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Tile: Always By Your Side
Chapter: 1
By: Raphael Kiriya
Point of View (POV): Sato Alexis
I was walking to class and, like all days, I was early. As I walked to my seat, I saw a new face sitting in the seat beside me. It was a boy with wavy, blonde hair. He was reading a manga as I passed by some of my other classmates. I sat down at my place andplaced my bag on the hook at the side of the table, taking out my notebook and pencil case. I zipped my pencil case open and took out my mechanical pencil, flipping open my notebook and jotting down some notes. After a while of writing, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find the blonde boy looking at me, a smile on his face.
He introduced himself, “Hi. I’m Alfred Aimé Raleigh, French. I transferred last Friday, but I didn’t see you.”
I, being as nice as I could, introduced myself, “I’m Satō Alexis, half-French and half-Japanese. It’s nice to meet you.”
He smiled, “You’re French too? Why were you not here last Friday?”
I replied, “I was in France. Family thing.”
“You were in France?”
I nodded.
“You said that your family’s name is Satō, right? I know a family by that name. Is, by any chance, your father’s name Jirō?”
“You know my father? Yeah. My father’s name’s Jirō. Why?” I was surprised that he knew my father, even though he hasn’t been here in Japan for long.
He asked gently, “Can I come over your house today? I have something my parents want to tell your father. It’s really important.”
For some reason, I felt as if I could trust him. Besides, if he knew my father, I guess it was fine, right?
I replied. “Okay. But, I have tennis practice after school.”
“Can I watch you play? I have a lot of free time and I’ve been wanting to find something to do after school, anyways.”
I laughed, “Okay. After school, follow me. You can sit on a bench near the courts.”
He smiled. It was a really gentle smile. It made me feel assured, safe.
“Yeah. He was really kind.” I replied to Akio.
Akio smiled. “That’s good. By the way, have you already decided on the placements? Takumi-fukubucho says that he needs to give the information to the principal by the end of this week.”
I replied, smiling, “Almost. I just need to decide on Singles 1. I don’t feel like playing for the tournament.”
Akio, taken aback, asked, confirming what I just said, “You, Satō Alexis, the captain of the team which is top in Japan, doesn’t want to play?”
I laughed, “Yeah. I guess so. I’m choosing between you and Takumi.”
Akio joked, “You should pick Takumi. He’s not chosen as the vice-captain for nothing, you know.”
I laughed, “But, both of your levels are the same!”
Akio said, “The same? I know that he’s not that far from a National player like you, but we aren’t the same level.”
I retorted, “Who said so? If you work hard, you might even beat me.”
He added, “If you hold back.”
We both laughed. We were, as always, fighting over our tennis level. I admit it; I am a National player. But, Akio isn’t that bad. In fact, he’s really close to my level. He’s always being modest.
I asked him, “Ne, are you coming to my place today?”
Akio asked, “Isn’t Alfred going over to your house?”
I asked, “Yeah, he is, but- Wait, where did you hear that from?”
Akio explained, doing his best to imitate a reporter, “Alfred AiméRaleigh, the newtransfer student to go over to the Satō Alexis’ house.”
I laughed, “Is that really spreading all over the school?”
Akio replied, “Of course! You’re the Satō Alexis, the most popular boy in school.”
I asked, “Who you heard it from?”
Akio replied, “Your fan club. I think the president and vice-president was telling, no, announcing it tothem.”
“Oh. By the way, you’re the first to not ask me why I’m allowing a stranger into my house.”
He laughed, “You have a very good sense in judging people. I trust that you’re not letting a bad guy in.”
I shrugged, “I guess so.”
He asked, “By the way, did he ask anything about your father?”
I replied, “Yeah. He did. Why?”
He laughed nervously, “N-nothing. Just asking.”
I pointed out, “Akio, you’re lying. Your voice isn’t like it always is.”
He laughed, “You noticed?”
I laughed, “I’ve been with you ever since childhood! Of course I would have noticed!”
Then, the bell rang, signifying the end of recess.
I teased him, “Saved by the bell, huh?”
It was finally after school. I quickly entered the club house, greeting back the people that greeted me. I was, somehow, very respected in school. I was the top student in my year and I was the captain of our school’s ever famous tennis team. It was a bit irritating. I mean, people treated you like you were a celebrity even though I hadn’t even met a single one. Well, I changed into my tennis uniform, grabbed my tennis bag and walked out. I walked to the courts, smiling back at the people who greeted me. I placed my bag at the bench for regulars. As I placed my bag down, I heard a voice too familiar to not know.
Takumi informed, “Satō-buchō, here’s the training menus for the regulars and the list of things everyone else should do.”
I placed my bag onto the bench and turned around.
“Thank you, Takumi.” I took the clipboard from him and flipped through it. The first years were supposed to run laps then pick up the balls. Second years were supposed to run twice more laps than the first years and practice their swings and the third years were supposed to do thrice more than the first years and practice by playing against each other. Then, I looked at my training menu. It didn’t change since yesterday while everyone else’s, except Takumi for some reason, changed.
Takumi pushed his glasses up his nose and explained, “Hiroki-kun said that he wasn’t able to take much data on you yesterday to make the proper training menu. He also said that he wasn’t able to take my data.”
I laughed. Then, Akio and the rest of the regulars came by.
Hiroki informed, “Alexis-buchō, everyone’s waiting for your orders.”
Akio shouted, “Don’t call him by his given name!”
Hiroshi, Hiroki’s brother, backed his brother up, “He used a suffix, didn’t he?”
“But, still-”
“Satō-buchō, let’s go.”
I wore my jersey and followed Takumi to the front of the courts.
I shouted, “Everyone, line-up!”
They all, quickly, lined up in front of me, the regulars in a line in front of everyone else.
I announced, “First years, run 25 laps and pick up the balls. Second years, run 50 laps and practice your swings at Court B Third years, run 75 laps and practice by playing against each other at Court C. You may pick whoever you want to go against. Regulars, run 100 laps and meet me with your belongings at Court A.”
There begins my character change.
Tennis practice ended quicker than usual, for some reason. As I walked back to the club house to take a shower and change, a few other members greeted me. Again. After taking a shower, I quickly changed my clothes. During homeroom, Alfred told me that he’d wait for me at the front gate and I wasn’t really the type to make people wait.
Once I was dressed back into my school uniform, I grabbed my book bag and my tennis bag and gave the keys to Takumi, asking him to lock up after he was finished.
As I walked to the gates, I was already able to see Alfred. He smiled at me, walking nearer to me.
Once we were in front of each other, he said, “Let’s go?”
I smiled back at him, “Yeah.”
He frowned and lamented, “Wait. I have a problem.”
I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t bring you back to your house…conscious, that is.” He grinned.
I was puzzled.
“What do you m-”
Before I was able to complete my sentence, a surge of pain ran through my veins. I felt a pair of fangs pierce through my flesh an, before I knew it, I was unconscious. I collapsed and fell into Alfred’s arms.
“Rêves doux, Iofiel”
Well, here’s the first chapter! Please give me your comments. And, for those who didn’t know what the last sentence Alfred said was, it meant ‘Sweet Dreams, Iofiel’. Why Iofiel? Why not Alexis? Well, you have to read the Character Profiles to find out~! Well, See You in the Next Chapter!
