Atobe senior quietly entered the room where the Hyotei tennis members were all waiting. Their conversations drifted into the air and he listened to them with a smile on his lips.
"And that's how Ryouko-kun may be the future fiancé of our captain." Oshitari finished narrating, holding his glasses with his thumb and forefinger.
"You're kidding." Shishido said disbelievingly.
"We're not." Gakuto replied.
"I hope we are..." Jirou said sadly. "I was kinda hoping that the pretty girl is available. I rarely like girls and I really want to get to know this one. But if she belongs to Atobe..." His voice trailed off and he sighed heavily.
"I think that you got that part wrong, senpai. Just because they may be engaged doesn't mean that she belongs to Atobe." Hiyoshi told them.
"Oh... What's this, what's this? Can it be that you're jealous, Hiyoshi?" Gakuto taunted.
Hiyoshi blushed and looked flustered. "What the heck are you talking about, senpai? Just what did you think of to get to that kind of conclusion?"
"If it ain't true then you don't have to deny it that much." Gakuto replied.
"Hmmph." Hiyoshi said and turned his head irritably. "With the way Oshitari-senpai told it, Fujioka isn't even considering having a fiancé. And with Atobe's personality, it will be hard for him to be liked by her. With her kind of attitude, I doubt that she'll give in to an arranged marriage. If that's so, then other rich families will also fight for a chance to get into such a successful clan."
"Hiyoshi-kun no yuu douri. (Exactly what Hiyoshi said.)" Atobe senior walked into the room and stopped in front of them.
The members stood up abruptly. The old man merely gestured for them to be seated before sitting on the chair at the end of the table. The Hyotei regulars sat stiffly in their chairs and a heavy atmosphere descended on the room.
"Now, now. Don't be so tense, all of you." Atobe senior said.
"Hai." They all answered. A curtain of silence fell upon them. "You must be all wondering what I came here to talk about..." He said. They nodded in response.
"Well... Hiyoshi-kun already summarized it for me. It is also convenient that some of you listened behind the door and found out about the situation."
Jirou, Oshitari and Gakuto fidgeted on their seats, trying not to look too guilty.
"I really want to have Ryouko-kun as my future daughter-in-law but my stupid son isn't helping a bit. You also witnessed that they're not exactly fond of each other..." The old man told them.
"So true." Chotaro commented. Shishido nudged him with his elbow. He immediately shut his mouth tight.
Atobe senior laughed. "That's alright. I can see it as well." He said good-naturedly. "To remedy that, I needed something they can be both interested in."
"Tennis." Oshitari said with a nod. "That is why Atobe suddenly arranged an interschool tennis camp."
"Clever boy.You got one part right, but the person who thought of the interschool tennis camp is me and not my ignorant son... The reason why I'm sponsoring this tennis camp is for Keigo and Ryouko-kun to get to know each other better. Be closer perhaps."
The Hyotei regulars nodded their heads.
"But of course, I won't be there with them and I can't possibly guarantee that Keigo will move according to my wishes." He looked at the boys. "That's why I need my eyes and ears while they are in the camp."
"So... Chairman... You're saying that we..." Shishido said and his voice trailed off.
"Exactly." Atobe senior smiled behind steepled fingers. "I want you boys to be my eyes and ears. And not just that. I also want you to support my son. Give him a heave, a push. If he rebels too much, I don't care if you push him to the ground or stomp all over him. Just get him to stand next to Ryouko-kun as near as possible."
This was greeted by a long silence.
"You won't be doing it for free, of course. You can ask for whatever you may want. As long as I can provide it, your wish will be granted."
"We just have to help Atobe get near the Seigaku princess?" Jirou asked.
"Then we can have anything we wish for?" Gakuto finished.
Atobe senior nodded.
"You have my 'yes', chairman." Oshitari said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "It seems really interesting."
"Excellent. How about the others?"
Shishido and Chotaro looked at each other.
"Well... If it's a request from an elderly..." Chotaro said.
Shishido nodded. "We're in, chairman."
"I won't miss the fun as well." Gakuto grinned.
"It looks like the camp will be a blast." Jirou snickered.
"Usu." Kabaji said with a nod.
"How about you, Hiyoshi-kun?" The chairman asked. The other members also looked at him expectantly.
His eyes wide and flustered, he tried to wriggle out of their stares. Finally, he dropped his defense and sighed.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Atobe senior told him. He clapped his hands twice. "I'm leaving everything to you, boys. I hope that you will be a real help."
"Leave it to us." Oshitari said with confidence.
"We won't disappoint, chairman." Gakuto assured him.
~~~
Ryouko looked straight ahead, deciding just how many pairs of sportswear she would need in the camp. Atobe looked at her sideways. With her facial expression, he couldn't really guess what was going on in her head. He cleared his throat loudly.
She didn't even budge. She just continued on sitting there with her thoughts floating about and thinking about the state of the house. It seemed like Ichidou tried to cook a meal by himself and nearly set the kitchen on fire.
"A-hem." Atobe's fake cough brought her back to reality and she looked at him with a questioning expression.
"What?" She asked.
"I said 'What do you plan on buying?'" Atobe replied in a tone as if he was speaking to a child. "I'm not exactly keen on wasting my time showing you around. Let's go where you specifically wanted to go and be done with it."
"I don't like your tone of voice." She commented. "I'm supposed to be your guest. Didn't your father warn you to treat me well or he'll cut your credit cards?" She checked her fingernails patiently.
"How'd you know that?" Atobe asked.
"I heard you say it between gritted teeth. I happen to have a pretty good hearing." She answered.
Atobe rolled his eyes. "Then you should know very well that I'm only forced to go with you."
"Yes, of course. And you're free to just drop me off in that corner if you want to." She taunted him, pointing at an alley.
"I can't do that. Not with the chauffeur watching... He'll tell on me." Atobe said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Spoiled brat." Ryouko muttered.
"Midget." Atobe retorted.
"Conceited bastard." She said back.
"Foul-mouthed elf." He taunted.
"A-hem." The chauffeur cleared his throat, looking over at them through the rearview mirror. He grinned.
"Hmmph." Atobe and Ryouko said as if disgusted, before turning away from each other.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence and after a few more excruciatingly long minutes, they reached the mall.
The chauffeur opened the door for Atobe and Ryouko opened the one on her side by herself.
"Let's go and get this over with. I want to go home." Atobe said as he strolled past the glass doors. Ryouko rolled her eyes and followed him.
As they passed, she noticed the employees stopping to greet Atobe. He, on the other hand, didn't even bow his head to return the greeting.
"Rude bastard." Ryouko thought. "Sports attire. Which floor?" She said as if she was talking to the air.
"Third." Atobe answered, looking bummed out and bored.
Ryouko was walking towards the escalator when Atobe complained. "Just take the elevator. Why bother walking?"
She looked at him and sighed. "Pitiful." She muttered. Nevertheless, she went with him to the elevator.
With the two not even wasting a second on each other, they reached the shop very quick. Ryouko looked around pairs of jerseys and some jackets. It only took her about a minute to decide on what design she wanted. There was no hesitation in her movements.
"Here." She pointed at one outfit. "The blue one there." She pointed at another. "That red one in the farthest left and the white jacket out in display. Please wrap all those." She told the saleslady.
"Would you like to try them on, customer?" She asked.
"No need. I know my size. They'll fit." Ryouko answered simply.
"Wakarimashita. (I understand.)" The saleslady said and went to the counter to wrap the items.
"You call that 'shopping'?" Atobe asked with one eyebrow raised.
"What else would you call it?" Ryouko replied. Atobe shook his head hopelessly.
After she paid for the clothes, she turned to Atobe and the chauffeur saying, "I'm all done. Just drop me off near my house."
"Impossible..." Atobe commented, looking at the minutes that passed. "Are you really a girl? Even a guy needs more time to shop than you do."
"Don't think that everyone is like you." Ryouko told him.
"I don't like that line coming from you. You're the weird one." He retorted.
Ryouko ignored him and rolled her eyes.
"What was that? Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Atobe said suspiciously.
All of a sudden, Ryouko's eyes stopped on a nearby stall. She began staring at the glass counter intently.
"Stop ignoring me, you conceited girl. And answer when somebody talks to you. At least have some manne—" His voice trailed off when he noticed that she was looking at something.
He followed the direction where her eyes were and saw a small, red jewelry box in his line of vision. It was on display, slightly opened and placed on top of the counter of a gift shop. He narrowed his eyes and made out a ring inside the jewelry box. It was a pretty little trinket, silver with a diamond-shaped blue stone in the middle surrounded by round purple stones.
Atobe shifted his eyes towards Ryouko. She was still gazing at the ring.
"Oi." He called. Ryouko snapped to her senses.
"What?" She asked.
"You still gonna buy something?" He asked back.
She looked thoughtful for a moment as if trying to come up with a decision. "No." She finally replied. "I'm going to the ladies room first. Then we can go."
"Okay." Atobe said. "Hurry up."
The chauffeur seemed to be coming with her so she stopped him by making a gesture with her right palm. "I'm fine alone. Thank you."
He bowed politely and stepped back. Ryouko walked away from them.
While she was gone, Atobe's eyes kept on coming back to the gift shop. "If she likes it, then she should just buy it." He thought, looking at the ring glittering in its box.
He bit his lower lip and took two steps towards the stall. He stopped short on his way and shook his head.
"Just what do you plan on doing, Atobe Keigo?" He scolded himself and went back.
He tried to keep himself from looking at the ring again so he closed his eyes tight. But when he sneaked a peek by opening his right eye a little, he saw a girl holding the jewelry box, examining the ring closely.
His eyes flew open and he hurriedly walked towards the stall. Without a word, he snatched the box from the girl's hand.
"Hey!" The girl exclaimed.
"I had my eye on this first. You should go and find something else." Atobe said.
The girl scoffed and walked away. He looked at the box in his hand. "Ah?" He said as he realized what he just did. The sparkle of the ring seemed to be mocking him.
One of the salesladies noticed him. She went in front of him and said, "You have a fine taste, Sir. Is it for your girlfriend?"
Atobe looked offended. "No it isn't." He flatly replied.
The saleslady smiled and made no further comments. He cleared his throat saying, "How much is it?"
After he paid for it, the lady was about to wrap it up in a pretty box with blue ribbons. He stopped her.
"Don't bother. I'll take it as it is." He said.
"Are you sure, Sir?"
"Definitely." He answered, taking it.
Meanwhile, Ryouko returned to the spot where he was standing before. She was looking around, searching for him.
He strolled back towards her, taking care not to make his actions too hurried or his steps too big.
"Where'd you go?" She asked.
"None of your business." He answered.
"Let us go, obocchama, ojou-sama." The chauffeur told them.
They nodded and walked towards the elevator. In a few minutes, it stopped on their floor and they went inside.
There was silence as they were going down. Atobe looked sideways at Ryouko.
"Oi." He called.
"What?" Ryouko said, irritated. "Don't call me 'Oi'. I have a name, for goodness' sake."
Atobe threw the ringbox at her. She impulsively caught it.
"What's this?" She asked, twirling the box in her hands.
The elevator stopped and they went out. As they were walking, Atobe answered her question. "Sore ga hoshii darou? (You want that, right?) I saw you looking at it."
Ryouko raised an eyebrow and opened the box. She saw the ring inside. She shifted her eyes to Atobe. "I wanted this?"
It was Atobe's turn to raise his eyebrow. "You were looking at it. Right at the gift shop."
"Gift shop..." She muttered to herself, stopping in her tracks. Then she remembered what he was talking about. There was a twinkle of understanding in her eyes and it turned to a sparkle of laughter.
Ryouko guffawed out loud, with no hesitations and in a very unladylike way. Atobe was surprised to see her laughing like that. Her eyes watered and she wiped the tears off the corners of her eyes.
"You actually thought that I wanted something like this?" She said in between giggles.
Atobe didn't know how to react.
Ryouko shook the laughter off and strolled back to the mall. "Follow me." She said.
Atobe looked at the chauffeur with question marks written all over his face. The driver shook his head as if saying that he also didn't know what she's up to. Nevertheless, they went after her.
They found themselves back to the third floor in front of the gift shop. Ryouko walked towards the counter and placed her hand near the pair of wristbands made of stretchable fabric inside a black leather case. They were blue, each with red zigzags.
Atobe noticed the empty spot where the ringbox was sitting a while ago. His eyes shifted to the wristbands right next to the empty spot. The realization hit him like lightning and he cursed silently.
"Kore kudasai. (This please.)" Ryouko told the saleslady.
"Hai, okyaku-sama. (Yes, customer.)" The same lady who sold Atobe the ring went towards her. "Oh, it's you again Sir." She greeted. She looked at him before noticing at Ryouko; then her eyes fell on the ringbox in her hand. She smiled at Atobe knowingly and giggled.
Atobe turned around to hide his face. He wrinkled his forehead in embarrassment.