Hyoutei's First Date
By: NarutoandBleach
When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.
[Appropriate Actions]
After the tennis match, Ryoma stopped to wipe his forehead before he takes a sip of water to cool down. As he sat down on the bench, Akaya walked over and sat down next to the brat since it was time for him to have a little talk with the popular ladies man because this will be Rikkaidai's chance to hear the kid's side of the story regarding his date and the time he spent together with him since the rumors have been spreading like wildfire. furthermore, seaweed head was certain that Atobe is either completely messed up in the head or delusional at the same time.
"Ryoma, did you really date that loud-mouthed monkey? Because I have heard that you went to his house a couple of days ago and these rumors are flying around like crazy!" Said Akaya.
"Maybe I did, but why did you want to know about our relationship?" asked a confused Ryoma.
Sanada looked at Ryoma for a moment before placing his hand on the boy's shoulders since there is no way that the kid could start lying to the fuku-buchou because this guy can sense that the kid was beginning to get nervous around Atobe. Furthermore, he realizes that Ryoma is definitely hiding something from the Rikkaidai team.
"Look kid, we all saw what you did with Atobe, and we can understand that. However, don't you know that one day you could end up as the laughingstock of Seigaku? I mean we don't want a tennis prodigy to end up getting married to a crazy lunatic that will stop at nothing to win you over." continued Sanada.
"I never said I wanted to marry him, all he did was take me to my favorite childhood place for the first time and that's what friends are supposed to do. I guess he wanted to look after me because he wants me to be safe." finished Ryoma.
"Looks like lover boy here has been under a love spell from Atobe. I guess this would mean that he has been living with the lunatic at his house. I saw the video myself since he also has treated this kid to Korean food." Said marui while chewing his bubble gum.
"Really? Hoooh! So, it's true then. Ryoma, what were you doing with Atobe last night?" asked Akaya.
"We went out to the aquarium as our first destination since he wanted to see how the dolphins bond and mate together because he used them as a comparison between us. Somehow I wondered what does our love have to do with these dolphins? At that moment, I was confused, but then I realized that those sea creatures actually congratulated us for a successful date." Said ryoma sheepishly.
"I see, so you actually did date him, but you don't want to admit your true feelings for him?" asked Yukimura.
"Yes, but even if I do say no, he will still try and follow me and convince me otherwise because Oshitari has tried and begged him to call off the bet. However, he still thinks that his feelings for me are pure and he knows that my heart solely belongs to him. At first, I thought he was playing a joke, but then he started seeing me on a daily basis. Besides, he asked for flowers and my father had no choice but to give it to him." Continued Ryoma.
At that moment, Niou's jaw nearly dropped to the floor while everyone else had shocked looks on their faces. Even Oshitari and gakuto couldn't help by sympathize with the Seigaku kid.
"Kid, I don't blame you for trying to reject the date, but I think the flowers might be a little too much. Hell, even I don't think Atobe would be this crazy falling for you."
"Tarundoru! You need to open up your feelings more! The only reason why you couldn't admit anything is because you're being too soft. In order for your date to be successful, you have to tell Atobe how you really feel about him. Now, I heard from Renji that he and Inui had watched the whole thing unfold on video and even I know that Atobe wouldn't have the guts to pull this stunt off on his own. But since you went along with his little bet, why can't you reject him?" Sanada could only groan in disappointment.
"Because even if I reject him now, he will still follow me around day after day. I can't shake him off. You heard what Shishido said before. Even he thinks that I might not be his type, but Atobe wouldn't listen since he wants to see this love thing through to the end. He has his own agenda and he made a lot of conditions." Continued Ryoma.
"What sort of conditions?" asked Yanagi.
"For instance, Atobe has to make the Oshitari cousins do all his shopping for him if this pays off. Second, he has to make Gakuto jog during the morning hours as part of his strength training. Finally, he has to make sure that I beat him in pool and bowling. Those are his terms and we have to follow them." Replied Ryoma.
Why did you have to torture your own tennis club team members like this? All you are doing is just burdening them with responsibilities that they are not qualified to handle. Besides, you know that Ryoma is not your type so why do you keep going after him?
"Damn you Atobe!" Sanada could only grab his ankle weights and toss them in the sky where they made a huge thunk on the ground, causing everyone to jump at their feet. After Sanada calmed himself down with a glass of water from Yukimura, Renji took his data book and began recording the information that was gathered so far.
"Ryoma's chances of winning in bowling is only 60 percent, chances of beating Atobe at pool: 70 percent. However, his chances of falling in love with Atobe is only 85.3 percent. So, Ryoma is nowhere near his rival's level of romance." Everyone else was surprised at Renji's random predictions, including Gakuto since Renji and Inui are data masters and they are not to be underestimated. But since this is only a random predicton, they are certain that Atobe could make his next move even when Ryoma is within range of him.
"Where did you come up with these random predictions about Ryoma's love life?" wondered Akaya.
"This is a secret that they have been keeping hidden for a long time. We might never know." Replied Jackal.
"Sometimes even I wonder if Jirou has really been affected by Atobe's little tricks. I do feel sorry for Ryoma though and at the same time, happy that he has found true love." Said Marui.
"Oh please! That brat does have the cute side in him, but he has a hard time admitting that he is not in love with Atobe even when it's his first time dating. I am sure Yukimura spent a lot of time with our fuku-buchou since he is in love with Yukimura. I wonder if this makes him an old man or so?" Akaya was given a glare by his team members and at that moment, you know what happens…
SLAP!
Akaya could feel his cheek turning red after that insult. Furthermore, Genchirou started chasing after his teammate and shouted, "Akaya! 50 laps around the tennis courts NOW!" Soon, everyone else snickered as they watched poor Kirihara getting chewed out by the fuku-buchou. Even Yukimura smiled as well as he sat down next to Ryoma.
"You know little bro, I think you might just not be ready to admit your feelings towards Atobe yet."
"You might be right, Yukimura-buchou. But at this point, I will have to give it my best if I want to beat Atobe at bowling. Furthermore, Shishido is prepared to deal with this matter on his own as well."
Yukimura looked at Ryoma for a bit and continued, "You should also try and give up this whole date scheme because Atobe will continue to follow you if you don't stop this. Who knows how much longer he will fall for you?"
"Well, it seems that the Hyoutei captain has told his club members that this can only be stopped if the bet is won and he will take however long he needs to get me to show my true love for him. Besides, he always tells everyone that they got nothing to worry about since this is something that he can handle."
"If you say so, but what if this bet of his does not succeed, then what will happen? You are already a subject of Atobe's affections since he is not giving up on you. I would think that he is planning a party of some sort at his villa later on since all of us have invitations. So, think about this carefully. Are you really going to go through with this date?" continued Yukimura.
"I got no other choice, but even if this is for the best, I think Atobe is really just looking out for my safety. But I can see that he has spent months making a fool out of himself. If I am really straight-up in love with him, I would have told him that a long time ago."
All of a sudden, Akaya and Niou jaw-dropped at Ryoma's expression and dashed towards the bleachers.
"Wait a minute, did you say you were straight?" asked Akaya.
"That's right, not gay but straight." Replied Echizen.
"Holy crap! Did you hear that Niou? Echizen just admitted that he is straight. Now we can see why he drank that entire love potion last night. Wow, I think Oshitari and Gakuto should know about this as well." Said Akaya in a state of shock.
Once Oshitari and Gakuto hears the news, they were both surprised since they wondered how Atobe will take the news about Echizen's feelings towards him. This was the sort of news that would spread throughout other schools in Tokyo and Osaka. Furthermore, planning a party could take a long time at Atobe's villa because everyone there would want to know the progress in their relationship since Echizen wasn't serious about it before. There are signs that Echizen might not be his type after all, but Atobe has other ideas to convince the kid to change his mind.
"So, that brat finally admitted that he is straight-up in love with our diva right?" said Gakuto.
"Yup, I think Atobe could flip when he hears this. Now I can see why he has been chasing after Echizen for weeks now." Replied Oshitari.
After practice was over, Ryoma was prepared to meet Atobe at the bowling alley while Kirihara headed towards a phone booth since he needed the Seigaku team to listen to echizen's minor confession. As he dialed Eiji's number he somehow picked up and said, "Hello, this is Eiji speaking."
"Eiji, thank goodness that you picked up! Now listen, I know this might come so urgently, but it seems that Echizen has actually told us that he was straight-up in love with Atobe."
Eiji paused for a moment to wipe water off his face before continuing, "Excuse me?"
"Echizen said that he was straight-up in love with Atobe! No lie, he told us this during early morning practice and now, it's important that Atobe gets this message as soon as possible. I thought for sure that Ryoma was kidding, but deep down he does have feelings for that diva."
"Wow, really? So he really does like Atobe after all. Looks like Ochibi really knows how to find love all over the place. I just wondered what took him so long to confess? If he had told us this sooner, we would have thrown him a party to celebrate them getting together."
"Actually, it seems that Atobe will be reserving the party at his place since he has invited a lot of us to wish them well on their future. I was hoping that Echizen would have kept it a secret, but he told us anyway."
"So even though they are not on a date, Atobe still has echizen right where he wants him despite the fact that he steadfastly denies that they have a relationship, am I getting this right?" continued Eiji
At this point, Echizen realizes that he had told rikkaidai about his situation, but he didn't know it would be this soon since he has no idea why he was dragged into this mess. However, if this spreads during the bowling game, Shishido will definitely freak out and would consider stopping the date all together, leaving Atobe heartbroken. The idea of letting Atobe making a big deal over a bet with dating Echizen would add more fuel to the fire at Hyoutei Academy. As for Choutaro, he still couldn't believe that his own captain had a thing for a kid that does not go to his school despite the rumors and secrets leaking out to the general public. So now, it was time for Oshitari to clear up this mess and put a stop to Atobe's little game because everyone has been getting suspicious about him and his new crazy-ass boyfriend.
"Yes, and that's not all. Even Ryoma feels that we have been getting too much information about his romance life. I am sure he does not want interference, but…"
"But, he needs time to think about this more before he makes a decision. I think that would be wise, except that Fuji tells Ryoma to go with his gut and make him fall in love with a person that will keep him safe for the rest of his life. I was certain that Syusuke would have been kidding, but tezuka tells fuji to let Atobe deal with Ryoma as he please." Finished Eiji.
"And Tezuka was okay with Ryoma dating a loud-mouthed peacock? Why didn't he take action to put a stop to this?" protested Kirihara.
"I guess this is his way of saying: Good luck with our little squirt, you're going to need it," It's like he doesn't even care what sort of information he is going to get from Atobe before leaving for Germany. So, he left Ryoma under Atobe's care for now and that's how he ended up falling for the kid."
"Oh, I see. So either way, this is both Tezuka and Atobe's problem. But what I don't get is how did a guy like Keigo even went for that kid in the first place?" asked a confused Kirihara.
"I guess it's probably a date card that was given to him. This tells us that Ryoma was really up to something. Once we saw the card, we had no choice but to tell everyone else about it," Replied Eiji. "I am about to hang up now, if there is nothing else."
"Hold on, so this is Atobe's way of thanking you guys for handing ryoma over to him? You're thinking they are committed to each other in a way and decided to head to Korea for dinner right?"
"Nah, Korea was just a big misunderstanding; they ate Korean food for dinner yesterday at the amusement park. They were not going to leave the country anytime soon." Replied Eiji.
"Now, I understand." He then paused to tell his teammates about Echizen's little outing with Atobe and the foods they ate at the amusement park. Once they got the message, Sanada arrived and said, "Let me talk to Eiji, I am sure this has to be a joke that Atobe is pulling."
"Just a moment, Eiji. "Fuku-buchou, I think we should be feeling happy for Ryoma and Atobe since they only went to the park and…."
"I know that, would you please give me the phone?" ordered Sanada.
Eiji could hear Sanada on the other line since he knows that something else was up and it could be a reason why Ryoma did not mention it to them earlier. Furthermore, there is still the matter of weird things that the kid has been getting at his doorstep.
"One last thing before I give it to you. Eiji, you want to know about the packages that…"
But Sanada cut Akaya off and took the phone from his hand, "Eiji, my apologies for bothering you again. I wasn't really sure who to believe now. However, I cannot really tell what those guys are up to. Furthermore, if Atobe really meant to date Echizen, why did he say he was straight-up in love with him?"
"I am probably sure that was his way of telling you guys that he was not falling for Atobe's gayness." Replied Eiji.
"Say what now? You mean to tell me that someone made a mistake about this? I knew Akaya had been misinformed but Yanagisawa certainly said an earful to Shishido from Hyoutei that their captain had gone all out on echizen." Continued Sanada
"Yes, there is no denying that they meet and play tennis. Therefore, I think it is a date." Said Eiji.
"Of course, but still—"
"Tarundoru, Akaya! Need I remind you that you are forbidden to unleash your demon self towards your fuku-buchou?" He yelled while jackal and Niou poured water on kirihara's head before he could unleash his fury. With a disappointing sigh, he resumed his conversation, "Sorry about that, sometimes Akaya gets a little to excited about Ryoma. But thanks for the update eiji, I guess someone needs to tell Atobe to let this madness cease before he unleashes hell on Tokyo." And with that he disconnected the call, leaving Eiji to make a final note of "He is still not falling for Atobe's tricks."
As Ryoma arrived at home, he could see Atobe waiting for him outside of his home. "Fancy meeting you here, Monkey- er, I mean, Keigo-sama."
"You don't have to be so formal, Echizen. Besides, a man must be prepared naturally for an event such as this. And I know a perfect way to ensure that this date goes smoothly tonight." Chuckled Atobe.
"Please, like I said to those guys, I was going to hang out with you straight-up, and those guys mistook me having an affair with you. After all, I was being honest with them saying we are just friends and all that. Also, I did say I was straight-up in love with you." Chided Ryoma.
Atobe looked at him with a confused expression. "Excuse me?"
"I said I was straight-up in falling for you. And-" Before he could finish his sentence, Ryoma could feel his body being leaned towards Atobe's chest and stomach.
"Finally, you showed your feelings about me. How sweet of you! Looks like Shakespeare was right to guide us towards our destiny!" boasted Atobe.
Ryoma was in a state of confusion but didn't bother to ask. "I don't think those guys understood the news I unfolded to them, and my destiny isn't about love here."
"So they didn't take it quite well I see, ahn? You don't need to play coy with me because our love is pure. Need I remind you that I still have the bet on the table? We are going to show them what true love really means to the world!" He then let off a maniacal laughter as he escorted Ryoma into the limo. As they arrived at the bowling alley, they could already see Shishido and choutaro waiting for them by the lanes. Ryoma went off to greet them while Atobe starts setting up the playing field.
"Hello, Shishido and Choutaro-san, fancy meeting you guys here. So I take it you guys are ready for bowling?" asked Ryoma.
"Hello to you as well. I see that you must have told everyone about your so called love affair with Atobe right? I don't suppose that he is going to start giving you kisses after this is over right?" mumbled Shishido.
"Unfortunately, he is already holding the brat's hand and started his mission of setting up a double date for us." Scowled Choutaro.
Shishido could only look on with disgust towards Atobe while Ryoma walked towards lane 7 with the silver pair and removed his shoes before beginning this challenge.
"So, what's the deal with you and Atobe?" asked Shishido.
"Well, your captain has gone public about the date with me and I was forced to tell the guys at Rikkaidai earlier since everyone over there has found out about my secret." Replied Echizen.
"What!? You're kidding me! So your boyfriend invited all of us out here to bowl and still thinks he has his best interests in you? What the hell did you do, sip on crumpets and tea at his house?" Shishido shot a glare at Echizen before Choutaro tugged at his sleeve.
"Not only did he make me breakfast and poured tea for me, he is trying to act like a professional in trying to win this bet." said Ryoma.
"That's bullshit! He knows that is not how romance works! Now I know why Gakuto has stopped hanging out with that jerk." groaned Shishido.
"Let's not get too personal here, Shishido-san. I am sure Atobe has his reasons for trying to make love with Ryoma. Honestly, no one knows what his true intentions are. You heard what Yanagisawa told you earlier and frankly, letting our guest bowl a few games would give us a chance to see how good he really is. And besides, I am sure Atobe cares about us as well."
"You got to be shitting me, Now you are believing everything that Atobe has done for that kid? Sometimes I couldn't understand what our captain was really thinking," Choutaro wasn't really about to let this conversation get out of hand in front of echizen. But the fact is, letting their own captain making up a sick bet like this just to mess with Echizen only annoyed him to no end and it wants him to just go up to his captain and slap him on the head while yelling 'why do you keep going after Echizen, you two-timing motherfucker?' Not only did it piss him off, but it also told him that Atobe was not about to get away without a fight.
As Ryoma pulled his hat up, he said, "I am so sorry that Atobe had to drag you guys into this without asking. But I am sure we will have a good game here."
"Hey, don't worry about it kid. We were just messing with you." Shishido could only shoot a death glare at Atobe before escorting ryoma to their starting position. Once Atobe arrived with the drinks for his date and the silver pair, the team could see that this date is going to turn into a showdown of epic proportions.
"Just answer me this question, Are you really in love with.."
"Atobe? No, we are just friends." Said Ryoma with a lack of amusement "You could say that we are dating, but I won't gang-bang him if that is what you are worried about."
"I am not worried about that," Shishido looked over at his partner while atobe started setting up the pins and bumpers on their lane.
"Let's make this a good game guys." Ryoma said.
"Of course, but there isn't a chance in hell that I will allow you to kiss Atobe!" warned Shishido.
Ryoma looked at Shishido for a moment and pondered to himself "What makes him think I will kiss that freakazoid? Won't that force the girls to break us up?" At this point, Ryoma feels that he had nothing to worry about.
"Why does everyone want to know about my affairs with your captain? I am sure this has nothing to do with them."
"Well, because if you are dating our captain for any wrong reasons, it would be an insult to our school and you could be committing a crime." said Shishido Nervously.
"What sort of reasons? You think I would just take him out of the country and keep him to myself?"
"No! that's not it at all! Forget I said anything." grumbled Shishido.
This game could end up with a winner kissing Atobe on the head or so.
