"Is everything clear?" President Oishi asked his fellow Student Council Officers.

"Hai Kaichou!"

"So, to sum it all up, on "Exchange Club Day", the students are allowed to participate in any club they like. All except of course their original clubs. The Club Coach will be in charge of their own clubs, hence it is optional for the captain and/or vice captain to stay and help their respective coaches." Oishi recapped his statement.

"And I will be in front of the school to list the registrants and their chosen club for the day." Vice President added.

"Demo Fukukaichou -san that will not be necessary. And besides, everybody is required to have fun on that day, including you." Oishi reasoned out his point.

"Kaichou, it's quite fine with me. I'm not joining in any clubs anyway. Aside from that, we won't have trouble listing down the registrants unlike last year." She countered.

, third year class 1 of Seishun Gakuen and currently the Vice President of the Student Council. She was never really in to sports. That was probably the main reason why she would rather be doing the 'List of Registrants' than to join any extracurricular activities.

Oishi Syuichirou, third year class 2 of Seishun Gakuen and currently the President of the Student Council. He could never really understand why would rather be alone, writing down the 'List of Registrants' than actually try to have fun on any of the clubs in Seishun Gakuen. As a fellow student and being such a maternal kind of person that he is, he couldn't allow such injustice.

"...This matter will have to wait. -san, I'm going to have to talk with you after my tennis practice, okay? Now, you're all dismissed." He looked at his wrist watch started to pick up the few documents he had brought.

Oishi had noticed that almost everybody had left, but a certain person was still in the room. Apparently, she fixed the seats on the table and had already started sweeping the floor.

Sure, is a very responsible student, but Oishi sometimes thinks that she overdoes it. Not that he recommended that she should slack, but a little recreation wouldn't hurt anybody, ne?

"Hmm...?" The girl stopped, as she noticed that Oishi was staring at her.

"Oh...I apologize. Have I offended you?" He asked with a concerned tone.

"Iie! You're always nice with your words and actions, Kaichou. How could you have offended me?" The Megane-ko smiled.

"Ehehehe...Thanks for the compliment." He blushed upon hearing the praise while placing his hand at the back of his head.

"Ne Kaichou?" put back the broom in the closet.

"Hai?" Oishi asked.

"Aren't you a little late for practice?"

"Oh no! See you later, -san." He bid farewell and picked up his bag.

With that Oishi sped of to the tennis courts. 

Forgotten Promise

A promise made between the two of us cannot be broken…

Pok~!

Pok~!

Pok~!

Sounds of balls being hit were heard, as all the members of the Seigaku Tennis Club were seriously training. The Regulars, after running laps, were now practicing in the courts. The second years were practicing their strokes and the first years, as usual, were picking up the scattered balls.

"Ki-ku-ma-ru Beam~!" Eiji shouted, as he won a game for the renowned Golden Pair against Momo and Echizen.

"That was great, Eiji!" Oishi patted Eiji's shoulder. "Saa, your service now." He added.

"Hoi sa~! Let's finish this!" Eiji walked to the service line to get ready for service, but he stopped his movements when he heard Fuji's voice.

"Matte Eiji." The tennis prodigy approached the court where the Golden Pair was playing.  Fuji had his racket in his hand and was walking towards Oishi.

"Nande Fuji?" Oishi had an inquiring look.

"Oishi, I'll take it from here. You should rest your injury. We don't want your arm getting worse, do we?" Fuji put his hand on Oishi's shoulder.

"Nyaa~! That's right, Oishi. You should rest your arm." Eiji added.

"Yeah Oishi-sempai! You should." Momo shouted from the other side of the court while Echizen muttered his usual 'Mada Mada Dane'.

"Maa...I guess I shouldn't stress my injury." Oishi sighed in defeat. He couldn't possibly win against four of them and besides he didn't want to pressure his arm either.

He silently watched the whole team practice from the bench. The Nationals were just a dream two years ago and now it's slowly becoming a reality. Yes, Seigaku was slowly making their way to the national tournament and he knew very well that he wouldn't let his injury get in the way.

"Oishi, how's your injury doing?" He heard Ryuuzaki-sensei from his side.

"My injury is slowly healing, sensei. I think I'll be able to play in our next game." Oishi smiled as he put away his towel.

"That's good to hear." Ryuuzaki smiled back and added, "By the way, ‘Exchange Club Day’ is next week right? How's the council doing?"

"Iie sensei. It'll be this coming Friday. We scheduled it a day before the weekend so that the students could rest after having such a tiring day." Oishi stated.

"Hahahahaha! That would be just like you to be so concerned about your schoolmates." Ryuuzaki-sensei smacked him at the back and laughed out loud.

"Hoi hoi~! What's so funny?" Eiji appeared right out of nowhere.

"Iya betsuni..." Oishi sweat dropped.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Practice was over and the Regulars were already changing in the locker room.

"Oishi-sempai, would you like to join us?  Eiji-sempai, Echizen and I are going to the burger shop today." Momo invited his Sempai.

"Join us nyaa~!" Eiji abruptly jumped on Oishi's back.

"Gomen Eiji, I can't. I have some things to arrange in the student council. Maybe next time." Oishi said as he shut his locker.

"Demo Sempai..." Arai wanted to tell something but Fuji cut him off.

"Oishi, isn't Arai's cousin a part of the Student Council?" Fuji questioned.

"Sou...she is, why?" Oishi was confused by the question.

"I suppose you have a Student Council meeting too?" Fuji asked another practical question.

"Ha..Hai...Is something the matter? Has Arai's cousin have an emergency or something?" Oishi was starting to get worried.

"Iya, she's perfectly fine. In fact, she's waiting for me at the gates because she said that the Student Council meeting was cancelled." Arai explained.

"Nani?!" Oishi shouted in shock. He quickly grabbed his things and sped off to the meeting room.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Oishi ran as fast as he could to the meeting room and he found the door open. His eyes widened when he only found in the room.

"-san?! What happened to everyone? Why aren't they here? And who said that the meeting was cancelled?" Oishi impulsively grasped 's shoulders and he was unknowingly shaking the poor girl in shock.

"Ka...Kaichou...calm down." tried to settle the panicking President.

"How can I calm down? Nobody's here and we still have a lot of paper work to do!" Oishi still hadn't noticed what he was doing in his panic-stricken state.

"Eh...!!!" The girl was shocked by Oishi's last statement. She instinctively stood up but unluckily, she had no strength to withstand Oishi's powerful grasp as he continually shook her frail body. The next minute, they were falling to the floor. Oishi couldn't control the fall because of the foldable chair she was sitting on a while ago. He had pushed her unintentionally and the impact they got was not quite a good one.

, for one, tried to stop the fall but Oishi's body went pushing her body further down to the cold floor. Hence, they were positioned rather awkwardly. Oishi had his head a little down 's neck, he had his thighs and legs mixed up with hers and his hands were now holding hers when he tried to help the falling girl but failed to no avail. Anybody who'd catch them in that situation would maliciously accuse them.

"Ugh..." Oishi deliberately raised his upper body as he found it hard to move below. 

"Ow..." reacted in pain.

"-san, gomenasai! Are you all right?" Oishi was idly shaking the girl. 

"Ka...Kaichou...daijou...bu ka?" returned the question. It seems that she had just gotten her consciousness.

"You shouldn't be worrying about me! It's you who've taken the impact." Oishi, finally realizing their awkward position, slowly stood up and pulled the girl up. But it seems that she was still a little dizzy from the fall because she couldn't stand up yet; thus she fell into Oishi's arms. 

"-san, I'll take you to the clinic." He said as he lifted the girl from the floor.

"Woohoo~! Way to go, OISHI[sempai]!!!" Familiar voices were echoing through the room.

"So this is why you couldn't come along. Mou~!!! You should've just told us that you were on a date with -chan, nyaa. And I thought that I was your best friend." Eiji nudged his doubles' partner, causing Oishi to blush.

"You were all mushy, taking the opportunity of having her alone and then..." Momo was cut off.

"Yamerou, futari domo! It's not what you think." Oishi excused himself and quickly took the dazed girl to the infirmary. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Sou ka nyaa...that's what happened." Oishi explained what happened earlier.

Oishi talked to them outside the infirmary and he was glad that they only saw them hugging (well, not that they were actually 'hugging') because if they had happened to see them on the floor, he knew that they would probably misunderstand the situation. 

"Saa, we'll take our leave now, Sempai." Echizen spoke out-of-the-blue.

"See you tomorrow, Oishi!!!" Eiji shouted.

And with that Eiji, Momo and Ryoma continued to the Burger Shop.

Meanwhile, Oishi was sitting beside the napping girl. He noticed that she wasn't wearing her glasses.

"It must've fallen earlier." Oishi thought as he stood up and went back to the room to find 's glasses before she regains consciousness.

----

Oishi opened the lights, as it was already dark, and started looking for 's glasses.

"Found it!" Oishi found the glasses just under the table, near where they fell. To his disappointment, the glasses have cracked but not entirely broken.

'This is all my fault. If I had stayed calm, this wouldn't have happened.’ Oishi wiped it clean.

'And I've always thought, she looked good in these glasses.'

As Oishi was walking back to the infirmary, he saw a silhouette by the window. He eyed it for a moment and processed in his brain what could it be. Finally, he saw a clearer view of the moving object. It was ! She was groping her way back to the meeting room.

"-san! Why have you left the infirmary? You're not better yet." Oishi jogged towards the seemingly blind girl.

"Kaichou! I am better. In fact, I can walk straight now, but I'm really not doing good without my glasses." smiled.

"Gomen, this is all my fault!" Oishi bowed simultaneously.

"Accidents happen, Kaichou. There's really no need for apologies. And besides... this is entirely my fault." tried to lessen Oishi's guilt.

"Here." Oishi put on her glasses to her.

"Ara...they're already broken." frowned for a while but her expression turned into a smile. "I'll just have to buy a new one."

"I'm really sorry. If you'd like it, I'd gladly buy you a new pair of glasses." Oishi assisted the girl back to the meeting room.

"I'm not the kind of person to have you obliged in buying me a new pair of glasses, Kaichou. Besides, I'm the one who caused my own misfortune. I didn't know that you needed the whole council, because earlier you said that you needed to talk to me. So I assumed that you only needed me and then I told the others that they can leave. I'm very sorry, Kaichou." She tilted her head down to show regret.

"I'm very obliged to buy you new glasses, after all the accident couldn't entirely be your fault. This is not a matter of cause anymore, rather the effect. Let's just put it this way, I have unintentionally pushed you and your broken glasses is the effect. Then I'll be obliged to buy you a new one tomorrow. And as for having dismissed the whole meeting, you'll be obliged to help me finish the paper work." They giggled together.

"Saa Kaichou, why don't we start working now." She smiled as they went in the room.

----

The two worked hand-in-hand to finish the paper work they needed. It wasn't at all hard. In fact, they could've finished it for an hour but due to 's inconvenient glasses, they finished the work for one hour and forty-five minutes.

"That was exhausting!" Oishi stretched his arms.

sighed and took off her glasses. She started massaging her temple.

"Something wrong?" Oishi stared at her with concern. 

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. It's not actually easy to read with a multiple-cracked glasses." She steadily observed her glasses (not that she can see them clearly). can't help but feel a little disappointed of having her glasses broken. But then again, she considered them a burden and if only she wasn't unfortunate to have weak eyes, she'd be so happy to have them gone.

Oishi studied the girl that was in front of him. He observed as she carefully took off her glasses and watched her fix her hair. Somehow or for some reason, she seems to be oddly familiar. 

He still remembered when he met her; it was a bright summer day 2 years ago. Oishi Syuichirou was a freshman in Seishun Gakuen Junior High. He had just finished lunch with Eiji in the canteen and was now walking in the corridor. Suddenly, Eiji had tripped onto something or rather someone.

"Oi Eiji!" Oishi was surprised.

"Daijoubu Oishi. Demo, I think I tripped into something." Eiji successfully avoided the fall by using his acrobatic skills.

"Ite...te...", a sound was heard in the corner.

"Anou...Miss are you okay?" Oishi helped the girl up.

"I'm fine." , the girl put her glasses on and dusted off her skirt.

"What are you doing on the floor, -chan nyaa?" Eiji realized that it was his seatmate on the floor earlier.

"Uh...you see, someone had bumped into me earlier and I lost my glasses here at the corner turn. I was trying to find it and luckily I did but I heard someone turning by the corner so I protected my glasses." smiled to the two boys.

"Demo, are you sure you're okay? Are you hurt somewhere?", Oishi asked concerned. "If you want, we can take you to the infirmary." Oishi added.

"I'm okay really. There's no need to take me to the infirmary...eto...yasashii-hito-san⁽¹⁾..." didn't know what to call him so she considered giving him a compliment. But it was truly a weird moment, as Oishi observed every part of her to find any injuries.

"Oishi, you're at it again. Don't you see your scaring her nyaa?", Eiji pouted. "Ah! Sou da! -chan this is Oishi Syuichirou, a friend from the tennis club.", Eiji slung his arm around Oishi's back and grinned.

"Hajime mashite, Oishi-san. I'm .", the girl bowed and then smiled. Oishi couldn't help but blush. As the girl took her leave, Oishi watched her every movement.

"She's cute da nyaa?" Eiji wore a cheeky grin on his face.

"Huh?" Oishi snapped out of his thoughts.

"I remember you saying to me that you like girls who looks good in glasses. She's perfect for you nyaa! She looks good with or without glasses, she's extremely cute, intelligent, responsible...", before Eiji could ramble on Oishi cut him off.

"Eiji, it's time for class." Oishi started walking and Eiji followed him.

And that was the first time he had met her. The girl didn’t exactly infatuate him but he had to admit that he was very attracted to her since first year.

"Kaichou?  Kaichou?", the girl snapped Oishi out of his thoughts. She handed Oishi the paper work she had just finished.

"It's arranged now, so you really don't need to fix it." The girl stood up and zipped her bag.

"Arigatou.", Oishi smiled, "Come on, I'll take you home."

Before the girl could even argue, Oishi grabbed her hand and they walked home together.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Thank you for walking me home, Kaichou." bowed.

"There's really no need to call me Kaichou when I'm outside the campus." Oishi had his hand on his head.

"Would you like to come up for tea, Oishi-san?" giggled as he gestured him to walk inside her apartment.

was living alone in an apartment. It's not that she's orphaned but she just had to move away from her stepfather's house.

"Eto...you live alone, -san?" Oishi couldn't help but ask.

"Since last year. But I'm not entirely paying for my bills. Okaa-san is still supporting me." still had a smile on her face. 

‘She must be very lonely here.’ Oishi thought as started to make tea. He noticed that there wasn’t much in her apartment. She had one room with one bathroom and a little kitchen. Suddenly, Oishi noticed a toy displayed on the table.

"I'm trying to be independent, you see.", the girl suddenly spoke as she served tea.

"Oh, Thank you." Oishi started drinking the tea.

"I hope you like it." smiled.

"It's very delicious. Ne, -san?", Oishi started, "What's that?", then he pointed towards the toy.

"Oh! You've noticed. I bet you thought that I was playing action figures.", giggled then she continued, "A special friend gave it to me, iie...how can I say it?  I asked him for it before I moved away."

"So like, he’s a child from your house?" Oishi was rather confused. just giggled at the question.

"Well, when I was a child I had a friend about the same age as me and we played a lot together. I didn't tell him that I was moving away, so the day before I left, I asked for his toy." Oishi blinked a few times.

"Why does it sound so familiar?" Oishi asked to himself.

"To simplify things, you can say that it's a remembrance from my first love." smiled sweetly.

"Oh I see...thank you for the refreshment, -san. I'll be seeing you tomorrow." Oishi finished his cup of tea.

After saying goodbye to , Oishi walked home.

----

"Syu-chan!  Come on, let's play."

"Demo, you're always tripping down. What if you get hurt again?"

"Daijobu! Daijoubu!", the little girl pulled the little boy, "Ne Syu-chan? Can I have your favorite action figure? Please~!" She purred like a cat.

"Eh? Sure...but it's a little worn-out.” The girl hugged the boy and gave him a peck on his right cheek.

"Yey!", the little boy stood frozen and held his cheek, "Let's go to your house and get the toy."

"What was that for?!" The boy, who was yet again being dragged by the girl, finally caught up on what was happening.

"A ‘Thank You!’ for my MOST favorite person in the world." The girl winked and once again find herself tripping.

"Abunai!!!" The little boy dived to catch his playmate and soon groaned in pain.

"Daijoubu ka, Syu-chan?!" The little girl soon realized that her playmate saved her and he was now in pain instead of her. And then she started crying.

"Nakanaide, Kem-chan. I'm fine, see." The little boy stood up and offered a hand to the crying girl. "Come on, let's go get my toy. But first..." He wiped her tears and held on tightly to her left hand.

"Let me lead, okay? That way, we wouldn't get hurt anymore." The little girl nodded and the boy led the way to his house.

Poor little boy, he didn't know what awaited him the next day.

"Houtou ka, Kaa-san?" The little boy was in shock upon hearing the bad news. Soon after realizing the situation, he hurriedly ran to her house.

The moving truck was already starting and was about to leave, when a voice was heard shouting from behind it.

"Matte!!! Kem-chan!!! Matte!!!" Panting, the 7 year-old boy ran to the truck. He saw the little girl come down from the truck and started running towards him, carrying the toy he gave yesterday.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The boy held on to his knees after running so fast.

"Gomen, Syu-chan. I couldn't tell you..." The girl tilted her head down to apologize.

"Here...Kaa-san helped...me...make it." The little boy handed a ring made of beads to his playmate.

"But I don't have anything to give to you?" The girl was nearly in tears.

"I-jyan!", the boy smiled, "Just promise me that we'll meet again, okay? And start acting like a girl from now on." The boy extended his hand and was ready to do the trademark handshake they made together, but he was caught off guard again.

"Yakusoku...yakusoku!", the girl said. After promising, she gave the boy a peck on his lips.

"..." The boy was speechless, as he saw his playmate rushing to the truck.

"Yakusoku yo! The next time we meet, I'll have long hair. Just don't forget, Syu-chan!" The girl shouted at the frozen boy, as the truck started moving.

“Yakusoku…”, he whispered into the air.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

had just finished dressing up for school. Despite her groping, she managed to fix herself just in time to leave for school. Having blurry vision is not much of a matter when inside one's house, but what about going to school?

"I'm just going to have to wear these to get to school." She sighed to herself as she went out of her apartment. To her surprise, Oishi was outside waiting for her.

"Ohayou! -san" Oishi walked towards the girl and offered to carry her bag.

"Ara...Ohayou Oishi-san." The girl gave her bag, as she knew that Oishi would insist on carrying it.

"Come on, I'll lead you." Oishi said as he softly took her by the wrist, "It's alright. I won't let you fall.", the boy smiled.

nodded, feeling secured that he wouldn't let her fall. In someway, she felt safe, as she gently intertwined her fingers with Oishi's. They both flushed in embarrassment as they walked hand in hand.

"Anou...-san, would you mind skipping classes today?" Oishi stopped and faced .

"Eh?" gave Oishi an inquiring look.

"Come on!" Oishi dragged the girl to the nearest bus stop.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Friday has finally come and many of the students are busy thinking of what club would suit them aside from their original clubs. 

"It's a fine day isn't it?" looked up to her visitor.

"Ohayou Fuji-san. I see you're enjoying the nice weather too. You've come here to sign haven't you?" The Megane-ko said as she pushed up her glasses.

"That and something else." Fuji finished signing on the paper and eyed him inquisitively.

"That's...hey!" Before she could ask about Fuji's choice of club, she was being dragged by the tensai.

"Oishi asked me to do this." Fuji smiled innocently as he went inside the gym along with .

"Kaichou?", the girl was utterly confounded. "But he..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was greeted a pleasant morning.

"Ohayou -chan!" A cheerful voice came from the front and soon found herself wrapped around the arms of the plaster boy.

"It's nice to see you too, Eiji-kun." The girl said in the midst of being crushed by Eiji's affectionate hug.

"E-Eiji-!" Oishi immediately stopped his partner from flattening his Vice President.

"Now now, Oishi. Don't scold Eiji. You know that he can be a little affectionate having been separated from a friend for a long time." Fuji chuckled as Eiji started to have a conversation with .

"Demo, isn't -san supposed to be..." Fuji quickly cut Oishi's statement with his dubious explanation.

"I was a little worried about -san being alone and I couldn't think of anything bad that could possibly happen to her." Fuji paused for a moment and continued his statement. "And besides, weren't you a little anxious earlier?"

--

Oishi just a few minutes ago...

"I wonder how -san is. Maybe I should check on her or maybe..." Oishi was murmuring his thoughts as he walked to and fro.

"I should!" Oishi stated out loud. Before Oishi could go sprinting out to the front gates, Fuji stopped him by putting his hand on Oishi's shoulder.

"You can rest assured Oishi. I'll go check up on her, since I haven't signed on any club yet.  I'll be back in a few minutes." Fuji's grin grew wider.

--

"Tha..that's just..." Oishi blushed furiously after he remembered his state a few minutes ago. Fuji who felt satisfied with his teasing turned to face the chatting pair.

"Eh~! Nande nyaa? You don't need to go back -chan. Right, Oishi?" Eiji acted his large moist eyes, pleading.

"But I have to Eiji-kun, gomen." apologized.

"Matte, -san. You don't have to go back." Oishi said as she was about to leave. 

"What are you saying, Kaichou? I..." 's statement was cut off by Oishi.

"Oi! Kentarou!" Kentarou approached Oishi and they chatted for a matter of 30 seconds.

"I understand the situation Kaichou." Kentarou said before he sped off outside.

"There! Now you have a substitute. You don't have to leave." Oishi smiled as Eiji jumped with joy.

"Why don't we just watch them play, -san." Fuji said.

"That's right! Just watch us play volleyball, nyaa." Eiji said before he turned to proceed to the volleyball court.

"But..."

"No buts. You'll have more fun here than wanting to seat in front of the gates alone. And what did I tell you the other day." Oishi exclaimed, almost in an ordering tone.

"Ha...Hai! Oishi-kun." gave in and had watched the famous 'Golden Pair' wipe out the other team.

Fuji had left the gym as soon as the game started and he came back a few minutes later along with Inui, Taka-san and 5 other freshmen. After the game had finished, they had proceeded to watch Echizen's game bringing along Kaidoh and Momoshiro.

Oishi watched smile as she watched them play games and he swore that he even heard her laugh when Kaidoh made a terrible mistake of hitting the shuttlecock with his 'Boomerang Snake'.

Fuji noticed Oishi's glances or rather stares. Ever since he heard from Eiji what happened the day Oishi rushed to the meeting, he took interest into teasing his fellow teammate but Eiji knew him too well to let him play with half of the 'Golden Pair'. And so Eiji hooked him into playing matchmaker. It wasn’t as fun as it would be for him but he knew that helping Oishi with his feelings would be for the best.

"Oishi..." Fuji had whispered beside Oishi.

"Hmm?"

"I saw you the other day with -san." Oishi eyed him, fighting his almost visible blush. "Cutting classes wouldn't be the best thing to do, especially when you're the Student Body's Head."

"Na...Nani?!" Oishi said loudly but held his mouth in order not to catch more attention.

"Doushitano Oishi-kun?" looked at him with utmost concern.

"Iya betsuni." Oishi wavered his hands and set his concentration on Fuji once more.

"Did you..." Oishi was about to ask but Fuji interrupted.

"Stalk you and -san? No, I didn't. I saw you from the window shield, you know Nee-san's car. You probably didn't notice the car because you were already dragging -san to the nearest bus stop and not to be mentioned is to the complete opposite direction as to where the Seishun Gakuen gates are." Oishi felt relieved but he knew too well not to speak because Fuji might use his words against him. 

There was silence between the two for a while, and Fuji decided to break it.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel? You've been watching her for a long time." Oishi blushed then turned serious all of a sudden.

"I can't do that. If I do then..." Oishi stopped then glanced at . "We may not be the same."

"Saa, I can't do anything about that." Fuji paused for a second and faced Oishi with seriousness in his blue eyes. "If you won't, then I will."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Inui." Fuji had walked away from Oishi and had approached Seigaku's Data Man.

"What is it, Fuji?" Inui pushed up his specs as Fuji signaled him to follow.

They walked out of the gym and stayed under the shade of the nearby tree. Fuji explained the situation of Oishi and to Inui and as expected Inui knew a lot more.

"Sasuga Inui. Your data-collecting skills are truly reliable." Fuji grinned. "Tell me more about it."

"According to my data, had 4 suitors since Junior High. And I found it really weird that she had rejected them all, including of course Taro Misaki⁽²⁾, the soccer genius of Seigaku's Soccer Club. Rumors had it that she rejected Misaki because she was in love with someone else. After I had finished collecting data of Misaki, I found out their conversation."

Inui paused for a moment and he took out his green notebook. After finding the page, he handed it to Fuji.

I'm sorry Misaki-san, I can't go out with you.

Why? Is it because you're in love with someone?

Yes.

Who is it?

He's someone very caring, in fact almost he's almost like my mother but we haven't seen each other for 7 years or so.

Are you going to wait in vain?

I believe in him.

"When you say you've found out their conversation, you meant that you've listed it word per word. Amazing." Fuji smiled and in an instant it faded.

"You must be assuming that Oishi doesn't have a chance if she's in love with someone already, right?" Inui read Fuji's mind. "Read the rest of it."

Fuji turned the page and continued to read.

You trust him so much.  Just who is this guy?

I remember him only as 'Syu-chan'.

"Syu-chan?" Fuji questioned then all of a sudden it struck him.

Inui smirked. "Bingo!"

Fuji handed over the notebook back to Inui. He had read enough to know that his plan will be successful.

"Saa, why don't we start planning." Fuji smiled as things go their way. 'It's fate', Fuji thought.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Are you sure about this?" Eiji asked the tensai beside him.

"What’s a little discomfort for a lifetime of happiness?" Fuji reasoned and saw the doubt in Eiji's eyes fade away.

"Souda! This is for their future." Eiji had his confidence back.

After playing the whole afternoon, it was now time for Fuji's club activity. Curling wasn't exactly a popular activity in Seishun Gakuen as only 'Seigaku's Sadist' signed in.

"I never would've imagined a 'Curling' Club in Seigaku." Momo said.

"That's because you weren't looking at the list, baka!" Kaidoh started and after a few more lines of ill words they started their glaring contest.

"Stop it you two!" Oishi stopped the two boys from killing each other. "Yare yare...", he sighed.

"Hey guys! How about we celebrate the day in Taka-san's sushi restaurant?" Eiji exclaimed and it was followed by nods.

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All seated comfortably on the floor except , who was surrounded by the Seigaku Tennis Club Regulars.

"Anou... Oishi-kun, is it really okay?" felt awkward being invited to join their celebration. She wasn't exactly in close terms with all of them. One of his closest aside from Eiji, being her seatmate for a year, was Oishi because he was in the Student Council as well. 

Oishi just smiled sincerely and loosened up. "That's more like it."

The Regulars were friendly with and she felt that she belonged. A little teasing between Oishi and her was inevitable especially with Momo and Eiji around. Fuji had signaled his ally with a stare and Inui nodded in response.

‘It's time.’ Fuji thought as he talked to Sakuno and Tomoka. "Sakuno-chan, Tomo-chan, do you mind doing a favor?"

"Anything for you, Fuji-sempai." Tomo-chan excitedly answered while Sakuno blushed and nodded.

"Can you make Oishi busy for a few minutes while I talk to -san?" Fuji smiled when the two girls nodded. "And can we keep this conversation a secret from him?  It's a matter of love, you see.", he winked and both of the girls blushed.

Fuji and Inui initiated their plan when the Ichinen Trio along with Sakuno, Tomoka and Eiji distracted Oishi. As expected, distanced herself from them. She was out of place and she knew it well. Fuji took the chance and sat beside her and he immediately put a cup in front of her.

"Hey." Fuji smiled at her. "I thought you might need a drink." He had to make her drink the whole cup without hesitation and fast! Oishi would be worrying about what was doing.

"It tastes best when you drink it in one gulp like this." Fuji drank the contents of his cup with one gulp. "See." Fuji smiled as she saw was believing him.

"If you say so, Fuji-san." His grin even grew wider when he saw her lips touch the cup. 

Inui's glasses shone with assurance that this plan would be a success. Oishi was now free from distractions and looked beside him. He knew that was out of place and that with her attitude she would have distance herself. He saw her perfectly immobile with a cup still in her mouth and then she fainted on the floor.

"! What happened?!" Oishi panicked as he gently shook the girl. He looked into the cup that she was holding and glared at Inui the moment he realized what was in it.

"How could you make her drink that stuff!" Everybody went silent when they heard Oishi's mad voice.

Eiji helped Oishi place on his back. After he said sorry to Kawamura's father for the commotion he had caused in the restaurant, Oishi left.

"I think we went too far. Oishi's mad." Eiji was feeling regret.

"We didn't, Eiji. Rest assured, he'll be thankful to us on Monday." Fuji's smile never faded.

"There's a 100% chance that will be dizzy when she wakes up." Inui mumbled as he noted away in his notebook.

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was still knocked-out and Oishi was still far from her house. She wasn't at all heavy so Oishi didn't have much problem.

"Hang in there, . We're almost there." He said as he pushed up the girl on his back and continued on his tracks.

When he reached 's apartment, he remembered that the place might be locked. Oishi let the girl rest beside the door as he searched her bag for the key to the apartment but he failed to find it.

"It must be with her." Oishi thought as he moved closer to the girl.

He went stiff for a moment as he saw her sleeping face. Oishi impulsively touched the girls cheek and stared at her sleeping figure. His heartbeat rose rapidly as he did. Now it's official, he had fallen for .

"What in the world am I doing?" Oishi shook himself from the trance.

Then he noticed her necklace. There was the key! He gently removed her necklace and as he did, he had noticed a ring made from beads hanging along with the key.

He smiled.

"How could I forget? That was why that story seemed oddly familiar."

--

"...ugh..." felt her head throb as she sat up.

"Kem-chan? Kem-chan? How are you feeling?" ’s sight was more blurry than usual.  She was trying to have a clearer image of the object in front of her but as she tried to, her head throbbed in pain.

"Oi! Don't stand up, you might fall down." She was held down by a firm grip on her shoulders. "Don't be stubborn, Kem-chan. You just lie down there, I'll go get some water."

"Nani?..." She said as the name he called her registered in her brain. "Kem-chan?...", she said in a discreet voice.

He came back with a glass of water and handed it to her. Her hands felt shaky as she took the glass but she didn't drink it.

"Anou...what did you call me earlier?", she asked.

"Hmm? I called you Kem-chan." He smiled although 's vision didn't allow her to see but she felt it.

"Masaka...Syu-chan?" She asked as she felt her glasses being put on her.

"Can you see now?"

"O-Oishi-kun!" She was shocked at the revelation in front of her.

"To simplify things, you can say that it was a remembrance from my first love." She blushed furiously when she remembered what she had said a few days ago.

Both of them were speechless. The only difference was that was stiff with awkwardness and embarrassment while Oishi was smiling like he had just been given the National Trophy.

"I...I..." stuttered and had her head down in embarrassment.

"You kept your promise." Oishi lifted her chin and stared in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I wasn't able to keep mine.", he frowned.

"No! You didn't break your promise. What I'm saying is...er...you remember everything now right?"

"I guess you're right." Oishi smiled sweetly. "Now, why don't you drink already? It'll relieve your dizziness a little.", she nodded and drank the water.

It was already a little late and Oishi knew that he had to go home. 

"Thanks you for taking me home and taking care of me, Oishi-kun.", she bowed to show gratitude.

"Syu-chan." As she lifted her gaze she saw Oishi's sincerity." Call me Syu-chan.", he repeated.

"Ah, thanks heaps! Syu-chan!", she beamed as they both laughed.

"Oh! I just remembered." Oishi who had turned faced once more and moved a lot closer than normal.

"Syu-"

Oishi wrapped his arm around her waist, held her chin and kissed her lightly. When he moved away, went immobile.

"What was that for?!", she had just realized what had just happened.

"My debt." Oishi then kissed her in the cheek. "There. We're quits."

Because deep in my heart I knew you felt it, the forgotten promise you and I believed in.

(1)   yasashii hito-san  means a kind person

(2)   Taro Misaki – is a actually a character and great soccer player in the anime series “Captain Tsubasa”

©kemmybear October 2007