I would like to thank those who have added my story into your fav and alert list, and also for your patience. Feel so happy! ^^

Special thanks to angelg0722 and Velvetyy for the reviews! Glad you've liked them :)

The previous chapters had been reedited...more because of some grammar mistakes and to make the story flow better. This chapter is quite lengthy, so be warned! o.o" I've only done it to portray the characters' emotions more. Hope it doesn't confuse you (insert awkward laugh)

Remember, R&R makes me happy but don't feel pressured to do so. I like to hear what you think of the chapter(s) and perhaps an advice or two ;)

Akemi stood stock-still on the spot, unaware of the eyes resting on her rigid form for her mind had completely frozen up.

It was awhile before she regained the use of her voice.

"Excuseme?" she whispered briskly in a tone barely perceived by the human ears.

"Sorry?" Yukimura tried.

His words seemed to have an effect on her as Akemi started and blinked furiously. With a hint of embarrassment, she realised their hands were clasped in a loose handshake of some sort, and swiftly snatched her hand back as if touched by something hot.

"That's…what I just said…" Akemi managed to say after a few moments of silence, rubbing her hand subconsciously. She frowned deeply at him as the initial shock slowly ebbed away to be replaced by suspicion.

Akemi looked from the captain to her neighbour, to the others huddling behind, and then finally to Yagyuu who had caught up with her.

Judging by their expressions, everyone looked just as surprised at the news as the next person.

Well 'everyone', except Sanada and the boy with his eyes perpetually shut, and whose facial features remained passive throughout the whole exchange.

After what seemed like years, the vice-captain made a move to stand beside Yukimura, startling everyone back to reality.

"Did you not write a letter requesting to be a short-term manager of the tennis club for work experience?" Sanada asked, earning a puzzled look from Akemi. "Then, slipped it into Seiichi's locker?"

With slightly sweaty hands, Akemi took the offered letter and unfolded it to read.

She gave no signs of acknowledgement when the redhead started to comment on how convenient it would be to have someone looking after them and paying for all their snacks (mostly sweets) and drinks, or how the boy with the wild mop of black hair was agreeing eagerly to every word spurting from the redhead's mouth.

Akemi remained in a stunned silence as she stared unblinkingly at her own signature – the mark that bound her to the letter typed out on a computer.

'And my, are her knuckles beginning to turn white?' Yukimura could not help but note with slight amusement.

Behind her, Yagyuu was subtly backpedaling, sensing an ominous aura beginning to rise from his classmate. If there's a way to explain the feeling, it's like watching a tigress waking up from a hundred years slumber.

"This…th-th-th-this is my signature…" she rasped, squinting at the scrawling as if her eyes could penetrate the flimsy piece of paper and scan for false alarms. But Akemi knew it was her signature even at first glance. "There's no doubt…but…"

"Akemi-san," Sanada ignored the sniggers behind him. "Did you or did you not write this letter?"

"No!" she snapped, startling him (although his face remained impassive).

Akemi flushed at her outburst and quickly apologised before scowling at the letter once more.

"No offense meant, but –" she swallowed with difficulty in an effort to calm herself. But the guys could clearly see she was ticked off. "I never have any intentions to become your manageress – or any other clubs' for that matter. If I wanted work experience, I would have looked elsewhere in the city."

Akemi pressed a palm against the spot where she could feel a dull hammering in her skull. She's tired from the lack of sleep and confused beyond any doubts, and the combination frustrated her even more after bumping into that rude guy.

The boys sent each other subtle glances, hoping someone would speak up. After seeing the fiery temper beneath the polite exterior, they were slightly wary of attempting to calm her down; even Sanada could not deny that he was slightly perturbed.

Yukimura who remained the calmest of them all, could feel everyone's pleading eyes boring on his back. He sighed inwardly, seeing no other way out and he held the responsibility of buchou. Planting his trademark smile and hoping his 'cool' attitude that never failed him would work, he turned to her.

"I really apologise for putting you in this mess, No-"

"Akemi" she interjected automatically, holding a hand up. "I am well aware of the commonly accepted etiquette in Japan dictates otherwise. But I find people calling me by my last name weird." She might never get used to it. "Honorifics – that, I can tolerate. Please, call me Akemi."

'Interesting…' Yukimura mused with a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. No wonder the usually stiff and somewhat of a tradition-practitioner fukubuchou referred to her by first name. "Well then, Akemi-san. I do apologise on behalf of the rest of the tennis club for the trouble that we have caused you," he said, bowing deeply.

The entire team waited with bated breath for a response – well, any kind for that matter – from Akemi.

They didn't have to wait long when she finally spoke in a voice that had some of the old confidence back before she met that accursed bloke.

Yagyuu noted with relief that her initial temper was gone.

"Apologies accepted," she sighed wearily, hands on hips and an arched eyebrow. "However, I do believe that this might have been a prank."

"I agree with Akemi-san's logic," the perpetually-closed-eyes-guy piped up from amongst the rest of the boys. Akemi turned her attention to him, never letting go of her current pose. "Judging by her account as well as Yukimura's, there is a 70% chance that it was a practical joke."

"What's the 30%?" Akemi asked without a beat, hands rolled up into tight fists.

Her foul mood returning, if the tensed jaws of any indication.

"That your account is true until proven so." Yanagi calmly beat her off from another retort. "However, there is a higher chance the prankster is a member of our team and a classmate of yours."

Akemi felt her eyebrows sprang up.

All of them (apart from her) knew at that moment where their data man was going with those words. Their only hope was for Akemi to catch the right trail.

At that point, there was a spluttering noise, followed by the rustle of leaves from one of the trees behind her. Apart from Akemi who was deeply immersed in her own thoughts, the other regulars knew who made that noise. The redhead, shaved-one, and messy-mop-boy slowly inched away from the deadly aura that Sanada was emanating. Only the other two monsters stood calmly beside him; Yanagi with his book and pen out recording the day's drama, and Yukimura with his trademark smile (although there was something behind that smile which made the other three boys back even further).

The only one who looked (at least outwardly) as calm as the two was Yagyuu.

But knowing exactly who the prankster did not help ease the unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach, and it was worsening as each second went by. When her brown eyes darted to his figure, every organ inside him seemed to have frozen. He would have jumped here and there shouting at the top of his voice that he was innocent, but that would be out of character for him.

As it was, he was pinned down by her cold, hard stare. He knew what was coming, and instantly regretted telling her about his involvement in the tennis club during their walk to the courts.

It was not obvious, but Yagyuu thought that there was a brief flash of hurt in her eyes before she narrowed them in a full glare.

"Why, Yagyuu-san?" she whispered, as a chorus of "Ehh?" came from the others. Akemi thought that those were voices of disbelief –betrayal even –that her very class president would pull a prank on her.

Well, that was what she firmly believed. Should she turn her attention to the remaining regulars though, Akemi would have seen the redhead, shaved-one and mop-haired-boy waving and shaking their heads frantically in sync, and the neutral expressions of the other three (although Sanada was turning into an odd combination of red and purple).

Yagyuu was about to respond to her accusation but she left no room for anymore interferences.

"You tricked me using that form didn't you?"

"Akemi-san"

She ignored the voice, feeling the blooming headache smashing her skull to bits.

"I never signed anything since registering at the school last week, and I doubt the principal is childish enough to play a trick on one of his students." She met with the principal for matriculation purposes.

"Akemi-san"

If possible, that throbbing pain grew ten times worse and Akemi had only a fraction of control before breaking out into a fire ball of anger.

"The only time..." she said through gritted teeth.

Yagyuu at that point felt that anything he might say would worsen the situation. So he stayed quiet and still as a tree on a fine day. Oh, if only he could stop his insides from trembling from under Akemi's glare. Truth be told, he had never met a woman that could closely match his mother's ability.

"...I gave my signature was when you told me that there is a trip to the sea world, and Miyagi-sensei was asking for signatures of those who want to come along. You're a sly person, Yagyuu-san. I thought better of you - the well-respected class president."

This time the silence that followed was – how should she describe it – awkward? Tense?

The man before her had turned into a marble statue (figuratively speaking).

Painfully slow, Akemi realised that she might have gotten the wrong person. She argued with herself on the benefits of standing firm on her belief or flee back home. The latter looked very attractive indeed; noticing the body languages of everyone around her.

While Yagyuu was as pale as sheet, Akemi was, in contrast, turning into a bright shade of red resembling a cherry – and if she was to keep holding her breath in silent prayer like that, an over-ripened cherry.

Now that wasn't a pleasant sight to behold.

Fortunately for all of them, Yukimura who seemed to be the only one unfazed by the whole situation broke off the tension. When he spoke, she realised that it was his voice that had been drilling a ten-inch nail through her skull.

"I think you have the wrong person in mind, Akemi-san," he said, rather calmly and even with his trademark smile given the current situation.

While Akemi was reverting back to her original shade of pale skin and was now facing the buchou, Yagyuu remained as stiff as a board.

"Yagyuu-kun isn't the type of person who will commit such things."

Though the captain's manner of speaking was rather delicate, his voice never wavered even the slightest when he defended his teammate.

"Everyone here can testify to that."

There was a firm chorus of agreement following that statement. Everyone's held onto it firmly just as she did when Yagyuu was wrongly accused by her.

Akemi bit her lip nervously; her cheeks flushed deeply as she fiddle with the hem of her skirt. If she had the power, she would just phase into the concrete beneath her and remain there for the rest of her life without a second thought.

Sensing no remorse coming from any of them, she eventually bowed her head in shame.

"I do apologise if I've offended you all - particularly you, Yagyuu-san," she added to the bespectacled class president, bending her back into the perfect bow just as it was drilled into her head. "I'm really sorry for what I have said. Please forgive me."

When there was no reply (seeing as Yagyuu had not recover), Akemi started to worry she might have gained seven nemesis only on her second day of school.

'Not like I want one to start with!' Akemi screamed, sending the look of a damsel in distress to the only other person she knew who could help her - if he was willing to after this whole shamble.

Whatever aura Sanada had been subconsciously sending off disappeared with a poof. He briefly glanced at her before heading to where his poor team mate was.

"Akemi-san," started Yukimura, making Akemi jumped at his voice.

She wheeled around to face away from Yagyuu just as the fukubuchou struck the bespectacled tennis player hard across the face.

Yukimura smiled inwardly to himself at his success in diverting her attention away for that moment.

"Yagyuu-san!" Akemi exclaimed in utter shock, fretting over him. She glared at Sanada who merely looked away in disinterest. "Was that necessary?"

Yukimura chuckled at the scene before him. "All of us – Yagyuu-kun included – understand this...ahh...practical joke has caused you a lot of needless distress, and for that I accept your apologies on the team's behalf." He then looked to Yagyuu as though to see if he agreed with him.

"Ah," he nodded firmly, adjusting his glasses.

"Thank you," Akemi sighed in relief, but she had yet to settle her current predicament. "If you don't mind if I push you for an answer…who IS this person that started this nonsense?"

And there it was again, the same rustling of leaves from the trees.

Only this time, it was louder and much more frantic, prompting everyone to look up at the tree in question, including the three boys to come out from their hidey-hole (which turned out to be behind the safety of the tennis court's fence).

Quick as a flash, Sanada grabbed one of the tennis balls that was lying innocently on a nearby bench and his racquet, before launching the ball at the direction of the trembling leaves.

Akemi was left flabbergasted at the speed in which he did that, wondering if he and the thing that fell off from the tree into the bushes below in blur of black and yellow were humans.

There was a loud and colourful curse followed by a scrambling sound which stopped as soon as it had started.

The silence grew until the bushes moved with a rustle and out pop another human being from behind the foliage.

Sanada wasted no time, and began rolling up his sleeves as he marched towards the perpetrator.

"NIOU MASAHARU!"

XXX

Two silhouettes slightly distorted by the summer heat were slowly diminishing into the setting sun.

Or, if one put it in a different perspective; two high school students both donning the Rikkai uniform, were making their way back home from afternoon tennis practice.

The silence which stretched between them was becoming too disconcerting for one of the two who always wore his spiky silver-gray hair in a rat-tail style.

'Ceh! Is he still bothered by the whole thing?' Niou vented a sigh. Deciding to break the 'dead' atmosphere, he crossed his arm behind his head and asked, "When was the last time you were accused or blamed for something?"

The man in question stopped dead in his tracks – causing Niou to do the same – before turning around to face him.

"When?" Yagyuu echoed in a slightly dazed tone. "Since never," and without a word he turned (well more like staggered) around and continued to walk down the row of houses.

Niou sighed wearily, catching up to join his best friend at his side. "You know it's not bad to experience something new like getting wrongly accused for something you did not do."

"I know," came the casual reply, which really put off Niou; for he had thought that Yagyuu was holding a grudge against him for the whole prank. He should have trusted his own best friend to be more mature.

"Stop blaming yourself, Niou-kun," Yagyuu said, adjusting his glasses. "It doesn't change anything. What happened – happened…and I did not disagree with you that the whole situation was quite traumatic from the start."

"Heh, wasn't it? The look on her face was priceless though. I got what I want in the end," he sniggered, rubbing his palms.

"Oh? Which was to find a way to cough up 2250 yen before we all head to Tokyo Sea Life Park*?" Niou made a gagging sound. "Plus…"

XXX

(Three hours ago….)

"…an additional lunch payment!" huffed Akemi; arms crossed over her stomach as she stood tall before Niou who sported two extremely bright red marks on each side of his face.

Behind her, Sanada nodded in agreement at her punishment which Yukimura had authorised as long as it wouldn't conclude in early deaths. They needed Niou for the National Tournament after all.

"Mine that is," she gestured at herself, "That will teach you a lesson from crossing MY line. I don't care if you were suffering from some sort of dilemma worthy of a Shakespeare production, cross that line again and I will ignore my agreement with your buchou. I don't even care if I'm sending you to that National Tournament in a mush."

They might have met each other only a couple of times, but Niou wondered if Sanada had badly influenced her in terms of his so called 'death aura'. He briefly caught Yukimura's gaze, and although the buchou had been wearing the same smile throughout the conversation, he knew that underneath that calm and wise exterior, was that stern and fear-inducing nature of his which he always demonstrate in the courts without fail –something which they revered.

Right now, it was fear, but Niou was not about to admit it.

Akemi readjusted her arms so that her hands now rested on her hips. "You-!"

GGGGRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOORRRRRRR

"Ah-hhh-hhh ummmm-mmm th-th-tha-at is…" she stuttered, blinking rapidly as her face flushed brilliantly.

"Wooooooahhhhh! I have never heard such a loud rumble!" Marui gasped; appearing out of nowhere in front of her and staring at her stomach in wander.

"Hey!" Akemi quickly stepped aside to avoid him poking at her. 'Mou! What's up with him? Always seem to be overexcited ever since Yukimura-san introduced everyone.'

"I'm guessing you haven't had anything to eat since school ended," Yagyuu assumed.

"N-no," she admitted sheepishly. "I only had an apple since I was only a bit peckish during lunch break. Didn't bring lunch with me today…." the next few words were lost on them as she continued whispering away.

"I see. Then I'll pay for your lunch at a nearby café," he offered, ignoring her protest as he took out his wallet. "Just take it as an apology for not keeping Niou-kun under my watch today."

Akemi bit her lips, unsure of what to do next. She felt guilty for the slap and the false accusation, but allowing him to buy her lunch was just wrong. However after seeing Sanada's encouraging nod and sensing the bespectacled gentleman was not about to back down, she relented hesitatingly.

"Okay, you win," she conceded glumly, but later put on a smile of gratitude as she accepted the money. Yagyuu was definitely not a bad person in her books. 'That guy however…' her eyes slid to where Niou was looking quite put off he was no longer part of the conversation.

Right then, Marui had a different idea. It was a chance that he would not miss it for the world.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! If you're going to Café Stellar, can you get me three slices of double chocolate gateau, six fruit tarts and -!"

"Where are you going to get the money from, Bunta?" asked Jackal in an exasperated manner. "You spent your entire week of allowance at that sweets shop earlier."

"B-but they were having offers! It was buy ten for the price of eight packs on all items!" he said in a way as though that would settle the matter.

"I'm sorry, but I'm quite tight on budgets as well, so you will have to make do with just two slices of double chocolate gat-!" he nearly choked when Marui suddenly pounced on him, shouting thank yous on top of his lungs and squeezing him a bit too tightly in a bear hug.

"You're suffocating him, Marui-san," said Akemi worriedly, giving Jackal a hand at pulling the redhead away from Yagyuu who uttered a quick thank you himself. 'With characters like him and HIM, one wonders how they even get through practices, and still get into the finals,' she mentally shook her head. "Shall we go now, Yagyuu-san?"

"Ah, about that…I was wondering if you could do the honour of getting yourself and Marui-kun's cakes instead." Akemi gave him a puzzled look. "I would accompany you any time but now. You see, the café is popular with…ahhhh…certain group of girls that can get too…ummm...'troublesome' if they see you with me or any other member of the regulars for that matter. The café is quite a hot spot for students after school."

It took only a few seconds for that to click in her head.

"Fan girls?" she said in a deadpanned manner.

"According to my data, there are a quite a number of girls belonging to such subgroup of the female species that tends to hang out at the café," Yanagi inserted out of the blue.

'Did he just say according to his data?' she wondered in complete bafflement.

"You will have 75% chances of surviving this week if they see you walking in with Yagyuu."

"That's…quite overkill, isn't it?" she raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"Better safe than sorry, Akemi-san," Yukimura smiled which made Akemi felt a strange sense of foreboding. "Why don't you head off now, we're slightly far behind our schedule as it is."

Ah, she's delaying their practice.

"You're welcome to watch the practice when you're back with Marui's cakes."

"Thank you, but I really need to head home before my mum calls out a search party," she rejected the offer politely, "I'll just pop back with the cakes and take my leave. Just out of curiosity, if you guys are so popular with girls why don't I see a single hair of them around here?"

Akemi thought that there was a slight hint of shrewdness when he smiled at her question.

"I simply asked them not to disturb us for the coming days until the National Tournament's over. They understand how much it means to us."

Akemi made a long 'hmm' sound. There was that small voice in her head telling her that there was more to tell than his tale. However, she was not one to pry and left at it.

"That's good, because if they're as bad as you have described them, I think it is better that they are not around when I return." With a bow, she turned around before saying, "I'll be back as soon as I can. And thanks for the treat," she added to Yagyuu with a nod of her head.

"You're welcome, Akemi-san."

"You BETTER hurry up!" Marui shouted on top of his voice, waving exuberantly over his head.

"I will!" Akemi called back over her shoulders. 'Wonder how much sugars he takes in each day,' she shook her head at the fellow second year before heading (with the help of a hastily drawn map) off to Café Stellar.

As soon as she had disappeared around a corner, Sanada immediately reverted to fukubuchou mode and ordered everyone to do fifty laps around the courts, with the exception of Niou who had to do triple of that.

While the rest prepared for their warm up (Niou begrudgingly), Yanagi finally looked up from where he was scribbling in his notebook. "Why didn't you ask her back then?" He and Yukimura were the only ones still standing at the place where Akemi had left.

There was a slight twitch in the corner of his smile. "She needs a little more persuasion, but I'll let slip when she's back."

XXX

Maps were definitely a blessing.

Akemi pushed past the glassed door of Café Stellar, before taking in a deep breath as she stepped inside.

'Definitely smells like heaven,' she dreamily thought, giving the bitter aroma of coffee another sniff.

She glanced around the crowded room. There were chatters, laughs and giggles, and the occasional clink of china.

Akemi noted that the place was filled to the brim with Rikkai students.

'This place must earn loads,' her eyes roamed the board above the barista bar, 'Yikes, no doubt they do. Their stuffs are ridiculously expensive! Now I feel even worse for using Yagyuu-san's allowance on overpriced sandwich,' she added as a barista asked for her order.

After a thought flashed through her mind, she rummaged around her own wallet before adding a large English Breakfast Tea to the order. 'It'll at least do for now as thanks for his kindness. I've yet to properly apologise for last Friday,' the receipt crumpled as she squeezed her hand in determination, 'I'll do it later.'

"Do you remember the way Sanada-kun answered Saotome's question…erm what was it on agai-?"

"Who cares? His voice…the deep voice of his is soooooooooo dreamy!"

'Saotome-sensei's or Genichiro-san's?' Akemi thought drily, catching the conversation of the group of loud girls who sat near the windows. It didn't take a genius to know they were the fangirls Yagyuu had warned her about.

The previous comment on her neighbour's voice was followed closely by a chorus of high-pitch squeals, prompting a few glares from the tables around them.

"Marui-kun was sooooooooo (Akemi had to stop herself from banging her head on the counter) adorable when he apologised to Miyagi-sensei for breaking the burette," a girl gushed dreamily, batting her fake eyelashes.

"Kirihara-kun's red cheeks when Inoue-sensei told him off for failing in his English test again! I could just pinch them forever!"

After more squeals and glares followed by a stern warning from the café's manager if they disrupt the silence with their fangirling one more time and a murmur of apologies, Akemi wondered how many more fan girls the school contained.

Come to think of it, there were three or four girls in her class that wouldn't stop throwing glances at the back of her class president and the person she now knew (with hatred) as Niou. She silently prayed that there was all to it in their fangirling games.

"Here's your order, miss. Thank you for coming and we hope to see you again soon!" the overly cheerful barista smiled and bowed to her.

"Will do!" 'NOT!'

Akemi quickly exited the café, sighing in relief as though she had escaped from a warzone.

"I don't think I will be hearing properly for days," she grumbled, banging her ear lightly as though it would rid the remaining sounds of the café plus the irritating squeals.

Akemi turned on her heels, one arm cradling the sandwich and cakes while her other free hand held Yagyuu's tea.

Upon returning to the tennis courts, it was to find that most of the regulars were already separated into their respective areas for practising.

Yukimura and Yanagi were the only ones observing the various activities, but the closest to her from this distance was their buchou. The latter was busily observing Sanada and Kirihara's match.

At first, Akemi thought that he didn't notice as she walked up to him, until he greeted her cheerfully; nearly sending her ten feet into the air.

"Ah, you're back," he smiled.

Akemi inhaled deeply before nodding; her heart beating erratically.

"These are for Marui-san," she tilted her head at the small cardboard box in her arms. Yukimura quickly relieved her of the box which had been poking at her skin during the entire journey back to the school. "And can you please tell Yagyuu-san this is on me?" she handed the tea, smiling sheepishly. "It's for the misunderstanding."

"Of course," he replied as they walked to a bench together and carefully deposited the items on it.

There was a pause.

Akemi had a weird feeling that he wanted to say something, so she waited patiently as he straightened back up.

"I'm quite glad you've survived the trip to the café. I heard from Marui-kun it's hard to find a table during this time of the day. Never been in there myself," he chuckled light-heartedly.

"You have no idea," she chuckled darkly. "I've also seen the fan girls you had warned me about. Let me tell you this, they have their brains wired the wrong way – no offence meant," she quickly added, unsure if Yukimura was the type of person who basked in the glory of fan girls screaming his name like the end was nigh.

"None taken, Akemi-san," Yukimura assured with a smile. "Which makes you different from them."

"Very sure," she replied shortly, distracted by Sanada's and Kirihara's match.

"Your personality is different from theirs too."

"I'm glad."

"It is quite admirable…"

There was another long pause.

Akemi turned her gaze away from the ongoing match and frowned at him suspiciously.

"What are you getting at?"

XXX

That night, Akemi couldn't sleep.

Her mind was full of the day's events, but more specifically the conversation she had with Yukimura.

Based on Yanagi and his own observations, she was offered to join the tennis club as team manageress. At first, she was quite polite at declining. But after shooting down every reasons she could think of until the last few ones sounded even rubbish to her own ears, the buchou still did not back down.

That left a fuming Akemi who only needed another nudge to loss control.

XXX

"You don't have to make an immediate decision," he had smiled brightly.

"It sounds like I don't even have one to begin with," she huffed irritably.

"Don't say it that way," he chuckled sheepishly. "Why don't we make a deal?" Akemi raised an eyebrow but nodded for him to continue. "You have until the Monday that is two weeks from now to give me an answer. Until then, you're more than welcomed to watch the afternoon practice sessions and next Saturday's final match, so that you can at least experience the atmosphere. Also, we're having a friendly match with Hyotei in Tokyo this Saturday. So if you're free in the afternoon, you can join us," he paused a bit. Akemi thought that it was more for a dramatic effect if anything. "Maybe coming to watch us will change your mind about becoming our manageress."

She racked her brain for more excuses.

Why she was rejecting his offer though? He was right about experiences. Akemi had considered joining this and that clubs, but never gave each a serious thought.

'Maybe it won't turn out as bad as I've imagined.'

"Alright, you win," she sighed in resignation.

"That's great." His smiled widened further. "Practice is at 4:15pm every afternoon including weekends. You don't have to come to every one of them,"he added the latter as an afterthought.

"Good. Because I don't think I can make it on Saturday for your friendly match," she informed, adjusting her school bag's strap. "My father's old university friend invited our family for dinner with his in Tokyo. So…I won't make a promise, but I'll pop down to this Hyotei for a bit."

"Thank you very much, Akemi-san," he smiled gratefully.

"You never give me a proper reason why you needed one to begin with."

There was a long pause.

This time, she thought that there was a bit of pain behind his voice when he spoke.

"We're not perfect human beings."

XXX

Akemi groaned in annoyance, hitting the soft pillow with her forehead.

"That doesn't tell me anything!"

*The total entrance fee for all nine of them was calculated based on Tokyo Sea Life Park's website. (yes, it's real! ;D)