School Girls' Stories - Year 2

Chapter 25 – Just a Day

Kyoei sat in the bleachers surrounding the tennis court, watching the two girls in the center facing one another. One beautifully determined the other smiling and taking this at ease. She was already guessing that she would beat the other girl, whom had not played tennis in almost a year. If Shai still had all of her skills it would be her advantage. If she did not, Raquel was going to win.

This match was for nothing other than to let Shai play tennis, even in the crisp air of the beginning of October. If either girl won, it would mean nothing, other than Shai may need more practice, or that she had not lost her touch.

Shu sat in the audience, gurgling and making cute baby noises for his mother’s benefit. Kyoei held Shu in his lap and watched the two girls, beautiful even in their sweats, sweating out the dew that had begun to caress their foreheads. The match was evenly tied, both girls were breathing heavy.

“This is the last hit,” Raquel called to Shai. “This decides who wins and who loses.”

“Prepare to lose,” Shai called back happily, spinning her racket in her hand, for nothing other than good luck.

The two girls waited and watched one another, it was Shai’s serve. Shai threw the ball into the air, jumping along with the ball. To Kyoei both girls were moving in slow motion. One minute the ball was flying into the air, Shai’s feet leaving the ground, the next the racket appeared from nowhere and life went into fast forward to catch up with itself. The ball flew at a speed that if a person blinked he would miss seeing it go over the net and right to Raquel’s racket. It was as if her racket was a magnet for the ball, it went straight to it and when served back the ball went straight to Shai’s racket. Shai moved elegantly, slamming her racket against the ball with a grunt of movement that was feminine and eloquent and had Kyoei needing to shift on the bleachers.

It was intense, it was beautiful, and it was over swiftly. Shai hit the ball for the last time over to Raquel’s side, and her aim was just good enough that the hit flung the ball into the corner of the court, leaving Raquel to try to race from one side to the other. Raquel missed by mere centimeters. “Damn!” she yelled, watching the ball roll away from her. Yet, despite her extremity, she looked towards Shai with a proud smile on her face. “Good job!” she cried. She ran over to the other side of the net and hugged Shai tightly. “I guess you haven’t lost your touch!”

“Of course not,” Shai bragged with a confidence she normally lacked. It was the good vibrations that were floating through her that made her feel confident, and beautiful. Something about the cold air against her legs and the sweat dripping off of her neck made her feel real, and wanted.

Kyoei watched the two girls cool off and catch up with one another while he started to bundle Shu’s things away. A shadow crossed Kyoei as he had his back turned, and since he was so jumpy since his last run in with Teiyouku he was sure that it was him once again. He turned on the shadow ready to start something with it, and was startled to see his best friend standing there.

“She did well,” Amatsu commented, his head turned towards Shai.

“She always does well,” Kyoei said, his voice filled with pride. “I thought you couldn’t come out and ‘play’ today because you have a test coming up.”

“I figured I needed some fresh air,” Amatsu admitted.

“She’s not here,” Kyoei said, putting Shu into the baby carrier. Shu did not seem to like being put in there and sniffed, gurgled, and kicked the whole time.

“I’m not here looking for her,” Amatsu growled.

“Right,” Kyoei said. “When was the last time you took any interest in Shai?”

“I like Shai, she’s a sweet girl,” Amatsu argued.

Kyoei shrugged. “I never said you didn’t like her,” he pointed out. “I said that you never took an interest on her. Your eyes were only on Fuji, and I know you were hoping to see her, but I’m not going to feel sorry for you and share some tender moment. You broke up with her, as far as I see it, this is your fault.”

Amatsu seemed a bit taken aback by this and just looked to his friend, who turned back to face him with the baby carrier in hand and a diaper bag on his shoulder. Amatsu shook his head. “I thought I would spend time with my friends, not get some lecture on some girl,” he grumbled.

“Fine,” Kyoei said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long blue ticket. “This is a spare ticket to Fuji’s School Festival that is later this week. It was actually for her new step-dad, but he has to host a tennis match that day and will not be coming, though Fuji’s new boyfriend will.”

All pretenses dropped as Amatsu looked to Kyoei with utter loathing, but not for his friend. “She has a new boyfriend?” he asked heatedly.

“No,” Kyoei admitted, “but she might if you don’t hurry your ass back up to her.” Shu cried at the sound of the swear and Kyoei cooed. “I’m sorry, kiddo, we’re leaving now. I’ll see you at home Amatsu.” Kyoei pushed past his friend with just a small glance over his shoulder. Shai was running up to them with a happy look on her face, and Kyoei could not help but feel a little remorse when it was her son she went to first, but it was quickly set aside when she hurried up and kissed his cheek and smiled at him with her normal innocent happiness. Despite everything, she was still an innocently beautiful girl, but he knew that would not last. Especially when he noticed that from somewhere inside the school there was someone watching her.