Tennis no Ojou-sama: A Prince of Tennis Fan Fiction

CHAPTER 131: Children Grows Up Fast

In the living room of the Echizen residence, a beautiful couple sat opposite Ryoma, smiling as they watched him pour freshly-boiled tea to three dainty china cups. He focused on the task and begged for his hands to keep from shaking. His heart felt as if it would jump out of his chest.

Thankfully, Ryouko is upstairs. She wouldn't just carelessly go down especially because she knew that he went to answer the doorbell. She would've realized that he is pre-occupied with something as he did not return to his room immediately.

Meanwhile, Ryouko is completely frozen at the highest plight of the stairs, unable to move an inch for fear that she would be noticed. The best option for her to do is quietly make her way back to Ryoma's room but half of her wants to stay and hear why her parents have gone to the Echizen residence.

Somehow, she feels like there's something wrong about this entire situation. Ichidou knows that she's hiding in Ryoma's house. If he was aware of her parents flying to Japan, Ichi would've contacted Ryoma and warned both of them. The fact that there's no urgent call or text message from Ichidou might be because her parents went to Japan without informing the people at the mansion. Judging by the outfit of her mother, they might have actually came straight from the airport. Ryouko may not know much about fashion, but she knows her mother enough to make that guess. The only time Fujioka Rikka dresses modestly is whenever she's travelling.

"Mom and Dad wouldn't be going upstairs anyway... I'll have to at least hear what they came for..." Ryouko told herself and decided to risk staying in her current position.

Meanwhile, Ryoma served the refreshments to her parents and they took a cup each.

"Ara... This is a delightful cup of tea... It tastes just like how Rin-chan's makes her brew," Fujioka Rikka commented.

"It's a good thing you didn't inherit the art of tea-brewing from your father... The tea he makes tastes like literal leaves in hot water..." Fujioka Ryoutaro added, laughing a little. "Your old man is really useless for anything except tennis."

Ryoma gave a small polite smile. Surely the Fujioka couple did not come to his house to discuss tea and badmouth his father... But he doesn't really know how to ask what they came for.

However, he didn't really have to be the one to bring it up. "You must be wondering why we suddenly visited you, after all these years..." Rikka said, making Ryoma look up.

Ryoma sported a serious face. He would not give them any reason to be suspicious of anything. "I do actually..." he answered, putting his hands together and displaying his best worried face. "Uncle and Aunti-" He stopped himself in time as he saw the dark smile on Rikka's face. Ryou-san is benevelont enough to handle being called 'Uncle' but Rikka wouldn't forgive him if he slips up and calls her 'Auntie'. It's amazing that even her temperament hadn't changed a bit after four long years.

"I mean, Ryou-san and Rikka-san..." Ryoma corrected himself, making the dark smile on the older woman's face turn bright once again, "... only has one reason to be coming here," he continued. With a more careful tone, he added, "It's about Ryouko, isn't it?"

"Aww, how sad... You're only half-right..." Rikka said, much to both Ryoma and Ryouko's surprise.

Ryoma blinked and turned a questioning gaze to the manly figure next to the lovely smiling face.

Fujioka Ryoutaro received the question well and said, "Well, we did go here in Japan mostly because of our daughter but the reason why we're here in your house isn't because we want to ask you about her but because we just want to see you... It's a pity that Nanjiro and Rinko are away. It would have been a joy to see them again after all these years..."