Chapter 26: Reset

Sakuno, aged twenty, began her day by making a simple breakfast of egg, fish, soup and rice. Then she took a bath, got dressed and brushed her hair which she kept at shoulder length, and grabbed her books before walking out of her apartment. After she locked the door, Sakuno grabbed a pastel green bike and skillfully rode it to school.

Two years have passed since then, and life turned out for the better for Sakuno. As soon as she moved to Kyoto, only good things happened. She has been approved for a great apartment unit with a good neighborhood and is doing well in college. She was always grateful for following her dreams and now, she's on the way to being approved for an internship at a hotel.

She passed by a bookstore along the street, and her eyes caught a certain magazine. It was a sports magazine, and the cover featured the one familiar face that she hadn't seen for over two years. The only guy whom she loved and was still in love with to this day.

Ryoma Echizen, the prodigy who conquered the Rio Open is currently on hiatus. Learn all about the handsome and cool athlete in this exclusive article while he's out of the limelight.

Sakuno remembered how the news broke two years ago, almost immediately after Ryoma crushed Jason Baker without giving him a chance to get a point from him, Coach Rui held a press conference to announce that Ryoma decided to take time off. No reason was disclosed, which made Sakuno worry. There haven't been sightings of him on social media, and his name almost died down from the world. Even though fans were still talking about him, no new updates were shared from his team nor anyone else.

Ryoma had completely erased his trails.

Even though Sakuno desperately wanted to know how he is now, she believed that Ryoma's decision was right and that he would come back.

Sakuno believed that Ryoma would come back to her, and she was prepared to wait forever.

For now, she wants to focus on her own trail, and be the best version of herself for when the time comes that he will knock on her door, she would be deserving of his love.

As she approached her college, Sakuno put on a determined smile.

One afternoon, Sakuno received an email from Rinko Echizen. She wrote how much she missed the girl and was begging her to come visit them for a few days. Rinko attached two plane tickets and asked for her to take Tomoka, as well, since she has helped both Ryoma and Sakuno when they were younger.

Sakuno happily agreed and now, the two best friends boarded the plane going to America.

"Sakuno, we can ask them about Ryoma-sama's whereabouts. I'm sure he would contact his parents every now and then," Tomoka said.

"I think so, too, Tomo-chan. But he didn't attend Nanako-neechan's wedding last year so I doubt that he would show up now."

"Yeah, I wonder what he's up to."

The two girls looked out of the window and wondered about Ryoma's life now. But the unknown weight on Sakuno's stomach had only gotten heavier when they arrived at Rinko and Nanjirou's house and learned that Ryoma has never called them since he went away.

"The last email I got from him was when he defeated that Brazilian American guy. He told me to take care of myself and Nanjirou," the older woman sighed. She always knew that Ryoma could handle himself and that with his fat bank account, he could never go hungry. But a mother would always think about his son as a kid no matter how old they get. She spent months trying to sleep without crying.

"Is that so…" Sakuno muttered, staring at the picture frame standing by the fireplace. It's a picture of Ryoma when he was a kid, holding a racket and wearing a cap that was too big for his head.

"Well, I had a conversation with the coach a year ago. Their team toured America for a while, but that brat had already separated from them," Nanjirou sipped his coffee.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Rinko angrily said.

"Because I knew that you would cry again if you found out what the coach said about him," he said with a serious voice. The three women looked at each other curiously.

"What did he say?" Tomoka asked.

"Ryoma apparently backed out from the next games around the world to focus on his health."

"Health? Why? Is he sick?" Rinko grew impatient.

"The coach said that he was under psychological intervention," Nanjirou sighed. Of course, he was worried about his son, but what could he do if Ryoma didn't want to show up or talk to him? He decided to trust him completely no matter how much he wanted to find him all over the world. If he doesn't want to play tennis anymore, then he won't push him. He could just do whatever he wanted or do nothing at all. He would be okay with it, as long as he was fine.

But now, he doesn't even know if he's still alive.

Sakuno almost threw up. Her stomach felt like it was twisting in abnormal directions. Suddenly, all those thoughts about being confident in Ryoma's decisions crashed down in front of her. He wasn't fine at all, and she wondered if it was all her fault.

What could the problem be? She wanted to find out, but how? No one knows where he is and his number was out of reach long ago. He had no personal accounts on social media and his manager was his father, but his own family didn't have any contact with him.

Now, what?

"Oh, Aunt Rinko, have you tried tracking his bank transactions? We could find out his exact location!" Tomoka suggested. She's become smarter as she continues to thrive in her university life in Tokyo.

"Oh, that's right! Great idea, Tomo-chan!" Sakuno chirped.

"We tried that, but he last used his card at the airport and God knows where he's headed," Nanjirou answered. "I'm thinking he really doesn't want us to find him. I know his attitude, that brat. So, I decided to stop searching for him and just wait for him to come around. That's how guys are," he smiled sheepishly to hide his worry.

"We just miss him so much. I hope he comes back soon and deals with his problem with us. Whatever it is, I want to help him," Rinko wiped a tear from her cheek. She felt useless and frustrated that she couldn't do anything but wait.

"Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno tries to calm herself from all the information she heard that day. She wanted to find Ryoma, but she wasn't sure if he would still be happy to see her. Two years passed, damn it. Of course, he would forget her, of course he would have a new life now. Has her presence in his life diminished back to being a nobody? Sakuno was frightened to even know. What if he never comes back to her?

She recalled their conversation the night before she left. How Ryoma told her that they'll meet again, and how she declared that she will be waiting for him, and that she'll always belong to him.

Sakuno held onto those words for so long that it felt natural, it felt right. But now, knowing that he's been dealing with some problems on his own, and that she may be the reason why, Sakuno wondered if it would be good for him to revisit those memories.

But still, she wanted to see him.

But how?

The door to a chinese noodle shop opened. A guy wearing a black baseball cap that covered his dark green locks, but it grew longer that almost touched his shoulders, and the sunglasses that hid his amber eyes, entered the establishment. His shirt read 'Ni Hao' and he paired it with faded jeans. The only thing that didn't change was his favorite white sneakers.

Ryoma ate his noodles deliciously while he basked in the morning sunrise on the shop's rooftop. He has been a frequent customer here since he's friends with the owner's daughter.

Two years passed since he announced his hiatus to the world and enclosed his life from everyone. He stayed in his hotel even after the Rio Open was over. Coach Rui and the others tried to lure him out for tennis, but he wasn't even enticed in the slightest.

As soon as he defeated Jason Baker, he swore to himself to never hold a racket again. The first reason was that he mercilessly humiliated the athlete. His victory didn't feel rewarding at all. He felt disgusted with himself. The other reason was that because of someone, he began to hate the sport, and until now, he hasn't seen a single neon ball around.

Because why would he? This is Lao Gou Province, after all. The most secluded place in China. Even television and radio were scarce here, that's why Ryoma liked the place instantly. No one knew that he's a famous tennis player, only his friends knew him as a wanderer from Japan.

"Ryoma-ge!" a girl climbed the stairs hurriedly and approached him. She carried a bowl of steamed buns and shumai to share.

"Hey," he greeted with a straight face. Even though he lived in a new place for a year now, he hasn't changed at all. He was still the snobbish and introverted guy everyone from Japan knew. The only difference is his fashion sense. It's become weird. Also, he's gained more friends now.

Among those people is Anran, the owner's daughter.

"Dad said you can have this for free, too."

Ryoma stared at her with wide eyes. He has been eating in this place for free ever since he and Anran met when he just arrived in China and was looking desperately for somewhere to stay. She was the one who helped her rent a place. For that, he was grateful for Anran.

"Thanks, Anran. And you?" He grabbed a steamed bun and ate it as he crossed his legs.

"I'm good. Should I trim your hair again? It's gotten longer," she reached for Ryoma's hair and ran her fingers on his locks. She felt a rush of blood on her cheeks as soon as she touched him. But the guy had no reaction at all. Instead, he hungrily devoured all the food presented to him.

"Right," he muttered between bites.

So, Ryoma's day consists of eating breakfast at Anran's dad's restaurant for free, then she trimmed his hair once again, and proceeded to walk around the neighborhood. It has been this way for over three months since he found this place. When he started to roam around the world by himself, he toured different countries, trying to conceal his identity and hopefully, to find a place where he could live in peace and sort out his thoughts, just like how his therapist talked about for a year.

He had trouble expressing his emotions ever since he was a kid and undergoing a tremendous amount of stress had pushed him to the limit that he shut out everyone. When Coach Rui gave up on persuading him to come back to Japan with them, he tried to leave his room and have a normal day. But the press followed him all around asking all sorts of questions about the two things that he didn't want to think about.

Honoka and Tennis.

He felt hatred towards the two subjects. He didn't want to face the woman for fear of physically hurting her. He knew that he wasn't that kind of person but at that moment, he didn't know how to control himself. Broken plates and vases had scattered in his room, and his favorite racket had been broken into pieces. He even scared himself when he realized what he did.

After waking up from that fit, he paid a large sum of money to the hotel for damages and went to find someone who could help him get through this time.

He figured he had to do something about himself so when he comes back to Sakuno, he would be deserving of her love.

He recalled how their session went. The therapist wanted him to talk about her and how she was the root of all his stress.

Ryoma didn't want to say that she was the problem, because she has always been the light in his path. But the stress of being famous and being controlled by everyone else has taken a toll on him physically and mentally to the point of a breakdown.

He suffered from dealing with himself alone in his hotel room. He genuinely felt sorry for himself, and he saw how trashy his life has been for years.

So, in order to feel better, he sought professional help. It didn't mean that he was retarded. No, because asking for help is never a weakness, especially for the mind. Then, after countless sessions, a year later, he was advised to broaden his horizons and find his own place in the world, where he could just be himself, without anyone controlling him, where he could reclaim his life.

A part of him was glad that he did this, meeting new people, eating new cuisines, and seeing new places. He could even say that his life is starting to feel like his, and his alone. However, whenever he returns to his apartment and he sees the Ponta with a sticky note on it placed on his cupboard, he can't help but reminisce about the times he spent with Sakuno. As he routinely lies down on his treadmill (yes, he does unimaginable things like that), he would wonder if he was still in love with her or if he outgrew that phase with time and has accepted that this is him now.

He stood up and went to his room. He pulled out a drawer and held an object in his hand. It was his phone two years ago. He turned it off when he signed up for therapy and now that he has been doing a little better, Ryoma thought that he might be ready to look at some forgotten memories.

As soon as it turned on, the picture that he took of Sakuno on the beach flashed on the screen. He forgot that it was his wallpaper back then. He observed the girl's conservative attire and her pale skin that the sun tried to burn.

He felt a slight pang on his chest as he stared at her beautiful face. Now, is it safe to say that he's still in love with her? When even a picture from two years ago managed to make his heart pound again.

He spent the night keeping his phone on as he hoped for someone to call.

For her to call.

Sakuno and Tomoka had just returned from America. They spent a week with the Echizens, had dinner with them, and shared stories together. Even though news about Ryoma had lessened their enthusiasm, the fact that they missed each other never changed.

However, even though she had a great time, Sakuno still couldn't forget about what they talked about Ryoma. She wracked her brain, thinking of a way to get in touch with him, but no idea came.

"Sakuno, are you still thinking about him?" Tomoka asked as they ate at a Chinese restaurant in the airport.

"Of course, Tomo-chan. He's not been well, and even though I'm not his girlfriend anymore, I would always worry about him. We were friends first, after all," she stared at her noodles that turned cold. She was in no mood to eat but Tomoka insisted that she should eat something, or she would fall ill, as well.

"Don't worry, he's going to find his way back sooner or later," her best friend said. She was not always right, but Sakuno hoped that her words would come true.

"Anyway, Tomo-chan. How are you and Horio-kun?"

Tomoka almost choked on her dim sum.

The two wacky characters tried to date each other when they both realized that they liked each other to some extent. Of course, it was not a Ryoma-Sakuno love story, but they had their good times. They had agreed to try it for a month, and somewhere, they hit it off. Now that they had just had their first-year anniversary, it felt weird to Tomoka because they were never really romantic towards each other. Their relationship was more like an arrangement to keep off men from Tomoka in her university.

Sure, there were a few kisses and holding hands at some point, but she never fell in love with him as much as she did for Atsushi. It felt more like she was infatuated with Horio for a while, and she forgot to end it sometime last year. Tomoka feared that they might end up married in the future.

It would be so much weirder. But she's happy right now so she just flashed a smile to Sakuno.

"We're doing fine," she answered. "We're taking baby steps, unlike you two sleeping together the moment you land in Brazil–"

Sakuno covered Tomoka's mouth as her cheeks turned red. It was indeed a mistake to tell her all about her Brazil trip two years ago. Tomoka has been bringing it up every chance she gets to tease her.

"My God, Tomo-chan!"

"You are so sly, Sakuno," she smirked at her best friend's red face. It was always a delight to see her flustered. But she's also proud of Sakuno for bravely running after Ryoma the moment he realized how in love she was with him. And even after they broke up, she still cared for the prince unconditionally.

They shared laughter over some cold Chinese food before parting ways.

As she sat on her bed back home, Sakuno viewed Ryoma's phone number and stared at it. Everyday for the past years, she tried to call him, hoping for someone to pick up. But the line was either busy or it was switched off. It was beginning to get tiring and repetitive.

What difference would it make if she tried again today?

As her finger slowly approached the call button, she hesitated. If Ryoma really didn't want anyone to get to him, then she would respect his wishes. After all, they mutually agreed to work on themselves separately, and that's what she's going to keep doing.

Finally, she tapped the back button and placed her phone on the nightstand.

Sakuno would often think about how naive she was for hoping, because they were doomed from the start, they were never written in the stars.

But, if only he would one day pick up his phone, what could she tell him to save him from the hellish torment that his life was in?

To be continued.