Chapter Three
TENNIS: The Extremely Now-Never Incentive System
Suzuki Yukoto's Point of View
I sighed as I exited my house from the front door. I woke up later than usual this morning and rushed to get ready for school. It would be my first day at Seishun Gakuen and this was not a good start for my day.
After I reached the sidewalk, I saw Fuji standing by my house's mail post. I smiled before waving, "I didn't know you'd actually come by and pick me up, Fuji-san."
He gave me a light chuckle, his eyes closed as usual, before responding, "I told you the other day that I would be. Did you bring your tennis racquet and a set of sport clothes for your tennis practice at St. Rudolph's later?"
"Yeah, I did, Mom," I teased, punching his shoulder lightly before chuckling.
Fuji laughed, "You jest."
"What else, Fuji-san," I replied, rolling my eyes.
"You need to get your schedule before class starts, ne?" Fuji asked me as we continued to walk towards school.
I answered him, saying, "Yeah, I don't know the outline of the school very well, though. Mind helping me?"
"Not at all," he smiled. "I will make it certain that your third year in high school will be your favorite year of your life, and . . . that you get your schedule."
"How epic of a speech you put out there, and then you decide to place the schedule in there," I deadpanned as we finally reached the school.
"Class will start in fifteen minutes, so I suggest we get your schedule as quickly as possible, and then I can show you to my friends," Fuji said as he guided me to the main office, where a teacher was there up and greeting us.
"Good morning, Fuji," the teacher smiled brightly. "What can I do for you this morning?"
"My friend is new to the school and needs her schedule," Fuji informed her as the teacher nodded her head in understanding.
"What is your name, dear?" she asked me warmly.
"Suzuki Yukoto," I answered her as she then left to look through the files cabinet.
Before long, she held a piece of paper in her hand. She handed me the paper before saying, "Here it is, dear. If you need any help, come here, and a teacher will be happy to assist you."
I smiled at her and said my goodbye, before Fuji guided me to the first class we had. Yesterday, while I was at his house, I already knew what classes I signed up for, and Fuji had the same, aside from the fact that I would be taking choir and him art.
"English is first," I sighed as I put away my schedule sheet.
"It's in Room 106 today," Fuji chuckled. "It's an easy class. Don't worry."
I deadpanned, "Says the genius."
Fuji laughed the matter off before we reached the classroom. There, he took his seat by the window, before telling me, "No one sits in the seat behind me."
My seat was at the far corner of the classroom, by a window, and the last one of the column and row. Probably the best place to sit for delinquents, but not so much for me.
As if knowing what I was thinking, Fuji added, "You could always switch places with me, if you'd like."
"No thanks," I waved the matter off. "It's fine. As long as I can still understand the lesson, it should be fine."
"If you say so," Fuji remarked. "I'll show you to my friends during lunch. They're an . . . interesting lot. You already met Inui, Oishi, and Eiji. You still need to meet Tezuka and Kawamura. Those two are third years. Momoshiro and Kaido and second-years, and there's this first-year who's a prodigy at tennis. That's everyone on the tennis team, anyways."
"Wow," I replied with my eyes wide. "That's pretty intense. First-years and second-years on the team . . . Wow. But, then again, you're a genius. You go to this school. There's probably going to be a lot of geniuses here then. I bet they all have some special move of theirs on the court."
I joked on the last sentence.
He stared at my blankly, blinking his eyes more than usual for a few seconds, "Um, Suzuki-san, they do."
I deadpanned and banged my head onto the desk before muttering, "Of course, they do."
Fuji laughed at my actions before the English teacher entered the room.
"Okay, Class, we have about five new students, so I'm not going to even bother introducing. Open your textbook to Page 122."
From that moment onward, I could tell that English class was going to be quite the 'struggle.'
Ring. Ring.
It was now time for lunch, and I was finally out of Japanese Literature. I followed Fuji, since he was literally the only person I knew there at Seishun Gakuen.
"Saa, so what do you have for lunch today?" Fuji started the conversation as we put our textbooks in our desks, pulled out our lunches, and left to eat outside at the wooden and rustic tables.
"Um," I replied hesitantly, not remembering what I made myself that morning for lunch specifically. "A ham sandwich."
Fuji shook his head teasingly, "So American."
I deadpanned, "Gee, thanks. It's pretty simple and nutritious. Don't judge."
"Already did," he replied with slightly smug smile.
I chuckled as we exited the building.
Outside, it was warm and sunny, but not too bright. There a slight breeze to accommodate the beautiful temperature, topping the weather off with a cherry on top.
"So where are your friends?" I asked Fuji, attempting to start yet another conversation.
"Over there," he tilted his head as I saw Eiji, Oishi, Inui, and a few other people I didn't recognize.
"Oi, oi!" Eiji shouted enthusiastically. "Fujiko, Suzu-chan! Come here! We saved you two a spot!"
"Thank you, Eiji-kun," I smiled as I sat down after Fuji did.
"The stoic guy with no smile is Tezuka, our captain," Fuji introduced.
"Hello," I gave the man a closed-eye smile as the said man gave me a curt nod.
"The gentle brown-head sitting beside Oishi is Kawamura," Fuji continued. "Hm, Ryoma, Kaido, and Momoshiro generally sit with us at lunch, but, if I remember correctly, they have other club meetings today."
"Oh, I see," I replied as calmly as possible. These guys were . . . somewhat intimidating . . . Their tennis prowess and so forth were top-notch and literally ingenious.
From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Tezuka staring me down.
"Don't be nervous," he said bluntly. "We're not as 'scary' as we seem, Suzuki-san."
Shivers went down my spine, "Ahahaha, Wh-who said I w-was afraid?"
He grunted, "Tch. If you say so."
I chuckled, "Hahaha, yup."
Before long, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period, and it was then that I realized this last year of high school would be the best year of my life.
