"Your form is a little unstable," Ryouko said as she watched Seijuro swing the racket a couple of times.
"Funny for you to say that," Seijuro said, reminded of the times he was teaching the basics of the violin to Ryouko and uttered the line many times.
Ryouko giggled as the same memory occurred to her. "This is my forte, my great teacher. Allow me," she said and stepped closer towards him. She took the racket from Seijuro's hand and showed him a proper stance. "Like this, you see. Don't lower your torso too much. Eyes on the ball and swing freely, like trying to swat an annoying fly," she said.
Seijuro let out a laugh. "Just what kind of an explanation is that?"
Ryouko shrugged and handed him the racket. "Keep your grip firm," she said as she made him grab the handle. She posed right behind him and held his wrist. Seijuro stiffened.
Ryouko felt the tension. "Sei-sama... You can't play tennis if you're as stiff as a pole. Relax, will you?" she told him.
Seijuro frowned. He was just not used to other people having the upper hand.
Ryouko continued showing him the right way to swing a racket by controlling his arm. "See? It's easy as one-two-three," she said.
From the corner of her eye, Ryouko saw Ryoma getting dragged by Osakada Tomoka. "This way, Ryoma-sama... Sakuno and I need some advices," she told him.
"You can ask your team members. Why do you have to drag me into this?" Ryoma replied in exasperation.
"There's nothing like learning from the best," Tomoka said with a wink and gave a small titter. She craned her neck at the side. "Oi, Sakuno. Don't just stand there and come over here. Didn't you say that you're having trouble with something?"
"T-Tomo-chan... Don't cause trouble to Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said, hugging her racket to her chest. She approached the two and looked at Ryoma shyly. "Sorry about this, Ryoma-kun," she told him.
Ryoma sighed. "Whatever," he replied. "Let's get this over with. What is it that you want to ask?"
"F-form..." Sakuno mumbled quietly.
"What?" Ryoma said and leaned his face downwards towards her. "I can't hear you."
Sakuno reddened and Ryouko's grip on Seijuro's wrist tightened. Seijuro felt his wrist getting squeezed and looked at Ryouko. "Oi," he said in complaint.
Ryouko was unable to hear his grievance. Her eyes were locked onto something in an unwavering gaze. Seijuro followed where her eyes led and saw the dark-haired lad from earlier. The 'Ryoma' boy.
A couple of girls flocked over him or more specifically, the one with the brown pigtails flocked on him and the other one with long braids stammered something every now and then, her cheeks glowing a vivid scarlet. It looked like as if he was helping them with something.
Seijuro shifted his attention to Ryouko again. Her gaze was unmoving and her eyes were beginning to narrow. Her pink lips were turned up in a scowl.
Seijuro lifted his free hand and placed it over Ryouko's tight grip on his wrist. His subtle touch brought her back to reality.
"Huh?" she said and looked at Seijuro blinkingly.
"It hurts," Seijuro told her, casting a glance at his wrist.
"Oh," Ryouko said, immediately softening her almost hostile grasp. "Sorry."
Seijuro merely smiled in a comforting manner. "It's alright." He placed a hand on her shoulder and made her twist to the opposite direction, facing away from the Ryoma boy and his two admirers. "Now, would you mind teaching me how to serve? It's quite uncomfortable to be holding something like this. After all, we only need ourselves, one ball and a court in playing basketball," he said, trying to divert her attention to him.
"Sure. It's not such a big deal. You have great reflexes, Sei-sama. I'm sure you'll get used to the racket soon enough," she commented.
As she went on with her demonstration, Seijuro looked at the Ryoma boy every now and then, casting glances over his shoulder. "Hmm..." he said in his mind and pondered on his pupil's strange behavior. "So there's someone who can make Fujioka Ryouko make such an expression. It's quite a curious thing," he thought.
Then again, the Ryoma boy's name had only been uttered a few times in Seijuro's presence during his brief stays in the Fujioka mansion. "Thinking about it..." he told himself and was transported into the past on the summer of his second year in junior high.
"Sei-sama?" Ryouko called. Her voice pulled Seijuro back to reality.
"Huh?" he said, looking at her distractedly.
"You seem out of it today," Ryouko told him, carefully placing her violin on the stand and detaching the shoulder rest from her torso.
Seijuro placed a hand on his forehead. "No, I'm perfectly fine. I just spaced out for a moment. I've been busy with the basketball team these days. I just couldn't help but worry over the club while I'm here," he answered.
"Hmm..." Ryouko said, her tone half-teasing. "The Almighty Emperor is worrying over his territory ei?" she smirked.
Seijuro merely smiled and shook his head helplessly.
"Kiseki no sedai (Generation of Miracles)," Ryouko said, running her forefinger over the bend of the shoulder rest. "You've gained quite a nice nickname for your team," she added as she browsed several music sheets.
"Well, it's not as if we are the ones responsible for such a nickname. It's a bit exaggerated actually," Seijuro said with a nonchalant shrug.
Ryouko laughed. "Why do I feel as if you mean exactly the opposite of what you just said?" she commented.
"It must be your imagination," Seijuro remarked.
"Whatever you say, your majesty," Ryouko said. She gestured towards the door of the study. "Shall we have tea in the hall?"
"Sure," Seijuro answered and they walked out of the study together.
It was the second summer that Seijuro spent in the Fujioka mansion. Four days had passed by so fast and his departure is nearing slowly. After Ryouko had been informed that Seijuro would visit every summer to serve as her tutor, she had looked forward to the season's arrival. It became one of the most anticipated days of the year in the Fujioka mansion. The servants had grown accustomed of Seijuro's presence as if he was one of the masters of the house.
"Oujo-sama," Licht suddenly called after placing a silver platter adorned with finger sandwiches at the center of the table.
"Yes?" Ryouko said, holding a Worcester cup to her lips, the steam from the hot black tea clouding over her face.
"It seems like your lessons for the rest of the afternoon had been canceled. Your tutor called in sick," Licht replied.
"Oh, I see... Am I allowed to spend my time in anyway I want then?" Ryouko asked, placing the cup back to its saucer.
"I haven't received any orders telling otherwise," Licht answered with a smile.
Ryouko smiled. "Excellent," she said. "Please make sure to send some flowers and a get-well-soon card to my teacher," she added.
Directly across from her, Seijuro steepled his fingers in front of him and smiled in an amused manner. "You've changed," he suddenly said.
"Pardon?" Ryouko replied, taking a sandwich daintily between her fingertips.
Seijuro took his cup and savored the aroma of the black tea. "It's only been a year since we last saw each other. Your speech became a lot more formal. What has become of the mischievous child who snuck into my bathroom last summer just to point out a not-so-important matter? I can't seem to have seen her since my arrival," he commented before taking a sip.
Ryouko smiled. "I'm still the same child from last summer, Sei-sama. Well, I did learn to keep my thoughts to myself instead of speaking them out loud. I've been made to attend many social events in place of my cousins since studying at home gives me a lot of free time."
"Oh?" Seijuro said, quite disported. "Did my etiquette lessons help with those events?"
Ryouko smiled. "As a matter of fact, those were pretty useful." She turned a mischievous look at Seijuro. "And they placed the red wine glass and the white wine glass in successive order on the table arrangement," she added.
"You're still onto that matter until now? Kambenshite kure (Give me a break)," Seijuro said in exasperation.
Both of them caught each other's eye and laughed.
"Well, speaking of change, I don't think that I'm the only one who experienced some changes," Ryouko said, smiling at Seijuro.
"If you noticed the fact that I have become extraordinarily handsome since last year, I don't need you to point it out. We do have mirrors at home," Seijuro said, smiling good-naturedly.
Ryouko scoffed. "Please stop fooling around," she answered.
"Is that your way of saying that I didn't change appearance-wise?" he asked.
Ryouko averted her eyes. "Well... I have to admit you became slightly cooler than before. And your Emperor aura is more domineering."
"Emperor aura?" Seijuro said with an amused simper. "Does that even exist?" he commented.
"Sure it does," Ryouko said and finished off another sandwich.
"Shall we do something fun for the rest of the afternoon? It's a rare occurrence for you to have time on your hands. Your new schedule is filled to the brim compared to last year. It seems like they're even keeping track of how many hours you spend in sleeping," Seijuro told Ryouko.
"Nah. I'd rather stay indoors and spend time leisurely with you, Sei-sama. After all, only three more days and you'll return to Japan," she answered.
"I thought that one of your cousins had been granted permission to be home-schooled together with you. How come you're still alone in this giant mansion?" he asked.
"Ichidou spends vacation with his own family. It had been decided that he would be home here for the rest of the year except during summer," she replied and downed the remaining contents of her cup.
"I see," Seijuro said and ate a sandwich.
"Shall we have a game of chess, Sei-sama? Just to pass some time," Ryouko told him, settling the empty cup on the saucer.
Seijuro smiled. "Sure. You'll have to prepare yourself for defeat though," he said.
"Right back at you," Ryouko replied, grinning.
Tutor and tutee were bent over the chess board for an hour and a half before Licht peeked through the door of the study.
"You're not half-bad at this," Seijuro said, mobilizing his bishop.
Ryouko made a counter-attack. "My paternal grandfather's way of bonding with his grandchildren is through board games. I'm not an amateur in this field," she said with a confident smile.
"Hmm, a wise move," Seijuro said and placed his knuckles underneath his chin. He surveyed the placements of the chess pieces. "I have to admit, I'm impressed," he commented.
"I'm honored to hear that," Ryouko replied with a humble bow.
"Oujo-sama, Obocchama?" Licht said and lightly rapped on the door to catch their attention.
"Licht," Ryouko said upon looking at the source of the knock. She nodded for him to enter.
"I'm sorry to intrude," Licht said and entered the study carrying a bundle of flat boxes with fancy wrapping. "You seem to be having such a good time. I may be interrupting the fun," he greeted.
"No, not at all," Seijuro said, gesturing to Licht in a welcoming manner.
"Of course Sei-sama wouldn't mind, Licht. You just postponed his defeat," Ryouko pointed out.
"You're not exactly winning yet," Seijuro told her.
"Tell that to me once you've properly protected your Queen. I'm a couple of moves from her," Ryouko retorted.
Seijuro rolled his eyes. Licht gave a small laugh.
"What are those?" Ryouko asked, looking at the boxes that Licht is carrying.
"A package from your mother arrived," Licht answered and placed the boxes on an empty table close to them. "A note came with it," he added, handing a small card to Ryouko.
Ryouko opened the card and scanned the words written inside. "Home-made chocolate," she said, settling her eyes on the package. "She made some whiskey chocolates for Ryouichi and milk chocolates for me. She wants me to share it with Sei-sama as a token of her gratitude."
She put down the note and inspected the boxes. She detached the ribbon and took the fancy wrapper off, opening one box. "Wah," she said as she surveyed the dozen or so heart-shaped chocolate pieces layed neatly inside. "There's four boxes in total. Mother sure overdid herself."
"How come you don't call your mother with her first name like how you do with Ryouichi-sensei?" Seijuro asked.
"I call them the way they want to be called. Ryouichi doesn't like formality between the two of us but Mother is very particular in being called 'Okaa-san'," Ryouko answered.
"From what I've heard about them so far, your parents seem like polar opposites," Seijuro commented.
"They are," Ryouko answered, quite amused. "It's a mystery how they came to love each other."
Seijuro gave a small smile, reminded of his own parents. "Fushigi desu ne (It's a mystery indeed)," he said.
"Let's put off your defeat until later and eat these chocolates, Sei-sama. My mother is not much of a cook but she's very good at making sweets. She had a lot of practice from making tons of obligatory chocolates for her fans during her days as a famous model," Ryouko said.
"I am not about to lose," Seijuro remarked.
Ryouko smiled. Of all the things she said, he noticed that one. "He sure hates losing. It's no wonder we get along just fine," she thought.
Seijuro and Ryouko began to eat the chocolates as Licht prepared some refreshments that would go well with it.
"You were not exaggerating when you said that she's good at making sweets," Seijuro commented after finishing off a couple of the heart-shaped goodies. He detected a sort of bitter aftertaste and the chocolates tasted different from the ones you can purchase from a store.
"It's the only thing she's good at in the kitchen. She can't make a decent omellette to save her life and it's amazing how she can burn French toast. You don't even have to cook that one," Ryouko told him, popping another piece inside her mouth.
She looked at her tutor, amused at his enjoyment with the snack. "Hmm... I kind of thought of you as the type to not be fond of sweets, Sei-sama. Looks like I'm wrong."
"I'm not fond of sweets but it's not as if I'm allergic to them. These chocolates aren't even that sweet. There's a bitter aftertaste," Seijuro pointed out.
Ryouko opened the second box and took a piece. She chewed thoughtfully. "You're right," she said. "It's not the usual milk chocolate that Mother used to make for me..." she added and stared at the chocolate pieces. "Maybe she made a brand new recipe?"
By the time Licht arrived with a pot of green tea, the four boxes were emptied.
As Seijuro sipped from his cup, a lightheaded feeling came upon him. He also felt drowsy.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"It's almost five o'clock, Obocchama," Licht answered.
"Just five o'clock? How come I'm feeling sleepy already?" he thought. When he looked across the table, he saw Ryouko yawning.
"Are you both alright?" Licht asked after noticing their strange behavior.
"Atama ga itai (My head hurts)," Ryouko suddenly said. "Maybe finishing off that many chocolates after teatime was a bad move to make."
"I agree," Seijuro said. "Maybe we should retire early."
Ryouko nodded.
"Should I have the maids prepare a hot bath for the both of you?" Licht asked.
"A bath will be nice," Seijuro said.
"I'll pass on that. I'll go straight to bed," Ryouko answered.
With that, they said their goodnights and parted ways, proceeding to their own rooms.
Seijuro immediately went to the bathroom as soon as his bath was ready. He soaked in the tub full of warm water, steam rising visibly from it. His pale white skin shone crystal-like with the water droplets clinging onto it. He submerged his aching head underwater and emerged for a breath of air.
His head feels strange. He felt giddy and he couldn't seem to focus his eyes. He kept on rubbing them and blinking but they refused to listen to him.
He stayed in the tub for a few more minutes, his eyes tightly closed. As the seconds ticked by, he felt almost feverish and the heat of the water seemed to be crawling to his head. "I might have to sleep off this headache," he told himself. Just as he was about to go out, a noise from the entrance caught his attention.
The sound of the door creaking made Seijuro's tired eyes sprung open. "Oh no... Not again..." he thought.
"Sei-sama?" Ryouko called from the entrance, a set of keys hanging from her left hand.
"What are you doing here, Ryouko?" Seijuro said, his voice edgy. He submerged himself on the tub with only his neck and head sticking out on the surface.
"Ofuro ni hairetai. (I want to take a bath.) Can I join you?" Ryouko said, tilting her head to one side and blinking innocently. Her cheeks looked strangely flushed, as if someone dabbed a brushful of red watercolor on them.
Seijuro's face burned up. "Of course not. Now stop this nonsense and get out of the bathroom. Let's talk once I'm fully-dressed, shall we?"
"Hidoi (How mean)," Ryouko said, pouting. "Sei-sama no baka (Sei-sama you idiot)," she added before turning around and leaving.
Seijuro listened to the sound of the door closing before heaving out a sigh of relief. "What is with her?" he said in exasperation, slipping out from the tub and pulling his bathrobe from the hanger.
He caught his reflection from the mirror and saw his scarlet cheeks. "That girl, seriously..." he said and shook his head to feel more sober. He doesn't feel like himself. It must be either because of his aching head and his oddly elevated temperature or an adrenaline rush caused by too much chocolate. He had to remind himself to be careful with sweets next time.
He went out of the bathroom and was frightened out of his wits when he saw Ryouko sitting on his bed. "Have you finished?" she greeted.
"Why are you still here? I thought I told you to get out," he said, tightening his bathrobe around his body.
"You told me to go out of the bathroom," she pointed out.
Seijuro sighed. "I said that we'll talk once I'm fully-dressed. I can't exactly put on my clothes with you in here, can I?"
"Why not? I don't mind," Ryouko said, her wavy hair in a disarray all over the front of her fluffy-looking nightgown.
Seijuro snapped. He made Ryouko stand up forcibly and walked her out of the room by pushing her at the back. "I mind," he said and locked her out of the room.
"For goodness' sake. What is she thinking?" Seijuro said aloud as he pulled on his pajamas.
A series of loud knocks made the hair on Seijuro's neck stand up. He heard the knob being twisted open. "Damn. I forgot that she has the master keys!" he thought and hurried with putting on his pants, almost tripping on his own two feet in the process.
"Onii-chan? Sei-oniiiiii-channn?" Ryouko's singsong voice broke through a gap in the door. She hasn't entered yet.
"Onii-chan?" Seijuro thought. It had been ages since she last called him that. Did she revert to her six-year-old self or what?
Seijuro went to the door and looked at her, laser shooting from his red eyes. "What-is-your-problem, you troublesome pupil?" he said, emphasizing every word. "Tell me and be done with it."
Seijuro's eyes widened when Ryouko suddenly hugged him around the middle, the master keys tinkling from behind him as she joined her hands at his lower back. "Can I sleep here for the night?" she asked.
"You obviously can't. Let go of me, Ryouko. What is wrong with you? You're acting weird," Seijuro said, trying to pry her arms off of him.
Ryouko stubbornly tightened her embrace, her cheeks puffed up.
Seijuro's neck burned until the roots of his red hair. Is this what it feels to be cornered with no hope of escape?
"Ryouko!" he scolded, reaching the end of his patience.
She looked up at him with tears on the corner of her eyes. "Dame desuka? (I can't?)" she asked with a childish tone, her demeanor completely different from what she displayed during teatime. "Even if I say 'pretty please'?" she added, almost begging.
Seijuro looked back at her with panic-stricken eyes, speechless and dumbfounded. Where did the unusually level-headed girl from earlier disappear into and who is this preschooler? "There is definitely something wrong with her," he thought. "Wakarimashita kara, nakanaide kudasai (I got it so, please don't cry)", he said aloud and ushered her inside the room.
Hiccupping and wiping tears with the back of her hands, Ryouko let herself be led. As soon as she reached the bed, she crawled right onto it.
Exasperated, Seijuro placed a hand on his forehead. A huge migraine is starting to take hold of him.
"Onii-chan?" Ryouko suddenly called. Seijuro looked at her. She had rested her head on one of the pillows and began tapping on the space next to her as if inviting Seijuro to lie down.
Seijuro sighed and sat down on the side of the bed near the headrest. "Go to sleep," he told her.
"I will if you lie next to me," Ryouko said and tugged on the hem of Seijuro's shirt.
"Just do as you are told Ryouko," he replied. "Don't be stubborn."
"If you won't sleep next to me then take me to Ryoma," she suddenly said.
"Ryoma?" Seijuro echoed, the name having a familiar ring to his ears. "Who's that?"
"Ryoma. Take me to Ryoma," Ryouko said, sounding impatient.
"I don't know who that is," he told her.
"Ryoma!" Ryouko exclaimed childishly, sitting up in an abrupt manner. "Ryoma ga aitai! (I wanna see Ryoma!) Take me to Ryoma! Take me to him!" she started yelling and throwing the pillows at Seijuro.
"Oi!" Seijuro said and dodged the pillows. A small cushion hit him squarely on the face. "Stop that, Ryouko!"
Ryouko continued throwing a tantrum like a preschooler deprived of playtime, continuously asking for one person in particular. "I wanna see Ryoma! Take me to him! Take me to where Ryoma is! Where have you hidden him?" Her bottom lip quivered and she began to cry. "Ryoooooma..."
Seijuro was completely bewildered when she suddenly started bawling at the top of her lungs. Thick pearly tears erupted from her eyes and they flowed continuously.
A series of footsteps suddenly rang clear from the corridor and Licht bursted from the door. "Oujo-sama! I've been looking all over for you!" he said with a loud voice, quite stern-sounding.
At the sight of Licht, Ryouko crawled out of bed, scurried like a squirrel towards the door and hugged him. "Licht... You'll take me to Ryoma, won't you? You know where he is, don't you? Take me to him. I want to see him," she cried with her face buried on the butler's tunic, her voice muffled.
Licht's eyes softened and he knelt down in front of his mistress. "Ryoma-obocchama just went out for a little while. He said he'll buy your favorite apple pie. He'll be back later," he told Ryouko.
"Hontou? (Really?) He'll be back?" she said, sounding as childish as ever.
Licht wiped her tears with his thumb and forefinger. "Yes. He'll be back. So Oujo-sama should be a good girl and take a nap. I'll wake you up once he arrives."
Ryouko nodded in understanding.
Licht opened his arms wide. "Come, Oujo-sama," he said.
Ryouko walked right into his embrace and let herself be carried. He walked towards Seijuro's bed and looked at him. "May I?" he told Seijuro, asking for permission to put Ryouko there.
Seijuro nodded. After laying Ryouko down and draping a blanket over her, Licht whispered to Seijuro. "Obocchama? Can we perhaps go out and I'll explain what just happened?"
Seijuro nodded again and led the butler out of the room. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Seijuro turned to him. "What's wrong with Ryouko? Something happened, am I right?"
Licht lifted a hand and ran his fingers though his hair, looking quite sheepish. "Actually, something also happened to you, Seijuro-obocchama," he answered.
"What do you mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Those chocolates..." Licht said.
"Chocolates?" Seijuro echoed.
"I received a phone call from Rikka-sama several minutes ago. It seemed like she made a mistake in wrapping up her home-made chocolates. What she sent to us are the whiskey chocolates that was supposed to be sent to Ryouichi-sama. The packages got confused," he told him.
"You mean... Those chocolates that we ate..." Seijuro said, his words fading.
Licht nodded. "It seemed like Oujo-sama is greatly intoxicated. I apologize on her behalf."
"No wonder she's acting like that..." Seijuro said with a sigh. "She ate twice the amount that I did. I was also feeling lightheaded earlier but the bath made me sober."
"I'm very sorry. Rikka-sama also extends her deep apologies," Licht said with a bow. Seijuro saw the look in the butler's eyes and realized that he must be bothered about his Oujo-sama getting drunk at such a young age.
"It's fine. It wasn't anyone's fault," Seijuro replied.
"Should I go and carry Oujo-sama back to her room?" Licht asked.
"Wait for a few minutes. She might wake up and make a fuss. I'll call you once I'm sure that she's deep in slumber," Seijuro said.
"But I thought you're retiring for the night," the butler said. "Your bed..."
"I'll wait until she's out of my room. I'll keep an eye on her for you. You can leave her to me for a while," he replied.
"That saves me a lot of trouble. Thank you, Obocchama. I'll go and prepare her bed." With that, Licht excused himself.
Before he could leave, Seijuro stopped him. "By the way, who is Ryoma?" he suddenly asked.
An expression passed through the butler's face for a moment; a look of deep melancholy.
"He is Ryouko-oujo-sama's dearest friend. They had been friends since they were little. He lived in the same neighborhood when we were in America," Licht answered.
"Ryouko-oujo-sama almost never mentions his name anymore but I guess she thinks about him everyday. 'Out of sight, out of mind' is something that cannot be applied by the young mistress when it comes to Ryoma-obocchama. I guess there's an advantage to her getting intoxicated. At least we got to hear some of her innermost feelings that she's been keeping locked up since coming here in London," the butler said. He looked thoughtful as he started crossing the corridor.
"And looking at her terrible drunk habits, I may have to forbid her to drink alcoholic beverages even after she reaches the right age," he added as if making a mental note for future use.
Seijuro watched the butler leave, finally remembering where he had heard the name. Last summer, when he learned about Ryouko's astraphobia, he heard her calling for this Ryoma. Even in her moments of weakness, she had been calling his name.
Seijuro entered the room and sat down on the side of the bed. Ryouko is snoring gently, her chest heaving up and down. Her cheeks still glowed a vivid red. He placed a palm over her forehead. "She might be running a slight fever," he thought, taking note of that so he could inform Licht later. He placed his palm on his own forehead afterwards. "And from the looks of it, I can also use a cold pack and some fever-reducers."
Seijuro layed down next to her and tossed to his side to see her better. He reached out a hand to brush the strands of hair covering her face.
"Ryoma..." he heard her breathe out.
"Hmmm..." Seijuro said curiously. "Just how important is this Ryoma person for her to be calling out his name even in her sleep?" he wondered.
"Sei-sama?" Ryouko's voice called him back to the current time period and Seijuro snapped back to his senses.
"Yes?" he said.
Ryouko narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you really paying attention?" she said suspiciously.
"I am," Seijuro answered. "Can't you see how focused I am?" he added matter-of-factly.
"Is that supposed to be sarcasm? Because if it is, I'll leave you alone and teach the other guys who'll take this more seriously," Ryouko said, placing a hand reprimandingly on her waist.
"Okay, I got it," Seijuro said in surrender, humoring her. "I'll listen closely as if I'm actually interested. Now, once more from the top," he added as if declaring an order.
Ryouko made a face but nevertheless continued her demonstration. "This is the last time," she said in a warning tone.
Ryoma had been watching them for the last two minutes and he frowned as Ryouko took hold of the red-haired highschooler's forearm.
"Was that better, Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno said, straightening up from a swinging stance.
Ryoma completely ignored her, more absorbed in whatever he's staring at. Sakuno followed his eyes and saw Ryouko and a red-haired member of the highschool basketball teams standing not too far from them. Sakuno bit her lower lip, clenching her fist in frustration.
"Okay! That's enough practice! We're starting the event! Assemble with your teammates and rendezvous at the site in five minutes!" Riko announced with a megaphone.
"Oh yea! Let's do this and get those shoes!" Kagami yelled.
"You're too hyped up, Kagami-kun," Kuroko commented.
"Say, he wasn't able to land even one decent shot all this time, right?" Senri whispered to Ritsu.
Ritsu nodded. "And he broke two rackets to boot. I wonder where he gets all that confidence. I sure would love to know."
"We're in deep trouble. Be careful not to get crushed by him during the game, Shimada. I bet it'll be chaotic once the game starts. This event is not as orderly as the first ones. If he hits you, you'll get flattened like a pancake," Senri told his teammate.
"I'll take note of that," Ritsu replied.
~~~
The campers started to file next to each other on the starting line, carrying tennis balls and rackets. Some were stretching their arms and legs as warm up. Ryouko was about to take a racket from the stall of supplies when Atobe suddenly whisked it away before she could touch it.
"What's the big idea?" Ryouko said, annoyed.
"You're not allowed to participate," Atobe told her.
"HUH?" Ryouko replied, her annoyance rising.
"The doctors gave you permission to discontinue the wheelchair but they haven't said anything about participating in activities that requires a lot of mobility. You're still a patient," he tossed the racket back to where it was originally placed. "Now be a good patient and just sit on one of the benches," he said, pointing at the bench where Satsuki and Riko sat.
"Why can't I participate? I'm perfectly fine," Ryouko complained.
Atobe leaned down to reach her eye level. "I've brought up this matter to my father. He seconded my decision," he pointed out. "Dame dakara dame (No means no)," he said matter-of-factly.
A vein throbbed irritably at Ryouko's temple and she impulsively pinched both of Atobe's cheeks, stretching them sidewards.
"Ow!" Atobe yelped and pried her fingers from his face.
Ryouko looked up at him and glared with the mirth of a grade-schooler who had been told that she's not allowed to join a field trip because of a minor cold. "Keigo you blockhead!" she said childishly and walked away, flipping her ponytail violently behind her and making it lash at Atobe's face.
Atobe sputtered as the bundle of hair hit him across the mouth. "Why you..." he said, clenching his hand into a fist and glaring at her retreating figure. He massaged his cheeks with both palms, still feeling the sting from her savage pull.
"Keigo you blockhead." Her childish but irresistibly adorable tantrum replayed in his mind. He felt sort of giddy everytime she utters his first name.
"I'm letting you off the hook because you're cute. You better thank your parents for their good genes," he mumbled, staring at her rigid back.
Ryouko was in a foul mood when she rejoined the other Team 2 members. She informed them that she was not allowed to participate in the event.
"It's okay, Ryouko. It's not as if this is the last event," Kajimoto said, trying to comfort her.
Ryouko's frown was unmoving. Sanada and Yukimura looked at each other, the latter letting out a nervous laugh.
Ryouko suddenly sighed and she finally uncrossed her arms from her chest, relaxing her stance. Sanada nodded, quite pleased. "That's more like it," he said and gave Ryouko's shoulder an encouraging tap.
"Thanks, Danchou," Ryouko told him, placed her palm over the back of Sanada's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Some of the guys watched the small affectionate gesture with jealousy in their eyes.
"Oh?" Seijuro said, quite amused. "She doesn't just get along with the Ryoma fellow but with the other members of this team as well..." he thought.
"Now who's been picked as Member One and Two in charge of the finish line?" she asked.
Yukimura and Sanada's hands went up in the air.
"Ohh..." Ryouko said, her eyes widening. "Now this is quite nice. Both players are reliable. I would've announced a disaster warning if any of the basketball players had been selected," she added, looking at the members of the Generation of Miracles standing in a cluster at one side.
"A disaster warning..." Kise repeated in exasperation.
"I'm pretty sure she could have selected a better term for that. Is she saying that on purpose?" Midorima commented.
"As expected, this is a pain in the butt," Murasakibara said, looking vexed. "Can't I just be benched out of this game?"
"This isn't exactly a basketball match, Atsushi," Seijuro pointed out. He felt a little annoyed that Ryouko had lumped him together with the other basketball players.
"Sou desu. (Right.) Let's just do our best," Kuroko commented.
"I don't really care as long as I get those shoes," Kagami said.
Ryouko clapped her hands twice. "Now, now... Gather around and listen closely," she said and turned to her teammates.
They were all surprised at the mischievous spark in her rust-colored eyes. "I have a plan that can give us an advantage," she told them, sounding mysterious.
~~~
Satsuki brought her hands together and smiled. "This is really, really exciting! I wonder how our boys will fare at this game... They're always playing basketball and this is such a nice change of mood."
Riko couldn't help but agree. Even though the boys shoulder a lot of burden in playing as regulars in their basketball teams, they're all still in highschool. They should enjoy life in many ways and experience a lot of different things. She checked her wristwatch and smiled. "It's time," she said and blew on her whistle.
Silence was observed and the campers turned to her direction. "All players in position!" she yelled at the megaphone. Serious looks settled on each of the players' faces. They gripped their rackets tightly.
"On you mark!" Riko announced.
"Get set!" Satsuki yelled.
Both girls held their whistles to their lips and blew hard.
'Brrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttt!" The shrill sounds of the whistles cut into the air followed by cheers from the spectators and the players as they charged towards the giant oak tree.
The freshmen from Teams 5 and 6 were the first ones to lob their tennis balls into the air. Consecutive failures were observed and the tennis balls that fell on the ground increased in number. Arai and the other camp managers weaved in and out of the scattered players to retrieve the used tennis balls to prevent cheating.
At one corner beneath a low-lying branch, Horio was able to hit a golden egg hanging from the tip of a sturdy twig. It quivered as the ball touched it. "Alright!" he yelled. But then, the quivering stopped and the golden egg remained sitting on the branch. "Oh no!" Horio exclaimed in despair.
"Stupid," Tomoka commented.
Shouts of instructions and encouragements can be heard from the oak tree as the players did their best to compliment each other. Many of the tennis players made efforts to assist the basketball players.
"Wah!" Hayama exclaimed in an amazed tone and pointed at an area where many of the Team 2 members were compressed. "Is that fair?"
He caught the attention of the other players and they looked at the direction he was pointing.
Tokk! Tokk! Tokk!
Kajimoto lobbed the ball upwards and made a purple-colored egg drop to the ground. "Alright!" he shouted as Ritsu picked up the egg. The ball dropped down and to everyone's surprise, Kajimoto lobbed it once again, targeting a red-colored one.
"Ah! They're cheating!" Tomoka yelled.
From the side, Ryouko gave a victorious grin. "We're not cheating. The rule says that tennis players are allowed to use one tennis ball. It didn't exactly state that they can only use it once. As long as the ball still haven't touched the ground, it's still in play, just like what is implemented during an official tennis match," she explained.
"Genius, seriously... Only Ryouko can come up with such ridiculous loopholes in the rules..." Mizuki commented as he hit his tennis ball upward with a backhand swing.
Fuji gave a small laugh of amusement. "Why haven't any of us thought of that?" he said.
"Yosh. Everyone. Copy what the Team 2 is doing," Tezuka instructed and hit his tennis ball in play. Thankfully, none of the regulars have hit theirs yet as they were being careful with what they thought was only a one-time shot.
The game became more competitive as the air is filled with flying tennis balls. The amount of the eggs on the tree branches is slowly decreasing. Every now and then, accidents happen like two tennis balls hitting each other. The players chased after their own and failed to catch up because of running into other players. The team members still in play are also decreasing as the game progressed.
Blunders were made by many of the basketball players including Sakurai tripping over a stray tennis ball and colliding onto Okamura. He flew into a frenzy of continuous apologies, kneeling on the ground and bowing down in succession. Kimura who was focused on looking upwards at the orange egg he was targeting tripped over Sakurai's legs and accidentally snatched Imayoshi's shirt as he struggled for something to hold onto.
Imayoshi went crashing down with Kimura and his flailing leg had kicked Hyuga on the behind causing the latter to lose his aim while lobbing a tennis ball. The ball went sailing onto the air and hit Nebuya on the head. Shocked at the impact, he also missed his shot and accidentally pulled off an unexpected powerful serve.
It went straight at Moriyama, giving him a vicious punch in the stomach. He doubled over and got in the way of Mitobe who was looking upwards and walking backwards. He tripped over Moriyama and brought Koganei crashing together with him as the latter was hit by someone's flying racket.
The flying racket's owner was Himuro who was looking at his hand as if mystified at where his racket went. Takao and Izuki danced out of the chaos, feeling exceptionally grateful at their wide ranges of sight.
"What is this, a domino effect?" Riko commented in exasperation as she watched the pandemonium happening on the grounds.
Satsuki had been giggling onto her palm the whole time, tears of laughter evident in her eyes. "Th-this is... this is too much fun..." she said in between sniggers, almost unable to talk because of her excessive laughter.
One by one, the basketball players that either failed at their attempts or got caught in the domino effect staggered out of from under the oak tree's shade and proceeded to the rest areas of their team, groaning and clutching injured limbs.
"Nasakenai wa... (How pathetic...)" Riko commented as Hyuga and Koganei dragged themselves towards the benches.
"Oh..." She suddenly said, sounding impressed. Surprisingly, all of the basketball players on Team 2 are still remaining.
Kuroko heaved a huge breath and focused. He lobbed a ball into the air. "A..." he said, quite surprised at his success. "It went up," he said as he watched the ball fly upwards.
"What use is it if you don't aim?" Kagami yelled. He was using his third tennis ball after successfully salvaging two brightly colored eggs from his first two attempts. It was not as though he was great at aiming. He also didn't aim and just hit the ball upwards with monstrous strength without thinking. The ball hit a branch and caused it to break, taking two eggs which hanged onto it.
"Ba-ba-bakemono... (Mo-mo-monster...)" Ritsu and Senri said, shifting their attention from Kagami to the purple-haired giant spreading havoc on the other side.
Murasakibara was so tall that he only needed to swing the racket a little ways and knock the lower lying branches with the tennis ball. He used up all three balls and was able to get three eggs with his attempts. He could've gotten more if only he would make the effort to jump but he was too bummed out to do so. He proceeded to the rest area, grumbling lazily about how the task was such a pain.
Meanwhile, the ball that Kuroko lobbed was saved by Atobe and the latter began throwing continuous rallies with pinpoint precision that made several eggs rain down on them.
"Hey! How come Atobe's using Kuroko-san's tennis ball? Is that allowed?" Shiranui complained.
"As long as the ball is in the air, it's still in play. It doesn't matter who hits it back," Ryouko said, grinning.
"That smart aleck... She's digging loopholes into every rule," Aragaki growled.
Ryouko shrugged. "It takes brains to stand at the top," she said and crossed one leg over the other. "This game is ours for the taking," she added, a malicious glint shining from her pupils.
"Don't be too sure about that, Ryouko-san..." Satsuki said and pointed at one corner. An and her team are starting to check if they have all seventeen differently colored eggs. The other teams have given up on knocking down the eggs and just proceeded with the bartering.
"Who cares?" Ryouko said. "They would have to barter with us to complete the set. From what I've seen, almost half of the eggs were salvaged by my team," she pointed out.
"Ooh. Smart," Riko commented and grinned.
As Team 2 was finishing up on their egg hunt, Aoi salvaged the last tennis ball in play. "Alrigh'!" he said. His supposed to be successful receive was sabotaged when he ran over someone. That someone was propelled to the ground.
"Bikkurishita! (That scared me!)" Aoi said and looked around at what hit him.
Kuroko was sitting on the grassy slope and blinking in confusion. "That hurts," he said blankly.
"Sumimasen. I didn't see you," Aoi said and offered assistance to Kuroko.
"It's okay. It's not as if it was the first time this happened to me," Kuroko answered. "I can stand up on my own," he added.
"And here I was wondering when his lack of presence will get him in trouble. He's lucky not to be in the same place where the domino effect occurred or he'd be crushed flat," Riko said with a sigh.
Satsuki clasped her hands in anticipation. "I wonder what those mystery eggs are hiding... I wish they'd hurry up and reveal the items!"
The game is nearing its climax and Ryouko's grin is becoming wider and wider. She reached over the basket of fruits on the bench and took an orange. She stood up and proceeded to where the pair of players responsible for the finishing touches awaited their teammates with the set of eggs. Satsuki and Riko followed her.
Ryouko scanned the area for Yukimura and Sanda. Yukimura saw her and waved in greeting. She waved back. Sanada gave a reproving nod.
"Oh? There's quite a few unexpected pairings..." Ryouko said as she looked at the other teams.
Ayase Mami and Aomine Daiki stood on the Team 5's area. Ryouko gave an amused smile. "Do your best, Mami," she said loudly with a hand cupped at the side of her mouth. Mami looked at her and responded with a thumbs up and a wink.
Ryouko moved onto the other teams. Team 6 has Ohtori Choutaro and Oshitari Yuushi on stand-by. Team 4 has Marui Bunta and Shishido Ryo, looking quite impatient as they waited for their team members.
"Team 1 has Momo-senpai and Kirihara-san," Ryouko said, throwing the orange upwards and catching it expertly. Her eyes wavered when she saw who the representatives of Team 3 are and she almost missed the timing to catch the orange from the second throw.
"Ryoma?" she murmured. Standing nervously by his side is Ryuzaki Sakuno.
Ryouko's attention was diverted back to her team when Kajimoto and the others went to meet Yukimura and Sanada from the serving area twenty meters away from the finish line. They have assembled all seventeen easter eggs and was currently looking for the blue one with the orange stripes to reveal the instructions.
Ryouko had previously told them to leave two or three of their teammates to barter with the other teams. In the case that they don't need to barter and the whole set of seventeen easter eggs is available to them, two members will stay behind to make negotiations with the other teams using the remaining ones. The strategy is to buy them more time to finish the game first.
Ibu and Kintarou had already started dismantling the easter eggs and they were mystified when they found band-aids inside. There was something written on the latex.
"No-se?" Kintarou read, reading the word in two separate syllables.
"You read it wrong, Kinta-kun," Ibu said. "This is English. You read it as 'Nose'. It's 'hana'," he told him and placed a forefinger at the tip of Kintarou's nose.
"How'd you know?" Kintarou asked, rubbing the tip of his nose.
Ibu showed him the contents of another egg. "This one says 'right cheek'. Migi no hoho," he explained.
"Oh... You're pretty smart, Ibu-san..." Kintarou said, his voice full of awe.
"This level is pretty basic though..." Ibu mumbled.
"So what are we supposed to do with these? Stick the band aid on the body part specified or what?" Shiraishi said, picking up an egg and taking out a band aid from inside. "Lips," he read. "Kuchibiru huh..."
Mizuki was the one who found the blue egg with orange stripes and he opened it. Two small cards were found inside, numbered 1 and 2. Mizuki opened the first one. He read the words with his eyes and a grin slowly spread on his mouth.
"You hit bingo, Shiraishi," Mizuki suddenly said.
"Bingo?" Shiraishi said.
Mizuki showed them the first card. "Open the easter eggs and take out the bandaid patches from inside. Member number two will stick one end of the band aid on the specified body part on Member number one."
They all looked at Sanada who was designated as Member One.
"I thought I was supposed to be the one to read the instructions..." Yukimura asked.
"There's a second card," Mizuki said with a shrug. "You have to accomplish the orders written on the first card first before opening the next one," he added and handed the cards to Yukimura.
"We'll give you the band aids one by one to make the task easier," Kajimoto said.
"Uh... Left ear..." Shiraishi said and handed the bandaid to Yukimura. Yukimura peeled off one side. He stuck the sticky end onto Sanada's left ear.
"Forehead," Kajimoto said and gave the band aid to Yukimura.
Yukimura repeated what he did earlier and stuck the end on Sanada's forehead.
The other team members bit their lower lips to stifle their laughs. Kintarou, having no delicacy whatsoever, guffawed openly. "Man... This is better than vandalizing on someone's face while they're sleeping!" he said and snickered.
Yukimura couldn't help but smile. "This is quite fun," he commented.
"Just hurry up and have it over with," Sanada said, looking far from pleased but nevertheless, he stood still and let his partner do the task.
All sixteen patches were attached to their respective places and Yukimura opened the second card. He read it out loud. "Once all sixteen patches are in their appropriate places, Member number two will..." Yukimura's words suddenly faded as he read the next phrases by himself. His eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed.
Surprised with his reaction, Mizuki took a peek at the card. He began to read out loud, continuing on where Yukimura left off. "Member number two will remove all of the band aids using..." Mizuki stopped and was dumbfounded for a moment. "Holy cow," he said before his shoulders shook up and down in silent laughter.
"What's the big idea? You guys are being annoying. Yukimura, just perform the task and hurry up," Kajimoto suddenly piped up from behind.
"That's easier said than done," Yukimura said and heaved out a huge sigh. "Why does this only happen to me?" he added, quite exasperated.
Cuious, the highschoolers crowded over the card and read what was written there themselves. "Remove all the band aids using lips only?" Kise exclaimed and guffawed. "What the hell?"
"EHHHHH?" The remaining team members said in disbelief.
At the side, Ryouko, Satsuki and Riko were wondering what was happening. "Aren't they wrestling with the task a little too long?" Riko commented.
"Hmm," Ryouko said in agreement.
All of a sudden, they saw the boys cheering and slapping Yukimura on the back.
"It's alright! You can do this!" Shiraishi said encouragingly.
"It's not such a big deal..." Mizuki said.
Yukimura's face looked dark. "If it's not such a big deal, then why don't you do it?" he retorted sarcastically.
"It's not such a pleasant occurrence for me as well," Sanada commented, the band aid on his lower lip fluttering as he talked.
"But a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Do this for the team, ei?" Shiraishi said.
"Yu-ki-mu-ra. Yu-ki-mu-ra," Kajimoto had started a chant of encouragement. The other team members joined in, even the Generation of Miracles minus Akashi. "Sa-na-da. Sa-na-da. Yu-ki-mu-ra. Yu-ki-mu-ra. Sa-na-da. Sa-na-da," They chanted, slowly catching the attention of the other teams.
"What the heck's happening there?" Momo said and craned his neck for a better view.
"I got it, I got it! Don't be too noisy!" Yukimura said, a little peeved.
With a sigh, he put both of his hands behind him and stepped closer to Sanada.
"Oi, oi... What's happening?" Riko said, leaning forward in anticipation.
"What is with this ominous but strangely stimulating atmosphere?" Satsuki asked and also leaned forward.
"Aren't they a little too close?" Ryouko said blinkingly, estimating the distance between Sanada and Yukimura.
To their surprise, Yukimura suddenly inclined his face towards Sanada's own and bit off something from his left ear.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Riko and Satsuki's squeals filled the air, successfully diverting everyone's attention to them.
"Oh," Ryouko said in amazement and went closer to her teammates. Riko and Satsuki went ahead of her.
Yohei, who was in the middle of teasing the other freshmen in the middle of negotiation about the remaining easter eggs in Team 2's possession, became intrigued at what was happening in his team. "Just do whatever you want with those," He said and dropped all of the easter eggs. Senri followed after him, also dropping the eggs on his person.
"That's mine!" Horio said as he and the other freshmen fought for the eggs.
The squeals and cheers became louder and almost every spectator is gathered around the Team 2's area to watch the great scene happening in the center.
"Five down," Yukimura thought as he detached one band aid from Sanada's forehead.
"Oh no, this is soo... soo..." Satsuki said, unable to find any word for it. Her cheeks glowed pink at watching the scenario unfolding in front of them.
Ryouko took her phone out and pointed the camera at Yukimura and Sanada. "This is something that should not be left off without evidence," she said.
"Ryouko!" Sanada scolded, throwing her a threatening look.
Ryouko ignored him. "Entitled 'Seiichi to Danchou no koi no monogatari' (Seiichi and Danchou's Story of Love)," she said as if announcing a movie title.
"Ryouko..." Yukimura said in exasperation. "You guys are enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Of course," Ryouko answered. "Now chop chop, we don't have all day. Only eleven more left."
Riko squealed like a dolphin. "There's one on the lips, there's one on the lips..." she said as if feverish. She and Satsuki clasped hands and began jumping like lunatics.
"Who knew that this kind of thing can bring Touo's manager and Seirin's coach together?" Kise commented with a laugh.
"Girls are so weird," Midorima added, shaking his head helplessly.
Noises began to erupt from the other teams as well while their respective pairs enacted what was written on the cards.
An was screaming at the top of her lungs as Momoshiro went closer to Kirihara. Momoshiro looked as if he was being force-fed poison and Kirihara looked disgusted beyond belief. Kamio was having the time of his life, sniggering as loudly as he could.
Marui and Shishido were in the same disposition as the first two and the Hyotei and Rikkaidai members near them stifled mocking laughs.
Oshitari and Choutaro were not exactly disgusted, only extremely, tremendously and extraordinarily uncomfortable. Gakuto and Jirou snuck snapshots and videos of their teammates, starting off what they believe is the beginning of a pretty cute collection for the next Hyotei generations to inherit.
The voices of the girls were slowly turning hoarse from too much fangirling. However, Satsuki's delight was punctuated as she remembered something. She looked thoughtful and detached herself from the Team 2's area, craning her neck. "If my memory serves me right, Daiki is also one of the pairi—"
"Geh," Satsuki said as he saw Aomine advancing towards the freshman girl called Mami. Mami's ears were completely red. She kept her head bowed down because she was too embarrassed to look at the cool highschooler who was one of the two boys that have already stolen her heart from the moment they were placed in her team. (From the corner of Team 5's rest area, Himuro sneezed.)
Aomine knelt in front of Mami and patted her head. "It's okay. It'll be over before you know it," he said and placed both hands behind him. He slanted his face at the side of her head to take out the bandaid attached to her right ear.
Mami flinched and shut her eyes tight. "Stay still and don't move a muscle," Aomine instructed. Mami's and Satsuki's eyes widened when Aomine made a quick swipe at the band aid stuck on Mami's lips.
Aomine blew it off from his lips with a single breath. "Two down," he said.
"Kyaa! Even if I die at this moment, I won't have any regrets!" Mami thought, her insides squirming from the small taste of romantic excitement.
Behind them, Satsuki's pink hair almost stood on end. "DAI—KI..." she said ominously.
"Mission managed!" Sanada yelled and immediately took a racket. In not more than a minute, he had served a ball directly at the white hen's egg hanging at the far left.
Arai inspected the remains and raised a white flag. "Team 2! Event successful!"
"Man, he can see that tiny thing?" Kise said, squinting to see if he can read the marks of the thin pentel pen used to write the numbers on the white egg shell. He could barely decipher the number. He remembered that they were twenty meters away from the pole carrying the white eggs and became amazed all over again. "Tennis players are scary," he commented.
Satisfied with her team's victory, Ryouko was about to turn to the opposite direction when all of a sudden, something got caught in the corner of her eye. She turned towards the direction of the third team's area and her lips parted in silent surprise.
"Just do it, will you? In this case, we'd be the last to finish," Ryoma said in an almost irritated tone.
It took Sakuno ten agonizing minutes to remove the first fifteen patches of band aid and she was hesitating on the last one, the one stuck at the side of Ryoma's lips.
"Oi..." Ryoma said with a sigh, gathering his patience. "Ryuzaki," he called.
Sakuno stiffened. "Hai," she said with a quivering tone. It seemed like every exposed skin above Sakuno's shoulder blades were stained scarlet. Even the ends of her long braids looked tense.
"Relax," Ryoma told her. "Just one quick swipe. I won't move even a centimeter so rest assured that no accident will happen, okay?" he said, trying to comfort his Team Rep.
Sakuno nodded. Her chest had been thudding like a thousand bass drums from the moment that she started sticking the band aids on Ryoma's face. She had never been that close to him before. Never.
She felt nervous but also glad for the excuse that made her step closer to him. That was what she had always looked for. An excuse; an opportunity to tread on the same ground he is standing on. She began liking tennis because of him. Tennis is the only thing that can keep her by his side.
And this moment... This moment is an opportunity.
"But what if I slip and... and... accidentally graze his lips?" she thought, her mind in a frenzy of confused emotions.
Sakuno haven't even had her first kiss yet. She lifted her head slowly and looked at Ryoma in the eye.
"But if it's Ryoma-kun..." she thought. "If it's Ryoma-kun... I won't mind..."
As if possessed, Ryuzaki Sakuno took a step forward. She placed her hands right behind her waist and slowly stood on tiptoe, her face inclined towards his, her eyes locked onto his lips. Sakuno closed her eyes.
Ttok! A hollow sound was suddenly heard.
"Ouch!" Sakuno yelped. Something had hit her on the head.
Ryoma looked baffled and he blinked in confusion. "What the heck was that?" he exclaimed.
The thing that hit Sakuno bounced off from her head and fell to the ground. They both looked at it.
"Orenji? (An orange?)" Ryoma said, looking at the fruit rolling off and finally stopping between tufts of grass.
"There isn't even a single orange tree nearby. Where did that come from?" Ryoma thought.
He noticed that Sakuno was still rubbing the spot where the orange hit her. "Oi, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Sakuno answered, checking if there was a bump.
"Team 3, event successful!" Arai suddenly announced.
"Eh? But we haven't... yet..." Sakuno said and looked around in confusion.
Mami who stood as Team 5's server had hit an egg with her serve but it was Team 3's egg. "Oya?" she said and tilted her head to one side. She lifted a hand and scratched her head. "Gomennasai..." she told her members with an uncomfortable laugh.
"Don't mind! There's still one tennis ball left and only one remaining egg. Just blast it off. Even if we finished last, at least we also completed the event," Fuji told her.
"Fuji-senpai, you're so kind~" Mami said, looking quite touched. She made the second serve and was able to hit the last egg hanging from the pole. Her team cheered.
"Isn't this nice? Everyone finished successfully," Riko said, completely satisfied with the results.
"Oh yea! My sports shoes!" Kagami exclaimed, holding both fists in the air.
The crowd began to move out from the camp grounds and back to the direction of the main cabin.
"All that moving around made me hungry!" Nebuya said.
"Oh have some restraint, Nebuya, we just ate lunch," Mibuchi told his fellow Rakuzan teammate.
"Oh? You don't know? I eat six meals in one day and small snacks in-between meals," Nebuya said.
Hayama laughed. "Onaka no naka ni burak horu ga arimasuka? (Is there a black hole inside your stomach?)"
"Onaka eki no naka ni onaka suita. (Hungry inside Onaka station.) Good job, me!" Izuki said.
"Izuki, go run to Onaka Station and don't ever come back!" Hyuga yelled at him.
As the noises and cheers intensified, Akashi looked around for a sign of his former pupil.
"Ryota, have you seen Ryouko?" he asked Kise.
"Ryoukocchi? She was just here a while ago. Maybe she went to the toilet?" Kise answered.
He scanned his surroundings and finally spotted her. She was walking towards the direction where they all came from. "Where is she going?" he wondered.
He followed her as she made her way to the area that served as their serving line for the game. He surveyed her curiously as she bent down and picked up something from the ground.
Akashi narrowed his eyes at her hand.
"Huh?" he said and looked confused.
"An orange?"
Been long ei folks? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! XD Finally I'm able to move on from this event! hahahaha XD SUCCESS!!!
HAPPY ONE HUNDRED CHAPTERS TO TENNIS NO OUJO-SAMA! Let us celebrate with a big bang on Chapter 101! Hopefully I'll be able to write it all before this week ends! Well, I've been reverted back to closing duty so I'm pretty confident that I can! XD Cheer for me guys!