Disclaimer: Tennis no Oujisama is property of Konomi Takeshi.

PROLOGUE

In all the months they had known him for, the Seigaku Tennis Club regulars would have never thought that they would ever hear Echizen Ryoma say the words that flowed out of his mouth in such an indifferent manner.

"I hate tennis. I don't ever want to play tennis again."

Jaws dropped. Even Tezuka's eyes had widened. Inui dropped his notebook and pen, and Fuji's piercing blue eyes were opened for all to see.

What shook their souls even more were not the blunt words. It was how serious Echizen had looked while he said those words.

Ryoma almost laughed at their expressions. Obviously, none of them had expected to hear that, especially not from him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Ryoma decided to make the first move.

"We'll still see each other around the campus. Bye." Turning around, he started walking off before a hand roughly positioned itself on his right forearm, forcing him to stop suddenly. Looking back, the owner of the hand was Momo. To say that his face looked like an angry lion on the hunt would have been the understatement of the year. He didn't just look angry; he looked ready to commit homicide.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HATE TENNIS?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF, YOU BRAT!" He roared. Passers-by stopped to stare at the group, startled by the sudden burst of sound from the second year.

Fuji placed a firm hand on his arm. "Momo, calm down." Not listening, he shrugged his hand off. He was aware that he was causing a scene, but he was beyond caring. "MAKE YOURSELF CLEAR DAMMIT!"

Still sporting an indifferent look, Ryoma forcefully removed the hand on his arm. "I have my own reasons. That's all you need to know. Good day." Turning to the entrance, the tennis prodigy and freshman ex-regular walked away, leaving behind a livid Momo and a stunned and gapping team.

End of Prologue

Authoress' Notes: It's ridiculously short, even for a prologue, but I'll try my best to increase the length. No guarantees though.