Chapter Two - Kirihara Akaya and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Rikkaidai's second-year ace Kirihara Akaya was having an extremely bad day. To be exact, it was more like he was having several days worth of extremely bad day, all piled up together on the same day. There were multiple reasons for this.
Reason number One: Contrary to all expectations, and a training schedule that had actually been known to make sub-regulars retire from the tennis club in tears, vowing never even to look at a tennis racket again and then developing an unprecedented interest in stamp-collecting, Rikkaidai had not won at nationals that year. This defeat in itself was reason enough for multiple bad days. Akaya didn't know anyone in the school tennis circuit who actually liked losing. Even if he himself had not, as rumour (almost certainly started by Niou-sempai) suggested that Yukimura-buchou and Sanada-san had done, sworn a blood oath to be champions, the taste of defeat was not one he enjoyed.
In addition to the individual blow of defeat, the consequences of Seigaku's nationals victory were making themselves very plain to Rikkai's regulars. Tennis practice continued after nationals, as was usual but, unlike their post-victory practices. These had in previous years been presided over by a benevolently smiling Yukimura-buchou, while even Sanada-san scowled less ferociously as he ordered them to run laps, because "Victory was no excuse for slacking off."
The consequences of defeat however, made tennis practice anything but a pleasant experience, as any veneer of benevolence had utterly disappeared from Yukimura-buchou's dictatorship. If it had been physically possible, the practices the team was currently enduring were even more draining (and traumatising for the weak-willed) than those which had dominated the weeks leading up to nationals.
This led to problem number two: Akaya was failing English. This was not in itself a new problem, nor one that even loomed very high on his list of priorities, English being a senseless language invented solely for the purpose of taking away valuable time that should be spent playing tennis. However, Akaya's new English teacher was making this a more immediate difficulty.
Having slumped into the classroom and promptly fallen asleep at his desk after a particularly gruelling morning practice (See problem number 1), Akaya had not been overjoyed to be woken by the return of his last English test, with a big, fat, red zero scrawled at the top. He didn't think he actually remembered having taken the test, and, looking at the paper, there was a good chance he had slept through most of it. However, Taylor-sensei did not practice the usual punishment of assigning lines and then releasing Akaya to tennis practice, no, she instead kept him behind after class, to discuss his "problem".
Akaya had slouched at his desk and attempted to look as disinterested as possible, while Taylor-sensei tidied the contents of her briefcase. Finally, his patience (a limited resource at best) came to an end,
"So, can I go now? I'm late for practice."
Taylor-sensei put her pen down and fixed him with a determined glare,
"Certainly not. In fact, given your last test results, it's your tennis practice that I need to talk to you about."
Akaya experience a sudden surge of disquiet. Participation in sports' teams was, notionally, conditional on academic performance, but most of the faculty at Rikkai were willing to ignore the occasional failing grade in exchange for the tennis team providing a full trophy cabinet. As if in answer to his fears, the teacher continued.
"You have been failing to pass this class for most of the last year. However, certain of your sempai have produced compelling arguments to the faculty for your continuing participation on the tennis team."
This was, Akaya reflected absently, the closest he had ever heard any of the school staff come to admitting that even the faculty was terrified of Yukimura-buchou's wrath. Taylor-sensei, however, was not finished yet.
"While I did not personally agree with permitting you to continue to play tennis despite your grades in English, the decision was out of my hands. As the tournament season, I understand, has now ended, however, I am in a position to make my objections plain. Furthermore, it has been suggested that you are going to captain the tennis team over the next year, and while certain members of the faculty support your continuing to play tennis notwithstanding academic considerations, it has been agreed that you cannot take such a position of responsibility within the club if you cannot improve your English grades."
Akaya felt the familiar heat burning behind his eyes and struggled to control it. This situation could not be improved by hitting Taylor-sensei in the head with a tennis ball. The new English teacher was herself British, and, according to Yanagi-sempai, had graduated from England's prestigious Oxford University - her teaching at Rikkaidai was considered something of a coup by the faculty, and had been trumpeted widely to parents and alumni. He stifled the burning in his eyes, which was rage, and definitely not suppressed tears. He didn't even want to imagine telling Yukimura-buchou that he could not take responsibility for the team because he was failing English. That would have been an unpleasant conversation even if Rikkai had been victorious at nationals.
Looking at the second-year student in front of her, Taylor-sensei felt an upsurge of pity. The attention and preference given to sports at Rikkaidai had been annoying her for most of the year, particularly when she had been coerced into giving students undeserved grades in order to guarantee their participation in school sports. However, she had observed that the tennis club were really passionate about the sport and practiced with an almost fanatical devotion. Prohibiting Kirihara-kun from playing tennis was also unlikely to make him any more enthusiastic about his studies in the long-run. Although she knew little enough about tennis, except for the Wimbledon trivia that had tended to dominate English newspapers during key weeks in June, she had heard enough gossip in the faculty room to understand that the tennis team at Rikkaidai played to an exceptionally high standard and that several of the regulars, including Kirihara-kun were considered to have a decent shot at a professional career. She softened slightly.
"Look, at this point in the year, even if your grades improve dramatically in your next test, it is unlikely you will be able to score well enough to get permission to captain your tennis team."
Akaya drooped visibly over his desk before the teacher continued.
"However, if you produce a piece of written work to a suitable standard for extra credit I am willing to withdraw my objections to your extracurricular commitments."
The second-year perked up so fast that for a moment she was worried he might have sprained something.
"What do I have to do, sensei?"
You could not, she reflected, fault his work ethic when his tennis was involved. That was probably the only way to make him enthusiastic about any of his academic subjects. That gave her an idea.
"If you can, over the next month, write me a piece of English prose, of around 500 words, to an acceptable standard of grammar and vocabulary, on any subject related to tennis, I think we can call it even."
Akaya had bowed his thanks enthusiastically and raised from the classroom in significantly higher spirits than he had been in when he entered. Even English, he was sure, could be made bearable if it was applied to tennis
However, he still had to deal with problem number three: he was now late for tennis practice. This was bad enough in any circumstances, but, after the shock defeat at nationals (see problem 1) any hint of slackness was punished, severely. As Akaya raced to practice, accidentally knocking down two or three freshmen who didn't get out of the way quickly enough, he reflected that his tardiness was not going to improve Yukimura-buchou's temper when he had to ask his permission to be excused from practice the following day.
He was correct. Arriving on the courts to discover that he was the last of the team to appear, he was met with a scowl from Sanada-san which was impressive even for his sempai.
"Akaya, forty laps for tardiness."
When, instead of immediately beginning his laps, Akaya steeled himself to approach Sanada-san and Yukimura-buchou at the side of the court, that scowl only became more fearsome. The fact that he was still on crutches did not make Sanada-san any less intimidating, but only heightened his ire at not being able to play tennis himself, as well as providing him with potential weapons. It was something of an accomplishment that Sanada could make crutches look threatening.
"Akaya, I believe Genichirou assigned you laps."
Yukimura's tone was level, and even, and fooling nobody.
"Ah, yes."
"So, you're not running them, because?"
"I need to ask your permission to be excused from practice tomorrow."
Akaya reflected that he had not thought it possible for Sanada-san's expression to get more ominous. He quickly continued.
"It's just. Um. My sister's just got engaged, and we have to go up to Tokyo for some party. And kaa-san said she'd lock my tennis rackets in the shed if I didn't come. I really don't want to?"
Thankfully, Yukimura-buchou looked somewhat amused by this.
"In that case, of course you must go. What a coincidence though."
It was only morbid curiosity that made Akaya ask, "A coincidence, buchou?"
Yukimura smiled his most terrifying smile. "Ah, yes. Genichirou was just telling me that he has to go to his brother's engagement party tomorrow."
Akaya paled. "No way. My sister's getting married to some guy she met in America. Err. Not that there's anything wrong with Sanada-san's brother. I'm sure lots of people want to marry him. Um. Laps. I'll go run those laps."
He sped off, before Sanada-san could assign him more laps, or beat him unconscious with his crutches.
Perhaps the only good thing about that day was that it appeared that Yukimura-buchou was now laughing uncontrollably.
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