Note: This chapter is based on Seigaku's training to go up against Rikkai and Captain Yamato's appearance.
July 25, 2012
Schönsommer Mansion — Tennis Training Compound
Morning
"Faster! You've all gone slow!" Juri shouted to the Seigaku regulars who were doing one arm push-ups on the floor with their dominant arms in tennis. "After this you all have to do one arm chin-ups before the practice matches!"
"What? You gotta be kidding me!" Momoshiro said while grunting from the push-ups. He looked up to the board behind Juri and Coach Ryuzaku where their workout menu for morning was listed, without the need of calculator and just like with the past menus they've been doing since their first day, today was going to be dog-tiring again. "We're gonna play matches after this? My arm's gonna be like jelly the moment I hold my racket."
"Just shut up will ya?" Kaido told him. "Quit being such a whiny baby since you're already a muttonhead."
"Say that again, Viper?!" Momoshiro challenged. "I'll kill you after this!"
"Not if I kill you first!" Kaido yelled back.
"Stop it you two! If you don't shut up, I'll kick you out of here!" Coach Ryuzaki reprimanded. Then she turned to Juri and said quietly for only the two of them to hear, "He says he wants to hear the results tonight."
Juri nodded.
The practice matches arranged by Coach Ryuzaki were over just in time for lunch, and after two hours of rest for them not to feel sluggish and have any stomach discomforts, training resumed in the compound once more.
With their dominant arms, the regulars were climbing the rock-textured wall that looked almost like the Grand Canyon with belay, modular hand holds, incuts and protrusions. There was no resting as they immediately followed a one arm rope climbing and running around the electric human-sized hamster wheels. Right after practicing their racket swings, the boys were doing a hundred arm curls with dumbbells.
"Alright, now everyone will run thirty laps outside around the training compound!" Juri told the regulars.
"What? For real?" Kikumaru asked, almost dropping his dumbbells to the floor.
"Just do it!" Coach Ryuzaki told them. "No complaining, remember? Just get on with it and the faster you all finish, the better!"
The sky was in an orange glow by the time everyone had finished their laps. Ryoma, Fuji and Inui had managed to stay up their feet while leaning against the wall, while Oishi, Kaido, Momoshiro and Kawamura had fell to the cold, hard ground, as they were all breathing hard and trying to catch their breath.
"Alright, today's training menu is over. Everyone get back inside the mansion and prepare for dinner." Juri told them before turning to her heel and leaving.
"We're finally saved!" Kikumaru exclaimed with relief, as he slumped back to the ground.
"Two more days, right?" Kawamura asked while panting heavily. "Two more days and we'll finally stop the crazy running, right?"
"Crazy? You mean 'hell crazy', Taka-san." Momoshiro corrected, as he tried to get up. "Man my legs are like jelly, no, make that noodles."
"Speaking of noodles, I hope the chefs are making spicy ramen noodles for dinner tonight." Fuji said.
"Come on, everyone, we have to get back inside and get ourselves ready for dinner." Oishi told them while trying to rise to his feet.
"Are you okay, Kaido?" Inui asked worriedly.
"I can barely lift my arm..." Kaido replied, as he held his right arm that felt like cemented hollow blocks.
"Oishi... Please carry me..." Kikumaru begged childishly, as he held out his right arm to his doubles parter.
"Come on, Eiji, I can't lift my arm anymore." Oishi told him before turning to the others and said, "Don't worry, everyone, after a nice bath, we'll all feel good."
"Mada mada dane..." Ryoma muttered, as he finally slowed his heavy breathing.
While the regulars were immersing themselves in the hot bath or jacuzzi that evening to release the tension from their training, Coach Ryuzaki and Juri were at the sitting room in the West Wing where they were talking to Tezuka using online video chat.
"How's everyone doing?" he inquired.
"Everyone's doing well in keeping up with the training." Coach Ryuzaki responded. "I've seen some improvements in each one of them, and I'm actually amazed of the fast progress they've shown these past three days. It looks like we'll have a very promising outcome by Saturday."
"I wouldn't jump so fast to that yet, Coach Ryuzaki." Juri spoke.
"Juri?" Tezuka asked.
"For the past three days I have strengthened their muscles and gave them more stamina to keep up with the long matches Rikkai might throw at them." Juri explained. "Kikumaru-san has been able to play a little longer that he won't need to stand still for two games in order to recover his stamina, Kawamura-san is beginning to control the amount of power he releases in his Power Plays rather than wasting his energy in every shot that will take him out of the game like in the first round of the Kanto Tournament, the speed in Inui-san's serves has increased as well. But I'll be blunt with you right now, it's not enough for the finals this Sunday."
Coach Ryuzaki sighed. "I was so afraid you were going to say that, but have a little faith, Juri, you are their trainer after all."
"Oh, I do have faith." Juri clarified, as she thought of Ryoma and the promise they made last Monday night. "But at the team's current level, it's wavering. What the team needs is new measures."
"New measures?" Coach Ryuzaki asked, puzzled.
"There's no doubt that Rikkai will throw out their best in order to take their third straight win in the Kanto Tournament, and their doubles is one of the primary points."
"That's a sew up alright." Coach Ryuzaki agreed. "The Kuwahara-Marui pair is the number one doubles in the country."
"The Niou-Yagyuu pair, or should I say Rikkai's Platinum Pair, is very deceptive considering that Inui-san doesn't have any data on Niou Masaharu." Juri added.
"Rikkaidai's captain Yukimura Seiichi will have his operation on the day of the finals." Tezuka informed them.
"All the more Rikkai will be four times motivated to take the win." Coach Ryuzaki pointed out.
"That's why with the amount of time we still have for Sunday, I am more than sixteen times determined to take this special training to the next level."
"What do you have in mind, Juri?" Tezuka asked curiously.
"I've done this with father every year since I was eleven before any of my matches begin, so I'm taking everyone for an altitude and endurance training to the Himalayas." Juri answered.
Coach Ryuzaki was taken aback. "What?! The Himalayas?!"
"I have made arrangements." Juri informed. "One of my family's private jets will take us there tonight to Kathmandu and I'll have everyone pack their things after dinner." She turned to the team's coach, "You don't have to come, Coach Ryuzaki, and I'll have their mountain climbing equipment prepared and there will be a crew to take us up there."
"That's not the point!" Coach Ryuzaki argued. "Are you trying to get them killed?"
"I am trying to prepare them for the abyss they're going to go through this Sunday." Juri corrected. "I have climbed the Himalayas a lot of times and this has resulted to me being able to play a match for six hours and a half. My father went through the same methods and he's able to play for eleven hours."
"Juri, I know myself that the boys will have a hard time against Rikkai, but there is no way their parents would allow them to go to Nepal and climb a mountain range that could kill them just to win." Coach Ryuzaki then quickly added, "And don't even think about smuggling them there, your mother is going to hear about this."
Juri turned to her cousin and said, "They made a promise to win and a promise must be kept." Then she remembered her match with Fuji and her promise with Ryoma. "The team has so much talent, but they need to awaken as fast as they can, you can't go back once something has passed."
"They're not like you, Juri." Coach Ryuzaki pinpointed.
"This isn't the time to be comparing!" Juri argued. "They need to—"
"Coach Ryuzaki's right, Juri." Tezuka cut her off. "I'm disagreeing with this special training as well. There's only two days left until Seigaku's training ends, and it isn't wise to get too reckless. There's no guarantee to it. I know you're strong, Juri, but consider other people's limits. I'll say this once and clear: I will not approve of this proposal and put the lives of everyone in danger."
"Fine." Juri said, getting up from the chair she sat. "What Seigaku needs right now is innovation, and since both of you disagree with me, devise something since time is running out."
"Don't worry, we will." Coach Ryuzaki assured.
Juri headed for the door but she stopped and looked back to her cousin once more, and spoke with conviction, "I want Seigaku to win. I want them to. They need to."
"They will, Juri." Tezuka's voice was soft but firm. "They will."
She gave a small nod before taking out her iPhone and spoke to the pilot on the other line, "She's not flying tonight, take her back in."
Coach Ryuzaki turned to Tezuka and said, "We better end this quick, you still have to take lunch. So what do you have in mind?"
July 26, 2012
Schönsommer Mansion — Morning
There wasn't any jogging around the estate, doing one arm exercises, playing matches or using the machines inside the compound today, so everyone was in the Eastern Wing's Lounging Hall passing time with Ryoma playing his Game Boy Advance, Kikumaru listening to the songs in his mp3 player, Fuji reading the English edition of The Little Prince, Inui reviewing his data with Kaido about their doubles combination for the Nationals, while Momoshiro was munching on some potato chips he had brought with him since Monday.
But there were some who seemed cramped by the relaxing mood rather than enjoying it.
"Is something wrong, Taka-san?" Fuji asked worriedly, as he closed his book.
"I wonder what's going on why we don't have any workout menu for today? It's not like Juri-san to be dilatory when the finals is in three days." Kawamura replied, honestly perplexed.
Oishi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and after all she's been putting us through since Monday, I've been expecting her to take the training to another level or upgrade it or something."
"Come on, Oishi, isn't it great that we got to unknot ourselves today, nya?" Kikumaru said before switching to the next song in his mp3.
"Maybe we're gonna have free practice today." Momoshiro guessed. "I mean Coach Ryuzaki's part in the week training camp we're doing."
Kaido scoffed. "Don't be stupid, dimwit, this is no time to be a couch potato when we only have seventy-two hours until we face Rikkai."
"What'd you say, you muttonheaded viper?!" Momoshiro yelled, as he grabbed Kaido by the collar.
"Who're you calling a muttonhead, you brain-dead moron?!" Kaido howled, seizing Momoshiro by the collar as well.
"That's enough you two!" Oishi scolded. "This is Juri-san's house remember?"
"Possibility of a conspiracy going on is a definite one hundred percent." Inui pointed out.
"If it's a surprise from Juri-san, it's definitely going to be interesting." Fuji commented.
"Didn't she receive her 'special package' yesterday? Maybe that's the reason why she's not persecuting us today." Ryoma said a matter-of-factly while entering Level 24 of the game in his Game Boy Advance.
"Well if it's a surprise, I hope it's the 'fun' kind of surprise this time." Kikumaru said hopefully. Ever since they had been training with Juri, she had always said that she had surprises for them in every menu for the day, but apparently they weren't for amusement since they were either a new set of weights or additional drills.
"Mada mada dane." Ryoma said in the same sober tone and his focus on his Game Boy Advance.
Just then, Misuzu came into the hall and said, "Oh, hello, boys, I made some fruit tarts and cookies, would you like some right now?"
Momoshiro raised his hand into the air. "Sure thing!"
"Me, too! Me, too!" Kikumaru eagerly exclaimed, as he jumped off from his seat.
"I'd love some. Your fruit tarts are the best, Misuzu-san." Fuji said.
"They sure are, Tezuka even likes them a lot." Kawamura agreed.
Misuzu smiled. "I did pack him some on his way to Germany."
Ryoma's eyes and hands were still glued to his Game Boy Advance. "I'll pass."
"No one's passing." Momoshiro said, as he grabbed Ryoma at the back of his jersey and dragged the freshman with the others.
"Let go, Momo-senpai!" Ryoma protested.
"So, what are we having for lunch?" Momoshiro asked curiously, as they were all heading downstairs. One of the good things of having to train in Schönsommer Mansion was that after a strenuous day of training, their famished stomachs were filled with restaurant quality food from the chefs in the kitchen.
"Hey, Momo!" Oishi scolded.
"I had the maids pack them." Misuzu informed.
"Pack?" Kaido asked, puzzled.
"What do you mean 'pack'?" Oishi asked, confused as the others.
Misuzu looked over her shoulder to the boys and said, "I was told that you were all eating lunch out today."
"You mean we're going on a picnic?" Kikumaru asked, trying to follow the concept.
While the seniors tried to grasp what was going on, Ryoma, who had finally broke free from Momoshiro's dragging, stayed behind and resumed his game. But as he glanced outside from the window, he saw someone—a person he had never seen before—heading towards the training compound.
Who is that? he wondered.
"What's wrong, Echizen?" Inui, who had stopped in his tracks, asked.
"Nothing." Ryoma replied quickly before following the others or he would be tugged again.
After weeks of waiting, Juri had finally received her special package that came all the way from France and had it installed in the training compound. It was a special kind of trapeze since a device shaped like a human shoulders' clothes hanger was attached to the bar.
Her hands clasped firmly onto the device, Juri swung to the other side of the room, then she began to turn her body and spun at an incredible speed until she released her hands off the device and launched herself into the air, posing magnificently and beautifully like a phoenix.
The trapeze waiting for her at the other side was within her reach, but Juri's hand slipped and she landed safely on the net.
It's still not yet there... Juri thought while panting.
Suddenly, she heard someone clapping and a voice she hadn't heard in two years saying, "Beautiful as always, Juri-chan, you truly are like the phoenix."
Standing by the doorway was a tall, lean yet muscular man who appeared to be two years older than her with dark green hair and wore round, blue-tinted glasses that concealed his eyes, a white headband around his forehead and his dark jacket over his shoulders.
"Yamato-san!" she exclaimed, honestly surprised to see her cousin's mentor inside her training compound.
"Well, I'm glad you still remember me after you suddenly disappeared two years ago." Yamato Yudai, the former captain of Seigaku, said.
Jumping down from the safety and landing light as a bird on the floor, Juri immediately asked, "How did you get in here?"
Yamato took out the platinum keycard and replied, "Your mother lent to me the Tsar's keycard to this place. I wanted to knock, but seeing how focused you are in your training, I decided to come in quietly and wait when you're ready to talk."
"I take it you're here at Kunimitsu and Coach Ryuzaki's action point for the Kanto finals." Juri presumed while crossing her arms.
Rather than confirming her speculation, Yamato looked back to the sophisticated machines outside from the doorway then to the special trapeze inside the room, and said, "You work hard everyday to make your flames burn stronger, and now you've spent three days trying to fan the flames of Seigaku for Tezuka-kun."
Juri sighed and thought, He hasn't changed at all...
"But I heard you won't allow anyone to know what you're doing for Seigaku to claim victory in the Kanto Tournament," he added.
"Does it even matter?" she almost spat out her words vehemently.
He smiled. "You haven't changed at all, Juri-chan, your pride reaches the limits of the sky and burns brighter than the sun. That is something to be admired of you other than your beauty—"
She shook her head. "Beauty? I don't have beauty, it's my mother who has beauty."
"Exquisitely beautiful as the pride in your soul," he continued.
"What does that mean?" she questioned hardly. "Beautiful? I hate that! Beautiful... Do a person's outside have anything to do with them being kind or considerate, or caring towards others?" She shook her head. "No, it doesn't. Or being gentle or generous or... Or loving or giving, or just or wise."
"Friends are the one who see the beauty that others can't see within the other."
"What?"
"All her life, the phoenix flies alone, it's beauty is sought by so many that deceit is all she sees, but it seems that on her way towards rebirth, she has finally met those who don't thrive for her feathers."
"Are you talking about Seigaku?"
"Tezuka-kun always had eyes that see the beauty others can't see. I strongly believe that is why you hold such strong feelings for him."
Her cheeks started to flush that she quickly said, "Anyways, if you're here to help in regulars' training, then get on with it. We can't afford to waste time since the finals is this Sunday."
He nodded. "Indeed time is precious that's why we must spend every second passing without regret, we won't be able to bring back what has passed, isn't that right?"
"If you plan to use this compound, just tell me what command to set into the machines."
"I heard from Coach Ryuzaki that you were planning to take the boys into the mountains in Nepal?"
"The Himalayas. I wanted them to give them steel endurance against the fire and brimstone Rikkai will throw at them."
"Indeed such a training would make them strong, but, Juri-chan, they're not like you. You are the Tennis Phoenix, they are the regulars of Seigaku."
"Whatever, Yamato-san, this isn't the time to be comparing and contrasting when the finals is just around the corner. They made a promise to Kunimitsu that they will win the tournament and I expect them to keep their word."
"You want them to win, don't you, Juri-chan?"
"I need them to."
"If that's the case, why don't you come along with us?"
"To where?"
"Seconds please!" Momoshiro requested, raising his plate into the air.
"Don't you mean 'Fifteenth please', Momo-senpai?" Ryoma corrected while playing his Game Boy Advance. He and the others had only taken two or three slices of Misuzu's famous fruit tarts, but his upperclassman had eaten almost two out of the five pastries.
"Mind your own business, Echizen, I'm starving." Momoshiro told him.
"Well you do have four stomachs like a cow, Momo-senpai." Ryoma said flatly.
Kaido scoffed. "Who cares if he gets fatter than a pig and bursts into what he ate?"
"What'd you say, you pea-brained viper?" Momoshiro challenged.
"Mind your own business, muttonhead! Fshuuu!" Kaido hissed back.
"Hey, no fighting on the table you two!" Oishi scolded.
"Honestly, don't you two have table manners and know when to behave in front of woman's presence!" Misuzu reprimanded.
The two sophomores bowed their heads and simultaneously said, "I'm sorry!"
"No, no, you two shouldn't give Belle with blueberries, they're not good for dogs." Fuji told the twins who were trying to feed the family dog with one of the fruits in the tart.
"Can we give her cookies?" Aki asked.
Yuki nodded in agreement with his twin. "She needs to eat so her babies can eat, too."
Misuzu shook her head. "Oh, no, sweeties, it doesn't work that way. I mean as long as the puppies are eating nature will provide Belle with milk to feed them, then after six weeks, she'll stop and let them eat on their own."
"And besides, lunch is coming soon." Fuji added.
"Is Juri-neechan going to join us for lunch today?" Yuki asked his mother.
"She's been so busy with all of you that we haven't eaten lunch together for days." Aki told the regulars.
"Sorry about that, little guys, but I'm sure your sister can eat with you together this time since we haven't been doing any training." Kikumaru told the twins.
Suddenly, Coach Ryuzaki came into the dining hall and announced, "Listen up, everyone, we have a special coach to replace me for today."
"Special coach?" Kawamura asked curiously.
"Come on in." Coach Ryuzaki called from her back.
"It's been a while, everyone." Yamato said smoothly upon entering the dining hall.
"Who is that?" Momoshiro asked with a mouth full of fruit tart.
"Captain Yamato!" the senior regulars chorused, as they stood up and bowed politely to their former captain to the surprise of Ryoma, Momoshiro and Kaido "It's good to see you again, Captain Yamato."
"It's nineteen degrees outside today, it's the best temperature for training outside." Yamato told them.
"Yes," the seniors chorused once more.
"Mother, who is he?" Yuki asked curiously.
"I saw him in one of our albums." Aki said.
Misuzu patted her sons' heads, as she explained, "He's the former captain of Seigaku whom Kunimitsu-kun holds such high respect, his charisma and guidance has made the school's rank at a National level. He joined Juri's thirteenth birthday but you two were still too little to remember anything."
"So where are we going training today, Captain Yamato?" Oishi asked curiously.
"We're going to Mount Takao." Juri announced, as she came into the dining hall. "The finals is in three days, so we need some endurance training if you're all to hold out against Rikkai this Sunday. I'm giving everyone five minutes to prepare, I'll have the cars take us there."
The twins pouted:
"Does this mean you won't be eating lunch with us again, Juri-neechan?"
"That's the fourth time already!"
Juri approached her little brothers and said, "How about this? This Saturday we'll all go for a picnic when father comes back from Osaka, and we'll have Grandfather Kunikazu and Uncle Kuniharu and Aunt Ayana join us, doesn't that sound more fun?"
"Can we, mother?" the twins asked Misuzu eagerly.
Misuzu nodded. "Of course we will."
"We'll get going and prepare now!" Momoshiro said, as he and Kaido were about to head out of the dining hall.
"Hold on a moment." Yamato said suddenly, looking at Momoshiro's plate that had a half-eaten slice of fruit tart. "Did you know that for most tennis players need a minimum of approximately two thousand five hundred calories a day is recommended, although some players may require in excess of three thousand calories? Pro players are predicted to need between three thousand five hundred to five thousand calories per day. There are three hundred fourteen calories in a slice of each fruit tart you ate, if you have eaten seven to eight, you'll have enough energy to dispatch today's training. And since it takes an hour and two minutes, an hour and ten minutes if we're caught by traffic, to get to the city Hachioji, everyone will be ten times invigorated for the endurance training today."
"What's he talking about, mother?" Yuki asked, perplexed as his twin.
Misuzu giggled. "He hasn't changed at all."
"I don't get it, but Yamato-senpai is amazing!" Momoshiro commented.
Kaido nodded. "Yeah."
Ryoma, who was still in the middle of his game and the only one still sitting down, muttered, "How so?"
"Juri-chan, let everyone take at least seven slices for the training." Yamato requested.
"Fine," she replied shortly. "But I expect everyone to give it everything they have today. Even though Mount Takao can't juxtapose to the Himalayas, this will have to do in order to win this Sunday."
"Why don't you eat some fruit tarts, Juri-chan? You're coming with us, aren't you?" Yamato asked.
Juri shook her head. "I'm under a special diet until my special training is over."
"I see... Well, why don't you play with the puppies with Kuniyuki and Kuniaki?" he suggested.
"Please, Juri-neechan! Please!" the twins begged.
"Well, I..." Juri began, looking to her mother.
"Just a few minutes, Juri, your brothers keep whining that you haven't given them much attention this week." Misuzu told her daughter.
Juri sighed. "Fine..." She took the twins hands and led them out of the dining hall. "But let me change first, alright?"
"Okay!" the twins chorused.
"Alright, everyone, we have to eat exactly seven or eight slices of fruit tarts." Oishi told his teammates.
"I'll have another!" Momoshiro requested.
"You already had fifteen, moron, don't chug it all to yourself!" Kaido told him.
"I just need four more slices." Fuji said.
"There's more in the kitchen." Misuzu told them. She turned to the former captain of Seigaku and asked, "Yamato-kun, why don't you have some for yourself?"
"Thank you." Yamato replied with a polite nod. "It's been a while since I last tasted the fruit tarts Tezuka-kun loved so much."
Ryoma, who was still uninterested, didn't bother to get another bite and just continued with his game.
Mount Takao — Hachioji City, Tokyo
Morning
"Hey, Oishi, maybe we should go see Yukuoin while we head up." Kikumaru suggested while doing his warm-ups at the base of the mountain like the others the moment they arrived.
Oishi shrugged. "If Captain Yamato allows us to."
"I'd like to see Tama Forest Science Garden." Fuji said, referring to the arboretum located at the mountain's base.
"We're not here to visit a Buddhist temple or go on a field trip to a botanical garden." Juri told them sternly. "We're here for endurance training by climbing up to the top until we see Mount Fuji, and we have to be there either before or on time for lunch."
One of the security staff stepped forward and gestured to the two picnic baskets and a cooler other bodyguards were holding, and asked, "Excuse me, Lady Juri, but would you like us to accompany you to the top to assist you?"
"We can manage." Juri told them. "Head back to the mansion, I'll give a call when to come and pick us up."
They all bowed to her. "Yes, milady."
"She really is a high lady." Momoshiro commented in a whisper.
"One can see that pretty clear unlike dimwits like you." Kaido derided.
"What'd you say, you nutty viper?!" Momoshiro howled.
"Who're you calling nutty, you jughead moron?!" Kaido bellowed back.
"Hey, quit it you two." Oishi scolded.
"I think this would be a good training to strengthen the arm's power." Yamato spoke, looking at the picnic basket and cooler.
"What is?" Juri inquired.
"Kawamura-kun, Oishi-kun, you two carry the picnic baskets." Yamato told them. "Momoshiro-kun and Kaido-kun will carry the cooler."
"Yes, sir!" the four replied simultaneously with enthusiasm.
"Just be careful, the glasses and silverware inside those are the ones my Aunt Irina sent from France." Juri warned.
"Should we get going now?" Ryoma asked her the moment the cars began to leave, breaking his silence.
"We should." Juri said shortly, as she walked past the others and began jogging up to the mountain.
"Mada mada dane." Ryoma mumbled before following Juri up.
"Those two seem to be the most impassioned today." Yamato noted.
"We're in to it, too!" the second years exclaimed intensely.
Fuji giggled. "I think everyone is."
"Well, let's follow them." Yamato declared. "Not only physically but with the same heartfelt enthusiasm."
"Yes!" they all exclaimed before trotting to the mountain.
Everyone was already halfway up the mountain later on along with the funicular that carried some tourists and annual visitors who were there to either see the Takaosan Yakuoin Yukiji or hiking during the beautiful, warm summer with their family and friends.
"Okay, everyone, break time!" Yamato announced.
"We can't take a break, we only have an hour and half left until lunch time." Juri protested.
"Yes, but at some point we have all heard, 'Drink lots of water!'. Yes, water is good for us, but too much actually flushes nutrients from our system. What we need is eight to ten cups daily either of water or equivalent hydrating beverages." Yamato told everyone.
"A water break you mean, Captain Yamato." Fuji clarified.
"You could've just said it plainly." Ryoma muttered.
Juri shook her head. "Fine. But right after break, we'll get going until we reach the top."
Everyone then grabbed a cold bottle of water from the cooler and sat down on the ground to rest from the long and strenuous jogging.
"Do you want to go look for some vegetations before we take off to the top?" Yamato suddenly suggested.
"Vegetation?" Oishi asked, puzzled.
"Since it's a mountain it's impossible to dig for seaweed." Yamato said.
"Y-You're right..." the vice captain stammered.
"But gathering vegetation at this time?" Inui asked incredulously.
The former captain of Seigaku nodded. "The altitude is pretty high here, but we can still get some."
"What does this have to do with training for the finals?" Ryoma questioned under his breath.
"Juri-chan, you wouldn't mind for only a couple of minutes for vegetation, don't you?" Yamato asked.
Looking at her wristwatch, Juri replied flatly, "Fine. But only for fifteen minutes and not another minute more. When fifteen minutes is up, it's up."
"Alright!" Kikumaru cheered.
"Captain Yamato, after we finish this endurance training, will you watch us practice when we get back to the mansion?" Oishi asked.
"We'll just see about that." Yamato replied. "If it's about techniques, you all are much better than me."
"But you're here as coach, right?' Oishi asked again.
Yamato then gestured to the pathway at his right. "We can't waste any time now, I noticed some mugworts growing over here."
Oishi was still puzzled. "Mugworts?"
Kawamura placed a hand on the vice captain's shoulder. "Well, I'm sure the vegetation gathering is to train our arms or something."
The vice captain nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Just having senpai watching us practice is good enough." Kikumaru said before following their former captain.
"I'm going to make sure he remembers my name." Momoshiro swore.
"I'm going first!" Kaido said before running off.
"Hey, that's dirty!" Momoshiro ran after his fellow sophomore.
"Geez, I wonder why he came here." Ryoma said flatly.
"Let's just go." Juri told the freshman.
Schönsommer Mansion — Misuzu's Sitting Room
Morning
"I wonder if they're alright?" Misuzu asked, looking out from window to the direction where the cars had taken off to Hachioji City.
"Don't worry, as long as Yamato's with them they'll be fine." Coach Ryuzaki assured while taking a sip of her cream tea.
"He hasn't changed at all." Misuzu noted. "I still can't understand him, but then again, my husband always said that despite his skills is only of Prefectural Level, his guidance is exemplary that Seigaku wouldn't be where they are right now."
Coach Ryuzaki nodded. "He's in the high school tennis club right now, so I haven't been able to see him that much."
"How do you think is today's training going to end with him as coach for the day?"
"Since this is him we're talking about, I'm sure he's going to leave us, including your daughter, with something."
A knock on the door came as a maid entered and announced, "Madam Misuzu, Coach Ryuzaki, lunch is served."
Mount Takao — Morning
"How about this? Isn't it a magnificent fern field?" Yamato asked everyone. "You don't need a license to dig for vegetation around here, so we can take it."
"Captain Yamato, is this a fern?" Kikumaru asked, pointing to one of the plants.
"It is." Yamato replied. "Fern, like a bracken, are grass that have grown for a very long time. If we dry them up, they'll taste good."
"Wow, you know a lot, Yamato-senpai." Momoshiro complimented.
"No, there are many things I still don't know, so I'm still learning." Yamato clarified.
"I see, that's deep." Kaido commented.
Ryoma sighed with frustration before he turned to Juri and asked, "How many minutes more?"
"Twelve more." Juri replied.
"Okay, let's get started." Kikumaru said, as he was about to pull off a fern.
"Hold it." Yamato stopped him. "To pull out the plants, you need to fix your elbow on your knee. Use your forearm to slowly pull out the plants towards you."
"Did you hear that, Taka-san?" Oishi asked gleefully.
Kawamura nodded with delight. "Sure did."
"This vegetation gathering is training after all." Oishi pointed out.
"Yeah." Kawamura agreed.
"You two seem really happy." Fuji noted.
"Okay, let's work on our forearms." Momoshiro declared.
Kaido scoffed. "I'm going first."
The two sophomores lunged for the ferns closest to them:
"It's mine!"
"Shut up! I'm taking them!"
"Wait up you two." Yamato said that the two tripped to the ground.
"What is it now?" Kaido asked.
"Since ferns are amazingly tough, we can only eat the young ferns that have just budded." Yamato explained. "It's too bad we're late."
"I don't know why we're stopping in the middle of training to come here." Ryoma admitted, unable to bottle up anymore of his deliberation.
"Hey, Echizen..." Oishi gently scolded.
"If we're going to do forearm training, then we should do it in the compound when we get back home." Juri said. "I remember my father having a menu to increase one's grip and forearm strength."
"Don't worry, Echizen Ryoma-kun, Juri-chan, we can't do anything about the ferns but we can still get some bamboo shoots." Yamato assured them.
"That's not the problem here..." Ryoma asserted.
"We can boil or pluck the bamboo shoots." Yamato added. "It's going to be fun. Let's start picking, everyone."
Oishi nodded. "Okay!"
"Okay, let's go!" Kawamura exclaimed.
"I like bamboo shoots." Fuji said.
"I might be able to put some in the vegetable juice." Inui suggested while looking over his green notebook.
"I want to it, nya." Kikumaru said while picking his first bamboo shoot.
"I found that!" Momoshiro argued.
"I had my eyes on it first!" Kaido claimed.
Seeing the seniors intensely engaged to the vegetation, Ryoma and Juri, who were clearly uninterested, headed to the narrow, flat area with steep slopes both below and above from where they were.
While Ryoma was sitting down and leaning against a tree, Juri was standing in an arabesque position.
"So, how's the special training going?" he inquired.
"It's almost complete," she replied while raising her right leg higher to a arabesque penche position.
"Hmm... So you took ballet?"
"Just part-time for a year and a half along with gymnastics, trapeze work and ice skating. Tennis has always been my main priority."
Suddenly, Yamato came with his left hand holding some bamboo shoots he had picked.
"Don't you two like bamboo shoots?" he asked.
The freshman didn't respond.
"It's nothing like that, Yamato-san." Juri replied before doing a perfect and graceful grand jete.
"Oh, I can't believe there are some here, too..." Yamato said, moving closer to the edge where some bamboo shoots were. "I'll just help myself..."
But as he took a step forward, the edge suddenly caved in and Yamato slipped down.
"I-It can't be..." Ryoma stammered, as he got up and crawled over to where the former captain had stood, only to fall down.
"What the—!" Juri ran to the border but keeled over as well.
Oishi craned his neck to where he heard the sound of rocks tumbling down but there weren't any people.
From where they fell, Ryoma picked up his cap and began dusting off the dirt on his jersey.
"You're unexpectedly friendly." Yamato told the freshman while brushing the soil on his shirt. "We're pretty unlucky though. Don't sweat it, luck always follows."
Ryoma muddled. "Huh?"
"My hair!" Juri almost shouted. Her fishtail plait was caked with dirt like her clothes and was in a messy plight.
"You haven't changed at all, Juri-chan, you still hold such high opinion for your hair just like how the phoenix is with its feathers humans highly sought." Yamato told her.
Juri took a deep breath and tried not to let her temper burst. Then she said with gritting teeth and a calm, calm voice, "We only have ten minutes left, let's get back up so I can wash my hair, and we can get this training finished and have lunch."
"Alright then, let's raise our voices and call for help." Yamato suggested.
"Ah... No." Ryoma said.
"Why not?" Yamato asked curiously.
"It's embarrassing..." Ryoma put into words. "... I mean to tell them that we fell off the ledge."
"And to see my hair in such a mess." Juri added.
The former captain smiled at the freshman. "I admire your pride. Quiet pride is connected to the soul. It's good to see that Juri-chan isn't the only one right now who has it. I see... You have battled your way to this point all by yourself. Let's return quietly then. The roads will be much tougher than if we called for help. This is the road you two chose."
"I don't get him." Ryoma muttered.
"You and me both, Echizen-kun." Juri mumbled while tucking a lock of hair behind her right ear. Then she thought, He really hasn't changed at all...
While taking their own route back up later on, Yamato was lashing a tree branch to the bushes almost as if he was whipping something.
"What are you doing?" Ryoma asked curiously.
"There are several poisonous snakes in the jungle. I can scare those unseen snakes away with this." Yamato explained.
"This maybe a mountain, but it has been urbanized for the safety of those who come here." Juri pointed out.
"It's all about atmosphere." Yamato insisted. "We're survivors, so let's act like some."
"I don't feel like it." Ryoma said, annoyed. "It's hot and I'm thirsty."
"And my hair is a mess!" Juri was equally or more piqued than Ryoma.
"Now then, there's still a long way to go." Yamato told the two. "Let's move on while enjoying the beautiful nature and enduring the hardship."
"You two go on, I'll take another way." Juri said, as she turned her heel and began taking the opposite direction.
"Where are you going?" Ryoma asked.
"Let's part here." Juri told them. "I've been here in Mount Takao with Uncle Kuniharu and Kunimitsu, so I might find that river we encountered years ago. Besides, at this rate there will be reliance involved... From the three of us."
"As survivors we must rely on one another." Yamato told her. "We have come a very long way now, turning back would be rather unwise. Didn't the phoenix always followed one direction whenever it was time for its rebirth?"
Back at the fern field, the vegetation was already over and Oishi had taken off his jersey and offered it as a basket for all the bamboo shoots they had gathered.
"We've gathered quite a bit." Kikumaru said.
"I wonder where those three went?" Oishi asked while looking around.
Inui looked at his wristwatch. "We've spent twelve minutes and thirty-nine seconds out of fifteen."
Yamato suddenly stopped from walking.
"What is it?" Ryoma inquired.
"Is something wrong?" Juri asked.
"Shh!" He placed a finger over his lip. "This way..."
After emerging from the shades of the trees in the forest, sunlight was gleaming from the river they were standing before.
"Look, Echizen-kun, Juri-chan! It's a river! A clean river!" Yamato exclaimed.
"I can see it." Ryoma said flatly.
"This is the one Kunimitsu and I founded with Uncle Kuniharu." Juri said, recalling how she and Tezuka splashed each other with the water while Kuniharu refilled his canteen years ago during one of her visits to Japan.
"It looks like an ordinary river, but it's actually a gift from the heavens for all of us who have just endured hellish heat and perspired a lot. A life-connecting spring." Yamato interpreted. "As I said a while ago, it's usually recommended that we sportsmen and women must keep ourselves hydrated so that our bodies won't crumble." He jumped down to the river. "We can still make it. Join me now."
Ryoma jumped down into the river.
"Please make sure to take plenty of it. We're almost at the finals." Yamato added.
"Alright..." Ryoma then gathered some water into his palms and drank it.
Yamato turned to the Tennis Phoenix. "Juri-chan, won't you join us? You can finally restore the beauty of your hair."
"Wait a moment..." Juri said. She rolled her jogging pants up to her knees and took off her socks and shoes before jumping into the river where she untied her hair and combed it with wet fingers.
"Senpai, you should drink it, too." Ryoma suggested, as he took off his cap and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You talked about a hundred times more than the two of us."
"And since you were the first one to fall off, you better clean yourself up, too." Juri added while flipping her now clean but wet hair.
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Nice flavor." Yamato said later on, as he sat down at one of the rocks at the riverbanks while flexing the tree branch he was using to scare the snakes in the forest.
"What is it now?" Ryoma asked curiously.
"When you're in the jungle, it's normal to follow the downstream of the river." Yamato explained. He took some vine he had gathered a while ago and bit it's tip, as he asked, "Do you know why?"
"There will be a village around." Ryoma replied.
"We're in one of Japan's favorite hiking spots not in the Himalayas." Juri pointed out while combing her hair with her fingers. She and her father had once stopped by in a village called Kemundakhal during one of her endurance trainings in the Himalayas and received the blessings of the Indian goddess Jagdamba as a sign of respect to the villagers living there despite being Christians.
"You two are right, but let's forget about going to the village today and do some fishing instead." Yamato said, as he began peeling the vine until it was thin like a string.
"Fishing?" Ryoma asked, surprised and bewildered.
Yamato nodded while tying the vine to his tree branch and said, "Yes, our blood sugar level has decreased. Since we can't do anything about the sugar, let's use the protein in the fishes to replenish ourselves." He turned to Juri. "And, Juri-chan, face the south so the northern wind will blow your hair dry."
"Okay..." Juri was baffled but did so.
Ryoma sat down. "Why didn't you just say you were hungry?"
Juri sighed. "And the chefs packed us dishes from Aunt Irina's latest cookbook."
Seeing the vine thin enough, Yamato finally tied it to the end of the branch and took did the same to two more which he gave to Juri and Ryoma, and eventually they dipped the tips of the vines that were shaped like hooks to the river.
"Even the fish will run away after seeing such a thick string like this." Ryoma said while looking at his makeshift fishing rod.
"That's a sound argument, but we also need to rest." Yamato brought up. "Fishing is a good strategy for food gathering and resting. We can do this without thinking about anything."
Ryoma nodded. "Yeah..."
"The best thing to do is not think," the former captain said. "We should imagine things, not think about them. Over-contemplation isn't fun at all and it even breeds impatience, and impatience lowers your potential. That's the biggest fear. Even the fish you can catch will be out of reach."
"Much better..." Juri said after she had braided her hair into a neat fishtail plait.
"Echizen-kun, Juri-chan..." Yamato began.
"What is it?" the two asked.
Yamato pointed to their fishing rods. "Aren't you listening?"
The branches were squirming and making squeaking sounds.
"It can't be!" Juri said with disbelief.
"There isn't even any bait." Ryoma was just as incredulous.
The former captain shook his head. "Now imagine you two are lobbing a ball."
Gripping onto the branches, the two then pulled their make-do fishing rods along with the fishes biting to the vines.
"This brings back memories when Grandfather Kunikazu took me and Kunimitsu out for fishing." Juri said wistfully while looking at her fish that was still flapping its tail. "Only back then... My first catch was smaller..."
"Let's start making lunch then." Yamato stated.
The fishes were skewered onto some sticks like barbecues a little while after they were fishing, and Yamato began setting up some stones in a circle and placed the skewered fishes at the sides when Ryoma with two sharp rocks and Juri carrying a bundle of thick branches she had found back in the forest.
"Are these rocks good enough?" Ryoma asked.
"This is all I could find." Juri said.
"It's perfect and enough." Yamato told them. "Now, all we have to do is place the wood inside the circle and use the flints to create heat from friction."
After putting the branches inside the circle, Ryoma and Juri sat down and watched Yamato take the two rocks and began rubbing them against each other.
"If we can make it burn, then..." he said.
"Is it possible?" Ryoma asked.
"Well as they say in theory." Yamato replied.
"Shouldn't it be rubbing two sticks or something?" Juri questioned, recalling some of her science lessons about friction.
"Let's just see..." Yamato said simply.
Ryoma and Juri watched Yamato rubbing the two stones for quite a long time, hoping to see some kind of spark that would trigger fire. It took quite some time that Ryoma constantly changed his sitting positions and Juri did Vaganova's four arabesque positions.
Finally, Yamato stopped. "It seems not. I guess not everything in this world follows theories. But that's the fun." He reached into his pocket and took out a matchbox.
"Why didn't you take them out in the first place?" Ryoma asked with a yawn.
"We wasted like fifteen more minutes!" Juri said while looking at her wristwatch.
"You save your best for the last." Yamato elucidated.
"Let's leave it at that." Oishi told his teammates. It felt like they had harvested all the bamboo shoots in the entire area that Kawamura had offered his jersey as a second basket. "There's no point to gather anymore."
"It's about time those three show up." Fuji said.
"Maybe they're lost." Kikumaru guessed. Suddenly he noticed something. "What's that?"
Everyone turned and saw a pillar of smoke from afar.
Schönsommer Mansion — Misuzu's Sitting Room
Noon
While the twins were playing with the puppies and Belle on the floor, Misuzu and Coach Ryuzaki were looking over an album that contained pictures of Juri's thirteenth birthday party.
"Too bad I missed this day..." Coach Ryuzaki said while looking at the picture of Juri who was standing next to her spectacular three layer birthday cake that had sparklers rather than candles and the Chocolates J-Pop idol group, Kikumaru's favorite band, singing to her. With an important faculty meeting on that day, she wasn't able to join the regulars at the birthday party held at Shirahama Ohama Beach. "No wonder why Kikumaru kept bragging about getting their autographs and taking pictures with them for a whole week."
Misuzu giggled. "If my husband had invited The Beetles, it would've been the birthday party of the century." Then she asked, "Do you think they've had lunch by now?"
Coach Ryuzaki shrugged. "Who knows..."
Misuzu flipped to another page where there was a picture of Juri with her cousin, the current senior regulars and Yamato.
"Juri had wanted to spend her birthday only with Kunimitsu-kun and the family, but then I thought 'The more the merrier' would make it better," she said.
"Tezuka insisted on inviting the others." Coach Ryuzaki presumed.
Misuzu nodded. She turned to the solo picture of Juri in the cocktail dress she had brought for her daughter on that birthday celebration.
"I've always been worried that Juri never had a friend to plays dolls when she was little or a friend to go shopping with. It was always tennis this tennis that, the compound, or trapeze spinning and ballet or skating and climbing the Himalayas once every year. Whatever she says is necessary to be the best in tennis was what was always in her mind and nothing more," she said wistfully. "But... I guess meeting Seigaku made her think of something else."
"She's finally made friends, hasn't she?" Coach Ryuzaki said, making the long story short.
"According to her, every person she meets only likes her either for her beauty or the fact that she's the daughter of Australia's richest man, and I just can't help but think that my daughter must be the person with the biggest trust issues in the world or probably the entire universe."
"I guess that's why she likes Tezuka more than a cousin."
"She always said that Kunimitsu-kun loves her both for who she is and as she is. I didn't it like at all, but then again when I suggested to my father that we should cut off communications, Artur told me that it would just have the opposite outcome and those two would rebel."
Misuzu turned to the album once more. "Now that I think about it, Yamato was one of the first out of the family to notice that. What else do you know about him, Ryuzaki-sensei?"
"Well I'm sure there are tons of people in the world who love tennis, but I don't know anyone who was that enthusiastic about tennis. He always said that 'No matter if you win or lose, tennis is tennis'. No matter what kind of matches they were, he enjoyed all of them. That's why he never placed too much effort in it, but nor did he threw away his dream for the Nationals. To him, going to the Nationals meant that he could continue playing tennis. That was it."
"Going to the Nationals wasn't his dream after all, but seeing what was beyond the sport."
Coach Ryuzaki nodded.
"To my husband, playing tennis was more than just continuing the Romanovros family's tennis legacy but it was to set himself free from the toils and snares of the world he had grown up with. And through that, and that alone, he was made free. He's the freest man I've ever known my whole life."
"What about Juri? What is playing tennis for her?"
Mount Takao — Afternoon
"Are you afraid of Rikkaidai?" Yamato asked Ryoma while tending to the fire.
This had broken off Ryoma's thoughts and Juri's as well even though the question wasn't addressed to her.
"Rikkai University Junior High Department is strong." Yamato went on. "You're right, Juri-chan, that Seigaku can't win... In theory that is. But there is something they can't beat all of you in. Your love of tennis. Am I wrong?"
"You're right..." Ryoma said incredulously.
Juri looked away.
"The will to become stronger, to win..." Yamato looked up to the pillar of smoke. "Everyone aims for unseen heights much like this smoke. But don't you think if you get caught up on how high the smoke goes, you'll suffocate? That's when you should just forget everything and enjoy tennis. I think the love of tennis will be stronger than anything else."
Let's move on while enjoying the beautiful nature and enduring the hardship. Ryoma and Juri recalled Yamato's words back when they were trying to find their way out of the forest.
Yamato turned to the beautiful player. "By the way, Juri-chan, Takesue-kun has finally woken up from his coma and is on rehab."
"Why should I care?" Juri practically spat out. "He deserved what he got for grabbing my hair which is no way to treat a lady and what he did to my cousin."
"Takesue? Who's he?" Ryoma asked curiously.
"He's the one who slammed a tennis racket on Kunimitsu's arm two years ago just because he didn't use his dominant arm, in other words he was just jealous." Juri explained with vindictiveness.
"You put in him in a coma? What did you do to him?" Ryoma inquired suspiciously.
"Echizen-kun, there are some things in this world that aren't meant to be explained." Juri said a matter-of-factly.
"Juri-chan—" Yamato began.
She interjected, "After I found out what he did to Kunimitsu, my decision to not pay for his hospital bills and refusal to add it to my confession to the priest was without a doubt absolutely right. No one hurts my family and gets live the same. No one."
Yamato smiled. "Your love and devotion for your family is as great as your love for tennis. I just hope it's as great as the one you have for your friends."
"My friends..." she mutter while thinking of the Seigaku regulars rather than Tezuka alone much to her surprise.
"You miss Tezuka-kun so much, don't you?" Yamato asked her.
Juri looked away as her face began to turn red.
Ryoma was nonchalant. "You know, you and the captain don't need to deny this and that when everyone in the team already knows everything."
"Of all the people close to Tezuka-kun, you're the one person who gives him unrestrained love and devotion." Yamato told her.
"Are we going to continue talking about this when this isn't what we should be talking about?" she asked, wanting to end the conversation.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Yamato turned to the freshman regular once more and asked, "Echizen-kun, are you afraid of Rikkaidai?"
Ryoma smirked. "Well—"
"Captain Yamato!" a voice suddenly dropped in, interrupting Ryoma.
The three turned and saw the senior regulars running towards them.
"Are you alright?" Oishi asked worriedly.
"It's just like you to use smoke to notify us of your position." Inui said.
"You came at the right time. The fishes are almost ready." Yamato told them.
"We brought the food and drinks, too." Kawamura informed.
Juri stood up. "I guess we'll have to eat lunch here. It's perfect anyways to enjoy Aunt Irina's Tossed Romaine and Orange Salad."
"Do you think it will go good with the fishes?" Yamato asked.
She smiled. "Of course."
The sky was a vivid orange and the horizon was a bright yellow and red the moment everyone had finally returned to Schönsommer Mansion. The boys immediately headed to the Eastern Wing to freshen up for dinner while Juri returned to her apartments for the spa her mother had ordered the staff to prepare for her.
Dinner was in two hours, but Misuzu was in her Maserati along with Coach Ryuzaki as they were taking the former captain of Seigaku home.
"You've been zoning out for a while." Coach Ryuzaki told Yamato. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing." Yamato replied. "It just seems that the small Pillar of Support of Seigaku is very promising. No matter how thin it is, it will grown straight and strong. I can see now why Tezuka-kun has his eyes on him."
"My husband said the same thing." Misuzu spoke. "That boy might just be strong as his father or even more."
"I take it that Juri-chan will be staying in Japan for quite some time." Yamato presumed.
Misuzu shrugged. "We'll just see. I'm just actually glad to see that she's so happy."
"It will be alright, Misuzu-san, she will be able to grasp her phoenix." Yamato assured her.
A smile of relief crossed Misuzu's lips as she nodded.
Schönsommer Mansion — Juri's Apartments
Evening
"Hello?" Juri answered her cellphone.
"Juri, it's me." Artur's voice came from the other line.
"Oh, father, how's Osaka?" she asked, closing her journal.
"It's my first time here, but it doesn't feel like I left Tokyo at all," he replied. "I thought I'd get to see more temples and traditional houses."
"Well it is world-class commercial area. How's it going with the Japanese investors there?"
"The deal really flipped them, they couldn't wait to put their names on the paper and come to Tokyo this Sunday."
"You're one son of a gun as always, father."
"Speaking of compliments, I heard the former captain of Seigaku took all of you for some mountain climbing."
"Yeah, things didn't go as planned but we did see Mount Fuji in the end."
"Your mother told me you were in another strangely good mood after you came home from your endurance training."
Juri shook her head. "You know something, father..."
"What is it, Juri?"
"Seigaku will win the finals this Sunday."
Artur couldn't help but be amused and very surprised at his daughter's words. "Oh? And just a week ago you kept saying it's impossible for them to win against Rikkai. What's gotten into you, Juri?"
"I don't know myself... I guess this is what it means to have faith in your friends."
"Hey, Fuji..." Oishi began later evening in the Eastern Wing's lounging hall. While the others had gone to bed, he, Fuji and Ryoma were still awake.
"What?" Fuji asked.
"I wonder why Captain Yamato came." Oishi admitted. "I thought the vegetation gathering was part of the training, but..."
"Hmm... Maybe he wanted to eat some vegetation." Fuji gave his guess. "I mean Misuzu-san did pack him some bamboo shoot salad before he left."
Oishi sweat dropped. "I guess that was it..." He turned to the freshman regular. "Echizen, you and Juri-san were with Captain Yamato for a very long time, you must have talked about a lot of things, right?"
"Yeah..." Ryoma said.
"Don't keep it to yourself, share some." Oishi urged.
Ryoma blinked. "I don't remember."
Oishi sweat dropped again. "Oh, you..."
"Only that Yamato-senpai is a man of great stature." Ryoma said before getting up from the sofa and returning to his bedroom.