Chapter 4: Denial
The alarm clock on top of her desk rang loudly. It made her squeeze her eyes shut due to the sunrays peeking through the window. Sakuno knew she was going to be late if she doesn't get up now. So, she quickly made her bed and got dressed for school. Going out to the hallway, she saw that Ryoma's door was widely open and a few dusts was being blown out. Sakuno walked over and saw that he's gone.
Maybe he went to school already. It's a pity we can't walk to school today...
She was about to close the door when she saw the can of soda that she left on his doorstep last night. It stood at the top of Ryoma's books unopened, the sticky note still attached to it.
He kept it...
It made her heart warm. She felt appreciative of the boy's sentimental sense. It made her day even if she would be walking alone today.
Anyway, she ran down the stairs because she's really going to be late for school. Yet, another surprise came to Sakuno's way when she reached the ground floor.
"Eat your breakfast, Sakuno-chan. Ryoma-kun's waiting for you," Nanako said with a smile on her face. She was holding a plate of egg and toast for the young student. She placed it on the vacant seat beside Ryoma. Sakuno looked bewildered as she catches her breath as she stared at the boy.
"I-I thought you went ahead, Ryoma-kun..." she muttered between heavy breathes. The boy was unfazed by her disheveled appearance that morning and simply consumed his English breakfast without complaining to his cousin.
"I woke up late," he reasoned. Nanako chuckled and led Sakuno to sit with the boy.
"Is that so..." she was in a trance that morning. She had not talked to Ryoma for over three months because they were both busy. Her with work, and him, well, who knows what he's been up to. But this is a rare occasion now. She wanted to cherish it especially since they'll be going separate ways after graduation. That reminds her, she had not informed Ryoma's parents about her decision of not going to college and will be working instead. She figured she would have to have a talk with them soon.
So, they both finished breakfast and got ready to leave the house.
"Sakuno-chan, are you sure you can do it? I'll need to stay at the hospital for a few days. I'm afraid Aunt is not doing well," Nanako gripped a large duffle bag slung on her shoulders as she stood in the doorway. In front of her was a worried Sakuno.
She recalled the alarming phone call from Nanako when they were both at school, where Aunt Rinko suddenly collapsed yesterday while she was shoveling snow in the backyard with Nanjirou even though he protested to do it himself. He carried her to the hospital, and Ryoma took Sakuno home before he went to the hospital. The two young girls were left in the house.
The next day, Nanako decided to stay at the hospital in Ryoma's place for him to get some rest back home. They have school tomorrow so a much-needed rest is important. And since Nanjirou didn't want to leave Rinko alone, Nanako had to help her uncle whenever he needs something.
Sakuno was instructed to wait for Ryoma to arrive, and never to open the door except for him. She nodded. Cleaning the house would take her mind off worrying over Aunt Rinko since that's the only way she can do to help.
After about an hour, she heard a knock on the door. Sakuno halted in scrubbing the toilet and ran downstairs to see who it was. There was a small window beside the door so she can take a peek on the visitor. It was Ryoma covered in snow.
"W-Wait for a moment!" she quickly wiped her hands on her apron and grabbed the house key by the telephone to unlock the door. Upon opening it, Sakuno stared at Ryoma, who looked very tired. His eyes drooped a little, and his hair was a mess despite covering it with his hat. Stress was written all over his face. Ryoma was probably worried to death about her mother.
"I'm back," he muttered with a low voice. Sakuno stepped aside to let him go inside.
"Ryoma-kun, are you alright? If you're hungry, I can prepare something for you. A-And if you need a bath..." Sakuno closed the door and watched the boy untie his shoes.
Ryoma sighed. He was hungry but he really wanted to sleep, too. Ever since his mother got hospitalized, he never left the hospital until Nanako gets back. The doctors are still conducting tests on Rinko, so everyone is still on edge on what happened to her. And they will be staying in the hospital until she recovers.
Until they come back, Sakuno was left with Ryoma to take care of the house. Although, Nanako will go home from time to time to check on them.
Ryoma looked up and saw Sakuno's worried eyes looking at him.
"Okay," he answered. The girl quickly ran to the kitchen and prepared a simple miso soup and rice, since that's all they had. She noted that she will need to pick up groceries sometime soon. Ryoma stood up and dropped his bag on the floor. He then proceeded to the kitchen to eat.
The two teenagers shared a quiet meal. Sakuno would sometimes ask about his mother, and he would only say a few words. Sakuno gets that this is a stressful time for all of them, so she didn't fish for more information. After lunch, Ryoma went to sleep, and Sakuno resumed scrubbing the toilet.
The phone rang, waking up the boy. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was almost four in the afternoon. He wondered why Sakuno isn't answering the phone. Ryoma lazily stood up and walked down the stairs. He looked around but the girl was nowhere, so he grabbed the receiver.
"Hello?" he yawned.
"Ryoma-kun, your mother is doing fine now, she just needs plenty of rest. But she needs to be monitored by the doctors. She'll probably be released by tomorrow," he heard Nanako said. He breathes a sigh of relief. That was good news.
"Okay," indeed, the news has put him in a good mood. Now, he's ready to hit some tennis balls again. He stretched his arm out.
"That reminds me, I want you to buy some groceries," he blinked. He had never done it before, though. He was about to tell that to Nanako, but she immediately guessed that and said, "You can ask Sakuno-chan for help. Uncle said you're worthless outside the tennis courts," he heard some giggles and the call ended before Ryoma could retort.
I can just ask her to do it for me. Where is she?
He looked around the empty halls, where only the ticking of the clock was heard. Did she leave? Ryoma thought. She could've told him if she was going to work, even if she's only going to make up some lame excuse.
Then, he heard the sound of shovel outside. Did his father go home? Ryoma opened the back door, and it revealed a girl dressed in thick coat, shoveling snow. She was doing it clumsily. He could tell that the girl was having a hard time with how much the snow weighed on the shovel.
The sudden breeze blew past the boy who was only wearing sweats. He shivered. Better to tell her to come in or they'll both get sick.
"Ryuza-chooo!" he called her, but he was cut off by his own sneeze. "Choo!" it sounded followed by sniffing. Sakuno spun around and looked at him surprisingly.
"R-Ryoma-kun! Are you okay?" she stumbled a lot before she reached the door. The image of the boy looking sick and frail didn't sit well with Sakuno.
"Get back inside, Ryuzaki. You're going to get sick," he said as he covered his nose to prevent snot from flowing out. The girl was too worried for him that she didn't hear him.
"I'm going to finish this then I'll prepare some tea for you," she turned to return to the snow-covered yard.
"No, Ryuzaki-" he grabbed her hand before she could take another step. Sakuno blushed as she felt the prince's cold hand. She looked over her shoulder and saw his troubled eyes.
"Just come in. I'll do that later," he pulled her in and closed the door shut. Bits of snow rested on Sakuno's head and shoulders. The prince fought the urge to remove it. Sakuno's cheeks were red, and she didn't wear any protective gloves which hurt her hands. Ryoma felt them when he pulled her by the hand. Sakuno subconsciously hid her hands from his view, but he grabbed them anyway.
"You shouldn't have done that. Look at your hands," he inspected a few scrapes and scratches on her palm. The girl became redder as he held her. She knew the boy was always looking out for his friends. But this level of concern was beyond what her heart can take that she felt dizzy.
"I-I'm okay, Ryoma-kun, really..." she pulled her hand from his grasp and smiled sheepishly. The boy almost glared at her stubbornness. Ryoma knew she never want to trouble others with her pain and troubles, but being under his responsibility, Ryoma needed to look out for her or it'll be his neck.
Now that she thinks about it, Sakuno's hand felt a bit strain. Having to clean the whole house including the yard, and then cooking meals was too much for her tiny hands, but she wanted to do it for Aunt Rinko, even if she got into trouble with Ryoma.
The boy was visibly annoyed at her. He hid the brooms and shovel in the storage room to prevent Sakuno from cleaning again and insisted that he will prepare tea for both of them. He also told her to stay inside while he gets groceries. He snatched the long list on the fridge and studied it. Sakuno stared at him while she wrapped her hands on the hot cup of tea. She would sip it and wince at the poorly brewed beverage by Ryoma.
"I'm going," he said but when he reached the doorstep, he turned around. Sakuno blinked.
"Hmm..." he contemplated if he should admit that he has no idea what half of this list is. Ryoma pondered what was more important to him, saving his dignity in front of the girl or having an earful from his parents? Ryoma scratched his head. If he asks for help from her, she will want to go with him and that negates her being grounded by him.
"Ryoma-kun, do you want me to help you?" he heard her say in a tiny voice, obviously being careful to avoid another strike from him. He looked at her pleading eyes as she fiddled on her cup. When did Ryoma ever stayed mad at her?
He sighed. Those eyes...
"Fine," as he said this, Sakuno's eyes lit up and she quickly ran upstairs to change into warmer clothes. Ryoma waited by the dining room and took a sip from his tea. He stuck out his tongue with its awful taste. He was suddenly okay with the girl helping her. After all, she endured drinking his concoction. That says a lot about her good-naturedness, that's for sure. And he kind of agreed that he's worthless outside the tennis courts.
As they walked along the streets, they passed by the burger joint that Ryoma and Momoshiro often visited during middle school. Sakuno told him about the time when she and Tomoka witnessed the two compete over who can eat the most burgers. Ryoma smirked and Sakuno giggled at the memory. He carried the three bags of groceries while he let her carry his bag. She talked a lot about their memories, while he listened and would smile at her.
I missed walks like these, they thought in their own minds.
Unbeknownst to them, three young men, who were wolfing down on their burgers, have spotted them through the window and followed them home. Horio, Kato, and Katsuo wondered what business would Sakuno have with Echizen in the weekend. Since they will be graduating, tennis tutorials should not be their ultimate focus right now. Their curiosity was killing them and so they hid behind the bushes leading to the Echizen household and gasped in unison as Ryoma and Sakuno went inside the door.
"I-I can't believe this! Those two are living together!" Horio shrieked, and the two covered his mouth to avoid other passersby to notice them. Kato and Katsuo looked at each other and wondered how this happened.
"Ryoma-kun, I'm fine. Let me do it," she pleaded in front of the boy dressed in her pink apron with a knife on hand. Sakuno tried her best to show Ryoma that her hands are fine from earlier. But he ignored her protests and instead stared at the vegetables lined up on the counter.
"Just tell me what to do. I'll be your hands," he said with confidence as if he didn't just make the world's worst tea. The girl couldn't help but giggle on his stubbornness. She finds it cute that the prince is doing his best to do everything around the house. She can tell that Ryoma never did anything like this in his life. Look at how clueless he is whether to wash the potatoes first before or after peeling off the skin. He didn't even know that the skin should be peeled off if Sakuno didn't tell him. It was entertaining to watch him cook for the first time.
Meanwhile, Ryoma felt conscious. If his glare could set someone on fire, Sakuno would be fried. Those suppressed giggles were enough to irk him off.
"Don't tease me. You're still grounded," he muttered and that shut the girl up. Anyway, they started cooking. Sakuno being the mentor, and Ryoma the avatar.
After two hours of being patient with Ryoma, Sakuno finally set the table and they stared at the vegetable curry in the middle of the table. Ryoma looked at it with disgust, but Sakuno saw it as a trophy. She smiled proudly at him.
"T-Then, let's taste it, Ryoma-kun," she placed spoon and fork in front of the boy, and they sat beside each other. Sakuno contemplated if the potatoes and carrots are still hard since Ryoma was in a hurry to put everything in at the same time.
"Why're you nervous? This is your recipe," he said with bitterness in his voice. He only really did exactly what she told him. Except he did add more of everything when she wasn't looking. That's payback for being such a tease, he thought. He made that evil smile as he watched Sakuno's face go from excitement to sour.
Morning came and the two left home together. Ryoma shoved the house key in his pocket as they walked. Nanako would be home around lunch time, while they're still in school. She has her own key so there'd be no problem. Sakuno carried two lunchboxes: one for her and one for Ryoma. He initially refused, seeing that the food was the curry he made last night. He couldn't do anything as he watched Sakuno prepare his bento with a slight grin on her face.
As they approach the school gates, many students passed by them, seemingly whispering to each other. Ryoma never took notice of this and just went on with his day. Sakuno, on the other hand, felt conscious standing beside the prince as she heard words like 'whore' which people let her hear on purpose.
"R-Ryoma-kun, I'm going ahead!" she shoved his lunchbox on his hands and ran away. Ryoma blinked in confusion.
"So, these three saw you and Ryoma-sama yesterday and found out about you living with him," Tomoka crossed her arms in front of her as she glared at the three freshmen kneeling in front of Sakuno.
That morning, Horio had carelessly talked about it with the two inside the tennis club's changing room. Obviously, other students heard it, what with Horio's loud voice. So, Sakuno has been the target of foul-mouthed girls throwing shade around her all day. She couldn't do anything about it except to avoid being alone with any of them. But luck's never been on her side when a group of the prince's fangirls suddenly pulled her at the back of the school building and pinned her to the wall. Unfortunately, Tomoka had to go home early to tend to her siblings. Only the three freshmen were left to protect her, but they were busy with club activities, and they thought Sakuno would be going home with Ryoma as usual.
"You're just a greedy little swine, aren't you?" one girl sneered at her. Sakuno trembled in fear. This was why she was against being seen around Ryoma. As much as she liked to, the bullies have always followed her around and would hurt her emotionally, if not physically. But she could never refuse when Ryoma had intended to wait for her every time.
"Please leave me alone," she said in a firm voice. She realized she needed to intimidate them to get away. No one would save her except for herself. So, she must be stronger.
"You stupid girl! Why do you always hang around Ryoma? Have you no shame? He's not interested in you so back off!" she said. Sakuno catches her breath and glared at them.
"Leave me alone!" she yelled. But it had no effect on them. They even laughed in her face. Why must she suffer like this when she had no choice but to stay with Ryoma? It's not like she wanted to. Sakuno felt like she was going to cry so she forced her eyes shut. She decided to endure every hurtful comment they will say, and even when they hit her, she'd let them if it meant they would stop after this. After all, she's going to graduate soon. This will be the last time she will take the hit because of Ryoma.
"You even used your grandmother's death so the prince would feel sorry for you being an orphan. How pitiful, Sakuno," that hurt, she thought. In no way would she be able to do that to Ryoma, especially to her grandmother. This is just too much for Sakuno to handle that it made her head throb, and it made her feel numb.
"Aren't you finished yet? What do you want me to say? I'll say it, if it'll shut you up," she retaliated. Sakuno is never one to fight with others. But she wanted to protect her own mental health and if it meant telling them that she's not at all interested in Ryoma, then be it.
The girls walked closer to her and eventually surrounded her. Sakuno gulped.
"Do you like him that much?" the girl's leader asked her with a threatening voice, as if she's not allowed to say the wrong thing or else. Looking back, the price she paid for supporting the prince since their middle school years has always been abuse. Sakuno wondered if she lost sight of who she was because of it. She felt frustrated.
"No, I don't," she lied. "I don't like him." because even if she says the truth, nothing will change since Ryoma doesn't like her that way. But the girls will definitely leave her alone, so it was worth a shot.
"Then why are you still hanging out with him? Aren't you being a hypocrite? You say that you don't like him, but the rumors are true. What? You're using him for clout?" her voice was full of bitterness and hatred. Sakuno's lips quivered. She couldn't wait until it was over because her legs felt like jelly. There was only one way out of this, and she will just feed their satisfaction with lies that they want to hear.
"I'm telling you; I don't like him one bit! I can't wait to get away from this school!" a single tear fell from her eye, but she continued with her brave facade. Almost there, once she graduates, she will no longer endure this monstrosity.
"So, are you being friends with him because his family's rich?" this made Sakuno chuckle. What ridiculous assumptions these girls have about them. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes.
"He's not my friend, nor am I his," she said with a firm and strong voice. It was loud enough that her voice echoed.
Sakuno felt that she wanted to rinse her mouth for lying so many times. She hated herself for denying Ryoma in front of these girls. She wondered if Ryoma would be affected if he heard her say that? No, he wouldn't. Sakuno considered him as a friend, but she wasn't sure if he does, too. Maybe he won't mind it. She couldn't help but be hurt from her own thoughts. Maybe because it can easily be true, and it scared her. The girls laughed at her for saying such strong words and yet she was almost crying. She looked pitiful, Sakuno was aware. But anything to get out of this situation.
The window above the wall suddenly slid open and a head popped out. The boy with greenish locks stared at them like they were ants.
"R-Ryoma-sama?!" the girls gasped in unison. Under the window, Sakuno looked up. She was shocked to see Ryoma staring down at her with ice cold eyes. His stare was piercing her own and it scared her.
"Nothing is more hideous than a group of girls ganging up on the weak," he said menacingly. That was the only time that he laid his eyes on the fangirls, as well as speaking to them. But instead of happiness, they only felt scared by him, almost all of them dropped to the ground, completely impaired in strength.
Sakuno was the most terrified among them. The way Ryoma looked at her, she knew that he was pissed. The boy simply closed the window and disappeared.
"R-Ryoma-kun!" taking advantage of the girls being startled on the ground, Sakuno ran inside the building and tried to catch up to the retreating boy. He walked fast as if trying to get away from her on purpose. On normal occasions, Ryoma would ask her for an explanation when things get tough, he would always ask why. He would try to understand. But now, why was he running away?
"Ryoma-kun, wait!" she called out. Just before he exited from the school entrance, Ryoma spun around to face her, but he kept his head low, avoiding her eyes. He had his knuckles shoved in his pants pocket and tried not to dig his nails too hard into his palms.
Sakuno didn't know how to start. He must have been uncomfortable about a bunch of girls fighting over him. And what's worse, she was involved. He must think that she liked him that much to actually have catfights, which he hated most. How could he ever stay in the same house as her?
Sakuno felt terrible but what could she say in this moment? But what worried her the most is the fact that other people are suspecting them, and it will start to disrupt Ryoma's life. Sakuno looked up at him, but his head never moved. He kept his gaze on the floor.
"Ryoma-kun, I'm sorry that those girls found out..." she said in an apologetic tone. But the deafening silence from the prince might as well kill her. She couldn't read his mind right now. Upon hearing this reason, Ryoma finally lifted his head and looked at Sakuno with shocked eyes.
"You thought I cared about that?" he asked. Sakuno suddenly felt a little lighter. At least he wasn't too affected by it. So, it wasn't a big deal for him if they were seen together. That explains so much.
"O-Oh, then-" she started, but was cut off by the boy.
"You're unbelievable, Ryuzaki," he chuckled sarcastically before turning his back, finally exiting the school. Sakuno was confused. If Ryoma didn't care about it, why does she feel that he's angry?
To be continued.