Echizen's New Rival

Chapter 2: That Heavy Feeling

Sakuno couldn't speak. Her face was pale as she undergoes a state of immediate mental shock. She was unable to process anything and for some time, she didn't know how she looked like as she stared at that one smiling face who was in front of her. She just couldn't discern why he did that. Why would he? Why she? She's usually a nobody to anyone and rarely do people try and approach her as a girl. Even the great Echizen only regards her as a cheerleaderr and granddaughter of her father's coach and here he comes, a complete stranger changing everything too easily.

"Sakuno-chan, I'll see you around." the soft smile imprinted on his prince-like face returned the girl to reality. "Wai-…" her mouth formed the words but no voice came out. She blushed as she tightly clutched the paper bag that she embraced in her arms. It was her first kiss after all (even if it was on the cheeks) and even if she didn't know the meaning behind the English phrase that he said before he kissed her, the action itself tells her that it was not something as bad.

"Way to go Ryuzaki-san!" Momoshiro shouted, startling Sakuno out of her world and at the same time, making her remember that they both saw what happened. "Youth is really impressive isn't it?" the man nodded while the girl shook her head eminently.

"Mo-Momo-sempai," the girl blushed. "Chigau yo! It wasn't like that at all…" Sakuno said as if she pleaded both of them to believe in her. "Ite- ite, you don't have to hide it. We saw everything, right Echizen?" he said elbowing the boy on his shoulder. Sakuno held on once again at the paper bag. She felt that she needed support when she looks at "the real Ryoma Echizen" and the crackling sound the paper made as she crumpled it in her almost shaking hand gave her just that. After all, Sakuno wanted to know if Ryoma too shared the same idea that their sempai has but he only flashed that straight face he usually have and gave her no hints at all. What did she expect? She knows that he didn't see her more than the grandchild of their coach. He was in love with tennis more than anything.

"Tennis more than anything…" she repeated as she watched him calmly drinking his usual can of Ponta, staring at her very form as if he didn't care. He was quiet for awhile when he brought down the empty can away from his face and threw it at a nearby thrash can.

"You don't have to be reserved you know…" he finally said. Sakuno was taken aback and became silent. "I don't have to be reserved?" Sakuno echoed in a low voice. Ryoma didn't repeat what he said but he did nod once to confirm. Sakuno knew and made preparations to hear something like this but it was unexpectedly a heavy feeling and she didn't like it.

"See? Well don't worry, we're not going to tell your grandmother about what happened…" he said waving a goodbye to the unsatisfied girl. "I shouldn't be reserved," she murmured again, forcing a smile on her saddened face. She walked away, down the same path Rei took and disappeared after her last bow.

"Oi, Echizen, what happened to her?" he asked when he noticed the change at the girl's movements when she walked away.

"Saa…" Echizen gazed at the slowly disappearing figure of the girl from the distance before he closed his eyes and opened them once again as he entered the store.

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"But that guy is a tennis player isn't he? He had a tennis bag with him," they both walked towards the shoe section of the store and began to scan every single shoe that was on display. There were many designs on and Momoshiro felt his eyes produced several sparkling effects at every pair. Meanwhile, Echizen was awfully quiet as he looked at the designs on display. Taking that as a hint, Momoshiro laughed evilly and strangled the boy with his strong arms.

"Oi- Echizen, don't tell me you're jealous…" he teased. Surprised, Ryoma just sighed and freed himself out of the guy's arms to crouch down the floor.

"Why would I be?" He was engrossed at the shoe he just spotted below that he didn'tlook back when he replied. He got the blue-black colored combination design from the rack and flipped it over for some time as if he examined every part and design that it had. Momoshiro on the other hand just looked at the uninterested boy in front of him and decided to sigh it all away to join him in scanning the shoe that he got.

"Woah, man that's nice!" he exclaimed. Ryoma gave way when Momoshiro grabbed it away from his hands. He didn't feel like arguing the child mode of Momoshiro. He sighed again as he stood up. He looked back at the previous spot where Sakuno was and felt like something he did made everything awfully wrong.