Okay, this update came faster than I imagined it to be. I'm so proud of myself! I hope this chapter makes you smile as well. This allows us to see a glimpse of the characters' other characteristics and I think I delivered well. Also, the last part is a cliffhanger. You all probably know who the person is so the first to post her name along with their review wins a drawing from me! Hihi. Kidding.
Thanks to the following who took the time to post their review for this story. My heartfelt thanks to all of you:
Invisible-gurl- your right, we'll have to wait for Tezuka's total big brother mode in the next chapter *woops* spilled a spoiler there.
Sweet-Lia no my dear, I did not forget to update, rather I was blocked that I couldn't update. But I can finally do so now.
Lovelyanimeangel- we'll see if it's going to be an AtobexOC or other .
Kim-chan-sempai- we'll see about it. But so far my ideas are all jumbled up for the pairings.
Kuma the wolf alchemist- The next chapter might be to your liking =D Hehe..
Shadow Mistress-of death- Thanks for loving it!!! And a MWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA to you too!! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis, otherwise known as Tenisu No Oujisama. Other characters not originating from the said anime/manga is considered a property of Ysah-chan
Chapter 9
"I never knew you liked dating girls younger than you are, Tezuka. I know a number of them from my fans club, I'll introduce you," said Atobe.
"Don't make me sound like a molester, Atobe. If I didn't know better, I'd say you just came to look for English girls that are acquainted or related to my cousin," said Tezuka.
Tezuka never really liked arguing with Atobe so much. During most times that they'd meet, he preferred keeping his opinions to himself and simply ignoring the loud diva. But this time was a little different, of course, since it somehow involves his younger sister. Tezuka knew that Atobe was the type who didn't mind the age of the girls he dated, as long as they were pretty and came up to his standards. He remembered hearing a story from Momoshiro that the said guy was trying to hit on the Fudomine tennis club captains younger sister.
"Oh, is that so? Well anyway, who is this charming girl? You're not dating this stoic guy now, am I right?" said Atobe, addressing Yumi mostly.
"Excuse me for my rudeness, but I don't talk to strangers," said Yumi, keeping herself close to her brother.
"Ooh, a feisty one. Don't worry; I probably suit you more than Tezuka does. He's so boring I bet even his old man gets tired with him," said Atobe.
"My brother is not boring. It's offensive to say such words when you're not really that close to the person you are trying to bad mouth. Plus, I'm not interested in guys who talk through their noses," said Yumi.
Atobe was taken aback at that. Did he just hear her say that? Is this girl really his rival's younger sister? And did she just say that he spoke through his nose? Oh, for the love of Venus, he doesn't speak like that. His accent might somehow have a certain characteristic different to a typical Japanese but it was because of his English side.
"I do not speak through my nose. I am, after all, best in class and that includes my Japanese language class. Tezuka, is this girl really your sister?" said Atobe, his eyebrow twitching from the sudden provocation by a little girl.
"Yes, she is. Now, do excuse us, Atobe. We need to be going now," said Tezuka.
The diva fumed as he watched the two make their way back to their parents. Yumi followed Tezuka closely as they walked. It seemed like Tezuka was saying something to Yumi, but Atobe was much too far to hear and to see Yumi's expression. Deciding that it was better off if he cooled down from his fuming, Atobe decided to go to the refreshments table. Coincidentally, his dad was there chatting with one of his business buddies.
"Ah, Keigo, did you give the gift to Eriol-kun?" asked the company president.
"Yes, father, and I had the pleasure of meeting my good rival as I was giving it to his cousin. I never knew the guy had a younger sister," said Atobe.
"Oh, you mean Yumi-chan? She's a very pretty girl, isn't she? Very nice too, but her mom mentioned that she gets a little feisty whenever her brother is concerned," said Atobe-sama (1).
"I guess she is," said Atobe.
"Well then, we should be saying our goodbyes now. I have a meeting tomorrow at a very early time and I do not wish to attend it with very little sleep," said the president as he handed one of the waiters his empty glass.
"Yes, father," said Atobe.
Tezuka knew of this side of Yumi. It was something similar to what she did when she overheard some seniors badmouthing her brother to some of his admirers. She was so upset she nearly cried while saying that her brother is the kindest person she's ever met. Tezuka reminded himself to keep a close eye on his sister from time to time since she seems to be a little too impulsive when it comes to siding with him. He was touched, of course by her way of protecting him, but he was a little scared that it may lead to something rather nasty. That's why he's relieved that Echizen does a great job at being his secret spy when it comes to Yumi.
"Otou-san its cold," he heard Yumi say as they were waiting for Eriol to come back. She sat next to their father while waiting.
"I know it is, darling. We'll go home soon," Kuniharu said reassuringly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I have some giveaways for you," said Eriol.
"Thank you, Eriol-kun. Do come and visit us at home from time to time. We'd love to have you over for dinner sometime," said Ayana.
"Oh, and a nice game of chess should be good too. I'll ask the helpers to make your favorite snacks when you come over," said Kunikazu.
"Sounds inviting, grandfather. I'll be sure to come and visit. And, I'd love to see my dear cousins again next time," said Eriol.
"Please do come and visit us," said Tezuka.
"I will. I'm excited for the chess match and I'm excited to see Yumi-chan once again," said Eriol.
"We'll see you soon then, Eriol-niichan," said Yumi.
"See you soon," said Eriol.
*sound of school bell on background* (2)
That was the sound of the warning bell. Lunch just ended and the first years all headed to the Home Economics room to prepare for the next lesson. They were asked to bake cakes and as a pair, Yumi and Ryoma decided to bake a strawberry shortcake. The rest of the class was making other kinds of cakes. The freshmen trio worked as a group and they were making a chocolate marble cake, although Horio doesn't seem to be helping much.
"So you met Atobe-san last night, Yumi-chan?" asked Kachiro.
"Yes, I did and he was very rude. He made it sound like my brother was a pedophile or something," said Yumi.
"Well, what did your brother say?" asked Katsuo.
"Let's not talk about him. We still have to finish this cake," said Yumi.
"I'm finished with the strawberries. Let's start mixing the rest," said Ryoma.
"You two are a good team, you know?" said Kachiro.
"Yeah, unlike Horio who seems to be a useless member of your group. You should kick him off your group and work as a pair," said Ryoma.
"Hey, I heard that Echizen. I'm simply waiting for the hard part of the process. That's where I get in," said Horio.
"Whatever you say, Horio-kun, but Ryoma-kun is right. If you don't do your part, we'll kick you off," said Katsuo.
"Eh?? Okay, okay, I'll help!!" Horio panicked.
When the home economics class ended, the five made their way out of the room while carrying their outputs in pastry boxes. Yumi and Ryoma made a batch for the tennis club but they made separates for the ones they were taking home. The freshmen trio, fortunately, finished their chocolate marble cake just in time for the end of the class.
"Hey, look Kachiro-kun. A lot of people are ganging up on our classroom," Katsuo pointed out.
"Maybe something happened," said Kachiro.
"Why don't we check it out?" asked Horio.
When they reached the classroom, there was a group of girls who stood around someone. The only thing visible was the person's auburn head as he or she stood in the middle of the crowd. When the crowd saw the five of them enter the room, the girls giggled and parted to let the person in the middle to come out.
"It's nice to see you again, Ryoma-kun," said a dark auburn haired girl.
Okay, I may have cut it a tad bit too short. But I think it's enough. The next chapter is quite longer than this one so it'll take a longer time for me to update. Gomen in advance for that. Anyway, Please R&R once again! Your support helps me think better!