199Secret Exchange
Chapter 11: Exchange: Broken and Reborn
OOOOOOOOOO
"You played a good match." Sakuno sighed in relief whenthe match was finally over. She overcame a victory; it felt like a miracle from a shooting star. Watching Minako's match earlier gave her a bit of encouragement. Earlier, she was panicking without Ryoma's presence. It wasn't the same without him by her side and she was wondering what would have happened if she was defeated. Ryoma would probably scold her. For Minako, she was worried about Sakuno since her match was before hers and she wasn't in tip top shape. Minako had to show her best performance to get her spirit up, and it did. Minako would be in the final rounds.
"Thank you, Ryoga-buchou." Sakuno shook hands with her opponent that lost the match. The opponent went out of the court as she did the same. While walking back to take a break, Sakuno was quiet the whole time during the ride there and while playing her match. She didn't know why. All that ease and stress disappeared when she was in the court. Shehad imagined that Ryoma was there so that might've been the case. Speaking of Ryoma, she wondered how he was doing without her.
She rubbed her head in irritation;why was she thinking about that at a time like this? Ryoga noticed her frustration and laughed.
"Different, huh?"
"EH? W-What was that?" Sakuno opened her eyes, glancing at the familiar feline eyes.
"You'll probably get used to it. Since he's quiet most of the time, you'll or will barely notice him."
"You're wrong!" Ryoga was taken back by the outburst. Sakuno played with her fingers as she was a bit embarrassed about what she had just said.
"I-I mean…he's silent most of the time, that doesn't mean that nobody notices him." She mumbled and turned her head away. Ryoga sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess you can say that." Ryoga dropped the subject and patted her head,
"Ryoma forced you to be here."
OOOOOOOOOO
The tennis preliminaries were finally finished. The eight finalists would get a chance to practice in the next two weeks until the the start of the finals. Ryoga and Ryoma wouldtrain Sakuno big time. Minamoto Minako and Kato Izumi were two of the finalists. Sakuno remembered that Minako really wanted a match with hersomeday. Sakuno hoped that the match with her would come.
Passing through various sightings of Tokyo, Sakuno laid down in the back seats. She was really tired after hermatch. Ryoga watched her rest her eyes in the car mirror.
'Geez, you let her get this tired, Chibisuke?' Ryoga frowned. As Ryoga kept his eyes on the road, he couldn't help but spot a familiar figure walking alone by a bridge. Ryoga opened the car window as he took a closer look.
"HOY! CHIBISUKE! WE GOT A VICTORY!" Ryoga screamed out loud, making Sakuno hitting her head surprisingly by the hard top of the van.
"R-Ryoma-kun? Itai…" Sakuno sat up from her seat to see Ryoma stopping from where he was. She rubbed her head gently to ease the pain. Ryoga stopped the van by the curb and opened the automatic door for him. Ryoma muttered a thanks to Ryoga and slammed the door shut. He dropped his bag messily on the van floor and glanced at the window, avoiding the leering coming from two people.
Not trying to get on his bad side, Ryoga knew that his brother was heated up about something. He would talk to him about it in the house. He really felt bad for Sakuno, for she was sitting next to him.
'S-Something happened for sure…' Sakuno bit her lip nervously to peek a look at Ryoma. His eyes only gazed at the window. The van was on the curb and would be dropping Sakuno in no time.
OOOOOOOOOO
"Ryoma."
No response.
"Ryoma!" Ryoma glared at Ryoga for calling his name, "At least walk Sakuno to the door."
Sakuno waved her hands back and forth anxiously, "I-It's all right Ryoga. I'll go now. The next meeting is?"
"Uh…make it Tuesday," Ryoga replied, "I have some business to take care of tomorrow."
"Okay, bye." Sakuno opened the van door and slammed it closed. She was surprised hearing another slam from a door. Ryoma heaved a heavy sigh and waited for her to walk to her door. Sakuno timidly walked to the front of her home.
'Well…better open it…' Her hand reached the door knob until a voice startled her.
"Nothing to say to me today? Che." Ryoma leaned against a wall of the house. Sakuno observed Ryoma's coldness, getting really chilly. What had gotten him soticked off during the meeting?
Bravely, she attempted to ask what was wrong. That made matters worse when Ryoma glared at her harshly. Sakuno was really afraid of his cold look.
"There was no meeting."
Sakuno blinked, "N-No meeting?" She gripped her tennis bag tightly, "Didn't senpai-"
"They lied." He scowled. The grip had gotten tighter, as Sakuno didn't know what to do.
"Ryuzaki," He stated in a monotone voice, "they found out about me."
Blinking in surprise, Sakuno was taken back, "H-How-"
"Because of you, you opened your mouth at a time when you shouldn't! Inui-senpai and Fuji-senpai tracked me down."
'More like stalking…' Ryoma shook that thought out of his mind. He couldn't think with all this trouble, "JUST MY LUCK."
"Ryoma-"
"Ryuzaki," Ryoma turned his back on her, "Our little exchange is not worth it." And with that, Ryoma walked away, leaving poor Sakuno astonished as her heart brokein half.
"R-Ryoma…" She whispered, "WHY?!" Ryoma halted when he heard her shout of confusion, "WE DIDN'T KNOW IN THE FIRST PLACE THAT THEY WERE STALKING! IT'S NOT FAIR!" The girl accidentally let a tear drop fall from her beautiful rosy cheek.
"DOES IT MATTER? You should've been smart to keep quiet in the first place. You're better that way!" He replied.
"Ryoma…that's not the real reason,is it?"
"Ryuzaki," he began, "don't you get it? Everyday, I knew I always had bad feelings about this. I shrugged it off saying that it won't happen. Well guess what? It did. And I regret myself for not believing in it. That everything is all right, that no one except for my family and you to know- even Minamoto. I can't take anymore of this. I'm sorry."
Sakuno felt like a lightning bolt crashed through her body, paralyzing her to the core. She closed her eyes furiously, not having a care in the world. The door and slammed shut as Ryoma stayed silent, hearing the commotion inside when Ryuzaki-sensei saw her angry and emotional.
He lowered his head, hiding his eyes as he went back to the van.
Ryoma thought it was better this way.
OOOOOOOOOO
Sumire was minding her own business in the kitchen when she heard shouts and screams from the front yard.
'What in the world-' It was too late when Sakuno burst through the door in a hurry and ran upstairs in her room in tears. Sumire went to close the door swiftly so that she could figure out what happened to her granddaughter. Her eyes shot open when she saw a recognizable white van leaving the curb of the house.
'…Echizen?' She would settle that matter later. The old woman went up the stairs to stand in front of Sakuno's door.
"Sakuno?" The door was shut and completely locked. No answer came through the door. Sumire tried to listen in as she leaned her ear against the wood frame. She could only hear sniffles and crying.
"Mataku…" Sumire cared deeply for her granddaughter. She had to know what was going on. She knocked a few times to get Sakuno's attention. Not hearing a click or response, she decided to leave her alone until she calmed down. Concerned eyes wandered as she went back downstairs to make dinner.
OOOOOOOOOO
The door was finally unlocked. Sumire opened the door softly, taking a peek at what was going on.
A few hours passed and Sakuno did not say a word to anyone. She was in her own little world. Her pillows were stained with tears, unable to control them. The room was dark as the light yellow curtains in her window blocked the remaining light outside. It was already 5:00PM.
Sakuno sat up and wiped her tears quickly away with her hands, seeing her grandmother.
"If you want dinner, it's already done. I even have some ice cream for desert."
Sumire was only bribing her to come down so they could 'talk.' Sakuno nodded her head in return. Her eyes were bloodshot red and puffy when she was breaking down.
"H-H-Hai." She whispered hoarsely. The door creaked wider letting Sumire inside the room and sat down at the edge of the bed. She rubbed Sakuno's back soothingly, unwinding her as best as she could.
"What happened?" More grief engulfed her and Sakuno started to sob again. The old woman felt useless, letting Sakuno cry out sadness.
'I can't tell her…' Sakuno thought as she cried in her grandmother's shoulder, 'I can't tell her…that…I almost told him…but he stopped me…'
OOOOOOOOOO
The next day was Monday. The clouds were depressingly gray and the thought of a storm came in the minds of young junior high students entering Seishun Gakuen. Early in her seat, Sakuno gazed blankly at her desk. She had a restless night, thinking about the events that happened yesterday. She tried her best to believe that it was not her fault. Fuji-senpai and Inui-senpai must have kept an eye on Ryoma for a reason. However, they caught her saying it at the right time and eventually found out. Small chatter was heard in the front of the classroom and some at the back.
"Sakuno?" Sakuno looked up to see Tomoka with a worried face. Sakuno smiled awkwardly and waved at her best friend.
"Good morning, Tomo-chan."
"I haven't heard from you for the longest time. Did anything happen?" Tomoka questioned. Sakuno shook her head.
"Not much." Although by the expression on her face, she was guilty for lying.
Tomoka leaned towards Sakuno's ear, "Something happened for sure, Sakuno. We're going to have a good talk about it today."
"T-Tomo-"
"I'm not gonna let this slip by this time." Tomoka sat down on her seat, avoiding eye contact with Sakuno- for now. Tomoka's eyes wandered to the door, only to see the person she wished.
"Ryoma-sama! Good morning!" She cried in her cheerful voice. Sakuno tensed up, closing her eyes to not think about him.
"Eh? Sakuno! Ryoma-sama's here! At least say hi!" Tomoka realized that Sakuno didn't bother to say anything,she usually did. Sakuno gulped and took a quick glance at him. As she expected, it was the same face as yesterday, a face with ignorance and annoyance. She nodded her head as a greeting and decided to take out her homework.
'Sakuno-chan…' Tomoka didn't know what was wrong with her.
'Oh no! Homework!' Attending so much tennis practice, Sakuno forgot to do it! She was going to get into so much trouble…
OOOOOOOOOO
As expected, the dark sky had turned into a storm so tennis practice would be cancelled. Ryoma was lucky enough that he wouldn't meet his senpai-tachi today. He haddealt with too much lately. The rain drops pitter patter on his head, getting him soaked to the bone. So much for forgetting his umbrella. Exiting toward the gate, he heard a voice calling out his name.
"Echizen-san!"
Ryoma looked up to see Minako with a black umbrella above her, waiting for a response. Ryoma was oddly surprised how Minako found out about the school he wentto, and didn't know why she was here in the first place.
"Minamo-" Minako stopped his sentence with her hand up.
"Echizen-san…I think it's best if you call me Minako. Please. Minamoto-san makes me feel old." Ryoma shrugged his shoulders, "And the reason I'm here is to take you somewhere."
"… Question is where?" He replied.
Minako walked away, "Come along."
OOOOOOOOOO
Ryoma and Minako had stepped ontoa bus and both were dropped off fifteen minutes later.
"What's with your mood today?" Minako glanced at him, who returned a scowl.
"Noting." Ryoma walked forward, waiting for Minako to show him the way, "Well?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Minako was now in front of him, "Don't get so impatient on me."
"You wanted to take me somewhere. If you don't lead me to your destination, then I'm leaving-"
"We're here." Minamoto dully pointed at a one-story house, the front of the house had a small little tree with a swing tied in a strong branch. It was regular looking house, not too fancy or anything, with potted plants in the windowsill. It was a mahogany roof house, the outside walls were a bright yellow.
Minamoto opened the white front door with a key, closing up her umbrella while doing so.
"Tadaima." She whispered. She took off her wet shoes from the rain and put on house slippers. Ryoma did the same as an extra pair of slippers were in front of him.
"Ah, you really brought him over." Minako bowed with respect as her mother, Hana, poked her head in a corner, which Ryoma thought would be the kitchen.
"Echizen-kun,welcome."
Ryoma put his hands in his pockets and gazed around his surroundings. It was a plain old looking house, not too old-fashioned, and was decorated with paintings of flowers.
"Please sit down." Minako's mother took Ryoma to the kitchen, letting him sit down in a nicely decorated table. The wooden chair creaked against the hardwood floor as he settled down in a comfortable environment. In front of him was a nice cup of green tea and a piece of chocolate cake.
"Minamoto-san, I really don't-"
"Please eat." Minako's mother replied softly, "Maki made this cake and she'shoping that her guests will like it."
"Maki usually is antsy if no one eats her cake." Minako muttered to herself.
"And after…can I take a look at you?"
Minako sweat dropped as her mother went closer and closer to Ryoma. Ryoma was getting really uncomfortable, but gazed blankly back.
"You are already looking at me, so what's the point?" Hana gave and heart-filled chuckle.
"I just need want to take a look at your insomnia, how it is affecting you." Hana sat down in a chair, "You are very sweet."
OOOOOOOOOO
"OOOOH! SO SWEET!"
Tomoka took a sip of her favorite milkshake. She and Sakuno were both at the ice cream shop again, considering it was very cold outside with the rain. Not much people were there so they both were sitting at the booths near the window. Raindrops dropped down at a slow rate, water falling simultaneously dripping from the windows. Sakuno didn't even touch her fruit crepe that Tomoka treated her. Her eyes showed sadness and confusion.
"You should've been smart to keep quiet in the first place. You're better that way!"
Sakuno cringed hearing Ryoma's words over and over again. Why couldn't they just disappear like the falling raindrops outside? The odd silence besides the music playing in the shop was just unbearable. Tomoka's loud and obnoxious personality just couldn't take it.
"Sakuno-"
The bell from the doors rang, indicating that there was a customer. Unknowingly to Sakuno, the customer smirked. The customer first ordered something quickly to the cashier and walked over to the booths.
"Yukizo, nice to meet you." Tomoka glared at the person and patted Sakuno's shoulder.
"Sakuno-chan, do you know who she is?" She whispered intently.
Sakuno went back to reality, "Hmm?" Sakuno went to look at the upcoming person and she gasped softly.
"Izumi-san…"
OOOOOOOOO
"Take a seat please."
The room Hana and Ryoma were in right now was Hana's office. Ryoma sat on an uncomfortable cushion while Hana was at her front desk.
"Minako's picking up Maki at a play area, so she'll be back soon."
"The play area is outside?"
"No. It's like an auditorium where there are many activities for children to enjoy. Maki goes there everyday."
Ryoma nodded as he understood, "Minamoto-san, did Minako schedule this for me?"
Hana stopped writing forms for a bit and walked over to Ryoma, "Minako is really worried that you might hurt yourself in tennis. Apparently that happens a lot to you, eh?" Not receiving an answer, Hana knew that she was right. She softly touched Ryoma's cheek and took a good look at his eyes.
"Well, there's a slight chance of dark circles, but they rarely show." Hana went back to her desk to get a notepad.
"I'll be asking you a few questions, so don't think this is psychology or anything." Ryoma shrugged his shoulders. Minamoto Hana was only being kind to him and trying to help. Unlike some people…
"What time did you sleep last night?"
"Midnight." The information was written down with the pen in her hand.
"When did you wake up?"
"…Four AM."
"How was your usual sleeping schedule in the past?"
"Same, but I woke up earlier."
"Times?"
"One, two, or three AM."
"Well, it seems that the times are improving. Do you do any physical activity, like tennis, before you sleep?"
"…Not all the time."
"Did you do it last night?"
"No."
"Were the times like 1, 2, and 3 AM, times when you did play tennis at night?"
"Sometimes."
"Okay…" Hana continued writing, "Any medication you take to get you to sleep?"
"The doctor recommended me sleeping pills."
"How many do you take?"
"Only one."
"Good, good. You're doing well, Ryoma."
OOOOOOOOOO
There was a stirring silence when Kato Izumi stood near the booths, looking bored,and waited for her desert to come. She was dressed in a caramel-colored petticoat with high black boots. In her white gloved hand, she held onto a forest green umbrella, dripping simultaneously on the tiled floor. Tomoka puffed her cheeks with an annoyed face.
"Just who do you think you are walking into our conversation?"
Izumi laughed, "What conversation? Yukizo isn't even saying anything. Besides, I'm the one who should be talking to her. Yukizo, come step outside with me, please."
Tomoka shook her head furiously, "Sakuno, no. You don't even know this girl!"
"Ah ha. I believe she does. Right? And what's with the name Sakuno?" Izumi glared at her like a witch. Sakuno gazed at her indifferently.
"Sakuno, who is she? If you do know her, speak up! Say no!" Tomoka didn't like this feeling. Just what was Sakuno up to not telling her anything? Not taking any chances, her friend stood up from her seat. Tomoka and Izumi were waiting for her to do something.
"Izumi, what are you doing here?-"
"Excuse me? You will address me as Izumi-san."
"SHE DOESN'T NEED TO ADDRESS YOU!" Tomoka cried angrily. The employees of the ice cream shop gazed at the boiling fight.
"What do you want, Izumi?" Sakuno managed to speak up. She wasn't in the mood for her. Tomoka never knew this kind of side from her friend before.
"Because of the annoying little pest by you, I don't want feel like talking. Maybe I'll see you soon."
"PEST?!"
"Miss! Your fruit parfait order!" The cashier called out, holding the delictable treat.
"Okay." Izumi took one last cold look at Sakuno, then went to take her order and left the shop. The bells jingled once the door closed.
'It gets worse everyday…' Sakuno moaned.
"Sakuno, who was-" But before Tomoka could say anything else, Sakuno ran out of the shop in a flash.
"Sakuno!" Tomoka opened the door and lookedat both sides- the sidewalk was bare.
OOOOOOOOOO
"I see you have followed me." Sakuno panted roughly, seeing the figure that had interrupted Tomoka from saying anything else. Izumi lightly lifted up her plastic spoon and took a taste of her favorite treat. She smiled with satisfaction as she was kept dry below an outside umbrella table.
"Why are you here?"
"To talk to you." Izumi closed her eyes. Then they opened again to show her glare.
"What is it? What do you want?" Sakuno let all her anger and frustration out in one statement, Izumi wasn't fazed by the girl's reaction.
"Back out of the tournament." Sakuno's eyes widened, "Do you think that winning will give you praise and improvement? Well, you're wrong. It gives you more time to think about how you can be stronger and better than anyone else. Performances can be improved once one match ends. Then another, then another before you tire yourself out, wondering how much you can do."
"What does that have to-"
"Let me finish. Ryoma-sama does not deserve to train you. He's searching for those that can outmatch every single person, just like himself. You on the other hand, arejust practice for him."
"YOU'RE WRONG!"
"Yukizo, I'm just pointing it out. He should be training me instead of you." The glaring girl went closer to the timid one. Sakuno backed up a few steps before she hit a metal pole. The pouring rain was getting harder and harder, never wanting to stop. It was soaking both of them to the bone. Izumi's breath tickled Sakuno's ear as she whispered her last words to her,
"Give it up. Ryoma HATES you."
OOOOOOOOOO
Minamoto-san continued to write more and more on her notepad. The information given to Ryoma was very important and she was happy that Ryoma answered more than she expected. Ryoma was an aloof one, she noted. He laid down on the couch looking all bored and whatnot. Although from the look in his eyes, he looked like he was about to pounce on someone if they got too close to him.
'Might as well…'
"Ryoma," Ryoma blinked out of thought and gazed at the woman who called him, "Are you feeling all right?"
"…I'm fine."
"Did anything happen?" Minamoto smiled, "You're Minako's friend. I will try and help you no matter what, okay?"
Ryoma sat up from where he laid down and clutched his cap that was left on the round table.
"Does it have to deal with the tournament?" Hana asked, "Is it giving you a hard time?"
Ryoma shook his head. Hana gave a small frown while rubbing her spectacles with a white cloth. Once she was about to put her glasses back on, Ryoma brought up a question.
"Ano…do you have fights with Minako?"
"Hm?" Minako thought for a moment while looking up at the ceiling in a daze, "Yes."
Ryoma waited for more, "There were times when I told her to not play tennis. That I worry about her constantly because ofher sleeping problem. She kept on telling me that she would only disobey me. I get angry at her, but fromtime to time, she has showed me improvement."
"I let her continue after that. There are times when I do not worry about her. She has showed me that she can take care of herself and know when her time is up. All that physical training I tested on her gave her more strength and stamina." Hana rested her hand on Ryoma's shoulder, "If Yukizo-chan is on your mind, don't worry too much. I'm sure that whatever she did, she did it for a reason."
"It's not what she did, but what she did to prevent it."
"Well, she did try, didn't she? Mistakes happen when you don't even notice it."
'Notice it…' Ryoma replayed Ryuuzaki's words. Did she say that Fuji and Inui…
Oh…damn.
Was he only thinking about himself at that moment instead of others? Did he really shrug off whatever Ryuuzaki said and said what he thought was more important? Ryuuzaki hadbrought upa point, saying that his senpai WERE stalking him and hadtried to get it out of him. If his senpai were that desperate to know about what was wrong, then how come they didn't ask himin the first place? Instead of that idea, Fuji, of all people, played a set-up match.
Guilt overwhelmed Ryoma.
He didn't like it one bit.
"Ryoma?! Where are you going?!" Hana watched as the young teenage boy burst out of his chair and ran off on his own. Echoing inside the house, Hana heard her two daughters squeak with surprise.
"RYOMA?! What is it?" Minako called out. Ryoma was unable to answer,as he had just passed her out of the door and disappeared into ongoing rain.
OOOOOOOOOO
The downpour of rain increased harder and harder as ongoing traffic in Tokyo crowded the streets. Only the dim colored lights flashed on and off, never letting Tokyo stop its hustle and bustle.
Huff…Huff…Huff..
Her cold and harsh words were inside her head, never wanting to leave. Sakuno was soaking wet in the rain as she passed through the crosswalk. She was a far distance out of the ice cream shop, leaving her best friend inutter confusion. The only confusion she thought of was Ryoma.
'Why did I bother meeting him?' Sakuno sniffled, 'Was meeting him a mistake?'
I would NEVER reach his level…
…Ryoma-sama deserves to train me more that you!
RYOMA HATES YOU…
Sakuno's eyes showed a blank expression- no, more than that. It was showing sadness and remorse. She knew all her life that she was just a bother to everyone, that she was the spoiler to everyone's fun because of her way of thinking differently. She never knew that it could affect her so much like this. She gazed down from where she was standing, her crying face reflecting in the puddle. Without knowing, a tear drop fell as if time had stopped itself. She was shaking; she didn't know who she was anymore. She didn't know why she was living. All she could think about was running away from the world and that everything was all her fault.
With a split second, she fell down on her knees, kneeling down near a willow tree and let her tears run freely down her cheeks. Her feet let her reside near a child's playground; everything was wet with the pouring rain.
'I never should've attended this tournament…' Sakuno thought to herself, 'I can't even support myself…Why I'm doing this?'
"Oi, get up."
That voice!
Why did it sound so familiar? Sakuno shook her head, it must be her thoughts tricking her.
"R-…Sakuno…"
Sakuno blinked in bewilderment. Why did that voice,so distant from her, say her first name?
Wait…
Who was this person?
She wanted to find out herself, but she had no chance to when a pair of open arms hugged her petite form. Warmth and wetness mixed together and she was burning with someone else's body heat.
They were the arms of Echizen Ryoma.
"R-Ryoma?" She audibly whispered out loud. She wanted to get away from him, but his strong firm arms held her tight.
"Che. What are you doing here, baka? You're all wet."
Sakuno didn't say anything. She didn't know what was happening. She just didn't. Seeing the boy that she betrayed was just hurting her. She should not even make contact with him.
But…why was he hugging her?
"I should ask you…the same…question…" She said with light pants of breath. She didn't dare look up at those golden eyes, not right now, as they were filled with tears.
There was an overwhelming silence until Ryoma spoke up, "Looking for you."
Sakuno exaggerated her chuckle, "Why are you looking for me when you should be looking for someone else?"
Ryoma now had a frown on his face, "Why should I? There's no one else."
"Wha-what?"
His embrace loosened a little, yet still holding her, "I'm sorry for not listening to you."
Sakuno could barely gasp as he continued, "It's my fault for not telling my senpai anything about this. It's my fault that I snapped, thinking only about myself. It's my fault…that I made you feel this way."
Sakuno sat very still, "Sakuno…let us continue with the tournament and win this. Win it because you want to. Win it with me as your support. Win it…" He then whispered close to her ear, "because I told you to."
"But…what about-"
"I will talk to my senpai later and tell them that I'm alright. I just…"
"…want to keep your pride." Sakuno smiled as she closed her eyes with exhaustion, "Ryoma…"
"The exchange…let's just say, I'm getting better."
Sakuno quivered her lips and cried once more, "Ryoma-kun…" Her head rested in his chest, never wanting to leave the embrace.
The downpour of rain continued, but to the two teenagers that were sitting in the willow tree right now…
They felt like the rain stopped and a shine of light seeped through them in an instant. Sakuno could never believe that the tennis prince was like this, not in a million years. He had been hiding very well of what she believed was karma. Kato Izumi's harsh and cold words faded away. However, she would appear very soon in any possible match.
Either way, Sakuno would be ready.
She knew she would be with the now fully supported Echizen coaches by her side.
As for Ryoma, with the update that Minamoto Hana gave to him, he was sure that everything would be okay with his insomnia. But one question remained in his mind...
Why was his heart beating so fast when being near Sakuno?
HaruCherry's Notes: I apologize for my lateness. School and writer's block kept me away and I had no time to write much. This was the best I could do and I hope to get going with the next chapter.
Thank you so much for everyone's support. I appreciate everyone who is reading this fic. It means a lot to me.
I'll update as soon as I can. Thank you!