The First To Lose (Prince Of Tennis)

17 (Atobe Keigo)

Chapter 17 -- Atobe

"He ended up eating his own shit," Ryoka cried out, still laughing even as they walked out of the bowling alley.

Inui scowled, still feeling a little off after having to drink his own vile concoction.

Her laughter subsided when Ryuuzaki-sensei stopped and stood in front of them, about to say something to the whole team.

"Next week will be the second round of the Kantou Tournament. Our opponents will also be top ranked veterans," Sue announced, not minding the curious stares of some passerbys. "First up is Saitama's Midoriyama Jr. High. And then Chiba's Kogou Rokkaku Jr. High. If we can't beat these two teams, we won't be able to face Rikkaidai Jr. High in the finals!"

Ryoka nodded. As the unofficial team manager, she had already done her research. Midoriyama Jr. High wasn't going to be a problem. She visited their school and watched their practice. They seemed easy enough to beat. But with Rokkaku, it might be a little more troublesome.

Spaced out on her own, she didn't hear what Ryuuzaki-sensei said only hearing the surprised gasps of the boys.

"Huh?" She asked, as they all were uncharacteristically silent. "What happened?"

"Tch," Ryoma muttered, the only one speaking up. "Weren't you listening? Captain Tezuka is leaving."

Ryoka took a minute to process her younger brother's words.

"Oh. That."

She saw it coming. He needed time to heal his arm. So she obviously wasn't surprised. But the thought of a friend -a brotherly figure- leaving made her gloomy.

She turned to face Tezuka, giving him a lopsided smile. "Well, I hope you don't get too lonely there."

Tezuka nodded, still having his same expressionless face.

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Ryoka tapped her fingers on her thigh as she waited in line for her blueberry cheesecake. She was downcast after the news of Tezuka leaving and claimed she wanted to be alone. Cake always made her happier whenever she was sad. So maybe it could help this time as well.

Ryoka smiled at the woman and said a soft 'thank you' before walking off with her cake.

"Ryoka mou!"

"Fuck!" Ryoka whispered in English, having learnt the English curse word when she was ten. She quickened her pace, pretending she didn't hear him.

Ryoka hissed as if she had been burnt when a hand landed on her shoulder. On instinct, she slapped Atobe in the face again. She jumped away from him, holding her blueberry cheesecake close to her chest. She narrowed her hazel eyes at him and growled softly.

"What do you want?" Ryoka snapped. She watched as he touched his cheek where a hand print was slowly forming.

Letting his hand fall to his side, Atobe looked up. His onyx eyes met hers and Ryoka stood her ground. She wasn't running away this time.

Feeling her eyes start to tear up she squinted. "How long are you gonna stare at me? If you're gonna say something say it now," she commanded, being the first to look away. She rubbed her eyes, blinking back the tears.

"I'm sorry, Ryoka."

Ryoka looked up and saw the usually over-confident Atobe stare at her with blank eyes.

"I was just feeling frustrated and I took advantage of you."

Ryoka's scowl softened when she saw the sincerity in his eyes. For a person like Atobe, he must've given up his pride just to apologize to her.

"No."

Atobe looked up, shocked at her blunt answer.

"What?"

Ryoka pursed her lips and looked at him blankly.

"No," she repeated. "I don't care if you apologize. You still kissed me. That's sexual harassment. I can get you arrested."

Atobe stared at her with his mouth agape.

"Trust me when I say this, Keigo," she hissed, the pity gone. "Next time I see you, you better hide that pretty face of yours."

Ryoka pointed the finger at him before turning around and walking away.

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Sorry for the short chapters but I'll try to update as soon as possible! Hope you enjoyed the three different routes!