Tennis no Ouji-sama © Konomi Takeshi, Shuheisha, Inc.
- Act XXVI -
[ Light]
Who would've thought that being together with someone he loved would be so amazing?
His mind was light every time she smiled; his heart fluttered whenever they kissed.
Every second he spent together with her was like a dream…
Only that it was real.
Who would've thought a nymph's lips could be so soft and addicting that he couldn't stop kissing her every time. Keigo never kissed a woman but he only had to practice it through his imagination to be naturally good at it. And he was more than happy to teach her how.
He spent almost a day and a half with her but that wasn't enough at all. After the government lifted the typhoon warning alert, he had to end that beautiful moment when he sent her home. But he was glad he could do so without any hassle.
When dropping her two blocks away from her house, Keigo didn't leave until he made sure she reached her home safely. She didn't need to find her key because her brother literally stormed out of the house upon her arrival.
It was the very first time Keigo ever saw Kunimitsu wearing an actual expression — a great relief. He spoke a few words while placing both of his hands on her shoulder before making a way for her to go in, a small smile on his face as he watched his sister went in.
It surprised him to see Seigaku's stoned-face king actually held so much affection for his sister and Keigo barely thought of anything that could win him his approval on their his Insight only showed him a giant tall wall he couldn't vault on or even breaking through…
But he later found out the reason why he was being so protective of her during their first date as a couple.
"You were born premature and in a critical condition after birth?" He caressed her hair as they were cuddling on each other in her secret garden.
Hikari nodded. "The doctor said I might not be able to make it because I had a leaky heart valve. My heartbeat was getting slower as seconds passed by that my parents were asked to bid me farewell. But… my brother didn't give up. My mother said he held my handand sang 'My Little Sunshine'. The miracle did happen. My heartbeat was increasing each time he repeated the song that the doctor couldn't even explain what was going on." Hikari tapped her chest. "Here I am, alive and well."
It was hard for him to imagine Kunimitsu singing, even though he was still a kid back then.
"I think that was why my parents took a character of his name for my name. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't because of him."
"Ahn? Which character is that?"
"It's the kanji character for li—" He smirked when Hikari quickly covered her lips with her palms."N-never mind. Forget I said that!"
Light.
It was the kanji character the siblings shared.
In his opinion, it truly was a fitting character for Kunimitsu who was the light of his team. As a captain, he wasn't only guiding his team through the darkness but also became the hope that eventually saved his team and brought them into victories numerous times.
That also explained the depth of Kunimitsu's influence on her. Though complaining so much about her brother, Hikari was very attached to her brother that she always mentioned him in everything. Her brother's opinion mattered that much. She probably listened to him more than she did with her parents.
"I should be thankful to your brother then. If it weren't because of him, I would've never—" he kissed her forehead, "—met my queen."
Hikari chuckled and poked his nose with her finger. "Go thank him yourself when you meet him one day. You're around his age so I'm pretty sure you can be friends with him."
Keigo tightened his lips at this. He had met her brother and they definitely didn't like each other. "I hope you're right…" was all he could aside, he started to think of the taboo of talking about her brother on their date, just like when they talked about both he and Genichirō then the two appeared out of nowhere so he asked her, "How's your heart now?"
"I've had the mitral valve annuloplasty when I was small so I'm very healthy now." She raised both of her arms like a strong man. "The doctor told me I shouldn't be too tired or stressed out because it will burden my heart, though."
"That's great then." He smiled. "When did this happened though?"
"When? The day I was born, of course."
"That's exactly what I'm asking."
"Uhm…" Hikari looked away for a moment before muttering, "First of July."
Keigo stopped caressing her. "That's next week." She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"W-we haven't shared anything yet so… it's not fair if I'm the only one to tell you."
Sighing, he rose from his position so he could look straight at her. "Fine. Mine is the fourth of October."
She looked happy he told her, but suddenly she was astonished and repeated, "F-fourth? October?! Are you also going to be eighteen this year?!"
"Yeah. What's wrong?" He wondered what she meant by 'also'.
"Uh, n-nothing." She sheepishly laughed while waving her hands.
"So, what do you want to have for your special day?" He tugged the hair that fell on her face behind her ear.
Hikari moved closer to his chest and rested her head there. "Just wish mea happy birthday in person. I don't want anything else…"
How could she wish something so simple when he could give her anything?
Keigo was overwhelmed by a mix of emotions that he held her tighter, resting his lips on her forehead and let it stayed for a while. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as the scent of cherry blossom perfume she was wearing roamed his senses that it became his favourite scent at the more he spent time with her, the more he fell for her. Holding her chin, he planted a kiss on her lips and said, "Okay. Everything for you, my queen…"
"I'm serious. Don't buy or do anything extravagant," she said, pinching his nose.
"Yeah…"
Of course, he wouldn't let her pass the day without doing something special.
Especially not since she had become his queen.
Thinking about what he would do for her special day was important but he decided to keep his mind solely for their first date at the moment.
"Hmm… Which one of these is better on me?" She showed two pointe shoes that hadslightly different shades of pinks. If not because of his Insight, he probably wouldn't see the difference and ended up saying, "both are the same", just like the other couple who was quarrelling behind him because the man couldn't tell the difference and his woman accused him of not paying enough attention to her.
"This one looks better on your skin," he said, touching the one that was leaning towardsthe peach shade.
"I think so too," she happily said as she put the other back on the shelf. "Please, please make me pass the audition!" she whispered to the shoes before turning her heels towards the shop assistant. "I'll take this one, please."
"I'll wrap it for you, Miss. It has been paid by your companion," said the shop assistant with a bow.
"Huh?" She widened her eyes. "When did you—"
"I've paid in advance since I know you're going to buy one." He took the shoes from the staff and held her waist as they exited the shop.
"It's expensive! I can't let you pay for that!"
"Can I just get my thank you kiss?" He gave her his cheek, waiting for her to kiss him, and smiled when she finally did.
"T-thank you…" she said with a shy pout.
"Anything for you, my queen…" He slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to kiss her temple.
Just as she requested, he didn't do anything extraordinary on their date, not that he was complaining because spending the moment with her was what's important. The lunch, the theatre, and the walk were all running smoothly as he planned.
That was until she excused herself to the lavatory before going to a café he owned for tea sat on the bench across the public lavatorywhile checking on new messages when something very bothering appeared in the corner of his eyes. When he raised his head, it was already too late to run or hide…
Because he had his eyes locked with him…
The last man he wished ever be there, at that moment…
Him, out of all people…
"Atobe. I didn't expect to see you here."
It was definitely taboo to talk about himon their date.
"Ahn, Tezuka? I should say the same about you." He tried to compose himself while inwardly screaming. A small drop of sweat trickled on his temple as he flitted his eyes to the lavatory's direction, checking whether Hikari was out or not.
Keigo didn't pick their dating location without checking Kunimitsu's habit. He deliberately picked the place far from Kunimitsu's radius so the chance he would be here was next to none.
How on earthdid Kunimitsu show up every time he had a date with Hikari?
Did he have a natural detector to where his sister presently was?
Keigo tried to be as natural as he pushed the bag containing Hikari's pointe shoes behind his other leg while asking, "What are you doing here?"
"There's something I need to buy," Kunimitsu said, fixing his glasses' position. Assuming Hikari's upcoming birthday, he probably was around to look for a present for her.
"Hn. Is it alright to be so laid back? We're not going to hold back in the upcoming tournament," Keigo said with a smirk, wishing that it'd be enough to piss Kunimitsu off and made him leave.
"Same goes to you, Atobe. With Echizen's strengthening our team again this year, we definitely won't lose."
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." Keigo only wished he'd leave as soon as possible because Hikari could come out anytime now.
"Are you waiting for someone, Atobe?"
"Ahn? Being nosy, aren't you? This isn't like you at all."Kunimitsu didn't answer. But judging from the way he narrowed his eyes and looked around, it only meant one thing…
He sensed his sister around…
What was with his 'brother's antenna'?
Though he didn't like to make her walk alone, Keigo secretly texted Hikari to walk ahead to the café before him. The moment he was done texting, he widened his eyes to see Hikari walked out from the lavatory, walking in his direction without checking her phone at all.
No, no, no! Check your phone! Don't come this way!
Keigo accidentally pressed the call button, triggering her phone to ring, which eventually made Kunimitsu turned his head in her direction. Time seemed to slow down when he slung his arm around Kunimitsu's shoulder, shocking both he and Kunimitsu that the Seigaku's captain widened his eyes.
"What… are you doing?"
Keigo didn't know himself.
"How about arranging a practice match between our team, ahn?" was the only thing that popped in his head. From the corner of his eyes, he saw that Hikari finally checked his message and went in the café's direction. Sighing in relief, he set his smirk back and faced Kunimitsu.
"Ah. We can do that, but…" Kunimitsu pushed his hand off. "This gesture isn't necessary."
If only he could let him know that he didn't like doing it either but what was the choice he had at that moment.
"Whatever…" He buried his hand into his pocket while the other taking Hikari's shoes bag. "I'm looking forward to our match. You better get ready because I'm not going to hold back."
"Sure." Again, Kunimitsu glanced in the lavatory's direction before he left. Keigo swore that he wasn't a human when it came to his during their very first date, Kunimitsu kept glancing at them even though he tried his best to cover Hikari.
Sighing in relief, Keigo went into their destined café to spend the rest of his day with her, finally in peace. The encounter with Kunimitsu drained him much more than the long rally matches he used to have but he did his best to stay composed in front of Hikari because he wouldn't let anything, not even Kunimitsu ruin their date.
The fact that they were together was sending him flying all the way up every time he was thinking about it, so much that parting with her and even ending the phone call proved to be the hardest thing. The preparation for her upcoming birthday excited him so much that he didn't think of anything when he came back to the main house the next day…
When he strode to the stairs, he noticed the atmosphere's difference and immediately knew that someone important was there, if not two.
"Keigo."
Clenching his fists, Keigo tightened his lips into a fake polite smile upon seeing the reigning king of Atobe Corp.
Atobe Kizashi and his wife, Kazue…
"Ojii-sama and Obaa-sama…" Keigo deeply bowed at them. "It's a pleasure to see you well."
"My, Keigo… Why are you still being so formal? It's just us!" Kazue slowly walked towards him and patted his arms, motioning him to straightened his position. "It's just a few months away and you're growing up this big already, Keigo."
"Eight months are quite a while, Obaa-sama," he said with a smile.
"My, it's been that long already? I'm sorry, Keigo. Do you want anything to compensate for that? Will a new Ferrari do?"
"He can buy that himself if he wants, Honey," Kizashi said after clearing his throat. "I can see that you're managing Insightgram very well, Keigo. Apparently, it keeps gaining popularity that almost 70% of Japan's population has at least an account by now. Great job."
"You're praisingme too much." He bowed again.
"As an Atobe you're exceeding my expectations, Keigo. Keep that up and don't disappoint me."
"Keigo, why don't you have dinner with us?" Kazue asked.
"I apologise, Obaa-sama. But there's something I must do."
"Hmm? Is it a girlfriend?" Kazue asked with a smile while Keigo slightly cocked his brow.
"Play as much as you want while you can, Keigo," his grandfather suddenly said. "When the time has come, you must do what you must do as an Atobe. That is including marrying the woman we're choosing for you."
Rage was swirling inside his belly at this. Suddenly, the muscle around his chest was tightened, draining all the sanity within him. Keigo had to clench his fists tighter to suppress his anger.
"Honey! What are you talking about?! That is not your decision!" his grandmother said.
"If that concerns the future of this family, I have the right to decide whatever necessary." Kizashi turned around to leave the room. "Come on, Kazue. We must get ready for the appointment with the diet members."
"H-Honey!" Before his grandmother left, she held his arms and said, "Keigo. Don't mind what he said, okay? I'm sure it'll all change in the future." And she left with that.
What was the future if he couldn't be together with the woman he loved?
Throwing the tennis ball into the air, Keigo smashed it as hard as he could until it hit the very center of the target dummy in the court. Each time he smashed the ball, he gnashed his teeth at the event of his life that triggered his rage—the rage that consumed his mind so much that darkness was the only thing he saw. The sensation was sucking him so much that it was getting harder for him to breathe. He screamed in rage and was about to throw his racket when the ringing of his phone snapped him out of his reverie.
He hissed when the ring started to annoy him and grabbed the phone so tight in his palm until he saw the name on the screen. Seeing the name alone stretched his lips into a smile, wider when he heard her saying "Hello" in a singsong tone.
"Good afternoon to you too, my queen." Keigo slumped his body on the bench, closing his eyes just so he could see her better in his mind.
"I've won the go tournament in my neighbourhood!" she proudly said at the other side of the line. "I even won against my brother in the final and got fifty thousand yen as a prize! I'm rich!"
He chuckled upon hearing how she felt rich with that amount of money. "Well done, my queen. What are you going to do with it?"
"Let's go out and eat somewhere nice. My treat!" she exuberantly said. He could imagine her fanning herself with her prize money at that moment. "Do you want to eat anything?"
"Actually, I do."
Clearly, she wasn't happy with his choice. "Convenience store'skatsudon? Are you kidding me?" she said as she held her own food.
"You asked me what I wanted to eat and this is it." Keigo opened the plastic lid and smirked. "Saw this very popular among the commoners so I'm very interested to try it out."
What kind of man he was if he made her buy expensive foods for him? With that in mind, he could only think of the katsudon Gakuto was bragging about. With a wealthy background, the food shouldn't be too bad if Gakuto still liked it.
"Okay, your loss then. Shame, I have so much money and you only chose this." She opened hers and clasped her hands together. "Bon appétit!"
"Next time it's my turn to treat you something nice."
"But you always treat me. This is why I want to treat you sometimes," she said with a pout.
When biting the chicken slice, Keigo tried his best not to show how he was disgusted by what he ate that he was close to spitting the food that tasted like a fried rubber out of his mouth.
"How is it?" Though smiling, Hikari rubbed her chopsticks as if she was nervous with his reaction. "I-it's okay if you don't like it. We can buy something else."
He force swallowed the food and said, "No. I like it." Keigo was the one who chose it so he had to be responsible.
"I'm glad. I was so afraid you wouldn't like it." Hikari ate her food happily the way Gakuto was, making him ponder what was enjoyable about the food.
Keigo took the grain of rice that stuck on her cheek and ate it. "With you, it's not about the food's quality that matters." She innocently glanced at him with chopsticks in her mouth.
"Say… how long has it been since you have a meal together?"
"A few months ago," he proudly said, recalling the yakiniku he had with his teammates. But contrary to what he thought, she didn't seem to be satisfied with his answer.
"That's already long ago," she said disbelievingly. "What about your family?"Keigo furrowed his brows, not remembering how long had it been since then. Never he thought it would take him long to answer such a simple question. Suddenly, she was holding him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You… don't have to answer if you don't feel like it."
Keigo rested his head on hers while caressing her arm. "Does having a meal together with you count?"
"Yeah, let's count it from now on." She scooted closer to him and took his bento box from his he could say anything, she took the chicken and put it in front of his mouth. "Here, let me feed you."
He chuckled. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"You don't like me pampering you then?" He immediately bit the chicken and ate the rice she fed him, making her giggle to his fast response. To his surprise, it didn't taste as bad as his first bite. "Does it taste better?"
"The most delicious chicken I ever ate" He kissed her cheek. "And I love to be pampered."
"Then let me pamper you to your heart's content today." The way she gently stroked his bangs. Her touches were those of butterflies, fluttering his heart every time that he couldn't think of anything better than her touch.
She let him lay his head on her lap while stroking his hair and there had never been a better moment than that in his life. Her existence alone was what mattered. She didn't know how much she had saved him from the darkness of his own rage. She was no longer just a woman for him…
She was the light of his life.
AN: Everything tasted better when you're in love, ahn? XD
So, that's the reason I'm seeing 'Hikari' as the name that suits her the most. Compared to the Chinese names, I like Japanese names more because they sound more like Western names and are easier to be remembered by Western people (probably due to anime/manga influence) compared to Chinese names (sadly). We end up having to pick Western names so foreigners will remember us easily.
Anyway, the next chapter's POV won't be either Hikari or Keigo. Can you guess who is it? XD
Anyway, you're welcome to follow my main Wattpad account RikkaLiao. And you can also find me on Instagram and Twitter with the same username.
Favorite, follow, and most importantly—review are gold for me! As I mentioned in the previous chapter, the story is also posted in Wattpad. Since the site allows me to post videos and images, I might be able to pamper your eyes there. Check my account in ReikaNanatsuki!
Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
