Possible Chances

The sight of Rikkaidai gave Ryuzaki Sakuno an unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach.  Tomoka had managed to persuade her to do some ‘research’ for Seigaku’s upcoming matches and the name ‘Kirihara Akaya’, written on bold letters, seemed to worsen the feeling even more.

As she went around the courts, she spotted a friendly-looking boy with bright red hair and decided to approach him.  “Anou,” she began, tapping him on the back.  “Is Kirihara Akaya-san here?” 

The boy stared at him with big wide eyes, and to Sakuno’s surprise, he gave out a big grin.  “KIRIHARA AKAYA-SAAAAAAAAAN!” he screamed happily, popping a bubble gum.  He winked at Sakuno and ran out quickly.

She could see a commotion build up at one of the courts and she gasped as a group of boys came up to her, carrying a flailing boy.

“BRING ME DOWN, YOU BAKA-TACHI!” the boy protested loudly, trying to break free.  The others responded with more taunting and laughing.

Finally, he was put down, and the others snickered in amusement.

Blushing, the boy scowled at Sakuno.  “What?” he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Uh…” Sakuno mumbled, blushing, as well.  “I c-came to interview you, Kirihara-san.”

He put his hands on his hips and looked at his teammates.  “Well?  Aren’t you going to leave?” he asked them sourly.

As soon as they left, he sat down right in front of her in the middle of the pathway.  “So?” he asked, looking up at her.  “For what magazine?”

“A-Anou…” she fumbled with her notepad as she flipped open a few pages.  “I-I’m just a journalist for our school paper… and I’m supposed to… write about t-tennis.”  Sakuno gulped as she positioned her pen over the paper.  Lying was hard, and the lies that Tomoka provided for her were far from believable.

“If you’re trying to spy, it’s not working,” Kirihara announced, looking at her straight in the eye.  To her further surprise, he suddenly smirked.  “But if you tell me that you’re my fan, then I’ll let you interview me.”

“EH?”

“So, are you my fan or not?”

Sakuno twitched slightly before her face flushed again.  Slowly, she nodded and gave him a small ‘yes’.

 With that, Kirihara beamed and he motioned for Sakuno to sit down in front of him.  Sakuno obliged and he smirked at her again.  “Well then, shoot.”

“How are your practices going, Kirihara-san?” Sakuno began.

“Fine,” Kirihara replied flatly.  “Next question please.”

“Oh, okay.  How about… are you prepared for the upcoming match with Fudomine?”

“Yes,” came another short reply.  “Next.”

“What are your chances of winning?”

“A hundred percent.”

“Who are you planning to go against?”

“Anyone.”

“Do you think you’re good enough to match Tachibana-buchou of Fudomine?”

“More than enough.”

“How are you preparing for the match?”

By this time, Sakuno was shaking in unspoken frustration.  All the answers that the sophomore had given her were nothing more than a few words, and she wasn’t even able to get any important information.

“I don’t know.” 

With that being the last straw, she threw her notepad straight into Kirihara Akaya’s face.  He stared at her in shock.

After realizing what she did, she gasped and scampered to pick up the pad on the floor.  “I’m s-sorry, Kirihara-san!  I- I- I- My hand slipped!” Sakuno stammered as she bowed continuously.

“I’m sorry!” she continued as Kirihara scowled at her.  “Does it hurt anywhere, Kirihara-san?”

He frowned in annoyance.  “It was just a notepad.”   He pushed Sakuno’s hand roughly from his face.  “Well, are you done?”

“Not yet,” Sakuno admitted.  “But if you’d like to stop, it would be fine.”  She lowered her head.

Kirihara looked away.  “I keep practicing everyday until I get tired.  That’s all I do.  I can’t think of any other way to win.”  Sakuno stared at him in surprise.  Kirihara flushed.  “Well?  Let’s get this over with!”

“How do you think will your team perform during the matches?”

“Our buchou may not be around, but Sanada-fukubuchou and the sempai-tachi are great players.  Most of them may be a bunch of lazy asses, but we’ve got good aces this year,” Kirihara replied.

“H-How about Seigaku?”

He looked at her, and surveyed her uniform.  “Well, since you’re my fan, I might as well tell you.”  With that, he grinned.  “I met an interesting person from Seigaku a while back, and I think he’s the only one who’d be worthy to play with.  He looks skillful, and that makes him more fun to beat.”

“Interesting?” Sakuno echoed.  An image of Ryoma Echizen popped inside her mind.

 Kirihara met her eyes.  “Be sure to tell him – and everyone in your team – that they shouldn’t give me a boring game.”

 Sakuno smiled.  The twinkle in Kirihara’s eyes reminded her of a child who just learned a new game.  “I will,” she replied firmly.  “I’m sure that they won’t disappoint.”

 Kirihara smirked again and nodded. 

“Thank you for your time, Kirihara-san.”  Sakuno closed her notepad, ignoring the other questions that Tomoka had prepared earlier. 

“Good luck in your practice and please don’t over-exert yourself!” she cheered.

Kirihara hn-ed and dug his hands into his pockets.  “Why do you care?”

“Because I’m Kirihara-san’s fan now,” Sakuno replied, before she turned around and ran off.

"I knew you were a spy from the very beginning!!" he shouted towards her, and she didn't seem to hear.

Kirihara stared at the girl, surprise written all over his expression.  Before he could stop himself, a blush crept up his cheeks and he had to cover his mouth before a big grin took over his face.

 

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Fin.

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