Episode 2: Prince

A group of small children are playing in the park. They can't be older than 5 or 6. One of the girls is standing a bit taller than the rest, although seems to be a bit more soft spoken. They all smile while talking. "Yeah! Let's play princesses and dragons! Haruka can be the princess!" This causes Haruka to speak up. "Ooh! Then Hibiki has to be the prince!"

The kids all cheer at this idea. "Yeah! Hibiki you totally have to be the prince!" A young Hibiki is twiddling her fingers embarrassed. "Actually..I was hoping I..I could be the princess this time."

Haruka put her hands on her hips. "Oh come on Hibiki! You'd be so good at it! Pleaseee?" She put her hands together, giving her a pleading expression. Hibiki then looked out at all the hopeful faces and smiled weakly. "Oh...okay." A cheer erupted from the group as they headed to their spots. Gripping her skirt tightly, Hibiki fought back a tear and put on a strong face. She then headed back to the others.

The sun shone through the window as Hibiki opened her eyes. Seeing her surroundings she put her hand to her forehead. "I haven't thought about that in ages." She thought to herself tiredly. Suddenly stopped as she felt something on her cheek. Bringing her finger over it she brought it into her field of vision. She looked at it, tiredly confused. "... a tear?"

(Kimi no Mama De intro plays)

"Junichi! Earth to Junichi!" Junichi's attention finally turned to his friend Umehara. "Man captain, you're really out of it. Are you sure you're okay?" Junichi smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. thanks." He then went back to his previous position of looking forward. As he did more images flashed in front of him. "Did Tsukahara senpai really-" But his thought process got cut off as a voice called to him from the hallway. "Junichi-kun! Yoo hoo!" Kaoru, Umehara, and Junichi all turned to the voice along with the rest of the class as they saw Haruka.

Kaoru put her hand on her hip and looked back at Junichi with a smirk. "Well, someone's excited to see you." Junichi rolled his eyes in response.

Getting up he made his way over to Haruka. "Morning Senpai. Can I do something for you?" Strangely enough, over the past few days since his confession was rejected, it had gotten easier to talk to her. He no longer felt nervous or shutter when talking to her. He wasn't sure why.

Putting her hands together Haruksa smiled. "Why yes! I was hoping you'd come with me to the pool. I thought we could see your sav-" Junichi immediately flailed his arms frantically. "HEY Morishima senpai! Great idea! Let's go!" Reaching his hands out he began to push a stunned Haruka from behind and out of the classroom.

(The episode title screen pops up)

"Morishima Senpai! What are you doing? You told Tsukahara senpai you'd keep that a secret!" Haruka put a finger to her chin. "Did I? Oh right! I did!"

Junichi let out a sigh. "You have to be more careful with people's secrets." Haruka waved her hand up and down. "Right right. Anyway, the girls are swimming! Come on, I want to look!" Junichi crossed his arms. "And why do you need ME for that?" Haruka hit herself lightly on the head. "Hibiki always gets mad at me for trying to sneak a peek at the girls while they're swimming. BUT!" She clapped her hands together. "If I tell her you have something to tell her, she'll be too distracted by you to notice me!" Junichi raised his eyebrow. "But I DON'T have anything to tell her."

Haruka put on a devious expression, followed by turning around and putting her arms behind her back. "That's too bad. You know, even though it wasn't that cold out this morning, Hibiki INSISTED on wearing that scarf you gave her."

This actually caught Junichi off guard, but he quickly recovered. "Well I'm glad she likes the gift, But I don't see-" His thought is never finished though as he's grabbed by the arm and dragged to the pool. With no hope of escape, they reach the pool. Haruka waves openly as Junichi does his best to look away at the girls.

Hibiki sees her and lets out a sigh. "What is it Haruka? You know this is for swim team members only." Haruka nodded. "I know! But Junichi-kun wanted to tell you something." She said as she pushed him ahead of her. For just a moment, Hibiki found herself blushing slightly but quickly fought it down. She let out a sigh. "Tachibana, i'm sorry Haruka dragged you into this obvious ploy." She said as she wrote something down in her notebook.

"Uh.." Junichi fought for something to say. "I..It's really impressive how you're the captain of the swim team. I don't think I could handle the pressure. I think that's really cool." Hibiki stopped writing for a moment, then sighed. "Geez Tachibana, where did that come from?"Junichi awkwardly laughed. Suddenly, Haruka came to his aid. "Mm! I've been telling her that for a while! But she doesn't believe me! I keep telling her she gives off this air of royalty. Like a prince!"

Hibiki put up a soft smile. "Right right Haruka. Well if that's all-" Just then Junichi spoke, turning to Haruka. "I think you're right, but I wouldn't say a prince. She reminds me more of a princess, wouldn't you say?"

As soon as he finished saying this, Hibiki's face turned a deep pink as her eyes opened a bit larger. Luckily for her, Haruka was still speaking to Junichi so neither saw. "A..a princess?" She said to herself mutely. She was so shocked by this, that she accidentally let go of her pencil and it fell to the floor.

The sound caused Haruka and Junichi to turn back to her. Seeing their reaction, Hibiki snapped out of it. Fighting down a blush she picked up the pencil then cleared her throat. "Okay the two of you. You've had your fun. Now get out of here. Haruka, I'll see you after practice." "Aw, really? Just five more minutes Hibiki!" Hibiki crossed her arms. "No!" Not being able to help himself, Junichi's eyes moved down to Hibiki's chest, which was being pushed up by her arms. Junichi immediately looked away. Seeing this reaction, Hibiki looked to where Junichi had been looking, and, embarrassed, unhooked her arms. Blushing, she looked at them. "Just get out." After one more whine from Haruka, the two eventually took their leave. As they did, Hibiki let out a sigh. "I swear, those two." She said to no one in particular as a small blush crossed her face.

The next day, Junichi found himself walking down the hallway, his arms crossed. "Morishima senpai can be such a busy body. It makes you wonder how she and Tsukahara senpai ever became friends."

As he walked down the hall, he heard a noise down the way that distinctly sounded like a frantic noise. Taking a look ahead, he could see a freaked out Hibiki struggling with what seemed to be a mountain of boxes.

Without thinking, Junichi rushed over and grabbed the other side of the stack, stabilizing her. Hibiki let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." "No problem." Junichi responded, leaning his head around the other side. Hibiki could finally see her savior.

Seeing it as Junichi, she blushed for a moment, before recovering. "Th..thanks Tachibana." Junichi let out a small laugh. It then cut to them walking side by side, Junichi holding half the stack. "You really didn't have to help me Tachibana." Hibiki said embarrassed as they walked side by side. Junichi chuckled. "It's fine. How did you get like that anyway?" Hibiki looked off in the corner as if remembering.

It then cuts to a flashback of Hibiki walking alongside Haruka, holding half the boxes, looking annoyed. "Eh! Hibiki. Why do I have to hold the boxes?" Hibiki sighed. "Because you said you'd help me." "I know but-" Peering over her boxes, she looked down the hall to see Junichi, talking to himself. A devious smile crossed her face. "Sorry Hibiki! I forgot something! Gotta run!" and with that she unceremoniously dropped the boxes on top of Hibiki's stack and ran away.

It then cuts back to the present. "Something like that." Hibki finished. Junichi chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, that sounds like Morishima senpai." There was a silence that followed after this as they walked together.

Finally Hibiki was the one to break the silence. "By the way, thank you for helping me." She said to Junichi, who, surprised, looked back at her. "Oh, It's no problem Tsukahara senpai." Determined to keep the conversation going, Junichi spoke up. "You know, normally I see you helping out a lot of people. You're really dependable Tsukahara senpai." Hibki's eyes shifted to the side, embarrassed. "It's not that big a deal. People just ask me to help more often than not." Junichi smiled. "Well, it's nice to get help sometimes too, right?" Hibiki didn't respond as she just looked forward.

Upon reaching their destination, Hibiki turned to Junichi. "This is fine. You can leave them there." Junichi nodded and put the boxes down. Putting the boxes down herself, she turned to Junichi. "Again, thank you."

Junichi nodded. "Yeah um..well, anytime you need help Tsukahara senpai, feel free to ask. And i'm not just saying that. Seriously, let me know." A bit shocked, she turned back to him before Junichi spoke again. "Well, I'll be heading off. Bye Tsukahara senpai!"

Hibiki merely nodded as she opened the door to put the boxes away. Stopping for a moment, she gave off a small smile. "He...offered to help. Why did that..." She trailed off, the smile still on her face as she stepped into the room.

(Mid episode bumper with series title pops up)

"Come on Hibiki, you have to admit, your swim team is so cute this year! I just want to see them!" Haruka's voice is heard over the phone as Hibiki sits on the floor talking to her.

Hibiki patiently listened then smiled. "I told you Haruka, you have to be on the actual team for that." "Oh, you're so stingy!" Haruka retorted. A short silence followed. Eventually, Hibiki spoke up. "Hey..Haruka?" Haruka perked up. "Hm? Yeah?" "What um...what do you think about-?" An image of Junichi flashed through her head. She blushed for an instant then shook it away. "What do I think about what?" Haruka asked with interest. "N...no, it's nothing. Anyway, I need to do some shopping tomorrow. Will you be free after school? We don't have swimming practice." "Eh? After school? Mm. I'll be free." Hibiki nodded. "Good. See you there. Okay. Bye Haruka." "Mm. See you tomorrow!"

Hibiki placed the phone back on the cradle. She then clutched her pillow she was holding tightly. "What is wrong with me?"

The next day, Junichi was outside eating an odd assortment of foods he had brought from home. "Man, all we had left was leftover rice and a day old meat bun." He let out a sigh. "Oh well, Itadakimasu." He said before starting to eat his lunch.

At that time, Haruka and Hibiki were walking past the window while in the lunchroom. "So that's when I said-" Haruka was giving Hibiki a run down of that morning, to which Hibiki was politely listening. As they passed the window though, Hibiki's attention turned to the window as he looked out and saw Junichi. Seeing her turn her head, she followed her gaze to see Junichi. A smile formed on her face, followed by immediately dropping it as she called back to Hibiki. "Hey Hibiki. I really want ramen. Could you get me some? I have to go to the bathroom real quick!"

Hibiki sighed. "Seriously Haruka? Fine. I'll get us a seat." Haruka smiled and put her hands together. "Thanks Hibiki you're a lifesaver!" She waited a few more moments for Hibiki to walk towards the large group of people waiting for food. As soon as she was sure that she was out of sight, she bolted outside and towards Junichi.

"Hey! Junichi-kun!" Hearing his name, Junichi perked up, his attention turning towards Haruka. "Oh, Morishima Senpai." There was a short pause as he had a thought. "That's strange..why am I a little disappointed?" Before he could explore this feeling any longer, she came up to him. "Hi!" She greeted him, a cold meat bun in his hand. "Um. Hi, what can I do for you Morishima senpai?" Haruka smiled at him. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I need to go shopping after school today. there's some heavy stuff and I was wondering if you could give me a hand." She put her hands together. "Please?" She asked him with puppy dog eyes. Junichi let out a sigh. "Okay, okay. Sure, i'll give you a hand." Haruka giggled. "Thanks Junichi-kun! You're a life saver!" Meet me at this cafe at 3:30. Bye!" She said, handing him a slip of paper with an address on it. With that, she turned around and ran away, leaving a confused Junichi behind.

It cuts to after school as Junichi is seated at the diner. He looked at his pitiful wallet. He had received a few hundred yen for his allowance, but the best he could afford today was a coffee, which he awkwardly placed. Taking a sip he looked at his watch. "Where is she? It's already 4:45..."

As he was looking down he heard something. "Tachibana?" Hearing his name he looked up. As he did he saw Hibiki looking back at him. "Tsu...Tsukahara senpai?" She smiled gently back. "How are you?" Junichi smiled back embarrassed. "I'm..i'm good. Are you here by yourself?" Hibiki shook her head no. "No, i'm waiting for Haruka." Junichi stopped at this. "Wait..but I'M waiting for Morishima-senpai. She said she needed help shopping..." Hibiki immediately turned red. "She WHAT?" Immediately she pulled out her phone, stepping away from Junichi. A few rings later, Haruka picked up. "Hello?" "Don't 'Hello' me Haruka. Where are you? And why did you invite Tachibana?" Haruka chuckled softly. "Oh right! Sorry about this. Something came up at the last minute so I asked Junichi if he could help instead. Hope you don't mind! Well I have to go. Talk to you later! Bye!" An audible click went through as she hung up. "Haruka? HARUKA?" Hibiki called vainly into the phone. After realizing its futility, she hung up her phone.

She then turned around and walked back to Junichi. "Tachibana, I'm sorry. I was supposed to meet Haruka here too, but she cancelled and just let me know she was offering your services without telling me. I'm sorry she wasted your time." Hearing this, Junichi shook his head. "No no, it's fine. You're the one who actually needed help shopping, right?"

Hibiki stopped at this. "Well yes, but-" Junichi cut her off. "Well that's not a problem. I'm already here. I'd be happy to help." Seeing his genuine smile, Hibiki blushed slightly. "Well, if you're going to offer, I could use the help. Thank you Tachibana."

Finishing his coffee, Junichi stood up. "Right. Shall we go?"Gripping her bag tightly, Hibiki nodded.

A short montage of the two of them shopping then played. They go in several stores such as a toy store, a clothing store, and few others are shown. The montage then ends and they reach a certain store. Hibiki looks to Junichi embarrassed. "Um...I need to pick up a few things. I'll meet you at the front of the store in about 10 minutes, okay?" A bit confused, Junichi tilted his head. "Oh...okay." Turning around, Hibiki walked off to the back of the store.

Junichi then proceeded to look around the front of the store as he waited. "Tsukahara senpai can be surprisingly fun when she's outside of school." He started to muse to himself. "I didn't know shopping could be so-" Suddenly he stopped. "Wait a second. I'm alone with Tsukahara senpai. And we're shopping. Does that mean it's a...date? No. no you shop with Kaoru and Rihocchi all the time. Just because it's a girl doesn't mean it's a date. Besides, you told yourself you were done after Haruka. No. you're just helping out a friend. Right. A friend who saved your life." As he was reassuring himself, his eyes moved over to one of the bags he was holding where he noticed a wallet. "Oh! Tsukahara Senpai left her wallet here. I better get it for her."

With that he walked deeper into the store. Not seemingly able to find her he kept searching. Finally he caught her head poking out from behind a display.

Smiling, he walked up to her. "Ah! Tsukahara senpai. Sorry, but you forgot your-" He stopped however as he noticed wha she was holding. It was a frilly pink bra and panty set.

Her head turned towards him as she flushed a deep crimson. Junichi's face responded with a blush of his own. "S-sorry senpai! I...your wallet!" He said as he held out her wallet. Mortified, she took it slowly with her free hand. The moment she did, Junichi bowed. "I'm sorry!" and immediately ran to the other side of the store. After he left, she breathed a deep sigh and looked down at her wallet as she put on a soft smile.

It then cut to Hibiki meeting up with Junichi outside of the store. An awkward silence followed until finally Junichi broke it. "Um..I'm...I'm sorry. I wouldn't have come in if i'd known." Hibiki shook her head. "No, it's fine. I didn't tell you what I was doing. You couldn't have known. And it was my fault for forgetting my wallet. Thank you for that."

Junichi seemed a bit shocked as he nodded. "She was so understanding. It's like she had the ability to see the situation and take it in logically. She really is cool." He couldn't help but think to himself.

Another short silence followed. This time it was broken by Hibiki. "Um.." Junichi turned to her. "I bet you're thinking..that style didn't really fit me right? You think something more practical would have been my type?"

Junichi stopped for a moment, shocked by this question, then thought for a moment. "Honestly, I was a little surprised, but really, I think it would work well. After all, you ARE really cut-" Junichi caught himself as he started to say this. Hibiki immediately blushed a deep red. Junichi spoke up again. "I think it's important for you to do what you want to do. IF you like it, that's all that matters, right?"

Hibiki nodded slightly then put her head down. Another short silence followed as they continued walking. "Um...Tachibana, can I ask you something else?" Junichi turned his head. "Oh, sure." "What do you think about..." Each passing word got quieter until she trailed off. "About?" "No, it's all right." Before Junichi could question her sudden stop, they walked by a bridal store. Hibiki's eyes immediately were drawn to a gown in the window. It was an elaborate ornate white dress that looked fit for royalty. Junichi's eyes moved to it as well. "I bet you'd look really beautiful in that Senpai." He said without thinking. This time it took her a moment to respond as she was blushing so deeply. When she did though, it was very loud. "WHAT?! NO! No! I wasn't thinking that! I... Come on, I have one more store to go to." And with that she took off at a fast pace.

Junichi smiled to himself. "So, even Tachibana senpai can get flustered. I didn't know she could be so..cute." He found himself thinking. He then followed her.

The final shop was a grocery store. Junichi followed her inside as she started to gather groceries, as she looked for vegetables and meat. Junichi spoke as they were looking for some celery. "Do you do a lot of cooking at home, Senpai?" Hibiki nodded. "Mm. My parents aren't home much so I cook a lot. Mainly for myself." "Wow! That's amazing! If I lived without Miya, I would probably just eat out all the time." Hibiki turned for a quick second then relaxed. "Miya? Oh, right. Your sister." Junichi nodded. "Mm. Right. Of course though, if she had her way we'd eat meat buns everyday." Hibiki let out a soft giggle at the thought. "You sound as if you're very close." Junichi tilted his head. "Do we? I guess. She can be a handful though. So, what are you going to make tonight?" Junichi asked, trying to keep the conversation going. " I was thinking of curry tonight." "Wow, that sounds so nice..." Junichi responded almost dreamily.

Hibiki stopped for a moment. She quietly put the celery in her basket. "Well...if you'd like, I could bring you some tomorrow. You know, as a thank you for helping me out today." Suddenly, Junichi had both fists clenched and looked at her with enthusiasm. "REALLY?" A shocked Hibiki nodded once. "mm." "I can't wait!" This caused Hibiki to blush slightly. "I..i'm glad then."

It then cut to the two waving goodbye as they headed their separate ways. After getting far enough away from her, Junichi brought his fist down. "Yes! I'm getting a homemade lunch from Tsukihara senpai!" A goofy grin was plastered on his face all the way home.

"How many times do I have to apologize to Hibiki?" Haruka's voice asked over the phone as Hibiki is in her usual position sitting with the phone cupped in her hand. "You invited Tachibana on purpose KNOWING you'd ditch me, didn't you?" "Something important came up! That aside though, did you have a good time?" Hibiki's volume dropped at this question. "Eh? I...mm...yeah. Today was fun." "Hee hee. See? I told you it would work out!" Hibiki let out a sigh. "Yeah, okay. I"m still not letting you off the hook for this." "Right, right." Haruka giggled. "Well Haruka, I have to go. I have to do some cooking." "Mm. Okay. Have a good night." "You too." She then hung up the phone as she headed towards the kitchen.

Reaching into a bag she pulled out some groceries and began to get to work, a small smile forming on her face as she began.

End of episode

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N: All I did is a little cleaning fixing the author's misspelled words.