When You Smile - Complete

Chapter Two - Miyako's Presence

Chapter Two - Miyako's Presence

She'd become such a common occurrence that the tennis club members barely noticed her presence anymore and managed to practice without being distracted by her. And everyday she'd wear the same basic thing. A pale coloured tank top and the dark green school skirt. She'd also trade her normal school shoes for a pair of blue and white coloured sneakers.

Tezuka grumbled quietly to himself. If anyone on the Regulars - particularly Fuji or Momo - knew that he noticed her enough that he knew what she wore everyday then he'd never hear the end of it. But he'd noticed that she'd practice swinging over and over again several times during her hour practice on the half courts. And after several minutes she'd try with the ball - but would end up feeling the pain in her wrist again. It had been nearly two weeks since he'd approached her and she still hadn't given up.

He admired her persistence - but knew that there was nothing else that he could do to help her.

"She's found the problem?" Fuji asked on a fresh Monday afternoon.

Tezuka bought his eyes away from the girl - whose name he still did not know - and to where they should have been: the courts, making sure that the members of the club remained on a tight leash. "Apparently she has."

"You told her huh? About the flick in her wrist." Fuji assumed.

Unconsciously, Tezuka clutched his once injured elbow. "I wouldn't want someone to injure themselves playing a game they enjoy."

"You're a kind person, Tezuka - as much as you let on that you are indeed not." Fuji said with a smile.

Tezuka sighed. "Being stern does not mean that I am not kind."

Fuji laughed lightly, and then he stopped, but still a smile graced his lips. "Well, what do you know...a primary student?"

Tezuka followed Fuji's gaze and indeed, there was a very young girl wandering cautiously onto the tennis courts, keeping to the fences. She was searching the courts desperately. She walked all the way up beside Tezuka and - having not seen him yet - bumped into his leg softly. Taking a step back she meekly looked up and then blushed, looking back down. "Gomen-nasai!" She exclaimed, bowing deeply.

Tezuka looked at Fuji for a moment and then knelt down in front of the girl. "It's not a problem. But I wonder: what are you doing here in the high school?" He asked.

The girl bit her bottom lip, looking up at him from under her lashes. "My Neechan goes here.  She was supposed to pick me up, but she said that she would be playing tennis here. My school isn't far so I said that I would come here so that she doesn't have to stop practicing." She explained sweetly. "She loves tennis so I wouldn't want her to miss out on my account."

"Your sister, you say?" Fuji asked, leaning his hands on his knees to be at a closer angle to the girl while he spoke with her.

The girl looked up at him and nodded. "Mmm-hmm. Her name's Miyako-neechan~." She replied. "She's my bestest friend in the whole world."

Tezuka looked up at Fuji. "Do you know her? Is she on the Girl's Squad?"

Fuji shrugged. "Momo should know."

"Momo?" The girl asked. "Neechan talks about a Momoshiro-sama. Could he be the same person?"

"She talks about him?" Tezuka asked.

The girl nodded. "They're in most of the same classes. She says that he's funny."

"That's one way to put it." Fuji said with a grin. "I'll go ask Momo then."