Ryuzaki Sakuno quickly tried to hit the ball aimed on the corner side of the court. Barely reaching it, she returned it as an easy to hit lob. In a brief frenzied panic, she expected a strong smash coming from her opponent. She braced herself for the quick return of the ball.
It didn't arrive. Instead, the white-capped lad returned it normally, letting the girl get another chance of return.
"Try to lower the position of your grip a little bit more," Ryoma commented, easily hitting back the ball.
The girl nodded, adjusting her hold on his extra red racket that he lent her. She focused on the whizzing neon ball directed on the corner of her court. Running to follow up, this time, she successfully hit it with a great swing.
The ball bounced then whirred fast, missed by the tennis prince who was standing opposite.
"Game Ryuzaki, 5-1." He had his amused smirk on, appraising the way she improved.
"I took a game from Ryoma-kun..." she felt stunned, but ultimately felt giddy. After all, the tennis prince is also a world-renowned pro.
"Your turn to serve," he spoke, a small smile gracing his mouth as he observed her face lighting up in happiness.
"Un." Her twin braids swayed as she positioned herself to serve. Sweat lined her face, as she took a deep breath. She tried to remember all of his tips, channeling the best serve that she could do. Sakuno tossed the ball in the air and then jumped up, hitting the most powerful serve she could muster.
His eyes carefully looked at the spin on the ball, calculating its trajectory. He returned her ball with ease, starting a rally. With every hit and return, both parties felt an emotion that seemed to be from before. Just enjoying their company, and playing tennis.
For the first time since her confession, Sakuno felt light around him. It was as if on every shot, she conveyed the stress she felt for the past few days. And their rally felt cathartic. It was starting to remind her of how she enjoyed seeing him play, and even more when he played with her. The happiness she felt back then in middle school when she started to love tennis because of him.
Those times from long ago where he would teach her play for almost a year before he left. And when they met again, five years later, he praised how she improved. She can't express just how much happy she was, when he asked to play just before he fell sick back then.
And then there's the steady friendship-- one she hoped he felt too, when they started living together. Even if her feelings were unspoken back then, she was truly content in keeping him company. From sharing breakfast and dinners, watching some TV on the living room, and even with the occasional idle times where they just drink tea or coffee over the confines of the kitchen enjoying each other's silent company.
When she confessed, all those memories suddenly felt so far away. They seemed to have happened years ago that she almost forgot. How their relationship changed over the last few days they spent in Japan. With a heavy heart, even if he asked her to wait for an answer, change became inevitable. It even came to a point where the both of them struggled to talk with each other.
She was beginning to think whether her five years of unreturned feelings for him were ever worth to hold on. When it caused this much chaos to the simple platonic relationship they have, was it really worth it? Maybe she should have just accepted it long ago. And even if her heart refused to bury that first love, then maybe she should have tried more.
Maybe if she lets go of her feelings, she wouldn't feel hurt anymore. He wouldn't burden himself with thinking anymore. And they would return to the stage where everything is stable... everything turning normal. No romance issues to inconvenience each other.
And as Ryuzaki Sakuno returned the ball he just hit, for the first time she stopped moving. Only staring at his graceful form in admiration as he hit the ball back, she didn't budge from her place.
"Game Set, Ryoma-kun."
She's finally giving up, for real.
Ryoma's amber eyes looked confused as he watched her not trying to return the ball. He would've teased her about it, if not for the sad smile she let surface for a brief second.
"You won, Ryoma-kun." the sad smile was replaced with a genuinely happy one that he almost doubted if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
He tipped his hat before he approached the net, holding out his hand for a handshake.
The boy felt her soft, warm hands against his calloused ones. It confused him how he felt a strange churn in his stomach with their contact. The girl handed him her racket back, as they both made their way back to the bench to sit out their exhaustion.
He pulled on his spare towel from his tennis bag and handed it to Ryuzaki. She gratefully accepted and used the object to dry up the sweat in her face. As he used his own towel, he can hear her slightly ragged breathing. And for a moment, he stared at her flushed face. The continuous heaving of her body as she tiredly sat. He was a bit tempted to remove the stray strands of her hair that clung on her face, but decided not to as she noticed it herself too. She removed them herself.
"Ryoma-kun?" he heard her ask, "Do I have something on my face?"
"Nothing." feigning nonchalance, he looked away and covered his face with the towel. Hiding the small blush that made their way on his cheeks when he realized that she saw him staring.
All he could hear with his closed, covered eyes were a zip and a rustle of plastic that seemed to be the doing of the twin braided girl. Feeling more calmed, he removed the towel from his face. It was a good thing that he brought few Pontas to last him by his long intended practice. He pulled two grape cans from a compartment in his tennis bag.
"Ryoma-kun..." he heard her soft voice call. He turned to look at her, amber orbs appearing curious.
She pulled out a small plastic pouch in a fancy wrap.
"I also made these cookies," she handed him the container, "I thought you would like them, they aren't as sweet."
"Doumo." he accepted the cookies, quite glad that the girl seemed to not feel awkward anymore. He silently praised his idea of playing tennis, earlier.
"Let's exchange." On his side, he gave her his spare grape ponta, "It isn't that chilled anymore, but I hope it will do."
"N-No worries," the girl received his offer, "Ponta is ponta."
At her last sentence, he couldn't quite stifle the small chuckle he had. The girl blushed, unsure as to what was wrong with what she said.
"I didn't know that you like Ponta this much too, Ryuzaki." he grinned.
"Mou..." she pouted, looking shy, "I guess we're slightly the same, Ryoma-kun."
He didn't reply anymore as he took a swig off his own Ponta, relishing the flavor in his mouth and the small victory that somehow happened that day.
It seemed like the girl is acting normal now. He wasn't sure whether he still needed to clarify the kiss to her. Still, at that moment, he appreciated the fact that the both of them seemed to cease worrying on what happened in the past.
He gingerly unwrapped the fancy package of cookies in his lap, revealing chocolate chip cookies. He took a bite on one cookie. It tasted like her usual cooking-- preparing food that would most definitely suit the palates of her intended person. Instead of the sweeter milk-chocolate chips, he tasted dark chocolate which complemented the flavor of the cookie dough she used.
He really liked it. The cookies would've been perfect for his usual preference. But weirdly enough, he could recall the brief melancholic smile she flashed when he hit the last point. All of a sudden, it felt like the dark chocolate chip in his mouth tasted even more bitter.
The sky was already painted with violet and orange hues, with the sun starting to set. After another set of playing, the two figures stood on their respective sides of the court. They both have light-hearted expressions on their face, even with the strenuous game they just played.
"Ryoma-kun, it's getting late... I think I should go home now." the hazel-eyed girl announced.
"Okay." he replied casually, "I'll walk you home."
That is how they both ended up walking on the familiar streets that led to the Ryuzaki house. With the sun finally long gone and replaced by the night sky, the street lights were lit. The Tokyo bustle didn't really die, if anything, it became even more busy with the rush hour of people and vehicles going home.
The pair walked side by side on the sidewalk with the tennis prince positioned between the girl and the streets. He wasn't wearing his practice clothes anymore. Aside from his usual white cap, he was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt paired with dark blue pants.
Like most of their walks together, they weren't exactly the most talkative pair. Just small conversations from time to time. Though the past few days have definitely made things different, this time, to their relief, the silence didn't feel entirely unpleasant.
"Days really fly fast... I can't believe we'll fly back to school again tomorrow."
Ryoma spared his companion a glance, noting her relaxed expression. Her brown doe eyes looking ahead innocently.
"Hn." he agreed. Thinking about how despite the tumultuous last few days, he fully appreciated how he caught up with his former senpais and friends-- even attending a milestone in their life. Their trip to Japan proved to be jam-packed with events they expect and didn't expect.
The comfortable silence continued until they reached the girl's neighborhood. Passing by the park where he saw her last night, he was tempted to bring it up. Still, he dismissed the idea. He wouldn't want to risk and feel awkward again.
A few blocks before arriving at the girl's house, she paused momentarily. It surprised him, so he faced her.
"A-Ano..." she was stuttering again, and the way she bit her lip didn't escape him. Her cheeks slightly blushed, and he was reminded of her middle school mannerisms. She wasn't looking at him directly, fiddling at the hem of her shirt while she constructed her next words.
"Ne, Ryoma-kun... I have a favor to ask."
Her hazel eyes were glassy, as she stared back at him. She sounded nervous as her brows furrowed. He was afraid that she would just suddenly cry. "Did I do something?" He internally panicked, not sure what he just did to elicit such a reaction.
"What is it, Ryuzaki?" he inquired.
"I-I thought about this a lot..." her worried voice made him feel more curious, "And Ryoma-kun..."
Never in his life did he felt that impatient. The way she sounded, it made him worry too. His face must've looked perplexed too.
"Maybe it would be better if you just forget about my confession..." She turned her back on him, so he didn't have to see her expression.
"What do you mean?" he did not intend for his voice to be raspy.
"I-I realized that it would be far better if we just revert back to what we were before," her convinced voice bothered him for unknown reasons.
"You don't have to waste your time thinking about your answer anymore."
"Ryuzaki..." his throat felt dry, and it seemed like if he spoke more, his cool facade would fall entirely. His jaws tightened and words ceased to come out from his lips.
"It's okay, Ryoma-kun." her voice turned quieter, "You don't have to worry about it."
He saw her body shuffle a bit, before she turned to look at him again. This time, she flashed him what seemed to be a genuine smile.
It felt strange, how his chest appear to constrict. While the girl never did anything to make him uncomfortable, what she was saying at the moment sent him a sense of weird dread that he can't decipher.
"Thank you for walking me home, Ryoma-kun," she bowed her head as her braid fell on her shoulders, "I can get to our house now."
Still speechless, Ryoma could only stare as she started to slowly walk away. Her small figure clumsily moving on the cobbled ground. Her long brown hair seemed to shine as the street lights illuminated it.
Unconsciously, his feet started to move and follow. But after a few steps, Ryuzaki abruptly stopped and spoke with a tone of finality.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Ryoma-kun."
And then she ran, leaving him alone in the middle of the narrow streets. The sound of cicadas filled his ears along with the distant sound of traffic.
He should be happy, right?
Ryoma knew that she meant well. And forgetting about everything is the viable solution to mend their previous relationship. If it was her who proposed the idea, then it should be okay, right? He didn't have to stress himself out on thinking what he should answer.
She's right. He didn't have to worry about anything anymore.
But as an exasperated sigh finally escaped his lips, he removed his white cap. He ruffled his air in an unnamed frustration before putting his cap on.
If Ryuzaki Sakuno is right, then why does he still feel bothered?
After a silent crying session, yet again, Sakuno found herself hugging her pillows for comfort. Among the confines of her familiar, soft bed under her covers she hid.
She's finally said and done it.
It took her unimaginable emotional fortitude not to just burst out crying in front of him when she told him the favor. She could recall how she felt out of breath. How her chest hurt that she had to turn away so he didn't have to see how hard she tried not to cry.
It was a miracle that her voice didn't break, though it went noticeably quieter. It took her so much to sound so convincing that she hoped she would be convinced too. After all, she was the one who had to stop five years' worth of unrequited love.
Why did he have to look betrayed? The way his eyes gazed at her that time, she didn't have any idea what it meant. She wouldn't want to flatter herself that he liked her too. Didn't he kiss Kate? Besides, the tennis prince didn't really say anything. So it must be okay for him, too? Right?
Sakuno knew that this wouldn't probably be the last time she'll ever cry about it. But for now, she's just tired. The promise of a greater tomorrow where everything would turn back to normal enticed her. Ending what started in Japan probably was a great decision.
But even with that, now that she asked him to forget about her confession completely, the continuous nagging in herself wouldn't stop to remind her. Did she really do the right thing? And most important of all, could she really do it? She could only wonder and believe in herself.
The girl glanced at her desk clock, seeing the 10:00 pm time flashing on it's digital screen. Their flight back to America would be at 8 am tomorrow. If she could help it, she would like a plenty of rest. Slapping both her cheeks lightly, she resolved to finally call it a day.
She shifted on her bed completely, readying herself to finally fall asleep. To no avail, she tried different positions. But she just can't forget what happened that day. When she closed her eyes, she would remember how she felt happy that they both got over the silent treatment they probably had with each other through tennis. And then, she would remember what happened later too.
The sudden knock in her door and her grandmother's voice reverberating caught her attention right away.
"Are you asleep, Sakuno?"
She sat up, immediately checking her reflection by her phone. Concluding that her face didn't look as puffy, she replied.
"No. I'm still awake, obaa-chan."
Her bedroom door creaked open, revealing her grandmother in her own pajamas. The coach's brown hair usually tied up in a tight pony tail fell loose on her shoulders. The white and gray streaks on her locks are being visible.
"What is it, obaa-chan?" she asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing," the old woman only shook her head gently, giving her a small smile, "Just checking up on my granddaughter."
"Did you finish packing up?" Sumire asked.
"Un." Sakuno nodded.
"You should be sleeping now," the older Ryuzaki got herself ready to leave her room, "Good night, Sakuno."
"Good night, obaa-chan."
Sumire silently closed her granddaughter's bedroom door as she left. Sakuno could only stare as her grandmother's figure disappear from her room. It has been so long since she felt like a dependent high schooler again. Contemplating about it, she realized just how much of a guardian Ryuzaki Sumire is to her.
And maybe it's because she was used to seeing her grandmother every day for her 17 years of existence that when she left for almost half a year, she finally noticed it.
Sakuno started to see how the strong woman who raised her, aged through the years.
A/N:
Hello again! As promised, I uploaded this as soon as I finished writing this chapter. I felt that the past chapters have been really dramatic, so I hoped this won't seem dragging as there is a ton drama coming on the next few chapters. Hehe.
Finally wrapping up with this 'return to Japan' arc in this story, the next chapters will be set again in the university. We're also about five to six chapters left before Waiting for that Promise ends so please look forward to finishing it up with me~
Thank you for reading this chapter. Know that I appreciate the favorites, follows and comments you leave. They get me pumped up in writing more. :3