"Ah, hello there! You must be Zaizen-kun?"
As boring as he could, Zaizen answers in his dull tone.
"Yeah."
He knew why he was here.
As if the Tennis Club didn't know that he, Zaizen Hikaru, is the only left in the entire freshman cohort who hasn't chose his club.
As if they didn't try to pester him with numerous jokes to join the tennis club. Like the mimicking of their Principal ("Shitenhouji-houji-houji! Am I a cricket?!"), a bisexual man with his mannequin, a guy with dyed hair dressed in pink and skates ( Like, seriously?) , and the most boring one who popped his ear bigger as a magic trick (Why was he in a suit anyway?).
Don't even get him started on that monstrous Kendo girl who thought it will be oh-so-nice to brandish her wooden weapon upon him. It hurt, a lot.
"Sorry, could you wait for me please? I'm finishing up on my paper."And lastly, this…senior, taking out a Club Selection sheet from the files on her desk. Probably planning to scold him for not picking his club yet…
Zaizen lets out a low groan at that thought.
…Hold on, why is she staring?
You know, the kind of stares as if you grew another head as if one wasn't enough. (Which was pretty true for him, the Genius.)
"You are, hurt?" Her own set of green eyes widened and her body was quick to react as a hand gripped his wrist, dragging him off in a flash. "C-Come on! We have to bring you to the infirmary!"
"Excu-.." What is wrong with this girl? Was she just being nice? "Excuse me, but I'm very sure I'm not bleeding." The genius slurred in a trying-to-be-respectful tone as he wiped a palm against his face. See? Nothing—...Ow?
"You're bruising."
The hand holding him loosened to open the sliding door, Zaizen walked in slowly behind her as he found the spectacularly painful bruise swelling at the side of his head when he touched it again.
"Could you sit there please?" She was rapidly opening one of the many white cupboard's as soon as they entered, picking out a cream from the right-most shelf. Doesn't take a genius to know that it's for his wound.
"Could you please tilt?" That was the first time she smiled in this rushed meeting, holding a green colored jelly in a tube. The smile meant for children, like his niece, a seven years old who fell down the stairs in his house and couldn't stop crying for mummy.
"Sure." Zaizen looked to the side of this medicine-scented room, closing his eyes in slow anticipation. Sure enough, he could feel the smooth tip of a girl's fingers massage his temple. Zaizen knows it himself that he isn't pervert, but do every girls shampoo smell this good?
"All done!" Her relieved sigh made him open his own emerald eyes in surprise, realizing the fact that he had nearly dozed off from the soothing massage she gave to him. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, thank you." He added nicely again, this time making eye-contact at the paper sitting on the glass table innocently instead of her eyes.
"…I need to sign up for a club right, Senpai?"
His eyes didn't leave the table as he spat out harshly. "I don't plan to join any. Everything is boring."
….
"Everything, is boring?"
Kazuki repeated the last phrase spoken, a question lying underneath her words.
"Yes, everything, to me, is boring."
"Everything is boring. Even the Tennis Club?"
The snobby second year groaned as he stood up from the only chair in the Infirmary. Adding irritably,
"Especially the Tennis club."
"Why would you say that, you haven't gave them a chance yet, " Kazuki stepped in front of the freshman with multiple piercings on his ears to halt him, smiling lightly to herself when she noticed the obvious height difference. "The Tennis Club Is most definitely not boring, Zaizen-kun."
Kazuki grinned as the genius was slightly taken aback from the sudden call of his name. " And why's that?"
"Eh? Well," seeing that the boy was starting to take the bait, Kazuki scratches her cheek as she tries not to list off the weird antics of the team.
"Everyone practices hard,"
An image of the entire tennis club running rounds around the school in the summer sun came to her mind,
"Have fun,"
A disturbing memory of Koharu groping Kenya and Yuuji mimicking the most womanly scream Kazuki has ever heard made her sweatdrop as she sighs,
"Enjoy their time together,"
The bowling sessions were always sudden and she wasn't skipping out on lunch as much anymore.
"And,"
Definition of a Captain: A leader of a team who brings everyone together.
"They have a very good Captain."
It wasn't a nice day; the rain was light but downcast and grey, just like his eyes.
"Everyone is there for each other."
She didn't notice that she was smiling again, closing her eyes to reminisce, a little lift of her lips.
Yes, the word for the tennis team he loves.
"Harmony."
…..
"And I am a dissonance."
W-What?
"Sorry, I don't understand Zaizen-kun, what do you mean-?"
"I am a dissonance, in this harmony."
Would she still tell him to join them? Made him join this happy team and risk breaking this melodic chord?
"I am a Genius, Senpai. I should tell you that I don't need to work as much as everyone else, any club will accept me."
Because I am different.
I'm smarter even though I don't study much. I'm fully capable of learning an instrument, swimming, technology, Economics. I'm an arrogant first-year who doesn't have a good sense of humor and frowns at the Principal's jokes. I'm here out of convenience.
"I only chose this school because it's close to my house. Not because I liked the sense of humor here. If I knew that this place was like this, I would have chosen another school in the first place."
She should be offended by now, by this haughty genius who refuses to tune to anyone's music. So there would be no need for her to keep convincing him anymore.
"If you'll excuse me…." Knowing well from experience, Zaizen grabbed the club form and side-stepped her. Maybe he'll just hand the form for joining the Technology club tomorrow, he's only interested in making a VOCALOID, after he's done, he'll probably be skipping till he graduates...
"I agree."
For the umpteenth time that day, Zaizen groaned and looked straight into her pair of eyes which shone the same color as his. "What do you agree?"
"I agree that Zaizen-kun is a dissonance."
Her triumphant smile made him curious if this senior is truly crazy or plain weird.
"What if what they need is a dissonance?"
…Now that.
That.
Is surprising.
…..
Now, he was surrounded by lots of people in the corridor. The last member of the tennis team, their so-called Vice-Captain, pulled the best gag he could muster. A standstill of silence, and the question Zaizen's been waiting for arrived.
"W-Would you join our Tennis Club?"
Inwardly, Zaizen sighed to himself,
"Sure. Why not."
A beautiful dissonance that resonates with the Harmony.
Would you tune to their chord?
A/N: Hello! This will be a busy year for me. Please do continue to support SHH! ^_^
I hope you enjoyed this music-related chapter!
