After winning the match against Rikkaidai in the Nationals, the gang decided to celebrate their victory that night at Kawamura's Sushi Restaurant. There were unlimited types of sushi, and different kinds of juice and soda. Ryoma sat beside Horio and the rest of the first years. His classmates insisted they spend as much time as they could before he returns to America, which he agreed to. That's why he chose to join their group instead of sitting with Momoshiro-senpai as usual. Tomoka happily placed a few different pieces of sushi on Ryoma's plate.
"Here you go, Ryoma-sama!" she beamed. Then she ran toward the direction of the other regulars who were playing cards at the other table.
"Thanks," he said before wolfing down the food. It was a good night for him. Lots of food, great company, and of course, for winning the Nationals. He's got nothing to worry about going back to the states. He looked around the restaurant and observed the faces of the people. He tried his best to engrave that memory into his mind. It will be the best gift he could take.
When he had finished his plate, a hand placed a can of Ponta in front of him. It was the coach's granddaughter, Sakuno Ryuzaki. Yes, he remembered.
"Y-You must be thirsty, Ryoma-kun," she shyly said without looking at his face.
The boy had always wondered how the girl is always bashful as ever. She never displayed any signs of confidence ever since they met. He couldn't help but wonder why he never really saw her act like her other friend. Even when he had helped her practice tennis to enhance her play, Ryoma didn't really see any improvements on her. He thought that she might lose interest in the sport. Not that it's any of his business but tennis is fun, and Sakuno did join a club. She might as well try to be good at it.
Under his growing curiosity, Ryoma decided to strike up a conversation with her while the other first years are distracted by the senpais' bickering.
"Ryuzaki, can I ask you something?" he opened the can of Ponta and drank a little bit of it as he stared at her. She blushed but nodded. Ryoma adjusted his legs under the table to stretch it and spoke again.
"How are you doing with tennis?" he asked. The girl sipped her tea before answering.
"Oh, I've been practicing whenever I got time. I'm able to hit at least five times in a row now!" she proudly stated as she motioned her hand as if she's holding a racket. Ryoma smirked. Now, that's a little bit confident.
"Eh, is that so? That's good, then," he nodded as he drank his soda beside her. A few seconds of silence and he spoke again.
"Do you practice with your clubmates often?" he muttered, suddenly feeling stupid for asking a question with an obvious answer. In his defense, he's somewhat feeling pressured to think of a topic just to talk to her. He wondered why. Maybe because he's going back to America and wouldn't be able to talk to anyone from Japan anymore.
"Ah, yes. Every day in the morning..." Sakuno answered with the same kind tone. She blushed as she continued to sip her drink.
"Bet your hips are still wobbly, and your knees are too bent, and your hair is too long," he babbled one after another as he sipped his drink. Sakuno stared at him with a confused look. The boy was muttering things out of the blue. It was so unlike him!
"R-Ryoma-kun, you're talkative today," she smiled. She appreciates Ryoma for trying to strike a conversation with her. It was enough to fill her heart with happiness. But still, she finds it weird. There's no alcohol in his drink, right?
The boy stared at her in disbelief. Somehow, he felt deja-vu. This has happened before, didn't it? He looked flustered as he stared at the young girl's eyes.
"Che," he looked away. It was lame of him to talk about those things. Maybe she's getting tired of it. But he doesn't really know anything about her other than those things, so it can't be helped. He heard the girl giggle beside him. Ryoma blinked. Is she mad or happy?
"Ryoma-kun, you're being weird," she smiled. It sent a light pang on Ryoma's chest, and he didn't know why. He only stared at the girl's warm smile and rosy cheeks. It was the first time he actually noticed how 'cute' Ryuzaki looks. Of course, his idea of cute is Karupin, and nothing more. But tonight, it gave a whole other meaning to him.
He cleared his throat and tried to think of a reply.
"But I'm thinking of quitting the club," Ryoma heard the girl confess. His eyes darted at her in surprise. He saw her back in her shy form.
"Why?" he asked.
"W-Well, because... I'm not good at it," she admitted. Granted, she is in no greater level than a pre-school kid playing tennis, Ryoma noted, but still, even though it's not much, she had made progress from when they started training. Also, Ryoma had invested a large amount of time and energy with her so she should see the end of it. He was not used to giving advice or something to a girl, no less. So, he said nothing. Maybe, all his teasing added to her discouraged heart. Ryoma felt responsible, since he was the coach, and he would always tell her things like what he just babbled on stupidly. He looked down. He wished he learned how to cheer up a girl.
"W-When you return to America..." she started to speak but hesitated to continue. Ryoma turned to look at her.
"Yeah?" he waited.
"Uh... w-when you go... it's going to be lonely," Sakuno shut her eyes tightly as she forced herself to say what's on her mind for once. She is definitely going to miss the tennis freak. And this cute attempt of him of trying to make a conversation with her just made her miss him even more. She figured this would be her last chance to be brave about her feelings so why not bare it all out?
Ryoma's eyes softened. He's going back to the states sometime this week and he's not one bit happy about it. He would miss these kinds of night when the whole gang would hang out in the sushi shop and eat to their belly's limits. That was the main reason he hesitated to go. But now, sitting beside this timid cheerleader, he felt that there's one more reason why it's hard to go.
The guys were outside the sushi restaurant and were bidding goodbyes for each other. One by one, they started leaving to go home, until only Ryoma and Sakuno remained at the front of the door. Momoshiro and the other guys made Ryoma promise to walk Sakuno home, to which the boy reluctantly agreed. She was about to call her grandmother to pick her up, but Ryoma insisted.
As they began to walk, Sakuno tailed behind him. It has always been like that. She could not bring herself to walk by his side due to her extreme shyness. Taking notice of this, Ryoma halted. He turned around and waited for the girl to catch up to him. Sakuno almost bumped into him since she walks with her head down.
"Isn't it dangerous? Walking like that?" he curiously asked. Sakuno's cheeks turned red.
"Ah, well, yeah," she weakly laughed at her own awkwardness.
"You should always look at the front. Or you'll always lose your way," the boy stated. It isn't just about the walk, Ryoma thought. It's about holding your head up high. That way, you can proudly swing a racket, or reach for your dreams. He wanted to say something inspirational to her, but afraid she would find it uncharacteristic of him, or she would simply not get it. She's a little slow like that.
"Y-Yes..." she stared admiringly at him as he awkwardly straightened his jersey.
"Come on, let's go," he said.
As they turned to the corner where Ryuzaki's house is located, she stopped in front of their porch. The boy stood in front of her, eyes shining, as she saw it.
"G-Goodnight, Ryoma-kun," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Her bangs hid her eyes as realization dawned on her that this may be the last time she would ever see him. Sakuno could not accept that this will be the end of their encounter. Sure, he has big dreams that he needed to reach, and he can easily make them come true with his skills. But her? Even if she wanted to follow him, with little to no tennis skills, it's just impossible. Looks like this is really goodbye, she thought. Looks like she would grow old watching him on the television as he conquers the world, get married, do lots of things and she would stay there on the other side of the world.
As tears threatened to fall from her cheeks, she noticed Ryoma's hand curled in a ball, obviously holding something in it. He stretched it toward her. The girl blinked.
"W-What is it?" she asked, looking at his knuckles, then to his serious face. Surprisingly, she already found him staring back at her.
He started opening his hand and Sakuno hurriedly placed both of her hands under it to catch whatever it is that he will give.
It was a crumpled ball of paper.
"My address," he simply answered. "Write a letter when you feel like it," he coolly said before he walked away.
Sakuno unraveled the paper and revealed it was indeed his address in the states. Maybe it's the address to their old house, Sakuno thought. She looked up to his retreating back. He raised a hand and waved goodbye.
Tears fell down on her cheeks as she raised her hand to wave goodbye as well.
It was the beginning of classes again. Days went by and Sakuno couldn't function normally since Ryoma's departure. She wanted to send her first letter to him, but she didn't know what to write. She flattered herself that maybe the boy is waiting for her mail to come. But no, he seems to be busy with tournaments here and there as seen on TV. So, every day after school, she sat by the window, his former seat, to try and compose a simple letter for him. Anything will do, she thought. But night came and still, she could not write a single word.
As she arrived home, Sakuno was greeted by a box by the side table. Sumire's head popped out from the kitchen.
"Ah, Sakuno. You're late," she said with a scolding voice.
"Sorry, grandma. I needed to study more at school," she lied.
"There's a package for you," her irritated face was replaced with a teasing look. Sakuno's eyebrow arched.
"Who's it from?" she proceeded to put down her bag and checked out the box. Her eyes widened as she read the sender's information.
"New York..." she gasped as her eyes scanned the name.
"Ryoma sent you something, it seems," the older Ryuzaki commented with a grin. Sakuno smiled at her as she quickly grabbed a cutter from the side table's drawer and slashed open the box carefully but excitedly. Sumire chuckled before returning to the kitchen.
What greeted Sakuno when she opened the box was a red racket, the one that Ryoma had always used. She was sure of it since she recognized all the scratches on it. Then, she noticed a small paper included in the box. Sakuno picked it up and read it quietly.
Keep playing tennis. I'll see you soon.
All the best, Ryoma.
Sakuno's eyes could not hold the tears any longer and they rolled down her cheeks as she held up the racket, admiring its dents and scratches like it was the most beautiful and priceless treasure in the world.
"Wait for me, Ryoma-kun," she whispered.