From last time…

"And Fuji-senpai, here's your long tea," Ryoma put the last cup in front of Fuji.

Fuji chuckled.

"Arigatou, Ryoma-chan," Fuji said. He opened his eyes and looked to her.

Caught by surprise by the intensity of his eyes, Ryoma clumsily hit his cup of tea with her hand and got splashed with some hot water.

"Aie!"

Fuji hastily grabbed her hand, took his silk handkerchief and cleaned the water for her.

"A… arigatou, senpai…" Ryoma said.

"Dou itashimashite…" Fuji replied.

But he didn't release her hand. On the contrary, Ryoma had the impression that he pressed her hand more in his. She looked questionably to him to meet up with the intense glare of his cerulean orbs. Ryoma froze and her cheeks burned. For a reason she didn't know, everything around her disappeared. Only left was Fuji and she in an unknown world.

"Fu-… Fuji-… sen-… senpai…?" Ryoma shyly called, stuttering. Now, all her face was red.

Oh dear Kami-sama! His glare made her feel so nervous. But…

'What's wrong with me? It's not like it's the first Fuji-senpai look at me. Then, why do I feel nervous?!'

She didn't know it was what, but she was sure that the way he looked at her now was different from before - because before, she never felt nervous. She didn't know what to think about it nor what to do next.

A chance Kami-sama helped her.

A chance Kami-sama helped her.

"Ryoma," a gentle and warm voice called her.

Ryoma turned around - happy of the interruption.

"Ah! Kaa-san! You came!" Ryoma said. She ran to her mother. "But your work…?"

"I took the afternoon off to see you and your school," Rinko said, smiling.

Ryoma grinned a flashing smile to her mother. She threw herself into Rinko's opened arms and hugged her.

"Kaa-san!" Ryoma happily called her mother.

Rinko chuckled as she hugged her back. Ryoma felt so blessed to have such a wonderful mother. Ryoma then noticed Nanjirou's and Ryoga's behind Rinko.

"Ah! Oyajii, Aniki."

"Chibisuke took you a while. I'm not invisible, you know?" Ryoga said.

Seeing her in her maid costume, Nanjirou whistled.

"Wow! You look good in that thing, bishoujo," Nanjirou said. Then, his face changed into a gross expression. "Say, can you get me a similar dress, but in your mother size please? Ah! I had always dream to see your mother in a maid costume and me remov-…! (WHACK!) Owwwww!" Boom! "Ara ara ara…"

Rinko had hit him behind the head with her purse, a vein popping on her head.

"Pervert!" she cringed between her teeth.

"Ahou," Ryoma and Ryoga said, looking at the dead body on the floor, eyes in swirl pool mode.

"Echizen-san! Nanjirou-san!" Kirihara came and happily greeted. He was pleased to see Ryoma's parents again. He still remembered the good supper Rinko made for him and the good match he played with Nanjirou.

"Echizen-fusai, thank you again for the last time. Welcome to Seiyou Academy. Please, come inside," Yukimura greeted in a more formal way. The other boys behind bowed to Rinko and Nanjirou.

"Thank you very much," Rinko said. "I'm very happy to see you again."

Tap tap tap tap tap!

Footsteps could be heard behind Ryoma. She turned around to see what was it when…

Boom!

"Ahhhhh!" Ryoma yelled as she fell on the floor. "Ouch!"

"Ah! Touga! Sora!" Fuji stood up when he saw the two children clutched to Ryoma around her waist.

"Nee-chan! It's been so long! We miss you so much!" Touga and Sora squealed in delight, crushing her in their small arms.

"Oufffffffffff! Touga… Sora… Konnichiwa…" Ryoma said her eyes in swirl pool. Her head hit the floor when she was tackled on the floor.

"Touga! Sora!" a middle age man called them.

"What are you doing?" a pretty middle age woman scolded them. She had wavy chestnut hair color and light purple eyes.

'She looks like Yuuta,' Ryoma thought.

"Onii-san, nee-san," Fuji and Yuuta greeted the man and the woman.

'Ah! So she's Yuuta's sister! No wonder they look alike!'

"Syuusuke, Yuuta, konnichiwa," Mitsuda Yumiko said. She immediately turned her attention to Ryoma. She helped Ryoma up. "I'm sorry. Did they hurt you?"

"It's alright. Thank you," Ryoma said.

"Kaa-san, it's her, the nee-chan we talked to you about," Touga said, now clinging to Ryoma's left arm.

Yumiko widen her eyes and looked at Ryoma.

"Ah! Are you are Echizen Ryoma?" she asked expectantly.

"Ehh… hai…" Ryoma answered.

Yumiko took her hands and squeezed them.

"Oh! I'm so happy to meet you!" Yumiko said. "My husband and I wanted to personally thank you for what you did for Touga and Sora!"

"Thank you very much for them," Kouki said, bowing to her.

"No no no! It's really nothing!" Ryoma said, shaking her head.

"Chibisuke, who are they?" Ryoga asked.

Ryoga, Nanjirou and Rinko had been watching at the group for a moment.

"Ah! That's right! We haven't do the introduction yet," Yuuta said. "Echizen-fusai, this is my sister, Mitsuda Yumiko, and her husband, Mitsuda Kouki. And here are their children, Touga and Sora." Yuuta turned to Yumiko and Kouki. "Onii-san, nee-san, this Ryoma's parents, Echizen Nanjirou and Echizen Rinko. And here is Ryoma's brother, Echizen Ryoga."

"Hajimemashite (1)" Kouki and Yumiko said, bowing to Nanjirou, Rinko and Ryoga.

"Hajimemashite," Nanjirou, Rinko and Ryoga bowed back.

"During our summer vacations, Touga and Sora got kidnapped. It was thanks to Ryoma-chan that the children could return to their parents," Fuji explained.

"Oh! Sou ka," Ryoga said as he watched Ryoma and the children.

While the parents exchanged formality, Sora pulled on Ryoma's right arm to get her attention. When Ryoma looked down at her, the little girl hold up her arms to her. Ryoma raised an eyebrow, not understanding what the little girl wanted.

'She wants you to pick her up, Chibisuke!' Ryoga thought.

It was obvious to anyone who looked at them. But Ryoma being Ryoma, knowing nothing about kids, didn't understand. Sora pouted and decided to change tactic. Sora waved her hand, telling Ryoma to bend down to listen to her. As expected, Ryoma bent down to her. Sora immediately took the opportunity and jumped to Ryoma's neck, closing her arms around it. Ryoma stumbled because of the weight around her neck. Instinctively, she closed her arms around Sora to keep her stability. Very happy of the success of her trick, Sora smiled widely. Ryoma had picked her up in her arms like she wanted.

'Smart little girl,' Ryoga thought.

"Echizen-fusai, Mitsuda-fusai, please, sit down," Oshitari said, pulling a chair for Yumiko while Yagyuu pulled one for Rinko.

"Thank you," Yumiko and Rinko said as they sat at the same table.

Kouki, Nanjirou and Ryoga also pulled up a chair.

"Would you like to order something?" Niou asked.

"Ah! I will do it, Niou-senpai!" Ryoma said.

"It's alright Echizen-chan," Yukimura said. "Let us take care of everything. You can take a break and stay with your family."

"Ah… Arigatou, senpai," Ryoma said.

"Here, sit down, Ryoma-chan," Fuji said as he pulled her a chair.

"Thank you, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma sat down with Sora in her lap.

Fuji sat on the chair on the right side of Ryoma. Touga pulled a chair right next Ryoma's chair, on her left side, and climbed on. The two families ordered cake and drink. While enjoying their snacks, they chatted. Yumiko wanted to know more about Ryoma and Rinko happily told her everything. But as they talked together, Yumiko noticed something.

'Syuusuke…' Yumiko looked more closely at her young brother.

Today, Fuji was very different from the Syuusuke she knows.

'The way you look at Echizen-chan…' Yumiko watched the expression in Fuji's open eyes.

Something about the way he watched Ryoma, who was feeding Sora another spoon of ice cream while cleaning Touga's dirty face.

The expression of his eyes… The softness they held…

Yumiko's eyes widen, realizing something.

'Sou ka…!'

Yumiko mysteriously smiled.

'I understand now…'

They were going to separate at the end of the day.

"It's been a real pleasure to meet you, Echizen-fusai," Kouki said.

"The same for us," Nanjirou said.

"Let's meet again another time," Yumiko said.

"Anytime you wish," Rinko said.

"Nee-chan, you will come and stay at our place tonight, right?" Touga said.

"Heh?! Since when was it decided?" Ryoma asked.

"Nee-chan!!!!" Touga and Sora insisted.

"Touga, Sora, it's not the proper way to invite someone to stay over," Fuji scolded them.

"And you cannot impose yourselves to other people like this," Yuuta added.

Touga's and Sora's face sadden.

"Hai…" they answered. "We are sorry…"

"Please, when you will have time, come to visit us at our place," Touga corrected himself. "Nee…?" he finished, pleading hope in his puppy eyes.

"Nee, nee-chan!" Sora insisted, using her puppy eyes too.

"Ehh…" Ryoma felt pressured by their intense glares.

"Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase!" Touga and Sora chorused, bigger puppy eyes.

Ryoma sweat dropped, gulping.

"Nee-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

Ryoma cringed, but resigned.

"H-Hai…" she reluctantly answered.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Touga and Sora squealed of victory.

Ryoma signed.

'They got me! Children are scary creatures!'

Fuji and Yuuta chuckled. Ryoma was a strong girl on the tennis court, but she really had no idea how to face strong opponents like young children.

"And Echizen-chan," Yumiko said.

"Hai?"

"Again, thank you again for what you did for Touga and Sora. I'm very grateful to you," Yumiko said, bowing to Ryoma.

"It was really nothing! You shouldn't thank me," Ryoma said, bowing back.

Yumiko smiled.

"You are a very nice girl, Echizen-chan," Yumiko said. She slides a glimpse at Fuji. Then, she bent down to Ryoma's ear. "And please, take care of Syuusuke for me," she whispered.

"?!?" Ryoma widen her eyes.

"Huh?!" She looked at Fuji.

"What?!" she said, many question marks popping around her head.

Yumiko only chuckled, but didn't explain.

They exchanged their last farewell and everybody left.

That night, alone in her room, Ryoma pondered over and over what Yumiko told her.

'What does she mean by me taking care of Fuji-senpai?'

1) Hajimemashite: equivalent to "Nice to meet you". It's a polite formal way to say when you meet someone for the first time.