Hyoutei's First Date
By: NarutoandBleach
When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?
Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.
[A New Challenge]
By the time Kevin stormed out of Hyoutei academy, Yuushi and Gakuto breathed a sigh of relief since that kid had fired the first warning shot in order to remind Atobe who is boss. But now, they still have to deal with Ryoma's supposed transfer to their school which could bring a lot of problems with the tennis club. At this point, Oshitari decided that it was time to have a talk with Atobe immediately since he nearly had a splitting headache after that shouting match.
"Atobe, you really need to stop hitting on echizen because if you keep dragging him into this mess, eventually he will stop hanging out with you."
"Ore-sama will hit on anyone that he pleases. Besides, Ryoma will be in my heart as long as he is here at Hyoutei Academy. Therefore, since you are my second in command, you will be looking after him once we all give him a warm welcome to this place?" chuckled Atobe.
"What? why should we look after him? You know that he has his own school to go to and now you are forcing him to come to our school unannounced? There is no way that you are planning this on your own. Tell me, who else is a part of your scheme?" asked Oshitari.
"Fuji has already told me that if Ryoma is more comfortable around me, then he should have no problems here. Besides, Syusuke has already asked me to take good care of him once he finishes the remainder of his semester at Seigaku. Furthermore, my coach has already distributed his a letter of acceptance when he left our club room."
"You can't be serious, so this was your plan all along in order to continue your meaningless quest to fall in love with him? I don't get you anymore." groaned Oshitari.
"My love for Echizen has plenty of meaning since that pipsqueak needs someone like me to ensure that he gets the best care. Besides, even if we do fall in love, no one else shall interfere. And as for Kevin, let him stay at Seigaku for as long as possible because he is still a middle school kid. As long as I got ryoma here, he will be using other people's courts for practice with us accompanying him."
"Just stop, I get it! If you really want Ryoma to fall in love with you, just have the coach speak with him in person, wouldn't that be better?"
"I guess I never thought of that before. Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?" asked Atobe.
"Hey, this is your doing! Don't blame me!" whined Oshitari. And with that, Atobe immediately prepped a couple of forms for his lover and asked the principal to mail them to Echizen's house since this was that pipsqueak's chance to make a big decision.
Elsewhere, Ryoma was still practicing his serves with Kevin when sanada and Akaya arrived. Furthermore, they were already aware that kevin couldn't convince that loud-mouthed prick to back off from Ryoma and that he will be going to Seigaku soon. This time, they would need to have a small intervention with the brat while coming up with a new plan of their own.
"So, Kevin, I guess you couldn't convince Atobe to leave Ryoma alone, could you? I didn't think so. Why did you even try and force Keigo to divulge his secrets anyway?" asked Sanada.
"I know! Did you see the way Atobe acted? It's like he is playing judge and jury with Echizen since he is acting like some sort of a big-shot godfather to that kid. I think he is being a little too overprotective of my friend. I didn't get any secrets out of him since he won't go back on his word. Furthermore, his decision to date Echizen was final until his bet pays off." Said Kevin.
Akaya could only breathe a sigh of disappointment, "Ugh! Looks like that brat didn't heed our warnings after all even after all the trouble we went through to get him to back off from that crazy loon. I think it's time we visit Inui and find out what really is going on. Also, are you really going to be a part of the seigaku tennis club?"
"Yes, I announced it to the people at Hyoutei and it will be made official soon since Coach Ryuzaki will make me feel welcomed in that school's tennis courts. Furthermore, that school can give me a better chance to succeed in the U-17 world cup later on." Continued kevin.
"Well, good luck then, and also give Oishi our best. Make yourself comfortable here in Japan, my friend." Said Sanada as he walked towards Ryoma who was practicing his tennis moves since this guy has been putting up with Atobe's antics for far too long.
"Echizen, I just heard that you were dancing with that crazy loon last night and I have to say, you were good. But I am a little disappointed that you didn't leave Atobe." He said.
"Thanks Sanada-sempai, but like I said, even if I do leave Atobe, he will just keep wanting me in his love life and I have to respect that. However, I understand that you are trying to help and all, but I got this handled." Said Ryoma as he takes a swing at the tennis ball and it flew right past Sanada into the wall behind him.
"Listen to me, Atobe is not what I would call a person that would give up on his quest for love, but seriously, you really have to stop going through all these challenges that he is giving you. It's not worth it." said Akaya.
"Unfortunately, Atobe cannot take no for an answer and my father is having him over for dinner at my house later this evening. Furthermore, I never back down from a challenge because it does not bother me that much."
Akaya could only chuckle at that remark as he turned towards Sanada and said, "Oh, listen to this guy, would you? He is still as cocky as ever and still acting like a brat."
"Yup, he is cute and cocky. Anyway have you talked with Sakaki yet?" asked Akaya.
"Not yet, but I will when the time comes. Furthermore, I still can't even believe that I had to switch schools with my rival, this is just unreal. But no matter, the coach would probably not allow me to practice with Kevin around. However, Momo and the others would want a talk with me at around noon today. I am sure that what they will hear from me will not be good news." Continued Ryoma.
"I think you better tell your friends at seigaku now instead of holding it off until lunch time since you cannot keep them waiting." Continued Sanada.
"You're right. I should be heading off now, thanks for stopping by!" waved Ryoma as he heads off towards seigaku.
"I think that kid has played right into the hands of his lover, don't you think so, fuku-buchou?"
"Trust me, Akaya. Keigo has completely lost his mind." said Sanada.
What was Kevin thinking trying to get into Ryoma's school? Is he trying to attract the girls so that he can show off his tennis skills? No, that cannot be it since the Seigaku tennis club has already seen this American kid's special abilities previously and now seeing him transferring schools so soon will not make it easy on the new captain. Furthemore, Tezuka wouldn't even approve of this once he got the text, but decided to let Kevin try out his skills anyway.
Once Ryoma arrived at Seigaku, he could see the tennis players working on their swings and hand-picking balls. Elsewhere, Inui was working on recording data for his upcoming juice recipe while Momo and Fuji were playing each other for fun. As they saw their favorite ochibi here, they had a rush of energy flowing through them and were eager to talk to him.
"Hi guys, you heard that Kevin is going to our school pretty soon, right? Just wanted to let you know of the situation at hand." Said Ryoma as he walked towards the locker room, but Eiji and Oishi stopped Ryoma from entering.
"What is the meaning of this, sempais? Let me through!" said Ryoma.
"Not until you tell us what is going on between you and Atobe. We have heard that kevin tried to stop you from dating him and yet he failed. So tell us, why haven't you left him yet?" asked Eiji.
"Why does everyone always have to question my relationship with a deranged student from another school? What part of 'we're not dating' do you not understand?"
"Oh, we understand all right. It's just that you were going to leave Seigaku for Hyoutei. So, you are planning to part ways with us after all we've been through, is that it?" hissed kaidoh.
"What? Who said I was leaving Seigaku? I am the pillar of this school! I would never leave you guys and go to some other school without telling you guys. Besides, I only came back here to practice for a little bit because the coach has excused me from here because the girls were too annoying and I couldn't play in peace." Continued Ryoma.
"That explains everything. So tell me, why on earth would Kevin call our coach and asked to join our school?" asked Kawamura.
"It's just a rumor! He didn't say he would officially join the school until after Atobe beats our brat in a pool table game. Didn't you hear the whole message? I just think you were misinformed or so." Continued fuji.
"Oh, I see. So you are not leaving after all? Nya?" said Kikumaru as he hugged the kid.
"No, of course not. Now, can I start my tennis practice, please?" said Ryoma as he walked through the doors to change into his tennis gear. As he came out, Fuji waved at Ryoma and said, "Follow me, I want to have a little match with you."
"Why?" asked Ryoma.
"We need to make sure that you are not lying to us. If there is even a little bit of fibbing coming from that mouth, you are buying hamburgers for us as your punishment!" said momo.
"Sure, whatever! Can we get started now?" groaned Ryoma.
As the match began, Fuji noticed that Ryoma wasn't taking the match seriously since he only had been using low swings with his racquet. Furthermore, he has been using very little jump shots and is not putting in much effort. As Inui watched closely, he could see that the kid has exerted most of his energy practicing with Kevin earlier in the day.
"You are not using your full potential! Come at me with full strength, Ryoma!" called Fuji.
"I am doing the best I can, but I just don't have the strength to do so."
"C'mon Ochibi! Show some compassion and play seriously! Where is the Echizen that we know?" continued Taki.
"Don't pressure me, I used most of the energy I had with kevin earlier and I don't know how much strength I have left on me." Said Ryoma as he tried to catch his breath. He could see that his opponent was pulling ahead by 30 points after hitting so many balls. By the end of the second set, Fuji could see that Ryoma was worn out and decided to give him some water to cool off.
"What is going on with you today? Why aren't you using your full potential?" asked Fuji.
"I just don't have the strength to do so after last night's shindig." Said ryoma.
"See! Now we know you are lying! You owe us hamburgers, you cheeky brat!" bellowed Momo.
"Why am I being mistreated by my own friends?" thought Ryoma to himself as he and the gang headed towards the burger joint in Tokyo. Once there, the seigaku prodigy had to spend whatever was there for his friends while sulking. By the time that everyone finished lunch, Ryoma could hear his cell phone ringing and answered it.
"Hello, this is Echizen."
"Hey there you little brat! How is your date going? I sure hope you are having a good time so far because I invited him over for dinner tonight." Said his father
"Seriously? What are you planning this time?" shouted Echizen
"You will see soon enough. Oh, don't be late! Make sure you send this message to your date soon." And with that, the line went dead and Ryoma could only sigh at that remark.
"What is it Ryoma?" asked Oishi
"My father is inviting my date to my house for dinner tonight since he wants to find out more about my relationship with him. Furthermore, I need to send Atobe a text immediately." Said Ryoma as he typed furiously to his lover about the dinner. Once Atobe received the message, he was kind of surprised, but decided to accept the offer.
"So, you are inviting your date to your house tonight? What did you do to him?" asked Eiji.
"Nothing, it's just a dinner date, nothing too fancy," continued Ryoma.
Back at Hyoutei academy, Atobe smiled wider as he saw the message sent from his lover. As the others looked at him, something was definitely not right with him.
"What's going on, atobe?" asked Oshitari.
"My lover has invited me over to dinner at his house tonight. I suggest that you guys plan something good for him. Furthermore, I think he really does care about me now." Boasted Atobe.
"O…kay, are you sure you're all right? Because it seems you are PMS'ing too much."
"I heard that, gakuto! Furthermore, I need to provide something for my lover in order to show my true affection towards him since he was kind enough to let me over at his place." Continued Atobe.
Everyone was surprised, including Jirou who was half asleep since this was the first time that Echizen has invited his lover for dinner after spending a lot of time with him. At this point, Atobe feels that he needed to be repaid for his great debt towards Ryoma because this was the kid's chance to thank him. Furthermore, this dinner could mean a lot to the man since he had done a lot for Echizen.
That night, Atobe dressed in something casual before leaving for Ryoma's house since he asked his butlers to look after his estate before he returns. As he arrived, he rang on the doorbell and once Ryoma opened it, he jaw dropped to the floor and saw how well-dressed his date was.
"Wow, you look handsome! Come on in, my father is dying to meet you!" said Ryoma.
"For a house like this, it seems to be a bit small. But this will do." Said Atobe as he rubbed his lover's hair while kicking off his shoes before heading towards the dinner table. As he arrived, Rinko and Nanjiro were surprised at how the Hyoutei captain had dressed and decided to take a couple of photos to add to their collection.
"Welcome to our home! Please make yourself at home, it's so nice to meet you!" said the man.
"Atobe, this is my father, the former tennis prodigy Echizen Nanjiro, and that woman there is my mother, Rinko." Said Ryoma.
"It's an honor to meet you both! Ryoma has told me so much about you guys. Thank you for inviting me here." Chuckled Atobe.
"hey, it's our pleasure. Drop by anytime, we would be honored to have you and your team over for dinner. Furthermore, I taught my son everything I know about tennis and who knows, he might just surpass me in the sport soon." Laughed Nanjiro while patting his son's head.
"Oya-ji! Seriously?" grunted Ryoma as he paused to take away the magazines that were sprawled out on the living room floor since he did not want Atobe or his fan club to see this since it would not be honoring his code of romance. Furthermore, Ryoma does not want the magazines to ruin his relationship with his boyfriend tonight. Once the living room was cleared of the books, everyone sat down to dinner. However, Oja-ji had other things on his mind as well.
"So tell me son, what is Atobe-sama's relationship to you?" asked Nanjiro.
"Well, monkey king here…" Atobe glared at his lover while eating. "Er, I mean the king and I are in a relationship together since he is my boyfriend." Said Ryoma
Nanjiro jaw-dropped at Ryoma's response. "NANI!? You mean you are dating this infamous tennis player from hyoutei!? Wow, I knew that girls wouldn't suit your taste but now you are dating a guy? No wonder you are getting so popular today!"
"Like I said, it is not a date, we are just best friends okay?" said Ryoma nervously.
"Don't be preposterous! You two make a cute couple together, and I think you are just too shy to admit it!" continued Nanjiro. Soon, Atobe pulled ryoma closer to him and whispered something to his ear.
"Is your father always like this whenever guests are over at your house?"
"Sometimes I don't know what goes through that old man's mind either. But like I said, he will issue challenges whenever I am in a relationship with people or just making friends with others. It's harder for him to give me any space at all. Furthermore, he gets too excited when we are on a date like this." Continued Ryoma.
"I see, Ore-sama seems to have sparked a reaction with your father. Hey no worries, once we play pool later tonight, he will see just how strong we really are. And besides, we all know how crazy your father is right?"
"Tch! Don't remind me. Soon, my father could challenge you to a pool competition to see if you are worthy enough to date me." Snickered Ryoma.
Once everyone finished their dinner, Nanjiro started getting a crazy idea of his own since he heard that the lovers are going out to shoot pool. However, he called them towards the backyard and grabbed a tennis racquet while pointing it to Atobe.
"Before you start playing pool, I want to see if you are truly worthy enough to date my son. So, how about a little tennis match?" said nanjiro.
"Oya-ji, is this really necessary? You are already aware that I am well not really dating Atobe except hanging out with him on a daily basis? Furthermore, what is up with that get-up of yours?" asked Ryoma, not impressed by his outfit. Elsewhere, Yuushi and kenya chuckled at the sight of that man's outfit as well while Inui was busy with his data entry log book.
"Inui-sempai, who is that guy in that goofy outfit?" asked Yuuta.
"He is the former tennis prodigy named Echizen nanjiro, Ryoma's father. And he is prepared to challenge Atobe to a tennis match to see if he is worthy enough to date our Ryoma." Continued Inui.
"That man is Koshimae's father? Wow! For a tennis prodigy, he is sure is a pervert just like Koharu and Yuji. Besides, I want Koshimae to win since we are going to be giving them a fruit basket for good luck, right Shiraishi?" said Kintaro as faced his captain with that puppy dog eye look.
"Yes, of course. I mean after all, Ryoma is a pretty loyal friend and we should do something nice for them. At this point, I can say with certainty that Ryoma has finally felt a change in his heart and decided towards finding love." Said Shiraishi.
"I think you might be right. Atobe sure knows how to make people fall for his schemes in an instant and in this case, Ryoma went for it anyway. He has guts we'll give him that. However, despite the fact that he is very cocky and stubborn at the same time, sometimes we can't figure out what that kid or his father is really thinking." Said Momo.
Back on the courts, Atobe took out his racquet and took his stance since he has no idea what Nanjiro has in store for him. This was really a bad idea to challenge the king to a tennis match and if there are any flaws, Nanjiro will surely pay the price.
"Are you sure you want to do this in front of your son?" asked Atobe.
"I am sure! I will even use a handicap for this match. Relax, I am going to go easy on you. It's not like we are going to compete for a trophy or anything." Said Nanjiro.
"Oh my god! Why do I get the feeling that this is not going to end well for me?" thought Ryoma as he took the position of the referee. As the match began, Atobe is starting to hit easy balls one by one without stopping since Nanjiro cannot seem to pinpoint the style that he was using. Furthermore, Atobe seems to be moving quickly each time the balls were sent back to his opponent, leaving him no chance to return the serve. The score was going from 15 all the way up to 40 until the first match went to Atobe.
"You are pretty good for a captain. However, I will not let you beat me so easily!" continued Nanjiro.
"Just give up, you old fart! Atobe has this game in his favor so there is no point in continuing!" said Ryoma.
"Stay out of this, you little brat! I want to keep this match going in order to prove that you are worthy to be his girlfriend."
"There is no girlfriend, you got that all wrong!" protested Ryoma. But his father didn't hear him as the match continued. Why the hell did samurai Nanjiro threaten Atobe with a tennis match anyway? They could have focused on saving their energy for the pool table later on.
"Inui, why does Nanjiro think Atobe is Ryoma's boyfriend?" asked Oshitari.
"Well, Nanjiro does show up a lot at team events so even though I have confirmed his identity, my alert option shows me that he was cleared for entry into the stadiums."
"Well, that's Nanjiro for you, he is living a life where he does not do work and sits around reading porn magazines all day. You will get used to it." said Kikumaru as he was eating and feeding popcorn with his friends.
Oshitari could only shake his sign with a sigh. "you know, I didn't think Ryoma would put up with our captain for this long and it's been only three weeks since they've been together. I didn't figure that nanjiro would get in on the action."
As the second set draws to a close, Nanjiro had given his opponent a run for his money, but came up short. "Game and Match! The winner is Atobe!" called Ryoma. After the match, Atobe went and shook Nanjiro's hand and said, "Thank you for a good game today."
"Of course, but next time I won't go easy on you! How about a rematch?" he said.
"Please, I think Atobe has had enough for today, we need to get to the pool hall." Said Ryoma.
"I demand a rematch with you right now!" shouted nanjiro as he danced like a complete idiot. Ryoma could only shook his head in disbelief.
"Does your dad always act like this in public?" asked Atobe.
"Afraid so." He then turned to his father and said, "Just call off the match, we are done here." He then grabbed the racquet from Atobe's hand and placed it in his tennis bag before rushing out of the backyard courts. Furthermore, Oshitari couldn't blame Ryoma for trying to escape from the wrath of nanjiro, but Atobe was bad enough as it is.
"Where is my rematch?" asked nanjiro.
"Atobe does not want a rematch since he has other things to do with me today! You already have gotten your proof that we are good to go on our so called "date."
"Atobe-sama needs to earn the right to do that to you! This rematch will be good enough to sharpen my skills." Boasted Nanjiro.
"I don't think so!" said Echizen while rubbing his own temple to stop the headache from taking over. Even Shishido couldn't blame Echizen for standing up to his father.
"Really, he doesn't?"
Atobe was shocked and said, "Well, thanks for saving me from that annoying prepubescent idiot. I almost wanted to give him a little taste of defeat!"
"Can we go play pool now?" said Echizen as he grabbed Atobe's sleeve and dragged his over to the car. "Come on."
"you have not seen the last of me! We will meet in battle one day and I will defeat you!" said Nanjiro as he huffed off in a hurry. Afterwards, the lovers breathed a sigh of relief and placed everything in the car while Inui switched camera angles towards Ryoma and Atobe in the car since the seigaku student was ignoring him even though his lover smiled at him.
"I guess I kind of gotten a little carried away back there, didn't I? I also forgot that you haven't accepted my love for you yet. It won't happen anymore." Said Atobe.
"What do you mean 'yet?' There is no yet! I fucking hate you people!." Groaned Ryoma.
"Oi, O-chibi, that's rude! If you are going to say things like "I don't have feelings for you" or "We are not boyfriend/girlfriend" don't keep hogging that guy to yourself! Even Atobe has feelings too, you know?" whined Eiji as he tossed the popcorn bag on the projector.
As the team looked on at the car that drove off with Atobe and Echizen inside, Kenya noticed that Echizen was holding onto his lover while reading a book. "Have you noticed how Koharu always takes a few inches back away from his partner during the tennis tournament? If you step too close, he moves back?"
"Yes, so?" said Shishido.
"Well, ochibi was actually behind Atobe a few inches forward guarding his stance to return the ball and we didn't see him return to his original position."
Inui was a little bit confused, "When Echizen is inside of a car, you would have to fasten your seat belt so that you don't have neck injuries."
"Which is why if you try to take Jirou anywhere in a car he will probably just fall asleep and not pay attention to anything around him!" continued Kenya. "Does anyone here own a car?"
"My mother did once, but she traded it for a motorcycle. Where are you going with this?" asked Shiraishi.
"Well, given the strange pattern of behavior that Atobe and Echizen are conducting today, this points to a possible weakness in Echizen's mind. Furthermore, without any other experimental data, determining what our ochibi was thinking would be impossible." Continued Inui.
"Basically Inui, what my cousin is saying that jirou knows that he likes Fuji and he is giving him distance so that you don't get any wrong ideas." Said Oshitari
"Which would be what?"
He pointed at the picture of Atobe and Echizen held tightly together in the car. "Atobe still thinks that he is falling for Echizen. That was the wrong idea."
"Well, what do you think Echizen should do? They are inside a car and he has to hold on, or else he has a 94% chance of hitting his head on the seat at high driving speeds."
"I don't think you can hit your head while wearing a seat belt, and Atobe only brought this on himself." Said Shishido as he shook his head at the screen. How would everyone feel when Atobe used a car to pick Echizen up in order to get closer to him? Probably to freak out the people at Higa Middle school since they have been notified of the situation at hand.
"I just don't understand why echizen didn't tell anyone else that he and Atobe are just hanging out and not dating? Is he too bashful to say that?" continued Gakuto.
"I know right? This is actually the first time that I heard him saying it, but he could care less and wants to avoid his father at all times and… wait a minute! I have a strong friendly relationship with Fuji here." Said Jirou.
"Yeah, sure you do, Mr. Sleepyhead! Fuji only played tennis with you because he couldn't care about dating tips from you." Said Kenya. But as they looked on the screen, they can see Ryoma falling asleep on Atobe's shoulder with his eyes closed while pressing tightly against the captain."
"What the hell? It seems that they are not just holding onto each other! Holy shit!" thought Gakuto. Atobe would never thought that his prediction came true, right? Furthermore, we can see that Ryoma loves getting personal with that crazy loon since his delusions have taken control of his mind.
"I will admit, Ryoma does have the courage to fall in love with people that he played tennis with previously, but this sort of conduct could breach dating protocols between men and women in real life." Finished Inui.
"You got that right, shall we meet them at the pool hall?" asked Momo.