The Captain and The Coach

Planning

"Hey Junpei," Riko said as she fell into step with Junpei, "Should we go to the beach for our summer vacation?"

"Yes, the beach is nice," Junpei replied absentmindedly as they walked down the hallway.

"Or maybe the mountains?" she said excitedly.

"Yes, mountains are good too," he said, stealing a glance out the window.

Riko frowned up at him as they walked. "Hey, are you even listening?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Junpei spied the sophomores watching them from around the corner.

"What? I don't care about the location, as long as we can practice hard," he said.

Riko looked at him thoughtfully, "But the beach and mountains both have their merits for training."

"Do you want to go to the club room to discuss it?" he asked, and she nodded happily.

They made their way to the club room and found it empty. As they sat down at the table facing each other, Riko took out sheets of paper and pens, then said, "Let's each write down what's good about the beach and the mountains."

They each took a pen and paper, and began to write down their thoughts.

As Riko thought of the possible training regimens she could do at each location, she happened to glance at Junpei, who had a small smile on his lips.

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, then suddenly grabbed his sheet of paper.

"Hey!" he protested, reaching to grab it back from her.

Riko quickly skimmed the sheet of paper, and she could feel her face turn redder at each word she read.

Beach: Riko in a swimsuit, sunset with Riko, running on the shore with Riko. 

Mountain: Cuddling with Riko, wrapping my jacket around Riko, hot chocolate with Riko.

"Idiot," she muttered, but she couldn't help but smile as she shoved the piece of paper back at him.

"What? You said to list what's good about each location," he said innocently, a smile playing on his lips.

"Take it seriously or I'll hit you," she said, but they both knew it was an empty threat as she smiled and shook her head.

"Seriously," he tapped her wrist with his pen, "If both locations have their advantages for training, why don't we go to both?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Do you think we can afford it?"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Well, I'm sure we can cut costs by booking one big room for everyone and just bringing sleeping bags with us."

Riko's eyes lit up as she said, "And I can cook for everyone to save on meals!"

Junpei looked at her in panic, and Riko furrowed her forehead. "What?"

"Come here," he said, and she rounded the table to stand beside him.

Riko yelped as Junpei pulled her down to his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"Junpei! What if someone walks in?!" she asked as she nervously watched the door.

"Riko. You know I love you, right?" he said seriously, and she felt her face turn red.

"Junpei..." she blushed, and he looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Yes, I know you love me," she finally exhaled, and he smiled.

"So I say this with all the love in my heart," Junpei paused and took a deep breath, "Riko, you're not a very good cook."

She pouted at him, and he hastened to add, "But, I think you can improve if someone teaches you."

He tightened his arms around her, "So let's please look for someone in the team who can teach you how to cook, okay?"

She sighed then nodded reluctantly, "Okay."

Junpei smiled up at her, then pulled her head down to kiss her gently. Riko wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him back.

"Taiga knows how to cook."

Both Junpei and Riko screamed at the sound of Tetsuya's voice, and Riko shot out of Junpei's lap.

They both turned to see Tetsuya sitting at the corner with a book on his lap.

"How long have you been here??" Junpei demanded.

"I've been here the whole time," Tetsuya shrugged. "I like to study here. It's quiet."

Riko looked at Junpei in horror, and they were both speechless as they watched Tetsuya get to his feet and put his book inside his locker.

"You guys don't need to hide, you know," he said as he closed his locker, "Everyone knows."

Riko and Junpei gaped at each other as Tetsuya opened the door to the club room. "It's almost time for practice. See you guys at the gym."

He shut the door behind him, and Riko put her hands on her hips. "I really hate it when he sneaks up on us like that," she said, and Junpei laughed. "You don't hate it when he uses it at our games," he pointed out teasingly, and Riko made a face at him.

She turned to the table and gathered their things. "So we've decided? Beach and mountains?"

Junpei nodded. "We could do it at the start and end of summer vacation."

Riko smiled up at him, "Sounds good, Captain."

Junpei smiled back as they exited the club room and replied, "Let's go break the news to the team, Coach."

He shut the door behind them, then took Riko's hand in his. She looked at him in surprise, and he shrugged, "Everybody knows."

She blushed but didn't let go, and so they made their way to the gym hand in hand.