Tsucchi fainted.

The school nurse was called in, and did CPR. Yet, she had noticed that Tsucchi was breathing well and had pulse. She and the rest of the news team did supportive measures to make the assistant cameraman wake up.

"Tsuchiya! Tsuchiya!" Yankumi called out to him, panic in her voice. She did not want to see any emergency situations in her life, and she was sooo damn scared.

"Aniki!" Mayumi shouted as she let tears fall.

Just then, to everyone's relief, the young man opened his eyes.

"Tsuchiya," Yankumi sighed in happiness.

"Aniki!!!!!" Mayumi cried as she hugged her elder brother.

"Uhh...doo an desu ka (what happened)?" Tsucchi asked. And Mayumi had to explain.

"Ima wa daijoubu desu ka (Are you all right now)?" Jiyeon asked politely.

Tsuchiya got up slowly and nodded at her. Everyone was relieved, especially Mayumi.

"Hikaru-ani, don't do it again!" Mayumi said spitefully.

The event ended well, though, for everybody.

****************

After classes, Yankumi received a text message from her mobile phone. The number was not familiar, so she just read it anyway. It read:

Hi, Yankumi, Tsuchiya Hikaru here.

Is it all right if I meet you at Kuma's?

Yankumi read the number again. She did not know who would give her number to anybody, but since it was Tsuchiya, maybe it might be Kumai himself.

She walked over to Kumai's ramen shop and went in. In the table near the counter, she spotted Tsuchiya, who waved and smiled at her.

"It is a surprise," Yankumi told him. "Wonder where you got my number?"

Tsucchi smiled coyly. "I asked Kuma and he said your number is still the same."

~toinkzzzz~

"You have not changed numbers at all," he continued to tell her.

"Ah...I have no money to change phone lines," she sheepishly told him.

"Daijoubu," he said, then he motioned her to sit down.

As Yankumi sat down, she began to smile like an idiot. She remembered reprimanding him in the past about not wanting to have any dreams at all just because he is not a good student. Now, the young man who was once reprimanded is an assistant cameraman.

"Daijoubu?" he asked her.

Yankumi noticed he was waving his hand and she snapped out of lala land.

"Ah...it's nothing...daijoubu..." she replied.

"Oi, Yankumi, Tsucchi, here are your ramen," Kumai said to them as he served the ramen.

They talked of times gone by, and Tsucchi told Yankumi about his buddies. It is true that Odagiri is in Canada, and Yabuki is in America. As for Hyuga, he enrolled in a vocational course and is currently working as a blacksmith. Takeda had a business of his own and is engaged to Mizushima Maki, the Momo High girl he had been fancying in high school.

"Yes, I remember her...awww....I am so happy for Takeda," Yankumi crooned like a school girl and squealed happily.

~silence and cricket sound~ ~guy in bicycle passing by the ramen house~ ~silence and cricket sound~

Yankumi blushed in embarrassment and apologized. Tsucchi smiled coyly and laughed to himself.

"You are still the same, Yankumi," he mused. "Seems like you never changed."

"Oh, but I have changed," Yankumi defended herself.

"Oh? Hontou ni?" Tsuchiya asked her. "Like what?"

"Ah, eeto...eeto (uhm...uhm)," Yankumi stammered. "Like, me being a teacher in an all girls' school."

Tsuchiya laughed heartily. "You got me, hahahah."

After eating, he invited her to go out with her. When he asked that, Kuma turned to him.

"You are...asking her out?" he asked.

Tsuchiya blushed at his invitation, but Yankumi, who was dense, told Kuma that there is nothing wrong with it.

"Of course, Tsucchi, I accept," she casually said to him. "When?"

Tsucchi felt pressured. "Oh, how about after this? Or Saturday perhaps?"

Yankumi beamed. "Saturday afternoon is fine."

She looked at her watched and apologized, stating that she needed to get home to make her teaching materials. As she left, Tsucchi punched the air in delight.

"Success!" he exclaimed.

Kuma went to him and . "You like her, do you?"

Tsucchi smiled. "Obviously. Why would I ask her out if I am not interested in her?"

Kuma slapped him on the shoulder and replied. "Omedetou (congratulations)."