Summary: According to Yanagi, 96 percent of first impressions are wrong. Sanada begs to differ.

Another one for Kirihara. Also takes place his first year of junior high. (Edit: I later realized the Big Three properly weren't in those club positions back then...oops.)

It had gotten lively in the clubroom since the addition of Rikkaidai's newest member.

"Come on! Let's have a match! This time, I'll defeat you!"

Today as well, Kirihara Akaya was challenging one of Rikkai's Big Three to a match. The lad seemed to do it in rotation, and today was Yukimura's turn.

"Just one last time! I promise!" Or so he had claimed every day of club activities since he had joined.

Yanagi stopped in his daily routine of accounting for the club's expenditures to look up at the boy across the clubroom's round table, used for strategic meetings and debriefings. Toward Kirihara's desperate pleas, Yukimura only chuckled.

Seiichi, it's because you keep indulging the boy's wishes that had gotten him spoiled. They've already discussed this with Sanada.

"Come on!" Kirihara clapped his hands to his sides, flinging downward in a bow as his last resort. "PLEA-!"

—WHAM.

It was not every day that Rikkai's captain could be caught by surprise. In the awkward silence that ensued, Yukimura wondered if he should be asking the boy if he were alright, having forgotten the table in front of him like that…?

…Yanagi returned to recording in the club's ledgers.

"Uu…ow…"

"Come now…" Yukimura soothed and was inclined to grant his request, finding the boy's current situation a bit pitiful…

"What is this!" Sanada made his grand entrance with a fling of the door. "Yukimura! You're not giving into this slacker's antics again, are you? We've already decided-… Why is there a dent in the table?"

"WHY!" Kirihara spun on the much bigger guy, demanding, "Why won't you just let him play a match against me!? Are you scared I'll win and you'll not look any scarier when you're blocking the doorway!?"

…What does that last jumbled part of his sentence have to do with anything? Just as Yanagi suspected, Kirihara was, deep down, had grown terrified of Sanada from their past encounters—all of which have ended badly for the young lad.

"TARUNDORU!" Sanada shouted the boy down, causing Kirihara to throw up his arms for protection. "What difference does it make challenging us each day if your fundamental ability hasn't improved!? You can't even follow the speed of Yukimura's shots before, and you sure can't hit them now! Not unless you can grow a pair of eyes on the sides of your head!"

Kirihara fought valiantly not to cower from the force of Sanada rebuke. "Wh-Wh-What should I do…!?"

Seeing that the unruly boy was finally meaning to submit in the face of authority, Sanada crossed his arms with the dignity of a vice-captain. "Build up on your fundamentals!" the second year Rikkaidai student, mature for his age, decreed. He imparted on the younger student, his favourite quote, "If there's a will, there's a way!"

"I see…!" Kirihara was suddenly enlightened by the imparting of his wisdom. "I got it!"

Humph. Sanada had to grudgingly admit, maybe Yukimura and Yanagi were right. The boy might have been a slacker, but he was willing to change-

Kirihara was hunched down in a crouch, grasping his hair with a look of pure concentration on his face.

The three second years exchanged looks. What was he doing?

"Come on, eyes!"Kirihara huffed with sheer force of will, eyelids shut tight.

"Grow!"

...

…The boy was trying to grow a pair of eyes on the sides of his head.

Yanagi massaged his forehead, and Yukimura, his fake smile still in place, pressed his fingers to his ears.

"TWENTY LAPS AROUND THE SCHOOL!" Sanada bellowed, at a volume that had even Kirihara panicking. "GO!"

"Eek-!" Without question the boy shot through the doorway toward which he pointed, and collided just in time into Marui, who was coming through— "WHOA-!"

—who elbowed Jackal—… "HEY-!?"

—who fell back into Yagyuu—… "Oof-"

—Niou side-stepped—

…—to end up in a human pile outside the door.

"What's the big ide—!" Marui was just about to lament on being made to drop his half-finished cake, before setting eyes on where exactly said cake with extremely laden toppings have landed.

Right on vice-captain Sanada's face.

The boy might have escaped attempted exile, if Niou hadn't pointed and burst out laughing right then.

"FIFTY LAPS AROUND THE CAMPUS! AND DON'T COME BACK!"