions looked at their adviser.
"Katayama Ayame?"Sakuno asked and she looked again at the paper she was holding. It was to her surprise when she saw what her teacher meant.
"Pretty!" Tomoka added when she found out what the name meant.
"Yes. She is our very own version of Juliet Capulet." Suzuhara-sensei went to the back of the three, particularly behind Sakuno. He bent down and read the content of the paper Sakuno held up for her teacher to see. "The names had to be in Japanese too, so we chose that name after consulting with the teachers from the History Department."
"That's clever, sensei! That means every name was translated to fit their character into the Japanese culture, isn't it?" Tomoka squeeled and giggled. Hiroshi and the other two smiled at her comment.
"Thank you, Osakada-san, we tried to be very prepared with this, hence the translations." Suzuhara-sensei stood up just in time when Kokuten-sensei arrived to join the four.
"We are looking towards a very grand production." Kokuten-sensei added and grinned. "What were you telling them, Keiichi-san?"
The said teacher grinned and pertained to Sakuno, who started to blush for some reason. "I was asking Ryuzaki-san to audition for Ayame."
"Ah! Anou, I'm..." Sakuno's voice faltered when Kokuten-sensei started to look at her. For the younger girl, she thought her adviser in the Theater Club looked at her suspiciously. She squeaked when the older woman neared her face to look at her closely.
"Kokuten-sensei," Hiroshi suddenly spoke up, "tomorrow would be the auditions. Remember?" Kokuten-sensei took a second before straightening up again and speaking up.
"We'll see, we'll see. Right, Ryuzaki-san?" Kokuten-sensei added. She laughed wickedly, much to the surprise of Tomoka and Sakuno.
"We'll see again each other tomorrow. For now, you have to rest and prepare for the auditions. Till then." Suzuhara-sensei bade them farewell and he walked away from the three students with his co-adviser beside him. The three, in turn, told their teachers goodbye and went to arrange their things. They talked as they did until it was time to walk home and part ways.
Like the previous afternoons since the rain incident, Hiroshi walked Sakuno home and Tomoka waved at them goodbye. Sakuno had a second thought of calling out to her pigtailed friend as the latter walked away from her and Hiroshi, but she would just save it to ask Tomoka some other time.
"I'll audition for Katsushiro Tatsuya, Sakuno-san." Hiroshi looked up at the tangerine-colored sky as he talked to the girl beside him. Sakuno looked at him and back at the path ahead of them. She was still not able to memorize the names of the Japanese counterparts of the play the Theater club was preparing for, but she saved the long talk anyway.
"Good luck, Hiroshi-kun." She smiled at nothing in particular. The boy beside her looked at Sakuno and did not care to hide the shade of color in his face. They walked in silence until they reached the gates of Sakuno's house. He waited for his classmate to touch the gates before he asked her.
"Will you be auditioning for Katayama Ayame, Sakuno?" She faced him and nostalgia flooded her mind. This was Hiroshi again with that face similar to when he caught her before she fell and when he approached on that moment she was reminiscing of her memories of Ryoma. She started to tremble under his gaze.
"W-well Hiroshi-kun, I..." She looked down, unable to compete with his gaze. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Hiroshi clenched his fists as he waited for her to speak up. Please say yes. Yes.
"I'm not yet ready for a major role. My skills aren't that good yet; I have so much to improve on!"
Hiroshi was taken aback. His dear, naïve, innocent apple of his eyes...
"Just acting!" Sakuno made an excuse and stuck her tongue out a little. Hiroshi's expression was priceless. He looked as if he had seen a ghost but quickly reverted back to the same gentle face he usually wore. Sakuno panicked again and looked back down, face all red.
"But seriously Hiroshi-kun... Please stop looking at me like that. It makes m-me... unsteady."
Hiroshi chuckled then grinned. He went closer to her and patted her head.
"Congratulations, my dear student. You have succeeded to deceive your teacher."
Sakuno looked back at Hiroshi and smiled. "So do you think I will be fine with the auditions tomorrow?"
"Of course." The tall guy moved as if he was about to go home. "If you will audition for the role of Ayame then please do your best. You should get that role."
"Eh?" She wrinkled her eyebrows and tilted her face. "Why Hiroshi-kun?"
"Because I'm going for the role of Katsushiro Tatsuya." He went serious and looked at the girl. For a second, he wanted to rush to her and hug her. He had to look away to stop himself.
"See you tomorrow, Ayame." It was all and Hiroshi waved goodbye to her.
"See you too tomorrow, Hiroshi-kun." Sakuno answered and waved her hand even though he couldn't see her. As she proceeded to open the gates, she came to a horror of realization, and she said loudly to herself,
"I forgot to buy groceries for Ryoma-kun's lunch tomorrow!"
--
With all courage, she marched towards the nearest grocery shop from her house, picked the ingredients for her recipes and also the groceries needed for their household, and went to the counter to pay for the said supplies. She happily exited the shop, trudged towards home by the path she can remember walking a few minutes earlier and lifted those heavy bags she had with her. Not long after walking a hundred meters did she see a familiar figure walking toward her. The figure had a white cap adorning his head, and she had to look at the approaching young man to be sure.
"Ryo-Ryoma-kun!"
Ryoma looked at her and was surprised- pleasantly. "Oh. Ryuzaki."
She smiled at him, for waving was impossible without leaving the grocery bags on the ground first. The both of them walked to meet each other. Sakuno found courage with her light mood and the happenings earlier that afternoon.
"The practice s-sure finished late." She commented. He just walked slowly and eyed the bags she was carrying.
"You've got load there."
"Ah. I just went to buy some groceries. I have to cook-" she cut herself after realizing what she was talking about.
"My lunch tomorrow." Ryoma guessed as she went towards her and stopped by her side. Sakuno looked down and nodded, trying to hide her blush as usual. She shook her head and faced Ryoma again.
"I'll be going now, Ryoma-kun. See you tomorrow."
"Don't you need help with those, Ryuzaki?" Ryoma continued to eye the bags in her arms,and there is a slight, but evident, inclination to avoid looking her in the eyes. The girl shook her head again and glanced back at her feet, trying to avoid eye contact like Ryoma.
"I can manage, Ryoma-kun."
The ponytailed-hair girl watched as Ryoma nodded and went on his way. She started to walk on her way too when she noticed that there was something wrong with the way she was walking. The houses and buildings were the ones she'd usually notice when she was heading to school. Sakuno wanted to ask Ryoma on her way home but she fought the idea. He would, again, tease me to no extent. My goodness, Sakuno. I lived in this region for 15 years now! So where's the way to home again...?
"Aren't you going the opposite way if you are going home?" Ryoma called out to her and pointed back with his thumb. He waited for her to answer. "Are you lost or something?"
"No of course not!" She yelled rather loudly and looked away and she was surprised that Ryoma was walking towards her. "Ryoma-kun, I told you that I can-"
"Yeah right, and you are headed to Seigaku. You can manage." He caught her off-guard by taking the grocery bags from her hands. Sakuno blushed so hard that she was the same color of the afternoon sky.
"C'mon. I'll guide you home."
The prince of tennis walked ahead of her. Finding herself following him, she wasn't aware that she was staring at his back until they were in front of her house. His 'hypnotism' ended when Ryoma called out to her to hand her the grocery bags.
"You've got to remember at least the direction towards your home."
She accepted the bags from him and was surprised that they actually weighed that much. The clumsy Ryuzaki Sakuno saw the ground nearing her face and tried with her best to use the bags to shield her from the dirt and possible bruises. She failed to do so, as anyone would expect from her with her petite frame. She dropped the bags aside in a haste to cover her face with her hands, but they were stopped when she fell face first to a bunch of muscles clothed in a white polo shirt. Everything happened so fast that it was a wonder how on earth they were in their present awkward position.
Sakuno looked up abruptly and saw those eyes that hypnotized her whenever they look at her anytime. To boot, the effects on her doubled especially that she was that close to those feline-like eyes. She wasn't even aware that she was lying on top of Echizen Ryoma.
The boy below her, on the one hand, did not know what to do first when she just peered at him with those eyes which looked like they could shed tears anytime soon. He was always attracted to those eyes, now that he realized it. He never noticed those back when they were younger, or maybe just he was reluctant to admit so. His eyes wandered to look at her and caught himself attempting to enjoy their scene. With her as close like this, everything seemed fine-even perfect. He raised his arm and tried to touch her face. He touched her hair and was happy that it felt so soft and alluring to his touch. Sakuno jolted after the sudden realization that hit her- she was on top of Ryoma! She situated her trembling arms on the ground and tried to push herself away. She was as red as a tomato when she was finally on both knees beside Ryoma.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ryoma-kun, I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention..."
She offered her hand to help him up. Ryoma watched her in amusement and suppressed the silly grin which formed in his lips. He stared at her cheeks and wondered how would it feel if he touched those red adorable cheeks which almost had the same hue of the apples. The temptation to grab both her arms in one sweep and hold her close again popped into his head.
"Are you alright, Ryoma-kun?" She hurriedly look at him when he did not took her hand. It was when she saw a somewhat trivial thing. Ryoma's face was red.
He reached for his bag that was tossed aside on the ground a while ago and put it in his shoulders. He smiled towards her with a nod and readied himself to try one thing. He stood up, ready to head back home. As for her, if it was possible, her face flamed and only she could feel steam coming out of her red face. She bowed down and waved her hands after due to embarrassment. "Thank you, Ryoma-kun. And I'm sorry again I was just too-"
"I'll be going. See you tomorrow, Sakuno." he said, and his mind was, yet again, faraway. I'm sorry Sakuno. You have to do it alone now. He smiled to himself. I was showing you too much already that I am very happy.
Her jaw dropped for a moment, unsure whether she heard it right or not. Did he just called her by her first name?
"Ryoma-kun...?" She quickly squeezed her eyes and rubbed the back of her hand on her cheeks which was still red. It took her a few, sweet minutes to watch him finally disappear before she remembered the grocery bags. She carried the bags inside the house while she whispered to herself.
"Maybe I should get my ears checked."
--
Ryoma was finally home, and he did not even notice the small scratches he got when he saved Sakuno earlier. Instead, he looked more forward to seeing her again tomorrow with his lunch. He removed his shoes and thought that maybe Sakuno would make him something mouth-watering for the next day. Maybe he should have made a request on what he should eat. But then, today's funny turn of events was more than enough for him.
He would not lose to that Hiroshi guy, for sure. He saw evidence with his own eyes.
--
Rest assured that Ryuzaki remembered that they would just have to meet at the rooftop for lunch. He went straight to his favorite spot in it, closed his eyes, and pretended to take a nap. He would expect her to wake him up again with that sweet, meek voice she had.
Only a few birds were present to sing for him as he waited. Of course, it was already autumn. Birds had to migrate to far away places before winter. Oh well, Sakuno could sing for me if I ordered her to do so.
Ryoma peeked open one eye to check if she was already on here, the rooftop. Nope, no sign of the clumsy Ryuzaki Sakuno. Maybe she tripped when she was to about to go here?
He shook his head. She can't be that clumsy.
He went back to his napping scheme and tried to ignore suspicions that came to him. The air in here was cool, not humid but refreshing. The atmosphere was perfect too, perfect for just two persons to get to know each other and become close.
Perfect.
Only she was missing in this puzzle. Otherwise, everything would be complete and perfect.
Now where was Ryuzaki?
--
She scampered as fast as she could towards Ryoma's classroom. Not again. She was late for the second time! And it was only their second day for her punishment. She shook her head. There would be another moment when she had to explain herself to him today. He seemed to be accepting yesterday though. But...what about what happened yesterday afternoon? The memory of it alone makes her knees weak. She couldn't face Ryoma!
When she arrived at his classroom, he wasn't there. She looked around the place. Only a few persons were there. Not even Horio was there for her to ask. Oh no. She politely asked the persons in there but they were clueless as to his whereabouts at that time.
She sighed dejectedly. Maybe Ryoma-kun got fed up with waiting so he went to the canteen and got his lunch?
Sakuno brought up the lunchboxes up to her face. It would be such a waste though. I cooked him American-style lunch even though I know little about it. For sure he would like this because he lived in America for some time.
Now feeling like she had lost a match like which she did when she was still a member of the tennis club, she frowned and decided that she would just eat her lunch at the rooftop. At least in there, she had a chance that she would still enjoy time to practice for the auditions later. Considering the time she spent practicing for the role of Katayama Ayame, she would increase the little chance she had to get the role. However, it was still a plus factor for her because Hiroshi had expected her to get the role even though she is still new to theatre productions. Someone believed in her abilities.
As she was on her way to the rooftop, she then remembered what she saw last night when she saw the name of Katsushiro Tatsuya as the Romeo in their play. Hiroshi mentioned something about him auditioning for the role of that character. She would wish him luck, but she knew that he would get the role for sure.
--
He finally heard the door to the rooftop open. His brows furrowed down and he sat up straight. He faced Sakuno and called to her.
"And why are you late for twenty minutes?"
She almost jumped upon hearing his voice and squeaked. As an initial reaction she smiled as innocently as she could to help her appease to the unimpressed young men in front of her. She went to him and showed him the lunch she had made. He looked away to show utter disappointment when he saw the kind of food she prepared for him- American cuisine! Of all the types of dishes in the world...
"Do-n't you like it, Ryoma-kun..?" she almost whispered to him as she looked at the food in hand. She waited for him to look back and answer; she was sure Ryoma was quite hungry now. He only had to hurry up and eat so they would not be late for their classes.
"Ryoma-kun?"
He refused to look back but he was hungry. And the scent that came from her food was not helping him to preserve his pride at all. He discreetly demanded that she explain to him first. Of course, she had to know that instinctively. She had to because she had to pay for that stupid science project, and to him, she was partly his property now ever since yesterday's lunch break. She was his property every lunch time for the rest of the week. And he should do his best to make that time last until his lifetime ends.
But going back to the point, she has to explain herself because to him, she was his, at least for this hour of the day. But his stomach betrayed him. It grumbled so loudly that he thought it even echoed. Ryoma heard Sakuno giggle behind him. He threw her a glare, but she was in a fit of laughter.
"What?" he asked her rather loudly.
She looked at him and covered her mouth. She was still giggling.
"I don't like American food." He declared to her but he eyed the food, nonetheless. He had to admit that it still look just fit for him to finish in a couple of minutes. His stomach agreed with him when it grumbled again.
"But Ryoma-kun needs to eat though. You look pale now." She smiled as she arranged the lunch box in front of him and took out the chopsticks. She also opened the other lunch box- it was hers- and he tried hard not to let his mouth water. He took the chopstick which she offered and greedily went to get a piece of tempura from her lunch box after mumbling an incoherent "Thank you for the food." He stuffed it in his mouth and chewed. With this he earned another soft giggle from her.
"Maybe... Ryoma-kun should try the lunch I made for him though."
He looked at her, and she started to blush, but she continued to look at him nonetheless.
"I thought Ryoma-kun might like American food because he lived in there for quite a time." She took a slice of the steak which she made for the boy before her and ate it He watched her and looked back at the steak.
"I told you: I hate American food," he remarked again, putting emphasis on each word this time. She finished chewing on her food and smiled.
"See, it is not that awful Ryoma-kun." She smiled and took the container of the food. "Unless you think so otherwise." With that she frowned, but she forced to grin back.
"Stop frowning, really. I'll eat it anyway. I'm hungry." He took the container and ate fast. She brightened up and ate as well. She was hungry, and she needed a lot of energy for the afternoon's audition. Besides, if she finished early she would have extra time to furnish her lines and acting. Sakuno would hope that Ryoma would let her off early for today's lunch though. She still had a lot more to put her mind on.
Little did she know that as she was finishing her own lunch, Ryoma was long done with his and was just observing her as she looked far away and munch mindlessly on her food with a little grin on her small lips. A small pile of paper was another thing that caught his attention. It was placed beside the cloths where the boxes are wrapped. He carefully got it and started reading. On the front page it read in slim hiragana letters "Ayame." beside the katakana-written "Juliet." She discovered it in horror and tried to grab it free from his hands.
"Ryoma-kun! G-give it b-back!" she cried helplessly as Ryoma evaded her small hands. He would really have to know himself why he loved teasing her. Maybe he enjoyed seeing her plead to him?
"What is this for, Sakuno?" He played the words in his mind. Somehow, it sounded as if he was suspicious of something she does. It did not became evident to Sakuno though. She was too flushed and busy thinking that he was playing with her, even using her name to make her stop.
"P-please R-Ryoma-kun! It's for my audition later! P-please..." her voice cracked, "give it back to me..."
"Audition."
He stopped evading her hands but instead, took the chance to seize her arms as she reached for the paper and let her land on him. And for the second time in her clumsy history, she fell atop Echizen Ryoma, her crush for three years until the acquaintance party...or she thought. She became too dazzled and confused with the pounding in her chest to even gather her strength and help herself up.
"I'll give it back to you if you acted the role you are auditioning for in front of me." He triumphantly smiled and arranged the both of them into a less awkward position. Ryoma backed away and carried her slightly away from him. He then acted to free the paper form imaginary dust.
"Ryoma-kun!" she protested only to be given another look from him.
"Who's this Ayame?"
Sakuno looked away, hesitant to answer. Why does he have to know?
"Remember, I own you. Every lunch of this week including weekends. So when I ask you something, you have to answer. We agreed on this, didn't we, Sakuno?"
She mentally laughed to herself. Ryoma is being mean to her again, reminding her that she should follow him with his wishes. He reminds her of Count Paris from Romeo and Juliet. Wouldn't it be great that she this was the part of the play she practiced last night?
"I refuse to adhere to those blasphemies! I never vowed to love and serve anyone else than my dear T-tatsuya!" Sakuno cried, her eyes bordering on being filled tears although it was evident that she was just biting on the sides of her cheeks to force them out. "So please, my dear Miyaguchi-sama. Let free from those grasps, from your impure and vile intentions I shall be free. Only Tatsuya would own my heart and soul until eternity!"
Ryoma stared at her for what seemed eternity and chilly wind blew past them. Hot blood rushed to her face, and and she covered it.
"Ryuzaki."
And she knew it. Ryoma would have to say that tag line of him. She's still not there yet. Why shouldn't she just told him that she badly needed those pieces of paper? How insane of her to pull something like that. Ryoma just had to tell her that she doesn't have the talent so she'd better quit it. And she was waiting for it.
"That Nakayama guy is with you in that club, am I right?"
Blink. I had the wrong idea? "H-he told me a name of the character named Tatsuya. It seems that it was the Romeo for the production so... yes."
"And this 'Ayame' is your Juliet."
"Yes."
"Is Nakayama a good actor?"
"He is a very talented one!" she piped in a loud voice hinted with admiration. He jerked from this.
"Then you better don't show them what you have shown me a while ago later."
It was again the time for the break to end. The bell instinctively told them to head back to their classrooms and prepare for the next class. She was heartbroken for a reason she was not sure of. A tear ran down her pink cheek, and she wiped it dry as he arranged the lunch boxes. She helped him to do the arranging, and just as she was as getting close to the boy beside her as she thought she was, she was shattered. Again.
He waited for her at the door of the rooftop and thought that she would obey him later. Only that it made his insides uneasy to see something peculiar with her face. She was smiling though.
"Ryoma-kun, can I ask you something?"
He opened the door for her and waited for her to exit before he does. As they were on their way, he muttered a yes.
"Why don't you like American food?" She looked at him. "You said so yet this lunch box is empty and now light."
It seemed a very trivial thing to ask, but no one really asked him as to why. He grinned. This was suppose to be a secret but he would let her know anyway. She would know another one for the last day of the week and a lot more after that if Sakuno would let him.
"I choked on steak when I was four."
--
Kokuten-sensei filed the papers in her office right after the tough auditions. Even though their club had only a few members, those members had their own talents and skills nurtured by the daily workshop. But the fairest and the most deserving were the only ones to be christened the names of the characters once they enter the stage and perform.
She removed the bun and there came the red flowing hair of hers. She saw the purple sky and sighed. It has been a long day. And it was also tiring. She sighed again, and as she did, she was rewarded with a peck on the cheek from her co-advisor.
"Keiichi!" She faced him, a hand atop her chest. "You surprised me!"
He smiled and nodded towards the papers she filed a while ago.
"How did it go?" Suzuhara-sensei asked her. She smiled and took the file placed at the top of the paper file.
"I've finalized the list. Here it is."
He gave another smile and scanned the paper on hand after Miko handed it to him. He frowned a little.
"Seems she has a lot more to learn, though."
"I guess so too."
"Let's go home now. Everyone needs a rest, including you."
She stood up and held his hand.
"Yeah, so do you."
She glanced again at the paper that Keiichi handed back to her. At least Nakayama Hiroshi passed for the role both Suzuhara-sensei and the said younger boy wanted.
The stage will have to be set.
~oOo~
A/N: Yey! That's Chapter 13th for you people! I'm really sorry for the late update, it was also two long months that I had to endure before I can get my paws on my keyboard and type these words. I'm also happy that from time to time someone favorites this story and leaves me a review. Thank you so much! I had once thought that I should abandon this story altogether but nah. I shouldn't give up that yet!
To all readers who waited for this chapter thank you. Even though I haven't replied to your reviews, you still continue to read and even review! Your pen names are worth mentioning. To:
Dawn Uzumaki, lilcandy-78, kath_quicksilver, mikan03anime, Seravee, Sheiryy, cutiesakuno18, nicklaus mak wei xuan, Karma, Saruwatari Ayumu, sangochan-dragon, silverdoe02, Kairi Kazumi, mina, Nipah, Neko-San-Mel, xanne benedicto, :, Jarri Scythe, tenma760, red-jello04, anonimous1295, Sokka's Fan-Lawyer, phoe2k, youare-who-youare, random-fruitcake04, Dera Sin, rebeccasanfujieijilvr, -fuji-lawliet, Otakugal, fire19, Band_geek, Xanpluto, FujixSaku0709, InfintyOnTheRun, jHeyTTernallie, When-Plushies-Attack, sakatrina90, OMG, 1Aria08, animechix112, Mrs Hatake Itachi, pinkkish, , Miry, cutepuff, mystice, -Yuki Mii-, .lover, hieiashke, putrisha94, nertz, Kountry101, SuChabAKa, mangastoptazmo, Izaquix078, Egyptianlover, unchangingxp, Princessy, Nina Natsu, Lewnuhhkau, disneyrulz23, , Pluto's stars, FC, berrynut, Candy Anime Lover, sakuracheryblos, whispered25, radsb, PurpleHale, SweetHouey, 0987654321, l1t0d4rkd0ggy, michiyo drops, DkWolves, Midnight City, '-MiNi-RAi-', aznquetzal, luvrocksout102, Echizen Ryoma, '-'FreedomFairy'-', dragon, CaroMondial, ohiogal953, SimpleeLovely673, lovelypriestess568, Lawyer, Duskblood, , , Prinx and rennomiya.
This is also the edited chapter. All thanks to indistinguishable for the editing. I really have to wrok hard still. I'm losing my grasp of the grammar. (Sweatdrop).
A special note: I'm still working on the next chapter and it would be posted ASAP. Really, I thought I have nothing to do since it is vacation but I'm so wrong. That's why it might take me this month to finish up the next chapter. But still, I have received a decent number of reviews and it makes me smile knowing that I have you, readers, to support me. :) Ciao people! Haha. Looking forward to more lovely reviews. :) And please spare me from the bloody ruins if ever I am late for the update. I am behind my monitor so I think you can't get me. XD