It was a typical morning in the classroom as the homeroom teacher, Ms. Sasaki took attendance. After the roll call, she announced that it was time to vote for the class representative.

"Alright, it's time to vote for our class representative. Who do you all think would be the best candidate?"

One by one, the students turned to look at Tomoka, with smiles on their faces and eager nods of approval. Tomoka felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at being chosen by her classmates.

Ms. Sasaki chuckled, "Looks like we have a clear winner! Congratulations, Osakada. You have been such a dedicated and responsible class representative since year one."

Tomoka's heart swelled with gratitude as she stood up from her desk, a shy but grateful smile on her face. "Thank you, everyone. I promise to continue being a voice for all of you and doing my best to represent our class."

The students erupted into cheers and applause, showing their support for Tomoka. The teacher then asked everyone to help and support Tomoka in doing her job as a representative.

Sakuno smiled at her proudly. She knew that Tomoka would do an excellent job as the class representative. "Congratulations, Tomo-chan!"

"Thank you, Sakuno!"

"I have another announcement to make. Club activities will begin today, so I need each of you to attend your respective clubs after class." Said Ms. Sakaki.

"Finally, can't wait for it." Said Horio.

"That's the spirit! One more thing, to help you all bond and get to know each other better, I'm going to shuffle the seating arrangement in the classroom."

Most of the students groaned at the idea, but they obliged and followed the teacher's instructions.

Ms. Sakaki placed a box on each student's desk, instructing them to pick a number. The students were to sit according to the number they picked, with no 1 sitting with no 2, and so on. Tomoka and Sakuno picked their numbers and looked at each other. Tomoka's face fell when she realized she would not be sitting next to Sakuno anymore. Sakuno tried to reassure her with a smile, promising that they would still be in the same class together.

Once all the students had picked their numbers, they began moving to their new seats according to the desk drawings on the board.

Sakuno glanced down at her number – 27. She realized that she would be sitting at the last row, near the window. She pulled out her chair and was about to sit down when she noticed someone pulling out the chair next to her.

"Ryoma-kun? Your seat is here?" She asked.

Ryoma looked at her. "I guess so." He showed his number – 28 casually to Sakuno as he took his seat.

Sakuno couldn't believe this fate. First, Ryoma reappeared again when she was trying to move on from their past. Then, he ended up staying with her family due to some unforeseen circumstances. And now, fate had decided that they would be desk mates at school. It was like the universe was playing some twisted joke on her.

As they sat in silence, Sakuno couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions.

Ryoma, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the situation. He nonchalantly opened his textbook and started flipping through the pages, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

As Sakuno stole glances at Ryoma throughout the class, she couldn't help but notice how focused he was. His brows furrowed in concentration, his eyes never leaving the teacher. And suddenly, Sakuno felt a strange sense of determination welling up inside her. If Ryoma could focus on the class, then so could she.

Tomoka looked at Sakuno and gave her a knowing look from her desk. Sakuno could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment, knowing that Tomoka would keep teasing her later.

As the bell rang, signaling the start of recess, Sakuno quickly packed her things into her school bag. When she heard Ryoma start to get up from his seat, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you heading to the cafeteria, Ryoma-kun?"

"Yes." Ryoma replied as he made his way out of the classroom. Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo tagging along behind him.

Tomoka, always the instigator, seized the opportunity to tease Sakuno. "Looks like fate has brought you and Ryoma-sama together as desk mates, huh?" she said with a mischievous grin.

Sakuno felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment at the teasing but tried to brush it off as she focused on preparing her lunch. She didn't want to dwell on the idea of fate or destiny or anything of the sort.

Tomoka laughed softly, seeing her best friend's flustered face. Quickly changing the topic to club activities, Tomoka asked, "By the way, are you going to the tennis court after class?" Sakuno nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Tomoka's eyes lit up with excitement as she exclaimed, "Let's go together!"

Meanwhile at the cafeteria, Ryoma, Horio, Katsuo, and Kachiro sat together at their usual table, enjoying their lunch as they chatted and laughed.

As they ate, Kachiro suddenly turned to Ryoma and asked, "Ryoma-kun, have you thought about joining the tennis club?"

Ryoma, who who still not join any clubs or extracurricular activities since he just enrolled in the high school, shrugged and replied, "I guess so."

Kachiro beamed at the answer, excited at the prospect of having Ryoma on the team. He turned to Horio and said, "Ryoma-kun's going to join the tennis club! Isn't that great?"

Horio grinned and nodded, proudly declaring, "Kachiro here is the captain of the tennis club since Momo-senpai graduates."

Kachiro blushed at the mention of his upcoming promotion, feeling both honored and nervous at the responsibility that awaited him. He remembered how the coach and Momoshiro had agreed to make him the captain, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pressure.

Ryoma smiled at Kachiro and said, "It suits you. You'll make a great captain."

Horio chimed in, "And I'll be the vice-captain! Together, we'll make sure the tennis club thrives."

Ryoma couldn't help but agree with their position. Kachiro's calm demeanor and Horio's enthusiastic personality made for a dynamic duo that could surely lead the team to success. Katsuo, who had been quiet throughout the conversation, smiled shyly as they all praised him for being the treasurer of the club.

Suddenly, Kachiro's expression turned solemn as he brought up a troubling issue. "But the members of the boys' tennis club have been decreasing every year. If we don't recruit enough new members this year, we might have to shut down the club." He sighed.

Horio and Katsuo immediately jumped in to reassure Kachiro, telling him not to worry. They promised to help with recruiting and promoting the club to ensure its survival.

Ryoma just smirked when he felt a sense of determination and admiration from them. Their dedication to the tennis club and their willingness to work together to overcome challenges kind of impressed him.

When they finished eating, they get up and left the cafeteria after left their empty trays on the bin. They were on their way to class when Ryoma spotted a vending machine. He had a sudden craving for Ponta, so he told the trio that he would catch up with them later and headed towards the machine.

As Ryoma was about to make his selection, a student rushing to class accidentally bumped into him, causing Ryoma to accidentally pick the strawberry milk instead of the Ponta he wanted. The student quickly apologized and hurried off, leaving Ryoma to sigh in frustration. He wasn't a fan of strawberry milk, but he decided to just take it and make the best of the situation.

Heading back to the classroom, Ryoma saw Sakuno at her seat talking with Tomoka, who sat in front of her. Tomoka noticed Ryoma approaching and grinned mischievously at Sakuno, causing her to blush. Tomoka then giggled and excused herself to go back to her seat, leaving Sakuno and Ryoma alone.

Ryoma walked over to his seat and placed the strawberry milk on her desk. Sakuno looked at it in confusion and asked "what is this, Ryoma-kun?"

Ryoma simply replied, "I accidentally bought it. You can have it". Sakuno's face lit up with a smile as she thanked him and accepted the strawberry milk. She held it in her hands, looking grateful.

"Ryoma-kun, are you going to join the tennis club?" Sakuno asked.

"Yeah."

"That's great", Sakuno said with a smile, feeling excited at the thought of watching Ryoma play tennis up close.

Not long after, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break. The next teacher came in and the students focused on the lesson at hand.

Finally, as the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Ryoma got up from his seat, and Sakuno couldn't help but watch him walk out of the classroom. Horio, Katsuo, and Kachiro followed him eagerly.

Tomoka approached Sakuno to go the tennis court together, but then she noticed the strawberry milk in Sakuno's hand and asked about it.

"Oh, did you buy that? I didn't see you went to the vending machine", Tomoka said.

Sakuno just smiled wryly, not wanting to admit that Ryoma had given it to her. She knew Tomoka would make a big fuss about it, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that. But before she could decide, Tomoka had already grabbed her arm and urged her to hurry up.

"Come on, let's go Sakuno."

"H-hai."

Together, they walked out from the classroom, Sakuno felt a sense of excitement bubbling up inside her as she thought about their last year in the club, and she couldn't wait to see what new things awaited them, with Ryoma by their side.