Fic: GAMBLE (part 2/?)
Title: Gamble
Chapter: 2
Author: Fyra (fyrathilwen)
Beta-reader: Debbi-chan (deborahs_melody)
Summary: Marui starts his action. What is his opinion about the new girl?
Previous chapter - Kuwahara POV
Chapter two - Bunta
For God’s sake, Jackal… what on earth am I to do for an hour? My parents could go to the mountains for a holiday in that time… okay, I’m glad that they don’t dally with each other in our hearing, but couldn’t they find a better way to solve the problem of my little brothers? For example, it would have been better to drop them off at my grandma’s and the problem could be forgotten. Oh, damn it.
Having nothing to do, I walk out of the club room (hey, I can’t bear sitting there gazing over at Yanagi’s scary collection) and cross the run of the school. Some noises are coming from the coliseum. A huge smile involuntary appears on my face when I realize who are screaming in there cheerfully. The female tennis players of the Rikkai!
I charge up and start to dance in the gym. Oh, yeah, that’s what I’ve missed for a long time: unfortunately, this year our matches usually are at the same time as the girls’, furthermore (as the scumbag tennis federation decided) they are in different arenas, so that we could have an opportunity to watch them if we lost our tournament. Of course, it’s impossible according to our abilities and traditions.
Stepping in, I catch sight of Yoko-chan first. Her dark purple hair is in a tight ponytail, she looks at me really strictly through her glasses. I blink at her so that she puckers her brows then turns away from me and yells at one of the members of her tennis team. The poor girl can’t help nodding innocently and doesn’t really get why her Buchou suddenly go mad.
Fie, Yoko-chan…
So, yeah. She had a crush on me a few months ago, but my attention was caught by the Fukubuchou of her team that time… who I later found out has nothing under her beautiful looks, except a bunch of distastefulness. The young lady has even worse personality than her Buchou - both of them are tennis machines, they can’t think of anything else day or night, their heads are full of serves and counters.
And they don’t have time to think about such sweet guys like me! A natural tensai like myself is worthy of note and deserves a girl who can wake up at the crack of dawn only to call that genius to say that she would die for him and would wait for him with a self-made creamy cake on the next morning. Never mind, at least I know that I can count on my irresistible appeal, now I only should find that blissful lucky girl who deserves me.
“Excuse me.”
Soft fingers touch my elbow and I step back instinctively. The door opens and closes, after a few moments I finally realised who she was. The huge windows of the gym shake as I slap my forehead.
Shit!
I slam the door and forgetting the whole team, (we talk about forty-eight dainty, muscled-legged, small-waisted, pretty girls, I have to set it out) run to the yard. I can see the red ponytail at the edge of the coliseum for a moment then the girl must head towards the gate of the Rikkai. Zap, this is my big chance, I won’t let it go!
My legs are a bit lazy (pardon me, but it’s hard to play with someone who doesn’t let me make a simple move on the court, at this rate I can’t really find the point in the training matches) so they slowly heat up to their ideal temperature for running, I will be able reach the girl soon, though. There is only a few metre distance between us, I change to a walking pace and look her up and down. There is no doubt, she must be the victim.
She is a bit smaller than me; I think she must be around one meter sixty. Her braided red hair reaches her waist and she wears our boring, dark blue pants instead of the cute skirt of the female students of Rikkai. I would be so glad to look at her legs! They must be as neat as her entire body… ah, she must be an adorable little angel!
An apple bubble pops in the front of my mouth. The girl shakes for a moment and turns behind. Her eyes are sparkle and clear green like a wild cat’s. They are almost as pretty as mine.
“Hi! Did I scare you?” I step closer with a smile on my face.
Marui-sama in action. Charm on level one.
Contrary to all expectations (like sheepish chuckle, shy blinks, cat-like kindness) she simply raises her eyebrow and look at me bored.
“Not really,” she answers then walks away. She walks away!
Don’t you dare ignore me like that!
I shut my dropped jaw and catch up to her within a few jumps.
“Hey… eh, is it possible that we haven’t met yet?” I ask mealy-mouthed.
“Yeah,” she replies. This kind of answer wouldn’t be such a big problem but the fact that she speeds up her tempo does. The short replies and the speed can mean only one thing: she tries to see the back of me. Of me.
Don’t worry, Marui-sama, something must be wrong with her mind.
I can’t give up yet.
“Oh, you must be the new girl who everyone talks about, right?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I am,” she says and gives me a short but quite cynical sneer. I find myself smiling as the dimples on her cheek are shown prominently.
“And why are you sparking around the tennis courts? Would you like to play as well?”
She looses the rhythm of her steps for a moment; I can see some kind of shadow crossing her face.
“I… don’t want… to play,” she says frigidly, and this time that bitter, scornful sneer shows up for a longer time.
“Why? Do you play something else?”
“I used to do,” She sighs deeply as we leave the gates of Rikkai.
Both of us stop, I eye her up and down again, the fine hands, the pretty face (with a freaking bored expression), the silky, red braid (noticing the many shades of red sparkling in the setting sun), and the… shapes.
Charm on level two.
“Where are you heading?” I ask and look at her with puppy-eyes. The girls usually like it.
Not like that crazy chicken.
“That way,” she points to the right with a cold expression on her face.
My face is getting tired because of the unnecessary (or rather useless) smiling.
“Great, one of my friends lives that way. Let’s go together.”
“I-I mean, that way,” she turns to the left quickly.
I blink at her. If she continues like that, I might kick her as well.
But no, I won’t lose my coolness.
“Even better, that’s the way to my home. So, do you live there as well?”
“Ha… hai,” she sighs and starts to walk resigned.
Of course, I follow her. Just relax, if I let her get on my nerves right now, I will only beat myself up. Yanagi Bug Climax Juice… after my last experience (when I spent two days at hospital because of gastric lavage) I now concentrate twice better during training. And if I only have to catch a wild cat to be free from the terror, I will catch her!
Charm on level three.
“Which school have you come from?”
“Seishun.”
“Maa, they have the chance to get the second place of the Kantou tournament this year.”
“Which tournament do you mean?” She turns to me immediately.
“The tennis tournament,” I reply and square my shoulders.
“Heh,” she produces that smirk again. “And who do you think will win?”
“Of course, we are going to take the win,” I shrug.
“Eh? Do you mean you play as well?” She raises an eyebrow and looks me up and down almost laughing.
I am trying to hide the fact that I noticed the disbelief in her voice.
For safety’s sake, I put my charm onto level four. Attention, females, it’s the hazardously philanderer level! Come closer only in fire-resistant clothes!
“Do I play? You can get to know a real tensai in me!” I bow and offer my hand to her. “I am Marui Bunta; the genius of the team’s doubles two. It doesn’t mean that the doubles one has someone as good as me, of course,” I add meditating then shake my head. “Third year, fifth class.”
She is staring at my hand for a few moments then shakes it reluctantly.
“Arai Riko. Second year,” she replies shortly.
It’s a pathetically simple name for such a sweetie sugar.
“Riko-chan…” I play with the word moonily. “Can I call you like that?”
“As you wish, Marui-senpai,” she bequeaths and shrugs.
“Now, now, call me Bunta-kun, if you want,” I offer gently.
“Eh… thanks.”
It feels like she didn’t get too excited because of my huge goodwill. Then I will have to go further.
“By the way, if you need anything like information or a little help with studying, you can always ask me. I am one of the best in my class, I would help you gladly. Anytime,” I add raising my eyebrows.
“Thanks, I think I will be okay,” she answers unconcernedly.
“Were you good at Seigaku?”
“I was the best in my year.”
And here comes that sneer again. Not like it doesn’t fit her, but I’m getting more and more curious about an original, cheerful smile of her. Of course, I am thinking of things like that only to remember the present moody girl and how much she irritated me a moment ago. And the situation is still the same.
“Were you? That’s interesting.”
“I don’t find so. Ja ne, Bunta-kun,” she says then disappears.
Eh?
I stop and look around confused. I step back a bit and look at the mouth of the huge concrete cube. It must be a door that opens to a stairway; I can see Riko-chan turning right at the first edge. I blow a bubble and imbibe the apple-like smell pleased when it pops. I back away from the building: the exterior ignorant of good taste and style, and the walls full of cracks. It isn’t the most ambitious house around. So, this is where our prey is living.
“So you started your action,” cold fingers touch my shoulder.
I let out an honest scream and stick to the wall scared. I am panting, frozen for a few moments then after regulating the rhythm of my heartbeats whet my throat.
“What… what would it be like if you didn’t scare your teammates to death? What will you do if I get a heart attack?” I yell with strong feelings of plucking that damned notebook out of Yanagi’s hands and throwing it as far as possible so that it would land after a few months in the middle of nowhere and couldn’t freak us out anymore.
“According to your condition, the chance of a heart attack is extremely low, to be specific…” He starts to roll the pages of his green book as I tear my hair in frustration.
“That’s enough, Yanagi! I don’t care about it and same goes for the fact that how many times I take breath in a minute, and I don’t even care about when I am going to die!” I let out a long sigh and put my hand on the shoulder of the guy. “Tell me, could you find out something while you were following us?”
“Do you think of anything else besides the fact that you get on her nerves?”
I would like to wipe down that smile of his. Instead of that, I raise my eyebrows and cross my arms in front of my chest.
“I get on her nerves? No way. It’s the opposite.”
“Anyway, it does count as an unsuccessful date,” he fishes a glass of turquoise, suspiciously steaming slop out of nowhere. I gulp loudly.
“Bu-but, Yanagi, I couldn’t even call her out, in fact… it is only the charting period that Niou was talking about. You… you know that,” my voice is shaking while he looks at me with a cold expression.
We gaze at each other for a few moments (at least, I think we do - since his eyes are almost close I couldn’t even say what colour they are or which direction he is looking towards!) then he sulks disappointed.
“Then what should I do with it?” He stares at his slipslop sadly.
“Just leave it to me!” I grab the chance (and the glass, too, at the same time) then with a masterly (genius-like) move I pour its matter on an ant colony which lived peacefully till now in the cracks of the pathway.
“Don’t… “ Yanagi groans surprised then observes the events silently like me.
After the first shock I shake his shoulders.
“Thanks, Yanagi! I haven’t ever seen ants sublimating acidly! Furthermore I haven’t ever heard ants screaming at all! It was… really… really… fantastic,” I go on talking while backing away. “Um… we will meet tomorrow!” I turn away finally and start running. I don’t care about cramp in my legs, I don’t care about the information Yanagi could give me before the others would hear it…
There is only one voice in my head and its getting louder and louder until it almost yells: Any way, I have to win the gamble! The first kiss will be mine!
End of the second chapter.
Next chapter - Masashi~
Chapter: 2
Author: Fyra (fyrathilwen)
Beta-reader: Debbi-chan (deborahs_melody)
Summary: Marui starts his action. What is his opinion about the new girl?
Previous chapter - Kuwahara POV
Chapter two - Bunta
For God’s sake, Jackal… what on earth am I to do for an hour? My parents could go to the mountains for a holiday in that time… okay, I’m glad that they don’t dally with each other in our hearing, but couldn’t they find a better way to solve the problem of my little brothers? For example, it would have been better to drop them off at my grandma’s and the problem could be forgotten. Oh, damn it.
Having nothing to do, I walk out of the club room (hey, I can’t bear sitting there gazing over at Yanagi’s scary collection) and cross the run of the school. Some noises are coming from the coliseum. A huge smile involuntary appears on my face when I realize who are screaming in there cheerfully. The female tennis players of the Rikkai!
I charge up and start to dance in the gym. Oh, yeah, that’s what I’ve missed for a long time: unfortunately, this year our matches usually are at the same time as the girls’, furthermore (as the scumbag tennis federation decided) they are in different arenas, so that we could have an opportunity to watch them if we lost our tournament. Of course, it’s impossible according to our abilities and traditions.
Stepping in, I catch sight of Yoko-chan first. Her dark purple hair is in a tight ponytail, she looks at me really strictly through her glasses. I blink at her so that she puckers her brows then turns away from me and yells at one of the members of her tennis team. The poor girl can’t help nodding innocently and doesn’t really get why her Buchou suddenly go mad.
Fie, Yoko-chan…
So, yeah. She had a crush on me a few months ago, but my attention was caught by the Fukubuchou of her team that time… who I later found out has nothing under her beautiful looks, except a bunch of distastefulness. The young lady has even worse personality than her Buchou - both of them are tennis machines, they can’t think of anything else day or night, their heads are full of serves and counters.
And they don’t have time to think about such sweet guys like me! A natural tensai like myself is worthy of note and deserves a girl who can wake up at the crack of dawn only to call that genius to say that she would die for him and would wait for him with a self-made creamy cake on the next morning. Never mind, at least I know that I can count on my irresistible appeal, now I only should find that blissful lucky girl who deserves me.
“Excuse me.”
Soft fingers touch my elbow and I step back instinctively. The door opens and closes, after a few moments I finally realised who she was. The huge windows of the gym shake as I slap my forehead.
Shit!
I slam the door and forgetting the whole team, (we talk about forty-eight dainty, muscled-legged, small-waisted, pretty girls, I have to set it out) run to the yard. I can see the red ponytail at the edge of the coliseum for a moment then the girl must head towards the gate of the Rikkai. Zap, this is my big chance, I won’t let it go!
My legs are a bit lazy (pardon me, but it’s hard to play with someone who doesn’t let me make a simple move on the court, at this rate I can’t really find the point in the training matches) so they slowly heat up to their ideal temperature for running, I will be able reach the girl soon, though. There is only a few metre distance between us, I change to a walking pace and look her up and down. There is no doubt, she must be the victim.
She is a bit smaller than me; I think she must be around one meter sixty. Her braided red hair reaches her waist and she wears our boring, dark blue pants instead of the cute skirt of the female students of Rikkai. I would be so glad to look at her legs! They must be as neat as her entire body… ah, she must be an adorable little angel!
An apple bubble pops in the front of my mouth. The girl shakes for a moment and turns behind. Her eyes are sparkle and clear green like a wild cat’s. They are almost as pretty as mine.
“Hi! Did I scare you?” I step closer with a smile on my face.
Marui-sama in action. Charm on level one.
Contrary to all expectations (like sheepish chuckle, shy blinks, cat-like kindness) she simply raises her eyebrow and look at me bored.
“Not really,” she answers then walks away. She walks away!
Don’t you dare ignore me like that!
I shut my dropped jaw and catch up to her within a few jumps.
“Hey… eh, is it possible that we haven’t met yet?” I ask mealy-mouthed.
“Yeah,” she replies. This kind of answer wouldn’t be such a big problem but the fact that she speeds up her tempo does. The short replies and the speed can mean only one thing: she tries to see the back of me. Of me.
Don’t worry, Marui-sama, something must be wrong with her mind.
I can’t give up yet.
“Oh, you must be the new girl who everyone talks about, right?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I am,” she says and gives me a short but quite cynical sneer. I find myself smiling as the dimples on her cheek are shown prominently.
“And why are you sparking around the tennis courts? Would you like to play as well?”
She looses the rhythm of her steps for a moment; I can see some kind of shadow crossing her face.
“I… don’t want… to play,” she says frigidly, and this time that bitter, scornful sneer shows up for a longer time.
“Why? Do you play something else?”
“I used to do,” She sighs deeply as we leave the gates of Rikkai.
Both of us stop, I eye her up and down again, the fine hands, the pretty face (with a freaking bored expression), the silky, red braid (noticing the many shades of red sparkling in the setting sun), and the… shapes.
Charm on level two.
“Where are you heading?” I ask and look at her with puppy-eyes. The girls usually like it.
Not like that crazy chicken.
“That way,” she points to the right with a cold expression on her face.
My face is getting tired because of the unnecessary (or rather useless) smiling.
“Great, one of my friends lives that way. Let’s go together.”
“I-I mean, that way,” she turns to the left quickly.
I blink at her. If she continues like that, I might kick her as well.
But no, I won’t lose my coolness.
“Even better, that’s the way to my home. So, do you live there as well?”
“Ha… hai,” she sighs and starts to walk resigned.
Of course, I follow her. Just relax, if I let her get on my nerves right now, I will only beat myself up. Yanagi Bug Climax Juice… after my last experience (when I spent two days at hospital because of gastric lavage) I now concentrate twice better during training. And if I only have to catch a wild cat to be free from the terror, I will catch her!
Charm on level three.
“Which school have you come from?”
“Seishun.”
“Maa, they have the chance to get the second place of the Kantou tournament this year.”
“Which tournament do you mean?” She turns to me immediately.
“The tennis tournament,” I reply and square my shoulders.
“Heh,” she produces that smirk again. “And who do you think will win?”
“Of course, we are going to take the win,” I shrug.
“Eh? Do you mean you play as well?” She raises an eyebrow and looks me up and down almost laughing.
I am trying to hide the fact that I noticed the disbelief in her voice.
For safety’s sake, I put my charm onto level four. Attention, females, it’s the hazardously philanderer level! Come closer only in fire-resistant clothes!
“Do I play? You can get to know a real tensai in me!” I bow and offer my hand to her. “I am Marui Bunta; the genius of the team’s doubles two. It doesn’t mean that the doubles one has someone as good as me, of course,” I add meditating then shake my head. “Third year, fifth class.”
She is staring at my hand for a few moments then shakes it reluctantly.
“Arai Riko. Second year,” she replies shortly.
It’s a pathetically simple name for such a sweetie sugar.
“Riko-chan…” I play with the word moonily. “Can I call you like that?”
“As you wish, Marui-senpai,” she bequeaths and shrugs.
“Now, now, call me Bunta-kun, if you want,” I offer gently.
“Eh… thanks.”
It feels like she didn’t get too excited because of my huge goodwill. Then I will have to go further.
“By the way, if you need anything like information or a little help with studying, you can always ask me. I am one of the best in my class, I would help you gladly. Anytime,” I add raising my eyebrows.
“Thanks, I think I will be okay,” she answers unconcernedly.
“Were you good at Seigaku?”
“I was the best in my year.”
And here comes that sneer again. Not like it doesn’t fit her, but I’m getting more and more curious about an original, cheerful smile of her. Of course, I am thinking of things like that only to remember the present moody girl and how much she irritated me a moment ago. And the situation is still the same.
“Were you? That’s interesting.”
“I don’t find so. Ja ne, Bunta-kun,” she says then disappears.
Eh?
I stop and look around confused. I step back a bit and look at the mouth of the huge concrete cube. It must be a door that opens to a stairway; I can see Riko-chan turning right at the first edge. I blow a bubble and imbibe the apple-like smell pleased when it pops. I back away from the building: the exterior ignorant of good taste and style, and the walls full of cracks. It isn’t the most ambitious house around. So, this is where our prey is living.
“So you started your action,” cold fingers touch my shoulder.
I let out an honest scream and stick to the wall scared. I am panting, frozen for a few moments then after regulating the rhythm of my heartbeats whet my throat.
“What… what would it be like if you didn’t scare your teammates to death? What will you do if I get a heart attack?” I yell with strong feelings of plucking that damned notebook out of Yanagi’s hands and throwing it as far as possible so that it would land after a few months in the middle of nowhere and couldn’t freak us out anymore.
“According to your condition, the chance of a heart attack is extremely low, to be specific…” He starts to roll the pages of his green book as I tear my hair in frustration.
“That’s enough, Yanagi! I don’t care about it and same goes for the fact that how many times I take breath in a minute, and I don’t even care about when I am going to die!” I let out a long sigh and put my hand on the shoulder of the guy. “Tell me, could you find out something while you were following us?”
“Do you think of anything else besides the fact that you get on her nerves?”
I would like to wipe down that smile of his. Instead of that, I raise my eyebrows and cross my arms in front of my chest.
“I get on her nerves? No way. It’s the opposite.”
“Anyway, it does count as an unsuccessful date,” he fishes a glass of turquoise, suspiciously steaming slop out of nowhere. I gulp loudly.
“Bu-but, Yanagi, I couldn’t even call her out, in fact… it is only the charting period that Niou was talking about. You… you know that,” my voice is shaking while he looks at me with a cold expression.
We gaze at each other for a few moments (at least, I think we do - since his eyes are almost close I couldn’t even say what colour they are or which direction he is looking towards!) then he sulks disappointed.
“Then what should I do with it?” He stares at his slipslop sadly.
“Just leave it to me!” I grab the chance (and the glass, too, at the same time) then with a masterly (genius-like) move I pour its matter on an ant colony which lived peacefully till now in the cracks of the pathway.
“Don’t… “ Yanagi groans surprised then observes the events silently like me.
After the first shock I shake his shoulders.
“Thanks, Yanagi! I haven’t ever seen ants sublimating acidly! Furthermore I haven’t ever heard ants screaming at all! It was… really… really… fantastic,” I go on talking while backing away. “Um… we will meet tomorrow!” I turn away finally and start running. I don’t care about cramp in my legs, I don’t care about the information Yanagi could give me before the others would hear it…
There is only one voice in my head and its getting louder and louder until it almost yells: Any way, I have to win the gamble! The first kiss will be mine!
End of the second chapter.
Next chapter - Masashi~