"How's that feel, Yuuko-chan?"
Matsumoto flexed her arm and checked out the movement of her wrist, now wrapped in tape. "Pretty good, Kotoko-chan," she replied. "That should give me enough support for about fifteen extra backhands."
"Great!" Kotoko beamed then looked around. "Anyone else?"
"Nice wrapping job, Ai-kun."
Kotoko whirled to see her friend leaning lightly on a cane. "Shit-kun! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Just...expanding my horizons." His eyes slid over to Matsumoto, checking her shoelaces. "And who do we have here?"
After a quick introduction, Kotoko focused her attention on putting her case back in order. When she straightened, she felt a chill by her side and turned to see Matsumoto glaring at Shitara in poorly suppressed fury.
"Sempais!" the taller girl called suddenly.
The huddled trio that had surrounded her less than a month ago jumped. "Yes, Matsumoto?" the bravest asked.
"Our soccer colleague here would appreciate a personal explanation of the 'sport of kings'. Unfortunately, I'm playing one of the first matches. Can I leave him in your hands?"
Shitara cocked a jaunty eyebrow at her. "Until later, mon amour!"
"Not likely!" she muttered at his back.
Kotoko sidled up to her. "What happened, Yuuko-chan?"
She sniffed. "That...turd suggested a portion of his anatomy that I could wrap in athletic tape, if I visited his room."
"Ewww!" Kotoko wrinkled her nose. "I'm guessing that it wasn't his knee." When Matsumoto raised an incredulous eyebrow at her, she quickly added, "Well, at least you sent him where he could be appreciated!" The rest of the female members of the team had surrounded him and were twittering like birds.
"I just hope I can keep my breakfast down long enough to finish my first match!" she declared as she strode to the team huddle.
"Say, sempai," Yamauchi called out as more members emerged from the dressing rooms to join them. "You said one of these teams was led by your rival. Which one? And what do we have to look out for?"
"Why, Irie can probably tell you just as well as I can," Midou responded jovially.
Naoki's head shot up at the mention of his name. "Me?"
"Yes. You played on his team back in high school."
"No. Don't tell me." He sat down suddenly. "We're playing against Tonan University—and Sudo?!"
"That rat bastard!" Midou growled. "Acts just like a pussycat off the court, but once he picks up a racquet he's a roaring lion! No mercy to the weak!"
"Sounds like an interesting person," mused Matsumoto. "Did you know him, Kotoko-chan?"
"No," the other girl replied. "I didn't get involved with tennis until after he graduated. I wouldn't even know what he looked like."
"He's hard to miss, since I hear he's sporting a full mustache these days," Naoki informed her. "But he always produces a good team, even if his methods are a little wonky."
"A good team." Matsumoto was thoughtful. When Naoki and Kotoko looked at her in inquiry, she laughed and shrugged. "Well, the only reason I came to SuSe was for you, Irie-kun. I've been thinking of transferring to another school next year. I might as well select one that has an excellent team in my extracurricular sport."
Naoki breathed out in a huff. "Just wait until you meet him in person before making a decision."
"How bad can he really be?" she asked, adding to herself, Especially considering what I've already experienced this morning!
Midou, almost gnashing his teeth at Sudo's cocky bellows, was buoyed by the fact that SuSe's team, led by Irie and Matsumoto, was soundly in the lead. Added to that was the fact that the audience continued to grow until it was larger than any in recent memory as news of a grudge match spread in some mysterious way across campus. With such a crowd gathered, it was fairly easy for a certain non-student with an over-sized hat to blend in.
Finally, the time arrived for the men's singles final.
It was no secret that Sudo had spent the day concentrating his bantering attention on Naoki in anticipation of meeting him in the finals. While doing so, he had noticed that between matches Naoki returned to the company of a highly attractive brunette, whose name he had quickly ascertained from the brackets.
They met to spin the racquet and determine the start of the match. With a confident grin, Sudo opened the conversation. "So, Irie, we meet again."
"Obviously," Naoki replied in a bored tone.
"Now, now! Don't be so unfriendly," he admonished cheerily. "Of course, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't attend Tonan and be on my team."
"As if that was a choice I would willingly make," Naoki muttered.
"What's that?" Sudo asked.
"I said I'm sorry that I caused you pain." He smiled blandly at him.
"Ha! But what a surprise it was. I thought for sure that even if you didn't choose Todai, you'd at least stay with the escalator program." He leaned forward and gave him a leering wink. "Although I do see the attraction."
"Oh?"
"That Matsumoto over there!" He leaned sideways and waved her way. She turned her head deliberately while, next to her, Kotoko (too insignificant for Sudo to notice) covered a suspicious cough. "She is quite talented. There would certainly be a place for her on the Tonan team!"
"I don't know why you're talking to me about it. That's a decision she would have to make."
"Now, now, we're both men here!" he chuckled. "Let's make this match a little more interesting. A wager, perhaps?"
"What do you mean?"
"If I win, you introduce me to her and let me persuade her to transfer colleges."
"You might try," Naoki grinned slightly in response, "but what happens if you don't win?"
"Why, uh, I—"
"Never mind." Naoki won the spin and chose to serve. "I'll make the play interesting just for the hell of it."
The match was brutal for the Tonan team in general and for Sudo in particular. Naoki's services were overwhelmingly aces, and when there was a rally, Sudo was kept sprinting from side to side of the court until the ball would be smashed far out of his reach. When Naoki shot the ball between Sudo's legs for the final point, the gasps of the audience almost rustled the tree leaves.
Less than two hours after their initial conversation, eyebrows beetling in fury and frustration, Sudo bowed in defeat to Naoki. "So," he asked with a clenched jaw, "what is the penalty for my loss?"
"Actually," Naoki grinned, "I'm going to introduce you to Matsumoto and let you try to convince her to transfer."
"What!?" Sudo's jaw fell before he clasped Naoki's right hand and forearm with both of his sweaty hands and shook it violently. "You're a prince among men, Irie!"
"Don't crown me yet," he warned.
"I'm not interested."
"But Tonan has an excellent, competitive tennis team that would showcase your abilities."
"If that's the case, then why did SuSe win more matches today?"
"Well...your talent would shine even brighter at Tonan!"
"Brilliance in an extracurricular won't take me far in my chosen field."
"And that would be…?"
"Business."
"Ah! We have similar interests! I'm going into business, also."
"Really?" Held captive by Kotoko unwrapping her wrist, Matsumoto looked over Sudo's shoulder and asked, testily. "If I admit that you were right, will you please take him away?"
Naoki wiped the smile from his face and approached, taking Sudo by the arm. "Come on, sempai. You've had your chance. She's not interested."
Sudo looked from one to the other. "Wait! I've been set up! You knew she wasn't going to come from the beginning! Are you two dating?"
"No, we're not," they said simultaneously.
"Come on," Sudo hissed not too quietly at Naoki, "who do you think you're fooling? If that was the case, there's no way she could resist my charm." He tugged free and turned once again to Matsumoto.
"I didn't get the chance to describe the pièce de résistance. Myself!" He bowed. "I am twenty one years old, single, debonair," he smoothed his mustache, "and longing to get better acquainted with you." His lips formed a pout as he closed his eyes in preparation for the "smoulder".
Unfortunately for him, his smoulder was fizzled out by a cold wet towel. "She said no."
Sudo pawed the fabric from his face and glared at the frowning tennis manager in front of him. "Why are you interfering?" he growled.
"I'm her friend," she stated baldly.
"Then let me tell you—" he began.
Naoki's hand was in the air, about to drag him away to save him from a Kotoko beatdown when Matsumoto took over. Grabbing Kotoko and hugging her to her side tightly, she glared at him defiantly. "Yes, she's my friend," she said. "Understand?"
"Wha—you—she—hmm?"
Kotoko, startled for a moment, suddenly smiled sweetly and laid her head on Matsumoto's shoulder, trying not to look at her boyfriend, whose shoulders were shaking in repressed laughter. "You wouldn't want to separate us, now, would you?" She blinked her eyes at the mustachioed marvel.
"Ah, um, my mistake," he muttered then turned and shambled back to his team.
Matsumoto dramatically wiped her forehead. "Thank God that worked! First the preening bastard this morning, and then that—that moron leering at me all day!"
Naoki approached, chuckling. "I don't think he'll be bothering you again. Now, what was that about someone this morning?"
Kotoko replied while she finally freed the wrist from its wrappings, "It was just Shitara, looking for trouble. We palmed him off on the sempais, and they left half an hour ago."
Matsumoto shuddered, then squinted into the bleachers at the thinning ranks of spectators. "Hey, even the gamer boys showed up."
Kotoko glanced up. "Lucas and Spielberg? What got them all excited?"
"Do you think we should make it yuri now?"
"Man! Too damn late! We don't have time to change the graphics!"
