Chapter 11: Embrace

"I'm home…" he uttered. The house was quiet, it seemed that all of them were already asleep.

Ryoma sat down and untied his shoelaces. His feet ached and his head throbbed, but he still needed to catch up on his studies since he's been skipping classes due to training. He closed his eyes and exhaled. He wondered if he could push through until graduation.

Ryoma felt a little down, being alone tonight. Even though he didn't mind his parents not fussing over him, he would look for that sensation every once in a while. A single light bulb shone down at him at the entrance, as he stared at his tired feet. Maybe this is adulthood. Soon, he will go away far from everyone and pursue being a pro tennis player. He will have to manage by himself. He doubted if he could actually do it.

"Ryoma-kun…" he heard a voice whisper from inside. He turned his head and saw Sakuno standing by the stairs, wearing her usual pajamas. Ryoma took a long look at her. It felt like he had not seen her for a long, long time.

"Why are you still up?" he asked.

Sakuno slowly walked towards him.

"I was waiting for you," she frowned. Sakuno didn't feel sleepy at all. She intended to wait for Ryoma until he came home. And now that he's here, she thought she would be at ease, but he looked so tired.

Ryoma sighed as he looked down. He forgot that there was still someone who would wait for him every time, and that made him feel grateful for Ryuzaki. It's been months since she started living with them and now, he couldn't remember a time where she wasn't there. It was surreal.

"Thanks, Ryuzaki," he smiled at her. Sakuno blushed and shook her head, saying that it's nothing to be grateful about.

"I-I will prepare dinner for you! In the meantime, please take a bath to ease your fatigue," she scrambled to the kitchen, the clashing of pots and pans was heard throughout the first floor. Ryoma chuckled at the girl's timid but caring nature. He could never get used to her quirky habits.

After taking a bath and putting on a fresh set of clothes, Ryoma enjoyed his dinner made by Sakuno. It was already quarter past midnight and she decided to stay up with him.

After dinner, Ryoma laid out all of his books on the dining table after Sakuno cleared it out. He wanted to get all of these done as soon as possible to be able to rest longer.

Ryoma placed a CD player in the middle of the table and pressed the play button. Sakuno eyed the object and soon, music filled their ears. She realized it was the CD that she gave him. Sakuno smiled at him, but he started his work without looking up at her.

Sakuno watched him scan through his notes, her heart pounding at the thought that Ryoma cherishes her gift and would actually listen to it whenever he studies. It was a good thing she found that old music shop just around town.

I'm so happy… Sakuno blushed, cupping the small mug with her frozen hands.

"Ryoma-kun, what are you studying?" she said as she sipped her tea.

"Hmm… Calculus," he answered without his eyes leaving the paper.

"O-Oh…" Sakuno was in no way a math genius, so she suppressed the urge to offer help to the prince. She figured he could do it on his own. Ryoma is not only a tennis genius, after all.

They remained silent for over an hour. Ryoma busied himself with his studies while Sakuno sipped tea and was reading a novel called Pride and Prejudice to keep her awake.

As she continued on reading, a quote resonated with her.

"I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve."

Sometimes, she would think about wanting to convey her feelings to him, to find out what's inside his heart. But she wasn't sure if she's good enough for him. He was the Echizen Ryoma, highly regarded by his peers and rivals, the genius super rookie that graced Seigaku with his prowess, and now, the pro tennis player every expert has sought to defeat. Sakuno didn't feel like she had what it takes to be with him. He was just too unreachable for her.

She just has to accept and bury these feelings deep inside her heart.

Whatever the future holds, she would be content with what Ryoma can offer her. Even if it's just friendship. She loves him, and she didn't need him to love her back. It's okay, she can live with it.

Sakuno sighed as she closed the book. Why would she suddenly ponder about useless stuff anyway? She only causes unnecessary stress to herself and it's annoying!

"Ugh… I think I drank too much tea," she groaned.

Sakuno heard a soft snore beside her. To her surprise, Ryoma was now snoozing with his cheek planted on the book. Sakuno took her time and studied his face. His hair was once again messy, and she could see the dark bags under his eyes. She ran her fingers through his hair, careful not to wake him up.

He must be so tired.

Ryoma's eyes twitched a bit to her touch but remained asleep. Sakuno blushed at his manly features. As the years passed, he grew from an immature boy to a handsome young adult. He even has a thin mustache now; he just shaves it to keep himself looking tidy. Sakuno moved her face closer to him, unable to stop herself from admiring the prince's charms.

Every time Sakuno laid her eyes on him, she just ended up losing herself.

I really am in love with him… madly, deeply, hopelessly.

Ryoma's eyes shot open and the first thing he saw was Sakuno's brown eyes staring at him, with her lips pursed. Her cheeks turned red at his surprised look. It was weird how lovely she looked that night under the fluorescent light.

"R-Ryuzaki…" he mumbled. Their faces were only a few centimeters apart.

"I'm… sorry," she was lost in his eyes, but she tried her best to break from his gaze and pretended to resume her book reading. In her peripheral vision, Ryoma lifted his head from the pages of the book and stared at her. Sakuno felt conscious that she barely understood the book's content anymore.

He heard him clear his throat and stretched his arms up. He glanced at the clock and saw that it's already past two in the morning. She had been sacrificing sleep to keep him company and Ryoma felt a little guilty for that. He didn't want to be the reason for her being tired in the morning.

"Ryuzaki, you should go to sleep," he said.

"N-No, I'm okay. I'm quite enjoying this book, after all," she smiled sheepishly. Ryoma eyed the book cover and wondered what was so great about it.

"You sure? I'm planning on studying until morning, though,"

"It's okay… I-I want to stay," Sakuno blushed as his gaze remained on her. She kept her eyes on her book, feeling awkward with the attention he was giving her all of a sudden.

Ryoma observed her face. She was red from the ears to her neck, her pink lips were kept shut as her eyes focused on the text she's reading, her small, petite fingers held the book open, and her long, auburn hair fell on her shoulders, some strands were tucked over her ear.

He noted that she really grew up to be a beautiful woman as the years went by and he found it hard to believe that she was the same timid girl who couldn't bend her knees and couldn't properly hit a tennis ball. He also couldn't believe how much he marveled at his beauty every time he saw her.

Ryoma Echizen is a tennis genius. He was flawless in everything that involved the sport. He's also excellent in his academics and no teacher could tell you otherwise. You can tell that he was the smartest in his class.

But in terms of love, he's quite stupid.

Sakuno is merely a spectator on one of his matches, the granddaughter of his late coach who barely had any presence. She was not the most good-looking girl he had ever seen. She's quite plain-looking, a typical background person with no remarkable features.

But why couldn't he take his eyes off of her? What do these feelings mean? What does he do to make it stop? He worried that this would distract him from his future plans.

He will be leaving for America soon and will probably never come back. Then, he will become a pro tennis player and move on with his life. He was sure that everyone intends to do the same, to do their own thing as adults. The same goes for Sakuno. She will be moving away to God knows where, then she will have a job, meet a guy and get married.

Hmmm… the image of Sakuno being with another man made Ryoma's stomach hurt. He frowned at the thought of her being miles and miles away from him, living happily with someone else. And him, well… he never envisioned himself as a married man so there's no need to think about that part of his future.

Ryoma cringed at himself. He's thinking about marriage and stuff despite all the homework he needed to finish.

He returned his eyes back to his forgotten math notebook. Suddenly, all the numbers jumbled in front of him, and it made him dizzy. He was troubled. So, what if she gets married? Why would he stress about that?

She's Ryuzaki, a classmate and friend who happened to live with him.

I don't like her.

But…

He scratched his head. Ryoma suddenly felt dumb. He had always understood everything with his intelligence. But now, he couldn't come to a conclusion as to why he always finds himself thinking about Sakuno.

Horio laid on his bed that Saturday afternoon. He was tossing and turning, unable to properly take a nap as thoughts of a certain girl clouded his mind. That day he met Atsushi at the restaurant kept replaying, and he was extra irritated at the image of Tomoka flirting and laughing heartily in front of her boyfriend.

There she was, smiling at him, a small dimple graced her cheek, and her eyes smiled with her mouth. Even though Horio stood far from her, he had a good look on how beautiful she really is, and he couldn't believe how he only noticed it now.

Horio Satoshi is not good at tennis, he's also unremarkable with his academics. In short, he's the complete opposite of Ryoma. But when it came to love, he was not an idiot. He was aware that he holds some kind of affection for Tomoka. He couldn't believe it either, but what sets him apart from other guys is that he can always admit these embarrassing things to himself and properly assess what to do with it.

He figured he could talk to someone about it. Someone who would not judge him and who will understand him on a deeper level. Someone who is probably the same as him.

"Echizen!" he pressed the doorbell for the third time, impatiently stomping his foot on the ground as he waited for the prince to finally open their gate.

How long does it take to open the door, you lazy–

He heard heavy footsteps, and the metal gate flew open, revealing a frowning Ryoma.

"What?" he asked in an annoyed voice. It was his day off from training and sleeping was the only thing on his to-do list today. He almost punched the heck out of Horio's face if it weren't for his gratitude from him walking Sakuno home last night. Ryoma sighed and let the anger evaporate from his body.

"I just wanted to visit my best friend!" he smiled sheepishly. He planned to talk to Ryoma about his woe because he knew Ryoma wouldn't judge him, and he also wouldn't blab to others.

"About what?" He closed the gate but left a small gap to be able to peek. He glared at Horio, angry for disturbing his rest day.

"W-Well… I kind of need to talk to you,"

"Oh, Horio-kun. What a nice surprise! You're here to visit your good friend, right?" Rinko smiled at him as she began to prepare tea for the two boys. Horio bowed to the woman as he followed Ryoma upstairs.

The prince went inside his room and Horio watched him rummage through his closet for clothes. Since he had been completely awake from the boy's sudden appearance, he figured he could practice in the backyard. Horio is welcome to join him if he fancies.

Of course, having many, many years of tennis experience, Horio gladly joined his practice session. They decided to play a match with each other to kill time. Since Sakuno is at work, Ryoma imposed a duty on himself to pick her up via the green bike. But that wasn't until later tonight so he would settle for Horio's company.

Ryoma bounced the ball on the ground repeatedly as he watched Horio stretch his legs and arms on the other side of the court. He jumped in his place a few times before he nodded to Ryoma, signaling that he's ready to start.

He threw the ball up high, then, using his right arm, he hit the ball with his red racket, and it flew over between Horio's feet with a lightning speed.

Horio frowned.

"Hey, if you think I can actually play as awesome as you, I would have made it as a regular since middle school," he was a little pissed at how the boy only smirked at his reaction. It's only a practice match, there's no need to give it a hundred percent. "Take it easy, man!"

As Ryoma served again, he didn't put in too much power, allowing Horio to receive his shot, and begin their rally.

"So," he hit the ball back to Horio. "What did you want to talk about?"

The other boy hit it back, "Um… well…" their rally went on as the sun began to set. It became a comfortable exchange rather than a competitive match. The two boys enjoyed each other's company.

"Spit it out, Horio," he ran to the net and smashed the ball, but Horio caught up to his plan and hit it right back to his side of the court.

"There's this girl… you know her!" He wiped off the sweat forming on his forehead as he anticipated Ryoma's next move.

"So?" he replied before hitting the ball to the opposite side where Horio is currently positioned. He almost immediately knew that this is going to be one of his nonsense and that he's just going to ignore everything he's about to say,

"I-I kind of have feelings for her," Horio blurted it out, his face getting redder. It was because of the exercise they were doing but it's also because he just shared personal information with Ryoma and he's now nervous of what his reaction will be. Of course, none of this would matter to him but still, Horio was on edge.

"Well, Ryuzaki– hyah!" he was going to tell Ryoma about the time he admitted his feelings for Tomoka when he walked Sakuno home, but he hit the ball with all his might before he could continue. He figured he could at least try his luck with winning against the prince for once.

The said boy suddenly froze at the mention of Sakuno's name, letting the ball swoosh past him, earning Horio a point.

"Wow, I stole a point from Echizen…" he stared at the boy. He wondered what caused the prodigy to miss a shot like that.

"Echizen?"

Ryoma took a moment to ponder on the information Horio just said. It was like his brain suddenly malfunctioned, and his legs stopped working. Did he hear that right, though?

He likes a girl that Ryoma knows, and he mentioned Ryuzaki… The fact that he had offered to walk Sakuno home that night suddenly replayed in Ryoma's mind, and it made him feel… kind of weird.

"Is that so?" he only said. He picked the ball up that rolled on his foot and got ready to start his serve again.

"Y-Yeah…" Horio said. He wanted to continue what he was about to say but he saw that Ryoma was already in his serving stance so he thought they would talk after he scores another one. He's really hoping to snatch at least one game from him before they graduate.

"Man… you really are the best," he muttered while he drank his water.

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma spoke, sipping on his Ponta. He stared at the dark sky, and he remembered that it was almost time for Sakuno's shift to end. So, he stood up and went inside the house.

"I'm going now," Horio heard him say to her mother, so he followed him inside.

"Where are you going?" he asked as they both stepped out from the gate. The chilly wind accompanied by white snow blew through their thick coats. Ryoma clutched the bike's handlebar as he walked beside it.

He ignored Horio's question and put his nose on his scarf. Horio sighed as he realized how stupid it was to try to fish for advice from Ryoma. He pouted.

"What you said…" Horio turned his head, hearing Ryoma speak, "you really like her, huh?"

It took Horio a moment to remember what he had said and immediately light up. He thought that Ryoma does care, he just doesn't show it.

"Yeah… I think she's great,"

"Since when?" Ryoma felt his stomach hurt, hearing Horio's response. He felt a little resentful at the thought that Horio likes Sakuno, of all people. Well, he has the right to like anyone, it's just…

"I don't know… I never noticed. One day, it just dawned on me how much I like her," Horio smiled softly, the sun rays illuminating his calm face. Ryoma's eyes peered at him without turning his head and he saw the serious look in his eyes.

"Hmm…"

"What do I do?"

"What are you asking me for?"

"Well, I just figured we're in the same boat,"

Ryoma was starting to get pissed off. If he likes Ryuzaki, leave him out of it. He didn't need to get involved with them. He doesn't care.

"What the heck does that even mean?"

"Oh, Echizen. I know you like Ryuzaki," Horio grinned. Actually, almost all of them know, it was probably Ryoma who was oblivious to his own feelings, the only difference with him is that he's aware of his affection towards Tomoka and that made him think he's a lot better than Ryoma.

"Leave me out of it, Horio," he walked faster to the direction of the restaurant and hoped to lose him on the way, but the guy was persistent. He continued to follow him like a dog.

"I just wanted some advice. Why're you mad?"

Advice? Hmm… Ryoma had never given advice to anyone before, he didn't know how. Especially for these types of things. He's as stupid as Horio is when it comes to love. So, he could not offer any kind of words of wisdom.

He was suddenly reminded of his thoughts about Sakuno last night. When she would go off on her own and find someone to love. Is this it? Horio seemed like a good guy. A little stupid, but overall, he's dependable. He supposed she would be safe with Horio once he leaves for Japan. Maybe it's for the best, if they ever get together.

He would be at ease.

"Then tell her," he sighed. "What good would it do if you told me rather than her."

He felt a pang on his chest as he realized what he said. All of those times the two of them spent together have crumbled in his mind one by one, as if she's already moved away even though she's still here. Ryoma swallowed the lump in his throat that he had been holding. He doesn't understand why he felt down at Horio's revelation. He doesn't own Sakuno so why is he getting upset over something that hasn't happened yet?

Ryoma was falling into anxiety that he had never experienced before, it made him want to puke.

"I suppose I should," he heard Horio mutter under his breath. He looked nervous and unsettled. He guessed it was the best option in order to conclude his harrowing thoughts over Tomoka.

He had decided to confess to her, and he graciously accepted her rejection in his mind, because she already had Atsushi, and he was too late. Horio was uncertain if he could make Tomoka happy but at least he got to tell her, and hopefully make her realize how desirable she is despite her annoying nature.

He could move past this, and free his mind from her.

As he opened the door to the restaurant, Ryoma saw Sakuno preparing to head out. She clutched her bag when she noticed his arrival. Horio followed behind.

Tomoka sat idly on one of the benches. Atsushi was absent from work that night without Tomoka's knowledge so she hung out to wait for Sakuno to finish her shift.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno smiled at the sight of him.

Horio looked around and noticed Tomoka looking bored. He was surprised that she was actually there. Did Ryoma know this and he set it up for him?

"There she is," he whispered behind Ryoma, and the boy turned around to exit the door.

"Echizen?" Horio watched him drag the green bike.

"Goodluck," he waved a hand to him.

Ryoma crouched down on the snowy ground with the green bike leaning on the wall. He pulled his scarf up to his face to shield him from the cold weather. It was beginning to snow harder. He waited outside the restaurant, thinking that if Sakuno rejects Horio, he would probably run away in embarrassment and leave her alone. So, being the good friend that he is, he was prepared to take her home himself. He crossed his arms on his knees and leaned his forehead down. The cold was making his body tremble and he knew he would develop a cold sooner or later.

What a pitiful look, he thought. But he was fine with it, because it was for Sakuno.

"Ryoma-kun?" He looked up and saw the girl he had been thinking about.

"Ryuzaki…" his hands were shaking from the cold, his lips were chapped, and snow covered his hair. Sakuno panicked. He looked sick, and she was automatically in her worried mode. She dropped her bag to the ground and removed her own scarf to wrap it around the boy.

"What are you doing outside? You'll get sick!" she was too worried for him to even care about whether she could ride the bike. Anyway, she grabbed the vehicle and forced Ryoma to sit on the back seat.

He chuckled.

"What are you doing, Ryuzaki?" He picked up her bag, sling it to his shoulder and removed her scarf from his neck.

"I-I'm going to take you home!" she said.

"You don't know how to ride it," he said in a teasing manner.

"Right…" It was embarrassing, Sakuno thought. If only she learned when Ryoma taught her, she would have done so much more for him. For starters, Ryoma could just stay home and rest instead of fetching her from work every day, and now, she could ride the bike home with him on the back. But the reality is, she's just a burden to him.

"I'm so sorry, Ryoma-kun…" she sobbed. Sakuno has always had a talent for crying within five seconds. She should have been an actress.

What Ryoma did next was enough to halt Sakuno's tears from falling.

He wrapped his arms on her body and rested his head on her neck.

Warm… he noted.

Sakuno felt his breath on her neck and it sent electricity through her veins. She wondered what came over Ryoma to suddenly hug her. Maybe he was cold?

"R-Ryoma-kun, are you okay?" She tried to wiggle her arms out from Ryoma's chest but he only tightened his embrace. Sakuno ultimately gave up.

"Sorry, just let me… for a minute…" he whispered in her ear. Ryoma let himself relish the fragrance of Sakuno's hair, the warmth of her body, and the soft sensation of her neck.

Whatever Horio told her, he would be happy for her. It's cringey, of course. But, he couldn't help it. Ryoma decided that this would be his farewell to Sakuno, it doesn't matter what choice she makes about her future, or about Horio. He just wanted to feel her.

Sakuno felt her whole being melting from Ryoma's action, her hands slowly traveled inside his thick coat and hugged him. She tightened that embrace, pressing her body against his own, and she buried her blushing face on his chest, inevitably smelling his scent.

Sakuno hoped that she could send a message through, to let him know that she is madly in love with him.

To be continued.