Deviation Actions
Literature Text
CHAPTER THREE
Unexpectedly losing something important in your life—whether it was a person or a thing—would always cause a dramatic change on how we live our lives. We cry, we grieve, and we lose the ability to live our lives the way it was before. We might have denied it the eyes of many people, but never to ourselves. After all, we knew ourselves better than anyone else even if we deny a few things or so.
Tezuka felt the same way. His serious and more often stoic face hid a reality he was dealing with for a long time. No one knew he was suffering from regret and guilt of losing the one person he cared the most. And it was all because of what he said that he didn't really mean to. Even still, he couldn't believe that she would be the first to say sorry after all that had happened.
Yes… a "she"… A long time ago, he lost a certain brown-haired girl who loved to play the piano and play the pieces composed by Mozart and Chopin. He lost her—his best friend—because of her inability to fulfill her promise to him. She has her reasons for doing that and he should have known that. But then pain blinded his senses and made him say the words he regretted saying all his life.
"It's like you've been thinking deeper than you were yesterday, Tezuka," Coach Ryuzaki said that snapped him out of his musings.
Tezuka's face remained stoic but his eyes already revealed hints of pain and sadness that the coach still managed to see.
"I'm sorry," was all that Tezuka said in return. Besides, he could never tell her the reason even though he had the urge to do so. After that, he went with the others to do some practice matches in order to straighten up his thoughts.
However, it only caused his friends—mainly Oishi, Fuji, Eiji, Inui and Kawamura—to worry even more for him. Tezuka had been acting a lot weirder ever since a mystery girl gave him a gift a week ago—or at least that's what they noticed from him. But they couldn't do anything about it. They knew Tezuka wouldn't let them do anything, aside from the fact that Kana warned them not to meddle with anyone's business—especially with relation to Tezuka and that mysterious girl. Kana's mouth was close about the identity of the girl so Inui had to do his "research" about her discreetly. The only clue they got so far was the music piece on the music box and that she was Kana's friend.
By far, Inui already had four lead—namely the data man's childhood friend Yamazaki Hanako, member of the Karate Club and a tennis regular; Hondou Kazumi, a renowned young virtuoso when it comes to piano and granddaughter of the famous pianist Hondou Renji; Kawamura's best friend Sarasugawa Aika, member of the Karate Club and also a tennis regular; and Yumemiya Miyako, the academy's "Siren of the Silver Wind" and a member of the Literature Club—so he has to carefully do his research or all else would fail. Fuji knew what Inui was doing and therefore, the tensai was more than willing to lend a hand with this. Eiji supported the two while Oishi and Kawamura were a little unsure about the idea of spying on Tezuka's personal life. But then, determination couldn't simply be stirred by mere warnings and "what if's".
Meanwhile, Kana had been extremely careful this past week because she knew that Tezuka's friends would do anything to know the identity of the girl who gave the music box to Tezuka. She couldn't tell them that a young pianist and her childhood friend Hondou Kazumi was the girl who did that. Tezuka and Kazumi had a past that they never dared telling to anyone else and Kana knew that. It's just that she couldn't figure out what was that past that tore those two apart for a long time.
But then, only those people involved knew how Tezuka and Kazumi's past had made them both suffer all this time. They couldn't undo the past that separated them, but they had the present to find a way to fix what was broken. They only needed to find out how to do that.
Just like what she had done these past few days, Kazumi watched Tezuka play tennis even though it was just a practice match with one of his upperclassmen. After all, they were still in first year. She knew it wouldn't be impossible for Tezuka to become a regular of the high school division tennis team sooner even though he was only a freshman. But just like what she couldn't help doing along with it, her face would always have an expression that defined what she had been feeling for him for a long time.
Sadness…
Pain…
Guilt…
Regret…
And even though it was just subtle, there was also love expressed on her face as she looked at him every time…
But how was she supposed to let him know that? How was she going to do that if there was a wall separating them now because of those emotions?
"You never get tired of watching him, huh?"
Kazumi turned around to know who said that. It wasn't a surprise for her to see Kana approaching her.
"Aren't you going to approach him?"
She shook her head sadly. "I don't think I can do that casually. Besides, I'm not even sure if he was glad to see me. I hurt him before, after all."
"You know, every time you're saying things like that, it made me even more intrigued to know what really happened between you and Tezuka-san before you left more than two years ago. But since it's your personal life, I'm not going to do something like that," Kana just said after sighing since it wouldn't be that easy to force Kazumi to say anything. Then she thought of an idea. "I'm not sure if you'll agree, but would you like to have a tennis match today? I could ask Hana-chan or Ai-chan for us to use the tennis court."
Kazumi frowned a bit as she absorbed the idea in her head. "Okay, I'll do it. I haven't done tennis in a long time so I guess a little tennis match wouldn't hurt."
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Only Kana knew the fact that Kazumi had been playing tennis since she was six years old. The two of them usually played together at the tennis court near the memorial hall before Kazumi forced to mellow down in playing tennis. That reason didn't stop her from playing, though.
"Are you sure we're allowed to use the tennis courts for this practice match, Kana-chan?" Kazumi asked as she hesitantly went with her friend's plan.
Kana just smiled, though. "The truth is, I already asked Nakayama-sensei's permission even before I asked you to have a practice match with me. She agreed since she was intrigued about you playing tennis."
"You mean we're not going to be the only ones who will be there?" She didn't know what to think about that.
"Sort of. But it's okay. Only the two of us plus Miya-chan, Ai-chan, Hana-chan and Nakayama-sensei will be the ones to watch us. They’re kind of curious to know about you play tennis. Besides, they wanted to find out how good Hondou Kazumi is when it comes to tennis and not just playing the piano," Kana explained. Then she handed a blue tennis racket to her. "You can use my tennis racket for this one."
She took the racket from Kana. But then she noticed something. "You're not actually expecting me to play tennis while wearing my school uniform, are you?"
Kana laughed at that before handing her a pair of sweater and pants. "Silly girl. Of course not. I already took my newly-washed PE uniform since I know you forgot to bring yours. And since we're just the same size, I can let you use it."
"Do you really have to specify the word 'newly-washed' while saying that?"
"Of course!"
Kazumi rolled her eyes and slightly shook her head before the two of them went to the girl's locker room to change from their school uniform to their sports attire. They were done a few minutes after.
Kana tied her long blood-red hair into two Chinese buns while Kazumi just tied her hair to a ponytail with a purple ribbon. Soon after, ther went out of the locker room and headed to the courts to start playing tennis.
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"Oishi, you're heading out somewhere?" Eiji asked when he saw Oishi quickly packing up his tennis gears into his bag. It was the end of their afternoon practice for that day.
"I'm going with Kana to buy something for her project. Nakayama-sensei said she's at the tennis courts used by the girls' tennis team so I'll head there first," Oishi explained as he carried his tennis bag.
"Nya! Then I'll come along with you!" Eiji suddenly declared in excitement. But then he stopped when he realized something. "But wait! Maybe that's a bad idea since it's a date between couples. Nyaa, I shouldn't meddle with that kind of situation."
Oishi blushed at the word "date". "It's not a date! And Kana and I are not a couple!"
"At least not yet," Inui mumbled before leaving the locker room. Fuji just chuckled and went out of the room along with Inui and Tezuka.
"Aika's at the tennis court, too since she mentioned that she might be watching a good match today after their practice. I guess Yamazaki-san's there, as well," Kawamura mentioned as they all walked together away from the tennis courts. "Would it be okay if I go with you, Oishi?"
"Sure. It's been a while since I watched a tennis match with the girls as the players."
"By the way, do you have an idea on who would play at that tennis match?" Fuji suddenly asked.
Oishi didn't say anything for a moment or so since he was trying to remember what Coach Nakayama said to him. Nakayama Yukino was the coach of the high school division girls' tennis team, a history teacher, and the adviser of the student council, so it wasn't a surprise for the others to know that Oishi was updated about the tennis club for girls. In addition to that, his "soon-to-be girlfriend" Miyuzaki Kana was a member of both clubs.
"Sensei said that one of Kana's friends hasn't played tennis for a long time. Kana wants to test out her friend's tennis skills for some reason. She also said that it was an intriguing tennis match to watch since a pianist will be the one Kana would have a match with," Oishi explained.
Tezuka frowned slightly—albeit inwardly—when he heard what Oishi said. A pianist? He couldn't possibly mean… That's impossible. Besides, Kazumi's not the only pianist I know. But if that was the case, then why was he having a weird feeling about what he had just heard from Oishi?
"You have a name of that pianist?" Inui asked. Tezuka couldn't help sighing inwardly for having the data man beat him up to it.
But Oishi just shrugged and answered. "No idea. We'll find out once we get there."
As they continued to walk towards the tennis courts used by the girls' tennis club, the others were surely feeling a little weird (or maybe not just a little) when they noticed that Tezuka was actually going with them. But since they couldn't find the guts to ask him for some reasons, they let it be that way for a while. Maybe they would find out the reason sooner.
As for Tezuka, he couldn't understand why he decided to go with Oishi to the girls' tennis court. Ever since he heard that Kana's opponent was a pianist, he couldn't help wishing for… something. But who was he fooling?
His friends?
His friends didn't even know what he was thinking about—or to be precise, who he was thinking about.
Himself?
Probably… especially since his heart had long been succumbed into regret and sadness the day he let her get away because of the words he said to her. But there was never a day for more than two years that passed that he neglected to wish he could undo what he did and be with her again.
A girl's laughter and a tennis ball hitting the racket broke him away from his trance. Not only that, his heart suddenly skipped a beat when he realized that the laughter he heard was familiar.
Too familiar, to be exact, that he thought he suddenly stood in a dream world. He didn't hear it wrong, right? He has to know that sooner. And that was when he realized that he already reached the tennis courts. What he saw had put him in a trance once again that hadn't happened before.
This trance, however, only brought back a lot of emotions he thought he succesfully locked up in the deepest corner of his heart. Along with it, he remembered something that happened the day he received the purple hyacinth and the music box…
"Nocturne op. 9 no. 2 in E-flat major by Frederic Chopin… Isn't this the song that we heard at the memorial hall a week ago?" Fuji asked as he looked at Tezuka who remained stoic.
"Memorial hall? You mean Hondou Renji Memorial Hall? I heard from Aika that Hondou Renji's granddaughter has returned from America two days before the semester started," Kawamura informed calmly…
"She really came back…" Tezuka unconsciously uttered in surprise as he looked at the tennis courts—particularly to Kana's opponent whose back was facing him and his friends since they were watching the tennis match on the other side of the court's fences. Kana seemed to be enjoying the match since she just smiled at Oishi upon seeing him.
So it really is her… It's Kazumi! Tezuka's mind had finally absorbed the thought as he watched the tennis match intently. He couldn't believe it! Until now, even though he already received the purple hyacinth in which only Kazumi was the girl whom he handed the same flower a long time ago, he couldn't still find it in him to believe in it. But each time the racket hit the ball to the other side of the net, it forced him to believe.
After all, tennis was one of the the things that kept his mind in focus. As the brunette continued to return the ball to Kana's side of the court, Tezuka noticed that Kazumi's movements were somehow minimal, giving it a graceful and elegant effect. When he glanced to his friends from the corner of his eyes, he could tell that they were awed at the sight. He even saw Inui writing something in his green notebook as the match was still going on. It was like the data man was taking down notes on every movement that Kazumi would do.
He gazed back to the tennis court, just in time he saw Kazumi returned the ball to Kana's court using a technique that made the ball "glide" to the ground as it lowered from the net and only bounced a few feet away from the service line. He saw Kana jokingly glowered at Kazumi as the latter laughed.
"I hate it when you do that glider shot," Kana complained as she pouted. "Are you sure you mellowed down from playing tennis for years? With the way you played it, it seem to me your skills hadn't diminished at all."
"Yes, I've mellowed down in playing but that doesn't mean I stopped. Tennis is something I could never give up no matter what happens to me."
"The same way you couldn't give him up?" Kana cautiously asked that took Kazumi aback but didn't show it.
Besides, there was no need for her to show it even to her childhood friend. A heavy sigh was heard from her before answering. "Yeah… The same way I could never give him up…" But as Kazumi turned around, she felt that time froze somehow as she looked at a particular someone outside that tennis court. Her eyes then widened before unconsciously dropping both the tennis ball and the tennis racket she was holding to the ground. She wondered if what she was seeing right now in front of her was a part of her fantasy, a dream that she wanted to reach.
The others noticed that reaction from Kazumi, making them all confused and suspicions started to rise. That was what made them look at Tezuka. He was staring at Kazumi wide eyed, as well. They were surprised to see that from the bespectacled stoic man who couldn't hide the surprise in his face at that moment.
"O… kay… Are we missing something here?" Hanako decided to break the tensed silence and surprised atmosphere surrounding the two. But then they noticed that it wasn't as easy as that…
…especially when both Kazumi and Tezuka uttered something that—even though it was almost in a whisper—the others still managed to hear.
"Kazu-chan…" Tezuka uttered in a slightly pained tone.
"Kuu… it's really you…" Kazumi managed to say even though her voice started to crack. Without her knowing, tears welled up at the brim of her eyes and blurred her vision soon after. She then lowered her head for a second to avoid Tezuka's stares at her. "I… I have to go, Kana-chan. We'll just continue the match some other time." And before anyone could stop her, she ran away before she could let the others see the tears starting to fall from her eyes.
But that action didn't only surprise the others, it also made two hearts yearn even more to be with each other despite the pain that slowly took them over from within. None of them thought that this day would hold the one faithful moment they longed for.
But then, how could this moment made them unable to do what they really want to do? How could this moment only brought them even more pain? Why were they trying to run away?
"I don't think this is going to be easy…" Oishi and Kana commented in unison before they noticed Tezuka walking away.
"Is that what I think it is?" Inui inquired as he scanned his notebook before he wrote something.
Kana only sighed as she picked up the tennis racket that Kazumi dropped earlier. "Don't ask. It's already complicated that I couldn't even simplify it in any way."
"I agree…" Fuji said.
