Reiya examined the plate that read 忍足. "Somehow I feel like I've seen that name before..." She thought about it for a while. "Eh, must be my imagination." She rung the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal her teacher, who looked rather gleeful. It almost scared Reiya.

"Uh, hello? Nakamura-sensei?"

"Oh Reiya, it's you! Good, good." The violin teacher was smiling sinisterly. "Come in!" Reiya hesitantly stepped inside and Nakamura-sensei closed the door, then faced her. She looked positively evil.

Then, one of the doors opened and a teenage boy who looked like he was making an effort to walk calmly spoke to the teacher through gritted teeth.

"Sensei, I really don't understand what you meant by-" He stopped short, seeing Reiya at the entrance of the house. They stared at each other for a moment, almost looking like they were having a telepathic conversation. But their thoughts differed rather greatly. Reiya was thinking, Kansai-ben? While the boy was thinking how she looked like someone he knew.

"Have we met before?" he decided to ask.

"Hmm..." Reiya stared at him a little more. "Well, you-" Both the curious teacher and student leaned closer. "Seem really familiar...?" The two face faulted.

"How helpful," Nakamura-sensei drawled. "Anyway, Yuushi, that's Takami Reiya; Reiya, that's Oshitari Yuushi. You two are partners."

A moment of silence, and the clock could be heard ticking steadily...

"Yuushi?" Reiya asked incredulously.

"Reiya?" he asked simultaneously. They looked at each other again.

"Seriously?"

Suddenly, Reiya laughed.

"Pfft, what's with those glasses, Yuushi? I didn't recognize you because of them!" Yuushi felt that he should be offended. He rather liked his glasses.

"Like you can talk," he retorted. "Since when did you wear glasses?"

"Since my eyes went bad," Reiya answered. "But you, on the other hand, last time I remember you had perfect vision. Are those glasses even real?"

"..." His silence confirmed her suspicions.

"They aren't are they," she stated.

"...To me, my glasses are a part of my body, so they are completely genuine. There is nothing fake about them."

"..." Reiya was giving him a weird look.

"Shut up."

"I didn't even say anything," she protested. "And you seem way crankier than I remember you to be. What happened to your cool, collected attitude?"

"Clearly you have never been with Nakamura-sensei before competitions on her Music Training Spree from Hell."

Reiya laughed, not noticing that he looked dead serious, before his words registered in her head.

"Wait a minute, competition?!" She rounded on her teacher accusingly. "You told me it was just a recital!"

"Oh did I?" Nakamura-sensei feigned ignorance. "Well, it's too late to back out now, I already sent in your forms."

Reiya gaped at her. "No way..." Her teacher just smiled, and Reiya noticed her childhood friend slowly backing away.

"Oi, Yuushi... You're not going leave me here are you?" He just shook his head.

"Look at Nakamura-sensei!" Reiya glanced at her creepy smile. "We are so going to die."

"Especially you, Reiya," he added. "If you're still the lazy girl I remember."

Reiya gulped.

5 hours later...

"Okay, review these things for the next lesson!"

Reiya and Yuushi lay on the floor, looking completely dead and their spirits floating over their heads. Nakamura-sensei stared at them disapprovingly.

"You can't be that tired," she said. "My teacher would have me practicing 24/7 on weekends."

We really are that tired, you old hag! the two thought in their minds, though they were smart enough not to voice it.

Their teacher turned to exit the room.

"Well, I'll see you at the next lesson."

"Right," replied Reiya tiredly. "Next Sunday, right?"

"Of course not!" Nakamura-sensei exclaimed. "Do you really think you can get this piece up to perfection with once a week lessons?! It'll be this Wednesday, of course. 4:00, don't be late!"

There were a few moments of silence after they heard the door slam shut.

"So Reiya," Yuushi started. "I didn't know that you lived in Tokyo. When did you move from Osaka?"

"Last year," she mumbled.

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "You know, they sounded very panicked when they called me. Said you'd disappeared or something. Like you left without a single word?"

"Ah..." Reiya started to feel a little guilty. "My parents told me to come back to Kanagawa. Not sure why they cared though," she muttered the last part. "Anyway, how are the others doing? Don't tell me they decided to move too."

"Fine," he replied. "They also miss you. You should go visit them; they're still in Osaka. I hear they're also regulars on their tennis team." He observed that the girl seemed to suddenly shrink at his words. He sighed.

"Still haven't gone back to tennis?" Reiya shook her head. "Have you held a tennis racket since then?" She hesitated, then nodded. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? At least that's some progress." She winced.

Yeah... Well, my right hand at least. I don't think I can handle my left hand yet, she thought privately.

He stood up suddenly.

"Play a match with me." Reiya frowned.

"What?"

"You promised me a match, remember? Back then."

"So you play tennis?" The dark haired boy asked Reiya. She shrugged.

"I used to."

"Why not anymore?"

"Well," she laughed sheepishly. "You know me. Lazy and all." He frowned, getting the feeling that she wasn't telling him the real reason.

"You should play a game with me," he suggested.

"Someday, maybe."

She blinked.

"You still remember that?" Yuushi pushed up his glasses.

"Of course I do." She grinned, feeling slightly excited. The anticipation of a match seemed to well up inside of her. Then she glanced at the time. Four-fifteen?! She scrambled to her feet in panic.

"Wait a minute, I can't," said Reiya as she started hurriedly gathering her things.

"Why not?"

"I have to make dinner today! Sorry, maybe next time!" She dashed to the door and shoved her feet into her shoes. "Thank you for having me!"

Yuushi was left staring at the door, blinking. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone before dialing a number.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Yuushi? It's been a while. So what is it?"

"I saw Reiya today."

"Reiya... You mean Reiya as in... that Rei-chan?!"

"Yes."

"What?! How's she doing?"

"Still the same girl we know and love. Oh, and still cute too~ Right?"

"Why the hell are you asking me?!"

"Well... I thought you liked her?"

"Shut up!"

Reiya just barely remembered her manners before rushing out of the house. If I hurry, I might make it for the four-thirty train.

She stole a glance at her black wristbands pensively, then shook her head furiously. No, I can't. It wouldn't be training, otherwise. Then, a thought struck her. Training? What am I training for? She looked down at her watch.

"Argh! Now isn't the time to be thinking that!"

Reiya plopped down onto the seat in relief. Phew, I barely made it. She glanced down. But my body is killing me! She cried internally.

The girl somehow made it home and uttered a quiet, "Tadaima." Pulling off her shoes, she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She looked at the note on the refrigerator from her parents and sighed. No surprise, really. They're always gone. She shook the thought away.

"Alright, what should I make?" she mused.

Dinner, as always, awkward and silent except for the sound of the silverware and the plates. Even the two siblings lived in the same house, it was like they were in different worlds. Reiya's brother usually pretended that she didn't exist, and vise versa. She really couldn't blame him.

Meanwhile, said person was currently pondering the manager problem. Someone who's not a fangirl... he mused.

The sleeve of Reiya's shirt slid down her arm as she ate, and at that moment, he caught a glimpse of the black bands on her wrists. He froze as as recognition washed over him. Those... are the ones that I gave her. How long has it been since I saw them?

The eight year old girl beamed at his present.

"Thank you so much, Sei-chan! I'll never take them off." He smiled back brightly.

"You're welcome." After a certain event took place a few years later, he never saw them again.

He gazed out the window, watching as the familiar colored hair swayed with every swing of her racket.

Is that—? He thought in shock. He continued to look out the window for a long time, completely forgetting about the homework that he was supposed to finish.

He made a split second decision.

"Reiya." The girl froze and looked up from her plate, an expression of disbelief in her eyes. Is he really... actually speaking to me?

"Uh, yes?" she answered hesitantly.

"Come to tennis courts on Monday." Reiya frowned.

"What? Why?"

"We need a manager." She immediately shook her head.

"No, I can't. I gave up tennis a long time ago."

"Is that so? And the swings you do everyday? The weights that you're wearing? Those aren't for tennis?" Her eyes widened.

"How did you—?" He stood up.

"If you change your mind, remember, 3:00 on Monday." He walked away with his plate and silverware in hand. Reiya looked down at the black bands on her wrists.

Can I— can I really go back to tennis?