Fuji noticed immediately. He was not surprised, nor was he angered. He was just curious as to why a girl wanted to attend their Invitational camp. What kind of person was she? Was she desperate? Was she unsatisfied? Did she have a superiority complex? Inferiority complex? What were her secrets?

Fuji momentarily forgot that tennis was his purpose. Perhaps other people's drama now rivaled his other hobbies. He had always been interested in the truth, in lies, in gossip; a "hobby" his sister always chastised him for making him feminine. But, that was all right.

At first, he did not say anything until he noticed her close relationship with Echizen. Being the observant young man that he was, it did not take long for Fuji to realize that Renji Yanagi was in on the secret as well.

It was about time he joined the fun.

At first, she was just something that would make things interesting. At first, Imako Usami was just another unique character attending the Junior Invitational Camp.

At first, he was just going to let the events slip by on their own.

But alas, he found himself wanting to get more and more involved. Imako was a cute person, anyway. It was about time he met a girl with sensibility and with just enough awkwardness to keep things interesting. He socialized with boys with too much testosterone stuffed into their heads too often.

Sure, she was cute, but she was just not his type. But, that was all right, since someone else was already on his mind. He liked to watch, anyway. Fuji even shocked himself when he decided not to manipulate the situation and let the game play out on its own. Besides, he liked to make his own private show of the other boys faltering at her feet like whimpering children. It captivated him. The melodrama was more intriguing than a primitive brawl or panting about someone's wet dream.

It was cute.

"He likes you."

It was amusing when she squirmed. It wasn't difficult to make Imako break her bearings, after all. Fuji always wondered how she lasted so long without throwing out her identity. After all, she wasn't the sharpest tool in the box (as they say). All right, she was smart, but she was just too emotional. Imako was amused easily, hurt easily, angered easily. Like waves washing away the sand on a golden shore, every time Imako's mood changed, just a bit more of her was revealed.

Overall, it was cute to observe as the days rolled by. Fuji got to know her just as Renji did, and he learned to like her personality (as much as Sanada pretended not to).

Were they the only ones who knew? Was Fuji just as obligated as the two Rikkai Dai boys and Echizen to retain Imako's secret?

After awhile, the answer became all too clear.

Fuji was not cruel. He manipulated, sure, but he did not crush another person's dreams often.

Secrets were fun to keep. They were fun to pry out of others, as well. At least for Fuji Shuusuke.

Perhaps the boy enjoyed such a pastime because it allowed him to understand others, and their nature, and their actions. When encountered with a difficult truth, how would they face it? When standing on the precipice of defeat would they collapse? Would they become stronger?

All these things fascinated Fuji. His only disappointment in Imako Usami was that she was not as analytical as he was. She took words for granted and trusted quickly. And as much as Imako thought she understood about those around her there was still an insurmountable amount of secrets in a male's mind that she could never find.

Especially in Renji's mind. Or Sanada's. Hell, even Fuji wouldn't let her in on any of his demons. Some secrets were too darkly precious to reveal to someone as oblivious and joyous as Keiichiro Usami.

Then again, Imako was only Keiichiro on the outside. And "Keiichiro" only saw the outside of other people, as well. Fuji once thought she could see through his enigmatic stare (you learned a lot about a person when you were stuck with them day and night for days on end), but he was fooled by that same, innocent smile. Perhaps she did try to see those loaded secrets but not nearly hard enough.

Just as a woman distanced herself from the men she cared about, men did the same in hopes that the woman would not see their flaws.

Imako was too distracted by her own problems, anyway. Devilish secrets caressed in wisps of emotion were formulated delicately in a boy's mind, but soon faded away and never crossed that barrier that was feminine persuasion. Fuji knew that, inwardly, Imako was having too much fun.

He just hoped that she eventually could gain awareness of all those unspoken vows made around her.

These vows, these secrets that Fuji constantly contemplated were not his, nor were they his to keep. They belonged to other shy spirits whose male pride prevented any such utterance of their existence.

Renji Yanagi, for example, was one of those who hid in the corner. Fuji never knew the boy was so deep. He should have expected it, perhaps.

"Do you like her?"

"She…she's all right…"

When Renji couldn't look Fuji in the eye, the latter was all too humored by his own accuracy. Imako was certainly more than 'all right' to the boy. If only Fuji could pry under the timorous young man's systematical exterior and prod at the sensitive boy that was underneath it all. He could definitely be entertained for hours.

Before temptation settled in, Fuji moved on to his next subject. Genichirou Sanada was also another one of those deep people that would never let the world know he had emotions.

"Imako's nice, isn't she?"

Though, when Sanada did not answer, Fuji was disappointed. It had always been hard to read the stoic teenager. How could he find any suggestive hints when Sanada did not even open his lips? It would take awhile to break through Sanada's strong barrier, and Fuji just did not have the interest.

But, when Fuji thought about it, he started to believe that Imako would be the one to do it. He could stick around until then.

Besides, what demons did Imako Usami have? None that he could see creeping underneath that frail mask of hers. But, was that truly all right? The deeper they hid, the darker they became.

No. He had known her for only a week but he trusted her ability to be gentle, pristine. She had to be if she wanted to survive. She did not manipulate, she did not use others for her personal gain, she did not lie, she did not cheat. Imako remained true to herself and to others since that was the only thing she could do. And yet, Fuji attached himself to her, like a leech, perhaps envious of her honesty, hoping to care just as much as she did.

Fuji Shuusuke had always been the hypocrite, after all.