It's Not Instant!

"Ah~ mou! Where is she!?" crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was waiting for her best friend who told her that she would go home with her. "She is definitely taking her time…"

About ten minutes had passed and she couldn't wait any longer. "That's it, I'm leaving!" But then a thought suddenly struck her mind. "Oh yeah, she's a big fan of that Atobe Keigo, the boy's tennis club's buchou right? She's probably still trying to give that monkey something at the tennis court. Right, I'll go check there."

She stepped onto the tennis court, only to find the place empty. No one was there.

"Kaa—kaa—"

Well, maybe not exactly right. There was a person there—definitely a male, and not her friend. But the thing was, instead of playing tennis, that guy was sleeping tightly. What the heck is that person thinking about? Sleeping on a tennis court? Oh well. Since I'm here already, I'll wake him up, she thought.

"Kaa—kaa—"

"Mou, this person is sleeping so deeply… I wonder if shaking him will make him wake up," she murmured to herself as she started to shake that person. "Hey, wake up, your tennis club teammates have gone home." No response, just another snore.

"Kaa—kaa—"

"Fine," she said as she put up her cocky face and started to slap that guy's face.

"Nga— are?" she finally did it. The sleeping boy has awakened! "Who are you?" He asked in a sleepy voice.

"…I am . Lucky for you I came to the tennis court to find my friend. I saw you sleeping here so I decided to wake you up. What were you thinking!? Sleeping on the tennis court!? What if no one noticed you were still here?"

"Aah, arigatou!!! Well, after tennis practice finished, I quickly left the court because my bags are still upstairs on the classroom. And then, when I came back, no one was here! Usually my club mates would go home with me, so I thought maybe they had something to do, so I waited and kind of fell asleep!"

"Uh-huh, I see. Anyway, before you went upstairs to get your stuff, did you see a girl come here to give something to Atobe Keigo?" asked, still wondering where her best friend was so that she could go home.

"Hmm… let's see… oh, yes yes! I saw that girl!!! She was so sugo~i! She comes to the tennis court often and she never gives up, even though Atobe always declines her!!! Sugoi desu yo?"

"Er, well, she's the one whom—"

"Wait wait! I'm not finished yet! Today, Atobe snapped at her because he was in a really bad mood! Usually he'll just decline her nicely, but today he was really angry! So in the end, that girl ran out of the tennis court, crying," he finished with a sad look on his face. "Kanashii ne… Oh yeah! I thought you had something you wanted to tell me. What was it?"

"Umm, actually that girl is the one I'm looking for…"

"Eh, really? If she's your best friend, then you should go comfort her! She looked so sad!"

"I wonder why she didn't send me a message or call me if she wanted to go home first…"

"Because she must be busy crying right now!"

That last sentence slapped her in her face. She was being so insensitive! How could she always think of herself and not about her best friend?

"Anou… by the way, what's your name? You haven't introduced yourself."

"Oh, right! I'm Akutagawa Jirou! Nice to meet you!"

"Akutagawa-san ne… I don't think we've met at school before," she admitted, letting out a small chuckle.

"Ah! You finally smiled! All this time you've been all sulky, you know? So, would you like me to walk you home? Since your friend has left already," Jirou offered with a sheepish smile.

Doki! felt her face turn into the color of a boiled lobster. She hadn't been cared about by another guy since her ex-boyfriend dumped her two years ago. "Umm, I guess that's alright. Sankyuu, Akutagawa-san."

"Don't call me like that, it sounds weird! You can call me 'Jirou', okay?" He beamed.

Walking together, showed him where her house was as, while they talked along the way. was a bit worried that Jirou would fall asleep again on their way home, so she kept trying to talk to him more.

"Okay, that's my house," declared, pointing to a pretty small, yet simple modern-looking house. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Your welcome! I should thank you too since you're great company walking home with! Walking with you was as fun as walking with my club mates! See you tomorrow, -san!" Jirou waved cheerfully as he walked away.

waved back as Jirou turned his back and disappeared from her sight. "Akutagawa Jirou, ne…"

**********

"Hmm, this is weird," Jirou said to himself. He was the type of person who would usually feel very bored and probably even fall asleep if he walks home alone. But this time, he was full of energy and for some reason kept thinking about the girl he just met today. He himself noticed this, and found it very weird. He felt as if he was being surrounded with warm blankets, and yet he wasn't sleepy. "Well, whatever! I got to get home faster or it'll be too dark! Yoshi!" He started to quicken his pace.

"Tadaima!" He said as he entered his house and took off his shoes.

"Jirou, you're rather late today. What's wrong?" Jirou's mother walked towards him. Her beautiful face showed that she was very worried about her baby boy.

"Well, I was actually very lucky to be woken up by a girl when I was sleeping on the tennis court. Everyone had gone home already and then…"

**********

"-chan, did you go home with a guy today?" Two slender arms hugged tightly from behind.

"What—it's none of your business, Neesan. Let go of me!"

"Hai, hai," her sister quickly let go of her. "I heard a guy's voice. Was it ?"

stiffened. "Don't ever mention his name again, neesan. I haven't seen him in ages and I have already forgotten about him. I don't want to talk about him again. Is that clear?"

"Yes, yes, I understand. So who's that guy?"

"Well, he's only a person I met today. He fell asleep on the tennis court, so I woke him up. We ended up talking for a bit and he offered to walk me home. That's all." explained with a shrug.

"Really? You seemed to be really happy, though. You even smiled when you reached the house…" her sister trailed off as she was trying to hide her mischievous grin.

"There was no such thing, Neesan. You must be in need of glasses," countered her sister's words as she walked to her bedroom.

"Of course not, my eyesight is perfect!" Her sister was adamant and followed all the way to her younger sister's room.

"Oi, I'm going to my room and you are not allowed to enter." quickly entered and locked her bedroom door behind her. Geez. Why is she so hyper about Jirou? She was like that when I met for the first time… ah crap, I mentioned his name again.

stared out through the window to the darkening blue sky. She started to ponder about lots of random things. A smile formed on her lips when she remembered the cheerfulness that Jirou exuberated. He always succeeded in making her smile.

On the other hand, every time she was reminded of , what she felt was a stab on her heart. Yes, it was obvious that was her ex-boyfriend who dumped her two years ago. Only a bitter smile could form on her lips. Ever since, no one had ever really made her smile like Jirou did. But still, she doesn't believe in 'love at the first sight' because it was just too impossible. To her, love was not as easy as turning her palms.

Oh well, she wouldn't fall in love anymore anyway. She had felt the pain of loving someone and she didn't want to experience it again.

"! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming," she said, and quickly shook her head, deciding to not think about either boy anymore.

**********

"Jirou! You are going to be late!! Wake up already!" The loud voice of Jirou's brother exclaimed as he shook him from his deep sleep.

His eyes gently opened and slowly focused to the alarm beside his bed. "Aah! Yabai!! I should be gone already!" He quickly jumped off his bed, took his towel and his uniform with him.

**********

"This is unusual, , you usually wake up early." Her mother elegantly put a plate of baked potatoes in front of her nose.

Wondering what time it was, she took a glance at the clock, which was hanging on the wall. She almost choked when she saw the time and quickly took her school bag with her. "No time to eat! Got to go, Kaachan! See you!" In a split second, she was out of sight. Normally she wouldn't be this fast if she was not in a hurry. Everyone knew she was not good in sports.

**********

"Kuso—!"

Well, in the end, she was still late. She could only be fast in the beginning. Then she would get slower and end up walking in a brisk pace. And because of that, she now had to stand up outside the classroom for the whole first lesson's session. Hearing a pant, she turned her head toward where it came from. "Ji—Jirou!?"

The one whose name was called smiled. "Hey! First time I've met you in the school corridor, ne -san? Are you late too?"

"Yeah. As you can see, I can't go in the classroom."

"Oh, this is your classroom? Mine's right next to you!" He said with a big grin. "See you later!"

"Heh?" blinked. Wait… See you later? Won't he get punished as well?

"Sensei~" Jirou knocked on the door. The door slid open.

"Oh, Akutagawa. Why were you late?"

"Eh, well, I woke up late, so…"

"Oh okay then, get seated."

Pata— the door closed.

What the heck!? He can go into the classroom even though he's late!? Why is that? Envy began to creep into her heart. Man, he gets to feel the comfy seating on the chair. Meanwhile I have to stand up like a statue here. Such cruel world…

But suddenly she felt another feeling inside of her heart. Not envy. It was a disappointment. Why? Maybe it was because Jirou didn't have to stand up outside the classroom like her. If he stood up outside as well, she could have talked with him. She shook her head of such a thought. That's not it!!! I just felt envious that he can sit comfortably inside the classroom!! Well, we all know that's not true. 'Mou~'

Not much time had passed before she heard a loud, "AKUTAGAWA! STAND UP OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM!" Jirou smiled embarrassedly as he left the classroom. He faced and grinned.

"Wha—why did the teacher scold you just now?" blinked at him.

Jirou blinked back. "Well, as usual, I fell asleep," he answered, his grin growing bigger.

The way he was blinking was cute!!! Wait… what am I saying? She shook her head once again. "Oh really? You sleep anywhere, huh?"

"Hmm… usually, I won't fall asleep during Design and Technology class, since it's my favorite subject and I always get nice marks. This is why the teacher allowed me to come in to the classroom when I was late. But if I fall asleep, she'll tell me to get out."

"Then why did you fall asleep today?"

"Probably because this time, there was a reason for me to sleep."

"Really? And the reason is?"

"Hmm~ himitsu da yo!!!"

blinked once. Twice. Thrice. She had never felt so curious before. She had always thought that people who said, "It's a secret!" are just stupid people who are very annoying; hence she wouldn't care about what their secret was. But this time it was different. She really wanted to know the reason. "Hey, that's mean! Tell me, Jirou!"

"No way!" Jirou stuck out his tongue at her childishly.

What had made 's curiosity escalate was the tinge of pink that appeared on Jirou's cheeks. She wanted to know why Jirou was blushing like that. It must be something really good and about someone he likes. Wait… why should I care anyway?

"Why are you hiding it from me? Is it a really big secret?"

"Yes yes! It's not a secret anymore if I tell you!"

"Then it must be something related to me—are!?" was shocked with what she said. And… why did she suddenly become so hyper like this?

Jirou paused for a moment before he suddenly jumped toward until they were only one inch apart. "I'm – not – telling – you!" He declared, staring right into her eyes. After he finished his sentence, he quickly jumped back, doing a somersault and gave a V-sign.

Doki! Doki! Doki! Wha—!? We—we were like… one inch apart! I-I-I…can't even react or something! Tha-that was… She blushed and felt like Jirou was absorbing all her energy. She felt rather dizzy. Wha-what is it? Why I'm seeing double? There are two Jirou's? This is weird.

"Hey, what's wrong, -san? You look pale," Jirou blinked.

"No…nothing, I'm just rather ti—"

She was on her limit. She couldn't help but faint.

"O-oi! -san!?" Jirou was confused on what to do. Since no teacher seemed to hear what was happening outside, he decided to bring to the health center himself.

Unfortunately, no teacher was there when he arrived. Jirou put her on a bed as he pulled up a chair and sat right beside her. An hour passed but Jirou hadn't slept a wink. He was too worried to sleep.

After a few moments, slowly opened her eyes. "Eh… Ji… Jirou?"

"Ah! -san! You're awake!"

"Where am I? The health center?"

"You fainted, so I brought you here."

"Eh? I fainted?! So-sorry for troubling you!"

"N—no! It's okay! You didn't have breakfast, did you?"

"Ah well, yeah. I decided not to have breakfast because I was already late."

"Hmm, that's not good! How come you were late? You've never been late before, right?"

"Eh? How come you know that? Did I ever tell you? We haven't even met each other before yesterday, right?"

"Eh!" Jirou seemed to be shocked with what he said himself. "I…uh… I got to go to the bathroom! A sudden call, hehe!" He beamed a nervous smile. "You go back to the classroom first, ne?"

With that, Jirou suddenly disappeared from sight like a flash of light. That left blinking and confused. "Jirou? What's wrong with him?"

**********

decided to go back to her classroom, only to find her teacher frowning and seemingly angry. "Where did you go, ?" She inquired in a cold, stern voice.

"I…" felt it weird if she only said that she fainted. "I was… in the health center."

"What? You must be co-operating with Akutagawa from that class! You two have the same excuse! What did you do in there!?"

was a good student, even though she was rebellious, but she never showed that side of her to her teacher. "I was…"

"Sensei, we didn't lie. She fainted so I brought her to the health center!"

Doki! A familiar voice made blink twice. She lifted her head and found Jirou standing there, with a serious face. Not the usual playful face that he always has.

"Jirou?"

Seeing a serious Jirou was a rare thing. No doubt, everyone would believe him if that happened. "Fine, I believe you two. Next time, you should inform the teacher first or you'll be punished. Understood?"

"Hai!" said and Jirou simultaneously.

The teacher finally left but the curiosity from before was still there. "Ne, Jirou..."

"N~?"

"How come you know all about me? Well actually, I'm just confused. Like, are you a mind-reader or something?"

For a while, can see Jirou's serious face. But suddenly Jirou broke into his usual grin and said, "Exactly! I'm a mind reader! Maji maji sugoi desu yo? Oh, see, it's time already! I've got to go eat now! See you!"

"O-oi, Jirou—" Before could stop him, Jirou was gone again.

**********

Jirou didn't lie about him going to eat, but in actuality he was not in a hurry since no one would ask him to come fast anyway. But then, if he stayed there for too long, he'd be speechless because was so curious.

It was rather obvious now that Jirou has a big crush on her. It was just that was too naïve to realize that. always caught Jirou's attention; hence he unintentionally knows almost everything about her.

"Geez, she would hate me if this lasts for a long period of time," Jirou mumbled to himself, as his mind was floating nowhere.

"Akutagawa-senpai," a voice called as a soft hand patted Jirou's shoulder. "What's wrong? Don't you like Pocky a lot?"

"Eh, of course I do! What are you talking about, Oh…to…ri?" Jirou couldn't help but pause since all of the Hyoutei regulars directed their attention to Jirou.

"A~n? Doushita, Jirou? You have any problems?" Atobe raised an eyebrow to him.

"Eh? Problems? No, nothing at all! Why?" Jirou blinked innocently.

"The fact you didn't pig out while eating your Pocky is just… strange," Oshitari commented as he readjusted his glasses calmly.

"So-sou ka?" Jirou slowly shifted his sight to his pocky. "Are?" He just realized that he didn't eat much of his Pocky. He probably only ate one or two sticks.

"You… can always tell us about your troubles… I guess," Shishido reluctantly suggested.

Jirou lifted his chin and finally opened his mouth. "Well~"

**********

"Hontou ni? That's so cool, -chan!"

"What's cool about it?" sighed. "It's confusing, you know. Why should he hide the reason from me anyway?"

, who was 's best friend, just laughed. "You see, silly girl, he's got a crush on you. Probably a big crush."

Half annoyed because of being called a silly girl, she replied, "What? Please, don't make me laugh! This is not a funny matter, !"

"What's funny is your naivety, -chan!"

could only shake her head hearing this. "Anyway, he said you left the tennis court crying yesterday after Atobe—"

"Yeah!" 's response cut 's sentence. "I'm okay now, though. Sorry I was too engrossed in crying that I didn't call or send you a message. Hmm, you're trying to change the topic, aren't you~?"

"I'm not!"

"But this is a good thing ne, -chan."

"What?"

"That you've finally started to like a guy, after two years have passed."

"Hey, I'm not!"

"You are! Do not lie to me, -chan! Every time you talk about him, you get all happy and…"

"Hai hai hai~ let's stop talking about him, okay?"

"Mou~ -chan…"

" ?" A soft voice made the two best friends shift their attention. "You are , right?"

felt her jaw dropped. Cold sweat rolled down her cheeks. "Yo-you are…!"

**********

"So, are you planning to make a move, huh, Jirou?" Oshitari smirked.

"Eh… Make a move? I wonder," Jirou scratched his head, feeling rather sleepy.

"Yuushi's right! What if someone takes her away from you? She's pretty good-looking after all!" Gakuto added.

Jirou felt like he was kicked back into the reality. His eyes widened. His sleepy feeling disappeared. "…tha… that could be true," a bitter smile escaped Jirou's lips. "Maa, arigatou, I'll try thinking about that. See you later."

"Be sure to think about it, Jirou!" Gakuto shouted before he and Oshitari disappeared in the crowd.

Jirou sighed heavily as he walked, passing by 's class. A glance won't hurt, right? He stared at 's class from the window and spotted a guy talking to . Well, he wouldn't mind if that's only a normal guy talking casually to her, but this was different. seemed pretty annoyed with this guy's presence. Feeling something bad would happen if he let this pass away just like that, he decided to enter the classroom.

And a good thing it was. How lucky he was, as quickly walked towards him and suddenly clutched his arm. "Jirou, you came!"

Jirou felt something weird with 's reaction. "What's wrong Sato—itte." He could feel his foot being stepped on by her. "Call me ," she whispered.

Understanding the situation, Jirou quickly pretended to be her boyfriend. He put his arm around her shoulder. "Hi, , I miss you a lot, so I came by," he said daringly.

Doki! For a while, felt her heart jumping like to the 100th floor of an apartment. But then, realizing that this was only an act, she felt a bit of disappointment.

"Who's this, ? Your new boyfriend?" The annoying guy snickered. "I don't regret dumping you, then! Hahaha!"

"Shut up, !" snapped.

"So, you are ," Jirou's face showed some tinge of anger and tension. He usually would never show this, even during a very serious or intense match. This was the first time people saw him so furious like this. "What's your problem anyway? She's mine and you have nothing to do with it! I know you do regret dumping her! But it's too late because she's mine already! So don't harass her anymore! Or you'll know what you'll get…"

felt a bit intimidated. He believed that Jirou was a cheerful person, who would even seem kind of hyper and sometimes annoying. But his pride would definitely break into pieces if he gave in now. "Keh, so you got some guts huh, Akutagawa Jirou?"

"What, you know me?"

"I'm in your class! Didn't you realize? Well, I'm a transfer student today and—"

"Oh well, I don't care that much. You know what to do now, right? Get the hell out of here and if you ever get close to her by fifteen meters, I'll. Kill. You," Jirou gave his scariest stare ever.

"…Wh-what the… fine, I understand. Chill down, dude!" He finally left, seemingly to be embarrassed.

The whole class, who has been silent when watching that intense conflict, clapped for Jirou. They definitely saw 's action, which annoyed before; hence they also disliked .

"Why are you guys are clapping? Why didn't you help her when that person annoyed her?" Now Jirou's scariest stare was directed to the whole class. No one could answer.

"Jirou." could hardly say anything. She herself was rather scared of Jirou at the moment.

"Come with me," he said as he pulled by her hand.

"E—eh?"

They walked out of the classroom, down the corridor, through the cafeteria, and finally reached the park. Yes, the park, a place where only a few people would hang around. It was the perfect place to have a serious conversation.

"You were sad, right?"

"Eh? What are you talking about?" formed a bitter smile on her lips. "I have forgotten about him already."

"Liar. I know you've been holding your tears in for two years. You have never cried even a little bit since people know you as a tough girl. Is that correct, ?"

"That's—what are you talking about, Jirou? I don't…" In a single blink, she let go of her tears like a waterfall. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't help but cry.

Jirou hugged her gently as he lowered his head to 's ear. "I was serious with what I said to that person." He pulled back his body and wiped her tears with his fingertips.

Doki! Again, her heart thumped. "Ji…rou? You mean…"

Jirou was finally returned to his usual self. Blushing slightly and scratching his cheek gently in embarrassment he said, "Well uh, I actually think this might be too fast for you… Well, I have been keeping my eyes on you for a while, and that's why… I know so much about you—well, not all! But, at least I know that you're not the type of person who believes in falling in love at first meeting, but I can't help but say that… I…" he paused.

"I love you." There. He finally said it.

Doki! Doki! Doki! Doki! swore that her heart would blast off soon if this keeps going. Her heart was pounding so hard, harder than ever before. Her adrenaline was rushing and butterflies were dance gracefully in her stomach. However, kept to her firm belief. "That is correct, Jirou. I can't accept you just yet. But maybe we could try being … best friends first?"

Jirou's eyes widened. "Hontou ni!? Maji maji sugee! So, I can call you , right?"

"Sure!" She paused for a bit before she finally continued, "Ne, Jirou."

"Yeah?"

"Would you now let me know your reason for sleeping in class earlier? I have a guess, but I might be wrong."

"That's because… hehe," he grinned yet again. "I saw a great dream during my sleep last night, so I was hoping that by sleeping again, I can see the continuation of the dream!"

"E~eh!? Jaa, what was the dream about?"

"Hmm, of course it's not about you!"

"Eh… not me?" Jirou knew that would felt disappointed. Well, even though only a bit, but at least she felt it.

"Well. It's about the girl I loved, ~"

"Mou~ Jirou!"

"Ne, try to take a guess how long our best friend relationship will be until it will step up to a higher relationship!"

"Hmm~ one year?"

"Ee~h!? That's too long!"

"Well, to earn a good thing isn't instant, right?"

"We'll see!" For a moment, could see the smirking face of Jirou. Well, who knows what'll happen next. Nothing would end up good if it were instant, right?

##########

January 23, 2007
Written by: Sakube Yamu
Edited by: Kurohane