"Who is it for?"


Summary: what happens if Hanamura Aoi from Jyosei Shounan tries to get Shiraishi Kuranosuke to join her school, this story will be focusing on Shiraishi, but it will be from the point of view from his coach, Watanabe Osamu.

Author's Note:I know that this is initially a one shot but I have several more ideas for Shiraishi that are all one shots so instead of putting more up, I thought I might as well put them all under one title, so I guess it is a bit like a collection of one shots? I guess the ideas of 'sacrifice' will come through as the stuff I write in there (with the exception of Ashita, as she is an OC, is what I think happened to him). so in a way they are side stories? At any rate, please enjoy. This one is kind of a what if, I was going to use Mizuki but I think using Hanamura-sensei is better since she is probably more likely to go all the way to Osaka.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Watanabe's initial reaction at hearing about the visitor was hoping that a miracle has happened, even though he has been advised to give up too many times during the long years that passed since that day.

His lips almost curled into a sneer when he saw his visitor- who was sitting comfortably in his office and reading his files.

"Even you have a limit." He told her as he deliberately lit a cigarette. He didn't particularly want one, but she hated that smell above all things, it even surpasses her loathing for him.

"I am paying a professional visit as one coach to another."

"From all accounts, your visits are more like thievery, if not robbery. However, I am very surprised that you actually come all the way to Osaka to do your latest theft."

"What make you think that you can lecture me, Osamu? You hardly do your job."

"One who interferes too often is actually a poor coach, because the team he combined together is not a good one." He said as he snapped his files shut, but not before taking a quick glance at the name. "Zaizen-kun is quite a smart choice for you, Aoi, since he might easily feel overshadowed by the rest of the team."

"You haven't really changed either, one bad judgement after another." She said with a smirk. "You will find out who I have my eyes on when he enters."

His next guess was Chitose, since he was the one with the least amount of loyalty to Shitenhouji, as he only became a student here from the start of this school year. More importantly, he was one of the two wings of Kyuushu.

He certainly didn't expect the captain of the tennis team to walk in. He quickly turned to Hanamura as he greatly desired to see her lose her composure.

She was actually smiling, indicating that the right person has arrived.

"Sensei, are you alright?" Shiraishi asked rather worriedly, as Wabanabe began to laugh so hard that he was actually bending down, with his hand clutching his stomach. Even though merriment seemed something that still came to him easily, he was behaving in an extreme way that his students has never seen before, not even when he first saw Konjiki and Hitouji's fully developed 'joking tennis'.

"When is the last time I had such a good laugh?" Watanabe finally said. "Aoi…this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard!"

"You wouldn't be laughing when I succeed." She snapped back angrily.

Smiling confidently, he told Shiraishi that he would leave them alone. He was perfectly confident that she would not gain a new toy to mould into a master piece, but he still decided that stand outside the door, instead of going to the tennis court immediately.


"Jyosei Shounan? I have not heard of that school before, but the only schools outside Kansai that I am familiar with are those who are top four in the regional, and the ones I met in last year's nationals."

Though Shiraishi's words were polite, they could be an insult as Watanabe was sure that Shiraishi worked out half of her purpose. Although only Shiraishi knew whether the meanings behind his words were intentional or not.

Watanabe actually realized that he was quite nervous when he learnt of Hanamura's bait: the presence of a coach who would constantly guide him, something that he had lacked. This was unexpected, although it shouldn't be.

"That would be very nice," Shiraishi admitted, "But Watanabe sensei is a good coach. His main job is to teach us tennis, and he certainly does this very well. As a regular in the team when he first arrived, I was one of the eight that played against him due to some of the seniors challenging him. He played against two of us at a time and won all four rounds. So I personally know how great a tennis player he is."

But that wasn't enough, Watanabe realized. When he first came he thought that he should only focus on doing what he was paid for, since he never liked being ordered about by his own coach. He never appreciated any counsels as he didn't require any until he was twenty years old- when the disaster happened.

Although he was sure that Shiraishi would not give up his position of being the captain of Shitenhouji- a school that was regarded as performing very well in tennis- in exchange for the possibility of being a regular member in Jyosei Shounan. Who would give up what they have for something that they might not even have? Especially if the formal was much more appealing then the latter.

"It is not for myself." The boy suddenly said, causing both adults to frown due to the strangeness of his words. One's persuasions were halted, while the other's thoughts were interrupted.

"Sensei, you want me to go to your school due to the way you saw me play, but I only play like that because it helps my team. I do that because of my bond with the school and team. If I go to your school then enjoyment, instead of winning, will be my main goal. I wouldn't be playing in the style that made you want to recruit me into your tennis team in the first place."


Watanabe made sure that he was out onto the court when Shiraishi reappeared, by then he has heard the latest rumour about the captain and his girlfriend.

"Sensei, your friend left." Was all Shiraishi said, his voice was polite but not warm, as he has given up on asking him for advices other then tennis after his response to letting the first years participate.

Watanabe knew that it was his own fault for not understanding until it was too late. Maybe it was because Shiraishi was the opposite of him- he succeeded in doing what Watanabe did not. Shiraishi could continue playing tennis even though the one he most wanted to see him play was no longer there.

Hanamura's visits were always painful because she reminded him why his revelation happened. Teaching others and helping them to find success became more enjoyable, as he stopped finding pleasure in his own games when he realized that she would never be watching him again.

Perhaps he wasn't really playing tennis for himself either.

Meanwhile, Shiraishi was explaining something very patiently to a group of first years, even though he must be in a really foul mood as he broke up with his beloved girl friend only a few days ago.

Watanabe vowed that he would make things up somehow.


Author's Note: Somehow this one shot ends up talking about Watanabe quite a bit, although I only hints instead of tell, but I think it should be workable. I guess the character of Watanabe does quite interest me. Because I didn't read the books to order, the first time I saw him was in the joking tennis, when he said "No one said you couldn't wear masks!" My initial reaction is: "Geez…this guy seems pretty cheerful, and he seems to be the type who can see the humorous side of anything." The fact that he looked young didn't really bother me, because this is prince of tennis- where junior high school students can look like university students. But when I read the manga properly, and saw that he was only 27 I was quite shocked. (Shows that he really is quite young) I guess it's just the fact that since he is so young, I thought that he could probably still play tennis, instead of coaching. So somehow in this fan fiction I end up talking about him- a sudden idea that I had: "Maybe this is why he is a coach even though he is so young."

In regard to Watanabe's comment about Zaizen, well...I know that they say he is a genius and all that but I somehow he is really overshadowed in the story, by Kintarou, by Shiraishi, by Chitose.