The First To Lose (Prince Of Tennis)

18 (Tezuka Kunimitsu)

Chapter 18 --

"Tezu!"

Tezuka turned around, wiping the sweat on his brow away. He saw the familiar girl with something unfamiliar about her but he ignored it, his vision blurry from the sweat that dripped from his lashes into his russet coloured eyes.

"Good morning, Ryoka," he greeted, his deep sonorous voice drowning out the annoying chirps of the birds.

"Out for a run?" Ryoka asked, stating the obvious as she isn't really the best with conversation starters.

Tezuka nodded and continued to run his own pace, knowing that it would be an easy feat for the girl.

Ryoka jogged beside him, talking continuously with a grin on her face.

When they finally reached a bench, Tezuka stopped, taking deep breaths.

" -- right?"

Tezuka just nodded, not even knowing what she said.

He stared at her and noticed what the weird thing was.

"Why is your hair brown?"

Ryoka's eyes widened and she cursed under her breath.

"I forgot to buy hair dye," she admitted sheepishly.

Tezuka nodded, as if understanding. "Inui was confused when he couldn't find your pictures online. Now I know the reason why."

"Huh? Why was Inui looking for pictures of me online?"

"He always does a background check on almost everyone he meets, especially if there are many rumors," Tezuka stated. "You look like a foreigner with that hair colour. Inui thought that you probably just had the same name."

Ryoka tutted loudly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "If I'd been a little taller, I would've punched Inui a long time ago," she stated with a scowl.

"Ryoka, you should be careful of your threats," Tezuka warned. "There are some guys out there who do not have respect for girls and will not hesitate hitting back."

Ryoka nodded and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. "Well, obviously. I may be short but I'm quite confident of my strength," she said, winking at him teasingly. It actually happened to her before, when she was in America. She was lucky that the teachers came before he could actually hurt her and Ryoka was kind of traumatized. A month later, she committed herself to self defense classes while still continuing her tennis practice and at the same time balancing her studies.

"Still. You have to be careful. You're not a boy, Ryoka," Tezuka replied before he tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. "You're a girl."

Well thank you for giving that example because I most definitely am a teenage girl with raging hormones!

"I'll go home first," Tezuka said monotonously as if he hadn't just made Ryoka freak out 

Tezuka proceeded to jog away, leaving Ryoka screaming internally.

~

"So, you're leaving after school?"

"Yes."

"That was fast," Ryoka mumbled.

Well, if he waits any longer... bye bye shoulder and arm.

Ryoka pouted and crossed her arms. You know mind, I really hate you sometimes.

Too bad. I'm here forever unless you get a brain replacement. But I don't think that will be necessary seeing as you have never used your brain before.

Ryoka slumped on her seat. You're an asshole.

If I'm an asshole, then you're one too. We're one person, remember.

"... Ryoka?"

"Go and kill yourself," she muttered.

"That's not very polite."

Ryoka looked up and remembered that Tezuka was still there.

"Crap. Sorry, Tezu. I was talking to myself," she said sheepishly.

"Why would you tell yourself that?"

"I have issues that I don't think you'd wanna know."

Tezuka let a soft chuckle escape his lips.

"I'v seen you on your menstrual cycle. I think I can handle whatever you're hiding," he said seriously with the same blank face, traces of the smile he had seconds ago already gone.

"You just made it weirder than it already was!" Ryoka yelled, smacking Tezuka's thigh with her English dictionary. "Who the hell says menstrual cycle?!"