"I have late practice today, so I can't go home with you. Don't bother waiting."

Sakuno let out small sound of complaint as she felt all her hair become constrained underneath the signature cap that could identify its owner any day. She readjusted it so that it could fit her head better before returning the cat-like gaze that could freeze just anybody.

"I mean, how late is it?"

"Just late." Ryoma caused her to wince slightly as he gave his locker a nice and tight shut. He had to make sure it was securely locked or else he would find it ransacked the next morning—which was highly likely since he made way too many enemies on a daily basis with his nonchalance. "It's hot today. Thank me for saving you a sunburn."

"A mere cap is not going to prevent a sunburn," Sakuno huffed, but her comment dissipated in the air as the tennis ace sauntered towards the directions of the courts. Behind her, she could hear the mischievous giggles of her best friend.

"He totally likes you."

"And he totally doesn't. Quit feeding me wrong ideas, Tomo-chan," Sakuno whined, getting tired of her best friend's suggestions day by day. In response to her denial, Tomoka ripped the cap off her head, causing Sakuno to calm the mess on top of her head with two desperate hands.

"This is what I call flirting, Sakuno, dear!" Tomoka insisted. Sakuno felt her eye twitch just by the slightest as Tomoka wore Ryoma's hat and checked herself out with the selfie camera on her phone. "Any girl would die to be in your place!"

"I don't think they want to be in my place anyway," Sakuno muttered, "Not when nothing is changing."

Tomoka's playful smile evaporated from her face when she heard the wistful tone of her best friend. "Sakuno…"

Sakuno had no idea how long it had been—how long she had harbored this one-sided love towards the tennis star with no hopes of it ever being returned back. The memories were fuzzy every time she revisited the times where she first met him in middle school, but her feelings never wavered. Maybe that was how she got promoted from just a random fangirl by the sidelines during their tennis matches to a person he was just barely comfortable talking to—just pure perseverance.

Perhaps there was also the fact that she treated him like a normal human being, something he probably didn't get much of as an actual tennis star. She had no idea how he even caught up with school work sometimes whenever he had actual national tournaments and training camps to attend to. No, she wondered how he even had the spare time to even utter a single word to her.

Tomoka was convinced that he was giving her "special treatment" and that he "felt something" for her too, but after having some conversations with the quiet young man, she reached another conclusion: Ryoma was a simple person.

It didn't take much to gain Ryoma's favor. Quietness, respect, and tennis—those three things were all he asked for, and Sakuno probably fit the bill out of most of the people who talked to the guy. She was quiet, she was respectful towards his space, and she supported his tennis career—what more could he ask for from a person? Love? Definitely not. Tomoka had tried to reason that puberty had finally hit the guy, being seventeen and all, but Sakuno was convinced that nothing more filled his mind than tennis and the vast opportunities that came with his age.

Tennis. He'd probably marry it if he could.

Tomoka also had the outdated idea that Ryoma only talked to her, but that was far from the truth. He was not the same as he was in middle school. Sure, his attitude still pissed a lot of people off, but he was definitely a lot more social, meaning it wasn't just her nor his tennis teammates that he got along with. He actually was able to maintain small chatter with his classmates and those around him now, which wasn't a surprise since age could also do that to you.

Despite all these arguments that made complete sense to Sakuno, Tomoka kept claiming that her "sixth sense for love in the air" was not wrong. At this point, Sakuno gave up and resorted to just humoring her dear friend. At the end, it didn't matter—she was pretty happy to be a person Ryoma was comfortable with. The guy needed a breather from all the stardom anyway.

Despite his warning of his late practice, Sakuno still stayed afterschool to wait for him. He didn't stay long enough for her to inform him of her library duty—she had to stay afterschool anyway whether he liked it or not. So when he saw her lone figure waiting by the gates of their high school, the surprise was evident on his face, but it quickly went away to be replaced by his usual cool demeanor.

"Ryuzaki—"

"I had library duty today," Sakuno quickly said before he could interject. He raised an eyebrow, as if not believing her, but when Sakuno gave him a stern look, he dropped it. He wasn't the only one who had changed since middle school. Gone was the stuttering clutz; her gentleness was still there, but she gained more of a backbone since her younger days. She handed him back his cap, which he took and placed back on his head.

"Got time today? Come over," Ryoma suggested casually as he covered his mouth for a yawn. He then stretched his arms above his head as he began their walk back home with Sakuno quickly catching up to him. "Karupin kind of misses you. It pisses me off."

"Many things piss you off," she stated matter-of-factly, earning a slight scowl from the tennis star's face. "Besides, are your parents home? I wouldn't want to create another… misunderstanding."

The last time she came over, it was actually her first time. She had forgotten something at school, which Ryoma thankfully retrieved for her. However, he forgot to bring it to school, and since her home was close to his, she managed to drop by to get it. However, what she didn't expect was to gain Karupin's wholehearted love and his parents' looks of disbelief. They were disappointed that the first girl their seventeen-year-old son ever brought home was just a mere acquaintance and nothing more. If she were to come a second time though…

"I really don't care," Ryoma deadpanned, a typical response from the young man. "Plus, I don't think they're home right now—out visiting the grandparents or something. It's fine."

If Tomoka was here, her radar would be going off right now. However, knowing Ryoma, fulfilling his cat's desire was truly his intention. Sakuno thought about it and all the homework she had to do before nodding.

"I have some time to spare."

The moment she stepped foot into the Echizen household, the familiar face of the Himalayan cat popped up from the stairs. Sakuno bent down to pet the overly-friendly cat, giggling as Ryoma simply scoffed and reached for a can of Ponta from the fridge.

"He hasn't been the same since you visited the other time," Ryoma said grudgingly. The jealously was clearly evident in his voice. "I hope you're happy, Karupin."

In response, Karupin purred as Sakuno gave his back a nice and long pat.

"Aren't you an old cat, hm?" Sakuno cooed as she spoiled the cat.

"Have fun with him. I'm going to go take a shower real quick," Ryoma announced. Having a long practice underneath the sun didn't do him any justice. He left before he could hear Sakuno's nervous "okay."

Being left alone in the Echizen household, Sakuno took this time to observe the traditional Japanese house. Everything was neat and organized, and shelves were decorated with trophies, both from Ryoma and his dad. It was hard to believe that Ryoma's father was someone to admire in the tennis world, considering how all he did was read interesting magazines all day nowadays.

Tennis. She never really had an interest in it. Sure, her grandmother was a coach that furnished many skilled players, but even with that type of exposure, Sakuno just didn't take the time to even glance at the sport. It was Ryoma who made her turn the other way, even though this wasn't a good nor justified reason to just take an interest in the sport. It first became a thing so that she could talk to Ryoma about, but she slowly was able to adopt it as her own hobby, much to her delight. She wasn't too good at it, but Ryoma was kind enough to coach her despite his busy schedule from time to time. Again, Tomoka would argue that he did it because she was special, but Tomoka obviously didn't see how Ryoma spared some time to coach poor Horio too so that he could actually make the team by senior year of high school.

"Ryuzaki, you can quit petting my cat now. If you don't, I think Karupin's just going to follow you home."

Sakuno snapped her eyes to the stairs as Ryoma clambered back down. He shook his head to release a few water droplets. Clad in a regular white T and black shorts, Ryoma looked quite comfy at home in front of her. She blushed, suddenly feeling a bit more intimate to the cold boy more than she would've liked. Being used to seeing him in his high school uniform, seeing him in something else made her feel a bit funny.

"Yeah, I'll probably get going now," Sakuno said, almost stuttering. She could feel her shy middle school self suddenly emerge again as she stood up, much to the cat's disappointment. Ryoma gave a quizzical look, not sure why she was suddenly so antsy.

"I'm not kicking you out," he assured. He plopped onto the sofa, which begged Sakuno's curiosity. He gave her another look, a bit fed up at her slowness. "Quit standing around and just sit."

Very confused at this point, Sakuno slowly made her way away from the cat and towards Ryoma, who was just lazily scrolling through his phone. When she stood standing in front of him, he gave her another look, this time with a slight frown creased against his forehead. He patted the place next to him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She heeded his words and carefully sat next to him, but not without keeping a reasonable and respectable space.

"Ano… Ryoma-kun…"

"Yes?"

"I finished visiting Karupin?" She didn't know what her purpose was anymore to just stay at his place once she finished greeting the cat. Much to her surprise, Ryoma gave her a weird look—much different from his cooler gazes.

"What, you think I'd kick you out once you finished visiting Karupin?" he stated frankly. It was barely a question. Sakuno nodded, completely clueless about his hospitality. Ryoma was a simple person, she presumed; she couldn't see anything past his words. He scoffed at her response. "I'm not that much of jerk."

"Other people would say differently," Sakuno laughed, knowing fully well how arrogant he was towards people that managed to tickle him on the wrong side. It was a common occurrence to see random people she'd never seen before just waiting at the gates and requesting a tennis dual with him. His attitude had been better though. Instead of making opponents forever hate him with his "mada mada dane," he actually gave some tips now and then—depending on his mood for the day. If not a good day, a "mada mada dane" was the only thing they would get.

Ryoma simply let out a tch, unamused by her comment. When silence entered within four seconds, it was Sakuno's turn again to break the silence.

"You feeling okay, Ryoma-kun?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You're acting a bit… strange today?" He wasn't really, but just inviting her over to his house was already a strange occurrence. "Did something happen at practice today?"

"No," he gruffly responded, clearly signaling that he did not want to talk about it. Sakuno blinked, a bit taken aback at how aggressive he suddenly sounded. Something must've really bothered him during practice today.

She didn't have time to even think about what it could've been before he suddenly shifted closer and laid his head comfortably on her shoulder.

"Stay still for a moment," he muttered, eyes closed and arms crossed. "I'm tired."

"O-okay."

What kind of new treatment was this?

Sakuno squeezed her eyes shut, mentally telling herself to calm her stupid heart or else Ryoma could hear it from a mile away. She was hyper aware at every point of contact they had, from his head to her shoulder, their arms, and the sides of their legs as the scent of his shampoo waved fresh underneath her nose.

When she opened her eyes again, all she could do was stare at the hands clasped on her lap as she remained still like stone. Ryoma didn't seem fazed as she listened to his even and steady breathing.

You can't do this to me, Ryoma-kun. Not when her feelings weren't entirely gone for him. She felt that if they weren't going to go away, she couldn't be a person he could depend on during times like this. She felt honestly guilty—guilty at the hidden thoughts she had.

Tomoka wouldn't leave her alone if she knew about this.

"You're different, Ryuzaki," he suddenly said, catching her off guard. Despite their intimate position, the roughness in his voice was the usual. "Different from back then."

"I'm not following," she replied, giving herself a mental pat on the back for not stuttering like an idiot. "How am I different?"

"You're more annoying."

Her heart stopped in a way she didn't want it to. An ice-cold sting pervaded her senses as her mind tried to process what he just said.

He just called her annoying.

For years, she had tried to become a person he was comfortable with, knowing that he was easily overwhelmed by all the people that crowded him, both admiring and hateful. Just when she thought she had gained his recognition as a person he could at least breathe around, being told annoying hit harder than necessary. Rather, that was the last thing she ever wanted to hear from him.

"Well, I'm sorry," she harshly half-whispered, and she stood up, not caring whether or not she hurt his head. Ryoma instantly shot his gaze up at her, coolly questioning her with those hazel eyes she was never able to read. He watched as she grabbed her bag and made a beeline towards the door, only to halt as he stretched out an arm and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Where are you going? I'm not kicking you out."

"I'm excusing myself out," Sakuno snapped as she threw his arm off, surprising the raven-haired greatly. He had never heard her sound so upset before—a complete one-eighty from her usual gentle demeanor. "I'm sorry that you see me that way."

"I think you're misunderstanding something here."

Ryoma was someone who was not good with his words, but the way he called her annoying could not have been interpreted in any other way. Sakuno was on the verge of crying before she frowned to mask it.

"What am I misunderstanding? I'm sorry for clinging by your side for so many years. You know, I would've stopped earlier if you just let me know the truth."

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."

If Sakuno wasn't so hurt, she would've been surprised to hear an apology coming from his mouth. Echizen Ryoma doesn't simply apologize to anyone.

"I'll be going now." Sakuno would've stayed a bit longer to hear what he had to say, but she'd rather leave right now then to let him see her bawl her eyes out. She turned away from him and walked over to her shoes. She quickly stuffed her feet into one and was about to put in the other before he called out for her again.

"Ryuzaki."

"Look, maybe I'll listen to what you have to say later, but right now, I just want to—"

She was in the middle of turning around to give him one last final look, but she wasn't ready to have her mouth shut with a kiss on her lips. A hand held onto the side of her upper arm tightly as if preventing her from running. Eyes wide open, she let out a small sound as she lost her balance, fell backwards, and bumped into the wall, shoe falling off one of her feet and laying forgotten.

Ryoma found the loss of balance a minor inconvenience as his other hand rested on the wall above her head, eyes closed as his mouth coaxed her to calm down and be quiet. Sakuno remained unmoving, mind blank as her eyes unnaturally remained opened to stare at his hair and his closed eyes.

Her eyes finally met with his once he pulled away, but he remained at a close distance. The usual unreadable gaze of his became turbulent with emotions she had never seen from him before. He silently questioned her with his eyes, mouth unmoving as words failed to give her any explanation.

However, words weren't needed when Ryoma closed back in on her as Sakuno threw her bag onto the floor and eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck. His two hands also found their way around her waist, holding onto her in a tight embrace as they kissed by the front entrance of the Echizen household.

Their mouths moved clumsily as they tried to match each other's inexperienced pace. Sakuno could hear herself breathing in an embarrassing way as she tried to catch some air while trying to form cohesive and comprehensible thoughts in her head. She completely lost her building train of thought though when Ryoma climbed a hand up to her head and released the ponytail from its confining scrunchie before throwing it down onto the ground. Her hair fell down in a cascade, and she simply gasped when he bunched up her hair affectionately with a hand.

Ryoma tried to guide them back into the house and away from the door without breaking the kiss, but it was difficult as they tumbled blindly and clumsily with their feet.

"Ryoma-kun, my shoe—"

She didn't need to say anymore as Ryoma stopped their kissing momentarily to bend down, take her shoe off, and chuck it back near the front entrance before finding his way back to her lips. A frown started to form slightly on her forehead as she tried to match her movements with his, but he was too fervent for her to catch up to.

Sakuno yelped when he suddenly lifted her up from the ground. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued kissing her, strong arms holding her securely as he blindly went up the stairs.

"Where we going?" she managed to say in between their kiss.

"My room," were the first words she heard from his mouth since his apology.

Her heart leaped at his answer. Before she knew it, she was thrown onto his bed with his face nuzzling into her hair and neck.

"Ryoma-kun, wait," Sakuno tried to stop him as she held his shoulders with her hands. "Ryom—"

Ryoma had a talent to get her to shut up. He kissed her again, and Sakuno took a turn away from reasoning as she got swamped underneath his overwhelming actions.

Everything felt surreal as she felt hands at places only she knew about. Her hands moved to grasp at his hair, earning a small groan from the tennis star. Hormones and excitement dictated their next course of action with logic right out the window. She couldn't help but let out a happy exhale through her nose when his tongue gently entered her mouth—Sakuno couldn't feel anymore content to be within the arms of the boy she loved since she was thirteen.

The boy she loved.

She didn't know how, but that thought was enough to get her to snap out of it. She could only do this with someone she loved, yes, but she wouldn't want to do it if the other party didn't feel the same. With everything crashing down on her, from questions as to how they even got here in the first place to why they were making out on his bed, Sakuno ripped herself away from him and moved over to the opposite edge of the bed.

The sunlight that barely peeked through his window was enough for her to see his frown. It was as if he was the one confused. "Sakuno?"

Her heart picked up faster than when she was kissing him—that was the first time he ever called her by her first name.

"What are you doing?" she breathed, feeling the consequences of her actions weighing down on her like a boulder. If things don't get resolved here, their friendship that she worked so hard to build was going to crumble into shambles. "Ryoma-kun, what did you just do?"

"I kissed you," he answered plainly, as if it was the obvious thing in the entire world. And then he said something else. "And you kissed me back."

Remembering a silly conversation she had with Tomoka, she used it as a reason as an attempt to even explain to him and herself how they ended up in this situation. After all, why else would he do this to her?

"Ryoma-kun, I know you're stressed and stuff from all the traveling you have to do and all the balancing you have to do between your tennis career and your school life." His frown couldn't get any deeper as he caught on to what she was hinting toward. "And I know you're at that time as a seventeen-year-old guy, but we—I—you can't do this. At least not to me."

"Are you trying to say that I'm just some hormonal guy? And stressed?"

Sakuno would've laughed at the way Ryoma sounded more offended at her comment about him being stressed if his hair wasn't all messed up from her manipulations. She wasn't any better at her ruffled shirt and skirt, and she shivered momentarily when she remembered the sleek hand that ran down her thigh and up her skirt just a minute ago.

"I didn't mean to put it that way, but yes. And I completely understand because it's normal, but—"

He kissed her without another warning as he climbed back over to her side and cupped her face with his two hands. It was a simple peck before he pulled back, as if daring her to say anymore.

"You're really annoying," he sighed, tone completely fed up with her obliviousness. He let his hands fall off her face, only to find themselves in her hair as he toyed with it. "I'll listen more to what you have to say, but I have no guarantees that I won't get annoyed."

"But wh—"

Kiss.

"Sto—"

And another.

"Ryoma-kun!"

He simply raised an eyebrow, this time eyes twinkled with amusement. She didn't like it one bit—it was the same expression he had on the court every time he knew he got the game in the bag. She squeaked when he pulled her by the back of her neck and back down onto the bed. This time, he simply just hugged her, chin resting on top of her delicate head as he hummed a bit.

"I didn't mean it literally."

"W-what?" Sakuno remained frozen as she stared at his chest. She was well aware of the fingers that threaded through her hair—he seemed quite enamored with it.

"Calling you annoying."

"Then what else could you have meant?"

"You asked if something happened today," he began. He paused just to let her interject if she needed to before he continued. "Nothing much. Just overheard a couple guys talk about you. I didn't like it."

"… What did they say?"

"Stuff I didn't like," he repeated to annoy her on purpose. Before she could complain, he elaborated more. "I just realized that a lot of people are quite interested in you."

"That's not true."

"That's why you're annoying."

Sakuno couldn't believe it as Ryoma released a sigh into her hair and cuddled her just like he would to Karupin. The tone of his voice didn't change much—it still sounded like he was talking to a bunch of underclassmen on the courts—but it brimmed slightly with something unknown that Sakuno never heard in his voice before. Her heart thumped rapidly underneath her ribcage as her breathing remained shallow and unsteady. Just being in the mere arms of the boy she crushed on since middle school on his bed did wonders to the functions of her mind.

"I-I still don't understand," Sakuno stammered obliviously. She couldn't understand what he meant by all these intimate actions. There was no way he knew about her feelings—or did he?—and there was no way that he shared the same feelings as her. This was Echizen Ryoma they were talking about, the guy who didn't care about anything other than tennis.

"You're stupid too," he muttered, not sure why his actions weren't getting across to her. Again not good with words, he wanted her to get it without him actually having to spell it out loud to her. "But I still like you anyway."

Sakuno's heart stopped completely. She simply blinked as she felt his arms hug her tighter at his confession. She questioned her ears, making sure she wasn't hallucinating any of it as she loosely clutched at his shirt. She feared that if she let go, she would somehow lose all of her understanding of what was happening.

However, all her doubts erased themselves from her mind when Ryoma pulled back to look her in the eye. An unusual twinkle in them made her realize that what he was saying was real—that the Echizen Ryoma, a young and famous tennis star, liked Ryuzaki Sakuno, a high school girl who didn't have much to offer.

"You're everything I'd like," he suddenly said. It was as if he was able to read her mind. She blushed, unable to form a single word to say back to him. When was he able to be so articulate about these things? When was he ever articulate about anything outside of tennis. "You probably think I'm obsessed with only tennis or something."

"Not true," Sakuno instantly lied, earning a light laugh from him.

"Mhm," he hummed in response, not believing her. He propped himself up with an arm by her side. Now, she was looking at him directly in the eyes. She could see the way his eyes flutter towards her lips for a brief instance before looking back at her. Before she knew it, her arms were wrapped around his neck again as they kissed in his bed.

Words and explanations could be for later.

"Are you not going to say anything back?" Ryoma muttered as he briefly paused their unexpected make-out session. Sakuno blinked curiously once more; who knew someone like Ryoma needed confirmation?

"You must've known something to just… kiss me," Sakuno said embarrassingly. She wondered what her hands were doing as they brushed through his silky locks. "Unless it's your habit to get everything backwards."

"That's how I win games—catching my opponents by surprise," he simply explained. Sakuno gaped at him, not sure how to feel about how he just compared her to a tennis match. However, any possible offense was gone as he nuzzled her neck. "Momo-senpai's been feeding me ideas about how you've been in love with me since middle school. Are there any truth behind his words?"

Sakuno wondered if Momo-senpai and Tomo-chan had any influence in this unexpected yet pleasant situation before she answered him.

"It seems like you already know the answer."

Sakuno eagerly leaned forward to receive another kiss from him before an unexpected voice shouted from downstairs.

"Boy! Are you home?"

"Fuck," Ryoma cursed as he detached himself from Sakuno instantly. Sakuno was the same as she scrambled from his bed. She instinctively checked herself in the mirror: tussled hair, wrinkled clothes, and a flushed face. Oh gosh.

Ryoma didn't fare well either as he tried to smooth out his hair before heading opening the door to his room and heading downstairs. Sakuno followed suit.

"Oyaji, you're home," Ryoma unnaturally greeted from the stairs. Sakuno could only meekly say hello behind Ryoma as his father and cousin inspected the entire place. She became horrified at the mess they left behind.

His father simply looked in surprise at the duo before grinning a sly smile.

"Sakuno-chan, glad to see you a second time here. Boy, you aren't polite enough to greet me at the door."

Ryoma simply clicked his tongue.

"Go away."

"This is my house, you dumb fool. Carry on with what you were… doing."

Sakuno couldn't feel anymore embarrassment as she watched his father eye the thrown shoe, the fallen scrunchie, and the school bag tossed to the floor. Ryoma simply scratched the back of his head, only showing slight discomfort at being discovered. Gladly, his father and cousin quickly left the living room to go outside to the backyard, allowing Sakuno to scramble over and clean up all the fallen things on the floor.

"Ryoma-kun, mo," she whined as she arranged her shoes neatly, settled her bag near the front, and picked up her scrunchie. "You didn't have to throw everything like that."

Ryoma stopped her when she tried to tie her hair back.

"It's okay, it saves for explanation. You look cuter without this, by the way," and to prove his point, he simply tossed her scrunchie again back towards where her bag was. Sakuno only looked at him disapprovingly before smiling.

"Want to go back up?"

"Not until you tell me."

"Tell you what?"

He looked at her expectedly, and she simply smiled before taking his hand.

"I love you, Ryoma-kun."