everything comes with a price

Chapter 32: Dance and Farewell

Yup, as you expected, since the dance required dates, the male players weren't left alone, especially the champions. The male champions found themselves surrounded by girls, asking them to take them to the Non-denominational Formal Dance. Oh, and just so to let you know, Ryoga asked Pakura to the dance yesterday, when they are alone watching the TV in the lounge. So, yes, both the most desirable ones, Ryoma and Pakura are taken. The champions are now currently eating their lunch together, discussing the upcoming dance.

"Yes, me and Derek agreed to go to the dance together." said Chris, in answer to Ryoma's question. "I never really liked girls anyway."

"Yeah. Me and Philip are going with each other as well." said William. "Girls are never my thing. In fact, I don't even feel anything for girls. They are just so annoying and creepy."

A week ago, Ryoma may have said that avoiding being asked for a dance would be a cinch compared to playing against Tezuka in a match. But now that he had done the latter, and was on the prospect of being asked for a dance, he thought he'd rather have another round of matches with Tezuka. Every girl (except Pakura) seemed to be obsessed with the upcoming dance, and it was amazing how many girls the coachs invited here. Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors, girls shrieking with laughter, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they will wear if they are invited...

"You're not going to have any trouble even if you don't have Atobe as a date, Ryoma. You're a champion. I bet they'll be queuing up to go with you." said Pakura. Amazingly, to Ryoma's surprise, she turned out to be right. A curly-haired girl from Yamabuki to whom Ryoma had never spoken to in his life asked him to go to the ball with her just this morning. Ryoma was so taken aback that he had said 'no' before he could even think about it (but it's good he didn't, because he's going with Atobe), and she walked off, looking rather hurt, and he had to endure Tyler's, Atobe's and Ryoga's taunts about her for about an hour. The next 5 hours, two more girls asked him, a girl from Fudomine and (to Ryoma's horror) a girl from Higa Chuu who looked as though she might knock him out if he refused.

"She was quite good looking." said Pakura, after she stopped laughing.

"She's a foot taller than me. Besides, I don't like girls." said Ryoma, still unnerved. But, his troubles were far from over.

"Man, I wonder why the boys have to move in packs." Tomoka wondered. "Hey, Sakuno, do you have any idea who you're going to try?"

Sakuno said nothing. She knew perfectly well whom she'd like to ask, but working up the nerve was something else....Ryoma was the same age as her, he was very good-looking, he's a very good tennis player, and he is very popular. Also it turned he was not lying when he said Seigaku betrayed him. However, every time she glimpsed him that day-during lunch, during break, and once on the way to training- he was surrounded by friends. Didn't he ever go anywhere alone? Could she perhaps ambush him as he was going to the bathroom? But no- he even seemed to go there with an escort of 1-3 people. Yet if she didn't do it soon, he was bound to have been asked by someone else.

Sakuno then got an idea. She'd just have to ask him for a private word that is all. Sure enough, she found him, walking out of the bathroom. "Er- Ryoma-kun? Can I have a word with you?"

His companion, Atobe, who was eating a Nutty Royale ice cream, smirked. Ryoma played it cool and said, "Ok," and followed her out of earshot of his boyfriend. Saknuo turned to look at him, and as usual, her stomach gave a weird lurch as if she missed a step going downwards.

"Er..." she said. Ryoma stood there, looking bored.

The words came out before Sakuno had quite got her tongue around them.

"Wangodancewime?" she said.

"What? Stop stuttering and ask me properly, idiot." said Ryoma.

"Do you....do you want to go to the dance with me?" said Sakuno, blushing. Why did she have to red now?