Camping Trip

Chapter 5

After about an hour or so, Atobe sent a message to everyone telling them what the schedule for the rest of the day was. Apparently, their day consisted of things like hiking, fishing and swimming. Even though Echizen liked camping and all of those fun things, they didn't seem as appealing when he did it with his teammates and rival school.

He enjoyed the fact that he shared a cabin with Choutaro and Jirou. Choutaro was the type of person who knew when to be serious at the correct times but he was also a kind-hearted person, much like Oishi. Jirou reminded Echizen of himself and Kikumaru. He and Kikumaru were happy most of the time while he and Echizen slept most of the day away.

Echizen was laying on his bed thinking about all the things that Atobe said that they would do and all the possible scenarios that could happen. Somehow, in all of them, he was humiliated one way or another by Momo, Fuji, Kikumaru, or Ryoga.

"Echizen-kun, are you alright?" Choutaro had noticed a sour look on Echizen's face. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine." Echizen rolled over to the other side and faced his back to Choutaro.

"Mou, you remind me of Atobe-san."

Echizen flinched then sat up and almost knocked his head on the ceiling. "What?" he asked in an 'are you really going to say that?' tone. "I'm nothing like that Monkey king."

"I think others would say different." Choutaro paid no attention to Echizen's attitude but saw his scowl and decided to have some fun. "I mean, you're both very skilled at tennis, you speak English quiet well, became regulars your first year, not to mention arrogant, rude, cocky..."

Echizen's scowl turned into a total death glare.

"...think you're better than everyone else, you both need to work on your people skills and have a nickname." Choutaro caught Echizen's eye. If looks could kill. "But, then again, there are a lot of things in which you are total opposites so maybe you aren't similar at all." He looked at Echizen and smiled. Echizen shot daggers at him from his eyes.

"Mmnph... *yawn*... ohayou." Jirou woke up from his bed in a rather uncomfortable looking position.

"Jirou-sempai, ohayou." Choutaro said as he turned from Echizen's death glare.

"Why are you awake?" Echizen stopped his glaring at Choutaro.

Jirou looked around. "Where are we?" he asked completely ignoring Echizen's question.

"We're at camp Jirou-sempai. Don't you remember yesterday? You were really excited to come."

Jirou looked at him with sleepy eyes then a light bulb went off in his head. "Ah! We're at camp!" Jirou jumped up from his bed, fully awake now. "Yatta! I forgot that we were here!" his stomach growled.

'I guess that's why he's up.' Echizen thought.

"Yosh! Time to go get some food!" Jirou ran for the door and ran outside towards the front of the campsite with the cabin that held the food.

"Ah, Jirou-sempai!" Choutaro started after him. "Echizen-kun, I'm sorry. I need to catch him. Last time he almost ate everything we had for the whole week! Gomen!" he ran out the door after Jirou down the trail.

Echizen sighed. He got down from his bed and shut the door. He was glad that both of them were gone. He could finally fall asleep in peace, or so he thought. Before he could get back on his bunk, there was a knock on the door. Annoyed he climbed down the ladder and went to the door expecting Oishi or Taka coming to see how he and his bunkmates were doing.

He opened the door to see no one and nothing except for an envelope left on the first step. He took the envelope and opened it. His eyes grew greater as he read the single line on the paper.