The sky outside was only dimly-lit by the peeking sun when Ryoma was suddenly woken by a pair of feet prodding him by the side.
"Oi," came a voice coming from above. "Ryoma, it's almost six o'clock," it added.
Ryoma removed the covers from his head and opened one eye sleepily. "What?" he asked.
Ryouko is already wide-awake, sitting on the bed with both legs dangling down towards him. She looked much better compared to yesterday. Her voice still sounded a bit hoarse but it's on the verge of returning to normal.
The night had not been sleepless, but he had to get up twice to help Ryouko take more medicine and make her replenish her fluids. He also changed the cold patch on her forehead which she had already peeled off five minutes ago.
Ryouko gave the side of his stomach another light kick. "You should get up or you'll be late," she remarked.
"Late for what?" Ryoma said.
Ryouko raised an eyebrow at him. "School, you dummy... Are you still in dreamland or something?" The way she's being sarcastic, you wouldn't know she had been sick the night before.
Ryoma sat up and ran a hand through his tousled dark hair. "I'm not going to school today," he declared.
"Why?" Ryouko asked.
He threw her an annoyed look as if demanding why she's even asking such a question. "There's a sick person in the house. Do you think I can go to school in peace? If I'm not gonna stay here, who's going to watch over you and help you recover?" he told her matter-of-factly and gave a yawn as he got up. "You thirsty? I'll get you a glass of water," he added.
Ryouko watched him move sluggishly and gave a look of exasperation. "Oh come on... Stop exaggerrating... I'm more or less feeling fine. The fever's gone and I'm no longer feeling dizzy. Even my throat is starting to recover. Just a day more of rest and medicine, I'll be as good as new. You don't need to miss school to nurse me," she said.
Ryoma handed her the glass of water with a narrowing of his bronze-gold eyes. "'A day more of rest and medicine', exactly," he replied, quoting her words. "You're still recovering so it's definitely necessary for me to stay and make sure that you recover properly. I can't possiby make you take care of your meals while I am away, now can I?"
"Well, as a matter-of-fact, you can't take care of my meals either," Ryouko pointed out before taking a sip of water.
Ryoma frowned at her obvious dissing of his skills in the kitchen. "Did I say anything about me cooking? I'm gonna go out to buy food okay?" he said, rolling his eyes.
Ryouko smiled at his annoyed tone and put the empty glass of water on the bedside table. "Really, Ryoma... Don't miss school just because of this..." she replied, sounding serious all of a sudden.
"In my current condition, I'll be fine by myself. I'll be staying in the living room so there's no chance of me getting injured going up and down the stairs. There's plenty of food in the refrigerator and pantry that doesn't need any cooking. You'd be gone for only nine hours at most. I assure you that I'd be fully-recovered by the time you arrive," she remarked, providing no chance for him to say a word of protest.
Ryoma was just about to open his mouth when she beat him into it. "Besides," she said, further fuelling her argument. "It'd be weird for you to suddenly miss school. You can't call in sick since that would be more suspicious. If someone suspects you, I might get caught, you know..."
Ryoma looked thoughtful as he considered the possibilities. Ryouko has a point. Licht and Ichidou told him to stay where he is which he told the senpais yesterday, so he can't really just say that he missed a day of school because he wanted to find the missing Ryouko. And if he's gonna be going in and out of the house to buy meals and stuff, he would definitely be seen.
But still, he doesn't want to leave Ryouko all alone in the house when she's not even fully recovered. He wants to be by her side and watch her recover with his own eyes. And he's also not feeling very comfortable going to school and having people stare at him weird, murmuring gossips under their breath. He had quite a rough day yesterday pretending to look gloomy and perturbed, acting like he knew nothing when he knew everything. Hiding large secrets had never been his thing in the first place so it's extremely tiring.
His thoughts were interrupted by a subtle warmth around his hand. Ryouko had reached over and grabbed onto his left wrist. "Go to school and don't worry. I'm not a baby, okay?" she said, looking up at him.
"You sure?" he asked, looking skeptical.
Ryouko nodded. "And it's not like I'm entirely alone..." she told him. As if on cue, Karupin walked across the room, jumped up the bed and went to rest his pink paws on Ryouko's leg, mewing a morning greeting.
Ryouko petted him behind the ears and he purred in satisfaction. "See? What happened yesterday made us get along quite nicely, so there's at least one good thing that came from getting sick," she said, lifting the ball of fluff to her lap. "Karupin will take care of me while you're gone so everything's gonna be fine," she added.
Ryoma lifted an eyebrow at the purring curled up fluffball who seemed to be enjoying being Ryouko's lap kitty. Karupin opened his blue eyes and stared at him with an expression that said 'So she says. She trusts me more than you so just go away.'. He wasn't used to taking attitude from his cat and it made him feel a bit irritated.
"Okay then... I'll go to school. It's Friday anyway and there'll be no classes tomorrow," he said.
Ryouko nodded and continued petting Karupin. There came several seconds of silence and when Ryouko noticed it lagging longer, she looked up.
Ryoma stared back at her and raised an eyebrow. "Well, do you mind?" he said matter-of-factly.
"Mind what?" she asked.
"Should I change into my uniform with you watching?" he answered plainly. "I don't mind if you don't mind," he added and started unbuttoning his pajama shirt.
Ryouko's eyes widened and she crawled down the bed with Karupin in tow. "Hold it, you stripper, I'm going out!" she yelled, her voice squeaking.
Ryoma smirked in satisfaction at her reaction. At least it looks like she's more aware now about the difference in their genders.
Meanwhile, Ryouko just reached the doorway, quickly closed the door and leaned onto it with Karupin swinging on her arm by his front legs, looking like a ragdoll. "What's he doing, giving me a heart attack first thing in the morning?" she murmured, sounding half-nervous and half-relieved.
Then she realized what a strange thing she just did. Just last week, she even offered to button his shirt up for him, so what's she doing running away at the sight of him taking off a shirt? She slumped down, her back sliding smoothly through the door. Karupin looked up at her in curiosity.
"He's definitely gonna think that I'm acting weird!" she exclaimed internally and scolded herself for being so impulsive.
Karupin jumped out of her arm and walked towards the stairs. He mewed and looked at Ryouko as if saying 'Enough of this nonsense, let's get some breakfast'.
Making a defeated face, she got up and was about to step down when Ryoma's muffled voice made her stop. "Don't you dare go downstairs without me! I'm going with you and make sure you won't slip and die!" he yelled.
Ryouko clutched at her chest in surprise. "What the heck, is he a ghost? How'd he know I'm about to go downstairs?" she wondered with wide eyes, staring at the door.
Aloud, she yelled back, "I'm not a freaking invalid! I can go down on my own!"
"Not! One! Step! I'm almost finished changing! Wait for me!" he shouted as he jumped up and down, putting on his pants.
Heaving a huge sigh, she went back to the door and tapped her foot impatiently. A few seconds later, Ryoma went out wearing pants and a white undershirt, his black uniform hanging on his right shoulder and a towel on his left one.
"Why're you only half-dressed?" she asked him.
"I still have to wash up, you dummy. I always use the bathroom downstairs. Let's go," he said and took hold of the bend of her elbow.
Ryouko couldn't help looking exasperated and annoyed when he led her down the stairs saying, "Careful now. Slowly..." and proceeding with a turtle's pace, taking one step at a time.
"Uh, excuse me, but I'm not eighty-years old and I don't have a sprain," she said, jerking her elbow away from him and going down the stairs with a normal pace. When she reached the last step, she looked up at him with a fake smile. "See? I didn't fall and die, did I?"
Wiping the smile off her face, she gave him a glare, rolled her eyes and headed to the kitchen, Karupin following by her feet like a chick to a mother hen.
Ryoma frowned. Can't she appreciate his concern for her? He's only being careful for her own sake.
After Ryoma washed up, they had a simple breakfast of oatmeal, fruits and milk with Karupin eating his catfood under the table.
Ryoma made Ryouko sit still as he did the dishes then he spent the next thirty minutes making sure that Ryouko would be comfortable staying in the living room while he's in school. He fashioned the sofa into a makeshift bed, carrying down more blankets, bedsheets and pillows than necessary. He also laid out a futon on the floor.
He peeled and cut fruits and sealed them in air-tight containers, ready to eat. He also squeezed out several lemons and citrus in a couple of vacuum flasks, filling them with hot water and a tablespoon of honey each. He also made cheese and salad sandwiches for her to eat for lunch.
He placed the medicine box on the coffee table and took out a cold patch. Ryouko was sitting on the sofa when he suddenly peeled off the protective adhesive and held the patch near her forehead.
"Push your bangs up for a second," he said, getting ready to stick the patch on her forehead.
Ryouko sighed. "I no longer have a fever..." she pointed out.
"I don't care," he answered.
With another sigh, she let Ryoma stick the patch on. Then he pulled out a scarf from behind him and started placing it around her neck.
Ryouko looked baffled as she remarked, "I'm staying inside the house."
"I don't care," Ryoma answered again.
Another fifteen minutes later, Ryoma can be seen fully dressed in his uniform, his school bag on his right hand and tennis bag slung on his left shoulder.
Ryouko stood by the shoe locker, feeling quite ridiculous with a scarf around her neck, a cap on her head, a cold patch on her forehead, leg warmers and a pair of thick socks on her feet, hidden inside the fluffy indoor slippers. She has Karupin on her arms and both of them are bidding Ryoma goodbye for school.
"Remember," Ryoma said firmly, peering at her seriously. "I got everything ready, the fruits and the tea and your lunch. There's even a huge pitcher of water and several glasses, cups and utensils laid out for use. They're all on the coffee table so just lie down on the makeshift bed and stay there until I come back. Karupin's food is ready, you don't have to prepare it for him. I want those two flasks of lemon tea empty when I arrive later; take plenty of fluids and drink your medicine on time. Don't go upstairs unless it's for a life and death situation," he instructed nonstop and handed her a folder phone. "This is Mom's old phone, I'll be checking on you occassionally and make sure everything's alright..."
"Yes Mummy..." Ryouko replied with a nod, sounding like a five-year-old on purpose.
Ryoma frowned at her sarcasm. "And stop carrying Karupin around like that. He's heavy," he scolded.
Karupin responded with a look that said 'Don't drag my weight into this!'
"Oh stop being so fussy and just go to school already... You're making my head hurt," Ryouko said and let Karupin jump down the floor. He waltzed away with his tail in the air, clearly upset about the 'heavy' comment.
"Okay then," Ryoma said, turning around towards the front door. "I'll go now..."
"Wait," Ryouko suddenly said and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him turn back around. She stepped close to him and unstuck the collar of his uniform, smoothing it out.
"Much better," she said, giving the collar a last tap. Then she locked eyes with Ryoma who had been watching her fix his collar with a weird expression.
She quickly stepped back and cleared her throat. "You can go now," she said dismissively.
"Ittekimasu..." Ryoma said, feeling a bit awkward being sent off in such a situation.
"Itterasshai..." Ryouko mumbled, feeling the same way.
Ryoma exited the gate and locked it in place. A smile played on his lips as he walked towards the direction he always took on the way to school.
Meanwhile, Ryouko craned her neck and watched his back from the window until he disappeared from sight. Karupin mewed and she realized he's right by the windowsill.
Ryouko smiled down at the fluffball. "Did you also watch him leave?" she asked. "He's such a worrywart isn't he?" she added as he lifted him to her arms. "Now that he's gone, we have some peace and quiet..."
She took the kitty to the improvised sofa bed and Karupin curled right onto it. She sat down and was about to unwrap the scarf around her neck when she stopped, recalling the way Ryoma wrapped it around her several minutes ago.
She looked down at the warm cream-colored scarf. "This is overdoing it... but I guess I'll keep it on..." she murmured under her breath and gave a smile.
~~~
School is much quieter compared to yesterday, much to Ryoma's surprise. To compromise to the winter season, large vinyl drapes are put up over some of the tennis courts to block the snow but they wouldn't be training outside when the temperature does not allow it. It's cold that morning but not so much that the players cannot handle training outdoors. Each of them were told to put on pants instead of the usual shorts and they were provided with shirts made with thicker material to keep them warm.
As he went on with practice, Ryoma could see several of the freshmen casting him cautious looks every now and then, as if they're contemplating on approaching him or not. But everytime this happens, either Kikumaru or Momoshiro would arrive at the scene and shoot daggers at the guilty freshmen, making them scatter and concentrate on practice.
They must be looking after Ryoma in their own way, and Ryoma, clearly noticing their efforts, doesn't really know how to respond. After all, their concern is uncalled for because he's the one hiding Ryouko from the people looking for her. To fool his seniors to that point, he might actually be doing a better job at lying than he thought he would.
Morning practice ended and homeroom started. The atmosphere in Class 1-2 clearly became a lot lighter than the day before. Several of his classmates gave him words of encouragement every now and then which he responded to with silent nods. Clearly, his classmates are being sensitive and refrained from bothering him.
With this change of environment, Ryoma was able to spend class time absent-mindedly staring out the window and wondering whether Ryouko is obediently sticking to his instructions. You just never know what Fujioka Ryouko would be doing once she regains her energy. He should've tied her to the bed instead but then, she wouldn't be able to eat... He really should've just missed school and kept her company...
As soon as the teacher left and the class waited for the next period, Ryoma casted wary glances around the room. When he made sure that no one is paying attention to him, he slipped his phone out from under his desk and started typing a text message.
In the Echizen residence, Ryouko is laying flat on her back on the makeshift bed, lifting Karupin by his front legs like a baby and supporting his hind legs with her feet, making the Himalayan seem to be gliding in the air. She straightened out one of his front legs in a superman flying pose. "And now we have... Supercat!" she declared, making Karupin glare at her.
At that moment, the phone that Ryoma left to her gave a ring. She looked at it sidewards and blinked. Putting down Karupin by her side, she reached out with a grunt and grabbed the phone. Karupin took this opportunity to start clawing at her hair as revenge for making fun of him.
She opened the phone and saw 'My son' flashing on the screen with a heart emoticon. Not minding Karupin who is still clawing at her long dark locks with viciousness, she opened the message.
'Drink the lemon tea and stay warm. Your next dose of medicine is due in two hours,' the message read.
"Seriously, it's only been a couple of hours since he left... Am I really that hard to trust?" she mumbled and typed out a reply.
'Yes, Mummy, I get it... Please concentrate in class and don't worry.'
In the classroom of Class 1-2, Ryoma read the reply and gave a small smile. He gently ran a forefinger over the screen, specifically at the picture of Ryouko in his contacts before closing his phone.
Suddenly, he felt a gaze coming from his right and he looked sidewards at the source. Ayase Mami is staring at him with a curious expression on her face. Very quickly, he slipped the phone back inside the desk and cleared his throat before shifting his attention back outside the window.
"Drats, did she notice me looking at my phone?" he thought anxiously. He casted a wary glance at Mami and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her turn to Miyako and started chatting casually.
But when he averted his gaze, Mami threw a suspicious eye at his direction. Was it her imagination or was Echizen-kun smiling upon looking at his phone secretly from under his desk? Wasn't he supposed to be depressed from Ryouko-chan's disappearance?
"Fishy... Very fishy..." Mami thought, narrowing her brown eyes at the back of Ryoma's head. There might actually be something happening and Mami contemplated whether she wants to get involved or not.
After a couple more classes, Ryoma tapped his foot in an impatient manner. It's time for Ryouko to take another dose of medicine and he must take his phone out and text her. However, he cannot afford risking anyone seeing him fiddling with his phone like what happened with Ayase earlier. Placing a hand under the desk, he grabbed the phone and stood up.
He started for the door, stopping by Horio for a second. "I'm going to the washroom, tell the teacher if I don't make it in time..."
Horio nodded. "Go ahead..." he answered.
After Ryoma had gone, Horio sighed. "I really really wanna ask Echizen if he has any updates about the search for Ryouko-san but the seniors warned us not to ask him a word about it... Ahh, I hope she's alright..." he mumbled.
"Well, we can't possibly upset him further... He's twice quieter and more gloomy since yesterday... He must be having a hard time..." Miyako commented.
Shuu nodded in agreement. "The least we can do is stay quiet and not make a bigger fuss," he added.
Mami however, has other thoughts. "I wonder though, if he's really having a hard time, or just faking it..." she mumbled under her breath, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the door.
Miyako heard a few words and turned to her friend. "Faking what?" she asked.
Mami snapped to reality and blinked at Miyako. "Nothing..." she said, scratching her head. "I was just mumbling..."
Miyako looked at her curiously but otherwise asked nothing more.
In the boy's restroom, Ryoma locked himself in the stall and quickly took his phone out from the side pocket of his pants. 'Medicine time, a capsule of each,' he typed and sent the message.
In the living room of his house, Ryouko just took out three capsules from three different medicine bottles and was about to throw them inside her mouth when the old phone rang again. Keeping the capsules in one hand, she took the phone and saw that My son+heart emoticon sent her another message.
The moment she read it, she rolled her eyes. Taking the phone on her right hand, she took a picture of her left palm with the three capsules sitting on it and sent it to Ryoma. 'I was just about to. There's no need to remind me,' she typed.
With the photo evidence, Ryoma looked satisfied and vacated the restroom. When he returned to the classroom, the teacher is already there. He mumbled a quick excuse and the teacher told him to go back to his seat with a nod.
After that particular class ended, it's time for their lunch break. He was thinking of going out to give Ryouko a call when Osakada Tomoka and Ryuzaki Sakuno arrived by the doorway of their classroom.
"Oh, there he is," Tomoka said and pointed at Ryoma who was just about to stand up with a small container on hand.
"Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka called and waved at him. Sakuno is holding a small bag and Tomoka grabbed her free hand, dragging her inside the room.
"You haven't had lunch yet, Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka asked the moment she reached his seat.
"Well, duh... Lunchtime just started a minute ago," Horio pointed out, butting in into the conversation.
Tomoka glared at him. "No one asked for your opinion, stupid Horio," she spat out at him. When she turned back to Ryoma, she's all-smiles again. Horio made a face, mumbling, "Two-faced..."
"Well, I can't get some lunch with you blocking the way," Ryoma answered. "I was just about to go to the cafeteria."
"No need!" Tomoka happily declared and pulled Sakuno by the hand.
Flustered, Sakuno lowered her gaze. Unable to look at Ryoma, she said, "I-uhh, I heard... from grandma... that Ryoma-kun's parents went to Florida and your cousin cannot keep you company so you're alone house-sitting. You- m-must have difficulty preparing home-made lunch so I-I..."
Her heart had been thudding so loud that she couldn't hear her own words. Ever since that embarrassing incident in the warehouse where she got locked in with Ryoma at the start of the festival, she had no other opportunity to see him up close. She couldn't believe that something akin to a scenario in a shoujo manga would actually happen to her and her crush. The scene haunted her for the remainder of the festival and while she wants to see him, she's also scared and embarrassed to meet his eye.
But when she made up her mind to see him and make her wish of creating a memory with him in the festival come true, he had been so busy that she couldn't step close at all. And then Saturday came and she watched Ryoma onstage with Ryouko-san, feeling her heart being squeezed tight everytime they held hands and pulled each other close. She comforted herself over and over that it's just a play. It took all of Sunday to pry the play off her mind.
But even with the festival out of the way, Sakuno did not have any opportunity to approach Ryoma. From Monday until Wednesday and even after the classes got cancelled because of the snow, Ryouko-san seemed to be stuck like glue by his side. Sakuno had been saddened the whole time that Tomoka noticed her gloominess and suggested a sleepover with a couple of close friends.
While she was waiting for her friends to arrive, her Grandma took a phone call coming from Ryoma's mother, asking her to check on Ryoma every now and then because she's away on a business trip with her husband and Ryoma is alone in the house. The cousin who usually stays with him is busy with schoolwork which means that there's no one to look after Ryoma while they're gone.
When Tomoka learned about it later, she enthusiastically told Sakuno that she should take advantage of the situation and take care of Ryoma's lunch for the remainder of the week. Sakuno nodded in agreement but she wasn't feeling too enthusiastic about it. After all, there's Ryouko-san to take care of his meals.
She was about to go to the kitchen with her three friends in tow when a guest suddenly arrived. She and Tomoka recognized the red-headed butler of the Fujioka house and Tomoka eavesdropped on the conversation he had with her Grandma. It seemed like Ryouko-san had ran away from home because of certain complicated matters about her wedding engagement. Sakuno saw her friend's eyes light up the way it always had when she's planning something mischievous.
Although Sakuno begged and pleaded, Tomo-chan, Suzu-chan and Chika-chan did not listen and still spread the word to everyone they know. They just cannot let such juicy campus gossip slip by untouched.
When classes resumed on Thursday, Sakuno watched Ryoma from afar and felt upset at how gloomy he looked. Of course he would be upset about what happened with Ryouko-san. But seeing him worry so much about her sent a pang of sadness and jealousy into Sakuno's chest. She scolded herself for being so horrid. She's also a fellow schoolmate of Ryouko so she should be concerned about her disappearance but instead of concern, she's feeling jealousy and bitterness instead.
On the night before, Sakuno made up her mind to push away those horrid thoughts and concentrate on providing Ryoma with support instead. It's true that he would have no one to cook lunch for him, especially with Ryouko-san also gone. She can bake cookies and brownies as well so she would have a reason to go to Class 1-2 and share food with everyone. That way, Ryoma wouldn't feel burdened.
Early that morning, she woke up early to prepare two portions of lunch and a platter of brownies. She took much care in the preparation on the lunches, especially Ryoma's portion. Everything should be perfect.
Back to the current time, Ryoma is staring at Sakuno as she struggled finishing her sentence. Tomoka looked at her in exasperation and went to Sakuno's rescue.
"Well, Sakuno made brownies for everyone... And because Ryoma-sama might have some trouble with his lunch, she also packed an extra portion. Ryoma-sama's mother did tell Sakuno's grandma to look after him, but Sumire-sensei's busy so Sakuno's filling in her stead..." Tomoka said and gave her friend a push of encouragement.
"Y-yes... I-I'm filling in for Grandma..." Sakuno quickly added. She took two containers from the small bag, one small and one medium sized. She opened the medium-sized one and the smell of brownies wafted through the classroom. "Everyone, please help yourselves..." she said and offered it to Shuu and Horio who were standing closest to her.
"Oh, don't mind if I do..." Shuu said and fished out a couple of the luscious squares.
"Thanks, Ryuzaki," Horio said and also took two pieces.
Tomoka went around sharing the brownies with everyone and left her friend to deal with Ryoma, patting her encouragingly on the shoulder.
"Well..." Sakuno said sheepishly, offering the small lunch box to the black-haired youth. "This is for you..." she added with a shy voice.
Ryoma stared at the lunch box for a second but he didn't take it. "Sorry..." he said. "I don't really have that much of an appetite and I brought sandwiches..." He showed her the blue plastic container in his hand.
Sakuno's face fell at his response.
"I appreciate the concern," Ryoma said as he stood up. "But I'm not so helpless that I can't prepare food for myself. My Mom just worries too much..."
"Oh..." Sakuno said, her grip on the small lunch box tightening. "I see..." she added, the disappointment clearly evident in her tone.
"If you'll excuse me... I'd like to eat lunch alone," Ryoma said and went out of the classroom.
"Sheesh, that Echizen... He should just take it and eat it with the sandwiches," Horio commented, staring at the door. He turned to Sakuno. "If no one'll eat that Ryuzaki, you can give it to us. It'll be finished in no time," he added.
Tomoka struck Horio's head with one closed fist. "Oh stop being so insensitive!"
Horio nursed his head. "What do you mean 'insensitive'? Echizen doesn't want it so it'll just spoil anyway. You shouldn't waste food," he said defensively.
Tomoka picked up a brownie and stuffed it inside Horio's mouth. "Just be quiet!" she hissed.
~~~
After Ryoma made his escape, he ventured out to the white world outside and went to the bench under Ryouko's favorite tree. He would go to the cafeteria later to eat his sandwiches and buy a warm drink. For now, he'd figured he'd call her and make sure that she's eating lunch on time.
The phone rang twice before Ryouko picked it up.
"Oh for goodness' sake, would you stop it?" came Ryouko's greeting. She sounded quite exasperated.
"Stop what?" Ryoma asked. He dusted off snow from the bench and took a seat.
"Can't you trust me to take care of myself? All your texting is making me anxious. Were you texting me while in class?" she asked back.
"Don't worry. No one saw me," Ryoma answered matter-of-factly.
He heard Ryouko sigh from the opposite line. "You don't have to text me so often and remind me of obvious things..."
"I can't help it. I did just leave a sick person alone in the house," he reasoned.
"I have Karupin with me," Ryouko replied.
"Okay then," Ryoma said, rolling his eyes. "I did just leave a sick person in the house with only a cat for company, is that better? Seriously, what difference does it make that Karupin's there? He can't do anything, he's a cat," he added in exasperation.
"A cat for company is better than none at all, and Karu heals me with his cuteness. Very different from you who is only making me anxious with your exaggerated concern," she answered.
Ryoma frowned. "I should stop being concerned then. So sorry for making you anxious," he said, sounding bitter. "I'll hang up now then and give you peace and quiet," he added and was about to put the phone down when Ryouko abruptly said, "Wait!"
"What?" he answered, sounding quite irritated.
"Congee," Ryouko said.
"Huh?" Ryoma answered, his annoyance peaking for being unable to understand.
Ryouko sounded reluctant from the opposite line. "Get some congee on the way home... I want to eat some... And..." she paused and seemed to be contemplating.
"You eat lunch properly too... And keep warm... Don't catch a cold and stay inside the school building. I'm sorry I couldn't prepare a proper lunch; I did want to be useful during my stay and take care of the meals but then I got sick... Don't you get sick too, or I'll get mad. I really am feeling a lot better so don't worry too much..." she said with a hint of badly-hidden bashfulness in her tone that tugged at Ryoma's heartstrings.
His lips turned up in a smile. He pressed the phone to his ear and he unknowingly started drawing a heart on the frost in the surface of the bench with the forefinger of his free hand.
"I'm more resilient than you, so I won't get sick. I won't text you again but you have to promise to take a long nap in the afternoon," he told her, still smiling.
"I will, I'm already feeling quite sleepy after the sandwiches. And I finished the lemon tea. The next dose of medicine isn't due for another five hours and you'd be home by then. Don't take any side trips and come right home after getting the congee. If I feel well enough, I'll make a dessert and have tea brewing. I'll wait for you," Ryouko said, also smiling slightly, sitting with her knees up to her chin and fiddling with her toes on the makeshift bed.
Ryoma bit at his lower lip to keep the smile from getting any wider at the sound of her saying 'I'll wait for you.' Truth be told, he doesn't want to hang up but he really has to go to the cafeteria and have lunch or the time'll run out on him. "Okay... I'll see you later," he said.
"See ya," Ryouko answered.
He quickly hung up so he wouldn't have the opportunity to prolong the call. Why is it so hard to cut the phone call all of a sudden?
He stood up from the bench and smiling at his phone, made his way towards the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, three floors above, a pair of laser blue eyes followed Ryoma's figure cross the snow-laden grounds. The owner of the eyes is standing by the windowsill with the glass window halfway open.
"Fuji?" Kikumaru Eiji's voice interrupted his musing and he peeled his eyes from outside.
"Is the window stuck? You're taking such a long time closing it," Eiji asked.
Fuji gave his usual good-natured smile. "No, it's not. I was just enjoying the winter air for a few more seconds," he answered.
He went back to his seat and resumed lunch with Eiji. The cat-like redhead took a nugget from Fuji's lunch box and asked, "Can I have this?"
A classmate laughed and commented, "Kikumaru, you're supposed to ask first before taking it, not the other way around..."
Another followed up on the conversation and said, "That's Kikumaru's MO. He takes it first so the person would find it hard to refuse..."
The class laughed and Kikumaru merely laughed along.
Fuji smiled at the delight and amusement of his classmates but a second later, the smile was replaced by a thoughtful and suspicious look.
He just saw Echizen outside making a phone call and smiling as he talked to the person in the other line. "He's smiling? Even when Ryouko's whereabouts still cannot be located?"
As expected, Echizen Ryoma is acting strange. Not only does he seem to just be faking looking worried about Ryouko, he seemed to be hiding something as well. "He definitely knows where she is... So why won't he tell anyone? Because Ryouko told him not to? But even with the extent that Licht-san and her family are spending to look for her, they still haven't found her... Just where is she then?"
"Oh, by the way, Fuji... Sumire-chan-sensei talked to Ochibi this morning, and told him to contact her when he needs help. It seems like both his parents are away overseas and he's got no one with him in their house so Sumire-chan-sensei is worried that he's not eating properly. Ochibi is such an independent chap... I haven't been alone house-sitting when I was his age. But it's not as if I'm scared to be alone, it's just my family doesn't trust me with the house. They're so mean..." Eiji said, chatting casually over lunch and distracting Fuji so he can snatch another nugget.
Fuji was only half-heartedly listening to him and it took several seconds for Eiji's words to register in his brain. His eyes slowly widened as realization hit him.
Echizen is... alone in their house... with both parents overseas?
He let out a scoff and an amused smile. "Found her..." he murmured under his breath.
"Found who?" Eiji asked, successfully sneaking a nugget and chewing in a hurry to get rid of the evidence.
Fuji looked up at him and replaced his peculiar expression with a smile. "Nothing..." he answered.
Eiji chewed slower and wondered why Fuji is acting weird all of a sudden.
"Well..." Fuji said, hiding a glint in his blue eyes. "If Echizen's alone in their house, it must get lonely. And with no one to distract him, he'd be plagued by thoughts of the missing Ryouko even more... It's Saturday tomorrow and there's no classes. It'd be even lonelier staying in an empty house all day... all alone..." he smiled mysteriously.
"What if... we keep him company tomorrow? And cheer him up? We're his seniors after all... We ought to take care of our kouhais," he told Eiji, smiling good-naturedly.
Eiji's eyes lit up. "Hey, that's a great idea! I'll bake a cake. Sweets ought to cheer him up. And let's invite the others as well! It's been a while since we held a get-together like this with just the regulars," he said enthusiastically.
"It's settled then..." Fuji said, the mischievous glint back in his eyes. "I'll inform Tezuka later."
~~~
Refreshed from her nap, Ryouko woke up feeling energized. Her throat no longer hurt and her body felt considerably lighter. She went upstairs to wash up and change into new pajamas. When she was about to go downstairs again, she found herself staring at the door of Ryoma's room.
Biting down on her lower lip, she placed a hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly. She quietly tiptoed inside as if she's not the only person in the house. The bed hasn't been made and everything is as it was before Ryoma went to school.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and touched the covers when she caught hold of herself and stood up abruptly. "No," she told herself and headed towards the door.
She had only taken a couple of steps when she stopped in her tracks, turned around and dived on the bed anyway. She grabbed a pillow and held it close to her face.
"Gone," she said, sounding disappointed. Ahh, that's right... She's the one who used the bed last night so of course it would smell like her now... She ought to change the blankets and everything so Ryoma can use the bed without the risk of getting sick.
Well, Ryoma slept on the futon on the floor the night before... She crawled towards the other edge of the bed and found the futon still there with the messy blankets and pillow.
Grinning, she rolled over and with a yelp, landed on the fluffly futon. She hugged the pillow and buried her face in it.
There it is... Ryoma's subtle smell... The hint of his mentholated shampoo, the minty smell he always has on his body...
It always has this calming effect on her. He's been the only person capable of calming her down whenever she has panic attacks. And he would always pull her close and this soothing smell would engulf her.
She wondered when exactly did it start that she began noticing such specific things like his smell. She doubted she cared about such a thing when they were younger.
She felt guilty acting all irritable at him because of the messages and the call. She likes it that he's worrying over her so much but being treated like a helpless person always get into her nerves. But it would obviously be unreasonable and demanding to ask him to show his concern in a way that wouldn't annoy her. Sometimes, she can't even understand herself so how can she expect Ryoma to do so? These days, it's been getting even harder to understand herself.
"Ryoma... I'm no longer confident... that I still know what you are to me..." she murmured, hugging the pillow tighter.
'Kiss him.'
Jessica's voice invaded her thoughts once again.
Should she? Jessica did say it would make things a lot clearer. And a kiss can be as simple as a greeting overseas. Actors do it all the time. It wouldn't be to difficult.
Should she ask him? Ryouko quickly knocked her head once on the futon at the mere thought.
Yeah, that'll be great. Just ask, 'Hey should we kiss?', simple and plain. See if he doesn't run away like someone being chased by a pervert.
All of a sudden, the pillow in her arms caught her attention. The pillow smells entirely of Ryoma. Perhaps it would do as a substitute?
She sat up and made the pillow stand vertically opposite her.
"Now visualize..." she told herself. She kept her eyes on the pillow seriously. "This pillow... is Ryoma... The pillow is Ryoma..."
She closed her eyes and thought of him. Soft green-tinted dark hair, his skin mildly tanned, big cat-like bronze-gold eyes, rather handsome with a smooth jawline and... lips the color of peach.
She leaned forward and stopped short after hearing a faint 'meow'. She opened her eyes and automatically looked sidewards. Karupin is sitting on the bed, staring at her, tail softly swishing, with a blank expression on his face.
Ryouko cleared her throat, knocked down the pillow with a single punch and got up saying, "Where are those spare bedsheets?"
She made her way out of the room murmuring, "Begone, evil thoughts," over and over again.
Karupin followed her out the room, shaking his fluffy head as if saying 'Yare, yare daze...'
~~~
Classes were dismissed and the moment that afternoon training ended, Ryoma quickly made his way to the family restaurant that served the best congee in town. After ordering two portions, he headed to the fastest route home. He slung his school bag and tennis bag on both shoulders and carried the two take-out boxes on each hand.
All of a sudden, he ran into a person that he doesn't expect to be in that part of the neighborhood.
"Yo, Echizen," Fuji Syusuke said, waving a hand.
"Fuji-senpai..." Ryoma said absent-mindedly before nodding. "Chiz," he added, greeting properly.
"Fancy running into you here," Fuji said with his good-natured smile.
"It's my usual route home... I think it's senpai who is in the wrong part of the neighborhood..." Ryoma answered.
"Oh, my sister sent me on an errand... She loves the meat buns from a certain stall here and she told me to buy some before going home..." Fuji answered.
"I see..." Ryoma said and bowed his head once more. "Well then, senpai... I'll go ahead..."
All of a sudden, Fuji threw a comment that made Ryoma stop in his tracks. "You must be really hungry to order two portions..."
Ryoma turned around and blinked. "How did..." he said cautiously.
Fuji pointed at the two boxes in his hands. "One box is one portion right?"
Ryoma heaved an internal sigh of relief. There was something in Fuji's tone earlier that sent chills in his spine. For a moment, he thought that the brown-haired senior suspected him of something.
"Yes... Well, I'm not eating them at the same time... The other one is for later when I get hungry late at night," he answered.
"But don't eat take out meals all the time... I understand it's hard being home alone but you have to take care of your body, being an athlete and all..." Fuji said.
"How did senpai know that I'm home alone?" Ryoma asked.
"I heard from Ryuzaki-sensei this morning," Fuji replied. Ryoma nodded in understanding.
"Well, run along now..." Fuji told him with a smile. Ryoma bowed one last time and went on his way.
Fuji followed him with his eyes, his smile turning more mysterious. "Eat well, both you and her... 'Cause you'll be caught in quite a surprise tomorrow..."
~~~
"Tadaima (I'm home)," Ryoma said and entered the house. Karupin ran to greet him and he petted the fluffball. "Behaved well today?" he asked.
Karupin answered with a look that said, 'Of course!' Ryoma nudged his big head and told him, "I'll get you some treats later..." Karupin reponded with an expression that said, 'Now we're talking!'
Ryoma went straight to the living room and found the blankets neatly folded on the makeshift bed. He heard the sound of gushing water from the kitchen and went there with the two boxes of congee.
Ryouko has her back on him, her hair tied with what looked like the ribbon of her Seishun uniform and wearing his Mom's apron over a flowered set of pajamas. She just finished washing the flasks and containers where he prepared all her meals and snacks for the day.
She turned around and said, "Okairi (Welcome home)," before wiping her hands on the apron and smiling. The healthy flush of rosebuds have returned to her cheeks and she looked as good as new.
"I told you I'd be fully recovered by the time you arrive," she told him. "But I'd still take the last dose of medicine later just to be sure..."
She waltzed towards the kitchen table. "I made some candied fruits and jelly. They'd go well with the black tea. Go change your clothes and wash your hands while I unwrap the congee," she said.
Ryoma looked a bit stunned and merely watched her.
"What're you doing?" Ryouko asked, blinking in confusion as he stood unmoving.
"Nothing," Ryoma said and quickly went upstairs. Ryouko craned her neck to watch him go up the stairs and wondered what's eating him.
As Ryoma changed out of his uniform, he couldn't help but feel an odd feeling blossoming in the middle of his chest. Going home and seeing Ryouko in the kitchen with an apron on her seemed so natural and warm. And the way her hair is loosely tied back in a clumsy manner, with several strands tucked behind her ears, she looked so beautiful.
Just when he started thinking that living with her isn't as nerve-wracking as he thought, he started feeling nervous all over again. He tiptoed downstairs cautiously, swallowing a lump in his throat.
When he reched the kitchen, supper is already laid out on the table. "Took you long enough," Ryouko said and motioned for him to sit opposite her. "Hurry and eat before it gets cold..."
He nodded and got seated.
They exchanged small talk with mostly Ryouko asking how school was. He told her honestly about the freshmen and the members of the Seigaku tennis club still worrying about her.
"Don't worry..." he said as he caught the guilty look on her face. "You can explain to them once this is all over... They'll understand." Ryouko nodded and cheered herself up.
She got the tea ready and asked him what he ate for lunch. When Ryoma told her that he only ate sandwiches, she frowned. "I thought I told you to eat well. You should've had a rice meal in the cafeteria."
"Speaking of rice meals, I was anxious to go outside and give you a call that I rejected the home-made lunch that Ryuzaki was giving me at lunchtime. Maybe I should've taken it," he said, spearing a candied grape and eating it.
Ryouko's eyebrow twitched. "Home-made lunch?"
Ryoma nodded. "Now that I remember it, I feel sorta bad... Her Grandma knows that I'm alone in the house and they both worried whether I'm eating properly. She took the effort to prepare a meal... I should've taken it for manner's sake," he said.
"No," Ryouko said. "You did good not taking it..."
Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "Why would that be a good thing?"
"Well, you'd feel burdened wouldn't you? I sure would. And nothing in this world is free. With the concept of give and take, you'd be in debt and wouldn't be able to turn down a favor asked of you in the future..." she said matter-of-factly.
"Well, that's true..." Ryoma replied with a nod, remembering about the time he was forced to accompany Ryuzaki Sakuno and Osakada Tomoka for tennis practice in his father's stead as a favor from Ryuzaki-sensei.
Ryouko turned around and smiled victoriously, getting the tea cups ready. "So you shouldn't just receive things from people, especially girls. Most girls usually expect something in return..." she remarked, setting down a cup and saucer in front of him.
"Does that mean you also expect something in return? You're a girl after all," Ryoma replied, before pouring himself tea from the pot.
"Nope," Ryouko answered. "I'm indeed a girl, but I'm not like 'most girls'. My heart is so wide and generous and versatile that I don't expect something in return... It's in my personality..." she said proudly.
Ryoma almost spat out his tea as he laughed out loud. "That..." he coughed. "...is the biggest joke I've heard all day..."
"Ohhh..." Ryouko said in an offended tone. "You obviously don't agree... Why? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
"Everything's wrong with what you said," Ryoma laughed.
Ryouko narrowed her eyes at him. "I should stop cooking for you..."
They continued teasing each other until it was time for bed. They retired to their own rooms and felt difficulty at falling to sleep.
Ryoma thought of Ryouko in the other room, and Ryouko thought of Ryoma in the other side of the corridor. Both wanted to talk more, spend more time with each other.
They thought of the same thing as they tried to fall asleep.
'Why are you... constantly on my mind?'
~~~
Saturday morning started out peaceful in the Echizen residence. Both Ryoma and Ryouko got up early and both wouldn't admit to a good night's sleep. Snow is fluttering softly outside, like little fairies dancing to the subtle breeze. Karupin is out at the porch, trying to catch snowflakes with his open mouth.
The two of them washed up and Ryoma watched Ryouko prepare breakfast.
"Well, don't just watch," Ryouko said. "You ought to learn some of the basics of cooking. I told you I'll teach you," she added.
Ryoma dragged himself to the kitchen counter. "Why should men learn how to cook? It's not as if I want to be a chef in the future..."
"Should women always be the one to cook? I should tell you, girls like boys who can cook. It might seem girly to boys but girls see it as an extra asset. And men who can cook looks cool..." Ryouko said matter-of-factly.
Ryoma picked up a stick of celery and casted a curious side glance at her. "Even you?" he asked.
"Even me what?" she asked back.
"You think boys who can cook are cool?" he said, making his question clearer.
"Well, sure... I think they're cool... I sometimes watch a certain British chef's tutorials on recipes when I want to make something I haven't made before... He looks so nice and manly," she answered absentmindedly.
Ryoma looked displeased. "Well, I'd also like to see this chef... What's his name?"
"Can't remember..." Ryouko answered.
Ryoma found a reason to smile again.
Ryouko proceeded with teaching Ryoma how to cook simple vegetable stew, starting with the proper handling of the ingredients, cleaning and cutting techniques. Ryouko gave a small shriek when Ryoma cut a potato in half without peeling the skin off first.
"What'd you do?" Ryouko said in exasperation. With one hand on her hip, she reached over to take the cleaved potato.
Ryoma held it out of her reach. "Hey!" Ryouko exclaimed and started tiptoeing to reach the potato.
Soon enough, they're giggling and chuckling trying to take the potato from each other. Ryouko almost got it and Ryoma caught her by the wrists, making him lose grip on the potato. It fell to their feet and rolled under the table. But poor mister cleaved potato stayed there for none of the two made the effort to retrieve it.
Ryoma still has both hands on Ryouko's wrists, and he had her backed onto the kitchen counter. Only the bubbling sound from the pot on the stove could be heard as the two stared at each other.
"The soup's boiling..." Ryouko murmured, not more than a whisper.
"Then let it boil," Ryoma whispered back.
All of a sudden, Ryoma started leaning down towards her and Ryouko felt her sweaty palm clench slowly.
Ryouko was about to close her eyes when...
DING... DONG...
Both their necks swerved towards the direction of the front door.
Ding-dong... The doorbell sounded again.
They looked at each other and Ryoma asked, "Your underwear delivery?"
Ryouko jerked her wrists off his hands and replied with narrowed eyes, "It already arrived yesterday and I had them leave it on the mailbox."
Ryouko went back to the boiling soup while Ryoma lifted a hand to his head, feeling quite exasperated.
The doorbell sounded again and Ryoma's eyes flashed dangerously towards the direction of the front door. He marched to the living room, mumbling darkly under his breath. "Just who is it so early in the morning?"
The doorbell rang again and with his annoyance rising, he opened the door with a vicious "Who is it?!"
"SURPRISE!!" came the enthusiastic answer from the door.
With wide eyes, Ryoma looked at one face to another, starting from Kikumaru-senpai in the middle. Momo-senpai, Inui-senpai, Kaidoh-senpai, Oishi-senpai, Fuji-senpai, Kawamura-senpai and Tezuka-buchou...
"Oha!" came another set of voices and he saw Ayase Mami and Kurihara Miyako by the side.
"Yo, Echizen!" Horio said from the other side and with him is Kachiro, Mizuno and Shuu.
"For the boy with no parental supervision, of course, there's going to be a house party!" Shuu remarked and popped a confetti popper at his face.
Ryoma was in shock for a second and closed the door in their faces as soon he regained composure.
He looked behind him and saw Ryouko by the doorway of the kitchen, holding a ladle on one hand and a small bowl in another.
"Well, who is it?" she asked.
Ryoma quickly placed a finger to his lips. "Shhh..." he hissed as quiet as possible.
"What?" Ryouko mouthed, suddenly feeling panicky.
"Hide," Ryoma mouthed back.
Ryouko blinked in confusion.
"Uhh... Echizen-kun? What do you think you're doing, slamming the door on the faces of your seniors?" Momoshiro said from behind the door.
Ryouko's eyes widened at the familiar voice. Ryoma jerked his head towards the stairs and mouthed, "Hide. Now."
With violent nods, Ryouko finally understood what is happening and climbed upstairs as silent and quickly as possible. She went inside Ryoma's room, the ladle and bowl still on hand.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door once more. He peeked his head out. "Now tell me... Why are you guys here again?" he asked.
Interrupted at the most crucial moment 😂😂
And now an unwanted house party in the Echizen residence! 🎊🎊 Everyone's invited! 😆
Almost forgot to add this... 😂