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Epilogue
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The name of Echizen Ryoma is very famous the next 10 years. Not just because of his god style of Tennis that had spread all over the world, but mostly because of his best effort in business and his big name for his great company. 10 years had changed him a lot from a naïve tennis player to a young successful businessman who own no less than 3 big companies in Japan and the world.
But, despite all of that, he is still as carefree as before. No one really understands what he is thinking about and that made all his decision unexpected. That surprising behavior is the main factor that made him just as success as now.
During his 10 years, he had achieved a lot of things, even much more than what his father did. The tennis world had known him just as strong as his father, and just as short-minded as his father. He left the tennis world when his name still famous and it leaves a legend that will always stays in people's mind.
Echizen Ryoma now works as the owner of some companies and he mostly spends his time working behind his private desk, calculating share and count for some speculations. The barely spends his time on the tennis court just like he did when he is still very young. Just sometimes, he went to his father's house and challenged him to play.
He never really keeps in touch with tennis world, and it made him untouched by the news about the other former Seigaku's regular tennis club. By some wind news he got Tezuka and others are great tennis player too. Their names spread all over the world. But, strangely he never really faced them so far.
Echizen Nanjiroh has a plan about his seems-to-be-workaholic son to prevent him from killing himself with works. He had told Ryoma about his plan on engaging him with Sakuno long time ago, and as the usual Ryoma will do, he only said 'yada' and left. Nanjiroh didn't really give up and keeps forcing him. But till now, Ryoma showed no interest in that kind of plan. No matter how much girls his father had offered him.
What makes Nanjiroh popped up with that kind of idea is the reality that his son never had a girl friend so far. When he asked about his reason, Ryoma simply said 'not interested'. And I can say he answered it honestly. Being single without ever having a person with along this entire time is not in occasion of waiting for Tezuka as what they have promised before. Moreover, Ryoma didn't really think it would come true.
Ryoma himself never find any other person would fit him enough just as Tezuka did before. It doesn't mean he will wait for Tezuka for the rest of his life, but he just simply wants to enjoy his life just as it is. As long as fate didn't force him to have a life-partner, he won't seek for it.
Until finally, it came the final day…
"Echizen-sama, a phone for you." That was the voice heard from the speaker of Ryoma's phone when he picked it up.
"Hai." He answered his maid and waited for another voice to come out.
"Yo, son." Heard out Nanjiroh's voice. "Have a great day?"
"What do you want, oyajii?" Ryoma answered reluctantly. He is actually in the way of calculating his share in a company when his father called.
"How rude. Is that the way you great your father?"
"Come on, I'm busy now." Ryoma's voice sounded irritated.
"I have a duty for you to accompany someone for tennis." Nanjiroh said quickly.
"Yada." Ryoma's mind goes suddenly to Sakuno since this kind way his father did is always used before to persuade him to go on a date with Sakuno. "I told you, I'm busy."
"You'll finally die on that pile of papers, Ryoma. You need some refreshing!" Nanjiroh's voice grew stern. "And how come you forget tennis completely like this?"
"I'm not forgetting it. I'm just busy."
"Then why don't you accept this good opportunity?"
Heard Ryoma's sigh.
"Why don't you obey me just once?"
"I've obeyed you so many times before."
Nanjiroh sighed deeply, sounded a bit give up. "You have to go!"
"You go."
"You'll like it."
"How can you say so?"
Nanjiroh silenced for a moment, just like he doesn't know what else to say. "Just… go. Just this time. I won't ask you anything else but this. Only this."
"Ya-da." Still, Ryoma insisted. "I'm busy. Do you have anything else to say?"
Nanjiroh didn't answer for a moment. "Well… This person will wait for you at 4 pm on the center court. No matter you wanna come or not. It's up to you whether you wanna make this person wait or come to fulfill the promise."
"It's yours appointment. You go see this person by yourself." And with that, Ryoma hung up the line. His eyes went back to the pile of papers he needs to calculate and he sighed. Perhaps, it's good to have some refreshing. Then he continued writing on the paper.
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Ryoma stepped inside the center tennis court his father told him this afternoon. It's empty with no sign of other people around him. He cursed his father inside before he looked into his wristwatch. It shows 4.20 pm and his mind silently told him the person his father talked about maybe had gone home.
He dropped his bag of rackets and examined his circumstance once again. Empty. No other sound he could hear so far. He sighed deeply. After all, it's all a waste for him to come all the way here. He had wasted his valuable time he could use for his other works just to come here without meeting the true purpose. Silently he blamed his father.
He bowed down and took the bag from the ground before he rebounded and swung his leg back to the entrance.
And just when he looked straight to the gate, he saw a figure stepped inside the gate and his eyes set on the guy's eyes behind his glasses. He is wearing tennis clothes and his left hand held a racket. The guy stopped where he stood and stared in surprise at Ryoma. Ryoma himself also stopped in shock.
They stared at each other for a moment, examining the way the other's look after so long they haven't met. Exploring the lost memories they had shared for so long time ago. Remembering what they had shared together very long time ago. The 10 years Ryoma had gone through now seems very short.
"Buchou." Ryoma said and his voice sounded hoarse.
Tezuka stepped inside and went closer to Ryoma who didn't move at all. "Don't call me buchou. I'm no longer your captain."
"Are you the one my father send to meet me?"
"Perhaps. I just received a challenge from unknown person, telling me to come here at 4 pm today."
Ryoma stared at Tezuka's eyes in disbelieve for quite a moment. In his opinion, Tezuka doesn't really change except he had grown taller. Well, Ryoma is much more taller now. But still, he's in the height of Tezuka's chin. "What a coincidence."
Tezuka nodded. "I heard you left tennis already."
"Not really leaving it actually. It's just I found something else that keep busying me all the time." Ryoma answered, avoiding Tezuka's eyes. He felt guilty since Tezuka is the one that made him found his own tennis style.
First he thought Tezuka would ask further question. But he's wrong since Tezuka only smiled, cannot hide how happy he is to see Ryoma again. "So, why don't we play tennis now?"
Ryoma looked directly to Tezuka's eyes. "I'll be very glad."
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The match ended in very long time. They both did the match seriously. Letting the intense in themselves during the entire 10 years go, flowing with how the match go. And with out a doubt, they both are very great.
At the end, still Tezuka won by 7-6. But none of them felt sad. Instead, they felt all the exhaust they always had before now filled with fresh. Both of them satisfied by the result and it proved by how they shook hands after the match.
"It's a great match." Tezuka said.
"No… It's a legend." Ryoma smiled proudly as their hands touched.
And when both of them stepped inside the changing room. It finally came the thought that was eased away by the great match before. Ryoma's mind asked him about their forgotten promise.
Ryoma felt nausea, as the question keeps repeated inside his mind. He never really thinks about it just as deep as how he felt now. He kept telling his mind to stop, but somehow, the harder he tried to banish it away, the harder the voice became.
Does fate really wants us to be together? Or is this just a game it makes? Ryoma thought silently.
He glanced secretly at Tezuka a few times and suddenly remembered how often he did this when they were still in junior high school. He wanted to laugh at himself if only the wonder about the promise didn't overcome him again.
His mouth nearly opened and said the words about it by itself but it failed by his quick response to swallow it back. He really wants to ask about it. But where should he start?
They left the changing room in silence, both think about the same question and too much afraid to ask. They thought about some reasons that prevent them to ask. And the most feared is the probability of the other to forget about the promise.
How would they laugh if only they could read each other mind?
They went to the lobby in silent and waited for their private car to pick them up. In the silence and the soon of separateness, their minds battle even harder.
"I would like to ask about our promise." Finally Tezuka asked.
Ryoma felt a sudden cold for a millisecond before he felt his body splashed with warm big wave all over. He looked beside and stared directly at Tezuka's eyes. "I thought you forget."
"How could I?" Tezuka said. "Beside, I come to take my rewards." And with that, he gave a malicious grin at the younger boy.
Ryoma can't help to reply the grin. He admitted it. He never felt this light before. As if the entire burden he ever had were all eased away. All the works he had to finish seems to be far behind his mind as his brain filled only with Tezuka. "So… where shall we go then?"
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THE END
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A/N: HURRAY!!! Finished already!!! Wow… I did this during the whole of my holiday. Now I'm going back and I'll start working in my new fic!!! It's still Tenipuri. Thank you for all of you who had read this fic and review it. Hontou ni Sankyu!!
In the last part of this story… I'm still asking you to review this… always… and always… Zutto…