"Training sessions with the seniors and juniors every lunchtime?" Ryoma said, trying to hide his surprise.
"That's right, Ryoma-kun. The upperclassmen tried to petition against our participationin the ranking matches so Ryouko-san solved it that way." Mizuno said.
"I feel bad for Ryouko-san. They said she even bowed her head in front of the senpais to ask to withdraw their petition." Kachirou added with a troubled expression.
"Ryouko-san's trying too hard." Horio commented. "I like it that she's taking our side and all, but something doesn't feel right..." He added.
"That's why we should do our best!" A voice behind them said.
It was Shimada Ritsu.
"Who are you?" Ryoma asked.
"Echizen-kun... I always talk to you during practice. I'm Shimada, remember?" Ritsu replied in exasperation.
"Well, going back to the topic, Ryouko-san is trying hard to protect our shot at the rankings. She's also doing her best in training us. We should not disappoint her. We have to get good results, so Ryouko-san's hard work will not be in vain and no one will dare say that she wasted her time on us." Ritsu said with determination, his eyes looking far away to the distance.
Ryoma and the others looked at where he was looking, wondering what he's staring at. They looked at each other and shrugged.
"By the way, where's Ryouko-san?" He added as he wiped away the dreamy look on his face.
"Right now, she's with Miyano-senpai, a junior. It's his schedule for one-on-one instruction. They're in the court." Kachirou answered.
"I see." Ritsu said thoughtfully. "I better go there then." He added.
"Why are you looking for her anyway?" Horio asked.
"Oh. That." Ritsu said. They were surprised to see him blushing.
"Actually... I made a lunchbox for Ryouko-san. She might be having trouble with lunch since she has training sessions with the senpais." He said, his face getting redder. They all saw that he was clutching a blue bentou box.
"She brings her own lunch." Ryoma told him.
"Really?" Ritsu said, disappointment written all over his face. "Well... I'll still try to give it to her anyway. She might want it." He added.
Ritsu turned around to leave. "I'll go now. See you around."
Miyako and Mami who were listening from a corner, giggled.
"Did you hear that? He made lunch for her. Not many boys do that nowadays..." Miyako said, delighted.
"Yup, yup. Shimada-kun is also cute. His personality isn't bad either. Trust me, I was on the same class as him in elementary. It looks like his crush on Ryouko-chan is severe." Mami commented.
"Hmmph." Ryoma said irritably and placed his chin on his palm. He gazed out the window. The courts were visible from their classroom. He saw Ritsu running towards the courts where Ryouko and Miyano-senpai were talking.
The two girls went to the windows, blocking Ryoma's view. "See, see. There he is." Mami said and pointed at Ritsu.
"Let's see if Ryouko-chan will accept his bentou." Miyako said and giggled.
Ryoma craned his neck to see above Mami and Miyako's heads. Miyano-senpai and Ryouko were conversing, with Ryouko doing most of the talking and Miyano-senpai nodding in response. Ryouko swayed her arm, flicking her wrist sharply as she did so. It looked like Ryouko was correcting his swing style.
Miyano-senpai looked a bit confused. Then all of a sudden, Ryouko went behind Miyano-senpai and took hold of his right wrist. She directed the swinging motion, swaying his arm from side to side.
Mami and Miyako squealed. "Ooh, look at Ryouko-chan... How can she be alright being that close to a guy?" Mami commented.
"She's the only girl in her family so I think she's used to boys... but doesn't she seem really casual and cool? I bet Ryouko-chan is mature enough to date an older guy." Miyako said.
"She can even be a playgirl... She's good-looking enough to be one. Pretty, intelligent, good at sports... Kakkoii... (So cool...)" Mami replied.
"Ryouko-san will never be a playgirl! She's our ice princess." A boy argued.
"What's with you?" Mami asked.
"I'm Ryouko-san's fan club president. You got a problem with that?" He replied, narrowing his eyes at Mami.
"Ryouko-san won't be a playgirl. She seems really pure and it doesn't look like she's inerested in boys." Kachirou said. They all looked at him.
"Why? Is there something wrong with what I said?" He asked, blushing.
"Hey, you wanna join Ryouko-san's fan club?" The boy said as he approached Kachirou.
Ryoma sighed. Ryouko that girl... She's causing a ruckus everywhere she goes.
~~~
After lunchtime practice, at the Seishun Academy rooftop
Ryouko took three wieners and ate them at the same time. Ryoma looked at her.
"Cool and casual?" He thought as he watched her cram a spoonful of rice in her mouth.
"Mature enough to date an older guy?" He thought again as Ryouko took an omelette and tried to fit it in her already full mouth.
"A playgirl and an ice princess?" He said in his mind as she washed everything down with water from her water bottle, draining the contents completely.
"Zenbu batsu. (Everything X (wrong).)" He thought finally.
"What are you looking at?" Ryouko asked him.
"Nothing. Wipe your mouth." Ryoma said in a hopeless tone of voice and handed her a handkerchief.
She took it and wiped her mouth before continuing her meal.
"Why aren't you eating?" Ryouko asked.
"I am." Ryoma said and picked up his chopsticks.
"You can finish this one." Ryouko told him and handed him one of her bentou boxes.
"Okay, that is weird. You never offer a whole bentou box to me. You always eat half before sharing." Ryoma commented.
"I got an extra one given to me." Ryouko said and lifted the bentou box that she was eating from for Ryoma to see. He recognized the design. It was Shimada Ritsu's bentou box.
"Omae... (You...)" Ryoma said in a reprimanding tone of voice.
"What?" Ryouko asked.
Ryoma sighed.
"What is it? Why are you sighing like you're looking at a hopeless person?" Ryouko said irritably.
"Glad you noticed." Ryoma replied.
"What did you say?" Ryouko said dangerously.
"It will be nice if you distance yourself away from the members of the tennis club." Ryoma replied.
"Why? I like 'em. Boys are so much better to understand and argue with than girls. And if they fail to understand, you can just beat them up." Ryouko answered.
"You are so violent. Stop talking like that..." Ryoma commented. "Well, don't blame me if rumors of you starts to circulate around the school." He said, then he remembered Ibu of Fudoumine and Hiroshi of Josei Shonan. "And outside the school." He added.
"Rumors of me about what?" Ryouko asked.
Ryoma sighed again.
"You try sighing again in front of me, I'll tear your mouth off." Ryouko threatened.
"Just limit the skinship okay? You're far too close to the person you're training. It's alright if they're girls but they're not. People might misunderstand or something." Ryoma said.
"Hmmm... You actually care about stuff like that?" Ryouko said thoughtfully as she chewed. Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind and she smiled mischievously.
"Why? You jealous?" She teased.
"Huh!" Ryoma scoffed. "Get over yourself, girl." He said in english.
Ryouko laughed and inched closer to Ryoma. "Tell me honestly... You're jealous aren't you? After all, I'm your only best friend."
She put down the bentou box and opened her arms wide. "Come're. I'll hug you 'til you're satisfied." She said.
"I wouldn't even if I die. Try to come near me and I'll kill you." Ryoma said.
Ryouko laughed. "Touchy bastard." She mumbled. "The bell's going to ring if you don't hurry up." She told him, pointing at the bentou box.
Ryoma glared at Ryouko as he ate. Never again will he try to explain things to this girl. She's so oblivious.
~~~
"What did you say, Oyaji?" Atobe Keigo asked his father. Atobe senior was currently in America and father and son were conversing via a live video feed over the internet.
"Like I said... When Fujioka Ryouko-kun turned nine years old, we sent an engagement proposal to the Fujioka clan asking for her hand in marriage. A gift was sent, an engagement ring. But she has lots of those. Since the day she was born, many powerful families wanting to join in the Fujioka clan had been sending engagement proposals." His father told him.
"Hmmm... Is that so..." Atobe mumbled, swirling his glass of lemonade and looking at the pieces of pulp float.
Atobe senior reprimanded his son with a dead-serious expression. "Keigo, being a member of that family will not just widen our share of properties, but also will give us access to many connections all over the world. You're aware of how powerful the Fujioka clan is." He said.
"So you want me to what?" Atobe asked.
"Visit her frequently and earn her favor." His father replied.
Atobe laughed. "You must be kidding..." He said.
"Keigo!" His father scolded. "You better take this seriously. It's an important matter for our family. Listen well. Word has gotten out that Fujioka Ryouko-kun returned to Japan and is currently attending Seishun Academy as a first year junior high school student. I'm sure that other families will try to take advantage of this fact and try to approach her. Before they arrive, you should go see her first." He told his son.
"Oyaji, sorry to disappoint you but I already met the girl." Atobe replied, crossing his legs as he laid back relaxed on the sofa.
"You've already met her? When?" His father asked, coming closer to the screen.
"I visited Seigaku last week. I saw her there." Atobe answered and took a sip from his glass of lemonade.
"So what's your first impression?" Atobe senior asked.
"She's pretty, but she has a peculiar personality." Atobe answered.
"I'm not talking about your first impression of her, I'm talking about her first impression of you." His father said. "You didn't do anything stupid, did you?"
"We had a tennis match. But it was interrupted. And her last words towards me was... What was that again?" Atobe touched his lower lip as he tried to remember.
"I think it was 'The next time you underestimate me will be the time I will mop the floor with you' or 'The next time you limit your strength while facing me will be the moment that you will regret'. One of the two." He said.
His father kneaded his forehead with his fingers as if he had a sudden headache.
"Go fix that bad first impression you made. We have affiliations with the Fujioka clan. You are forbidden to displease a Fujioka clan member." His father told him.
Atobe continued to drink his lemonade.
His father continued. "And also, she may be the girl that will someday become your wife."
Atobe almost choked on an ice cube. "Wi—wife?" He coughed. "You said we just sent an engagement proposal some years ago. And they haven't sent out their response. We're not engaged." He complained.
"Oh, but you may be. The Fujioka elders are just weighing out the options until Ryouko-kun will come of age for an engagement. We have a high chance of you being picked. The Atobe and Fujioka family had always been on good terms. Good enough for them to hold 30% of the shares of our company." His father answered.
Atobe's jaw dropped. An engagement? Furthermore, his damned old man was hoping for a marriage in the future.
He pictured Ryouko in his mind again. A beautiful girl with a guy's personality and fighting spirit. Not to mention strength. No. Definitely not his type.
What the heck is he supposed to do?