~AKA~

Chapter 1

Once Upon a Time…

I, Riko Hisakawa, am enrolling in a boys' school. I should probably explain, though. I have just returned from America to finish middle school at the prestigious Seishun Academy. I'm risking being discovered and expelled to meet and become good friends, if not more, with my hero.

The fabled genius, Syuusuke Fuji.

I had always gotten the Japanese tennis magazines, even when in America, but my fandom had all started when I read an article in my favorite magazine on the tensai. Just the first few paragraphs were enough to grip my attention away from anything else in the world. The description only made my excitement bubble over, and the picture of him was the paramount of the entire issue.

Back in America, I had always been mistaken for a boy. I was sporty; there weren't many sports that I wasn't good at. I'd been on the boys' teams of the schools that I attended and could beat the vast majority of them as well. I wasn't interested in Barbies, princesses, or any other girl-related things. But on top of all that, my chest was also, very, very flat.

Alas, that's how I got here- the gates leading to my new life. Or Seigaku, the nickname of my new school, to be more specific. I would be staying in dorms- yes, I said dorms- the entire year that I was here before graduating. I was praying now that I wasn't going to be staying with someone that I didn't like.

Wearing my new, black, slightly stiff uniform, I strode onto the campus. My eyes drifted up to the tall, magnificent clocktower, which displayed the time. Six thirty AM. I didn't quite know why I was quite this early; to explore the grounds, set up my dorm room, or take a nap, maybe.

Currently, though, I was just going where my legs wanted to take me. Mindlessly, I had made my way to the tennis courts. There were five people practicing on it, hitting back and forth in controlled rallies. I stopped to watch from a faraway distance. Tennis was my favorite sport, and I was pleased to see that these guys were pretty decent at it. Nothing too out of the ordinary, though.

Someone brushed past me in a Seigaku uniform on his way to the courts. He had brown hair, and looked remarkably like…

…the one and only Syuusuke Fuji.

He turned around, and smiled a perfect smile. His eyes were closed, and he was almost identical to the striking boy in the magazine.

"Hello," Fuji said. I tried my best not to blush.

The tensai continued. "I don't think I've seen you around. My name is Fuji Syuusuke, and I'm a third year. Are you new to Seigaku?"

I blinked a few times, then answered: "Y-yes, I'm new this year. Third year Rikio Hisakawa."

Allow me enlighten you now. Riko is a very girly name, and I don't like it very much. Because of the former fact, I had to change my name on all of the school paperwork to avoid being discovered. Let's continue.

"Ah, I see," Fuji said. "I hope you enjoy your time here. Now, however, I must go to tennis practice. Sayonara, Rikio-san."

And with that, my idol walked away towards a small shed that had a sign hung on the door that read "TENNIS CLUBHOUSE". With calm, even steps, he traveled farther and farther away. It was then that I became set; firm on my course to establish friendship with Fuji. The first step had already been taken. Failure was not an option now, and there was no going back. I just hoped that with my courage I could pull through this obstacle that remarkably resembled an all boys school to succeed.