It has officially been over a full six months since Ryumi has moved in with her uncle. A full six months since the incident with the older kids at the courts. It's been five months and a half since she started teaching the person who she is considering her best friend, Urayama Shita. A full five months since school had started. The two middle school first years have become quite acquainted with each other. To the point where they spend most of their days together, not just playing tennis together. They regularly eat at each other's houses for dinner that it has become a routine for both their families. They even walk to school and eat lunch together every single day, even though they aren't in the same class.

Mondays are dinner at Shita's house, Wednesdays were mandatory movie nights as off recently (they switch houses each week) and Fridays are breakfast at the Echizen household in Kanagawa.

Since Ryumi goes to Tokyo for the weekend.

The other thing they don't do often is walk home from school together as Shita is in the tennis club and has after school practice. He didn't want her to wait long to go home.

And sometimes she has a small 'shift' at the store.

For the first time in her life, Ryumi does not have to share a friend with her twin brother. And it's absolutely amazing.

Shita even has perks at the courts now! They aren't very grand but Natsuo appreciates seeing his only niece excited in general. He was worried about her not being herself but seeing her excited to go out of the house everyday, to teach someone tennis? It's a breath of fresh air.

It's Wednesday, meaning it is mandatory movie night for the best friends. This week it is at Shita's house. Today was very different from their normal days though because instead of going straight home after school to wait for Shita's tennis practice to be over, Ryumi is heading straight to the tennis courts right after school ended. She is going to start tutoring Shita in english because they have a quiz coming up and the poor dude sucks at english. The school year barely started and he's almost already flunking english.

And she just so happens to be fluent.

Their idea is very simple, since it's movie night- might as well walk to his house together, grab snacks, get a couple hours of tutoring in, have dinner and enjoy the rest of the night watching movies until Natsuo comes to pick her up to go home.

It is a fool proof plan.

But there is only one obstacle in their way...Technically two actually.

The captain and vice-captain of the tennis club.

According to Shita, the vice-captain is a very strict teenager and the captain is just plain scary. Both are scary in Shita's eyes. And there are usually no spectators because the vice-captain scares them away by glaring at them.

Ryumi believes asking politely, mentioning that she has a book to read along with music to listen to that she won't be a nuisance and Shita is worried that it's not going to work.

In Ryumi's mind, it doesn't hurt to try.

The female Echizen arrives to the school's tennis courts, Shita is there waiting for her and is already dressed for the practice. The first-year notices his best friend walking towards him still in her school uniform and her bag in hand, looking at the courts in interest. There are already multiple players are already preparing themselves for the day.

"Ryumi!"

Her head snaps over to him, a smile growing on her face. "Shita!"

He jogs over to her, "Okay so we need to ask Yukimura-buchou and Sanada-fukubucho." Shita points over to two older teens. The tallest is wearing a baseball cap and what she guesses is the regular uniform that consists of a yellow and black tracksuit set, the jacket is completely zipped all the way up. Under his cap is black hair and a strict look on his face. Next to him, slightly shorter is a teenager with slightly long blue hair with a green headband under his bangs. He is also wearing the same uniform as Sanada but his jacket is resting on his shoulders like a cape.

Ryumi raises an eyebrow as her friend is quite nervous at the thought of asking. "Shita, I can go to the library right now and wait for you. I really don't mind."

Shita shakes his head. "Noooo. It will be easier for us to leave after from here if we are both here now. Now come on!" He pulls her over to the captain and vice-captain. "Yukimura-buchou! Sanada-fukubuchou!"

The two look over and watch as the two first years walk towards them. Shita stops right in front of them, his hand holding on to Ryumi's arm, who is standing right behind him.

"My friend and I were wondering if she could stay and watch practice today because we have a project in English together but she will be in Tokyo this weekend. She has a book and music with headphones so she won't be bothering us at all!"

Yukimura smiles down at the two while Sanada eyes her with with a steely gaze.

"My name is Echizen Ryumi, it's a pleasure to meet you." She introduces herself, being very polite. Though she meets eyes with Sanada, briefly raising an eyebrow at him before turning her attention to the Captain.

Sanada stands up straight, narrowing his eyes at her while Yukimura's smile grows just a bit wider.

"So is it okay?" Shita questions anxiously.

Yukimura continues to smile, "It is fine. You can go sit on the bleachers over there Echizen-chan, it will be near where the first years will be practicing their swings so you can watch your friend if you would like." He points to the bleachers closest to the courts where several other first years are waiting with their rackets.

Ryumi nods, "Thank you senpai." She turns to Shita, giving him a smile and heads to the bleachers to sit down so they can get back to practice.

She sits at the very top of the bleachers, placing her bag right next to her. Taking a few moments, she pulls out her iPod with her headphones wrapped around it and her book, which is Stephan King's Carrie in English. Ryumi puts her headphones in and presses play on her iPod going straight into reading her book to ignore everything around her. And absolutely not be a bother to anyone at all.

The Rikkaidai Tennis club start practice.

The regulars with the second and third years go straight into warming up for matches while the first years start to run laps, then practice their swings.

Shita continuously glances over at his friend to make sure she is okay, though her head never really comes up from her book. In reality, Ryumi is very much bored and has yet to actually read her book. She has read it multiple times and always enjoys re-reading books, but she is just not in the mood to read. So she has been fake reading, occasionally turning the page to make it seems she was reading while rock music blasts in her ears. But she doesn't dare to look up, because the one time she did her fingers started to twitch and her right leg started to shake with the urge to teach the first years how to properly swing a racket.

Shita is literally the only one who is swinging his racket correctly and none of the older students are teaching them.

Granted the older students who know how to actually play are playing matches against each other, including the regulars. So they have an excuse. 

At least there is a match going on next to the court where the first-years are swinging their rackets.

Ryumi turns the page of her book.

In the moment she was turning the page, the ball from the game going on is hit over the fence and is heading her way very quickly. No one is able to warn her because they watch in silent shock and she wouldn't even be able to hear them due to her music. Ryumi glances up, quickly eyeing the ball that is coming to her and easily catches it when it gets close to her face, the ball spinning in her hand for a few seconds before stopping. She tosses it up gently, catching it again before throwing it over the fence again.

Not noticing all of the regulars are staring at her as she goes back to her book.

Finally, practice is over. Her book is packed away in her bag and only one of her headphones is still in her ear as she waits for Shita to grab his things to leave. It only takes a few minutes before rushing over to her with his tennis and school bags flapping against his body as he runs over to her.

"That was such a cool catch! You couldn't even hear me calling out to you! All the other first years were asking me if I knew you and I was like yeah that's my best friend. They were so jealous! How were my swings by the way? Am I getting better?" He rambles to her, waving his hands everywhere.

A small smile grows on her face, "I'm your best friend?"

Shita turns red. "I-I mean...if you don't mind? I consider you my best friend."

"I don't mind at all. You are my best friend too. Now, your swings were probably the best out of all the first years but we still need to work on them. I can teach you the different grips..."

They start walking off to leave the school to go work on their project before Ryumi goes off to Tokyo for the weekend.