Chapter Three: A New Look II
Moon sat alone in the class for a long time and was later accompany Rika.
She walked up to him slowly with hands held together like she was afraid he would bite her.
"Uh M-m-mamoru? Can I have a talk with y-you?" she stammered
Moon didn't even look at her, he kept listening to music like she wasn't there, he saw her but kept ignoring her.
"Mamoru, about last time—," she wanted to apologize but was rudely interrupted by Moon.
"I don't wanna hear it," he said standing.
"Huhn?"
"Did I stutter? I said I don't want to hear it, keep your explanations to yourself. And oh, it's Moon now, not Mamoru. Keep that registered in that brain of yours," he added brushing her off as he headed to the basketball court, it was time for sports.
At the basketball court
At the basketball court, Moon changed into his sports outfit, he got to the entrance of the basketball court and stopped.
"The last time I was here, I barely entered the door. Now I can, I can't believe I'm doing this, it's...crazy," he said in a low but audible voice
"Of course it is," replied Shinji who was behind him with his fellow basketball friends. He had heard everything. He put a hand across Moon's shoulder and spoke to him as he walked
"You transformed from Mamoru to Moon, it is crazy. I think you will get those girls now," he teased.
"Oh come on, I'm over that now. There's more to life than dating girls. After all, they are all the same," he replied sitting on a long bench there.
The others sat there talking to him.
"Hey Moon, if this is about Rika then, I'm sorry about what she did. Her and my sister can be really.....stupid at times. And forgive me for not interfering at times I supposed to," said Shinji kneeling before Moon.
"Oh please, get up. You are embarrassing me. You saved me from the total chaos of that unreciprocated love insult. Also, you guys seem cool. After all, there's nothing a guy can say when the most...…beautiful girl in school insults someone,"
"That's true," Shinji replied
"Wanna play?" He asked
"What makes you think I can play?" asked Moon
"Well, I might have practiced a lot when I was a kid before...…I got fat but that doesn't mean I still know how to play,"
"Either way, show us what you've got," Shinji replied passing the ball to him.
Moon caught the ball and stood at the three point line. Everyone stared at him as if expecting something.
With accuracy, Moon shot the ball and it was a net.
The court was suddenly filled with cheers from the students, expectially the females.
"Woah, a three point shot. You seem to be what than what meets the surface," Shinji commented.
"Let's have a contest,"
"What is this contest about huhn?" asked Moon
"First to Twenty, the loser buys something for the winner, deal or no deal?"
"Deal," Moon accepted collecting the ball and making another three point shot that got the crowd cheering again.
"That doesn't count I wasn't even ready yet," Shinji commented
"Too bad, so sad. As a basketball player, you of all people should know focus is the number one thing,"
"Alright Moon, check," he said passing the ball to Moon.
"Let's see whether you can beat the best basketball player in the whole school,"
The game started and Shinji was leading with Ten points while Moon was at six points. Rika and her friends walked in and so did Mio who watched with awe at how Moon was so flexible and good a basketball.
"You sure you still wanna continue boy or is your old weight still weighing you down?" teased Shinji
"You are funny," replied Moon with a smile on his face
"I was actually trying not to end your career and reputation in this school,"
"Oh please, you wouldn't stand a chance," replied Shinji standing upright with the ball held at his side.
"Oh really?" asked Moon as he took off his spprts top exposing eight rock hard abs.
Both Rika, her friends and Mio also were shocked to see how fit Moon was.
"Yh—," replied Shinji but was interrupted with a dashing Moon who took the ball off his hands with great speed and made another three point.
"Less talking, more focusing,"
Shinji used all his skills but it was no match for Moon, he caught each and everyone of Shinji's ball making points of his own.
Shinji looked disturbed but Moon didn't even pay attention. He made accurate points and ended the match with an under leg dunk.
Moon picked up his top and went up to Shinji who was on the ground offering him a hand.
"Nice work. That was a good match, I loved it. Also, you play really well,"
"Man, you're good. And I thought I was the best here, clearly I was wrong," he replied accepting the hand.
Everyone cheered for Moon who played exceptionally well.
"Oh Moon, please sign my shirt!" a girl yelled.
"No, sign mine first!" yelled another girl.
Other girls also screamed and begged for Moon to sign their shirt and take a photograph with them.
"It looks like you'll have a little problem handling these girls," said Shinji
"Good luck,"
"Yeah, thank," Moon replied going back to seat down while Shinji and others played a match.
Moments later, Mio walked up to Moon sitting beside him at an arms length.
She glanced at him hesitant to speak first but just as she was about to, he spoke.
"What do you want?" he asked watching the match.
"Huhn?" she asked clearly caught off guard
"You kept looking at me like you wanted to say something, so?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing," she muttered a little shy and scared.
"Well, stop looking at people like you have something to say when you don't. It's rude.
She looked at him in shock and later in sadness. Moon noticed this and spoke again;
"You wanted to say?...…"
"Huh, I wanted t-t-to thanks you for the class help in match," she answered clutching her book like it was about to runaway.
"It's nothing, you don't need to thank me at all,"
"Well, the truth is that...…I'm weak at math," she reluctantly said
Moon looked at her with an unreadable expression and replied saying;
"I'm not surprised,"
"Huhn? Such a jerk, I expected him to say he would teach me but..he said I am hopeless. Oh Mio, this is your life now," she thought staring at him
He glanced back again with the unreadable expression.
"Why?" he asked
"Huhn? Why what?"
"Where you staring? Is there anything in my face?"
"Huhn? No, I wasn't staring, what made you think I was staring at you?" she asked suddenly turning her gaze away.
"Really? I swear I could feel the piercing feeling of your gaze. It held on to me like it wanted my attention so bad,"
"What is this guy talking about? Of course I want your attention. I want you to teach me like a teacher, oh Mio, just sat it already, sat it and don't be scared," she thought again staring at her math textbook.
Moon looked at her and saw the way she was looking at her book.
"Weird, why would someone bring a book to the basketball court, math book to be precise?" he thought for a while
"Hey," he called out but there was no response, she was lost in her thoughts.
"Hey, shirasaki.....hey are you there?" he asked again shaking her this time but she didn't move.
"She must be lost in her thoughts, should I just leave her here? Ugh, that would be rude,"
"Hey shirasaki!" He yelled tapping her head so hard the book fell from her hand
"Aw, aw,aw,aw,aw. Hey! What was that for?" she asked aggressively
"I tried to shake you off your thoughts but you didn't budge, I had to do something before you fully entered the dream world," he yelled back forgetting people were around them.
Eyes turned to them as they yelled at each other.
"Oh, how cute. Moon's got a girlfriend, how cute!" yelled a junior
"Huhn?" Moon yelled.
"No, I'm not his girlfriend," Mio explained.
"Oh, she's so cute. She's so lucky, she's cute and she also found a cute boyfriend just on her first day. How lovely," another person yelled
"Look what you've caused," muttered Moon seeing Rika with an unreadable expression just across the court.
She was not hurt, obviously but she was a little left out. Before Mamoru's transformation to Moon, she was always the talk of the whole school but now, she's not even remembered at all.
"I'm…..sorry, I just wanted you to teach me a little you know about math," replied Mio voice trembling and hands shaking a little.
Moon looked at her with surprise, even a little smirk showed on his face.
"So that's it. Why didn't you say that before. Mphmn, girls," he asked taking the book from her.
"So is that a yes?" she asked eagerly
".....yh, but I won't have time in school,"
"Then you can come over. My house is welcome to you. It's just me and my auntie by the way and things sometimes get boring,"
"Oh my gosh, did I just ssay that? Oh Mio, why?" thought Mio
"Cool, just get ready, I don't want to be an unexpected visitor, okay?" he said more comfortably now.
"Okay, we'll go home together then, right?"
"Mikooooooo! You did it again, come on," she thought again
"It's not like there's anyone at home, I might as well start living with her. Or maybe not. Mum is in the hospital, dad is...….well with a other woman. I think it would be nice if I stayed with her," Moon thought for a while
"Huhn? Moon? Ar you still there?" Mio asked waving her hand in front of his face
"Can I...stay at your house for the time being? You see, there's no one at home and it can get lonely sometimes, can I stay with you?" Moon asked holding Mio's hands
Mio's hands and legs trembled for a moment because of the way he held her hand
"Huhn, okay," she muttered
"But will your aunt be okay with that?" asked Moon
"Yh, as long as it's for educative purposes and as long as you are a good boy. You are a good boy, aren't you?"
"Of course, yes, I am a good boy,"
"Alright, see you later, I have to go do something," she said waving as she went
"Alright," he replied
"Girls really are weird, I mean you want to go do something? Really? Whatever, but I have to admit, she really is cute, and innocent," Moon thought while watching the basketball game
Rika and her two friends, Sayo and Yui sat across the court watching Moon closely like a hawk stalking its prey.
"He really did hurt him alot, I feel bad for insulting him. He must have gone through a lot during the holidays," Yui muttered
"Yh, we hurt him real bad, I think we should go apologize quick," Sayo added
The two stood but Rika didn't, she sat there holding her wrist tightly, rubbing her legs together. The two noticed this and stopped.
"Won't you come Rika?" asked Sayo
"It's no use, I already tried, he ignored me,"
"Well you have another chance, come on," they said leaving her there expecting her to follow them but she didn't.
They walked u to Moon and knelt on their knees, this shocked both Moon and everyone that saw them.
They apologized in unison.
"We are sorry Moon, we were so stupid that we insulted you so much. Please can you forgive us?"
Moon first chuckled butten held it in.
"It's no problem, I forgive you. Words against me don't really hurt me. They hurt and then heal. I forgive you,"
"Oh thank you Moon, we appreciate it a lot," they replied again in unison
Then they noticed Rika wasn't beside them. She was sitting on the bench they left her
"Huhn? She didn't come? Oh well, we tried our best," Yui uttered
But just as Yui finished speaking, Rika arrived but before she could even speak, Moon stood and left the court ignoring her completely.
"I told you guys, it's completely useless. He'll never forgive me," muttered Rika
"But you still have to keep trying," Sayo said
"Yh, try till you can can't anymore,"Yui added