ℍ𝕚𝕕𝕕𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟 ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨

Chapter 3

"I mean, we only met yesterday. I showed her around campus for a bit..." Tezuka honestly replied, shrugging his shoulders a bit.

The boys didn't seem to believe Tezuka because, if looked at correctly, they all had these smug looks on their faces. Yoshika was still hiding behind Tezuka, and she was slightly on edge with the others since she really only knew Tezuka. Even so, she only had known him for a day and a half.

Deciding to be a little more confident, Yoshika moved slightly into view but she still held onto the back of Tezuka's uniform. The boys noticed this and one of them actually had decided to step forward and introduce himself....

"Hey! I'm Fuji Shusuke. I'm surprised that Tezuka is opening up to you like he did with me, it's nice to see him making new friends outside the tennis courts..." the boy smiled, his eyes squinted and full of joy.

"I-it's nice to meet you Fuji~san. I-I'm Yoshika," Yoshika bowed. Soon the other boys followed suit with their introductions before inviting Yoshika to join them for lunch. She agreed and they went to the rooftop, eventually being joined by two 2nd years and a very small 1st year.

"So why did you get upset with Eiji's question," Oishi asked out of the blue. After introductions were over, it was revealed that Eiji Kikumaru had been the one who asked Yoshika about any relations she had with Seiichi.

"Well, I think you should know why," Yoshika answered bluntly.

Momoshiro, one of the 2nd years, began ranting on and on about how great Seiichi was. Her stomach churned sickeningly, the feeling of deja vu washing over her. Those feelings she tried to run and break free from, they still held a grasp on her. She was being neglected and ignored again.

Yoshika couldn't help but begin to cry. She quickly stood from her spot, running down from the rooftop and out of the building. This alarmed everyone, seeing as she made no comment nor warning before she ran off.

"W-Why did she leave?" Kawamura asked timidly.

"Because of Momo~senpai," Ryoma answered monotonously. Everyone's heads turned to look at their 1st year regular, finding it odd that he knew something they didn't yet nothing was said.

"Clarify please," Tezuka ordered.

With a heavy sigh, Ryoma stopped sipping his juice box, placing it down at his side before looking up at the others.

"She felt deja vu. I know that Seiichi Yukimura is a good player at tennis, but that doesn't mean you have to rub it in her face. She might have ran for the fact that you acted as if she was invisible. It could have been that way for a while now and she did transfer from Rikkaidai so, I believe that she was trying to get a new start," He explained, but then his eyes widened a fraction before he started speaking again...

"Momo~senpai casually ignored her, just as everyone else did to her in the past. Yoshika~senpai could also be seeing if everyone was "the same '' and Momo~senpai just proved her point. If my hunch is correct, that simply meant that she was ignored more than once, and this just brought back memories or the emotions she felt before she transferred," Ryoma theorized.

The boys looked at one another in concern, and Momoshiro seemed to have felt beyond guilty. He didn't mean to make her feel that way, yet he did, and on her first day at Seigaku too.

"Man I messed up big time. I...no..We need to go look for her," Momoshiro exclaimed, his eyes full of determination, concern, and guilt.

The boys nodded in agreement and decided to split up to search for Yoshika. Momoshiro was hoping to apologize to Yoshika as fast as possible, not really wanting for her to have a bad impression of him nor Tezuka since he was technically one of Tezuka's friends. How would she think of Tezuka now? Hopefully the same, but you could never be sure until you ask.