Waiting for that Promise

The way her cheeks flushed in the cold night, her almost teary eyes that made it shine against the night lights made him feel breathless. Did he say something wrong? But then, he knew that he had to say it.

For this girl to stop undermining herself, he had to let her know.

"I don't think someone who doesn't have any reason for existence can work as hard as that."

He didn't realize that his voice can sound as gentle as that when talking to another person. It was a side that he rarely showed to anyone. It was a side that is so foreign to him at that time, that he realized he's forgotten feeling this tenderness towards another.

"R-Ryoma-kun..."

He heard her mutter, her lovely voice filling his ears. Ryoma let out an amused smile, seeing her state of 'redness' that makes him want to tease her. But this time, what he's said is all but the truth.

"What do you think, Ryuzaki...?"

"I..." she stuttered, "I di-didn't know that Ryoma-kun remembered all of that."

"I didn't know too... until now."

A year ago, if someone asked about these things about her, he wouldn't have remembered and he wouldn't have bothered.

He looked away from her, feeling awkward for some reason. Ryoma didn't like that she thought he didn't remember– even if that's the truth. It's just as how he really didn't like long conversations. But somehow, he still catches himself opening up around her.

"I-I see. That's understandable." Ryuzaki said with a small smile, "Still, thank you, Ryoma-kun... for remembering."

For a while, they both didn't speak. Empty air enveloped their surroundings except for cicadas and the faint sound of traffic from far away beyond the campus outskirts. Deep inside, for some reason, Ryoma wanted the moment to be a bit longer. Even if they didn't have anything to talk about– the mere presence of Ryuzaki Sakuno makes him feel happy.

That's why, when she finally spoke, "Good night, Ryoma-kun... I'll be going back now."

He panicked a little. He wanted to reach over and grab her hand. To do something to make her stay a bit longer, to talk to him again just a bit more.

And so, he gulped. He didn't mind even if sounded so out of character. If he sounded clingy, or needy even. What's important were the words that came out of his mouth that reflected what he truly wanted.

"Ryuzaki, don't go..."

"Hm?" She halted in her steps, clear confusion on her face, "What is it, Ryoma-kun?"

"I.." It's his turn to be speechless. He wasn't sure how to tell her that he just wanted her to stay. But he settled on making himself clear about how he remembered her again from years ago. Maybe if he told her what he really thought, then maybe, he'll get a clear answer of why he has been feeling these strange emotions around her. He cleared his throat to fill the silence before he spoke.

"The truth is, I used to only vaguely remember Ryuzaki Sakuno before you came here." He tried his best to maintain his facade of keeping cool. "I didn't mean to..."

"I have learned to separate the time I was a first year in Seigaku up to the point of when I transferred here to be completely different versions of myself." At that point, he couldn't look at her and he settled on focusing on the clear night skies. "The brief moment I spent with Seigaku and the memories I made there were representative of the height of my youth."

"As soon as I transferred here five years ago, all I did was train and fight," Ryoma sighed, "And it wasn't like the only things to do in professional tennis were to train and join tournaments. There were also things that I cannot control— cannot get away from, even if I was still technically a thirteen-year-old."