The next day after school, everyone gathered at the courts. Niou, Yagyuu, Jackal, and Marui dutifully did their fifty laps around the school. When they finished and recovered from the run, Sanada told them to go back to St. Rudolph for the remainder of practice. So they changed clothes and set off for the other school. Marui complained the whole way there, but everyone else was too tired to tell him off for it. When they reached the courts of St. Rudolph, their tennis club was practicing too. Everyone was surprised by how few members they had.

"No wonder that Mizuki guy recruited all those people," Marui said. "Their club is tiny."

They walked over to the clubhouse, where Mizuki was already waiting outside. He turned to them, looking only half surprised.

"Oh, my. Hello again," he greeted them. "Did you get that homework to Kirihara?"

"That's not why we're here," Yagyuu said.

"Look," Jackal began. "We just want Akaya back. Isn't there anything we can do to release that form?"

Mizuki heaved a sigh, shifting the weight on his feet as he entwined one finger in his hair. After a moment, he looked up at them.

"I'm afraid there's just no way to get him back," he said in a mock-sorrowful voice. "Unless you're willing to compromise."

"What do you want?" Niou said. Mizuki's now all-too-familiar smirk appeared on his face when Niou spoke.

"How about this: you four sign into our tennis team for a month, and I'll release Kirihara from his contract. Sound fair?" said Mizuki.

"What? That's not fair at all!" Marui cried. "We don't want to be here either."

"Well, it's my final offer. Take it or leave it," Mizuki told them with the flick of his wrist. "What do you say?"

The others stood there in silence for a few minutes before Marui called, "Huddle!" and grabbed the others and pulled them aside. The four leaned into a circle. "What do we do?" Marui hissed. "We can't all sign in for a month. We're regulars."

"Mizuki said that was his final offer," Jackal said. "If there's no other way, then either Akaya's stuck here or all four of us are stuck here."

"But we're regulars," Marui groaned.

"So is Akaya," Yagyuu said. "We can't just leave him, if there's another way out.

"That means we'd have to bargain with him," Niou said. Everyone turned to look at Yagyuu.

"Yagyuu, you're smart, right? You're on the student council," said Marui slowly. Yagyuu glanced at the others, feeling suddenly quite exposed.

"Well, I'm on the council, yes, but…"

Everyone immediately shoved him forward and took a big step back. Yagyuu stumbled and clenched his fists, glaring at the boys behind him.

"Go on, take care of business," Marui said happily, gesturing with his hands.

"We believe in you, Yagyuu," said Jackal, giving him two thumbs up.

"Piyo," Niou added. With a deep scowl from the brunette, Yagyuu turned back around to face Mizuki. He had been waiting patiently behind them, smirking. Yagyuu straightened a bit, adjusting his tie and hair before he said, "We'd like to adjust your offer."

"I'm afraid there isn't anything I will trade it for. I told you, it's my final offer," Mizuki responded coolly. Everyone slumped in defeat, completely devastated by Mizuki's inability to simply work out a deal. Yagyuu turned around and locked gazes with Niou.

"You really ought to be the one doing this, and you know it," he whispered. Niou shook his head rapidly, waving his hands in an effort to stop Yagyuu from continuing.

"What do you mean?" Marui said. Yagyuu's eyes narrowed at Niou, who glared right back.

"Don't say anything," he ordered. Jackal and Marui turned suspiciously to Niou.

"Are you hiding something?" Jackal said.

"Lots of things, now shut up," Niou rebuked. He and Yagyuu glowered at one another for a few seconds. Then Mizuki coughed and said something under his breath.

"Well…I guess there is a release form. And a witness form to accompany that," he muttered. Everyone looked back at him in astonishment.

"What?" Marui cried. "Where?"

"Marui, I don't think––" Yagyuu said slowly, glancing between the redhead and Mizuki.

"It's in the clubhouse, here. But I need two signatures, one for the release, one for the witness," Mizuki said. Marui grabbed Jackal's arm and was running for the clubhouse.

"No, wait!" Yagyuu said, but Niou grabbed him.

"Let's see where this goes," he muttered to him in a low voice. Yagyuu looked at him incredulously.

"I will tell you it's going nowhere good," he snapped. Niou grinned at him.

"I found a pen! Hurry, Jackal, sign it, sign it!" Marui cried from inside the clubhouse. Yagyuu and Niou turned their eyes to Mizuki, whose smile had widened. A moment later, Marui and Jackal came out. Marui looked quite victorious and pleased with himself, holding up the two sheets of paper. Jackal just looked frustrated that Marui, once again, dragged him into something without giving him any option.

"There!" Marui declared, holding up the two pages. "Now give him back!"

"Nfu," chuckled Mizuki. "Did you read all the details?"

"No, but…this was the paper, right?" said Marui. Mizuki nodded. "All right! Give him back!"

Yagyuu's shoulders slumped and he put his hand over his face, dumbfounded by the ignorance of his teammates. Niou was trying desperately to hold back his laughter, nearly doubling over and shaking, a hand over his mouth. Marui and Jackal looked from Yagyuu and Niou to Mizuki.

"Wait," Jackal said, and he grabbed the papers from Marui's hand. He quickly scanned them, then turned to the redhead frantically. "Marui!" he cried. "You just did exactly what Akaya did!" He paused and looked at the sheet again. "Dammit, so did I!"

"I told you to wait," Yagyuu uttered, completely defeated. Marui peered over Jackal's shoulder to look at the papers. His face paled and his eyes widened.

"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no," he whimpered. His horrified eyes lifted and locked on Niou and Yagyuu. "Niou, Yagyuu…you guys have to help us!"

"No way," Niou said simply. "You got yourselves into this mess."

"At least help me!" Jackal begged. "I didn't have a choice!"

"You had the choice to read it," Yagyuu responded. "Although I do feel a bit of pity for you, Jackal."

"Marui…not so much," murmured Niou.

"Come on!" wailed Marui. "We were doing it for Akaya! I mean, Seaweed!"

"We'll tell the Buchous you fought your hardest," Niou promised. "Mizuki was just too much for you."

"Two more members, perfect," said Mizuki, twirling his hair again. "I'll be sure to find you some uniforms."

"Yagyuu, Niou!" Jackal wailed as Mizuki grabbed him and Marui. "You bastards! Get us out of here!"

Niou saluted half-heartedly and Yagyuu pushed his glasses up his nose. Before long, the other three had disappeared into the school. Jackal and Marui, however, weren't going silently. They writhed desperately in an attempt to escape from Mizuki's grasp.

"Calm down, calm down!" Mizuki said to them. "I'm taking you to Kirihara, doesn't that make you happy? You can talk with him while I find some uniforms for you."

"No, that doesn't make us happy, you creep," Jackal huffed. "We want out of here!"

"You can leave," Mizuki told them simply. "In a month," he added, and laughed to himself.

"Dude, you are crazy," Marui said, looking legitimately uncomfortable as Mizuki pulled them along. He stopped at a door and released Marui for a moment, opening the door.

"There, see? Your friend Kirihara is right there, waiting for you," Mizuki sniffed. Before the other boys could say a thing, he shoved them into the room and pulled the door shut, locking it behind them. "I'll be back with your uniforms," he sang through the door. He hummed to himself as he practically skipped down the hall. He hadn't had this many recruits in a long time…

"Jeez, that guy is out of his mind," Jackal uttered, rubbing his arm where Mizuki had grasped him. He heard a panicked sob and hurriedly turned around. Marui was kneeling on the ground beside Akaya. The black-haired boy was lying on the floor, staring distantly at the ceiling.

"Seaweed-head!" Marui was crying out. "You can't be gone! Don't tell me you're gone! Say something!"

"Uh, Marui?" Jackal murmured. Marui was pulling Akaya's head into his lap.

"Akaya! Can you hear me? Say something, say something…let us know you're still here!" he pleaded. He sounded as if he was about to cry. Jackal walked over, an eyebrow lifted as he looked down at Akaya. The boy's green eyes were glazed over, like he was half-asleep. That was nothing like the Akaya they knew. Abruptly, though, the boy stirred. He slowly lifted his arm. Marui and Jackal leaned in intently, watching his hand reach into the air.

"Yes, yes?" whispered Marui hopefully. Akaya opened his mouth and spoke softly.

"Must…bring victory…to…St. Rudolph," he uttered. Marui and Jackal's eyes widened.

"No! They got him! They got him, Jackal! Man down, man down! Oh no. That means we're next. Jackal, we're next!" Marui wailed in horror, wrapping his arms tightly around the other boy's legs.

"Shut up, will you? You're not helping," Jackal cried. He tried to maintain his balance while Marui clung to him. "We just need to…wake him up." But he felt uncertain himself. This was proof enough that something bigger was going on. Suddenly, the two heard music playing, and they both turned around to see the TV in the corner lit up brightly. A man's voice began to narrate, thanking students for joining the St. Rudolph tennis club. As the video went on, Jackal and Marui stared at it in fright. Jackal turned to Marui rapidly.

"Marui, I…I think you were right all along…" he uttered. The redhead didn't respond. He was still staring blankly at the television. "Marui?" Jackal whispered. It couldn't be…! "Marui!" Jackal wailed. "Not you too!"

But it was too late––Marui was already drawn in by the video. That meant Jackal really was next in line to be hypnotized by St. Rudolph. That was Mizuki's plan from the start.

Once Jackal and Marui were gone, Niou put his hands into his pockets.

"Well, we'd better head back," he said.

"You sound too cheerful," Yagyuu said. Niou smirked at him. They walked alone back to Rikkai, where they arrived at the tennis courts. Sanada and Yukimura were both monitoring the rest of the club as they practiced. Yagyuu and Niou stepped up behind Sanada and hesitated. Eventually Sanada turned around, looking at the two. His brows furrowed.

"What happened? And where are Marui and Jackal?" Sanada demanded. Niou clicked his tongue and turned on his heel, striding away and leaving Yagyuu alone in front of Sanada.

"Yagyuu," said the taller boy. "What's going on?"

Yagyuu shifted for a moment, then squared his shoulders and stood tall before Sanada.

"Marui and Jackal were tricked and foolishly signed the same document Akaya did. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen." Yagyuu emphasized the last part. "I told them to stop."

Sanada's lip twitched and he glared after Niou. He looked back at Yagyuu, his face hardened.

"You'll just have to go back and get all three of them," he said. Yagyuu pursed his lips and tried hard not to say something incriminating.

"Isn't it your duty as Fukubuchou to watch out for all the members of the team?" he asked in an even voice.

"I have other matters to attend to, like making sure the other seventy members aren't slacking off," Sanada responded coldly. "Yukimura and Yanagi are in the same position I am. Go find Niou and get Marui, Jackal, and Akaya back."

"I'm not going back there."

Sanada's eyes narrowed. He turned around and called across the court to Yukimura, who walked around to join them.

"Hello Yagyuu. Where are Marui and Jackal?" he asked curiously.

"They got tricked into joining St. Rudolph, just like Akaya," Yagyuu told him earnestly. "And I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen."

"Well…we have to get them back," said Yukimura, his face falling.

"Yagyuu told me that we should do it," said Sanada to Yukimura. "Just leave the club in a mess to save three idiots on our team."

Yagyuu shifted uncomfortably while Sanada said this to Yukimura. The brunette watched the other boy's face cautiously. Yukimura was silent for a moment, then smiled an eerie, cold smile.

"You know, we can always get new regulars," he said happily. "There are plenty of people in the club worthy of the position."

"E…excuse me?" Yagyuu said, awestruck. "You can't do that. There's a reason we've been the same regulars for nearly two years now."

Sanada and Yukimura exchanged silent glances.

"We could probably find the sign-up sheet and put it up today," Sanada said. All of a sudden, they heard an ecstatic voice, and turned to see whom it belonged to. It was Urayama, the ginger-headed, over-zealous first year.

"Whoa, regular positions are open? I wanna try out! I've been practicing a lot on my own! I'm even developing my own move called the 'Soft Serve' because it twists like soft serve ice cream!" he said, his eyes glowing excitedly. "I haven't perfected it yet, but…I'm practicing really hard! Ah, Buchou, Buchou, do you think I can try out?"

Yukimura smiled at the boy and then at Yagyuu, who was holding back a look of utter disgust.

"I suppose we'll have to see," said Yukimura pleasantly. Yagyuu knew he had lost this fight long ago, and there was no point in arguing anymore. With a stiff bow, Yagyuu dismissed himself and turned around to look for Niou. He couldn't believe the Buchous, threatening their regular position like that. They would find a way to get Akaya, Marui, and Jackal back, somehow. But first he had to find Niou, because he refused to go back there alone. So Yagyuu searched around the places the boy often hung out, and finally found him leaning against a crooked tree by the front of the school. Yagyuu walked up to him and prodded him hard on the shoulder.

"We have to go get the other three," he said when Niou turned to him.

"Or else what?" he mumbled.

"We won't be regulars anymore," said Yagyuu seriously. Niou stared at him, analyzing his face. "I'm not lying, Niou. Sanada and Yukimura were both talking about it."

"Damn," sighed Niou. "How are we going to get them back?"

"I have no idea. We'll figure something out," Yagyuu uttered. So he and Niou headed, once again, to St. Rudolph. By the time they arrived, practice was near over. They couldn't see their teammates anywhere. They searched around until they saw Mizuki with a clipboard near the fence by the courts. Yagyuu and Niou turned instantaneously to one another to try and formulate a plan. Finally they strode up to the black-haired boy.

"We need our teammates, now," Niou growled. Mizuki glanced up at them, but didn't smile.

"My, you certainly are persistent," he sighed. He sounded a bit aggravated. "I've already told you, there's no way to get them back. They signed a legal document."

"Then can we at least see them?" Yagyuu groaned. Mizuki observed the pair for a moment, and then his sneaky smile returned. This made the other two feel very unnerved.

"Very well," he sighed. "They're in special training, where I normally don't allow visitors. But you two seem pretty desperate, so I'll allow it this time."

"Thank you," Yagyuu sighed in relief. Niou cast him a suspicious look, but Yagyuu ignored him. Mizuki guided them over to the entrance of the school, holding the door open for the other two. Once inside, he took them past the locker room and into the hallway. He stopped at the first door on the right. He simply gestured to it, smiling. Niou and Yagyuu watched him for a moment before looking at the door.

"This is too easy," murmured Niou.

"Only because I'm allowing it. Your visit will be no longer than two minutes and then I'll have to ask you to leave. I'll be waiting at the door," Mizuki told him. When neither of the boys moved, Mizuki sighed in irritation and opened the door. "See?"

They turned their attention into the room, where they heard something playing and saw three people sitting on a bench. It was Jackal, Akaya, and Marui. Yagyuu glanced at Niou, who shrugged, and the two walked cautiously into the room.

"Uh, guys?" Niou said.

"If you don't come back with us immediately, Fukubuchou is going to kick us all off the regulars," Yagyuu said in a severe tone. None of the other three even turned around. Niou and Yagyuu moved further into the room, maneuvering so they were facing the others. All three looked dazed as they stared at a TV in the top corner of the room. Niou and Yagyuu looked over at it. A video was playing, talking about St. Rudolph and the tennis team, about how proud the school was to have such wonderful players representing it.

"The hell is this?" Niou muttered. Yagyuu was waving a hand in front of Akaya's face.

"It's like they're…" He stopped and turned to look at Niou. Both thought the same thing, and both boys' eyes widened.

"Brainwashed," they whispered. They heard a quiet laugh from the doorway and whirled around to see the door closing on them.

"No!" Yagyuu cried. Niou, since he was closest, darted to the door to try and stop Mizuki. But he was too slow. Mizuki shut the door and they heard the knob click as it locked. Niou angrily slammed his fists against the door.

"Let us out, you bastard," he growled.

"Nfu! I would have gotten the two of you sooner or later," Mizuki responded from the other side, rubbing his hair between his fingers. "I thought I may as well grab you while I could. I'll get the papers for the two of you, and once you've watched our orientation video, I'm sure you'll have no problem signing on for a month as well."

The two listened as Mizuki chuckled and walked away. Niou turned to Yagyuu, who was wearing the same disturbed and terrified expression he was. Neither spoke for a few moments. Then Niou straightened a bit, combing his fingers through his hair.

"Well…damn," was all he could say. Yagyuu nodded in agreement. He couldn't have vocalized his feelings any better than that.

Sanada, Yukimura, and Yanagi watched as the last of the tennis club walked off the courts. It was silent once they were gone, nothing but a light breeze rustling the leaves of the trees nearby. The three of them stood in silence a bit longer before Yanagi finally vocalized all their thoughts as if he'd read their minds.

"Niou and Yagyuu haven't come back," he said quietly. He turned to look at the other two. "Shall we go to St. Rudolph and confront Mizuki about this?"

"Yes," Sanada said. "This is getting out of hand."

"It was getting out of hand when Marui and Jackal disappeared," Yukimura admitted, his brows furrowed in concern. "Yagyuu was right. We should have gone with him and Niou to confront Mizuki right then and there."

The three fell silent again, all feeling guilty about their former decision.

"Well, there's no point in moping about it," Sanada sniffed, and he adjusted his cap. "Let's go speak with Mizuki."

"And get our team back," Yukimura agreed, straightening his jacket. The three departed from the Rikkai courts and headed down the street confidently; they were ready to take on any confrontation with St. Rudolph head-on and bring their team back with them that day.

The tennis courts at St. Rudolph were empty when they arrived. There didn't appear to be anybody around, but just in case, Yukimura went to the clubhouse and knocked on the door. The three surrounded the doorway and waited. Soon enough, it opened, and Mizuki was standing before them. All three towered over him, wearing dark and dangerous faces.

"Ah, the Big Three!" said Mizuki. "I've been expecting you."

"We are getting our team back," said Yukimura. "And none of your paperwork is going to stop us."

Mizuki stared up at them, then chuckled and said, "I'm afraid––"

"No. None of it," Sanada growled through gritted teeth.

"Unless you'd like to settle this in a match of tennis against us," Yanagi added thoughtfully. "The chances of you winning are 0%."

Mizuki stared up at the three in silence for a while, trying not to show his fear.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," he said. "There's no need to get so hasty. I will take you to the rest of your team. Please just follow me this way." He gestured to the school, but the other three didn't move. They loomed over him like three demons just waiting for him to let his guard down. Mizuki wiggled his fingers and nervously reached up to play with his hair. "Please, I…really will take you to them…"

"Don't do anything funny," Sanada growled. Mizuki bowed to show his sincerity before the three finally stepped aside and allowed him to pass. Mizuki walked briskly up the stairs and held the door open, watching the three taller boys stride into the school. He quickly entered after them and made his way to the front to guide them.

"Please, come this way," he said, gesturing down the hall as he pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door on the right. "They're in here, I promise you."

"Why was the door locked?" Yukimura asked suspiciously.

"It's their special training," Mizuki responded. "It's not to be disturbed."

The three stared hard at his not-so-innocent smile. Yukimura and Yanagi looked at the door for a moment.

"I think we should––"

"That's enough!" cried Sanada, grabbing the doorknob.

"Genichirou, no!" Yanagi and Yukimura cried. Sanada swung the door open and stormed inside. Yukimura followed him, and Yanagi trailed as well, but as he did, he glanced back at Mizuki. The boy was grinning and laughing quietly to himself. Yanagi's eyes snapped open in horror.

"Chances this is a trap…100%!" he hissed. The door slammed shut behind them, and they heard it lock.

"Dammit!" Sanada cried. The three's attention was suddenly drawn to their teammates, who were scattered around the room, either sitting on the bench or laying on the floor. All of them had a vacant look in their eyes.

"Must…" uttered Marui.

"Bring victory…" Yagyuu breathed.

"St. Rudolph…" Jackal mumbled.

"Puri," Niou whispered. Sanada, Yanagi, and Yukimura stumbled back in surprise and horror. What on earth had been going on here? Had this been happening ever since Akaya joined St. Rudolph?

"That Mizuki," whispered Yukimura as he gaped at his former club members in sheer terror. "He's a devil!"

"What's that video?" Sanada wondered, pointing to the television. "It's giving me a strange vibe…"

They watched it quietly for a moment. Then Yanagi spoke in a low voice.

"Chances that this video is sending subliminal messages…98%," he uttered. Yukimura and Sanada flinched and turned to him, feeling dread blossom within them.

"Don't watch it!" Yukimura cried out, using his hands to shield his eyes. Sanada copied the action, but Yanagi stood still. "Renji?"

"Renji!" Sanada wailed. "Don't listen to it! It's a trap, just as you said!"

But Yanagi was already watching the television with empty eyes. Yukimura and Sanada exchanged panicked looks; they were the only ones left. Yukimura turned and grabbed Sanada's shoulders.

"Genichirou," he breathed. "There's always been something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Seiichi?" Sanada said, eyebrows knitting with worry. "What are you doing?"

"In case something happens…in case we don't get back to Rikkai," Yukimura told him, holding his shoulders even tighter. "I need to tell you…" He paused. Sanada stared into his eyes intently, awaiting the remainder of his words. "I need to…tell you…"

"Seiichi!" Sanada panicked when Yukimura's eyes slid past him and landed on the television. "Seiichi, no!" Sanada grabbed Yukimura and shook him. "Seiichi, don't listen to them! What did you need to tell me?"

"To tell…you…" Yukimura whispered. "…bring victory…to St. Rudolph."

Sanada's breath caught in his throat as he watched Yukimura slide to the floor. It had already happened. All of his teammates, gone…just like that. Now he was the only one left…and it was only a matter of time before he was just like the others.

The regulars of St. Rudolph usually stayed after school much later than the rest of the tennis club. After their previous losses, they were working twice as hard to win at their next tournament. So they decided to have extra training after the regular tennis club hours. This mostly consisted of practice matches with one another and individual workouts. Things were going along smoothly for them.

Everyone was finishing up the last practice matches for the day. Yuuta, who had already won his match against the big-lipped Shinya, was heading to the locker room. He was going to grab everyone a soda since they'd been working so hard the past few weeks. All this hard work made him tired, but a part of Yuuta wanted to work even harder. He still had a long ways to go before he was on even terms with his older brother.

The regulars practiced on the other side of the school, where they wouldn't be disturbed, so Yuuta made his way towards the tennis courts. He trotted up the stairs and opened the door to the school. He stopped, though, when he heard the end of a commotion down the hall. A moment later, it fell silent. Yuuta blinked, glancing around.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anybody here?"

He heard footsteps, and soon Mizuki appeared, his elbow resting in one hand while the other toyed with his bangs. He was chuckling to himself. Yuuta blinked and stiffened. He recognized this strange state the manager was in. "Uh…Mizuki?"

"Yuuta!" Mizuki cried out, making the brunette jump. "Isn't it wonderful? Our team is going to be so big this year! We'll win every single tournament. I just have to analyze a bit more data on our opponents, and we should be good to go…"

"Oh, no," breathed Yuuta. "Mizuki, don't tell me––"

"I'm going to grab some papers from the clubhouse. Excuse me," Mizuki said cheerfully, and he slipped past Yuuta outside. With a grimace, the other boy hurried out after him. He had to grab his teammates. To his relief, he saw them walking towards the school. They had obviously finished up their matches and were heading to the locker room to change. Yuuta darted towards them, stopping in front of the tanned Akazawa.

"Buchou," he said quietly. "Mizuki's having another one of his…episodes."

Everyone looked from Yuuta to the clubhouse. A collective groan escaped the small group, and Akazawa pressed his fingers to his forehead, eyes closed and eyebrows knitting in aggravation.

"Dammit, what happened?" he sighed.

"I dunno, but he's doing that…thing." Yuuta tried to impersonate the boy's actions, but everyone already knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Guess it's time for another intervention," Akazawa mumbled. The others whined again, but their bespectacled co-captain stepped forward.

"We all know this happens sometimes," he said. "But we've always been able to fix things, haven't we?"

"Doesn't make it any less annoying, da ne," called Shinya in irritation. Everybody muttered in agreement.

"Takuya's right, though," sighed Akazawa. "He's a good manager. He just has…his moments."

Nobody argued against the captain. Instead, they followed him as a group while Mizuki hurried towards the school, a stack of papers in his arms.

"Hey, Mizuki," Akazawa called. But the boy rushed past them and into the school. Either he was ignoring them, or he hadn't heard them at all. The others walked through the doors and past the locker room. When they rounded the corner in the hallway, Mizuki had his ear pressed up against the door on the right. He was cackling to himself.

"Mizuki," barked Akazawa. The black-haired boy jumped, whirled around, and flattened his back against the door.

"Ah…" he uttered, looking first at the captain, then the rest of the regulars. "Everyone. Hello."

"We know something's up, Mizuki," Akazawa said sternly. "May I see those papers you're holding?"

Mizuki's eyes narrowed, but he smiled and straightened a bit. He held the little stack out to the other boy.

"Of course, Buchou," he said politely. Akazawa took the papers and looked over them. He sighed heavily as soon as he saw the title.

" 'Club Member Exchange Program.' Of course," he said. "Who did you get this time? And why are they locked in that room?"

"Wait," said the dark-haired boy with a red bandanna tied around his forehead. He pointed to one of the already-signed documents. "That name…it sounds really familiar."

"Atsushi's right, da ne," Shinya agreed. "Bunta Marui…that rings a bell, da ne."

"Wait a second," Akazawa breathed. He quickly flipped to another page. "Kuwahara Jackal. Masaharu Niou. Akaya Kirihara."

Everyone had the same dawning realization as their captain. All eyes slid from the papers slowly to Mizuki, the color gone from their faces.

"Rikkai University?" they exclaimed in unison.

"You…somehow got Rikkai regulars to sign these pages?" Yuuta cried in horror. Akazawa was searching through the pages again.

"Mizuki," he said shakily. "You have four signed pages and three blank ones. Please don't tell me…"

"The Big Three," whispered Kaneda, cowering behind Akazawa. Everyone then realized just how dangerous of a situation they were in. They all cast their eyes at the closed door in front of them.

"Every…single…Rikkai player…is behind that door," said Takuya, paralyzed with fear.

"Dammit, Mizuki," Akazawa huffed. "You are really pushing it this time."

Mizuki pouted a bit, folding his arms.

"I was doing our club a favor. With the Rikkai regulars as our teammates, nobody will stand a chance. Don't you realize the opportunity here?"

"Yeah, an opportunity for us to plan our funerals early, da ne!" whimpered Shinya.

"Mizuki. Go get a pen and start signing the release on all of these forms," Akazawa commanded, shoving the papers into Mizuki's arms again. Mizuki looked utterly appalled. But before he could argue, Akazawa pointed furiously. "Go, or you're off the team!"

Mizuki shot him a death glare, but strode away obediently. Obviously he was the only person there who understood the advantage they could have with the Rikkai members. Things had been going so nicely, too…he hadn't ever expected all the regulars to show up. He nearly had every single one of them as a great tool for data and analysis. But he had to listen to the captain, no matter what his instincts told him.

As Mizuki left to do as Akazawa had asked, the rest of the team stared apprehensively at the door. They watched the door in silence for a long time.

"Well, Buchou," Yuuta finally spoke nervously. "You're the leader here. You open the door and explain everything, then all will be good!"

Akazawa stiffened when Yuuta addressed him.

"T-Takuya, you lost the most matches today! You open it," he huffed to the co-captain, who panicked.

"W-what? Me? Why? Shinya should do it," Takuya said, pointing to the brunette.

"Da ne?" Shinya gasped, and glared at Atsushi, who was laughing his strange laugh at his friend's misfortune.

"Ksh ksh ksh," he snickered. Shinya scowled, his lips pouting even more.

"Atsushi, da ne! You open it, da ne!" he ordered. Atsushi choked on his laugh and cried, "Kaneda, do it for Buchou!"

"Huh? No way! Yuuta, you do it," Kaneda said desperately. But Yuuta was shaking his head frantically. Everyone fell silent and looked at the door again.

"Well…someone has to open it," Atsushi uttered. They heard footsteps and all turned to see Mizuki approaching. He looked quite irritated.

"There," he said, handing the papers and a pen to Akazawa. "All ready for your deciding signature, Buchou."

Akazawa gradually took the papers and looked at Mizuki. Everyone else turned their attention to the boy as well. Mizuki noticed, and shifted awkwardly "What?" he said.

"You open it," everyone ordered, pointing to the door. Mizuki spluttered, but covered it up with a laugh as he folded his arms.

"Why should I? Akazawa, you're the captain."

"But you're the one who tricked all the Rikkai members and had them sign those papers and locked them in a room and didn't tell us any of it. You open it," Yuuta accused him with stern face.

"Plus you have the keys," added Akazawa. Everybody behind him muttered and nodded in agreement. Mizuki let out a nervous laugh, and tried to shake off his fear.

"Very well," he murmured. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring of keys, but took his time walking to the door and finding the proper one. Finally, he inserted the key into the lock and twisted it. They all heard a click as the door unlocked. Mizuki warily turned the door handle, and the rest of the team instinctively moved back a step. They expected all hell to break loose as soon as the door had opened, but it was strangely silent. After waiting a moment, Mizuki pushed the door gently open and poked his head inside.

All of the Rikkai members were slumped on the floor or against the wall, their eyes dazed. Nobody said or did anything for at least two minutes straight.

"What's going on?" whispered Kaneda finally. "Why aren't any of them moving?"

Akazawa swore quietly and eased over to the doorway. He glanced up at the television and his eyes narrowed as he slowly turned to Mizuki.

"You used that?" he groaned. "Jeez, no wonder they're all half dead." He walked into the room and, since he was tall enough, reached up and turned off the television. "That stupid orientation video messed up anybody who watched it. That's why we banned it from further use."

Mizuki sniffed, his fingers against his forehead.

"I was not aware of that. I simply found it in the supply closet," he said. Everyone rolled their eyes skeptically.

"I guess we should…wake them up," Akazawa murmured. He leaned over the one who seemed least likely to inflict damage upon awakening. He patted Yagyuu's face gently. "Hey…uh, Yagyuu?"

The brunette stirred a bit, his eyes coming into focus. He blinked repeatedly up at Akazawa.

"Uh…huh. What happened?" he murmured, sitting up slowly and massaging his head. "Where am I?"

"St. Rudolph," commented Akazawa. "I'll explain everything later. For now we need to wake up your teammates."

Something about the boy's words seemed familiar to Yagyuu, and he looked around. As soon as he saw the rest of his team on the floor, he remembered everything. He pursed his lips, glancing up at the doorway, where Mizuki was standing. As soon as their eyes met, Mizuki snorted and moved away, hiding behind the wall on the other side.

Yagyuu woke Yukimura while Akazawa moved on to Marui. Soon most everyone was coming out of their coma-like state––except Akaya and Sanada. Nobody wanted to even try touching Sanada, while Akaya simply remained dazed. Niou mumbled something and walked out of the room while everyone stood awkwardly waiting. Niou finally came back, carrying two bottles of water. He dumped the first on Akaya, then the second on Sanada. Everybody shrunk away in horror that he would actually do something like that.

"Wha––Niou! What the hell are you doing?" Sanada spluttered, wiping the water off his face. Niou smirked down at him and said, "Good morning, Fukubuchou."

Sanada blinked at him and glanced around the room, at all the terrified faces of St. Rudolph's tennis team and the tired looks of his own team members. Sanada got to his feet, still drying the water on his face. He nodded to Niou and walked over to stand beside Yukimura. Yanagi was helping Akaya up. Despite having water dumped on his head, the boy looked as if he had just awakened from an eternity of sleep. The light was back in his green eyes, but he stumbled and muttered incoherently. Akazawa walked over to Sanada and Yukimura and bowed low, nearly bent in half.

"I am so sorry for the trouble our manager has caused you," he said sincerely. "I'm signing the release forms so you and your team can get back to your regular practices."

"Thank you," Yukimura said. "So long as we can close everything properly and have things go back to normal."

"Of course," Takuya added, also bowing. "Again, we are so sorry."

The rest of the regulars, even Mizuki, apologized as well, bowing down to show their genuineness.

"You'd better be paying us back somehow for all this trouble," Marui mumbled.

"We will send you an apology package, I promise," Akazawa said to them.

"It's enough," Sanada said, but without much bite. "You ought to know we will be taking legal action against this situation."

Everyone hesitated.

"Actually," Akazawa began slowly, "you can't."

Everyone on Rikkai gaped at him.

"We got freaking kidnapped," Niou grumbled. "At least, five of us did."

"Well, according to the paperwork, only three didn't sign the document. However, on the back of these documents is some fine print…" Takuya picked up one of the papers and held up the back to show them. Sure enough, there were at least ten extra paragraphs regarding the terms and conditions. He pointed to one of them. "As you can see, in this section, it excuses any actions of Hajime Mizuki from the tennis club. Since one of your club members had signed it, it means you agreed to dismiss any further action brought on by our manager."

The Rikkai students turned gradually to Mizuki, who wasn't looking at them. He simply looked the other way and twirled his hair. They looked slowly to the other St. Rudolph members, who were shrugging.

"It's in the fine print," Yuuta said apologetically.

"Sorry, da ne. Should have read it, da ne," Shinya responded.

"But we'll still send you an apology gift," said Kaneda. "It'll be a good one."

"And it will never happen again," added Atsushi.

Nobody spoke for a few moments. All the Rikkai members were watching the other team, honestly not feeling much better. This team and their paperwork… Finally, Yukimura spoke, grabbing Sanada's arm.

"We appreciate the gesture," he said. "So long as the paperwork gets taken care of, everything will be fine." He walked down the hallway, dragging Sanada with him. The others followed immediately. Their captain turned once again to the other team. "Thank you for taking care of things."

"Thank you for understanding," Akazawa responded. "Again, we're sorry."

"It's nothing!" Yukimura said, waving a hand. "Maybe we can organize some practice matches in the future."

"We would be honored," Akazawa said, and they bid each other an awkward farewell before the Rikkai members left the school.

"Wow!" gasped Marui. "I am sure glad that's over. What a nightmare."

"Hardly even felt real, did it?" Jackal murmured, rubbing his head. They silently made their way out of the school grounds and down the street. But Yukimura suddenly stopped. Everybody else paused as well, watching their captain nervously.

"Seiichi?" Yanagi pressed.

"Everyone," Yukimura said, and he turned around to look at his team. His eyes were dark and his face serious. "Never get involved with that team again unless you have to. They are dangerous and not to be trusted. Do you understand?"

Nobody hesitated.

"Yes, Buchou," they all breathed, nodding in agreement.

"Good. Let's get back to our own school," Yukimura said, and they continued forward.

"What's wrong with Akaya?" asked Yagyuu to Yanagi, who was pulling the boy gently along. He still appeared to be in a trance.

"According to my calculations, Akaya is still in this state because he had longer exposure to the subliminal video at St. Rudolph. He was there longer than any of us were. I calculate he should be back to his normal self by tomorrow morning."

"Good," sighed Jackal. "That means everything really is going back to normal."

"Thank God," mumbled Niou. "That was too weird."

Everyone agreed, then didn't speak anymore on the matter of St. Rudolph.

Things went back to being ordinary the next day, just as Yanagi had predicted. Everyone was grateful to be back at the tennis courts, and Akaya's fierce spirit and determination was welcomed back openly from the entire club. Akaya, who didn't seem to remember much of what had happened at all, seemed a bit weary of everybody's affectionate actions and words. But he pushed his thoughts aside and enjoyed the attention he was getting.

They did receive an apology gift from St. Rudolph. It was a giant cake delivered directly to the courts from some of the St. Rudolph regulars. Yukimura accepted it, thanking them, then watched as they left. Everyone had tensed up as soon as they arrived, and now that they were gone, everybody relaxed.

"This is quite the apology gift," Yanagi murmured, watching as Marui eagerly dug in. "Who knew a cunning school like St. Rudolph excelled in culinary arts?"

"I don't care what it is, so long as they don't try anything suspicious again," Yukimura commented. Sanada and Yanagi nodded in agreement.

One day, a couple of weeks after the whole ordeal, Akaya was having a practice match against Sanada, and he was working his hardest. All the regulars were watching with interest. Sanada, however, had already gained the upper hand easily. But Akaya suddenly stopped just as he was about to return the ball. Everyone groaned in unison.

"Hey, Seaweed-head! What the hell was that? You had it!" Marui called out.

"Marui is right. That was a shot you easily could have returned. Why did you stop?" Sanada demanded.

The black-haired boy was looking silently down at his racquet. After a moment, he glanced up, looking confused.

"I just had the weirdest thought," he said, scratching his head. "I suddenly thought I needed to…win this match for a different reason."

"What do you mean?" asked Yanagi, who was standing in as the referee.

"This is gonna sound crazy, but I just thought I had to win…for…St. Rudolph? Isn't that another school? The school that…something happened there recently, didn't it?"

Everyone stared at him in horror, the name sending a tremor of fear down everybody's back. Akaya glanced around as everybody gaped at him. It made him nervous. "W-what? Did I say something wrong?"

"You're overthinking it. Just play," said Niou finally. Everyone rapidly agreed. Akaya blinked as he looked again at everybody's anxious faces.

"Uh…okay," he muttered. "Whatever."

To everyone's relief, he did not press the matter further and the match continued. Akaya lost, and threw a huge fit about it as per usual. During the next practice match, Sanada walked over to Yukimura. They watched silently before Sanada spoke in a low voice.

"Seiichi," he murmured. "Back in that room at St. Rudolph…you said you had something to tell me." He turned to Yukimura, his eyes filled with concern. "What was it?"

Yukimura didn't meet Sanada's eyes.

"I'm afraid I've…forgotten," he said. "I'm sorry."

Sanada tried not to appear too disappointed.

"Ah, that's all right," he commented. They returned their attention to the match once more before he spoke again. "And Seiichi…"

"I know," Yukimura said softly, closing his eyes. "St. Rudolph is a school not to be taken lightly. They're dangerous, and we should never underestimate them again."

"Yes," Sanada agreed quietly, looking back to the match. They would never make that mistake again.