"What do you mean?" Ryouko asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"You sure are the most clueless, dim-witted girl I have ever seen." Hibiki commented.
Ryouko was perplexed. "If you came here to pick a fight with me, I am so not in the mood to—"
"I came here to voice my intentions." He interrupted.
Ryouko blinked questioningly. Hibiki looked at her. His eyes looked soft. Nothing like she ever seen on him before.
"Why are you looking at me like that? It's creeping me out." She said awkwardly.
Hibiki smiled and reached over to touch her cheek.
"I'm turning over a new leaf. I'll take my studies seriously. I won't be prancing around in my motorcycle like a hoodlum anymore. I'll take over a part of the company like Setsuna. And I'll prove that I'm capable." He told her.
"Why? I like it that you're independent and free-willed." She told him.
"It's what I have to do to get what I want." He replied. He averted his eyes. "Do you remember? When you discovered my hiding place where I keep my motorcycle and you negotiated for a ride in exchange for your silence."
"I do remember. You're so distant back then. It was as if you don't think of us as your cousins." She replied, looking far and smiling simply.
"You were the only one who reached out to me. Grandfather didn't like me. My father's an idiot. My mother's always away. I didn't like my siblings. I hate my cousins. I thought I didn't have a family even though there's a stampede of a herd of you guys." He said, reminiscing.
"You looked as if you made an enemy of the world. I thought you were cool." She commented with a shrug.
"Well, I didn't feel 'cool'. I was lonely. Even though I would probably choose being beheaded over admitting that back then." He said.
Ryouko listened attentively. Hibiki stared at her and couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" She asked, surprised.
"You were like that back then too. An eager listener. You listened to me mope and complain and whine." He said.
"It's not exactly that. I didn't have anything to say but you looked like you had lots so I just kept quiet." She pointed out.
"But still, you saved me." Hibiki said. "And so, I would really like it if you come to me."
"Huh?" She asked, cocking her head to one side, blinking her eyes.
Hibiki suddenly felt annoyed. "Do you act and look like that in front of every guy you know?"
Ryouko raised an eyebrow.
"Don't go around looking too pretty." He told her.
"Wow. That's the funniest joke I've heard for the past week." Ryouko said, chuckling.
"I'm serious here." Hibiki replied, annoyed.
"Who said that you're not?" She pointed out.
"Stop it." Hibiki said threateningly.
"I'm not doing anything..." She said with a shrug.
Hibiki reached the end of his fuse. He stepped close to Ryouko. "I said, stop it." He said.
"What's wrong with you? I'm just joking." She said, looking up at him.
"But I'm not." He answered.
"What's wrong, Hibiki?" She asked and stepped back. Hibiki stepped forward.
Ryouko began to feel awkward.
Hibiki approached her even closer. She looked up at him.
"How nice will it be if I could just scoop you up and take you far away." He said.
Ryouko's eyes faltered. Hibiki bent low and placed one hand on her cheek. He leaned close. Dangerously close. Ryouko was unable to move, baffled by what's happening. She may be a bit clueless but she wasn't stupid enough to not know what was happening. She could only clench her fist.
There was a thud and a whishing sound. Before she knew it, a tennis ball hit Hibiki on the chin with the force of an uppercut and he fell back.
Ryouko was dumb-founded for a second. "Hibiki?" She said. Then she looked down and saw him on the ground. "Hibiki?" She called and crouched down next to him. "Good heavens, he lost consciousness." She murmured under her breath. She shook him. "Hibiki! Hibiki! Get a grip, Hibiki!"
Hiyoshi suddenly came from the corner of the club building and went to the rescue.
"What happened? Is he alright?" He asked.
"I'm not sure... I'll call my butler. Stay here." She said and went to the clubroom to get her phone.
~~~
Ryouko sighed. Licht came and took Hibiki away. "This sure is a tiring day..." She murmured.
She was still in school. After Hiyoshi bid her goodbye, she talked to the freshmen for a bit. It was night already and she should be going home.
Momoshiro offered to walk her but she refused. She needed some time alone to rest her aching head.
Ryouko just got out of the school gates when she saw someone. It was obvious who it was.
"Oi! Ryoma!" She called.
He didn't stop. "Hey! Wait up!" She yelled and caught up to him.
"Hold your horses." She told him.
"Where'd you come from?" He asked.
"I was calling you." She replied.
"I didn't hear." He said matter-of-factly. Actually, he pretended not to hear.
Silence enveloped them for a while until Ryouko spoke up.
'Why did you do it?" She asked.
"Do what?" He asked back.
"Don't play dumb. I'll recognize the angle of that twist serve anywhere." She said, looking at him with a simper.
Ryoma remained silent.
"See? You're not denying it... So... Why did you hit Hibiki with a tennis ball?" She asked.
"Because he ate my fruit tart." He answered simply.
Ryouko chuckled. "That's such a childish revenge..." She commented. "Well anyway... I owe you my gratitude."
"For hitting your cousin with a tennis ball?" He said. "You sure are one mean girl."
"I didn't like it that Hibiki got hurt but I'm relieved that your childish revenge interrupted him from—" Her voice trailed off.
"From what? Was something going on and I shouldn't have intervened?" He said. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone but Ryouko didn't notice.
"Well, there's just something. You don't have to know." She replied. "Anyway, if that wasn't interrupted, I wouldn't know how to look at Hibiki in the face again."
"It's about time you try to place a distance between you and others." Ryoma commented. "Even from me."
"What the heck does that mean?" She asked.
"Try to know it yourself. You insensitive freak." He said and quickened his pace.
Ryouko looked thoughtful but then she noticed that he was far ahead. "Hey! Wait up!"