Downtown Tokyo, with Jordan

[seigaku_no_neko]

Eiji and Jordan exit Milliways into the middle of a large department store in downtown Tokyo.

Eiji blushes a little, remembering that they probably should have exited the fitting room one at a time. A woman walking by gives them a strange look.

"Okay, well just to warn you, my friends are weird," Eiji tells Jordan, pointing his thumb towards the door. "They're in a tennis shop a few doors down."

Comments

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's fine," Eiji replies. (He was slightly dazed by her technobabble. Yes, it was simple, but Eiji knows nothing about it.) "I mean, as long as... Well, I guess it doesn't matter, since you live alone. You can do whatever you want."

He pauses. "What are you going to do for two more days?"

[evilontheloose]

Jordan ponders things. "Hm... hang out with you guys if you are not tired of weird me yet? Otherwise... just enjoy a micro-vacation, hit a club maybe."

Set up some kind of refuge in case she decides to move from her world? Nah, she can do that later.

"Thanks for bringing me." She gives Eiji a bright smile.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

Eiji blushes a bit at the smile-- he still think she has such a pretty smile.

"Oh... no problem. I'm glad you're having fun," he tells her, smiling back. "Umm... You can hang out with us if you want to, I guess, but we have practice tomorrow..."

[evilontheloose]

"Oh!" She nods and smiles. "Can I watch?"

She is curious abut how good the boys really are.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

"If you want," Eiji answers, only afterwards stopping to think about how he really feels about the idea. But he quickly realizes that it appeals to him. Tennis is the one thing he's really good at, and he's always been the type to show off.

"I'll have to give you directions to our school, though," he mentions.

[evilontheloose]

"And point it out on a map too, then I should be able to get there easily." Jordan grins and nods. "I want to see you wipe the floor with your adversaries."

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

"Okay, sure!" Eiji tells her.

He makes a little face, though, when he thinks she's not looking. Generally, he's not the one wiping the court with the other Seigaku regulars, as much as he hates to admit it.

Unless they're playing doubles. With any luck, they'll be practicing doubles tomorrow.

[evilontheloose]

Jordan probably does not notice: she is busy making sure her stay in Tokyo will be a flawless leisure trip, starting by having where to stay then vanishing afterwards without causing trouble.

She will head out with Eiji when they reach her stop.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

They reach the stop, and Eiji walks with Jordan to her hotel. In the lobby, they find a map of Tokyo at a stand somewhere, and Eiji points out where Seishun Academy is.

"See you tomorrow!" he says before he goes.

He'll be there bright and early tomorrow morning, as will all his teammates. (And he'll be kind of distracted, glancing around now and then, until Jordan gets there.)

[evilontheloose]

Oh, Eiji will not escape before getting a hug.

Next day, she will head over to the school, and going a bit against her 'hunted criminal' instincts, sit somewhere visible, and wave to Eiji and his friends.

Then watch him and his doubles partner trounce the adversaries.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

(Eiji enjoyed that hug, and practically skipped out of the hotel.)

The Golden Pair does, of course, trounce Fuji and Taka-san. Despite the fact that Eiji nearly got hit with the ball when he first saw that Jordan had shown up. He quickly recovers and is his usual flashy self, diving for the ball and hitting impressive trick shots at the net whenever possible. His ability to do so, of course, is due largely in part to the brilliant playing of his doubles partner, backing him up from the baseline.

When Eiji moves, Ōishi moves. Perfectly in sync.

Well, not perfectly apparently, though perhaps an external observer wouldn't notice. But Ōishi approaches Eiji about two-thirds through the practice match to comment that he seems a little off today. Eiji blushes, but tells his partner honestly that he's not sure what he's talking about.

(He does glance at Jordan again, though, and Ōishi doesn't miss it.)

As soon as practice is over, Eiji runs over to talk to her through the chain-link fence. "Thanks for coming!" he tells her, with a big smile. He's flushed and sweating. "We have to clean up now, and after that, I guess we're all heading home."

(Ōishi's standing two courts away. He's supposed to be untying one of the nets, but it's taking a while since he's not looking at what he's doing.)

[evilontheloose]

Jordan is more than a bit impressed, watching their play style with jaw hanging open a bit over half of the time. During the rest of the time, she is cheering for Eiji and Ōishi (but more for Eiji). She definitely does not notice anything 'off', never having seen the Golden Pair play before.

After the play, she comes down to the fence to talk: Jordan picked a very nice outfit, a white babydoll top with a loose dark blue jacket over that disguises her cybernetic arm some, a black leather miniskirt, dark gray leggings, socks and nice shoes.

What, she's in Tokyo, kogals everywhere must be wearing similar matched-mismatched clothes! "That was fantastic, Eiji-chan! You are awesome!" The familiar, quasi-teasing form came out without planning.

"I was going to invite you for celebration ice cream..."

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

(Eiji thinks she looks freaking adorable, but that's another story!)

He grins wide at her compliment. "Aw, thanks!" he says, giggling.

"Oh, ice cream? You mean... just you and me?" he asks, a hopeful little sparkle in his blue eyes.

Maaaaaaybe he could get away, if he asks really nicely...

[evilontheloose]

"Of course." Jordan smiles and nods.

Why not, after all? The others did not seem terribly fond of her and some were even suspicious?

Jordan actually prefers to avoid causing trouble, lest she loses the chance of taking more vacations.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

"Hang on one sec!" Eiji runs off.

He practically tackles his doubles partner. "Oishii~, Jordan wants to take me out for ice cream. Do you think it'd be okay if I go?" he asks, arms hanging around Ōishi's shoulders.

"Uhh... I dunno, Eiji; you'd have to ask Tezuka."

"You're the vice captain! Can't you ask him for me?" Eiji makes his best pouty face. Ōishi sighs a little.

"All right."

"You're the best, nya! I'll make it up to you and stay late tomorrow, 'kay?" Eiji doesn't wait for an answer before running back to Jordan. "I can go! I just need to change really quick. Can you wait a few?"

[evilontheloose]

"Of course!" Jordan beams. "I will wait by the exit, okay?"

Eiji will find her there, listening to her music player.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

Eiji's out of the locker room in less than five minutes. He only had his school uniform to change into, but that's not too weird, right? Just a short-sleeved collared white shirt, and black slacks.

"Alright, let's go!" Eiji says happily. "Did you have somewhere in mind? If not, I know a good little place a couple blocks from here. They have crepes and stuff."

[evilontheloose]

Of course not!

"Oh, it sounds good!" Jordan pockets her player and earbuds. "I was just thinking of looking for a good place."

Since he knows one, well... less work, more sweets.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

They set off. It's not far-- just your usual little stand with the display of fake plastic ice creams and crepes behind glass. There are a couple of tables out in front.

Eiji orders vanilla with strawberry topping, in a waffle cone.

[evilontheloose]

Jordan follows on the vanilla and wafer, but she prefers chocolate topping. A seat on one of those tables is good too. "How do you play like that, Eiji?" Really, she was left stunned by how they move and score.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

Eiji is BEAMING.

"Oh, I dunno," he says, as modestly as he can with that stupid grin on his face. "I just like to have fun doing it, you know? I was really into gymnastics when I was little, so that's where a lot of my trick shots come from.

"The rest is just practice, I guess. We have practice all the time." It comes out just slightly whiny. "Plus Ōishi's constantly going through doubles strategy with me. He reads books and stuff about it all the time."

[evilontheloose]

"Well, it was fantastic anyway." Jordan beams right back. "You two are awesome. Makes me wish I could move like that too."

She knows a few tumble tricks, and some dodges in case of attack, but the boys are fast and have lightning-quick reflexes too; the girl is a bit jealous.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

"Aww, thanks," Eiji says, blushing a little and swallowing ice cream.

He hasn't noticed, but he's got some on his face.

[evilontheloose]

Jordan notices, and takes a napkin to wipe it off his face, smiling. "You are welcome, but you do not have to thank me." Really, Eiji is helping the Evil Genius have a bit of normalcy in her life; that is worth a lot.

[seigaku-no-neko.livejournal.com]

Eiji blinks, still blushing a little at the indirect touch. He senses that there's something sort of significant behind her words, but he doesn't make the connection to the fact that he invited her here in the first place. So he's not quite sure what to say.

Instead, he just gives her his brightest smile.