Tennis no Ouji-sama © Konomi Takeshi, Shuheisha, Inc.
- Act XXXII -
[ Promise ]
When she was awake the next day, she blinked in disbelief to see a light blue package near her night lamp. She unwrapped it to see a ballet foot stretcher with a 'Good luck with your audition' written beside a ballerina bunny card. Biting her bottom lip, the rush of guilt overwhelmed her as she held the gift close to her chest.
"I'm so sorry, Onii-chan … I'm so sorry …"
The experience of being grounded somewhat gave her an idea about how Cinderella must have felt. She took a deep breath, as she rouse her longing for her prince deep into her heart.
She wanted to go to that ball …
She wanted to meet her prince so badly …
She imagined him to be there, stretching her arm as if she was reaching for him. Though she was literally grounded by her family, she knew too well that it wasn't their fault. Her own lies, her foolishness, her desire to see him—it was her own fault.
And she ruined her family's harmony because of this.
But there wouldn't be anyone to be her Fairy Godmother. No one but her feet and dancing skills. "Please be my Fairy Godmother and bring me to meet my prince …" Her feet, after all, were what brought her to that garden where she met him for the first time. "I'm sorry for despising you for so long. You're imperfect but so magical. Let's do this together …"
She sharply moved away from her imaginary partner upon thinking how she hated the clock to strike twelve. She never wanted the dream to end; she wanted the magic to last forever so she didn't need to part with him…
At the end of the act, Hikari widened her eyes when Ume, along with the other ballerina clapped their hands for her.
"Bravo, Tezuka-san! That was a marvellous performance!" Hikari sheepishly smiled as she bowed to them. "You seem to be so ready for tomorrow!"
"I'll do my best, Suzumiya-sensei."
"Remember that feeling you've just shown us." Ume patted her shoulder. "Go home early today and good luck for tomorrow!"
Despite all the dramas that occurred that week, Hikari was glad that she could execute her dance well. However, she still wished she could see him at least once before her audition. Though it wasn't an international level, it was still a good chance to float her name once again in Kanto.
Laying on her bed, Hikari swayed her head in the rhythm of the song they were going to use Cinderella while doing the imaginary practice in her head. When the song was finished, she took off her earphone and sighed. "Why does it feel like forever since my last audition? I've never been this nervous before."
Pushing herself off the bed, her eyes fell on the special object she put on her table. Wanting to celebrate her meeting with her first love, Hikari commissioned her friend to encapsulate the red rose she received on her first coming to Hyotei in the shape of a crystal. She took the crystal and smiled at the memory.
"A red rose doesn't only represent love. It also represents hope and a new beginning. Which is why I want to give this to you."
"A new beginning … Thank you so much for coming into my life …" Hikari caressed the crystal and decided to put it in her drawer. Now that she was together with someone else, it wasn't right to keep thinking about him.
Because she had decided to close the book of memory with him and begin anew…
Touching her necklace, Hikari took it off to scrutinise the pendant, smiling upon recalling the night he gave it to her. When she turned the necklace around, she furrowed her brows when seeing something on the bottom of the crown pendant. She turned on the lamp on her desk and finally saw the embossed detail on the bottom.
"KH?" She blinked, wondering if it was the necklace brand but it seemed more like an initial to her. "Is it his name's initials?"
"Hikari! We have a guest! Come down and say hello!" Hikari jolted in her position at her mother's voice.
"Okay!" she answered as she lazily strode towards her door. When reaching her foyer, she greeted her mother and narrowed her eyes to her back. "Uhm… where is this guest, Kaa-chan?"
"He's—" her mother turned around and looked astonished when she saw no one, "—not here? But my groceries…" She looked to the door and saw it. "…are here?"
Hikari wore her outdoor sandals and peeked outside. The road lamps were automatically turned on as the sky was getting darker and darker, but a few of them were blinking so it didn't provide the lighting they'd need in the night. The chilling wind whipped her face as it roared the song of darkness.
"K-Kaa-chan, y-you're not being d-delusional, right?" Hikari stuttered.
"But I swear that there was this nice young man who helped me bring my groceries! H-he saved me when a truck almost hit me and we talked just a few seconds before I called you downstairs!"
"But he isn't here, Kaa-chan! Who were you talking to?!"
"Tezuka-san, is there any problem?" Both of them whipped their heads to the patrolling police on his bicycle.
"No problem, Sugimoto-san! I'm just talking to my daughter." Her mother sheepishly laughed.
"I see. You better be careful when you're walking at night time. At least until we manage to fix this road lamp. Just a few days ago, a high-schooler died because the road lamp was broken and a truck driver didn't see him walking across the street."
"A… high-schooler?!" Her mother clamped her mouth.
"Yes. What an unfortunate soul. He was still so young…"
"O-okay, I will be careful, Sugimoto-san," Hikari was reaching for her mother's hand and held it tight.
"Good evening to you." The police bowed at them before riding his bicycle away. It took them a while to absorb the story. When they did, they shrieked at the same time.
"K-Kaa-chan! You were talking to a ghost! A ghost!" Hikari shrieked in panic. "I can't believe there's a ghost in our neighbourhood! You were bringing it home, Kaa-chan!" Hikari made a cross with her index fingers as she pointed it in all directions.
"G-go back inside before he gets back, Hikari! Hurry up!" Her mother pushed her before locking down the door and threw some sea salt in their foyer.
Unfortunately for them, all the Tezuka men were away and wouldn't be back home until the next day. When her mother told the story in the family chat group, they remained indifferent and replied the same exact line: "There's no such thing as a ghost." Though they were still expressing their relief knowing her mother survived what could be a deadly accident.
"Did the ghost come back to this world to save you from the same reason he died?" Hikari asked while putting her chopsticks on her lips.
"Your father said the same thing. He said he'd buy some flowers and offerings because he had saved my life and will put them in the memorial spot." Her mother sighed. "Poor boy. He was so gentle and kind."
Glancing at her mother, Hikari put her chopsticks at the same time as her mother. Together they clasped their hands and said, "May he rest in peace."
"I never knew that a ghost could truly come back to this world to save people. That's so heroic. I thought it's only in the movies."
"Or maybe he was my guardian angel. Who knows?" Her mother chuckled as she put another slice of tonkatsu into her dish. "Eat more, Hikari. You need a lot of energy for tomorrow."
"Thanks, Kaa-chan. (Her mother added more.) N-no, that's enough! I can't eat too much." Hikari sighed. "So no one is coming back tonight?"
"You can sleep in my room if you're afraid, Sweetie."
How she was intrigued by that. "N-no. I can handle this." She took a deep breath. "I'm too big to be afraid of ghosts." Hikari inwardly wanted to punch herself on how she could say that when she was so afraid at that moment.
The aisle to her room seemed so dark and gloomy that night that Hikari put her hands together and glowered while walking to her own room after bath. The tiny hairs behind her neck stood up upon recalling the possibility that the ghost might've entered their house. When she reached her doorknob, Hikari swiftly opened and closed it before running straight to her bed, covering herself with a blanket.
Hikari yelped whenever the wind knocked on her window, pulling the blanket tighter around her. "Dear God! Buddha! Jesus! Whoever is up there! Please protect me!" She clasped her hands together while squeezing her eyes shut.
"Princess…"
Hikari widened her eyes when she heard the voice. Rising from her previous position, she waited for a moment before she heard the same voice twice. Hikari strode to her window, taking a long ruler to slowly open her curtain and had to clamp her mouth to muffle her shriek when she saw him out there, one hand holding the tree branch to her room.
"N-no… are you dead too?" Hikari's hands were trembling when she touched the glass window.
He placed his hand over his mouth to stifle back his laughter then unbuttoned the first two of his shirts. "I'll let you touch this nice chiselled chest to check whether I'm dead or alive." Annoyance replacing fear, Hikari pulled her curtain close again. "Hey! Are you ignoring me?"
But Hikari pulled her curtain open again upon the realisation. "H-how do you know my house?!"
"Hn. I have my ways. Anyway…" He flicked his bangs. "How long are you going to let me in this position? Because no matter how magnificent I am, this position is quite tiring." Hikari rolled her eyes, chuckling to herself as she opened her window and pulled him in. However, only when he made it into her room, she was hit by the realisation…
That he was truly there…
Before she got to say anything, he already pulled her into his embrace, kissing her cheek before resting his forehead on hers. "I miss you so much."
Hikari was on the verge of tears when his scent seeped into her senses. She threw her arms around him and held him as tight as she could. It was only two weeks, but it felt like it had been forever since she was meeting him. "I… me too…" She allowed her body to flush against his. The touch had never felt so right before that she clenched on his shirt as if she never wanted to let go. "W-why are you here anyway? What if my family saw you?"
"I don't care anymore…" He touched the side of her face. "I don't want to hide us anymore… After your audition tomorrow, let's stop hiding things."
"T-then…"Hikari widened her eyes. "Will I be able to call your real name from tomorrow on?"
He nodded. "And so will I to you…" Hikari's vision was blurred by happy tears as she put both of her hands in front of her lips. "Hey, why are you crying?" He wiped the tear that escaped her eyes.
"I'm so happy… This way I…" She quickly tightened her lips.
"I'm sorry for all the troubles I've caused you so far. From now on, you don't have to lie to your family anymore." He caressed her cheek with the rough pad of his thumb.
She shook her head. "All the lies I've made were my own mistakes. You shouldn't make them yours."
"But you still did that for me." He kissed her forehead. "I don't want you to do that anymore from now on, my queen…" Then he kissed her eyelid before touching her chin with his thumb and index finger. "I promise you that I will make this relationship work … for us."
"Even though you will have to meet my f-family?"
"Yes … definitely." He rolled his eyes at the pause as if he just recalled something. "You're your family's princess after all. It's only right." He pulled her into his embrace. "Now, I want you to do your best for your audition tomorrow…"
"Did you go through so much trouble just to wish me that?"
"It's an important step for you so I shouldn't miss it." He kissed the side of her lips as his hands slid down to her waist.
"Thank you, my prince…"
They were staring at each other for a moment before he descended his face to her and Hikari tiptoed to meet his lips. Shutting her eyes, she moved her lips along with his. When his tongue ran along the seam of her lips, Hikari opened her mouth and shivered at the sensation the moment he entered his tongue.
Snaking her arms around his neck, he lifted her up without breaking their kiss and put her on her bed, tracing her body until he touched her hand and tangled his fingers with her.
They broke their kiss to regain their breath, smiling at each other before having their lips locked again. Hikari moved her idle hand towards his head, fingers brushing his locks as his tongue roamed around her cavern. In their kisses, they poured everything they were missing for the past two weeks.
She couldn't wait for tomorrow …
She couldn't wait for the moment when there were no more secrets between them …
AN: I initially wrote a version where Keigo actually be there and not running away but after reviewing it, I decided it doesn't look good for the story overall and used this version instead. (Though I must say that scenario is quite interesting) XD
I guess up to this point you're already figuring out what's gonna happen next, right? Better be enjoying the fluff in this chapter because … I might be revealing too much if I say more than this. LOL~
Happy Saint Nicholas Day to those who are celebrating it! So happy that December is finally here!
Favourite, follow, and most importantly—review are gold for me! As I mentioned in the previous chapter, the story is also posted on 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!
