Chapter 3: So I won't
They were on their way to the tennis club when Alex stopped a passing couple.
'Hey Asuna, you're still here?'
'Yes. Hikaru and I were just heading to our club.'
'You two joined a club? I hope it isn't a sports club since you know.'
Alex eyed the boy behind her, who didn't want to be stopped.
'We joined the science club.'
Asuna replied.
'Hmmm…never knew you were the scientific type, Asuna.'
'She is better than you, Alexander.'
The boy behind her sharply replied.
'Maybe I'll drop a visit sometime and see it for myself. See you, Asuna.'
'Bye, Alex.'
The brief exchanged came to a halt, and they all continued walking their separate ways.
'His eyes were glaring at me as usual. I wonder why.'
'Don't pretend like you don't know, Alex. You're not that innocent.'
'What do you mean?'
Yuuto came to a sudden realization, he smugly looked at Alex.
--So that's how it is.
'Nothing. Absolutely nothing.'
'Spit it out.'
Yuuto continued to walk ahead.
'Information is not free. You're gonna have to pay for it.'
'You're gonna start charging me now?'
'Unlike certain people, I belong to a common family. I have to earn money from wherever I can.'
'Cut it out, Yuuto.'
Alex punched him on the shoulder as they both laughed.
They both joined the tennis club, but Alex couldn't come out of his tired state. Failing to find the cause, he continued life as usual.
One day he was in the changing room, getting ready for practice. Exhausted for some reason, he sat down. His breathing was heavy, and his dull eyes stared the floor.
'Alex, you okay?'
The voice surprised Alex, and he quickly became conscious of his surroundings. He found Yuuto watching him with a concerning look.
'Yeah, just a little weary…..probably because I didn't get much sleep last night.'
Alex answered with a yawn.
'You don't have to play today. You can take a day off sometimes too.'
Yuuto quickly scanned his surroundings, making sure nobody would see his friend in this state.
'Me take a day off? Did you forget who I am? I'm fine.'
Alex forced a weak smile to elevate Yuuto's worry.
'Well, try to shake it off then. Your match is up. It'll damage the school's idol representation if he loses.'
'Don't worry, I will.'
The sun, still in the sky, shone brightly despite being the late afternoon. Its rays pierced Alex's eyes like knives when he stepped out of the room, causing a sharp pain in his head.
--Why is the sun so bright today?
Alex tried to block the light with his hand, but it kept disturbing him. The two were heading towards the court when they were met by a girl. She softly spoke.
'Alexander, can I talk with you for a moment?'
Yuuto saw her right hand behind her back and figured what was going to happen, but his friend wasn't in the right condition to answer now.
'Sur-'
'Sorry, we're running a little late. Can this wait? I'll make sure to make an appointment with you soon.'
Yuuto swiftly intervened and apologized in Alex's stead.
'What he said.'
Alex was forced to follow along with his story.
'No, it's okay. It wasn't anything important.'
The glistening in her eyes displayed her true feeling as she quickly walked away. Yuuto felt bad for what he did but Alex was going to reject her either way. He was already tired and didn't need another wave of guilt to weigh him down.
'Thanks, Yuuto.'
'No prob.'
They both arrived at the court, and Alex did a quick stretch. Yuuto handed Alex his racket, and he entered the court.
'Go get em, Alex.'
'You got it.'
The match hadn't even begun, but Alex was already exhausted.
--Don't worry, it's just a practice match. I'll sleep my ass off when I get back home.
The match shortly started, and Alex was doing worse than he expected. He was sweating heavily, with only 5 minutes gone by.
Outside of the court were many girls cheering for him, unable to notice his sluggish movements and dull shots. To Yuuto, those girls were potential customers, and he treated them as such.
'You want to know his favourite drink? That's an expensive one.'
He was busy dealing with said customers while keeping an eye on Alex.
'But since your cute, I'll cut you a special deal. What do you say? You only need to- Alex!'
Yuuto sprinted towards Alex leaving behind his customer. He had collapsed on the ground panting heavily. Yuuto touched his forehead, and it was burning hot.
'I told you not to push yourself, idiot.'
Alex was carried to the infirmary and got diagnosed with what little the school could offer. The symptoms were simple, and it was thought to be a normal fever. He was soon discharged and was recommended a few days off from school.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone