Chapter 3

Stopping on the way

"Man, Sanada is scary as hell." mumbled Marui while rubbing his left cheek.

Sanada had bitch slapped the poor boy after practice because he had run off the previous day. He had to admit Sanada's power had increased for the past few years. His cheek burned like hell!

Marui had just finished cleaning the mess he had left in the locker room previously. He made everything nice and tidy as he promised. All the regulars had already left and no one actually checked on him. He only kept his promise because he didn't want to anger Sanada even more or else his face might go numb someday, even worse, he might have to undergo a plastic surgery.

Marui's eyebrow twitched at the thought alone. He sighed and scratched his head.

"I knew I should've used Hitomi-chan's charms again." he muttered.

Marui locked up the locker rooms. He grabbed his bag and made his way to the gate. He stopped in his pace, when he was passing the school assembly hall. The door was slightly open. He wondered who could still be there at this time.

Marui walked towards the hall and just when he gripped the door handle, he heard the sound of a violin. He stared at the door handle for a while but then his eyes softened as he walked inside. The volley tensai recognized the soothing sound. He knew who it was because he had heard others playing a violin but no one played like that.

Marui was standing at the very end of the hall. He then walked in quietly. His eyes widened as he saw none other than the aqua-green haired girl standing on the stage. Marui already had his suspicion about her being the same person who he saw a few days ago playing such a soothing tune.

Midori had her eyes closed as she moved her upper body softly to the sound.

The self-proclaimed volley prodigy took a seat in the middle row and observed the aqua green haired teen. He rested his chin on his hand and closed his eyes, letting himself disperse into the peaceful sound. He enjoyed every single tune made by Midori's violin. He wouldn't say that he was a music lover of this sort but for the first time he came to enjoy it.

Midori played for quite a while. Marui was so relaxed that he actually didn't notice that Midori ended her piece. She opened her eyes and spotted someone sitting in the middle row. She raised an eyebrow as she then blinked in amusement. She didn't recognize the person from afar. She got down the stage and walked up to the slumbering person.

Marui was still sitting in the same position and had a soft smile on his face. He had a peaceful expression. Midori was already standing next to him and chuckled to herself. She hadn't expected a spectator today. She observed the red headed boy with a gentle glow in her eyes for a while. Midori reached out her hand to his face at first.

A quick flashback of her childhood appeared before her.

The little Midori was standing with her violin grasped into her hands tightly as she proclaimed something desperately with determination. No sound of her words came out in this memory. The boy who was the same age as her simply turned around and gave her a warm smile in return.

The flashback ended. The violinist still had her hand very much close from touching Marui's face.

'I wonder, if you're the one I'm searching for…' she thought, as she then smirked and put her hand onto his shoulder.

"Marui-san." she said softly. She shook him a bit, so that he would wake up. Marui slowly opened his eyes.

"Marui-san, wake up." she said again. Marui finally realized that he had been sleeping. Just when he adjusted his vision, he noticed that there was no one on the stage anymore. He shot his eyes open and in a flash turned to his left only to find Midori standing next to him, giving a wide smile. Marui widened his eyes as he stared at the aqua green haired teen. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"You shouldn't sleep here, you'll catch a cold otherwise." scolded Midori. Marui blinked and then blushed slightly. Midori let out a silent chuckle.

"Why are you still here anyway? Isn't tennis practice over already?" she asked. Marui blinked again and regained his senses. He stared at her in confusion. He thought he didn't mention to her that he played tennis.

"How'd you know that I play tennis?" he asked. Midori chuckled softly again, pointing behind him. Marui turned in that direction and noticed his tennis bag on the floor-slightly leaning against the chair next to him.

"That's a tennis bag, right? So, you must play tennis to carry that thing around." she explained. Marui smirked to himself and turned to her again.

"I see. Yeah, practice is long over. I was about to leave, when I noticed that someone was still here." he said.

"Ah… Oh, it's time for me to lock up." she stated. Marui stood up and took his bag.

"I'll wait outside." he said. Midori blinked as she put her hands in front of her.

"You don't have to. Just go ahead-"

"No, it's okay." he said and walked outside.

Midori put her violin in her case. She then switched all the lights off. She got out and locked the door. Marui stood behind her with his arms behind his head. He popped his chewing gum.

"Kobayashi-san?" he asked. Midori was busy closing her bag to face the red head.

"Hm? What is it?" she inquired.

"Why did you practice here anyway? The music classrooms are available for this purpose." asked Marui out of pure curiosity. Midori closed her bag and froze for a mere second. She then turned to Marui and smiled widely.

"That's, well… The classrooms were occupied, so I asked the teacher for permission to practice here. The acoustic is better here anyway." she said with a slight trembling voice.

Marui looked carefully at her and noticed that the smile was fake. She was hiding something. She couldn't fool him because he knew that there were a lot of music classrooms in Rikkai, even if they were occupied, others would let her practice in the same room, as long as she didn't cause any trouble. Marui frowned mentally and didn't bother questioning the girl anymore.

Midori said that she needed to return the keys to the teacher's room. Marui shrugged his shoulders and said that he'd come along. Midori gave the keys back to the teacher and both teens headed out the school gate. They walked along the road for quite a while when Midori asked why he was walking with her. The volley tensai grinned and said that he lived in that direction.

"Marui-san, why did you stay in the hall?" asked Midori. Marui blew a nice bubble with his chewing gum and talked through it.

"Well, maybe because it was a really beautiful tune. I'm not the type who would listen to this kind of music but I kind of enjoyed your piece." he said. The violinist stared at him for a while, as she then chuckled.

"Really? Was it that good?" she asked in an amused tone. Marui popped his chewing gum and some of it stuck to his nose. He frowned at himself.

"Ah, it was. You even made me fall asleep. It was really relaxing." he said honestly. Well, he was the type who would say things clearly and not hesitate. Midori blushed for a second and laughed happily to herself. Marui glanced at the teen.

"Hm? What? Do I have gum on my face?" he asked checking his cheeks for any piece of gum. Midori just laughed softly and shook her head. She turned to the sugar addict.

"No, no. You're the first one to say that about my violin play. Thank you." she said cheerfully.

Marui blushed when he saw her happy face. He thought that she shined even more when she smiled like that. It kind of made his heart feel warmer. Seeing the aqua green haired teen this happy made him happy as well for some reason.

"By the way, Marui-san, why are you always chewing gum?" she asked all of a sudden. Marui blew another bubble.

"Oh, that's because I like to and it has glucose in it. You see, I run out of stamina pretty fast, so I need to maintain energy somehow. Well, sugar gives a lot of energy that the body absorbs in an instant." he explained. Midori listened carefully to his explanation.

"I see, so that's why you were walking with so many pies and cupcakes the other day." she stated with a wide smile all over her face.

Marui nodded as he popped his chewing gum. It was a big one this time and it got stuck all over his face. He had to get it off with his fingers. Midori chuckled softly to herself. She found the red head adorable of how he constantly blew his chewing gum and popped it.

"Oh, this is where we'll have to part ways." said Midori. She took a few steps towards a turn to another street. Marui blinked.

"Aren't you going to do your little performance today?" he asked.

This question caused Midori to freeze in her pace, staring in shock at the ground. She tried to fake her smile as good as she could.

"W-What do you mean, Marui-san?" she asked fumbling. With no ill intention, Marui took a few steps towards her.

"You, after school, by the river bank, playing the violin for a crowd of people." he said slowly. Midori gasped and her face turned to that of embarrassment.

"H-How did you know?" she asked. Marui widened his eyes as he tried to comprehend as to why the teen got so scared all of a sudden.

"I saw you yesterday right by the river bank." he replied honestly.

Midori gasped once more and in a flash spun around to run away, panic written all over her face. Marui reacted just in time and grabbed her wrist.

"Wait! Why are you running? Did I say something wrong?" he asked with a worried expression.

He didn't let go of her wrist. Midori turned around and realized that she couldn't break free from his tight grip. She looked at him and noticed that he had a confused and worried look. She felt that he didn't mean any harm but could she trust him?

"What's wrong, Kobayashi-san?" he asked as gently as he could.

Marui didn't want to scare her. Midori lowered her eyes as she pondered about it for a few seconds. She sighed and looked up at him again.

"I thought that I found a spot where I could do this without being noticed by the people from Rikkai or those who I know. You see, my family status won't allow me to do something like this. I can't ask for money from my father, so I thought that the least I could do, was to earn it myself. I didn't want anyone else to know. This would be a disgrace to my family name." she said. Marui felt like he could let go of her wrist.

"I know you have a good reason to do this." he said, giving a soft smile. Midori lifted her head and threw a questioning look at him.

"Huh?"

"You're doing this for the poor homeless creatures in the rundown building. You can't ask your father for help because he might decline and you would just feel sad for them." he said. Midori's eyes flushed as she smiled sadly.

"So, you know of this as well, huh?" she asked. Marui blushed at the statement. He then scratched his cheek with his finger.

"Yeah. Sorry, I shouldn't have followed you." he said. Midori took his hand and made a begging expression.

"Promise me, Marui-san, that you won't tell this to anyone else. Please." she begged him. The volley tensai stared at Midori for a few seconds. He then sighed, giving a tiny smile.

"Alright. I promise. I won't tell any other soul about this." he said. Midori's expression started glowing again and she grinned gratefully.

"Thank you." she said. Midori then let go of his hand. The red-headed boy pointed in the direction where the river bank was.

"So, aren't you going?" he asked.

"Well, it's a bit too late for that. There are less people passing by at this time." she said with slight disappointment. Marui smirked.

"Well, you could at least pay a visit to your dear friends." he said. Midori stared at him in surprise and then chuckled.

"Eh, you're right. Will you accompany me?" asked Midori.

Marui smiled widely in return. Both teens then made their way to the old rundown building. Midori could admit that the red head was really friendly. She knew when she first met him, that he was a nice person. She believed that they could become good friends. She at least wanted to, since he already knew her secret.

The both teens reached the grey building and walked inside. They walked to the middle of the room. Soon they heard some 'meow's' ahead. Some of the cats walked around stretching their bodies. Marui and Midori exchanged glances and grinned. The volley tensai then perked up because he felt someone brushing against his left foot. He looked down and spotted the same cat that brushed against him the previous day. Midori blinked when Marui suddenly put down his bag and bent down.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Marui lifted the cat up in front of his face.

"The same cat came up to me yesterday. Right, neko-chan?" he said. Midori smirked softly. She pointed at the cat.

"That's Miru. She seems to like you." she said. Marui glanced at Midori.

"Miru? So, you gave them names?" he asked.

Both teens walked deeper inside and sat down on the floor. Marui took Miru into his lap but the cat seemed to like the volley tensai so much that she jumped up and down, crawling onto his shoulder. Midori sat down casually. She started patting every single one of the cats that came to her.

"No, it's just their names, ne, Claw?" she said patting a grey cat in front of her. "The lady that lived here gave them their names." she explained. Marui scratched Miru's chin.

"Huh… So, you knew the owner of this house?" he asked. Midori's eyes gave off a soft yet sad glow.

"Un. I knew her. When I was still in elementary school my father arranged violin lessons with her. She was the one who taught me. Miyahara Akemi, was her name. Akemi-san was sometimes harsh when I made mistakes but a kind person in heart. Her cats were everything to her. She really had a weakness for them but in reality she was just lonely. Akemi-san was in bad terms with her family and her husband had passed away years ago." said Midori.

Marui's expression softened and noticed that Miru was already sound asleep in his lap. Midori then chuckled at Claw, who was brushing against her hand.

"Every time I came to her house I found that there was a new cat in the house. As time passed, this house got populated by them. These guys were my very first spectators, as well as Akemi-san." said Midori in a sad tone this time.

"I wasn't here when Akemi-san passed away, so it was kind of a shock for me when I found out. When I heard of a fire that took place in this house, I got terrified because I couldn't imagine what I would do if something happened to her one and only treasure. But thank goodness that nothing happened to them. They seemed to have gotten out of the house just in time." she said with a sigh of relief.

Midori smiled softly, which caused Marui to do the same.

"So, you felt like it was your responsibility to look after them." said Marui after listening to the whole story.

"Un." nodded Midori. Marui looked around the house and sighed in astonishment.

"Even so, I'm surprised that the cats stayed here despite the fact that their owner is no longer here." he said. Midori let out a silent chuckle.

"They loved her very much and I believe that it isn't the place that binds them but the warm feeling that is called 'home'." said Midori smiling widely at the red head.

Marui stared at the aqua green haired teen. For some reason he wanted to embrace her and feel the warmth that she was giving off right now. He had never met a girl like her before. In his eyes she was always shining. Her dark golden eyes were so gentle that he felt his chest might melt by one look alone.

Both teens finally stood up and walked out of the building. The sun had almost reached the horizon. It was slowly getting dark.

"It's better to get going now. I'll get scolded by father otherwise." said Midori.

"I'll walk you home." he offered. Midori put her hand in front of her, in an effort to refuse.

"No, you don't have to-"

"It's okay. Besides, it's dangerous for a girl to walk alone in the dark." he explained.

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't sweat it. I might seem to be suspicious but I seriously have no ill intentions." said Marui. Midori blinked at his statement and then laughed softly. Marui blinked in confusion.

"People would usually say: I'm no one suspicious." she said.

"Well, if I said that I'm no one suspicious wouldn't it make me even more suspicious? Because only suspicious people say that they're not suspicious." explained Marui. He then made a confused look again because Midori started laughing.

"True. Marui-san, you're really funny sometimes." said Midori holding back her laughs. Marui blinked stupidly.

"Huh… Did I just say something funny?" he asked. Midori chuckled one last time and waved with her hand.

"No, don't mind me. I would have never thought of you as someone suspicious. I just didn't want to trouble you, that's all." she said. Marui smirked.

"It's fine, Kobayashi-san. I always take the long road home anyways." said the red-head. Midori grinned widely and pointed behind him.

"I live in that direction." she said.

Both teens then started walking. They talked about various things until they reached Midori's house. Marui told her about their team and his teammates. Midori already knew two of them: Hiroshi and Niou. She laughed softly when he mentioned Sanada and his recent angry state. Midori said that their tennis team seemed like a family. Marui agreed with a grin. They really did act like a family sometimes.

Soon both teens parted ways. Midori thanked him for today, saying that she had fun with him. She bowed and then sent him off with a smile. Marui walked for 15 minutes, took a few turns and he was home. He never thought that he would befriend a new girl in school within a few days. Somehow, he liked the thought…

Next day

"Say, Bunta-kun? How did it go with the clean up?" asked Hitomi walking next to the said red-headed teen. They were on their way to the cafeteria. It was lunch break and the two always had lunch together.

"Well, it was fun." said Marui indifferently, not looking at the purple head. Hitomi in a flash turned her attention to the volley tensai.

"Huh? Fun?" she asked slightly raising her voice by a tone.

Marui didn't answer because he was busy thinking of what he should eat. Hitomi blinked stupidly and sighed.

'How could cleaning a mere locker room be fun?' pondered Hitomi.

Both teens walked into the cafeteria. Marui then stopped short when he saw Midori being targeted by the two dirty beasts from Niou's class, Kou and Hideki. The two boys were smiling innocently and asking the aqua-green haired violinist random questions, trying to hook her up for their dirty games. Midori felt violated by the two boys because they were a bit too close to her. She tried to refuse them politely but they didn't let her even say a word.

Marui frowned as he didn't like the scene in front of him. Hitomi noticed what was going on and got worried about the aqua green haired teen. She liked the girl. Marui twitched and made his way to the three teens. The purpled head followed Marui.

"Hey, beautiful, have some coffee with us." offered Hideki.

Midori's head shot from side to side. She was at a loss of what to do and was really uncomfortable around them.

"N-No, I just-" she said stumbling for words.

"Come on. We won't bite." said Kou this time and leaned closer to her face. Midori didn't like the look in his eyes. It scared her.

"Hey, you two! Can't you see that she's uncomfortable with you guys around?" asked Marui in a slight arrogant tone.

He stopped just a few feet away from the three teens. Hitomi stood right behind Marui, so that she could prevent any trouble from surfacing. Kou turned his attention to Marui, as a sinister glare formed on his face.

"She doesn't want to have lunch with the likes of you, right, Kobayashi-san?" stated Marui switching to the aqua green haired teen. Midori shot her head in his direction.

"Y-Yes." she said.

The volley tensai switched back to Kou who had already advanced towards him, stopping a few steps from the him. Marui grinned innocently.

"There you have it." he said smiling at Kou but then narrowed his eyes and said in a serious tone. "Now get lost." Kou twitched.

"Hey, we were just talking to our classmate-" started Hideki with a shiny smile but got cut off by Kou instead.

"You prick, that's my line. Get lost before I break every single bone in your puny body." grunted Kou.

Both teens stared each other off. Hitomi sensed heat rising between them.

Just then Niou came into the cafeteria, with Azumi by his side. He stopped short at the sight of Marui and Kou glaring face to face. He spotted Hitomi just a few steps behind Marui. He frowned and then sighed. He had to prevent any trouble because he knew Kou well enough. Kou couldn't stand Marui and the two would get into fights. Even though Kou looked tough, he didn't scare Marui. No, Marui hated that guy to the bone.

"Sorry, Azumi-chan. This will take a minute." he said, making his way towards Kou and Marui.

Marui smirked at the black haired teen in front of him.

"You can't imagine how many times I've heard this coming from you. Somehow I'm still in one piece." said Marui arrogantly.

Kou felt a vein pop on his forehead. He was about to grab Marui's collar but then stopped, when he noticed Hitomi behind him.

Kou grinned evilly as he passed by the red head, as if he had no interest in him. Marui blinked in confusion. Hitomi's head shot up when Kou just in a flash already stood in front of her.

"Hey, Hitomi-san." said Kou in a soft tone.

Hitomi felt her body go rigid from the sound of his voice. It sent shivers down her spine, when he grinned at her. Just his presence alone gave her the wish to block that guy from her.

Kou reached out his hand and took a strand of her silky hair that hung down her shoulders.

"Let's diss this guy and join us for lunch-" Kou stopped in mid sentence when he felt his wrist being gripped tightly by someone. He turned his head to his right and noticed Niou. Hitomi did the same and widened her eyes at the sight of Niou holding Kou's wrist tightly. The silver haired boy then slowly took Kou's hand away from her.

"Niou-kun?" said Hitomi silently. The trickster turned his attention to the purple head next to him.

"Say, Hitomi-chan, any problems here?" he asked seriously. Hitomi blushed.

"N-Not really." she said shyly.

"That's right-" started Kou but then stopped because Niou slowly turned to him and narrowed his eyes.

The black haired teen frowned. The trickster took a few steps forward and stopped right in front of him. His eyes sent a deadly warning. It was a murderous glare.

"It seems you have forgotten what I told you a few days ago, Kou." said Niou slowly. He glared at the said teen for a few seconds, when the meaning of his words finally clicked, causing Kou to yank his wrist out of Niou's grasp and stomping away. Hideki sighed as he followed his friend's example.

Midori sighed in relief. Just then Marui came up to her.

"Sorry about that. It's how those guys are." said Marui. Midori smiled softly at him.

"It's okay. I'm fine. Thank you." she said. Marui sighed at the aqua green haired teen.

"I suggest you'd keep a distance from them." he warned.

"Huh…" responded Midori absent minded. She glanced at Niou who still had an angry look on his face. It caught Midori's attention on how the trickster acted around Hitomi.

Niou sighed and his expression changed to a cheerful one. He spun around, walking up to Hitomi. He put his hand on her head and patted it, with a wide smile. This caused Hitomi to go red in the face.

"If he bothers you again, don't hesitate to call for me." he said.

"O-Okay." said Hitomi becoming even redder.

"See ya!" Niou grinned as he waved at her, walking back to Azumi.

Midori blinked at his sudden change. Did he have to get this angry? Kou didn't even get to bother her, when Niou withdrew his hand from Hitomi. Midori widened her eyes at the thought as her previous suspicion became clear. Still, she was not sure if it was true.

"Even so, why didn't you just tell them to leave you alone or something? You could've just walked away." commented Marui.

Midori spun around, facing Marui. She made a fake grin and sweat dropped.

"Ah, well… I was confused and couldn't just say a thing." she said.

Marui looked at the teen suspiciously. It seemed otherwise to him. He thought that Midori just didn't have the courage to stand up for herself. He frowned and offered to have lunch together with him and Hitomi. Midori agreed and the three teens sat at one table chatting cheerfully.

Afternoon before club activities

Marui was still in his classroom. He packed his stuff and grabbed his tennis bag. He was about to walk out the classroom, when Aya rushed to one of her classmates.

"Hey, you've got to see this! There is some trouble in front of the music classrooms." said Aya eagerly. The girl in front of her blinked in confusion.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"No time to explain. Hoshimura Noriko has snapped on a new girl. Just come along!" exclaimed Aya and dragged her classmate with her.

This caught Marui's attention. He then followed them as well. He twitched along the way. He had a bad feeling about this. There was only one girl who came to his mind. He couldn't think of any other person, who would get picked on this easily. If Midori faced Noriko right now, then things could get serious. He hoped he was wrong.

Marui followed the two girls through the hallway. They took a right turn and stopped. A crowed formed in front of one of the classrooms. They were mostly from the other music classrooms and didn't dare to interfere with Noriko. She was a National violinist and the president of the student council. She was easy to irritate and hated it when people disgraced Rikkai.

Marui stood behind a few people. Noriko was currently grunting at Midori with an arrogant voice and loud enough for everyone to hear.

"How dare you demand to practice in this room? You should just go and perform with your little violin on the streets!" growled Noriko.

Midori lowered her head, as she widened her eyes. She stared into the floor. Noriko snarled and made an even more arrogant expression.

"What? Surprised? You thought that no one would see you there? Such a disgrace to Rikkai! Didn't you know that playing the violin is for high class people? You disgust me." said Noriko making a face of repulsion. Midori just stared into the ground almost not hearing what the brown haired teen was saying. Marui stared in shock at the aqua green haired teen.

'What are you standing around for? Just say something! She has no right to say something like that.' thought Marui.

He gritted his teeth. Why wouldn't she stand up for herself? Just taking all the blame on herself won't help anyone. He knew she was kindhearted but she was just too kind.

Noriko's eyes switched to the violin case that Midori held in her hand. She reached out to it and grabbed it roughly.

"You don't even have the right to posses this instrument. To make such a beautiful sound with those dirty hands of yours." grunted Noriko. Midori raised her head when she felt a rough grip on her case. She didn't let go and gripped it even tighter.

"Let go-" started Midori but then got thrown roughly to the ground along with her violin case. Midori found herself sitting on the ground. She squinted her eyes in pain.

Marui couldn't take this anymore and pushed through the crowed. He didn't care; this was just going too far.

Midori tried to get up but stopped, switching her gaze to her violin that got yanked to the ground along with her. Her expression saddened as she reached her left hand to the violin. Noriko narrowed her eyes and advanced towards the aqua green haired teen. She lifted her foot and was about to stomp on Midori's hand, when she was stopped by someone's hand.

"You know that violinist's hands are something they treasure, Hoshimura." said Marui in a serious tone. He had kneeled down to Midori and pulled Noriko's foot away from Midori's hand. Noriko took a few steps away, when Marui glared at Noriko.

"M-Marui-san…" gasped Noriko. She hadn't expected him to step up. Midori widened her eyes and stared at the volley tensai. He helped her up, giving a soft yet tiny smile.

"Are you okay, Kobayashi-san?" he asked. Midori stared at him.

"Yes. Marui-san, why are you-" she started but didn't get to finish when Noriko cut in.

"Marui-san, why did you interfere?" asked Noriko in a serious tone.

Marui turned towards the brown haired teen. He kept his serious look and glared intently at Noriko.

"What you just said about her has nothing to do with her wanting to practice. You had no right to say such things to her." said Marui. Noriko snarled.

"She's at fault. Disgracing Rikkai by playing on the street for the likes of those people." grunted Noriko.

"Disgrace? Those people? You must be mistaken, Hoshimura. Music is for all people to enjoy, no matter where they stand in life. You don't even know the reason why she's doing it." said Marui. Noriko smirked evilly.

"Ou… Then I suppose you know, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do know. And it's a good reason." he retorted. Midori gripped his hand, worry written all over her face.

"Marui-san-" she gasped but Marui lifted his other hand in an effort to reassure her.

"Care to tell me then? Maybe then I'll reconsider." said Noriko arrogantly.

"I don't have that right either. It's her own business and her choice to keep it to herself." said Marui. Midori smiled softly at the red head and was thankful for not telling. Noriko twitched.

"That's why, I suggest you'd stop your bitching and apologize to her." said Marui again. Noriko snapped.

"Like hell! She will only bother us with her trashy sound!" hollered Noriko pointing at said girl. Marui smirked in amusement.

"Ou… Is that so? Or is it because you're scared that she might beat you in the upcoming contest?" he asked. Noriko cackled at the statement.

"Ha! Her? Beat me? There is no way a no-name like her would beat the National champion!" stated Noriko laughing arrogantly.

"That's not quite true, Hoshimura-san." said a deep voice coming from behind.

Marui turned his head that direction, spotting Yagyuu adjusting his glasses and making his way to the teens.

"Yagyuu?" asked Marui. Midori blinked in surprise when Hiroshi stopped next to her.

"What's that supposed to mean, Yagyuu-san?" asked Noriko.

She didn't expect HIM being here. Why the hell were there already two tennis regulars hanging around Midori? Hiroshi placed his left hand gently on Midori's shoulder.

"Kobayashi-san is well known for her splendid violin skills. She's actually the daughter of the famous composer Kobayashi Fumio. You of all people should have heard of him." said Hiroshi.

Midori's eyes flushed, as she turned her head away sadly. Noriko blinked in confusion.

"Yes, I've heard of him. Then tell me why haven't I ever heard of her?" asked Noriko. Hiroshi adjusted his glasses again.

"Well, because for the passed few years she was in England. Her father got an offer to compose some soundtracks for several movies. Meanwhile, his daughter was busy developing her violin play. She's won quite an amount of contests and she was offered to go worldwide but refused for some odd reason." explained Hiroshi. He then looked at the aqua green haired teen, who was constantly looking at the ground.

Marui blinked. "Huh… No wonder, I thought I heard her name somewhere." he mumbled. Noriko cackled again.

"Ha! Those are just speculations. You think she could be better than me? Prove it! I bet the reason why she refused such an opportunity was because of her pathetic play." stated Noriko.

Marui felt a vein pop on his forehead. She was getting on his nerves. How could one person be so obstinate?

"You're really persistent, aren't you? Fine, let's have a showdown. She'll prove that you were wrong." said Marui with a challenging tone. Midori raised her head as she gripped into his hand again.

"Marui-san, don't-" she was cut off by Noriko, who raised her eyebrows and smirked evilly.

"Ou… So you're challenging me? I accept it. On one condition…" she said. Marui narrowed his eyes.

"That would be?" he asked. Noriko's grin got more sinister. She had something in mind.

"You know, Marui-san, there is always a prize for the winner. And what I would want is your assistance." she said pointing at said boy. The volley tensai glared at her.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked. Noriko grinned even more.

"You know exactly what I want from you." she stated.

Marui's eyebrow twitched. He knew. He had rejected her request before and no matter how many times she pleaded, he declined. It didn't seem that she had interest in him as a man. She didn't have a crush on him; she just wanted something else from him. Something that only he could satisfy her with. Marui smirked in return.

"Fine. I'll do whatever you ask. In return, if you concede defeat, you will never mention seeing her somewhere on the streets to anyone." said Marui.

Midori's face turned to a terrified one. Why did he agree to that? He had nothing to do with this. Why would he put himself on the line for her?

"Okay, deal. Here are the conditions: tomorrow after classes, be at the school statue and not a minute late. I will be the one to judge your play and I will make you go through every classical piece." said Noriko, sending a final glare first at Midori and then at Marui.

"Hn!" grunted Marui.

The crowed scattered to spread the news about the showdown. Hiroshi bent down and put her violin back into her case. Marui looked at the girl next to him. The violinist was still holding his hand, trembling. Her eyes were hidden under her bangs.

"Here you go, Kobayashi-san." said Hiroshi, handing her violin case.

"Why?" she asked. Both Hiroshi and Marui blinked.

"Huh? What?" asked Marui.

"Why did you have to involve yourself into this? This has nothing to do with you." she said and raised her head, staring straight at the red head. She wore a panic stricken expression. Marui widened his eyes and stared back.

"What if I lose and you will have to do something against your own will?" she asked. Marui sighed.

"It's alright. You won't lose. Her violin play sucks, compared to yours. Remember, you even made me fall asleep. Don't worry." he said with a wide grin. Midori made a flushed expression again and looked away.

"If you say so…" she mumbled. The volley tensai grinned wider and patted her head with his free hand (she still gripped onto his right hand).

"Well, there you have it. Don't forget, tomorrow after classes are over, by the statue." he said cheerfully.

"Okay." she said silently. The teens stood in dead silence for a few seconds.

"Umm…" started Marui. Midori raised her head once again, throwing a questioning look at him.

"Hm? What is it?" she asked. Marui pointed at his right hand, sweat dropping.

"You can let go now." he said.

Midori blushed as she let his hand go in a flash. The volley tensai checked his hand.

"Sorry. I was worried and just…" said Midori still blushing.

"Yeah, for a moment there I thought you might crush my hand." he said. Midori blushed even more and started fumbling.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." she said shyly. The red head chuckled and waved his hand.

"It's okay. See? It's perfectly fine." he reassured. Hiroshi handed her the violin case and started pulling Marui with him.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Kobayashi-san. Saa, let's go, Marui-kun." said the purple head. Marui blinked stupidly, glancing at Hiroshi.

"Huh? Yagyuu, you don't have to pull, you know." he said sighing. Hiroshi glared at Marui, which caused the red head to sweat drop.

"I believe I do. Sanada was already angry when he sent me to look for you. Imagine how furious he must be now." stated Hiroshi.

Marui sighed. He didn't want to imagine how many laps he will have to run.

"Well, see ya, Kobayashi!" Marui waved in good bye as he dashed off along with Hiroshi.

Midori raised her hand and waved slightly. She plastered a grin as wide as she could but it disappeared right after the two teens were out of sight. She sighed and made a flushed expression, already thinking about the next day. She came to this school not too long ago and got into trouble already. Above all, she dragged someone else into this.

'I wonder what Hoshimura-san meant by 'assistance'…' thought Midori, as an idea struck her already. She probably was guessing right.

Next chapter

"You could never tell by her looks that she'd play such a piece."

"Ah, like an image of an angel summoning the devil himself."