Seesaw Game

by Minato Saiki

"I love you"

To him it was the decision of a lifetime.

And he only got a one-word response.

"What?"

Asked so simply, Momoshiro hung his head.

"Momo-sempai?"

"...Normally, if someone says 'I love you,' wouldn't you think it meant yourself?"

The clubroom after practice. The rest of the team had already left. Even the vice captain who was in charge of the key had left, saying he had business in the staff room.

The only ones left were him and Echizen Ryoma. He had thought, I have to do it now.

But this first year was apparently denser than he had thought.

No, it wasn't so much that he was dense as he was not very interested in others from the start. The only exceptions were things that had to do with tennis.

Momoshiro thoughts things like that, completely forgetting the fact that a guy confessing to another guy wasn't normal.

In those ten seconds or so.

Ryoma looked up at Momoshiro with a dubious expression. He had to say something, so he again opened his mouth.

"You"

"Me?"

At first Ryoma still didn't understand, and looked blank. But he finally realized the meaning of those words from Momoshiro's serious tone and expression, and though he slightly furrowed his brows, he spoke quite calmly.

"I'm a guy, you know."

"That's pretty obvious."

"Then why? In place of a girl?"

Ryoma threw out a strangely pointed question even though he was just a kid.

Momoshiro replied as he thought, he's this kind of a guy.

"Don't you think that's rude? I'm fairly popular with the girls, you know."

Perhaps because he was a regular on the Seigaku tennis team as a second year, there were quite a number of girls that confessed to him. At the very least he wasn't so in need he had to resort to guys.

"Then why?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"I don't get it."

After Ryoma said that, he turned his back to him as though declaring that this topic was finished. Momoshiro grabbed his shoulder and made him turn towards him.

"Why? It's simple. I love you. Romantically, of course. That's it."

"...And?"

Ryoma, sighing slightly, looked up at Momoshiro as though he wasn't interested at all.

"Huh?"

"So, what?"

Momoshiro had not dreamed that he would a reaction like that, and couldn't come up with any words to say.

Normally, when someone says they love you, don't you reply with something like "Me too (in the case of a girl)" or "I'm sorry. I love someone else (similarly, in the case of a girl)?"

That's right. At least in Momoshiro's experience that's how it was.

Even so.

He had known this was someone with whom things wouldn't proceed in the normal way...but he didn't expect to stumble over something like this.

In truth, when he had realized that he was in love with this kouhai in front of him, Momoshiro was seriously troubled by it.

Ryoma was a guy. Even if he only reached his shoulders, was slender like a girl, and had a slightly cute face, he was indisputably a guy. And contrary to that outward appearance, he was incredibly cheeky and unyielding. And that wasn't very attractive.

Momoshiro, who had only fallen for girls like a normal guy until now, at first couldn't understand his own feelings, worried over it, thought about it, and in the end gave up.

--It can't be helped, after all. I've already fallen in love.

This was very Momoshiro-like.

He had a personality that considered it pointless to waste time over something that could not be changed by worrying over it, and his change in attitude was quick. And once that was that the only thing to do was act.

It wasn't in his nature to have a secret unrequited love.

Thinking that a real man would gamble even if there were only a 1% chance, he decided to take a chance and confess.

-But.

What was this reaction by Echizen Ryoma, the object of his affection?

He had expected to be laughed off as a joke, or for Ryoma to be angry and say stop joking.

But, his attitude now was so unchanged from normal, Momoshiro didn't know how to make sense of it.

For the time being, it didn't look like he was disliked. But neither was Ryoma thrilled.

Dare he say it, Ryoma was indifferent.

Momoshiro sighed at the conclusion he had reached.

Well, if Ryoma had said "I love you too Momo-sempai" that might have been more disturbing.

He felt a little sad at thinking something like that, but if he were discouraged by something like that he wouldn't be able to get this first year.

If Ryoma didn't have any interest in him, he only had to draw his interest.

"Well, saying I love you means I want to go out with you."

He spoke as if to reconfirm his own intentions.

"Before that I have to hear your feelings."

"I've never thought about it," was Ryoma's reply.

He had known that but felt a little discouraged.

"Isn't that normal?"

"Well, yeah"

That certainly was true. But he wasn't about to back down. He had spoken his feelings, knowing that from the beginning.

"Then think about it from now."

"All right, but..."

At Momoshiro's unwillingness to give up, Ryoma opened his mouth, expressionless as usual. And.

"I wouldn't expect too much."

At those frankly spoken words, Momoshiro sighed deeply once more.

--He really was merciless...

But Momoshiro thought it was better than being rejected in disgust. Or maybe Ryoma thought his confession was something of no consequence. He couldn't infer anything from that expression.

"Oh, well. Let's go home for now."

Whichever way, the outlook looked rough. At this point he couldn't do anything more, so Momoshiro quietly backed down.

Even so, he had been able to tell him his feelings.

Momoshiro opened the door of the clubroom, feeling more tired than after he had played a match.

Ryoma's voice detained him, as he was about to go outside.

"Oh, but... I don't dislike you, Momo-sempai"

Unthinkingly turning around at the words Ryoma threw out, he met those challenging yet amused eyes.

"You are a nasty one."

He truly felt sorry for himself, for falling for a guy like this.

"Thanks"

Ryoma went outside, acting as though Momoshiro's words didn't bother him. On the contrary, he seemed to be having fun. Momoshiro felt drained and sighed for the umpteenth time today.

I'm being thrown this way and that.

It can't be helped. I'm in love.

But, I'm not going to let it end like this.

He muttered in his heart at that small back.

He didn't dislike this sensation. Like when he played tennis, he was more excited the stronger his opponent was.

He hadn't known until now that there could be love like this.

He didn't know if he could win. But, he had no intention of losing.

"Momo-sempai?"

Ryoma, noticing Momoshiro standing at the door and not moving, turned around and called his name.

Momoshiro emerged and they walked to the bicycle racks together. The setting sun was about to disappear between the distant buildings already.

"I'm starving. Let's get something to eat."

"Okay."

When he spoke as he always did, Ryoma replied as he always did with a slight smile. There was no change from the way it was before his confession.

Though he didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Today is your treat, Momo-sempai"

Ryoma spoke, still facing forward.

"Why?"

When he bent over to peer into the small face much lower than his, large eyes looked straight up at him.

In that cool face, those eyes that made people sense his strong will and passion. Was it a selfish wish to always want himself to be the only one reflected in them?

"You love me, right? So isn't this kind of thing a way to get my attention?"

Whether Ryoma knew how Momoshiro felt or not, he couldn't help but be exasperated and laugh at Ryoma as he casually spoke.

"A normal person wouldn't say something like that."

"Something wrong with it?"

Ryoma, replying, was not abashed at all.

-Was he unreasonable, or just direct?

"Well, I suppose you could be right"

Of course, he understood very well that Ryoma wasn't a guy that would be won over by something like food.

But when he murmured that, he received an exasperated look.

"Momo-sempai, you are too simple"

"The world is simpler than you think, you know."

"Is that so...well, please give it your best shot."

"Ah, thanks"

As he replied in the same tone as Ryoma, as if they were talking about a stranger, he shoved his tennis bag into the basket of his bicycle parked at the end of the bike racks.

Before he had realized it, his spirits had risen.

This first year apparently had something about him that wouldn't let him stay depressed for long.

If he could, someday, capture that heart.

How would this cheeky kouhai change then?

--Well, there's a possibility he won't change at all.

And that part of him was probably something he loved.

Momoshiro thought that and laughed softly. Ryoma looked up at him suspiciously.

"What are you laughing to yourself about? How creepy."

"Forget it, forget it. Let's go"

Not bothered by the insult, he had Ryoma get behind as always, and began to pedal.

At the small warmth on each shoulder that felt totally natural, he thought that he was pretty happy with the situation now.

At least Ryoma wasn't the type to become attached to just anyone.

The state of affairs was perhaps not as bad as he thought.

Thinking that, he became a little happier and pedaled harder.

As he abruptly sped up, Ryoma made a startled sound.

"Whoa!"

Feeling the hands on his shoulder grip harder he laughing yelled back, "Don't fall off!"

A surprised voice responded, "I won't."

He didn't know what would happen.

"But, it might be pretty good"

When he murmured softly, a voice asked from behind, "Did you say something?"

"Nothing. I don't have much money so is the 'weekday half price special' okay?"

"You're really going to treat me?"

Ryoma replied, surprised. Momoshiro figured he must be pretty far gone, to feel happy over something as trivial as this.

"I thought I'd start with something small for now."

"It's really small, isn't it?"

"Geez, you are so not cute"

Even as he said that he could tell that his mouth was twitching.

Momoshiro pedaled the bike as he thought stupid things like how he should do something about his expression before they reached the restaurant. Because he knew that if Ryoma saw his face like this he would say, "How creepy," again.

--The game has only just begun.