Chapter XI: Tennis Tournament

The next day at Tennis practice, Rio asked myself and a few others on the team to stay behind after the others had gone. So when we finished up in the locker room, I walked over to the group that she had gathered at the back on the gym.

'Is everyone here?' She asked.

'I think so, what's up?' I asked back.

'Well, I have decided to take you girls to Inaba for the tournament on the 1st.' She smiled. 'After the match at Yasogami High School, we will be staying at the famous Amagi Inn. I hear that they have the best natural hot springs in the region.'

Everyone got excited and thanked Rio for the opportunity before being allowed to leave. After they had all gone, I stopped her before she left. I couldn't really afford to be away so close to the next full moon, but I couldn't let the team down by not showing up either.

'Are you sure you want me on the team there?' I asked her.

'Minako, you're the best player on this team, we need you there.' She replied.

'I'm just worried because Mitsuru-senpi was talking about an event around the same time.' I tried to bluff her.

'Kirijo-senpi? The student council president?' She asked. 'Don't worry, I'll talk to her about it.'

'Oh, okay then.' I nodded. 'Thanks.'

'No problem, Yuko and Kaz are going too, representing the Kendo team, so it should be a lot of fun.' She smiled.

I was walking back from school that day when I saw Fuuka and Yukari stood outside of the dorms with a familiar looking white haired dog.

'Give me your paw, Koro-chan.' Fuuka called out to him.

'Arf!' He did as he was asked.

'Good boy!' Yukari praised him.

I walked closer. 'Can I pet him?'

'Arf! Arf!' He seemed excited to see me and sat in front of me.

'He seems to like you.' Fuuka pointed out.

'Yeah, we met before at the shrine.' I told them. 'So your name is Koro-chan, huh? Nice to meet you.'

'Arf! Arf! Arf!' He snuggled up to me.

'I've always had a soft spot for dogs, do you know what breed he is?' I asked them both.

'His full name is Koromaru and he's a Shiba Inu, pure breed.' Fuuka smiled.

'Why's he here though?' I asked. 'Doesn't he have an owner?'

'You haven't heard?' Yukari asked, surprised.

'Koromaru used to be the pet of the priest at Naganaki Shrine, who would take him for walks every day around this area, until he was killed in a traffic accident. Every day since, he has took the same rout for his daily walk and protected the shrine, hoping that one day his master will return.' Fuuka explained to me.

'That is so sad, you're such a loyal dog, Koro-chan.' I praised him.

'Arf.' He looked sad.

After saying goodbye to Koromaru, I decided to go into the dorm with Yukari and Fuuka. Later that night, everyone was sat in the lounge when Mitsuru finally managed to get home from school, using the sign in sheet to sign in.

'Welcome back Mitsuru-senpi.' Yukari greeted her.

'Thank you Takeba.' She replied. 'Arisato, can I speak with you a moment please?'

'Sure thing.' I told her.

'Iwasaki came to speak with me before I went home.' She looked at me. 'She says that you told her I had something planned for you around the 1st.'

'Oh, about that.' I began to explain.

'Don't worry, I understand your concern.' She smiled. 'However, this is an important academic opportunity for you and you should be back just in time for the next full moon.'

'Okay, it'll require me to spend more time at practice and less time at Tartarus though, so I won't be at my full strength.' I explained to her.

'That's fine, I have full confidence that you'll exceed my expectations either way.' She told me with a smile.

Soon enough, summer vacation was here and the tournament was approaching faster than I expected. On the morning of the 1st, I packed some essentials for the trip and walked down to the lounge, where Yukari was eating her breakfast.

'Oh hey.' She greeted me. 'I'm so jealous that you get to go to the Amagi Inn, their hot springs are amazing.'

'Maybe we can go again during summer vacation?' I suggested to her.

'I think Yakushima was enough for me this year.' She replied. 'What about next year though?

'It's a promise.' I told her.

'I'll look forward to it, too bad Mitsuru and Akihiko-senpi won't be here next summer though.' She nodded.

When I got to school, Rio and Yuko oversaw organizing the trip, so they made sure everyone was present before we got on the coach to Yasogami High School, Inaba. Once we got there, we met with the opposing team, who led us to their gym which looked almost as new as Gekkoukan's. Before the match, we had a briefing in the locker room, so we all gathered around Rio.

'Alright, I know we can do this.' Rio started. 'Their team looks good, but I hear that they haven't been practicing as much as us, so we may have an advantage over them there.'

'So long as we stick to the strategy that we've been practicing, then we should be able to pull this off.' I told them all.

When we got onto the court, I tried to analyze everyone that we were up against, but I guess they aren't the same as Shadows, so I would just have to see how they played and go with it. In the end, it was a close game, but we managed to win in the last few minutes. When we got outside to be transported to the Amagi Inn, we met up with Yuko and Kaz and were greeted by a younger girl with black hair, who seemed to have been waiting for us, moments later.

'Hello, my name is Yukiko Amagi, I'll be taking you to the Amagi Inn.' She introduced herself.

'Oh, are you working there at such a young age?' Rio asked her.

'No, I just like to help my mom out whenever I can.' Yukiko smiled. 'Right this way.'

'I can't wait to try those hot springs out.' Yuko said excitedly.

'Me too.' I agreed with her.

When we got to the Amagi Inn, we entered and I was taken back by its beauty, it really was something special. We were introduced to the manager and some of the staff team, and Yukiko showed us to our rooms. When we entered it, it was the biggest room I had ever seen, something which looked like it would have cost a small fortune to book.

'Alright, this is your room.' Yukiko smiled. 'If you need anything, then don't be scared to call room service.'

Another worker approached us. 'Yukiko, your friend Chie-chan is here for you.'

'Oh, I'm so sorry but I have to go now.' She bowed to us. 'Have a nice stay!'

'She seems so mature for a kid.' Yuko commented.

'Yeah, look at this room though.' Rio pointed out.

'Never mind that, I'm ready to test out those natural hot springs.' Yuko replied.

'How did you guys manage to book a room like this?' I asked them both.

'I didn't, the manager suggested it to us for a cheap price.' Yuko told me.

'It must be a marketing thing they do here, to encourage people to come back.' Rio suggested.

We all got changed and headed down to the hot springs, when we got there, myself, Yuko and Rio were the only people there and it looked huge. We got in and the water was the perfect temperature, making it so relaxing for us.

'So, Yuko.' I spoke up. 'What's the deal with you and Kaz?'

'Yeah, you're always taking care of him, it's like you're already married.' Rio stated.

'It's nothing like that, I think he sees me as more of a motherly figure.' Yuko replied.

'Have you asked him?' I asked.

'No, but I can guess his answer.' Yuko admitted.

'You never know until you try.' Rio encouraged her.

'I'll tell you what, if in the future, we are both still single, then I'll ask him to marry me.' Yuko gave in.

'I knew it!' Rio shouted.

'You go girl!' I joined in.

The three of us laughed and enjoyed the rest of the evening, staying up all night talking and eating snacks, something which I've missed from the little childhood I had. The next morning, we got the coach back to Gekkoukan High and I went straight to the dorm to get some rest. It was finally time to enjoy my summer vacation, even though the next full moon was mere days away.