✔ | DETECTIVE TENNIS 1: The Targeted Tennis Player Of Seigaku

11: All About The Truth & The Past

At the Echizen residence...

Nanako opened the door of the bedroom she was using to check out on someone. She smiled when she saw a woman still sleeping on her bed. Then she switched on the lights and went in, closing the door afterward.

She sat on the bed where the woman slept and then she sighed.

She couldn't believe it. She never thought her partner was facing danger.

Yes... The woman sleeping in her bed was her research partner, Shouko—the woman she entrusted with the project they were working on. But some things unexpectedly happened and somehow, it was beyond her control.

She still remembered the day she saw the wounded Shouko outside the gate of the temple where the Echizen family resided. But honestly, it only happened yesterday...

xxxxxx

[Flashback]

It has been another tiring day looking for Ryoma but Nanako didn't mind it. Right now, all she has to worry about was to help her uncle and aunt in finding Ryoma. Even though that kid said not to worry about him, she still has to do something to ease the couple's loneliness and worries for that boy.

It was a good thing that her college partner, Miyuzaki Shouko, agreed to work alone on the research that they've been working on for quite some time now. At the very least, she was glad that Shouko understood her and the situation that they were facing.

She was walking on the way back home when she noticed the clouds. They've been gathering to become thick and black, indicating that heavy rainfall would surely come. That was why she needed to hurry up.

When she arrived at the gate of the temple, she stopped when she saw someone lying in front of it. It was a woman, to be exact.

Even though she was feeling a little scared, she approached the wounded and unconscious woman and tried to wake her up but to no avail. When she turned the body to have a better look at the woman, she was surprised when she found out who it was.

"Shouko-san, are you okay? Wake up! Speak to me!" Nanako called out as she tried to wake Shouko up.

Shouko, who was feeling even weaker as seconds passed by, tried to open her eyes. And as she looked at Nanako, she gave a weak smile.

"What happened to you, Shouko-san? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be going to Hokkaido today?" Nanako has a lot of questions to ask her partner but it seemed that Shouko wouldn't be able to answer her right now.

Shouko tried to look at her. "Nanako-chan... help m-me..." she murmured before she completely lost consciousness.

At that moment, she tried her best to carry Shouko inside the house. She might have a lot of questions about her partner (and of course, her precious friend), but that didn't matter for now. She has to save her.

Besides, she would be able to know everything once Shouko was all right.

With the help of Rinko and Nanjiroh, they've managed to get her into the house, to Nanako's bedroom...

xxxxxx

Nanako sighed as she looked at Shouko and checked on her temperature. Shouko was having a fever last night which was why she stayed up late to take care of her. She just calmed down when she made sure that her temperature had gone down to normal.