Ryoko: The Princess of Tennis
リョーコ
テニスの王女様
Episode 6: Margin of Error
...
Ryoko's eyes were focused on the small yellow ball in her hand as her mind played back and analyzed Tamiyo's form. Finally, with a decided look, she tossed the ball up and served. Tamiyo returned the serve and they rallied.
Okay, now to end it, Tamiyo thought with boredom, hitting a forehand cross court shot.
There! Ryoko ran after the ball, but instead of stopping where she'd normally stop, she took an extra step forward. The ball bounced more to the left, and now in perfect position Ryoko hit a precise shot to the corner opposite of Tamiyo, who wouldn't have reached it even if she tried.
For the first time, Tamiyo's eyes opened wide.
"15-0!"
Ryoko smiled, looked down, and made a shy celebratory fist. Yes!
"Yeah, that's the way to do it!" Noriko exclaimed.
"It seems as if she's figured it out," Yuka said.
"Eh? Figured what out?" Noriko asked.
"The trick to Tamiyo-chan's shots."
"Trick?"
The next point started. After a few balls, Ayame spoke.
"Now that you mention it..."
Noriko looked back and forth between Yuka, Ayame and the match. "I don't understand."
Ryoko was running after a ball but she stopped one step before where she'd normally stop...
Noriko raised an eyebrow. "She's stopping too far away—"
...but the ball bounced, twisting towards her and leaving itself in the perfect distance for Ryoko to hit a finishing cross court shot.
"30-0!"
"Spin," Yuka said. "Tamiyo-chan subtly puts a lot of spin on some of her shots, making their bounce irregular."
"Oh!" Noriko gripped the cage, following Tamiyo's movements with her eyes. "That's why Ryoko was having trouble hitting the ball properly."
"So Ryoko-chan is adjusting her positioning because of the irregular bounce," Chisato said approvingly. After a moment, she turned to Yuka. "Wait, you've known this all along? Why didn't you say anything?"
Yuka shrugged, saying innocently: "No one asked."
"40-0!"
Ryoko had soon served again. Another rally began, with Ryoko's shots clearly more energetic now.
I've got the pattern down! The stronger spin that changes the bounce of the ball is a little more noticeable than the rest. She's a righty, so when she hits a forehand shot, it twists to my left, and when she hits a backhand shot, it twists to my right.'
Tamiyo hit a forehand shot. The shot was well-placed, but Ryoko reached it and...
"Game, Ryoko. Tamiyo leads two games to one. Change court."
Ryoko could hear Noriko doing some light cheering for her when she started making her way to the other side of the court. Then she saw Tamiyo was going to pass by her side in front of the umpire's chair. She averted her eyes, but as they passed each other Ryoko felt a hand grab her shoulder. The first thing that came to her mind was that Tamiyo was mad. Ryoko looked up anxiously, but found that Tamiyo was smiling.
"That's it, Ryoko! Keep it up!" she said excitedly, "It's more fun this way!"
"Eh..." Noriko raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "It's like she's happier when she's losing?"
"She's not losing yet," Yuka said, "but it's no longer one-sided. She must just not like easy matches."
The two on the court continued making their way to their respective positions, but not before Tamiyo flashed Ryoko a thumbs up. "Let's keep it up, okay?"
Ryoko, befuddled by Tamiyo's change of attitude, nodded shyly.
Tamiyo started her service game, but Ryoko, now playing normally because of her positioning, took it and the next.
"Game, Ryoko. Ryoko leads three games to two. Change court."
"Looks like I'm going to need my new racket after all!" Tamiyo exclaimed, sprinting to her tennis bag. She switched rackets and quickly went to the next position, tennis ball in hand. "I'm gonna go all out from now on, okay? Try to keep up!"
Ryoko gripped her racket tighter and got ready to receive the next serve. I can do this. I can win!
"Just three more games and Ryoko wins!" Noriko cheered happily.
"Hm, but Tamiyo-chan said she's going to go all out," Chisato said. She tapped her chin, thoughtful. "She seems really hyped up now. I wonder if she has a trump card."
"Nah, she must be bluffing!" Noriko waved it off.
Indeed, if Ryoko was now confident, Tamiyo was just as much. After serving, she rallied, running after the ball as if she was finally fully awake. She seemed to be swinging with more energy, and she was smiling. Ryoko was apparently keeping up with no problems, though.
"See?" Noriko said. "Nothing's changed."
As soon as Noriko had spoken, Tamiyo suddenly stopped running, almost as if she had given up on the point. However, the ball that Ryoko hit landed slightly out of the court.
"Out! 15-0!"
"Out?" Noriko's mouth dropped open.
Ryoko was looking down at her racket, also confused. She was pretty sure she hadn't screwed up the shot.
"Ah, don't mind, Ryoko!" Noriko exclaimed. "Just a little mistake, don't get hung up over it!"
The next point started and ended in very much the same manner. Then in the point after that, one of Ryoko's shots wound up close to the center of the court, where Tamiyo had ease in putting it away.
"40-0!"
Ryoko frowned and sighed, looking down at her racket and idly fingering the strings. She had felt since the beginning of the match that all of Tamiyo's shots had some spin on them, but they didn't have much effect, aside from the more obvious stronger ones that changed the kick of the ball. Now, however, all of the spins had gotten stronger.
"So she did have a trump card?" Chisato pondered.
Noriko looked a little worried again. "Spin?"
Chisato nodded. "It seems like it. She's strengthened them, I guess. It's throwing off Ryoko-chan's shots again."
"Come on, Ryoko!" Tamiyo shouted, throwing the tennis ball in her left hand in the air.
Noriko just stared at Tamiyo. "It's like she's a whole other person now."
Tamiyo served, and the two girls on Court A rallied furiously. Ryoko felt her shots were having their courses slightly altered by the spin Tamiyo was applying. Knowing this, Ryoko tried to avoid hitting shots near the line. The result, though, was that her shots wound up close to the middle of the court, where they were offering more threat to her than to Tamiyo by giving Tamiyo winner opportunities. She had to try a middle ground.
When Ryoko got a good chance, she aimed her shot in the middle of the service box. Tamiyo started moving before she had even hit the ball, though. The shot landed exactly where Tamiyo was, and she hit a corner shot with ease that Ryoko wasn't able to reach.
"Game, Tamiyo. Three games all."
I can't hit my shots accurately, yet it seems like she knows exactly where they'll end up. Ryoko thought as she walked to the next position. Has she mastered spins so thoroughly?
Ryoko paused a few seconds, bouncing the tennis ball a few times on the court.
"Let's keep the pace going, Ryoko!" Tamiyo yelled, waving over to her. "Serve!"
Ryoko looked up at her opponent briefly. Tamiyo was beaming, and despite the way she had acted at the beginning of the match, she now seemed to genuinely be having fun. Seeing Tamiyo having so much fun playing made Ryoko smile, too. Ryoko nodded, and soon the ball had left her hand.
Ryoko had entered the match deathly nervous of facing and losing to this new girl that had beaten a third-year player by 6-0. The eyes of all the onlookers had bothered her at first, never leaving the corner of her eyes or the back of her mind, but once Ryoko started being drawn into the match, she forgot all of that.
She can have so much fun playing tennis... but I can, too. Ryoko flexed her knees, moving her body in perfect form to send a potent serve to Tamiyo's service box. And if she can hit those spins, I can counter them!
The two continued to play the points, both putting their all into it. They were both visibly sweaty, but neither girl showed signs of fatigue. Neither one slowed the pace nor backed down from chasing any of the shots. Both were winning points, and although Ryoko started off losing more, they were slowly evening out. She was able to win her service game, making the score 4-3, but Tamiyo won the next, tying again at 4-4.
"Tamiyo-chan's a skilled player," Chisato commented during the ninth game.
"Yeah, but Ryoko is playing well, too," Ayame said.
"Of course she is," Noriko said, not taking her eyes off of the match, "She's going to win!"
In order to neutralize her spins, I have to hit the ball with the opposite spin. Ryoko ran to the left, hitting a cross court shot. If it's a leftwards spin, I have to hit it with a rightwards spin, and vice-versa. Tamiyo returned her shot. Ryoko ran after the ball, reaching it and hitting a deep, straight shot, hoping to catch Tamiyo on her back foot.
I have to use my forehand when she does, and my backhand when she does. So unless she hits a straight shot, I have to run more, but it's the best option. Tamiyo saw Ryoko's intention and was able to reach her shot, hitting a backhand shot to the opposite corner.
The way it was before, my margin of error was something like 75%, but now it's back down to normal! Ryoko ran after the ball. She reached it at the last second and with a forehand shot sent the ball deep to Tamiyo's baseline, right on the line.
Ryoko fist-pumped, exclaiming: "Yes!"
Tamiyo laughed. "Wow. That was a nice shot!"
"Yeeaah, Ryoko!" Noriko cheered, jumping happily.
Soon, Ryoko had won the ninth game, making the score 5-4, and was on her way to taking the tenth game, Tamiyo's service game, and closing the match. She hit one more ball practically on the line and...
"15-40! Match point!"
Tamiyo got to the next serving position and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Like Ryoko, she was smiling. She was losing, but the game was fun, completely different from the match Tamiyo had had the day before.
Outside the cage, Ayame stirred. "I see why Junko lost so badly to this girl."
Noriko asked, "What do you mean, Ayame-sempai?"
Smiling, Yuka responded, sharing Ayame's thoughts: "Tamiyo-chan's play style puts a lot of pressure on the opponent's confidence. If her opponent isn't strong-willed, if they don't adapt well, or if they're stubborn like Junko, they crumble under the weight of their own mistakes."
Ryoko waited anxiously for Tamiyo to serve. If she won this point, the match was hers.
Tamiyo finally served, and Ryoko was on it, returning the serve down-the-line. Tamiyo managed to reach it and hit it back, but Ryoko didn't have to run much to hit the next shot.
When Tamiyo hit the ball again, Ryoko saw through her technique. Ryoko ran after the ball, but stopped one step further than normal. The ball bounced to exactly where she was. With one final shot, the ball flew towards the corner opposite of Tamiyo, only hitting the ground again after it had hit the back of the cage.
Noriko let out a cheer as the umpire called: "Game and match, Ryoko. Six games to four."
The two players walked towards the center of the court amidst a good number of cheers from all of the people watching (which Ryoko was just beginning to notice again, making her blush). They shook hands over the net, both tired but smiling.
"You started off kind of slow, but you're really good, Ryoko-san! Today's match was a lot more fun than yesterday's!"
Ryoko's smile grew. She lowered her head shyly. "Thanks. You're good, too."
Outside the cage, Noriko crossed her arms again, looking thoughtful. "'Ryoko-san'? That's the first time I've heard her use an honorific."
Tamiyo headed over to her tennis bag at the far corner of the court while Ryoko walked over to her friends outside of the cage. When she approached, Noriko first hugged her tightly, then took a step back, made a fist and beamed.
"Congrats, Ryoko! You did it!"
"Yes, congratulations," Chisato said warmly.
Behind them, Ayame and Yuka were smiling as well.
"Seee, I told ya, Ryoko!" Noriko said, "We're going to make it to regulars, girl!"
Ryoko smiled back, enjoying her victory and her friend's enthusiasm.
They saw Keiko turn a corner then, running towards them, racket in hand and covered in sweat. She approached them and stopped to catch her breath before speaking.
"I missed the match?" she whined, disappointed. "I tried to finish mine as fast as possible so that I could come see it." Then she suddenly opened a smile again. "Who won?"
Noriko put her arm around Ryoko's shoulders, grinning. "Ryoko. What about you?"
Keiko puffed her chest out in pride. "I won, too."
Just then, Tamiyo stepped out of the court, her tennis bag slung over her shoulder, sipping water through a straw from her water bottle. She paused in front of the group, looking at Ryoko. Keiko immediately took notice of the water bottle and bowed low before Tamiyo.
"Tamiyo-chan-sama! Would you honor me with a sip or three of your most holiest of waters?"
Only after two seconds did Tamiyo look at Keiko, as if she only then realized she had been spoken to. She frowned at Keiko and said: "And you are?" But before Keiko could even respond, she turned back to Ryoko, "Let's play again sometime, okay, Ryoko-san?" Then she promptly started past the group, down towards the path that led out of the school.
Ryoko nodded. "O-Okay."
Keiko looked after Tamiyo, her mouth wide open for several seconds. She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at Tamiyo, though the girl had her back turned and couldn't see. "Meanie!"
Ryoko, Noriko, and Chisato couldn't help but snicker.
After they chatted a little more, Ayame and Chisato left to warm up for their own matches that day while Keiko went straight home. Noriko also had a match then, but she first accompanied Ryoko as the girl reported her win over Tamiyo to the captain, who scribbled the match's result on the board. The captain then switched places with Yuka at the table so that she could go play her own match. After Sakura had left and Yuka sat down, she looked to Noriko.
"I'd go watch your match too, Noriko-chan, but..."
"I understand, Yuka-senpai. It's no problem. But you—!" She turned to Ryoko, smiling. "I cheered for you, so now you have to cheer for me, okay?"
Ryoko nodded. "Okay!"
Noriko was soon playing, and although Ryoko didn't actually cheer out loud for her (as both of them had known from the start she wouldn't), Noriko was glad that her friend was watching. In the end, she played a great match, besting her opponent with a score of 6-0.
They all won their matches that day, and they were all satisfied and comfortable with their results so far. They went home that Tuesday relaxed, only to start thinking about their next match when the following day came.
All except for Keiko. As she walked home that day, despite having just won her second match, her mind was already on another one. It was the only thing on her mind, something she had been thinking about ever since the matches had been revealed one day earlier.
The match with her sister the next day.