Many thanks for the reviews, favs and follow! I love you guys! Thanks for waiting too! (so many exclamation marks *sheepish laugh*)

Without further ado, let's start Monday with a new chapter! Hope you'll like it

PS. I suggest playing the Bach piece during one of the scenes in here ;)

Thursday

In a blink of an eye, half a week was gone.

The scorching heat was ever relentless, forcing pedestrians to seek shelter for a short rest before resuming their journeys on foot. One bus stop in the city centre was heaving with people due to this reason alone, such that a certain high school girl spent an excruciating minute squeezing through the disgusting mass of sweaty bodies just so she could get out of the way.

There's a shopping mall right behind this bus stop, and it is here two tennis regulars were hanging out at the arcade afterschool. Although as the senpai of the two reminded, they weren't supposed to be here.

"I still think this is a bad idea. Akemi-chan will get mad if she catches you here," Marui cautioned, lounging lazily on the mock motorcycle sitting beside the machine occupied by the freshman. Since there's nothing to do before club activities, the redhead had tagged along after Kirihara suggested skiving off English tutoring session. Anyway, someone needed to be the voice of reason.

But the freshman heeded none of them.

"No way! I am not getting another scolding over trivial matters!" Kirihara argued stubbornly, scowling at the battle scene unfolding on the screen as his hands busied with the controls. "Yesterday she told me off for writing like a nursery kid, and asked me to redo everything! ("You don't really have the best handwriting though," Marui pointed out) On top of that, she gave me more assignments! What's the point when she doesn't check them properly?"

Kirihara was miffed. He'd spent many back-breaking hours, shedding sweat and tears (when he pictured his neck getting snapped) instead of levelling up on his new (neglected) game, only for his senpai to skim through his assignment and return them with a grunt less than ten seconds later.

If that was only a once in a lifetime occurrence, he would have been fine with it. But after three consecutive days, the disgruntled freshman decided to skip today's hellish lesson with an equally hellish senpai for the sake of his sanity (whatever was left of it).

"Don't say I didn't warn you though," the redhead sighed resignedly, swinging his legs off the motorcycle. He glanced over his shoulder. "I'm going to get a drink from the vending machine. Do you want me to get one for you too while I'm there?"

Kirihara mumbled an affirmation in a distracted manner. His subconscious mind fleetingly registered the absence of Marui before his soul was sucked back into the two-dimensional world projected on the screen. Noises drifting from the other gamers and machines around him gradually melded into a dull buzzing in the background as he became increasingly immersed in the game. But before he lost himself completely in the two-dimensional world, he felt someone tapped his shoulder.

"Get lost! Go find another machine – this one's taken!" he brusquely snapped. His heart thumped excitedly, sensing a victory was not far now. Just needed a jump here, a skid around the monster there –

The tapping returned.

"Didn't I say get lost!?"

Without tearing his eyes off the screen, Kirihara roughly slapped the irksome hand away and swiftly returned to control the pixelated hero. But that one crucial moment allowed the grotesque club-wielding boss monster to deal a critical blow. The freshman swore colourfully, his clammy hands becoming increasingly frantic as he struggled to outmanoeuvre the boss-monster that was giving chase relentlessly.

Oh, and speaking of relentless.

That prodding resumed its quest to annoy the freshman, despite the hostility in his voice earlier. But this time, the hand forgone tapping his shoulder and went instead with jabbing – and by all means, it wasn't being very gentle.

Kirihara stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the mockingly bright letters blinking back at him on the screen; hands hovering over the controls and mouth agape. Sluggishly at first, the gears in his brain kicked back into motion. Then, eyes ablaze with fury and fists clenched in a futile attempt to stop them shaking, the enraged freshman spun on his heels, ready to confront that imbecile who dared to snatch away a victory that was just a hair breadth's away.

"Look at what you did! I'm going to crush you! I will – !" He stiffened in horror, the rest of his threats abruptly died in his throat as he gaped unashamedly at the least person he wanted to be in the same room.

Arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed into a deep scowl, Akemi looked none too pleased at him and everything that's happening around her.

"A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-kemi s-senpai!" he squeaked, hastily withdrawing his fist as though touched by a hot object. He stood up straighter, knees beginning to quake underneath. "Wh-what a coincidence, senpai! Are you here for the games as well?" he chucked nervously; a pool of sweat steadily forming at his feet.

Returning from the vending machine, Marui froze in his steps upon noticing their manageress standing before the freshman. Thank goodness he didn't drop the two cans and bag of sweets. He glanced frantically about for an escape route, but too late he was for Akemi spotted him not a moment later.

One look and he knew they're both in hot water.

XXX

The bus ride back to Rikkai was nerve-rackingly silent.

Akemi, worn-out from tracking down her pesky student and his fiend of a friend, couldn't muster the energy to reprimand those two. So she settled with glaring reproachfully at the back of their sorry excuse for heads throughout the journey.

But even without words, the two tennis regulars could tell their manageress were suitably peeved at Kirihara for skipping lessons; and Marui for giving the freshman his way.

Once at their stop and off the bus, she marched them through the school gates and towards the general direction of the tennis courts. There was no point in resuming a lesson since club activity was about to start. But Akemi wasn't about to let the freshman off and asked for yesterday's assignment, which he had (fortunately) completed last night.

"I don't want reasons. Just don't skive off another lesson, Kirihara-kun. Or you will answer to your English teacher straightaway. Understand?"

Sure Akemi looked close to collapsing without a peep – what with her staggering down the path and nearly walking straight into a tree if Marui had not been quick enough to pull her away. Perhaps she was testing him – to see if he'd done his homework as promised. But it didn't make it any less annoying when she returned his work without bothering to give it a glance. Being the underclassman though, Kirihara grudgingly mumbled an affirmative, shoving the unread paper into his bag.

"Ah, and one more thing."

To his utter horror, he was given yet another absurdly thick book to read. Here he thought his senpai was taking this tutoring duty a little bit too seriously for his liking.

"You know the drill."

Too seriously

"Yes, senpai."

XXX

(End of club activity)

Since the dawn of a new week, the Rikkai tennis regulars noticed a strange (and frightening) pattern revolving around their manageress.

During the morning practices, she would be the cold-hearted manageress with a penchant for being blunt, insufferably long-winded, casually throwing threats at her unfortunate victims and handing out penalties (preference: Inui Juice) to her heart's content, and severely impatient and crossed at every little things – all these without a smidgeon of remorse.

Unsurprisingly, attendances for morning practice plummeted since; from just three or four on Monday, to a few dozens of non-regulars the next couple of days. This morning's practice saw almost half the tennis club's population missing. Sanada was furious (understatement), not least of the poor excuses they gave (oversleeping and stomach-ache were the most popular choices) after hunting down each and every one of them during lunch period.

Although her morning crankiness worsened each day, much of her foul mood disappeared at the end of morning practice as the fatigue kicked in, and she became compliant (no energy to argue) and less talkative (unless someone irked her enough to incite a wordy attack) as the day dragged on. But according to Yanagi's data, it's teetering on the edge of spilling past that short period – much to Niou's and Yagyuu's horror (both having been her latest victims for losing in their doubles match). He would be surprised if it hadn't already.

And as confirmed by Kirihara, moaning about the mountain of workload to the other regulars gathered in the clubroom after another gruelling practice, some of the cold-heartedness was seeping through that barrier.

"Probably you didn't do your homework again," Jackal said, fanning himself with the front of his polo shirt; it's boiling in there despite the ceiling fans were on. "So she's giving you extra as punishment." He shrugged his shoulders, silently telling him to get over it.

"But I did!" Kirihara defended hotly, flailing his arms about as though to prove his point (an exasperated Jackal was nearly hit on the head). "Ask Marui-senpai! She doesn't check them properly anymore. And only just now, she didn't even look at my work at all! Yet, I still have to do her assignments every single day!"

"TARUNDORU, Akaya!" Sanada admonished before Marui could open his mouth, slamming the door of his locker shut with unnecessary force. Crossing his arms, he turned around to glare reproachfully at the youngest regular of their team. "She has the responsibility as tutor to make sure your English is up to standards!"

"Maybe Akemi-chan's trying to beat Sanada out of the heartless category?"

Said fukubuchou's stance indomitable stance faltered a little.

"Eh? Who on Earth wants that kind of position?"

"Only someone as stupid as Noda would."

"That isn't nice, Niou-kun."

Leaning casually against the lockers, Yukimura chuckled light-heartedly as a heated-discussion amongst his peers raged on. "Isn't this a nice atmosphere?" He glanced over at the stoic vice-captain who was shaking violently on the spot in an effort to reign in his temper.

"Or maybe, she's fed up with the menial tasks buchou keeps giving her? Akemi-senpai didn't look too happy when he asked her to sort the club's email account earlier."

The smile on Yukimura's face stiffened subtly as the blame was (carelessly) shifted to him. Deeply engrossed in the guess-what's-peeving-the-manageress game, neither of the occupants noticed the dangerous drop in temperature in the atmosphere.

"Speaking of which – did you see the look on her face when buchou announced the casts for the play yesterday?"

The wise captain was fortunate enough to make that announcement in front of the assembled members at the end of club activities. If he had done it in the morning, his head would probably be rolling somewhere in the school grounds at the moment. But that didn't stop Akemi from going ballistic (as much as an exhausted person could) at him, especially when she's playing the main female lead opposite Niou (as if he was delighted with it too). Yukimura remained unmoved; confident the both of them were perfect for the roles. Plus, as he had reasoned numerous times, Niou's an (undeniably) excellent actor, and nobody was more suited for the role of the arrogant White King than him (the Trickster didn't know if he should be flattered).

"But that still doesn't explain her mood swings. She's a complete monster in the morning…then…erm…I honestly don't know how to describe her."

Marui opened his mouth, but Jackal (knowing what's on his mind) quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.

"A zombie?" Kirihara suggested as the redhead successfully shoved Jackal off; because she's been constantly seen lumbering through corridors as though her feet were made out of lead. That would make a lot of sense – she feeding on his misery in order to sustain herself. He chuckled hollowly at that grisly image.

"You've been playing too many games, Akaya."

"She's blood type AB – isn't she?" Marui asked, fumbling inside the contents of his bag for something in particular.

"That's what she put on the club registration form," Yanagi confirmed without looking up from his databook.

"Split personality huh?" Jackal scratched the back of his head, while Kirihara appeared nonplussed at the connection.

"Did she write that and 'loony' down too?" Niou briskly asked in a hopeful manner. He's blood type AB too, but since the subject wasn't on him, the Trickster (conveniently) disregarded it.

Nobody knew how it had happened, or perhaps they were all too focused on the debate at hand. Regardless, none of the eight esteemed regulars noticed a certain someone had entered the clubroom and was standing in their midst until she made her presence known by slamming the door behind her really, really hard.

Safe to say, their poor hearts nearly stopped beating for a moment.

"If you guys have so much time for such groundless malarkey, why don't you spend it on something more productive like hauling your butts to the classroom for the rehearsal before the sun goes down?" Akemi scowled irately; hands on her hips. She wriggled her nose at the revolting stench reeking from their bodies. "And do please take a quick shower – all of you. The heat is bad enough. I don't want to stay in the same room for more than a second with people smelling like filthy socks that have never seen a day of washing."

She briefly glanced at the items strewn across the bench beside Marui before lifting her gaze to him. "You can forget about your sweets. I'd emptied them out from your school and tennis bags (when he wasn't looking)."

"WHAT!?" the redhead shrieked incredulously. "Why would you do that, Akemi-chan!?"

"You're a high school student who should know better than to overdose on sugar," she grounded evenly, hand in the process of opening the door. "The consequences are dire. Plus those chewing gums smell awful."

Marui hobbled a step forward, seemingly used up all his energy on that shriek.

"B-but my sweets…"

"I'll be waiting at the classroom."

The door shut behind her with a dull thud – a sound which echoed awkwardly in the clubroom.

It would seem like that barrier had crumbled to dust, and to the snivelling redhead, Akemi just effortlessly trumped Sanada in the heartless category. She'd often advised him against eating too many sweets in the past, but never did anything more than exasperatedly comment on his habits.

This was completely unprecedented – but above all, an unwarranted act.

"Hmm…this is getting worrying," Yukimura mused aloud, gripping his chin in a pensive manner as he watched Kirihara and Jackal comforting the husk of a lifeless Marui. "If this goes on any longer, I shudder to think what will become of the club."

"And the entire world population," Yanagi added helpfully, recording the latest observation in his notebook.

Suddenly, Marui snapped out his stupor (startling Kirihara and Jackal) and ran up to Yukimura. "Buchou! Please! Please! Save us all!" he pleaded; voice thick with emotions.

"But we don't know what's bothering the manageress to begin with," the Rikkai captain hesitated, chuckling sheepishly.

"Buchou! Please! I have enough of it!" Kirihara joined in; his teary eyes glimmering with the tales of agony he suffered in her hands. "Akemi-senpai isn't like this at all! She used to be compromising, kind and gentle."

"Kind and gentle?" Niou echoed sceptically, swinging a towel over his shoulder. "Are we talking about the same person here? I'm confused."

"That's because she's anything but kind and gentle towards you from the get-go." Though the bespectacled Gentleman had to admit, showing favouritism was a bit unfair of Akemi just because they weren't underclassmen like Kirihara and the other first years in the club. "Now, come on." Yagyuu prodded his best friend towards the shower room.

Sanada rolled his eyes in exasperation as Kirihara and Marui pledged to commit their time and energy on the play the captain so looked forward to as return for pacifying the manageress. But the stoic vice-captain remained quiet. Admittedly, he wasn't the best man for this kind of job. (But in truth, he's extremely reluctant to interfere in his grouchy neighbour's life)

Alas, Yukimura resigned with a weary sigh, throwing his hands up. "Okay. I won't make any promises, but I'll try my best to solve this problem."

Their cheery dispositions swiftly returned. Kirihara and Marui threw their arms into the air, thanking their captain on top of their voices –

"I'll talk to her."

The clubroom immediately plunged into a dead silence.

Yukimura blinked in puzzlement, wondering why everyone was looking at him as though he'd gone mad (undoubtedly this was going through their heads). He shrugged it away, unfazed by the eyes trailing after him as he calmly headed for the showers.

He wouldn't know if he didn't try right?

All he needed was the right opportunity

And that opportunity presented itself perfectly the next day…

XXX

(Friday…afterschool)

At the sight of a certain captain standing outside the library (undoubtedly waiting for her), Akemi quickly had second thoughts about tutoring today and bolted.

Unfortunately though, Atobe spotted her just in time before she disappeared around the corner.

Despite the fact she was panting heavily as she sped through corridors after corridors, she could easily hear him vociferously demanding her to stop running away for reasons (preferably) unbeknownst to him.

And it's because he couldn't think of a single good reason why Akemi was deliberately avoiding him (eventually worked this out over the weekend), Atobe had been coming to Rikkai on his helicopter to stage a confrontation since Monday – only for her to disappear from the tennis courts without leaving a trace. He tried looking for her at the mall, supermarkets and café she frequented to no avail.

Truthfully, there were a few near misses on Wednesday. Seeing his reflection in the window while she was shopping at a supermarket gave Akemi a huge shock then. Fortunately, the place was heaving with shoppers then and Atobe was right at the back of the aisle. But getting out of the place without accidentally bumping into him was difficult.

To think all those wearisome efforts would dissuade him enough, she was so wrong.

Perhaps, Akemi pondered as her adrenaline-driven legs took her up another floor, blocking his number was a bad idea. But his incessant calls and texts demanding for answers were getting very annoying (slightly childish reasoning).

If anything, it only riled up that vehement inferno currently giving chase.

'Damn it! How did he know where to find me? I never told him anything apart from being appointed as Kirihara-kun's tutor.' (Atobe might have had asked Yanagi) 'Mou! That isn't important right now.' She frantically glanced around, searching for a place to hide.

XXX

The radio sitting in one corner of the art room was playing a mixture of classical music, filling the Rikkai captain with tranquillity that didn't quite match the sound of frantic footsteps, and later, of someone bursting into the room.

Yukimura looked up from his sketch, taken aback by the dishevelled form of the manageress gasping for breath and leaning heavily against the closed door.

She whipped her head about and eventually noticed him beside the windows moments later. A look of bewilderment crossed her features as though she didn't expect him to be here. But before she could voice her question, another set of feet was heard and it was heading this way very fast.

"Akemi!"

The door was once again thrown open, and in came the Hyotei Captain – equally dishevelled and looking positively livid. Unlike the manageress, Atobe was quick to notice the Rikkai Captain was there. Though it was clear his mind was on somebody else.

Recomposing himself, Atobe walked deeper into the room; a deep scowl on his forehead. "Where's Akemi? Ore-sama saw her coming this way." He glanced around the many canvases and sculptures in different stages of completion scattered about in an organised mess, sometimes pausing to examine the various artworks, but never more than a second before he moved on.

"You must have mistaken," Yukimura chuckled good-naturedly, politely putting his sketch on hold for a moment. "I've been here for quite a while – and trust me – nobody came in or out this room."

Cursing under his breath, Atobe halted beside a sculpture that was concealed by a floor-length drape. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by his phone. Grumbling to himself, he whipped out the phone and slapped it to his ear.

From the one-sided conversation Yukimura could glean, the Hyotei Captain left his school without telling anyone where he was going and that he was supposed to be chairing a student council meeting (which he had conveniently forgotten) right this minute.

At the end of the call, Atobe let out a sigh of frustration. He hesitated for a moment, looking visibly torn between his duty and hunting down Akemi. But ultimately decided against the latter, and stormed out of the room without another glance at the Rikkai Captain, grumbling irritably about a certain girl.

Speaking of which, the girl in question was starting to feel lightheaded from holding her breath and sitting stock-still on the uncomfortable stool. She heard Atobe leaving the room, but Akemi wasn't certain if he would make a U-turn. She wasn't in a hurry to figure it out. Her already erratically beating heart skipped when the drape was pulled off. But it was only Yukimura (fortunately).

"He's gone now, Akemi-san," Yukimura assured, smiling at the manageress who was steadily turning an interesting shade of blue. "You can breathe."

Her lips parted with a loud gasp. "Is he…really gone?" Akemi asked between breaths, glancing about nervously as she slipped off the stool.

"I saw his limousine leave."

Akemi sighed in relief, settling in a chair beside the Rikkai Captain for a short rest.

'That explains why I didn't hear him coming,' she mused, watching Yukimura resume his sketch with mild interest. Atobe's helicopter served as a signal for her to run at the first chance (it's not hard to miss the noise), but it appeared she was outsmarted (took him long to realise it though). Just as she recognised the Bach piece ('Aria' from Goldberg Variations) currently playing on the radio, Yukimura broke the otherwise comfortable silence between the two.

"Feeling better?" he asked, stealing a glance.

Akemi nodded absently; her eyes slowly glazing over. "Somewhat." She fell into a pensive silence for a moment. "Neh."

"Yes?"

"Don't you have committee meeting?"

"Both the president and vice-president are away on their fieldtrips. They left for Aomori right afterschool."

(First, second and third years took turn for the annual school trips. Previously, the first and second years had been to theirs.)

"I see…"

Yukimura briefly regarded the manageress. The prominent dark eye circles, bloodshot eyes, slumped shoulders, droopy eyelids, and heavy breathing – those were clear signs of sleep deprivation, and he didn't need Yanagi to point them out. From what he heard, the manageress was caught (mostly by the history teacher) nodding off during classes more than a handful of times when she's not forcing herself to stay awake. Her frequent bouts of headaches and forgetfulness were rather worrying.

But what was exactly the cause?

He deliberated; if he was going to delve into this mystery, he might as well be frank.

"You haven't been sleeping at all."

Akemi, who was very close to dozing off (the music was extremely soothing), jumped slightly in her seat, but quickly recomposed herself with a nervous chuckle. "Wh-what are you talking about, Yukimura-san? Honestly, I'm fine."

It was an obvious lie. She did sleep every night though – plagued by the recurring nightmare – very badly.

"Your entire body language tells me otherwise," he disagreed gently, hoping this tactic would work. If she flew into defensive mode right now, he'll never get anything out of her. "Is something troubling you? Is that it?" Smiling encouragingly at her, he added, "Come on – you can trust me with your secret."

She hesitated, chewing on her lips; nevertheless, remained stubbornly defiant.

"Is it someone then?"

She shook her head fervently, blood draining from her face at an alarming rate.

"Atobe-san?"

"No! It's not him at all!" Akemi blurted instinctively, blushing furiously when she realised it. She was hoping he didn't suspect anything (wishful thinking) and won't bring up that name at all (definitely wishful thinking). With a weary sigh, she hastily stood up and was about to leave when Yukimura held her back.

He sighed inwardly; slightly upset he'd yet earned her complete trust. But he quickly pushed that aside.

"Running away from your problem isn't going to solve anything," Yukimura advised grimly, walking with her towards the exit. "Whatever it is, you need to sort it out – the sooner the better. Because no matter how much you're going to deny it, your health is obviously affected. Think of the consequences." He cracked a smile as he opened the door for her. "Remember what you said to Marui-kun yesterday at the clubroom?"

"You're a high school student who should know better…." – well, it's not like he was going to repeat that out loud (taking consideration of his neck)

At the blank look from Akemi at the corridor, the Rikkai Captain knew sleep deprivation was already affecting her memory very badly.

Before Yukimura closed the door, he distinctively heard her whispered something as she strolled away from him.

"It isn't simple."

XXX

(Some time later... Club activities session at Hyotei Academy)

No

It definitely wasn't simple.

For the past week, nobody – not even Kabaji – could comprehend why the King was acting strangely/annoyingly (depending on the person).

The Hyotei Captain was easily riled up more than usual; just a tiny mistake or loss would result in hefty penalty runs. One would think he's venting his frustrations on the unlucky souls. Then there were those quick disappearing acts he'd been pulling at the end of club activities since Monday. And most recently, he picked up a habit of grumbling irritably to himself (nobody could make out what was being said), and throwing glances at random places…

…just like now…

"I have enough of this!" Mukahi exclaimed, throwing his towel onto the floor with a huff. He pointed a finger at the distinctive figure of Atobe standing at the distance with Kabaji nearby. Said captain was observing a match...at least that's what he's meant to be doing. "Just look at him! He doesn't even pay attention to the training anymore! What is wrong with him!?" He yanked his hair in frustration.

"Well, it is kind of creepy," Shishido admitted, shuddering a little.

Atobe never provided a reason, so the rest of the regulars were left with no choice but to figure out on their own.

But this time, Oshitari was at hand to provide the solution…

"I have a theory. Every time he turns his head, he's actually looking in the general direction of Rikkai in Kanagawa."

…and it was met with ridicules.

"What!?"

"That's first-class nonsense!"

Well, he had expected it. So with a compass and a map of the Kantou Region (borrowed from the Orienteering Club), Oshitari began to show them how he had worked it out. The result proved the tensai was spot on.

"B-but that's…that's – just a coincidence!"

"Unless he has magnetoception (the ability to navigate using Earth's magnetic field) like a homing pigeon?"

"Somehow…that adds to the creep factor."

"But why Rikkai?" Ootori piped up, scratching his head in puzzlement.

Oshitari smirked. "Who do we know attends that school? More specifically, high school students like us."

"The tennis regulars," Hiyoshi dully replied without missing a beat. Seriously, why were they having this kind of discussion?

The tensai bit back a sigh, needlessly adjusting his glasses. "I'm talking about a girl who doesn't play tennis and yet is a member of the boy's tennis club? Someone you've all met once upon a time?"

"…"

"…"

"AHHH!"

Sprawled across the bench behind the gathered regulars, Akutagawa blearily opened his eyes (woken up by the shouts) and sat up on the bench, throwing his arms up for a stretch.

"But it still doesn't make any sense."

"Simple. A lover's spat."

"Harh? That's ludicrous."

"Are they even in a relationship to begin with? Furthermore, Atobe is the type of person who will shamelessly broadcast his love-life to the entire world."

As the current debate over Oshitari's (preposterous) conspiracy theory gradually went off at a tangent, the groggy voice of Akutagawa (somehow) penetrated that fiery atmosphere.

"Guys…where's buchou?"

That fiery atmosphere vanished with a poof. The regulars glanced about the tennis courts; indeed no hide nor hair of the buchou could be seen anywhere in the vicinity.

"What the?"

"There! He did it again!" Adding up to this, there's still ten minutes left until club activity would be officially over for the day and week. The thought infuriated the redhead even more.

"But where's his helicopter? Doesn't he always run off on that helicopter of his?"

"You know Keigo does have more than one mode of transport."

Mukahi stomped the ground with a frustrated shriek and turned to his bespectacled doubles partner. "Yuushi! You have to do something about it before I go nuts!" (Already gone down that lane)

"Me?"

"I concur!"

"Hang on a second there –!"

Hiyoshi sighed exasperatedly as a protesting Oshitari was being hassled by Shishido and Mukahi, while a befuddled Akutagawa looked on for a few seconds before falling back to sleep. Though…it's like what Mukahi said/screamed earlier – they would never get a proper day's training done if their captain buggered off every single day. Plus, it was getting very annoying anyway (that and the current level of noise).

"Guys! Please! This can be solved peacefully!" Ootori tried to calm his senpais down. "We don't know for sure if buchou is visiting Rikkai every time he disappears."

"Then what do you suggest? Stalk him?"

"That will never work," Hiyoshi muttered under his breath.

Ootori chuckled sheepishly. "We do have friends at Rikkai."

That struck a chord in Oshitari. A wide grin crossed his features. "So we'll let them do all the dirty work? Good idea, Choutaro." He patted said freshman (looking absolutely bewildered) on the back.

"Eh? That isn't –"

But the bespectacled Tensai was already walking away from them, carrying a phone in his hand.

XXX

(Back at Rikkai)

As soon as Yukimura called for an end to rehearsal, Akemi left the classroom in a jiffy without another word.

Her strides long and brisk, she stormed out of the school entrance hall and into the dusky light cast by the setting sun. But instead of heading for the gates, she turned on her heels and started towards a different direction – one that would take her to the back of the school. If she was to avoid being seen by Atobe, she might as well use the unorthodox method to leave this place.

A sigh of frustration escaped through her parted lips. But this time, a different captain was besieging her poor head.

Akemi had once told Yukimura she wouldn't mind if he edited the draft for the stage play, as long as he didn't change the entire plot. Now, she regretted ever telling him that.

Shocked didn't quite cover it when the Rikkai Captain cheerily asked her and Niou to rehearse the dance scene she'd never added. Sure she should have known about it, seeing as Yukimura always left them instructions on which parts they should read beforehand for the next rehearsal. But Akemi, shattered from the sleepless nights, had forgotten about it (for the third time in a row). Anyway, even if she did (somehow) remember, she could never muster the energy to flip through the pages, much less read.

Her grip on the strap of her schoolbag tightened as she abruptly stopped to glare at the brick fence before her; unsure if she should feel humiliated or annoyed. Those two emotions were currently raging war inside her. For the sake of her sanity (whatever that's left of it) though, she eventually settled on a mixture of both. But it didn't make her feel any better.

If anything, her blood boiled several degrees higher when she remembered Niou taunting her non-existent talent for dancing.

But she was even more annoyed with Yukimura for adding that scene and not heeding her warnings after spending several frustrating minutes unsuccessfully talking him out of it.

"I don't think a fairy tale is complete without a waltz," Akemi mimicked the Rikkai Captain with (eerily) perfect accuracy. Huffing crossly, she pulled the bag's strap off her shoulder. "If he so insisted on the dance scene, he might as well take my place as the princess." She glowered at her bag gripped in her hands. Since when did her bag weigh a tonne?

Growling irritably, she shook it off and started to swing the bag experimentally.

"The nerve of him – just because he's the captain, we're not allowed to go against him. All buchous are stupid!"

With a grunt, she hurled the bag over the brick fence – never knowingly bothered to check if anyone's on the other side.

XXX

(A little earlier on…)

At the back of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, there's a narrow road that's hardly ever used by pedestrians and vehicles alike since it's off the main route. Thus, nobody took notice when a sleek black limousine drove into said road, easily taking up more than four parking spaces when it stopped to let its passenger off.

Hastily muttering his thanks to the driver, a restless Atobe stepped out from the vehicle and needlessly checked his appearance on the window for a moment before marching down the pavement. His mind currently focused on the task of locating that elusive (and not to mention aggravating) girl didn't register a forthcoming danger falling from the skies above until it (literally) hit him squarely on the head.

He bit back a colourful curse as a wave of pain immediately shot through his skull. A dull thud could be heard somewhere below.

Before he could recognise the slightly familiar school bag lying on the pavement by his feet, his subconscious mind detected a second imminent danger as evident by a shadow rapidly looming over him.

Dark blue eyes looked up and widened in horror.

He instinctively threw his arms out, catching the new object – no, person – who had thrown itself after the school bag over the brick fence.

Though the world might still be spinning a little before his visions, there was no mistaking that feminine face staring back in utter bewilderment; a look mirrored by an equally dumbfounded Atobe. They stared at each other speechlessly for the longest time, both seemingly forgotten their purposes.

Perhaps the bag hit his head harder than Atobe thought.

But who would have imagined that one person had spent the better of the past week deliberately avoiding contact with him in any forms…only to fall right into his arms (and quite literally too).

Atobe blinked a couple of times, inwardly recomposing himself as the gears kicked back into motion. He took in a deep breath and opened his mouth, leaping into the charm tactic.

"The heavens – AHHH!" He quickly caught Akemi, who managed to snap out of the stupor and leapt off, throwing his arms around her before she could make an escape.

Of course, charm never worked on her.

Despite the severe fatigue, Akemi wasn't about to give in anytime soon. "Let go!" she demanded, struggling against his tight hold; doing anything from shaking him off and flailing her arms.

But Atobe was much stronger than her current form.

"Oh, no you don't! You're not going anywhere until you say why you've been avoiding ore-sama – just like what you're trying to do now!"

"I am not avoiding you!"

"Your words don't match your actions, missy! Not even the slightest!"

"Even if you're dragging me to my grave I won't tell!"

"HARH!?"

"Now, let go!"

"Never!"

"If you don't – then I'll scream!" She took in a deep breath and was about let it all out when a hand quickly clamped her mouth shut.

"In your dreams," Atobe sniggered evilly over the muffled noises coming from Akemi as she renewed her futile struggle.

Never mind how wrong on many levels it looked, he began to drag her (with difficulty of course) towards the limousine where he could interrogate her in complete privacy. He could feel her slipping down his torso in another silly attempt to break free, most likely by ducking under his arm. Smirking derisively, he quickly readjusted his hold around her abdomen, faltering when his hand happened to grasp something puzzling.

What was this soft lump?

He wondered, unconsciously stopping in his tracks as he tried to work this out.

Strange - how it fitted his hand just nicely.

"I know you've finally found something that you don't have. But –" Akemi clenched her fists, which were trembling in a familiar mixture of anger and humiliation, until the knuckles turned ghostly white. In contrast, her face was a brilliant shade of red. "– how long are you planning on fondling that?" she asked through gritted teeth; her lips moving under his other slackened hand as she spoke.

"Eh?"

"You Pervert King!"

A look of incredulity fleetingly crossed his features. Then, an indescribable pain shot through his abdomen where Akemi had forcibly plunged her elbow. Tears welled up in his eyes as he bit back the string of curses rising to his throat.

Akemi stumbled away to freedom when the hold around her loosened considerably just as Atobe collapsed onto the cold pavement, wheezing in agony and hugging his poor stomach.

Through the tears, he could make out her fuzzy silhouette retrieving her bag from the ground.

"Wait…Akemi…." he rasped, glaring at her hastily retreating form.

He blinked away the tears.

For a moment, Akemi was standing there, watching him sluggishly crawled back onto his feet; regret, worry and hesitation all muddled up on that face of hers.

Then, she was gone in another blink of an eye.

XXX

Within the Rikkai compound, there's an administration building where the eight regulars had been quietly observing the short-lived confrontation from the rooftop.

Most of them (excluding Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi) had forgotten the recent mystery surrounding their manageress and the Hyotei Captain, despite the latter kept showing up at their school without fail every single day. They were all worried (borderline terrified) about her odd behaviours that it had somehow slipped their minds.

While the rest were on their feet, Niou and Yagyuu were sitting on the bench. Undoubtedly, they should have taken her warning seriously.

The Trickster vented a sigh and pulled out his phone, flexing his toes experimentally as he waited for the call to be answered. He winced sharply; getting stepped on repetitively was not how one should start their Friday evening.

"Hello? Oshitari? It's me. I can confirm your buchou was here. Yes, he was looking for her again." He paused to snigger. "You wouldn't believe – oh, hang on. Buchou wants to speak to you."

"Hello? Yes, it's Yukimura." The Rikkai Captain chuckled light-heartedly when Oshitari apologised for their captain's intrusion. "No, it's fine. We're glad to help. But…" He paused, more for dramatic effect; earning a look from his fellow cohorts. "In return for the information, I'd like to ask for a favour." A large grin tugged at his lips, sending a sense of foreboding down their spines. "If the plan goes well, it may work in your favour too. How about it? It's a win-win situation."

The others, no matter how curious they were, began to slowly edge away from their scheming captain. If Akemi ever caught wind of this, it would spell the end of their adolescent life right there.

XXX

(Next day: Saturday afternoon…1:43pm)

Autumn had finally caught up.

The branches swayed gently in the cool breeze, rustling the pine trees that lined the driveway leading to the stately (not to mention ginormous) home of the Atobe family. A familiar limousine could be seen cruising down that path towards the manor. Up above the vehicle, the sky was thick with grey clouds – a storm was looming.

Inside the head of the Young Master, a different kind of storm was already brewing…

"Let go!"

"Even if you're dragging me to my grave I won't tell!"

"You Pervert King!"

"Pervert King!"

"Pervert…pervert…pervert…pervert…"

Cursing colourfully, Atobe curled his hand into a fist and was about to slam it down onto the leather seat when his mind fleetingly brought up that embarrassing image.

An angry blush crept up his cheeks as he stared at his own hand, uncertain what he should do since it was this hand that had –

He shook his head vigorously, banishing that image to the back of his mind. Letting off a frustrated sigh, he let his arm fall awkwardly onto his lap and watched the pine trees rolled by with a bored expression.

The limousine slowed to a stop in front of the grand double doors, opened in anticipation of the Young Master's arrival.

"Welcome home, bochamma!"

A couple of maids greeted him at the grand foyer, bowing deeply from the waist. The older of the two extended both her hands out as Atobe was about to walk past them. But instead of handing her the gym bag as per usual, he headed straight up the marble staircase and disappeared from sight. The maids exchanged looks of concern, wondering (not for the first time) what's bothering their Young Master.

Meanwhile, back with Atobe…

Unaware of the whispers and glances that followed him, the Hyotei Captain brisk-walked down seemingly endless corridors towards the direction of his room. Beat was waiting for him there, his tail wagging in excitement at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Sorry, Beat. Not in the mood right now," Atobe said over the excited barking, walking around the large dog to get to his door.

The dog visibly deflated, whining dejectedly as it padded away from his beloved master; tail and head hung low.

Atobe cast an apologetic glance at his departing dog before drawing a long sigh as he entered his bedroom.

He wasn't lying.

After spending two hours at the gym (also run by Atobe Zaibatsu) venting his frustrations (accumulated since last week) on the various state-of-the-art machines, hot bath and long nap sounded like a blissful way to de-stress on a grey Saturday.

Atobe shivered suddenly; his exposed skin covered in goose bumps. He should have changed out from his gym clothes before leaving.

"Hmm? Someone left the balcony door opened?" Atobe raised an eyebrow, scratching his head in puzzlement as another cold draft filled his expansive bedroom. He sighed wearily, and started towards the door before his room turned into a refrigerator.

Then, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

The gym bag slipped from his grasp and fell onto the carpeted floor by his feet with a dull thud.

Atobe stared unblinkingly at his canopy bed; disbelief and shock resonating inside those dark blue eyes.

For the past few days, nothing seemed to make sense when it came to Akemi.

Why was she claiming everything's fine when she'd been obviously shunning him for no apparent reason?

Why was she so determined to leave him in the dark?

Why did she block his number?

But above all –

Why was she currently sleeping in his bed?

Just...why?

Thanks for reading and see you next chapter!