In the bustling city of Tokyo, the highly anticipated mixed-doubles tennis tournament was about to begin. The excitement was palpable as spectators from all over Japan gathered at the renowned tennis court for this prestigious event. Among the crowd were many high school tennis players who had travelled from different states to showcase their skills on the court.
Sakuno and Ryoma had registered their names and school. As they sat at the designated participant area, a wave of support washed over them as many students from their school came to cheer for them. Sumire, Tomoka, the trio, and the former regulars also made an appearance, adding to the cheers and encouragement.
The buzz surrounding the tournament grew even louder when word got out that Echizen Ryoma, the prodigious tennis player, was joining the competition. Sport reporters from all over flocked to the court, eager to cover the matches and capture Ryoma in action. Despite all the attention on Ryoma, his partner Sakuno began to catch the eye of the reporters. They were curious about Ryoma's partner.
Sakuno felt nervous under the scrutiny of the reporters. She had never been in the spotlight before, and the sudden attention made her feel self-conscious.
Ryoma saw her nervousness and said, "don't worry, I'm here."
Sakuno smiled at Ryoma, felt a bit relieved. She took out a scrunchies and tied her hair into a ponytail, getting ready for the first match. Ryoma looked at her with a stunned expression.
Sakuno met his gaze with a questioning look, "Ryoma-kun?"
Ryoma simply looked away, a hint of a blush creeping onto his cheeks.
Their coach, Mr. Jun, who had been watching the exchange with a knowing smile, called them over to get ready for their match. The first match began, and Ryoma and Sakuno took their places on the court. Their opponents looked determined, but Ryoma and Sakuno were in sync, their movements fluid and coordinated. They won the match easily, drawing applause from the audience and impressed glances from the reporters.
As the tournament progressed, Ryoma and Sakuno continued to dominate their matches, their teamwork and skill unmatched by their competitors. People began to take notice of Sakuno, her presence on the court becoming more and more prominent. Despite her initial nervousness, she began to gain confidence in her abilities, her determination shining through in each match they played.
The final match arrived, and their opponents were formidable, towering over Ryoma and Sakuno in both size and strength. Even the girl on the opposing team looked bigger and stronger than Sakuno, causing her to feel a wave of anxiety. As the match began, their opponents launched a series of powerful smashes, testing Ryoma and Sakuno's skills to the limit.
'They're strong.' Sakuno thought.
Midway through the match, as the score stood at 4-4, the opponents began to target Sakuno, seeing her as a potential weakness for Ryoma. Despite a hard fall that left her knees bloodied, Sakuno refused to back down, determined to give her all in the match. Sumire, Tomoka, the trio and the former regulars became worried with Sakuno's condition.
Inui said with serious tone, "Looks like they're targeting Ryuzaki-san."
"Ryuzaki, are you okay?" Ryoma asked with worried look.
"Yes Ryoma-kun, don't worry, I'm okay. Let's finish this." Said Sakuno, trying to forget about the pain.
Seeing the way their opponents were targeting Sakuno, Ryoma felt a surge of anger towards their opponents.
With a steely look in his eyes, Ryoma unleashed all of his techniques on the opponents, pushing them to their limits. The score seesawed back and forth, with neither team willing to give an inch.
Ryoma watched carefully the opponent's serve, and when he saw the move, he said to Sakuno, "Ryuzaki, it's the time."
Sakuno nodded, understood what Ryoma tried to do. In a moment of determination and teamwork, Ryoma and Sakuno combined their signature moves into a powerful technique they dubbed - the Bushindo Drive. Their body felt like emitting white light. The ball split to two towards the net and moved with such speed and intensity that it left a trail of petal in its wake, mesmerizing the crowd and striking fear into their opponents' heart.
"W-what is that-nya? It looks like Ochibi's Samurai Drive." Asked Eiji.
"And it's look like the Sakura Drive Ryuzaki-chan used yesterday too." Said Oishi.
"It must be the new technique Ryoma just invented last night." Said Sumire.
"He just invented it in just one night?" Asked Momo.
Sumire smiled. 'Looks like Ryoma really going to surpassed Nanjiro at this rate.' She thought.
Inui silent and started scribbled in his book. 'This is a masterpiece.' He thought.
"Game and match, Echizen and Ryuzaki."
As the referee announced their victory, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause, the sound deafening in the stadium.
"They won!" Said Tomoka and the trio in unison.
Sakuno was overjoyed, and in a moment of spontaneous celebration, she threw her arms around Ryoma in a quick hug, forgot her injured knees. Ryoma was shocked at first, but he just smiled and gave her a quick hug too. Their opponents smile at them, amazed with their skills, admitting defeat and said sorry for Sakuno's knees.
Ryoma quickly pulled Sakuno's hand and brought her to the bench near the court. Mr. Jun, who was there from earlier looked worried and proud at the same time.
"Are you okay, Ryuzaki?" asked Mr. Jun.
"Yes, it's just small scratches," said Sakuno, trying to hide the pain in her voice.
Ryoma took out the first aid kit and started to put medicine on her knees, gently cleaning the wounds before carefully putting bandages on them. Sakuno winced a little but managed to hold back her discomfort.
"Thank you, Ryoma-kun," she said, smiling gratefully at him.
"You're a klutz," said Ryoma, trying to lighten the mood. Sakuno couldn't help but giggle at his remark.
Ryoma and Sakuno stood on the podium, their gold medals shining in the sunlight. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause as they were announced as the champions of the mixed-doubles tennis tournament. The sport press clamored around them, snapping photos of the victorious duo.
Their friends, who had been cheering them on throughout the entire tournament, felt a surge of happiness and pride as they watched Ryoma and Sakuno accept their well-deserved victory.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a warm golden glow over the tennis court, the crowd slowly started to disperse. Ryoma and Sakuno walked with their friends to the Kawamura Sushi bar for celebrations.
As they walked, Sumire, insisted on taking a picture of them. Tomoka, Momo and Eiji kept teasing Ryoma and Sakuno, trying to get them to move closer together.
"Get closer, you two." Said Momo while laughing. The other friends just smiled.
Sakuno blushed furiously at their antics, her heart racing at the thought of being so close to Ryoma.
"You both hugged just fine earlier." Sumire said when Ryoma and Sakuno still in awkward distance.
"Mou.. obaa-chan, just take photo of us like this is fine." Sakuno said, still blushed.
Ryoma looked at Sakuno, he still didn't know why, but when it comes to Sakuno, Ryoma didn't mind to get close to her. She's one of his friends after all. Ryoma put one of his hand on Sakuno's shoulder, pulling Sakuno close to him and causing her to jump in surprise. "Is this good?" Ryoma said lazily, made Sumire and the others blushed.
Sakuno's cheeks flushed crimson as she felt the warmth of Ryoma's hand on her shoulder. Sumire laughed. "Okay Sakuno, smile."
Sakuno looked at the camera and made peace sign and smile. Sumire snapped the picture quickly, capturing the moment forever. As Ryoma released her, Sakuno couldn't help but steal a glance at him, her heart thrumming in her chest.
As they continued their walk towards the sushi bar, Sakuno took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to speak.
"Tennis is fun, right?" She asked tentatively, her voice barely above a whisper. Ryoma turned to her, his eyes softening as he nodded.
"Yeah, it's fun", he replied, a small smile playing on his lips. Sakuno felt a surge of happiness wash over her.
They walked side by side as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm glow over the world around them.
