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.
[Night and Day]
If you remember in the last chapter, Atobe already confessed to leaving his ex-girlfriend for good and decided to keep his current lover so that he can have him do more tasks ahead. For now, Ryoma is having his one-on-one time with Hanamura Sensei in order to fulfill his goal to date women. At this point, he has taken an interest in girls since many of them are planning to become the cheerleaders for him during the world cup since he is not too worried about the whole thing. Right now, Ryoma is currently having lunch with Hanamura-sensei while the others are observing from the control room.
"Let's eat then. You decide on a place that is your favorite." Said Ryoma as he leads the way towards the streets.
"Certainly, I will make you my masterpiece after all." Smiled Hanamura.
"Not really, I will still be at hyoutei after this." Said Ryoma as he crossed his arms.
"But you will fit perfectly well at Jyosei Shonan. Trust me, I plan to make you a top competitor for the world cup and not even your own teammates will be able to defeat you with the skills you have for the future. Trust me; I know what works for you. Right now, focus on lunch here at this fancy restaurant that I sometimes go to, known as the Seigaku Restaurant. Your friends sometimes eat there and it is one of my favorite places. Besides, I've seen a couple of great chefs there making our lunches now." Continued Hanamura
"Have you been there before? How do you know it's the best?" asked a surprised Ryoma.
"Of course, and I can prove it is the best. Follow me!" said Hanamura as she took Ryoma's hand and headed over to the restaurant/hotel area where a waiter leads them towards the table. But as Ryoma looks at the waiter, he recognizes him immediately as Kazuya Tokugawa. However, as he sat down at the table, he and hanamura started off on juice and water since they were pretty thirsty. Furthermore, ryoma didn't know that his fellow classmates are currently working here trying to earn decent pay since it was a surprise to find them here.
As Ryoma got up, he approached Tokugawa and said, "What are you doing here? I thought you were prepping for the world cup, what brings you here at the restaurant?"
"What am I doing here? I work here after all. Besides, Oni Jujiroh and Irie Kanata are also co-owners of the restaurant that we opened up in town. Therefore, it is in our best interest that you enjoy the foods here, Echizen Ryoma. Furthermore, Ryoga sees you as his brother, but you are going to be my little brother from now on and I understand you are still dating atobe. But why are you dating Hanamura?" said Tokugawa.
"Hanamura invited me here on a lunch date at the request of Atobe since he wants me to date as many girls as possible, excluding my own coach. Besides, I wanted to know what she sees in me." Continued Ryoma.
As Hanamura tapped her chin, she remembers that Ryoma was shy and didn't have much interaction with girls his age and decides that this is her chance to show that kid what women really want from men. In other words, the coach is planning to show that kid to take his mind off the guys for a while and focus on the girls because girls like men more because of their good looks and what not. Therefore, it is Ryoma's turn to give his opinion on what he thinks of women and girls in general. As irie watched from the kitchen, he smiled at the kid and the coach from Josei shonan who are sitting across from each other having their romantic lunch together since they do make a cute couple.
"Look at those two, Tokugawa. Don't you think you could be a great brother to that kid? I am sure he needs you there for him if he wants to continue dating people. You always wanted a brother like Ryoma right?" asked Irie.
"Yes, but when I started developing a rivalry with Ryoga, we both shared the same personal feelings about Ryoma and we both fought for brotherly love with that brat. However, we couldn't decide on who won in that tennis match at the U-17 camp and so we decided to share Ryoma amongst ourselves. At this point me and Ryoga could teach him a few things about love and we chose Atobe to guide him through it since he is a perfect person to date him because we feel that the king of Hyoutei can ensure love will happen for our Chibisuke." Said Tokugawa as he prepped food for the two guests.
Jujiroh was shocked. "You mean you guys set up that date between Ryoma and Atobe? Honestly, are you trying to get that kid to have feelings for that obnoxious diva from Hyoutei? Do you know the sort of trouble you could get yourself into?"
"No trouble at all, I wanted to see if that kid was able to pass my test and surprisingly, he did pretty well for a beginner. I taught him well since he knows how to make people happy." Said Kazuya as he smuged.
So this whole thing was Kazuya's idea? How did he get involved in Ryoma's love life anyway? Unless that guy has personally asked Atobe with a simple phone call to let him take that kid out for a good time? Wow, since when did Kazuya started fantasizing himself with those two lovebirds? He has not found a girlfriend in a long time and now he starts butting into Ryoma's love affairs?
"Come on dude! You need to find love soon or else you will never be like Ryoga Echizen. Besides, why are you helping Ryoma anyway?" asked Kite.
"A big brother has to help an underclassman somehow right? After all, if I am going to make that kid my brother, he has to listen to my advice because only I can get him to fall in love with the people he likes the most. I told Atobe to date him because I feel only he can guide him towards finding true love and it seems to me that he has succeeded in doing so. Furthermore, by letting Ryoma staying with keigo, I feel only he can ensure the kid is safe and sound.
Elsewhere, two students from St. Rudolph and two from Rikkaidai listened curiously at the conversation coming from the kitchen and they were shocked at what just transpired in the kitchen area. But as Mizuki sipped on his tea, he pulled yuuta closer towards him and placed his arm around the younger brother's shoulder before talking. "You hear that? It was definitely that high school kid who put Ryoma up for a date with that diva from Hyoutei. I can't even believe he would pull off something like this since he and Ryoma are just friends. How can they be brothers?"
"You are right, Mizuki-sempai. This is the first that I heard Kazuya admitting his involvement with that kid. At first I don't want to believe it either, but now it's true. Kazuya definitely likes to meddle in other people's affairs. Although a lot of people are too curious for their own goods, no one seems to have a problem with that brat's relationships around men despite nagging him so much. At this rate, who knows how many other girls he is going to pick up?" added yuuta.
"My data shows that there is a 50 percent chance that Ryoma will ask Hanamura to share drinks together. It seems that they are already hitting it off. I also gathered that he is going to be going to Josei Shonan soon to become a professional tennis player right?" continued Mizuki.
"Unfortunately, Ryoma denied those claims and decided that he must remain at Hyoutei because he feels the training over there can give him a chance to succeed in the world cup later on. I knew that kid was smart enough to reject Hanamura's offer, but taking her out on a date at the request of his other boyfriend? That is certainly new." Said Jackal.
"Jackal-sempai, Ryoma has refused a lot of offers in the past, but he chose to be at Hyoutei because he feels better working under the leadership of Atobe-sama. Besides, that kid has guts wanting an actual relationship and even Sanada turned him down. However, the way that he gets all possessive and clingy is cute." Added Marui
"So? What is he going to say when Hanamura stops dating him?" asked Yuuta
"He will get over that, and if not, there are plenty of other women whom will be more than happy to date him since he will know the truth soon enough. Besides, he has surpassed other people as bachelors and will require other people to keep an eye on him from time to time until he can finally carry on the missions on his own. This is not that hard for him to do since he knows how to handle men on his own. I think fuji Syusuke told him that a while back." Continued Mizuki.
"I see, so that brat seems confident in dating Hanamura-sensei. I guess we can leave him to it." Finished Yuuta as they continued watching from their table.
Back at the control rooms, kenya was busy playing chess with his cousin while Inui was busy making his concoctions for Fuji and Yukimura while Atobe was busy monitoring Ryoma's progress. To him, he was pretty impressed at how well the brat handled this date.
"My little baby seems to know what he is doing. Furthermore, Hanamura really seems to be in love with that guy because we all did the right thing setting him up on a date like this." Smiled Atobe.
"If what Tokugawa said is true, you both were in on this together? How is that possible?" asked Kenya.
"Well, I called up Tokugawa after he finished tennis practice and asked him if he could do me a favor of setting up a date between me and Ryoma. He agreed and wanted to meet me at my villa. Once there, he gave me specific instructions to let that brat meet me in the Hyoutei school grounds once I sent him that text message." Said Atobe
Flashback
"Dear Ryoma, please meet me at the grounds of Hyoutei academy because I have something special planned for you since we are going on a date together. Meet me here." –Atobe
"What is it O'chibi?" asked Kikumaru.
"Looks like Atobe wants to date me, but why? What does he see in me?" asked Ryoma.
Everyone else had shocked looks on their faces, especially Oishi since he saw the whole message on the kid's phone and said, "It seems that you have a boyfriend from Hyoutei Academy. Looks like he is really interested in you. I think you should take the date because who knows, that guy might propose to you later on."
"It's nothing like that, Oishi-sempai! Me and Atobe are just friends, okay?" protested Ryoma as he blushed furiously, leaving many of the other teammates to laugh at him. How was this funny to them when the kid didn't know why he is dating a guy from Hyoutei? Futhermore, how does Atobe know a lot about that kid and what school he goes to? This time, Ryoma has to get to the bottom of this immediately.
End flashback
"So, it was a simple text message that brought you guys together thanks to Tokugawa. Dude, you got a wild imagination but there is no way in hell that will work now. How do you even know that Ryoma will fall for you this time around?" asked a confused Gakuto.
"You will see soon enough, my friend. Right now, Ryoma and Hanamura have just ordered their lunch and they are about to eat. Also, it's a good thing that I sent the students to keep an eye on them just in case if anything should go wrong." Added Atobe.
"Are you serious, you sent in a few bodyguards to spy on their date? What if Ryoma finds out about your plans?" asked Yuushi.
"Don't worry, he is already aware of them, but he doesn't seem to care as long as he stays at Hyoutei in order to become a professional tennis player. Besides, he already dated Jackal and Marui so Yuuta and Mizuki feels that if they get dated next, its fine with me. After all he is still the bachelor, no?" shrugged Atobe.
Everyone else had confused looks on their faces, but Shishido was still pissed off. "Keigo, if that little monster ends up being called a pervert, not that I am saying it could possibly happen, but he could end up in trouble with the law here. Do you realize that he has been sent to the lion's den?"
"There is nothing wrong with dating people of the opposite sex, especially a hot chick like Hanamura. Besides, I am sure she has her reasons for dating that kid. Just keep watching, you will know soon enough." Continued atobe.
Shishido looked at his senior for a moment and went back to his seat without uttering a word. Back at the restaurant, Ryoma raised his glass cup and said, "This is to our beautiful date together and I propose a toast to you."
"Right back at you, my friend. Besides, I wanted to thank you for the flowers as well. You look a lot like my husband who always sends me flowers when we were married. This time, I should really consider you as my secret boyfriend for now because you're my secret weapon to shape up the first year students at Josei Shonan because those guys are having a lot of trouble picking up balls and hitting them. So I just need you to be a temporary assistant coach if that is okay with you." Added Hanamura
"Sure, I could do that and besides, just like what I did at Hyoutei, I will do the same with your school first thing on Monday if I have proper guidance. After all, Mizuki-sempai nearly persuaded Kaido to go to St. Rudolph and he ended up rejecting the offer and decided to stay at Seigaku instead. So, if I help your school to become better tennis players, I might find my own way to become a pro later on, if you agree with that decision." Said Ryoma
"I respect your decision of not joining our school officially, but I am happy that you will help my students on Monday. I will be by at your house to pick you up and we will go from there, what do you say?" asked Hanamura.
"Sure thing, and I highly appreciate it a lot. Also, I want to thank you for a lovely lunch date." Smiled Ryoma as he shook the coach's hand.
"Hey, no problems. We will gladly do this again in the near future. Would you also care to do some shopping with me? My family is currently somewhere trying to give me some souvenirs and I want you to buy some things for me that are not expensive for them in return." Continued Hanamura.
"Sure, I got time. Also, Mizuki-sempai, were you watching me from before?" asked Ryoma
"We just stopped by for some lunch, and I heard that kazuya Tokugawa has helped you greatly." He replied.
"Really? So Atobe had some assistance from the high-schoolers? Well then, I have to thank my big brother personally after I finish shopping. Does anyone else know about what he was up to?"
"Nope, just us. But I am sure Yuuta would also like to go shopping with you guys because he really wanted to get something for his big brother after all the help he has gotten in tennis." Added Mizuki.
"Cut it out, will you? I only wanted to repay the debt back to Aniki because he knows me very well. So don't get on his bad side or else." Warned Yuuta.
"Sure, whatever. But if I know Fuji Syusuke, he can be annoying at times, but he does care about you a lot so be sure to get him something that he really likes. Good luck out there!" said Mizuki as he gently patted Yuuta's back before pushing him out of the restaurant. As he followed Ryoma and Hanamura t the store, he could see his big brother and Shiraishi in aisle 2 looking for seeds to water their plants in school. As the gang waved at them, the duo split up and took their companions into separate aisles for a little chat while Hanamura searched for the present.
"What are you doing here, Shiraishi-sempai?" asked Ryoma.
"I was about to ask you the same thing, Ryoma. I saw you and Hanamura hitting it off at the restaurant earlier and I have to say, you really have learned how to pick up women these days. How do you do it?" asked Shiraishi.
"Excuse me? I didn't say I was picking up women. Hanamura only asked me to date her because she wants me to do some shopping for her family. Besides, Kazuya and Atobe planned this together because they feel that I need to spend more time with the ladies instead of just men. Also, Hanamura treated me to lunch earlier and I thanked her for that because she is asking me to train her students for the week ahead." Said Ryoma.
"No way! Are you really going to Josei Shonan? If so, then you should watch out for those cheerleaders since they are obsessed with Wakato Hiroshi. Who knows what those girls see in him and I don't know what makes that guy so popular. Furthermore, when I played a match with him, his changes in personality really creeped me out and there was no way I would ever play him in the near future." Added Shiraishi.
"Of course, I will keep my eyes peeled. Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"Me and Syusuke are shopping for some seeds in order to water our garden. Our flowers are nearly dead and we need seeds and water to ensure they stay healthy again so that the bugs don't chew them up. What about you?" asked Shiraishi,
"well, Hanamura wants me to buy her family some inexpensive items since I know her kids love to play legos and fly kites all day. However, I think they love video games too so I will try to get them a few of their favorites." Said Ryoma as he picked up a few from the game section before meeting the coach. Anyway, I hope your plants can stay healthy, let me know how the seeds work out. Catch you later, Shiraishi!" said Ryoma as he headed towards the clothing aisle.
Once Hanamura and Ryoma finished their shopping, they both headed back towards their homes, but not before Ryoma handed the teacher the stuff he bought for her family. "I wanted to thank you for a good time that we spent together and I hope we can do it again in the near future." Smiled Ryoma as he bowed at the coach.
"Sure, no problems. It was my pleasure hanging out with you and showing you a good time. Oh, by the way, Yukimura and Sanada are here to take you back home. I hope you will be able to tell them everything that we did together." Winked Hanamura as she drove off into the distance towards her home. As Ryoma waved back, Yukimura and his vice-captain took the kid into the park and said, "So, how did your date go with that coach?"
"It was magnificent. The foods were really good too." Said Ryoma.
"Glad to hear it, and also did you meet up with anyone at the restaurant, brat?" asked Sanada..
"I saw Kazuya Tokugawa and two of his classmates working there since it's a part of their job to help the community. I have a feeling that Kazuya was the one that asked me to date atobe because as his little brother, he wants me to see what it is really like to actually date people in public. I knew something was up after I got the text on my phone, but I never knew that these high-schoolers would join in the fray. At first, I wanted to tell them that me and Atobe are just friends since they really need to lay off from the Romance Movies. At that moment, I feel that listening to those guys would give me a chance to open up to girls more later on."
The guys looked at him and were surprised. "Are you sure Tokugawa put you up to this, little bro?" asked Yukimura.
"Yup, he is one of the strangest person I have ever met at the U-17 camp. Here I thought he was going to be rough on me, but then I realized that he really is a sweet guy who cares a lot about the underclassmen. I have never been to his home before, but it seems that he really has taken an interest in my love life. At first, I didn't approve of what he was doing, but then I realized that the high school students are really proving to be useful after all and therefore, I took it upon myself to trust kazuya because he is really like a big brother to me." Said Ryoma.
"Well, we are very impressed that you have successfully dated Hanamura, but shall we take you back into the house? Your family wants you home before dinner starts." Said the two Rikkaidai seniors.
"Sure, please guide me, and I thank you guys for your help." Said Ryoma. As the three boarded the subway back to Tokyo, Ryoma headed towards the opposite direction to his house while his teammates returned to the control room a few houses down. Once ryoma entered the house, he could see his father standing near the staircase smiling at him.
"So, I heard you are dating a coach from another school. You are really getting popular with the ladies, haven't you? I am proud of you son." Smiled Nanjiro.
"Well, we didn't actually make the date official, we just hung out at the restaurant and did a little shopping since she really wanted to meet me in person. I feel that coach Ryuzaki has developed a sense of rivalry with that woman ever since we had the match with the tennis regulars from Josei Shonan. Therefore, in order to repay my gratitude, hanamura took me to a fancy restaurant where some middle and high school kids were working. I really liked that place and it just brings back childhood memories."
"Why? She is your girlfriend, you need to admit your feelings to her, brat! Why did you reject her offer of joining her school?" asked a nonplussed Nanjiro.
"She is not my girlfriend! If you must know, she is married and has a family of her own, I don't want to ruin their relationship because I am just a friend to her." Protested Ryoma.
"Oh, I see. You are too afraid to admit your love for hanamura and decided to cheat on her?" continued Nanjiro.
"What are you getting at oya-ji? We do not have an intimate relationship. Only Atobe and I still have feelings for each other and that is that. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to wash up and take a little nap since I had a long day. Call me when dinner is ready." Said Ryoma as he dashed upstairs into his room and closed the door behind him. As nanjiro sighed with a smug on his face, he thought to himself, "My kid is really becoming a lot more mature now since he really knows how to impress women. I guess, it really runs in the family. I think I made the right choice in letting him stay at Hyoutei because he has some awesome friends to support him."
A few hours later, Ryoma took his seat at the table and started eating his dinner without uttering a word. But soon, Nanjiro looked at his son for a moment and said, "you know kid, when I was your age, I almost dated Sumiere Ryuzaki because she really is hot. However, she turned me down and feels that I was not her type. Therefore, I took it upon myself to marry someone that could take care of the house. Afterwards, I feel that I really need to start dating people again soon."
Ryoma immediately choked on his food while his cousin gently patted his back in order to let him breathe slowly. Once the kid recovered after a drink of water, he turned to his father and said, "you're kidding right?"
"Why would I lie to you? Me and Ryuzaki go way back and she taught me the sport of tennis. Therefore, I feel that she and I could meet somewhere tomorrow and spend some quality time together. Are you interested in helping us get our love connection back?" said Nanjiro.
"No, thanks. I think you and the coach have got this handled. Anyway, I need to head back to the control room, my friends are waiting for me since they want to hear my results today. I will see you guys later!" said Ryoma as he packed up his tennis equipment and left the house after feeding Karupin. Once the kid left, his father turned his attention on the magazines since those books are going to make him famous someday. But as nanako looked at her uncle, she immediately took the books away and wanted him to focus more on the family instead of hot chicks.
"Why are you trying to make me not fall in love again? Give me the books back!" protested Nanjiro.
"Stop reading them and focus on the family you pervert! Besides, these magazines are messing up your head! Take some time off from reading and start jogging will you?" said nanako.
"You're right, maybe I haven't been outside for too long, thanks for reminding me." And with that he left the house after eating since this is his chance to focus his mind on other things because Nanjiro feels that he needs to contribute to the family more if he wants to support Ryoma's decision of staying at Hyotei.
Back at the control room, Ryoma took his seat at the table with the other students and said, "I am sure you want me to tell you my business with the coach from Josei Shonan right?"
"Yes, of course! We want to know everything that you have done with her today. Furthermore, we also wanted to know what your connection is with that school." Stated Krauser.
Ryoma took his position at the front center desk and paused for a moment to regain his composure before speaking since this is his chance to tell the gang about his plans since they could either get shocked at what he had done. But Ryoma wasn't nervous since he wants to ensure that he gets praises afterwards since there is a slight chance that Keigo has something else planned for that kid later on.
What will Ryoma tell the entire team about his date with a coach from Josei Shonan and his plans for the students there?
