The sakura trees were in full bloom, casting a beautiful pink hue over the entire school campus. As the students made their way to school, the air was filled with laughter and excitement. Some walked in groups, chatting animatedly, while others walked alone, lost in their own thoughts.
Sakuno walked alone under the sakura tree, a happy smile on her face as she admired the delicate blossoms. She felt a sense of peace and calm wash over her as she took in the beauty of nature around her.
As she reached the school gate, she was greeted by Tomoka, who waved to her enthusiastically. The two girls walked together into the school, their laughter filling the air.
They checked the board to see which class they were in, and to their delight, they were in the same class. They made their way to the classroom, where they found the trio already there, chatting and joking with each other.
"Oh, you guys in this class too?" Horio asked when he saw the girls came in.
"Yeah, this is gonna be a fun year." Said Tomoka while grinning. It had been years they had all been together in the same class, and she couldn't contain her excitement. With Sakuno and them together again, she knew that this year school bound to be full of excitement and fun.
Sakuno took a seat beside Tomoka, they were catching up on their weekend story when their homeroom teacher finally walked in. The girls greeted her warmly, happy to see a familiar face from the previous year.
"Sasaki-sensei!" Said Tomoma excitedly when she saw their homeroom teacher from they still in the first year of High School.
"It's good to see everyone again." The teacher said with smile.
As the teacher took the attendance, the sliding door suddenly opened, and all eyes turned to see who was entering.
To everyone's surprise, a tall and handsome young man with dark greenish hair walked into the classroom. Sakuno, Tomoka and the trio, along with the rest of the students, were in shock as they recognized him - it was Ryoma.
"Echizen!" Horio said, almost crying. Ryoma who recognized who's that person is just smirked.
Ryoma bowed politely to the teacher, apologizing for his tardiness. The teacher waved off his apology with a smile and asked him to take a seat. Ryoma made his way to an empty seat beside Horio, who couldn't contain his excitement at having his old friend sitting next to him.
"Echizen..." Said Horio who already cried.
"Long time no see." Said Ryoma, made Horio just nodded while holding back his tears.
Kachiro and Katsuo who sit in front of them also waved excitedly at Ryoma, thrilled to have him back in Japan.
Sakuno and Tomoka exchanged looks of disbelief as they watched Ryoma settle into his seat. They had never expected him to return to Japan, let alone attend their school.
As the teacher began her lesson, Ryoma seemed to be lost in thought, staring out the window with a thoughtful expression on his face. Sakuno couldn't help but steal glances at him, wondering what had brought him back to Japan after all this time. She blushed a bit, felt her long-buried crush on Ryoma resurface, causing her heart to race with excitement.
During recess, Sakuno and Tomoka was about to made their way to Ryoma's desk to ask many things to answer their curiosity. However, much to their disappointment, they found out he had already left the classroom. Tomoka sighed in frustration, but Sakuno suggested they ask him later.
Instead of moping around, Sakuno and Tomoka decided to enjoy their lunch together in the classroom. They took out their homemade bentos and started chatting. Sakuno had prepared her signature onigiri filled with tuna, while Tomoka had a colorful assortment of sushi rolls.
Meanwhile, Ryoma and the trio were on their way to the cafeteria to grab some food. Horio couldn't contain his curiosity and asked him.
"Why you suddenly come back to Japan, Echizen?"
Ryoma shrugged and simply said "I have something to take care of."
Horio and the others looked at each other in confusion, but before they could question Ryoma further, Kachiro jumped in and asked him.
"Are you planning on staying until graduation?"
Ryoma nodded, surprising the trio with his decision. The trio couldn't contain their excitement at the thought of having Ryoma around for the long haul.
As they reached the cafeteria, they picked out their foods and found a table to sit at. While they were eating, Horio brought up about the Australian Open and excitedly congratulated him on his incredible win at the Australian Open.
"Congrats Echizen. We watched your match with senpais."
"Thanks."
"Are you planning to participate in another tournament soon?" Asked Katsuo.
"No, I'm taking a break until graduation."
The trio just giving simple 'oh' hearing his answer.
Back in the classroom, Sakuno and Tomoka still eating their bento boxes and chatting happily. They both enjoyed their meal, savoring each bite and laughing at each other's antics.
As they ate, Tomoka couldn't help but bring up the topic of Ryoma.
"So, Sakuno, how did you feel when you saw Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Sakuno blushed and stammered, "I-I don't know Tomo-chan... I guess I should be happy about it?"
Tomoka raised an eyebrow and teased, "Oh, come on, Sakuno, are you falling in love with him all over again?"
Sakuno's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red as she protested, "N-no way! It's not like that!"
Tomoka burst into laughter, causing a few heads to turn in their direction. "Relax, Sakuno, I was just teasing you. But I have to admit, Ryoma-sama is looking even more handsome."
Sakuno couldn't help but smile at her friend's teasing. "Mou.. Tomo-chan."
As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Sakuno and Tomoka gathered their bentos and kept them in their bag. Not long after that, she saw Ryoma and the trio entered the classroom and took their seat. The teacher for the next lesson also walked in.
Throughout the class, Sakuno found it hard to concentrate as thoughts of Ryoma kept invading her mind. Tomoka noticed her friend's distraction and nudged her, a knowing smile on her face. Sakuno blushed and focused on the lesson, trying to push away the confusing feelings swirling inside her.
After the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, the students quickly tidied their things and got ready to go back home. Sakuno and Tomoka noticed that Ryoma and the trio had already left the classroom, so they hurried to catch up with them.
Tomoka called out to Ryoma, "Ryoma-sama," making Ryoma and the trio stop in their track and turned to look at her.
When Tomoka and Sakuno manage to catch up to them, Tomoka said "welcome back. It's been so long."
Then she playfully pushed Sakuno towards him, making Sakuno blush as she shyly greeted him. "W-welcome back, Ryoma-kun."
Ryoma scanned both girls, trying to remember who they were. After a moment, he remembered Sakuno and asked, "Ryuzaki?" Sakuno's heart fluttered as Ryoma remembered her name.
Tomoka then asked, "What about me?" Ryoma made a confused expression as he tried to recall her name.
Horio, Katsuo, and Kachiro sighed in unison, with Horio chastising Ryoma for his forgetfulness and reminding him, "You should remember people's names, she is Osakada Tomoka." Ryoma then nodded, finally remembering Tomoka's name, probably.
They walked home together, chatting and laughing as they made their way through the familiar streets. Sakuno had been wanting to talk to Ryoma more, to ask him about his returned. But just as she mustered up the courage to do so, she remembered that her grandma had asked her to buy some groceries from the store. She bid farewell to the others before heading in that direction.
Ryoma also left the others to walk to other directions and began walking home alone. As he made his way down the winding path, his phone suddenly rang, startling him. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was his father calling. Ryoma answered the call.
"Yes Oyaji, what's up?" Ryoma asked.
"Hey seishounen, just wanted to check in on you. Did you find the right house?" his father inquired.
"Yeah, I found it this morning. Already brought my luggage too."
His father chuckled on the other end of the line. "Good to hear. Oh, by the way, did you find the gift I left for you in the black small bag?"
Ryoma furrowed his brow in confusion. "Gift? What gift? I don't remember seeing any black bag."
His father's voice took on a playful tone. "You must have missed it. Search carefully, you'll like what's inside. I put in your luggage before you go."
"I never had good feelings about your gifts, oyaji." He said.
His father, Nanjiro just laughed. "You need it."
Ryoma's unease returned tenfold as he hung up the phone. He remembered that his father usually gave weird things to him. He shrugged and continued his walk.