Chapter-5

Tezuka was utterly frustrated. The reason of his frustration, you ask? Syusuke Fuji. As if it wasn't bad enough that they got beaten in the district preliminaries, Fuji had also started acting strange since then. He didn't play seriously. He always seemed to be preoccupied. He even stopped creeping people out with that smile of his.

Now that he thought about it, Fuji had played with more determination ever since he saw that girl during the tournament. He was well aware of what had happened between the two. But what more could've happened to make Fuji act so unlike himself? He was sure Fuji wasn't upset about their loss. It was not in his nature to be so. So it had to be the girl. He wanted his tensai back at all cost.

Now, even though the stoic captain tended to act all professional all the time and thought about tennis and his team before anything else, he also wanted to help his best friend out. And though he personally thought Fuji deserved some sort of chastisement for what he'd done, he didn't like seeing his best friend like this.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Weekends were Asuna's favorite. She could wake up late, tidy her apartment, catch up on her studies and even make time to go shopping. This weekend was no different. After doing all her work, she went out.

Anyone who knew Asuna at school would be shocked at the transformed version of herself that she liked to be during weekly holidays. She was known to be ruthless in court and seemed to be more comfortable in her tennis attire. But Asuna, in reality, was every bit feminine as any other girl. Always wearing cute dresses during weekends was one of her habits. People would know about it only if they ever saw her on those rare days.

Asuna wandered the streets of downtown Tokyo, wondering what she could do. She made it a point to stay out of the Kanagawa prefecture when she was out during weekends, lest someone see her. Suddenly she spotted a bookstore that she hadn't seen before. Curious, she crossed the road hurriedly and went in.

The inside of the bookstore was very quaint. The wooden shelves, the small coffee tables, the smell of coffee, it all brought a smile to her face. She politely greeted the old man, presumably the owner, at the cash counter and explored the store.

The books in the store were really good. The lack of customers made the experience exquisite. She picked two books that she couldn't find in the library and headed for the counter.

Even though she was in Tokyo for the day, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be running into a certain tensai. The bookstore and its contents were lovely and she refused to depress herself further by thinking of him. Her luck wasn't that rotten. She paid for her purchases and turned to leave. But seeing the person next in line made her heart sink. Oh no. Please don't let him recognize me. Pretending not to notice, she exited the shop quietly. She walked fast down the side walk. But before she could cross the road, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Takahashi", the stoic voice of Kunimitsu Tezuka was heard and she knew there was no point in trying to escape. She turned to face the Seigaku team captain.

"I almost didn't recognize you", he commented, giving her a once-over. Why did you even try? She only gave him a blinding smile in return. "What a coincidence. Nice running into you here." she chuckled. "That bookstore's really nice." Tezuka only nodded and proceeded to cross the road. Asuna, not familiar with his ways, stood on the side walk wondering why he left without a word.

Tezuka suddenly realized that Takahashi was not following him. He turned to see the girl was still standing on the side walk, bemused. He sighed and motioned for her to join him. Her face suddenly lit up and she quickly followed.

Tezuka realized he couldn't blame Fuji for being selfish. Asuna Takahashi was very attractive. Even more in her lavender dress. Her cropped hair framed her face, making her look very elegant and feminine. Her tennis only added to her list of virtues. He'd probably also be possessive if he had someone like… he stopped the thought immediately. He shook his head and turned to see the cause of his frustrations.

Asuna trailed behind Tezuka, glancing at the shops they were crossing. They walked into a coffee shop and were shown to their seats by a good looking waiter. "What can I get you today, doll?" he asked with a flirty smile. Asuna only blinked while Tezuka gave him a cold stare. "Later" he said, slowly folding the sleeves of his shirt, which sent the flirty waiter away in flash.

Asuna gave him an impressed look. They sat in silence for a while longer. She scanned the shop while he observed her. "Takahashi", he began, but Asuna put up her hand to stop him. "Senpai, if this is about…Syusuke, then I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry." she bit her bottom lip and looked away. "But I need to know what happened. Fuji hasn't been himself since the day after the finals ended and it's affecting his tennis" "Well, I suggest you ask him about it and not me" she fumed. She took her things and began to leave but paused. "Please tell him not to show up at my door at odd hours. I don't like dealing with crazies late in the evening." Without waiting for a reply, she left.