Match Point: You. The CS
Love 1
The students of Taisho Academy buzzed with excitement about the upcoming school festival.
Laughter echoed through the hallways, and the pounding of feet could be heard going towards the field.
Among the students of Taisho Academy, Sakura Kageyama of class 2-c sits quietly at her desk, flipping through a textbook
She was a bit distant from the other, not feeling the same excitement as they did.
classmate
Guys, after casting votes, we've gotten the activity with the highest votes.
Sakura looked up at the girl who stood in front of the classroom, a clipboard pressed between her arm and chest.
Classmate
Good! I bet it's a haunted house!
classmate
Haunted house? As if! We can't do that.
Classmate
Why? That's like the coolest activity on the list
classmate
The book club is better.
classmate
Ugh, better my ass.
Haryu
Come on guys, let's hear Mei out
Haryu
*Smiles while standing beside the class president.*
Mei
Th-thanks *whispers, raising the clipboard over her face*
She walked to the board, picking up a marker and scribbling down some words before moving aside for the others to see.
Mei
*takes a deep breath.* The activity chosen is this...
classmate
Yay~, the cross dressing maid cafe!
Classmate
Who the hell would want to come into a cafe with guys dressed as maids?
classmate
Ahem, Ahem... I will
Haryu
It doesn't matter anymore. It's been chosen. *chuckles*
Sakura stared outside the window, trying to distract herself from the continuous disturbance from her classmates.
Sakura
'I've got to get to practice soon.' *sighs*
Haryu
Well, we've got to start preparations soon. We can't change the outcome.
Classmate
I'm gonna have to hide my face after all this.
After the class meeting, which took more time than expected, Sakura grabbed her stuff and rushed to the school field.
The school's tennis club had their daily practice there
Tennis team coach
You're late, Kageyama-san. *looks at his wristwatch before looking back at her.*
She ignored him, placing her bag on a bench and grabbing her clothes.
As she searched for her clothes, she noticed him staring.
Sakura
... class meeting *voice flat*
Sakura
*grabs her clothes* I'm changing now
She zips up her bag before walking towards the changing area.
He released his already clenched fists and sighed.
Tennis team coach
Ha... this girl.
He turned back to the other girls who were busy with practice.
Tennis team coach
Come on, Haruka! That wasn't a nice serve.
A few minutes later, Sakura joined the others.
She brushed off the lint on her shirt while walking towards the coach.
Tennis team coach
Kageyama-san, after today's practice, you all can have some rest in preparation for the upcoming school festival.
Tennis team coach
I bet you're excited. *he grins while raising his brows playfully*
She stares at him for a whole. Her expression blank and unexcited.
Then she looked away, walking to join the others.
His smile vanished almost immediately to avoid further embarrassment.
Tennis team coach
'I... should've expected that.'
Tennis team coach
Come on! Bam and Haruka! Kageyama and Ham would be using that court soon!
Practice for the day concluded a bit earlier than anticipated because of the drizzle.
Sakura sat on a bench, watching the others pack up while getting ready to leave.
She gulped down a bottle of water.
A girl walked towards her cheerfully.
Sakura glances at her, then adjusts a bit.
Mayu
I'm Mayu Maeda, nice to meet you. *grins*
Sakura
... Sakura Kageyama.
Mayu
*Smiles then sits beside Sakura.* 'At least she didn't ignore me. That's what I call progress.'
Mayu
You're really good at tennis.
Mayu
That's not true. I've been watching you since you joined us
Mayu
Hehe, is that so? *rubs the nape of her neck.*
Mayu
We haven't played together
Mayu
And Haruka-senpai is way better.
Mayu
Oh! Look at the time!
Sakura looks at her phone screen.
Sakura
'Ah... I need to go home soon.'
Mayu
*Turns to face her immediately* Let's walk home together
Sakura
*responds immediately* No
Sakura
*Stands up and grabs her bag*
Mayu
Whoa, you didn't even stop to think about it. That was way too fast.
Sakura
'She looks like trouble. I'd better not get involved.'
Mayu
Come on, can't you just indulge me? *grabs her bag too.*
Sakura
*Walks out while Mayu followed behind.' Don't bother.
Mayu
Come on~ It's just a walk...
Sakura
'When would she stop following me?' *groans*
They'd already left the school compound, and Mayu didn't plan on leaving her.
She runs back to Sakura after buying two.
Mayu
*Smiles at Sakura and hands one over.* Here, I got you one.
Sakura
*Looks at her, then back at the shaved ice.* I don't like that flavour.
Mayu
What...? *dramatically*
Mayu
Who doesn't like strawberry?
Sakura
'I just said I didn't' -_-
Mayu
Then I'll go buy you another one.
Sakura
Eh...? No, it's alright.
Sakura
Yeah... just don't bother me after that
Mayu
Hehe, I can't make any promises.
Sakura
'Seriously, what does she want from me?'
Mayu
Ah! Let's walk faster or the bus will leave us! *pulls Sakura with her.*
Mayu
*Turns to her* Ah, sorry about that.
Mayu
'Got kinda excited there.' * Lets go*
Sakura
No, it's nothing...
Sakura
'More importantly...'
Sakura
What do you mean by 'the bus'?
Mayu
Hm? We live close to each other after all.
Love 2
LOVE is a term in tennis. It is equivalent to zero.
Haryu
Come on! We've gotta finish before evening.
Haryu stood beside Mei in the classroom.
The preparations for the school festival were finally underway.
Sakura stood on a chair, putting up a bell by the door.
Sakura
*mutters* Uh... where does this go again?
Sakura
*staring at a flower vase*
Someone walked towards her, stopping just beside the door.
Mei
U-um... that goes by the window.
Sakura turned to the door, looking down at Mei
Her breath caught when her eyes landed on Mei
Mei stared at her confused.
Then she notices Sakura's eyes on her finger.
Mei
Ah- I just got hurt while making some decorations.
Sakura watched as blood dripped on the floor
Memories of the past flood her mind
Her mind suddenly went blank.
And the noise in the classroom slowly dulls
Sakura's breath suddenly became heavy as she turned to Mayu, who'd just walked into the classroom.
Mayu
What's wrong, Sakura?
Mayu grabs Mei's wrist, studying the injury on her finger
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
She jumped down the seat, walking past Mayu and Mei
The others in the classroom stare at her, murmuring as she leaves the classroom
Mayu
*Turns back to Mei* What happened? How'd you get hurt?
Mei
I... A needle pricked my finger.
Mayu
Let's go to the infirmary first
Meanwhile, there was another female student sitting on a bench on the rooftop
She stared at her face on her phone camera, her lips a but swollen with faint blood marks on it
Reina
*clicks her tongue* I didn't even do anything wrong this time.
Reina
Why'd they hit me? *tries to wipe the blood away*
Reina
(They haven't bothered me in a while... I thought they'd stop because of their exams)
Her phone buzzed just as she was about to turn it off.
She looked at the caller ID as her face twisted.
She almost threw her phone away, but then she sighed
She rested her back against the wall while scrolling through the Internet.
The door to the rooftop creaked open.
Sakura walked in and banged the door behind her.
Reina
(What?! They also came here to find me?)
Reina
(What's with them? Don't they have anything better to do?)
She squeezed her phone, adjusting on the bench
Sakura slid down the door to the rooftop, sitting on her heels
She bit her bottom lip, her hands trembling.
Then she buries her face in her palm.
Sakura
I- didn't do anything wrong... I didn't.
Her chest tightened as she felt a lump in her throat
Reina relaxed, confused for a while.
Reina
(What's wrong? Aren't they here?)
She stood from the bench, tiptoeing to the other side of the wall
She peeped at the door, her eyes falling on Sakura, who squatted by the door.
She stood by the wall, contemplating on whether to go confront her or mind her business.
Reina
Hey... are you alright?
She takes a step towards Sakura, who sharply turns to her
Reina stopped in her tracks
Sakura's teary deep red eyes frightened her
Reina
(Why does she look that way?)
Sakura stood up and stepped back.
Reina
(Wait a minute! Isn't she the rude girl from that time?) *Clenches her fist*
Reina
Hey! You probably thought I'd forget you!
She walks towards Sakura who steps back
Sakura stared at her, her gaze blank
She sighed, brushing past Reina who tried stopping her.
Reina
Hey, what's with you? *holding her back*
Sakura
*clicks her tongue*
Sakura grabbed her arm, immediately pushing her against the wall
Sakura
Hey, didn't you hear... *pauses*
Her eyes were fixed on Reina's, as if suddenly recognising her
Reina
Wh-what...? *lips quivering while trying not to look away*
Sakura let her go before walking out quietly.
Love 3
Reina could vividly remember the first time they met.
Sakura had just finished morning practice and was on her way to the restroom.
As she walked in, three other female students walked out, giggling
Reina stood in front of the tap, washing her face as Sakura walked past her.
Reina
*Sighs deeply* (Ugh! Why'd they have to drag me to the restroom? It's so digusting in here)
She looked up at the mirror, checking to see if there were any injuries on her face.
As she stared at the mirror, her handkerchief fell on the floor
Sakura just got out of one of the restroom stalls.
Seeing the handkerchief on the floor, she bent without a word, picking it up.
Sakura
* Holds it out* Here
Reina
*Stares at Sakura* (Huh? Why'd she help me?)
Reina
Uh... ah, thanks. *grabs it, still staring*
Sakura walks out of the restroom without saying another word to her.
By lunch break, Reina walked up the stairs leading to the rooftop
She stared at her phone as usual
Reina
(Who's this person always posting negative comments?)
She pushed the door open, walking into the rooftop
Sakura lay on the floor, behind a wall, listening to music from her earphones.
Reina
(Ah, it's the girl from this morning)
Reina stood by the door, still staring at Sakura
Reina
(I should probably thank her for earlier)
Sakura opened her eyes when she noticed someone staring at her.
She turned to the door, her eyes fixed on Reina.
Reina
*looks away immediately* (Ugh... was I staring too hard? That's embarrassing)
Sakura
*sighs internally* (My peaceful moment... gone)
She stood from the ground, dusting her skirt before walking towards Reina.
Reina
(Wh- why's she coming over?) *steps back*
As she stepped back, Sakura walked closer, closing the gap between them.
Reina felt the wall behind her.
*I've been cornered! Wait, why am I trying to run away? It's not like I've done something wrong*
Sakura
Where are you going to?
Sakura leans forward, their eyes locked.
She raises her hand over Reina's head.
Reina
(I should probably push her aside. Why's she so close?)
Sakura placed her hand on Reina's head, gently stroking it.
Sakura
There was dirt on your hair.
Sakura
*steps back* Sorry about that...
Sakura
Your hair's really pretty. Make sure you take good care of it.
[I like your hair. It's really pretty]
She stepped back again and smiled faintly before leaving the rooftop
Reina stood frozen, warmth rushing to her cheeks.
She slid down the wall, burying her face in her palm.
Reina
(What just happened?)
Reina
That's sounds... oddly familiar.
They never met again after that day
On another Friday, Reina had gone to the school field to get her phone.
She had been dragged out of the joint PE session by some meddling Senpai's
At that time, the girls from the tennis club were busy with their practice, and so were the other sports clubs.
Reina
(Where did I leave it?) *sighs*
She looked around the areas she'd stopped by with her friends.
She immediately turned in the direction the voice came from.
A tennis ball hit her face.
Blood rolled down her nose.
Some people ran towards her
She stared at the grass as blood dripped on it.
She then looked up to see who had hit her.
Sakura threw her racket on the floor angrily while walking towards Reina.
Reina
(Ah! It'sher again. Why do I have to see her in this embarrassing state?)
Sakura walked past her, throwing her racket on her bag and leaving the court
girl
My God! I'm sorry I hit you! *rushes to her*
girl
Why did Kageyama suddenly leave?
girl
It's the first time she's acted this way.
Reina
(Huh? What's with her)
girl
Come on, let's go to the infirmary
Then they finally met again on the rooftop
Reina
*sighs and slides down the door* (She was so kind before. Why'd she become rude all of a sudden?)
Reina
(It's already too late for regrets)
Reina
(But just now, that expression of hers. Why'd she look so broken?)
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