The maids and butlers strained their ears to a most unusual sound that is coming from the main sitting room of the second floor of the Atobe mansion. CEO Atobe's laughter is ringing clear, bouncing off of the white walls and sending echoes through the open mahogany doors.
The reason for such laughter stemmed from the pictures that he had been staring at for the last ten minutes. "Those boys sure outdid themselves..." He said with a chuckle. It seemed like the Hyotei boys are taking his little order quite seriously. CEO Atobe was quite amused at the results of their efforts.
They took photos of his son and Ryouko wearing the wedding attires in every angle possible. They even had shots of them as they were playing on the court. Keigo, the boy who always wore a smirk because of his inability to smile genuinely looked like he is enjoying himself. Well, since tennis is involved, CEO Atobe was not surprised about that.
However, the unfortunate incident that happened at the middle of the game did not please the chairman at all. Watching it on live video feed made the chairman stand up from his seat in shock. He had phoned Amane immediately after it happened and canceled the game but the latter had informed him that Ryouko had gained a visible wound on her back. He was planning on sending a doctor to look at it first thing in the morning.
After all, he wouldn't have his possible future daughter-in-law suffer the experience of having an ugly scar on her skin. He continued flipping photo after photo, the smile returning on his aged face.
Little did he know that something worse will happen to the girl that he is so fond of.
~~~
Horio, Kachiro and Mizuno met each other on the way to the tennis courts by coincidence as they did as Senri told them to. They couldn't help but gossip as they walked.
Senri rarely asks them for anything. No, he doesn't ask them about anything at all. They don't even talk that often. The only person Senri approaches during practice is Ryouko. Well, the reason why they were playing along with Senri's request is because he said that the meeting is about Ryouko. The boys couldn't resist being curious.
The more curious thing is that Senri also told them not to tell Ryouko about their early rendezvous. What is it that is so important that they have to gather to the meeting place early without involving the person that the information is about?
"Senri should better have a good reason for this..." Horio said as he shivered in his jersey. He tugged at his jacket and wrapped it tighter around him.
"I'm sure he does. I mean, it sounds really urgent... That text message." Kachiro replied.
"I just don't understand why we have to do this behind Ryouko-san's back. If it's about her, then why shouldn't she hear about it?" Mizuno commented.
"Idiot." Horio told him. Mizuno's neck swerved to his side. "The 'information' must be something that is not favorable to Ryouko. That's the only reason why people exclude a person from a discussion. You guys are so naïve." He explained.
"Are you saying that Senri will tell us something bad about Ryouko?" Kachiro said with wide eyes. "That's impossible. Senri adores her. I can't even imagine him doing that." He added.
"Okay, genius. What do you think he's gonna tell us about her then?" Horio said sarcastically.
"I don't know... Maybe he wants to throw a party or something, once the training is over. Or maybe he wants us to buy her a small gift to show our gratitude for all her efforts." Mizuno answered.
Horio rolled his eyes. "You innocent goody-two-shoes... Whatever. I don't know about you guys, but I have a bad feeling about this. I can feel it in my gut." He told them.
"Stop jinxing it. You're so negative, Horio-kun." Kachiro replied, but deep inside, a gnawing thought began to settle at the edges of his mind. Horio has a point. There's no need to be so secretive if it is about something positive. The way that Senri worded the message was also kind of weird.
"Yea. I'm sure it's just something minor." Mizuno said, more to convince himself than oppose Horio's statement. Horio can be very persuasive at times and his paranoia is getting contagious.
~~~
Ryouko was typing things in her laptop when her fingers suddenly stopped. She frowned at the bluish-white glare of the screen. The results of the agility training did not come out as good as she thought. She had also finished taking a look at the videos from the favor she asked from Amane Hotaru. Having the matches captured on tape was what she asked of him during the third event. Ryouko wasn't entirely pleased with what she saw. Some of them did fine, but others didn't even get to play.
Asking the freshmen for a night training session might make it seem like she is working them too hard, but she couldn't stand looking at the numbers on her worksheet. It would have to be remedied as soon as possible. Their muscles have just started developing and she should take advantage of the situation.
On the other side of the room, An was in bed, lying down on her stomach, her elbows propped up on two pillows. She was reading a magazine and suddenly raised her head at her roommate when she noticed the sudden silence. "What's wrong?" She asked.
Ryouko was so absorbed in her thoughts that she had to be called twice for An to catch her attention. "What?" Ryouko asked back, sounding a little distracted.
"Nothing. I'm just surprised that you stopped working. Is something wrong?" An querried for the second time.
"No, everything's fine." Ryouko said as she closed the laptop. She got up and went to her own bed. An was surprised when she started pulling a change of clothes from the bottom drawer of her bedside table.
Ryouko pulled a jacket over her shirt and put on a pair of long pants. She fixed her long hair into a ponytail and placed a cap on her head.
"Are you going out?" An asked.
"Yeah. I'm going for a walk before preparing for the night training I scheduled with the boys. I need some space to think." Ryouko answered, tying the laces of her sports shoes.
An sighed internally. "Seriously Ryouko... You should give yourself a break. You even suffered from an injury today." She told her with a tone that is a little reprimanding.
"It was just a scratch." Ryouko answered. "And I'm making Shinji and Kajimoto-san take over for me at breakfast tomorrow so I can get some sleep. I can also ask Danchou for some help." She added. "I really can't afford to skip out tonight and tomorrow morning's training. We need all the free time we can get since the schedule is pretty tight."
"Well, I can understand what you're saying but the question is, are the boys alright with all of these training sessions? They're in this camp to have some fun. Aren't you being a bit unfair to them? They must also want a break." An told her.
"Don't worry. They trust me and I trust them. I'm positive that they understand why we have to work hard. After all, 'You reap what you sow'. We can't harvest any result without real hard work." Ryouko replied, pulling out the duffel bag where she keeps the agility training equipment from under her bed.
"Well... Just don't overdo it too much. Like what I always say, health is a vital part for an athlete too. You have to keep everything balanced." An told her.
"I'm keeping that in mind. I make sure that they still get enough rest." Ryouko pointed out, getting a little pissed off. It was as if An is criticizing her training techniques and Ryouko doesn't like it.
An started to answer. "I'm not talking about the boys. I'm talking about yo—" She was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.
Ryouko and An looked at each other questioningly. "Who is it?" An asked.
"It's me. Sakuno." A small voice answered from the other side, sounding muffled. "Is Ryouko-san there?" She asked.
"Wait a second." Ryouko said, went to the door and opened it. Sakuno stood there, her long brown hair let down, flowing straight down her back instead of being pulled into its usual braids. "What's up? What do you need me for?" Ryouko asked.
"I just—" Sakuno said and hesitated to continue. She wrung her hands in front of her uneasily like a child trying to ask her Mom for permission to stay out of the house after curfew hour.
Ryouko blinked and cocked her head to one side. "Just what?"
"I, uh... I..." Sakuno stammered, unable to get the words out of her mouth. She couldn't even look at Ryouko in the eyes.
"If it's not very important, can we leave it for tomorrow? I have to go somewhere right now." Ryouko told her.
"No!" Sakuno protested with a loud voice. Ryouko was surprised at the volume. "I—I have to say this tonight. Tomorrow is not good. It has to be tonight." She said in a paranoid manner.
"Say it then." Ryouko answered simply, a little curious about her strange behavior.
"Not here." Sakuno suddenly said softly.
"Huh?" Ryouko asked, unable to hear her clearly.
"I can't say it here." Sakuno said, her voice finally becoming steady. She lifted her eyes and looked at Ryouko's face, gathering her courage. "Can we go someplace else and talk there?" She asked.
Ryouko blinked in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Why would Ryuzaki Sakuno seek her out, asking for a private conversation? As far as Ryouko is concerned, they have nothing to talk about. However, curiosity got the best of Ryouko and she closed the door behind her. "Sure. I'm going for a walk anyway. If you don't mind, you can join me."
Sakuno heaved a sigh of relief inside her mind. She did it. She really did it. She asked Ryouko for a private talk. "Only a few more steps away... Keep it up, Sakuno." She told herself. Aloud, she mumbled a thank you to Ryouko.
"You better put on a jacket. The night breeze is cool since we're surrounded by mountains." Ryouko told her.
"Okay. Please wait for me downstairs." She answered and hurried back to the room she shared with Tomoka.
On the other side of the door, An was listening in on their conversation and couldn't help feeling curious. Why would Sakuno ask Ryouko out? What is she going to tell her that they have to go to the trouble of going outside?
An quickly scurried back into bed as she heard Ryouko twist the doorknob open. She barely made it in time to pick up her magazine before the latter entered.
"What does she want?" An asked nonchalantly, pretending to read.
"Nothing important." Ryouko shrugged. "I'm going out. Don't wait up." She said as she took the duffle bag from her bed. She hoisted the handle over her shoulder and looked at An.
An gave a laugh. "You're not my husband. I won't 'wait up'." She told her, pausing to catch her breath.
"What?" An suddenly asked. Ryouko wasn't moving and she had been staring at An for a full three seconds.
"That magazine is upside down." Ryouko pointed out.
An looked at the paraphernalia on her hands and noticed that she is indeed holding it upside down. She laughed uncomfortably. "I'm trying to figure out if I can still read efficiently when words are flipped. It's just a weird hobby of mine." She told a quick excuse.
Ryouko gave a smile and continued on her way. "That might make you dizzy. Just go to sleep." She told her.
An's shoulders sagged in relief as Ryouko exited their room. "I can't believe she bought that. Thank goodness." She thought. She listened at the sounds of Ryouko crossing the hall and going down the stairs in a steady pace.
Her mind went back to reality. Right. Sakuno and Ryouko will have a little private talk outside.
"Man, this is making me so curious..." An thought, biting her lower lip. All of a sudden, she heard the thumping of Sakuno's footsteps as she went downstairs.
"Omataseshimashita. (Thank you for waiting.)" She heard Sakuno's muffled voice, probably greeting Ryouko from the foot of the stairs.
An mulled over the situation in her head. What should she do? Should she follow them and listen in on their conversation?
"Sheesh. This eavesdropping thing is slowly becoming a bad habit of mine." She told herself, knitting her eyebrows together.
After a long ten seconds of agonizing over what she should do, curiosity won over her and she snatched a sweater from the closet. She reasoned that she might not be able to sleep properly if she doesn't satisfy her curiosity.
She quickly slipped on her shoes, thinking that she might lose them if she doesn't hurry. Her feet thundered towards the stairs, unfortunately catching the attention of Mami and Miyako.
"An-san?" Mami called from the door of their bedroom. An immediately halted and gasped in shock. "Oops." She thought. Trying her best not to look suspicious, she turned around to face them. "Yes?" She asked.
"You should take it easy on the noise there, sister... Some of us needs sleep." Mami told her.
"Oh. Sorry. I'm so parched that I didn't notice how much noise I'm making." An answered, whipping up a quick lie.
"By the way, is Ryouko-chan still awake?" Miyako suddenly asked.
An gulped. "Uh. No. She's sleeping." She replied.
"Oh. Too bad. We noticed that Amane-san dropped by earlier. I thought that maybe she can open the envelope with the fourth event's details tonight." Miyako said with a shrug.
At that instant, Mami started to walk towards An and Ryouko's room. "Oh, I'm sure that Ryouko-chan won't mind even if we shake her awake. Let's go and ask her about it."
It took two seconds for the words to register into An's mind. As soon as it did, she flew into a frantic race against Mami to reach the door. "No!" She said as Mami placed a hand on the doorknob. Too late.
"Eh? Ryouko-chan is not here." Mami said, looking around the room after swinging the door open.
Miyako peeked in. "You're right. She's not here."
The two girls immediately looked at An. Mami raised an eyebrow at her. "Why did you lie to us, An-san?"
An shifted her feet uncomfortably and crossed her fingers behind her. "Uh, I didn't lie. She's right there a moment ago. Maybe she went to the bathroom."
Mami, being the sharp sneak that she is, detected something uncanny and narrowed her brown eyes at An. She looked at her from head to toe. "Why are you wearing sneakers?" She asked.
Miyako's eyes shifted to An's feet. She is indeed wearing sneakers. Miyako also noticed one little detail. "Why are you bundled up in a sweater? The rooms are warm enough as long as the windows are closed."
An began to sweat profusely. She's slowly getting caught. She began to explain herself, trying hard to sound natural. "I uh... want to take a walk right after I have a drink of water. It's chilly outside so..."
"Heh? Really?" Mami said, narrowing her eyes at An as she stepped closer. The latter backed away. "You know, An-san... I'm a professional liar so I sort of detect lies more sensitively than other people." She smiled brightly as she continued advancing slowly.
An looked intimidated and felt more uncomfortable with each step that Mami took. "Oh no." She thought. "This is not good."
~~~
Tomoka scurried across the side of the pathway like a squirrel, careful not to lose sight of the two girls walking ahead of her several feet away. She also had to be quiet to avoid getting detected.
She knew that what she is doing is not exactly noble. She loved to eavesdrop on people but certainly not on her best friend. Sakuno is different. That girl never kept a secret. Besides, Sakuno is a really easy person to read and their friendship which traced from their days in elementary made her an open book to Tomoka.
But when Sakuno suddenly said that she's going out for a while and looked panic-stricken as she rejected Tomoka's offer to go with her, she knew that something is up.
"Why is Sakuno with Ryouko? Where are they going at this time of the night?" All kinds of questions plagued her.
All of a sudden, Ryouko and Sakuno took a turn towards the back of the white building of the campsite. Tomoka stealthily followed them. She made her way to the bushes, sidestepping carefully.
"So? What do you want to talk about?" She suddenly heard Ryouko say. She peeked in between the leaves and saw Sakuno and Ryouko standing across from each other, a few meter from the building's base.
"Well, I just want to apologize." Sakuno replied.
Ryouko raised an eyebrow. "Apologize?" She asked. "For what?"
"For moving rashly earlier. If it weren't for my carelessness, you wouldn't get injured." Sakuno told her.
"Don't worry about that. It's not your fault." Ryouko said.
"And I'm also sorry for what happened yesterday. It was stupid and well, I didn't exactly clear things up. I fell on my own yet Tomo-chan and Ryoma-kun said some harsh things to you because of it. I'm really sorry." Sakuno added.
"I fell on my own?" Tomoka's eyebrows shot up in surprise. What is Sakuno talking about? Didn't Ryouko push her?
"It's okay. There's no harm done." Ryouko responded. Tomoka noticed that she looked away as she said that which made her draw a conclusion that there was indeed some harm done.
Sakuno began to continue talking. "Thank you for what happened earlier. If it weren't for you, Ryoma-kun and I could've gotten hurt. I'm really grateful about that."
Ryouko nodded. "Don't mind it too much. It was my own decision anyway. I did it willingly, so you don't really have to thank me for it."
Silence suddenly enveloped the two girls and the uncomfortable vibe even reached Tomoka's hiding grounds. Tomoka had no idea that at the other side of the bushes, three individuals arrived, creeping quietly between the shrubbery.
An had told Mami and Miyako about Sakuno and Ryouko. As a result, the three of them tracked the two girls and obeyed An's original plan— to eavesdrop on the conversation. Mami was overjoyed at the idea.
But as the girls stood there, concealing their presence, Ryouko and Sakuno were not saying anything. "Oh no. Did we miss it already?" Mami whispered to her companions, sounding disappointed.
"I told you this is not a good idea." Miyako whispered back. She was against the idea of eavesdropping and Mami only dragged her into it.
They went silent as Ryouko finally talked. "Well... Is that all? If it is, then I'll get going. I still have some things to do."
The realms of Sakuno's mind were in chaos. She kept on mumbling about things that were not the main reason why she asked to talk to Ryouko. It was quite shameful but she is beginning to chicken out. Her fingers curled into a fist as she tried to gather back the strands of her unraveling courage.
"Ryuzaki-san?" Ryouko called. Sakuno was not moving nor showing any sign of hearing her. Ryouko was beginning to feel uneasy.
"Ryuzaki-san?" She called again. She checked the time on her phone by slipping it out from her pocket. If she stayed longer, she wouldn't have any time left for a walk.
"If you don't mind... I'll go ahead." She told Sakuno. The latter is still unresponsive. She seem to be absorbed in staring at her feet.
Ryouko had turned around to leave when all of a sudden, Sakuno lifted her head and took a deep breath. "Watashi... Ryoma-kun ga suki-desu! (I... like Ryoma-kun!)" She blurted out in a loud voice.
Ryouko stopped in midstep and she turned to Sakuno again. "Say what?" She asked, blinking.
"I like Ryoma-kun. I really like him a lot." Sakuno told her with a soft voice.
At that instant, something silently slid across the grass in the shrubbery. Mami had slipped from her sitting position upon hearing Sakuno's outburst. Miyako and An, on the other hand, had eyes as wide as saucers completed with a goofy smile on their faces. They payed attention at the drama that is unfolding right in front of their very eyes.
Sakuno was surprised by Ryouko's sudden silence and she figured she must not have heard her. She looked at Ryouko and repeated her words. "I really like Ryoma-kun, Fujioka Ryouko-san." She said, her tone serious.
What happened next made all of the jaws in the vicinity fall from the mouths. Ryouko raised an eyebrow. "And so?" She said.
It took a second for the words to sink into Sakuno's head. She blinked repeatedly. "Eh?" She said, looking confused.
Ryouko gave a soft snort. "Why are you telling me this? Aren't you confessing to the wrong person? I'm terribly sorry, but the last time I checked the mirror, I haven't exactly switched faces with Ryoma." She said and cocked her head to the left side, hoisting her duffel on her shoulder. "I think that you're really confused right now, Ryuzaki-san... Maybe you need to wash your face with a basin of cold water. That ought to help."
Mami, An and Miyako were anticipating Ryouko's reply but now, they kept their palms pressed tightly over their mouths as they fought an extreme urge to laugh out loud.
The girls hiding in the bushes were definitely entertained but poor Sakuno was thrown in disarray. "But I... I thought..." She stammered, her eyes faltering in a confused manner.
Ryouko sighed and shook her head helplessly. "You need help, Ryuzaki-san. An extreme help." She turned around to leave when Sakuno stopped her again.
"There's a reason why I should tell you!" Sakuno said, stepping closer to where Ryouko is standing. The latter rolled her eyes and faced her again.
"And do tell why I should know about this insignificant piece of information?" She said sarcastically.
"Don't call it insignificant. These are my feelings. They're nothing but insignificant. It's mean of you to say that." Sakuno said.
Ryouko rolled her eyes again. "Sorry, I'll rephrase that. Do tell why I should know about this extremely valuable piece of information. There, happy?" Ryouko said.
Sakuno's hands clenched into fists as a burst of annoyance creeped into her. Ryouko is not taking her seriously. It made her mad and annoyed at the same time.
"I like Ryoma-kun. That's why I didn't explain your side to him when he misunderstood that you pushed me yesterday. It's also why I did my best to try and return that shot from this afternoon's game. I like him a lot. And I want you to tell me what is your relation with him." Sakuno said with a straight and serious voice. For once, there was no hesitation, no stuttering and no faltering of the eyes. She looked at Ryouko straight at her rust-colored pupils.
"Sakuno!" Tomoka thought as she watched her best friend confront Ryouko. It was the first time that she saw her stand up to someone like that. Sakuno's eyes contained pure sincerity and even though her lips were quivering, she was doing her best to take a firm stand.
"Sorry but I don't have any obligation to answer that question." Ryouko said, meeting Sakuno's stare with one of her own, complete with her usual raising of the eyebrow.
Sakuno took a breath. "That's the same as admitting that you do have a relation with him."
Ryouko shrugged in response. "I do actually. But I'm not telling you what it is. Why should I answer you, when you don't have any business with my social life?" She gave Sakuno one of her finest smirks. It was the kind that makes oversized and so-high-and-mighty foreign tennis players hit a ball towards her with their utmost strength whether they like it or not. In short, it was the best for pissing someone off.
It clearly had an effect on Sakuno. "Stop fooling around with me." She said, quite perplexed. "I'm not joking." She added.
"I'm not joking either. Just go straight to your point so this conversation can see an end." Ryouko replied coolly.
"If you're only friends with him then please don't get to close." Sakuno said firmly.
A vein throbbed dangerously at Ryouko's temple. "Why should you be the one to decide how close I can be to Ryoma? I'm not getting your point."
At this statement, Sakuno burst. She closed her eyes tight and spoke with the loudest volume of voice she ever used in her whole twelve years of existence. "I like him so I don't like other girls getting close to him! Especially you!"
Tomoka, Mami, An and Miyako gasped inaudibly. Is that really the quiet Ryuzaki Sakuno that they know? The girl who can't even ask a person the simple phrase 'please keep quiet'? The girl who can't even tell a saleslady that her change was not enough? The super shy girl who can't speak up at the expense of getting crushed by a big uncle on the subway train who is leaning onto her?
Ryouko met Sakuno's half-enraged gaze with a cool stare. She gave a small smile. "Sorry honey, but that's not my problem... If it bothers you so much, why don't you drag me away from him? I'd love to see you try." With that last statement, Ryouko turned around and left.
Sakuno was reduced into angry tears as she left. "You coward. You also like him. Why don't you just say so and confront me seriously?" She said under her breath but she ran out of courage to yell it out.
~~~
"You're lying." Ritsu said, shaking his head.
Senri stood at the center of the group, his hands inside the pockets of his pants. "I'm telling the truth." He said simply.
"Where did you hear this from?" Motoki asked, a serious glint in his mauve eyes.
"I heard it come out of her own mouth. She and Tezuka-buchou were talking the night before in the courts. I was there and I overheard their conversation." Senri explained.
"That can't be..." Kachiro said, blinking in confusion. "Ryouko-san wouldn't... She wouldn't..." He pursed his lips, unable to say it out loud.
"I know how you feel but it's the truth. She's only training us to get credit for herself, so she can join the regulars. She's doing this to get to her own goals. She's just using as a stepladder to reach it." Senri told them.
Ritsu stepped forward and shook his head determinedly. "I don't believe you." He said firmly.
Senri threw his hands in the air. "Fine! If you don't believe me then don't. I only told you what I heard. It's your choice what to make of it." He said matter-of-factly.
"There must be some sort of misunderstanding. Maybe you heard it wrong." Mizuno said.
Senri snapped. "I wish I did but I didn't! That was what she said! Do you think that I feel good relaying this to you? Do you know what I felt when I heard her say it with her own mouth? I'm the one that heard! I'm the one who's hurt the most!" He exclaimed.
The group sunk into an uncomfortable silence. "But still... We can't just trust what you're saying..." Horio said, breaking the ice.
"I told you..." Senri told him, looking straight into his eyes. "What you make of it is not my business. I just told you because it involves all of us." With that, he turned his back to them and stayed quiet.
Tohru checked the time on the screen of his phone. "Guys... It's almost call time. We should collect ourselves and think about this later. Ryouko might be on her way here as we speak." He said.
They stayed quiet and did not talk until Ryouko reached the courts.
"Well, this is a surprise." She said, greeting them. "You're all here early."
Kazuki gave a meek smile. "We want to finish early. Should we start?" He told her.
"Now that's the enthusiasm... Keep it intact. I want to see you guys excel tonight." Ryouko said and dug her equipment from the duffel bag.
As Ryouko called name after name, blowing her whistle and sending its shrill sound into their ears, the freshmen began to feel the burden of the exercise.
"Look alive! What are you doing?" Ryouko told them strictly. "You can do better than that! Shuu! Your angle's all wrong. Kubota! Your step is falling apart! Kazuki, what the hell are you doing? I said left, not right. Why are you turning the wrong way?"
They huffed and puffed, running out of air. "This is so hard..." Akihiro gasped in between gulps of water.
"Do it again!" Ryouko told them.
All of them turned to her in mutiny. "But it's almost twelve." Mikoto said.
"So you better start moving." She answered and placed the whistle in between her teeth. She blew out one long shrill whistle and the freshmen dragged their aching bodies to the start of the line again.
Finally, they finished the routine, barely able to stand. Ryouko wrote something inside her data collection notebook and closed it. "Okay. We're done. I'll meet you right in this same court in four hours time for the daily run. We're jogging to the beach and back. Five whole laps."
This was met with outrageous reactions from the freshmen. "But that's too far away. We can't finish that in an hour and a half's time."
"We can." Ryouko said. "So you better rest up. I recommend placing warm compresses on your calves and thighs as you sleep." She began clearing out the agility ladders and placing them back to the duffel bag. She looked at them as she noticed that they were not going out of the court yet.
"Well, what are you guys still doing here?" She asked.
With that, they started to leave. They walked together towards the direction of the cabins in deathly silence.
All of a sudden, what Senri told them began to make sense. It might possible for Ryouko to have such ulterior motives. She is not the good coach that they all thought she is.
The quietness was broken by the sobbing of Yamamura Kazuki who is, without doubt, the biggest crybaby among all of them. "I just can't believe it... How can she be so cruel?" He said in between hiccups.
The others turned away, frustration evident in their eyes. Among the grief-stricken boys, only one pair of eyes remains determined. It belonged to Shimada Ritsu.
That hellish routine did not zap out his trust for Ryouko. He is positive, absolutely positive, that there is more to what Senri heard. After all, Ritsu is suspecting that Senri is just making it all up. He always made things up in primary school to draw attention to himself. It might be harsh to doubt him but that's easier to do than doubting Ryouko.
~~~
When the freshmen all dissipated from the courts, Ryouko could finally breathe out comfortably. She halted her task of putting away the agility equipment and grabbed a tennis racket. She began pelting tennis balls at the other side of the court, hitting practice cones with pinpoint accuracy. The night is chilly but she sort of feel hot.
What is the deal with Ryuzaki Sakuno? Ryouko felt pissed off at her and that's why she played along with what she was saying, but she doesn't understand why it bothered her until now. She should've forgotten about it an hour ago.
Ryouko panted and she realized that she had been exhausting herself for no good reason. It won't be advantageous for her to run laps all tired out. At least she should look fine in the freshmen's eyes for them to see that running all those laps is not really a big deal. 'To see is to believe', as people always say. She wanted to set a good example.
Then again, she had to admit that the trainings are taking a toll on her. Her stamina seemed to be falling out of place. She normally didn't get tired that often and certainly not from such a short amount of time.
"I better get myself checked tomorrow." She thought, taking a mental note. What An had been saying might be true after all. She must be pushing herself far too hard. In addition to that, her body feels weird. It's so pathetically weak and it's as if it's not her own.
The night was not as bright as the previous ones. The moon is totally hidden behind the clouds. The sky doesn't look too gay either and every now and then, an especially strong gust of wind blew from the sea's direction.
As she walked back to the representatives' cabin, shining her way with a flashlight, she couldn't help but think of what Ryuzaki said. "So..." She thought. "Someone likes Ryoma."
It certainly felt weird. Ryouko do not consider twelve years old as an age to consider romantic things and the like. Those are the problems of people past the age of eighteen.
Her own dilemmas about engagements and marriage should be the problem of people past the age of twenty-five. Ryouko often thinks that the reason why many people are dissatisfied with their lives is because they refuse to follow life's age bracket system. There's always an age for everything. Some people kept on skipping these age brackets and that's why most of them ends up biting off more than they can chew. Ryouko would not commit the same mistake that people always repeat. She's not stupid.
The thought of someone, a girl her age, liking Ryoma in a more-than-friends, more-than-classmates kind of way seemed to be really uncomfortable to Ryouko. She wouldn't mind it happening to anyone, even to her cousins, but not to Ryoma.
All of a sudden, she felt annoyance and rage towards Ryuzaki Sakuno. How dare she like him that way! He's far too young for someone to like him that way... Ryuzaki Sakuno must be one of those people who would choose to skip over the age bracket system. Such an irresponsible girl does not have the right to hold such feelings for Ryoma. She is in over her head.
Ryouko blew out some stray strands of her dark hair from her forehead. Ryoma is so not gonna date until he's sixteen. She would not allow it. She won't even allow Ryuzaki Sakuno to stand within five meters radius from him. Ryouko would make sure of that. "Telling me about your feelings is the worst mistake you've commintted, Ryuzaki. You should have been better off if I am blissfully ignorant." She thought to herself.
~~~
Dawn training went off with a quiet start, quite unusual for the freshmen, but Ryouko figured that they might still be tired from the agility exercises several hours ago.
What actually happened is instead of getting some sleep, each of the boys had stayed awake for the last four hours, staring at the walls and ceilings of their rooms in the cabins. Mizuno and Horio, being the captains of their teams, actually shared their rooms with their seniors. They wished to talk to someone about what is plaguing their minds at the moment, but they couldn't possibly wake the seniors. They figured that they should act independent and work the matter out on their own. Thus, the minds of the freshmen were all chaotic and unfocused. Except for one.
They were jogging along the edge of the forest, quite close to their destination. Ryouko was surprised when all of a sudden, Ritsu went out of the line and jogged alongside her. "Ryouko-san." He called.
Ryouko took the whistle out of her mouth. "Yes?" She asked.
"I want to ask you something." Ritsu said.
All the attention of the freshmen were on the two of them. Senri, who was running not far from the front of the line accelerated and jogged behind Ritsu. "Oi." He said. Ritsu ignored him.
"What do you want to ask?" Ryouko replied, looking at the side as she jogged.
"Actually, I heard something. I just want to confirm it." Ritsu said.
At these words, Senri flew into rage and panic. "Shut up!" He yelled, stopped on his tracks and pulled Ritsu by the collar of his sweater.
Ryouko, as well as the other freshmen, were surprised at the sudden interruption. The line collapsed and Ryouko's eyes widened.
"What are you two doing?" She scolded. "Senri, let go of Ritsu right now!" She marched towards the two boys and started pulling Senri away from Ritsu. The other freshmen helped.
"What is this madness?" Ryouko yelled at them.
Senri was panting hard, glaring at Ritsu with his brown eyes. Ritsu stared back at him coolly.
"What's wrong? If we want to get to the bottom of the matter, it would be best to ask Ryouko. Why are you acting like that?" Ritsu told him.
"Shut up! Just shut your trap or I'll make sure it'll stay shut for the rest of your life!" Senri shouted in response.
"What is going on here?" Ryouko asked, getting confused. "Did something happened that I don't know about?" She asked, looking around at them.
As the other boys avoided her eyes, she was sure that not only Ritsu and Senri knew about the matter. She stared sternly at them. "You guys better talk or I'll take this up to Coach Ryuzaki."
"I'll say it." Ristu said.
"I told you to shut up!" Senri yelled at him.
"Senri!" Ryouko shouted, shifting her eyes on him. "You're the one who should shut up." She said with a firm tone. Senri was unable to speak under the glare of her eyes.
"Ritsu, continue with what you were saying." Ryouko told the other boy.
"There's no need. I'll say it." Senri suddenly interrupted. His voice sounded much calmer after getting scolded.
Senri took a few steps closer to Ryouko. "On the night of the second event, I was going to the court to practice when I saw you and Tezuka-buchou talking on a bench. He was asking you the reason why you're so determined in making us participate in the ranking competitions. Your answer... I heard it..." He narrated, looking at her eyes squarely.
Ryouko met his gaze at level. "Which answer?" She asked.
Senri swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't want to answer, but he knew that he have to, or Ritsu will be telling it in his stead. "That you..." He started and was suddenly choked up. "That you only trained us because you want to get acknowledged by Ryuzaki-sensei... So she would place you in a level equal to the regulars and join in their training routines."
Some of the freshmen resisted the watering of their eyes. Ryouko looked around at all of them. "I see." She said softly. "What else did you hear?" She asked.
"Just that. I went away after hearing it. It was..." Senri paused and looked up to fight the tears forming in his eyes. "I didn't want to hear more so..."
"I see." Ryouko said, nodding her head calmly. She scanned the faces around her.
Ritsu stepped forward. "It's not true, right? Tell us the truth." He told her, his eyes pleading.
"I'm afraid it's true. I did say those words to Tezuka-buchou that night." Ryouko answered.
The strength in Ritsu's limbs left him completely. His eyes faltered. "You're lying." He said, shaking his head.
"I won't deny what came out of my mouth. And if this is enough reason for you to leave me, then I'll have nothing to say in my defense." She said.
Ritsu stepped back a couple of paces, unable to believe what is happening.
"But believe me when I tell you this. I'm not lying when I said that you guys have the potential to be excellent players. It takes hard work and perseverance. It won't be an easy journey. But if you'll let me, I'll help you achieve that. I'm confident that I can." She told them.
Mikoto suddenly spoke up. "That's not it at all. We know you can do that. But..." He paused and gulped. "It's the sincerity that was lost. You admit to having ulterior motives. That means that you were using us." He looked at Ryouko and the tears he was holding back spilled. "Whatever you say... I can't trust it anymore." With that, he turned on his heel and marched away from the group.
One by one, the boys left the area without looking at their instructor. Yamamura Kazuki burst in tears before running away. In a mattr of minutes, only Kachiro, Mizuno, Horio, Ritsu and Senri were there.
Ryouko sighed. Both of her hands were clenched into fists. She looked really calm on the outside but she is withering inside. The trust that she built with her boys, her freshmen, slipped out of her grasp. And there's nothing, at the moment, that she can do to fix the problem.
She turned at the remaining boys. "You five can go as well. I know you want to."
Those words sent Ritsu into a flurry of sadness and anger. "You could've just lied! I don't care if you had ulterior motives or whatnot. I don't care at all! And why did you just stand there as they left? You could've at least explained yourself! Why didn't you say anything? You're not a mute! You can at least explain!" He shouted at her.
Mizuno, Horio and Kachiro covered their faces from view as Ritsu broke down. Ryouko just stood rooted on the spot, unable to do anything. "Whatever I say will just be a lame excuse." She said.
"And so?" Senri suddenly said. Ryouko looked at him. "So what if you make excuses? Would it kill you to make one? I'd rather that you make one! At least you've done something other than stand there and admit to your guilt." He knew that all of this disasters started because of him but still, he couldn't help getting angry. He just confirmed everything that he had been thinking about for the past day.
With a quick swipe at his bangs, he snatched off the red clip that Ryouko gave him. "You shouldn't have given such care if you're not going through with it until the end." He said before throwing it off the edge of the forest.
~~~
Ryoma woke up the next morning with the sound of raindrops on the roof. He opened his eye a crack and glanced at the window. Drops of water fell on the glass. The sky outside looked gray and gloomy. "It's raining." He thought. He closed his eyes again until the importance of that little piece of information dawned to him. He sat up with a start, his hair a tangled mess.
"It's raining." He told himself, blinking into consciousness. He jumped down from the bed and went to the window. "It's just raining, right? Just rain?" He thought, looking outside.
He heaved a sigh of relief when he confirmed that what he dreaded isn't happening. "Oi, Echizen!" A call from downstairs startled Ryoma.
"We're having breakfast in the main hall! Sakuno-chan said that we were instructed to gather there!" Gakuto yelled.
"Okay! I got it. I'll be right there!" He yelled back and quickly went to the bathroom to fix himself.
When the members of Team 3 reached the main hall, they saw that they were the only ones missing. All of the teams were already present. The front of the hall was full with mud-streaked shoes, raincoats and umbrellas, neatly piled into rows. The members of Team 3 took their raincoats and left them there. They also took their shoes off and put on the slippers provided on the platform.
"There won't be an event today if the rain won't stop. I guess we'll be playing board games in here instead. I'll be sleeping. No one disturb me." Ryoma heard Jiro say to his cabinmates as he passed by them.
A few minutes later, an announcement was made that they have to spend the morning inside the main hall because of the weather.
"Why are they making this such a big deal? The forecast said that it's going to be a light rain." Itsuki commented.
Arai answered the question for him. "It is forecasted that there will be light rain in the cities but that's not applicable here. Mountainous ranges usually have unpredictable weather conditions, especially when storms are ongoing. There is a storm forming in the ocean not far from the coast of Okinawa and this area is especially affected. Because the temperature, moisture and altitude is different in mountain ranges like where this campsite is located, the weather can change drastically. It's only natural that we take safety measures." He explained.
"Hoh. Arai... You're sounding more and more like an expert camp manager each day..." Momoshiro commented with a guffaw.
"Shut up." Arai said, glaring at him. "I do read up to do my job well. Ryouko-chan gave me some pamphlets."
"Speaking of Ryouko, where is that girl? I haven't seen her all morning." Inui asked, looking around.
An, Miyako and Mami suddenly went towards them. "So you haven't seen her either, Inui-senpai?" Miyako asked.
"How about the other seniors? Have you seen Ryouko anywhere?" Mami told them.
"What do you mean by that?" Fuji asked back.
"Well... We haven't seen Ryouko-chan since we woke up this morning." An answered. "Her bed is empty so I figured she must've went early, but I searched every corner and rooms in this place but I still can't see her."
"We're getting worried." Miyako added.
At that moment, Amane Hotaru joined them. The girls had already asked for his help in finding Ryouko. "I can't seem to reach Miss Ryouko's cellphone." He said.
Ryoma approached them. "Ryouko's cellphone is broken." He informed Amane.
"She got a new one delivered the other night. She said she'll use it temporarily while the broken one is being repaired." Amane told him. "The phone is ringing but no one's answering. I've been calling it for fifteen minutes now. She should've at least answered one call."
"What should we do? Where can she be?" Mami asked, looking anxious. "I don't have a good feeling about this." She added.
"Mami-chan! Don't say such things!" Miyako scolded her but she couldn't help sharing the same thought.
At this moment, the Seigaku regulars began asking around if someone saw Ryouko. Apparently, no one had seen a peep from her all morning.
Ryoma noticed some unusual buzzing at the area where many of the Seishun Academy freshmen were gathered. He went towards them, an uneasy feeling settling on the pit of his stomach. Kazuki jumped in fright when Ryoma tapped him on the shoulder. "E-E-Echizen." He stammered.
"Ryoma-kun." Kachiro said. Ryoma felt strange because they seem to be avoiding his eyes.
"You have training with Ryouko before the sun rises everyday, right? You guys are the last that saw her. Do you have any idea where she went?" Ryoma asked them.
The freshmen stayed silent but glanced meaningfully at each other. "We uh... went back early so... We don't know." Mikoto said.
"What's with the atmosphere here?" Ryoma asked as he noticed the others looking uncomfortable and guilty-faced.
"Actually... Something happened this morning between us and Ryouko." Mizuno said.
"It's not a good thing either." Horio added.
The Seigaku regulars heard this and they approached the freshmen. "What something? What do you mean by that?" Kawamura asked.
"I might know where she is." Ritsu suddenly said, a realization hitting him. He flew into explanation about what happened during training. He narrated everything from start to end.
Tezuka sighed after Ritsu finished his story. "You did a wrong thing indeed." He said.
"But she admitted to it. She said that she told you that, Cap." Tohru replied.
"She did, but that was not all. Ryouko really did have a not-so-noble reason for training you boys at first but that changed ages ago." Tezuka told them.
"You fools." Ryoma suddenly interrupted his captain. They were all shocked at the look in Ryoma's eyes at that moment. The glint on his bronze-gold pupils says it all. He looked as if he will murder someone dumb enough to look back at him. "Where is she?" He asked, his glare intense.
"I told you. We left early so—"
"Where... is she?!" Ryoma hissed fiercely at them.
"I was the one who left last. Ryouko said that she still have to do something before returning." Ritsu immediately went into action to pacify him. "Senri, he... He threw the hair clip that Ryouko gave him into the forest before he left. If I remember it right, she was looking at the edge of the forest before I left her alone. I think she's going to find it."
With that, Ryoma immediately turned around and headed straight for the door. "Oi, Echizen! Where are you going?" Kaidoh yelled after him.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to find her." Ryoma said and didn't even look back.
"Oi, baka! How can you find her by yourself in such a large forest? More importantly, the weather is bad. Amane-san said that he'll send out some people to look for her." Momoshiro told him.
"We know that you're worried but you shouldn't act rashly. I'm sure she's alright. She's probably just stranded and cannot go out because of the rain." Oishi said.
"You don't understand!" Ryoma yelled at them. "She can't be out there right now. She just can't." He said, shaking his head.
All of a sudden, a great bolt of lightning flashed outside the main hall's window, lighting up the sky for a moment. The girls screamed and hugged each other. A low rumbling of thunder followed and the rain suddenly fell heavier.
Ryoma shook his head in disbelief. "No." He surveyed the chaos happening outside. "No, no. This can't be happening." He said and ran to the door.
At the moment that he was supposed to twist the knob open, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and frowned at the name on the screen. Nevertheless, he answered the call. "Ichidou? Why are you callin—"
The look on Ryoma's face suddenly went from scared to horrified. The strength in his arm left him and it fell on his side limply. "Ryouko." He mumbled, gripped the phone tight and swung the door open, letting a strong gust of wind enter the hall.
"Echizen!" Momoshiro yelled after him but it was too late. The boy had already ventured out into the rain.
Ryouko goes Missing in Action!
Here is an epilogue to Ryoma and Ryouko's past! Rain, thunder and lightning will hit the camp with a bang, literally and metaphorically!
Another important question is... Will the relationship of the freshmen with Ryouko be restored to normal again? For that to be possible, somebody's gotta have to find her first!