When You Smile - Complete

Chapter Four - Extended Play

Chapter Four - Extended Play

"You're acting a little different, Tezuka." Fuji noted.

Tezuka looked up from his lunch. "What do you mean?"

"You're acting a little different." Fuji repeated. "Ever since yesterday. Did she say something to you?" He pressed.

"No. Nothing." Tezuka denied.

"You'll have to do more practice with the club - Coach is starting to get anxious that you're not practicing enough for the tournament in two months time. You're the Captain, Tezuka." Fuji explained.

"I know. He's spoken to me. I'm putting in the extra time lost with Miyako-san after Regular practice times and over the weekends."

"Miyako-san? You're on first name basis?" Fuji asked, keen to find out more.

"She requested it - she said it was something that only teachers here did." Tezuka replied. "She gets stubborn and hard to instruct when I call her by her surname so I have little choice but to obey."

"If you don't make a move soon you're not going to get anything going." Fuji said flatly.

"What are you talking about?"

Fuji sighed, his eyes opening. "Do you think I'm blind because I close my eyes a lot? Even the Coach knows that you're very interested in this girl. But you'd better make a move soon or she's going to find another guy and you're not going to like that much."

"You've jumped to conclusions, Syusuke." Tezuka said. "I have no intentions what so ever."

Fuji sighed. "You're a little dense when it comes to this kind of thing, aren't you, Tezuka? Even Ryoma-kun's discovered his hormones and is dating Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter."

"Syusuke, I can't believe that you - okay, perhaps I can. But, really, I am her instructor - and she is improving under my guidance. She even agreed to a match with me this afternoon."

Fuji's eyes opened yet again. "A match? Are you going to go easy on her?"

"I won't use the Drop Shot if that's what you mean."

"Why not?" Both turned to see that Eiji had joined them. His blue eyes observed them curiously. "Is this about that girl Tezuka's been hanging out with?"

Tezuka frowned and looked back to his food as the red-head sat down at the table.

"She's kawaii ne~?" Eiji asked.

Tezuka glanced at him, willing that a dagger would snap his mouth shut. He cursed the staff for putting him in the same class as Kikumaru - his mouth was too loud and anything said to him would be out and spread around the classroom like wildfire.

"Not now, Eiji." Fuji said calmly.

"Aww~." Eiji whined. "Why can't I know the gossip?"

"Because there isn't anything you need to know." Tezuka stated.

"You should know by now, Kunimitsu." Eiji said, waving a fork towards Tezuka. "Your glare doesn't work on me anymore, nya~."

Tezuka grumbled quietly to himself before standing up to head to lunch practice.

. : . : . : .

"Do you think he really noticed?" Kara asked.

"Without a doubt. He's a smart guy, Kara. I don't think he'd miss something like that."

"Don't be so paranoid about it." Kara suggested. "Be worried about it if he mentions it in a bad way. Then I'd apologise like mad and run fifty laps to make him happy."