141Chapter 6
Love Notes
"Move it!" Tomoka barked, her eyes blazing with resolve as she manoeuvred 39 kg of weight around the crowded hallway. In her haste to get her presently disabled friend out of the horde of sweaty, grimy bodies fresh from morning warm-up, she rapidly zoomed down the corridor, veering the wheelchair with expertise she had gained from the past weeks of assuming the role of a caretaker.
Rendered helpless and totally immobile, all Sakuno could do was close her eyes and grip the metal armrests of her wheelchair as she took a blind leap of faith in Tomoka with hopes that she would come out alive.
It was the freshmen's Sports Olympiad that day. The annual sports event was allotted in the month of December, where each class would compete against each other in the different sports modified by the faculty and specially handpicked students. The purpose of the event was to develop the motor skills of those both sports-inclined and not, who weren't part of any varsity teams, and ultimately strengthen the camaraderie of the school.
With hopes to represent her section in tennis, Sakuno continued having lessons with the resident tennis prince and signed-up for the girl's tennis team to at least get some leverage in the incoming tournaments. She was painfully aware that she wouldn't make the cut of becoming a regular with her current ability, so she devoted her time in practicing for the Sports Olympiad instead, content in taking things one a time.
It was such a pity that her in-born clumsiness snatched that opportunity like a thief in the night.
"Will you be able to see everything from here?" Tomoka asked as soon as they reached the bleachers directly beside the volleyball court.
Sakuno nodded and managed to say, "Thank you, Tomo-chan."
"Sakuno-chan! You know better than to strain your voice! You just got it back, for goodness' sake!" Tomoka reprimanded with her hands on her hips, evidently trying to pose an intimidating figure for her friend.
Sakuno smiled, "Goodluck, ne?" And spoke yet again.
"Ugh."
It wasn't long after Tomoka waved her goodbye and approached their class' volleyball team already gathered in the court. They were playing in the first volleyball match that morning, and because Tomoka was participating, Sakuno was forced to wear the same cheerleader outfit she wore in one of the tennis team's tournaments in the past. Given that she was still in a wheelchair, the least she could do was support her friend, so she acquiesced to Tomoka's outrageous request much sooner than expected.
Although she was utterly disappointed with the sudden turn of events, upon looking at the brighter side of things, she realized that she could take pleasure in her being in a wheelchair. Because of her accident, she was made aware of the people who truly cared for her.
Tomo-chan… Obaa-chan… Senpai-tachi… Kachiro, Katsuo, Horio… Ryoma-kun…
As the whistle was blown and the first player served, she could not help but squirm in her seat and blush fiercely at the latter thought.
The more she thought about Ryoma, the more she doubted last week's happenings. Ryoma was aloof, anti-social, and would not engage himself in troublesome things. But with the way he acted towards her, subtly concerned and would have no second thoughts of getting her out of trouble, it made her wonder if the boy had gone against his code and had finally fallen for her.
Wasn't it that he knew of her affections recently? That would explain his unexpected concern, wouldn't it? Why else would he bother with a directionally-challenged klutz like her?
"Ryuuzaki, watch out!" cried one of the girls in her class.
It was only then she noticed the airborne volleyball speeding towards her direction. She was frozen in place.
Just when she thought she would get hit, a hand came out of nowhere, catching the ball before it could come in contact with her face.
Looking up, she was stunned to see that her saviour was none other than the boy of her thoughts. The entire court was silent as he threw the ball towards one of the players and wordlessly pushed her wheelchair in a much safer area in the sidelines.
"R-Ryoma-kun…" she croaked out after snapping out of her trance, but the boy was already making his exit in that nonchalant way of his, acting as if he hadn't just done something so chivalrous.
There was a resulting uproar moments later, and Sakuno knew that he had successfully captured the hearts of every female in the area with that deed.
Sakuno would not deny that she was one of those girls.
But it elated her that unlike the other girls, she may have a sliver of a chance to have captured a bit of Ryoma's attention.
"I'm really, really sorry, Sakuno-chan!" Tomoka apologized for the nth time as she pushed her friend's wheelchair towards the tennis courts. "I shouldn't have placed you in there! God knows what your grandmother will do to me if you sport another injury." She shivered at the thought.
"No worries, Tomo-chan… I didn't get hurt," Sakuno assured with a smile.
"Kya~! And that's because Ryoma-sama came to save a damsel in distress! So gallant! So chivalrous! So cool~!" Tomoka gushed effervescently, with comical hearts floating in the air. Then she snapped from her daze, "Wait a minute! Didn't I tell you not to talk yet!? Geez, how many times do I have to repeat myself!"
Chuckling, Sakuno obliged and horizontally moved her fingers across her lips as if zipping them.
"Good girl," Tomoka looked satisfied and took a seat in one of the benches as soon as they arrived by the courts. "But you know… from what you told me last week… I really think that Ryoma-sama truly cares for you, Sakuno-chan."
Sakuno turned fifty shades of red.
Tomoka looked at her friend, her expression all-knowing. "No really! Why else would he do all those things, right? Buying you lunch, sticking with you all throughout the day, saving you from those bullies, giving you a piggyback… KYAAA~! Oh, and remember the time I had to return the Fuji-senpai's notebook? Senpai-tachi and I were discussing your condition and stuff when all of a sudden he storms out of the place and looked incredibly angry. Fuji-senpai said he got Ponta, but I really think that he went to look for you!"
Sakuno was speechless. Not that she could have spoken anyway since Tomoka will snap at her if she even dared to talk.
"And he did save you from that volleyball and transferred you in a safer place by the bleachers this morning! I mean, come on! Who would randomly appear out of nowhere to do all those oh-so-gentlemanly things?" Tomoka clasped her hands together, and so began her trip to daydream land.
Mou… Tomo-chan's exaggerating… It's all coincidence… And Ryoma-kun had no choice but to stick with me the entire day… But he didn't have to treat me lunch… And give me a piggyback ride… And smile at me like that…
Sakuno hid her face in her hands in embarrassment.
"You know! He might even be stalking you right now!"
Now that just blew things out of proportion.
"Hey, it's Ryoma-sama's class up next~!"
They watched the representatives of class I-B enter the courts, with an incredibly self-satisfied Horio in the lead.
"Eh? Where's Ryoma-sama!?"
Sakuno gestured taking a swig of a drink.
"What? You want a cola?" Tomoka's eyebrows knotted. Sakuno opened her mouth and was about to speak when, "No, no! Act it out! Let's do charades… this is fun!"
Sakuno sighed. Having to act it out makes things more complicated, counting the fact that she wasn't particularly the best charade-r in town. Seeing the expectant look on Tomoka's face, Sakuno yielded. She pointed at the tennis courts and Tomoka and then took another imaginary drink.
"Ohhh~ You want us to have something to drink while we watch the tennis matches!"
Sakuno really did suck at this. What she meant to say was that Ryoma, whom Tomoka was asking about, was probably by the vending machines taking his usual dose of Ponta.
Tomoka stood up. "Stay here, I'll get the drinks— Oh! They're starting… And it's that idiot Horio playing first," she said, her attention diverted towards the courts where Horio and his opponent from another section were deciding on who will take the first serve. A hand on her arm merited her attention.
It was Sakuno.
"Sakuno-chan?" Tomoka's eyebrows rose.
Sakuno gave her friend a knowing smile. "I'll go get the drinks."
Sakuno wasn't surprised to see Ryoma by the vending machines, purchasing what could possibly be his tenth can of Ponta that day. Although she expected to bump into him in her little trip to get drinks, she still could not stop the uncontrollable frenzy her heart was having. It was all really because of what she deduced that morning, which Tomoka 'confirmed' minutes before.
He likes her.
The boy didn't seem to have noticed her approach though. But this was Echizen Ryoma who had superior senses. Perhaps he thought that she was just this random student who decided to make a detour by the machine, that's why he didn't bother acknowledging her presence. But then again, what made her think that he would greet her just because he figured that it was her, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, standing behind him, about to purchase two cans of Ponta?
He did take care of her last week, right? To the point of having to enter the girls' bathroom and rescue her from her terribly humiliating predicament in the cubicle! And how many times had he saved her and appeared before her despite the many times she embarrassed herself in front of him? That valour speaks for itself!
She flushed at the thought and once again buried her face in her hands.
The loud clank broke her from her ruminations. Looking up, she saw Ryoma bend down to get his Ponta from the hole. It took him quite a while to step aside and give way to her.
Not having enough courage to look at his face, she directed her gaze towards the machine and inserted the coins. She looked at the drinks and took note that Ponta was labelled number two. Then she noted with frustration that the button was too high for her to reach.
It surprised her when a finger pressed number two for her.
"What's the other one?"
She turned red when she realized that Ryoma was still beside her, impassively watching her while taking a sip from his can. She indicated 'two' with her fingers.
And so he pressed two again.
Two cans of Ponta dropped into the hole, and she carefully bent down to get a hold of both drinks. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Ryoma had done her another favour! Thoughts of him liking her caused her mind to overturn yet again.
Overwhelmed with the recent happenings, she decided it wouldn't hurt to verbally say her thanks.
She took a deep breath and said, "Uhm… T-Thank you… F-For this… and for everything else you've done last week… It's really nice of you to do that… I mean… I-I didn't really expect it from you… but thank you anyways… And- and- I was wondering if I can do anything in return—"
"Hey, are you seriously going to talk to the vending machine all afternoon?"
It was only then she realized that Ryoma was gone and that the people behind her had incredulous looks on their faces, thinking that she had lost her mind for expressing her gratitude to a vending machine.
She quickly escaped the scene, rolling the wheels of her wheelchair as fast she could but still careful that the drinks on her lap wouldn't fall off.
Why did she always embarrass herself? Why?
…And does Ryoma really like her!?
"Hey, isn't Ryuuzaki supposed to be up and about by now?" Momoshiro asked, watching Sakuno speed past the tennis courts in her wheelchair.
"I heard she had another accident last week," Kikumaru piped in, taking a bite from his burger. "Poor Ryuuzaki-chan, nya! She really worked hard for the Sports Olympiad!"
"I believe Echizen's to blame," Fuji declared, his cerulean orbs exposed in the open.
It was lunch for the upper classes of Seigaku, and the tennis regulars were all gathered in the rooftop. According to Inui, they would have the best view of all happenings from there. Currently, an ominous atmosphere had befallen the boys with Fuji's recent assertion.
"Fuji, that's a grave accusation," Oishi's eyebrows furrowed worriedly, "No one would want to see Ryuuzaki get hurt. Echizen would never do that to a friend…"
Fuji smiled, "I never said he did it on purpose."
Everyone perked up.
"What do you mean, Fuji?" Kawamura asked curiously.
"Haven't you seen Echizen take care of Ryuuzaki when they were left from the freshmen field trip in Osaka? Something must have happened to make him go to such lengths," Fuji explained.
"Fuji has a point. Echizen never bothered with her that much before," Inui interjected, his ever-ready notebook lying open at the palm of his hand. "Fifty percent he's guilty for aggravating the situation that's why he's compelled to take care of her… This is Echizen we're talking about. He just doesn't randomly volunteer to baby-sit."
"Don't you think it's because he likes her?" Kaidoh supplied before he could even stop himself.
"As much as I hate to do this, I have to agree with mamushi. We're underestimating Echizen's ability to like a girl too much! It's because he's finally fallen for her that's why he's doing all this," Momoshiro assured confidently.
"Ochibi's in love, nya~!" Kikumaru laughed heartily.
"What do you think, Tezuka?" Fuji turned towards the all the while silent Seigaku captain eating in the corner.
Tezuka merely replied with a pointed glare which clearly said, How should I know?
"Well, that settles it then," Fuji said innocuously. "We'll just have to force it out of him." He cracked a big, bright smile.
Everyone had the sudden foreboding for their kouhai.
Right after the boys' tennis matches ended, with class I-A on the lead – Horio was absolutely dejected when his match ended with a score of 6-1 – Tomoka was recalled for a meeting before the semi-finals. The girl had insisted Sakuno to join her, and she had actually agreed, seeing that she had nothing else to do and nowhere else to wander to. But just before she could tag along, another girl from their class' volleyball team approached and handed her a small piece of paper.
"Who's it from!?" Tomoka shrieked as soon as Sakuno began to read the mysterious note. But even before Tomoka could find out,
"Osakada!" the volleyball captain roared.
"I'm right behind you!" Tomoka shouted back exasperatedly. "Coming, Sakuno-chan?" she looked over her shoulder.
But Sakuno shook her head and held out the letter.
"Give me the details, alright?" Tomoka said as she began to run away from her.
Sakuno nodded with a smile.
As soon as Tomoka disappeared at the corner of the building, Sakuno headed towards her destination.
With a frown, Ryoma opened the door to the locker rooms.
He had to admit, he was pretty bummed at the fact that even if it was their Sports Olympiad, he didn't even get a moment to play tennis. The faculty's excuse was because of the notable gap between the others and him, so instead of letting him play, he was tasked to facilitate the activities.
Earlier that afternoon, when he was amusing himself with Sakuno's attempt to buy Ponta, 1/3 of the freshmen trio, Kachiro, called him over saying that he was needed in the courts since the tennis matches had already commenced. Much to his inner chagrin, he had to leave the girl and proceed to the games.
Why was she off buying Ponta alone in the first place? God knows what may have happened to her... That girl attracted disaster like a magnet.
"Idiot," he muttered under his breath and opened his locker.
A piece of pink, scented paper fluttered in front of him. He wasted no time grabbing it.
Another confession?
"Hn."
His usual routine whenever he would receive a love note is to scan the content of it, not bothering to read everything but just taking note of the sender, and then insert it inside a pocket of his duffel bag for later throwing. And that's what he did for this particular love note. Hastily opening it, his cat-like gaze browsed the incredibly pink and glittery contents before he stopped short at the very bottom of the page.
He blinked.
Glaring brightly at him in silver ink was the name, Ryuuzaki.
He did a back track and averted his attention towards the beginning of the letter. It read:
Ryoma-kun,
Please meet me under the sakura tree ten minutes before the lunch bell rings. It's important.
Ryuuzaki
Sakuno wouldn't have complained waiting under the sakura tree in the middle of the campus if it was after school. But as of the moment, as streams of juniors and seniors were on their way back to the buildings and the freshmen were free to roam around the school grounds, she was very much visible to everyone in the immediate vicinity. She sat there stiffly, patiently waiting for her expected company and ignoring the unwanted attention she merited.
Then she saw him approach, all smiles.
"Sorry I'm late, Ryuuzaki."
She shook her head and mirrored the upward curving of his lips.
Fuji seemed delighted at this, "You don't have your voice back yet?"
"I-I do… but Tomo-chan's going to kill me when she finds out I've been talking again," Sakuno replied with a blush. "…but she's not here, so I guess it's alright."
The Seigaku tensai chuckled and appeared even more amused, "As your senpai, I also think you shouldn't strain your voice, Ryuuzaki. Sensei will be greatly worried if your condition worsened… your usual notes will be fine. Seeing you scribble entertains me."
Sakuno could have died in mortification.
"B-But I didn't bring my—"
Fuji placed his finger on top of his lips, "Shhh… No talking," he said with finality.
With a resigned sigh, Sakuno obligingly zipped her mouth, much to her senpai's amusement.
"Excellent," he grinned.
Sakuno began to fidget awkwardly in her seat as the minutes dragged on with nothing but persistent stares in silence. Fuji genially gazed at her with his usual smile in place and didn't seem at all fazed that he was making her feel uncomfortable. He stood a foot away, his hands inserted in his pants pockets, and seemed to have no intentions of talking soon.
Sakuno was at the peak of her patience, "Sen—"
"Shhh…" He motioned for her to keep quiet again. "No talking."
The girl impulsively puffed her cheeks in frustration. Why did he ask her to come here all of a sudden?
Resisting the urge not to look at her senpai, she looked up and met his steady gaze, deciding that it was best to let him know that she was getting impatient. She was taken aback when her senpai opened his eyes, revealing his mesmerizing cerulean orbs. She couldn't directly relay her frustration after that happened and was totally captivated with how pretty his eyes were.
"Ryuuzaki," He finally spoke.
Sakuno continued to stare.
"Would you like to go out with me during the Christmas break?"
That snapped her from her trance. "What—"
Fuji placed his finger on top of her lips this time, "Would you like to go out with me during the Christmas break?" he warmly asked again.
Sakuno was completely floored at the question.
Her confusion must have reflected on her expression because Fuji supplied, "I think that Ryuuzaki's really cute and sweet. I'd like to get to know you more. I promise to take good care of you," he smiled. "Go out with me," he bowed.
The auburn-head flushed a dark shade of red, both flattered and befuddled with the sudden turn of events. Although her senpai went out of his way to ask her out, she could not just betray the mounting affections she has for a certain tennis prince. Fuji-senpai was really sweet, funny, and nice to be with, but she still liked Ryoma. A lot.
When Fuji stood up from his position, he noticed the apologetic look on Sakuno's face. Sensing that he was going to be rejected, he whispered, "Go out with me as friends."
At that, Sakuno's expression softened. With a fierce blush on her face, she nodded her assent a moment later.
Fuji smiled handsomely, fondly patting Sakuno on the head.
"Oi, what'd you call me out here for?"
Sakuno stiffened at the voice.
Fuji smiled even wider.
Ryoma was suddenly standing beside her, looking at her with that penetrating gaze of his. For some reasons, he appeared absolutely aggravated, his cat-eyes sharper than usual.
"See you during the break, Sakuno-chan," the brunet said, much to Sakuno's surprise. He was about to lean down and peck his kouhai when the girl's wheelchair was hauled backwards.
"You're going to be late for class, senpai," Ryoma bit out over his shoulder as he steadfastly pushed Sakuno's wheelchair to God knows where.
Fuji watched them leave, a triumphant smile on his face. "Now what will you do, Echizen?"
"What's this?"
A piece of pink paper was tossed on her lap.
Sakuno looked up, only to be met by Ryoma's piercing gaze. She figured it was best to keep her eyes on her lap; she felt as if the boy could slaughter her right there and then with the predatory aura he was giving off.
They were currently inside a storage room with the door wide open. Ryoma decided a little privacy would be nice. An unsolicited audience would prevent him from getting the answers he wanted. However, the moment Sakuno opened the piece of paper, it dawned on him that the note wasn't from her. Her knotted eyebrows were adequate indication.
If that paper was really from her, she would be blushing to roots end right now.
"Damn senpai," he gritted his teeth.
Sakuno curiously gazed at him for both the letter and the broken silence.
And it was then she noticed the suspicious movement behind Ryoma.
Ryoma was quick to detect the alarm on Sakuno's face and immediately looked over his shoulder.
"W-Wait!"
The doors were slammed shut, and the storage room was bathed in darkness.
A/N: Don't you just love cliffies? Haha! Don't hate. I've already started writing the next chapter, so it'd hopefully be out soon. And it's a grapevine, people. Sakuno finally thinks that Ryoma's fallen for her, but does he really? Or is it still out of pity? And Fuji just has to complicate things, eh? Hihi. This chapter was not supposed to end like this, but I decided to cut it to maximize the drama. (;))
Oh, and if you're interested in more drama, I'd like to share the recent happenings in the authoress' life: Alas, I've graduated High School. Yes, it's unfortunate because "End of High School = No More Playtime". I'm entering college in a few months, and dear God bless me because I'm entering a landmine. I'm taking a pre-med course in the University of the Philippines, and I made it a goal to finish all my stories before I 'nerdify' myself this coming June. Pray for me, dear readers that I reach this goal. Because I'm telling you, the moment I begin my first year, it's a longer than usual hiatus. As in… years. HAHA. Kidding.
Anyhow, how was the chapter? Reviews would be nice. (:))
This chapter's dedicated to Kemi-chii by the way. Advance happy buttday, love!