Only You

Sakuno sat at her desk, eyes scanning the exam papers of her students, yet her heart danced to an unexpected tempo. She graded the exam papers and sipped her lukewarm coffee. Ryoma playfully nudged her shoes with his own. She glanced at him, unable to suppress a smile as he flashed an infectious grin her way.

Suzuki-sensei chimed in, her perceptive eyes narrowing playfully at the duo. “You look brighter than usual today, Ryuzaki-sensei! Got a boyfriend now?” The question caught Sakuno off guard, heat flooding her cheeks. “I-I’m just the same as usual!” she stammered, glancing at Ryoma who bore a bemused smile just as Takeru looked over with a knowing smile.

“Seems like it’s working out,” Suzuki teased, eyeing Ryoma knowingly. Sakuno’s heart raced as she caught Ryoma’s gaze; there was something tender in his expression that made her stomach flutter.

Suzuki continued, “by the way, Echizen-sensei, this week will be your last week isn’t it?”

Ryoma nodded and said, “yeah.”

Takeru chimed in, “that’s too bad, I heard the results for the last English exams were really good, thanks to you. The principal was very happy about it. You made a good teacher, Echizen-sensei.”

Suzuki chuckled, “yeah, but we will also cheer you for the ATP tournament.”

Ryoma smiled, “thanks.”

Sakuno looked at him with a proud face, she would miss him dearly. She scribbled something on a sticky pad, ‘you are amazing, Ryoma-kun.’ She put it on his desk. Ryoma looked at it and smiled.

Later, as lunchtime rolled around, Ryoma hastily scribbled a note: ‘Want to have lunch together?’ He affixed it to her desk with a quick flick of his wrist. Sakuno’s heart skipped a beat as she read the invitation, and after a moment’s hesitation, she adhered her own note to his desk: ‘Okay!’

In the bustling cafeteria, their conversation flowed easily, punctuated by laughter and shared glances. As they ate, Ryoma leaned forward, curiosity sparking in his eyes. “What will you do after school?”

“I need to fetch one of my students from the hospital today. His mom has some things to attend to,” she replied, feeling a pang of concern for the boy.

“I see,” Ryoma nodded, suddenly reminded of the weight he bore on his shoulders—he still hadn’t found the right moment to tell Sakuno that he already know about Shun.

The hospital felt cold and sterile as Sakuno approached Shun’s room. “Shun-kun?” she called softly, a smile stretching across her face when he looked up and grinned back. “Ready to go home? Your mom sent me to get you. She has an appointment with your baby sister today.”

“Yes, Sensei. Yeah, mom already told me about it.” he replied, already zipping up his bag. Just then, a figure in a Kumamon mascot costume entered the room, causing Sakuno to giggle. “Oh, it’s you, Kuma-san!”

Ryoma, hidden beneath the fluffy exterior, gave her a subtle nod. Typing quickly on his phone, he flashed a message: *I’ll help bring his bag.* Sakuno beamed at him. “Thank you so much, Kuma-san.”

As they left the hospital, Shun perched excitedly beside Sakuno, while Ryoma trailed behind with his hefty tennis bag. Sakuno glanced at him and asked, “you play tennis too, Kuma-san?” She felt curious since she kind of feel familiar with the tennis bag.

Ryoma just nodded as he felt nervous suddenly. He was in hurry after training, so he just brought it somehow.

Suddenly, as they neared Shun’s grandmother’s house, chaos erupted. A man was attempting to snatch a handbag from Shun’s grandmother.