A/N: Thanks! I appreciate the inputs so far! It helps me figure out where the various characters stand, and I'll consider what all of you have said carefully (yes, I've read the pms as well, no worries)!

Oh ho~ Atobe and Otori seem to be most popular. That is interesting, they're somewhat…opposites of one another, at least on the surface. Well, these are the kinds of conflicting opinions I like to see! I couldn't consider myself doing a good job if all the votes went to one character, haha.

For those of you who haven't given me your opinion, I encourage you to do so! At the very least, I can get a sense of which regulars you would want to see more scenes written about.

Huhuhu…or maybe people don't actually read these author's notes… Sure gets lonely at times…

Option

"Yo. Shizuka!"

…Hers and Nao's friend, Ikarashi Michi, crossed the street over to their school's sidewalk. She had a soccer ball under her arm, probably heading to her club's practice as well. Shizuka stopped to greet her friend.

"Yukimura, play a match against me again," Michi loosely quoted before Shizuka even had the chance to speak. The short haired, athletic girl cocked an eyebrow, as Shizuka felt her jaw slacken. "Hey, Nao was right about you!"

Ugh…

They fell into step. "Don't tell Nao," Shizuka murmured. She may never hear the end of it.

"Yeah. Good luck with that," Michi replied frankly, adjusting the positioning of her sports bag strap on her shoulder. "I'm sure everyone who was present at club activities yesterday bore witness to it."

…Shizuka settled for changing the topic. "How's practice for the girls' soccer team?"

"Well, the spring and summer quarters are the busiest times of year for sports clubs," Michi answered conversationally, tossing her ball lightly and catching it. "Same goes for the boys' tennis team, right?"

The two engaged in light conversation about the soccer team's up and coming plans before reaching the school gates, where Michi parted jogging.

Once again, Shizuka found her way to the outdoor tennis courts that were for the boys' team's exclusive use. The girls' team, much smaller in size, had the privilege of using the school's indoor courts with air conditioned environment.

She was going to be envying the girls' team manager once summer came around. From what she could recall from her past, summers in Japan were dominated by very humid heat.

"Kagami," Hayate Yumi's voice sounded out to her as Shizuka was looking around the area.

The co-manager of the boys' tennis club approached her, lugging a bundle of new tennis balls behind her. "Looking for the regulars?" Yumi asked. "Apparently, they all left for training camp yesterday evening."

"Is…that so?" Shizuka asked, surprised. She took the bundle from the other girl, who relinquished it to her. "Here, allow me."

They could have at least informed her.

…No, actually, they were under no obligation to report all their plans to her. Besides, she was the one who originally stated she wouldn't be participating in club activities during this break.

"Yumi," Shizuka said, reaching for the item inside her pocket. "You collect dessert-shaped accessories, right?" She held out the intricately crafted shortcake charm dangling from its chain. "This came into my possession during my adventures through artisan streets last week. For you."

Yumi raised an eyebrow at her. "To be certain, you are not offering me something some guy gifted you, are you?"

…Why would she ask that? "Come now," Shizuka replied with a small chuckle. "You don't think I have more tact than that…?"

Yumi answered with a mock imitation, "Yukimura. I will definitely defeat you next time."

Ughh…

"It must be something, being able to forget shame so easily," Yumi said in a matter of fact manner. The girl accepted the gift, however. "Thanks. I will not refuse something offered out of consideration."

For that, Shizuka was glad. Nao and Michi weren't into crafts, but Yumi certainly seemed to share that interest. She wondered if they might get along better in the near future.

"Kagami."

Coach Sakaki noticed her with Yumi as his team's two female managers approached.

Shizuka stopped to greet him with a bow, while Yumi excused herself to go about her assigned tasks.

"You came today," he said simply.

Straightening slowly, Shizuka understood the weight of his gaze. It wasn't that she had forgotten the words of advice he had left her that day at the exhibition hall.

"Truth is…" She couldn't lift her eyes above his cravat. "I wanted to know how they're doing, after yesterday."

"A simple message would have sufficed."

…

He was right. That…might not be what she truly had in her heart. But…why did it feel like he was pressuring her intentionally…?

"Coach…" As someone who had been educated to handle her own matters all her life, it was extremely difficult for her to make this kind of pretentious request from a person whom she held in high regard.

"Please instruct me on how I may better assist them toward their goal of becoming the champions," Shizuka requested.

"As a manager, your presence alone is inspiriting," Coach Sakaki replied, keeping things practical. "What you do now as a manager is enough. They are all national level players who can find their own way in overcoming these hurdles." He said to her in reminder, "There is no need for you to further involve yourself. Your utmost priority at this stage should be working on your artist's portfolio."

…

Yes, she had been too presumptuous in thinking that she could help out with their actual tennis. She placed her hands at her sides, bowing her acceptance. "I understand. Please forgive my impropriety..."

"…is what I'd really like to say." The brunette shut her eyes a moment, before finding the courage to lift her head. "Coach, at that time…" she confessed while thinking back to her observations at the bench, deeply chagrined "...I couldn't offer a bit of advice…or even understand what was happening."

Their levels of tennis were beyond the scope of her knowledge. It had been excruciating, not being able to do anything but watch. She didn't want to relive that experience.

"Even if it's just a little bit, even if it's just a little more," Shizuka found herself saying to the man. "…I want to be able to see more into their world. Is that…an unreasonable desire?"

Hyoutei's prudent and intelligent coach regarded her for a long moment after, as though assessing the intensity of those feelings. "Kagami," he said, causing her to inwardly brace herself.

"I had thought you would say as much."

She blinked, and was further surprised by the sight of him handing something out to her.

"You may go," Coack Sakaki ordered.

They appeared to be a card, with directions on it, and also an envelope.

Shizuka peered at him inquisitively, accepting them with both hands.

He responded, an enigmatic reply, "It's good to keep your options open, is it not?"

'It's good to keep your options open, is it not?'

…What had he meant by that…?

For the entire time since she had gotten on the city bus, her stare had been on the words, in gorgeous script writing, on the front of the white envelope in her hand.

Letter of Recommendation

What does it mean…? What could it mean?

Surely, not because of her thoughtless outburst to the Rikkaidai captain? Oh mon Dieu…what if they thought she was actually serious…!?

Just as she was working herself into a cold sweat, an angry voice exploded near the rear of the bus. "You bastard! You think I'm an easy target, huh!? Do you!?"

Heads turned in the direction of two men in the aisle, one fisting the hood of the other man's jacket and shouting, "Don't mess with me! I saw you drop my wallet into your bag just now!"

…A pickpocket?

Not a skilled one, if he had gotten caught for it.

The accusation was vehemently denied by the man with the jacket. "You're so certain it was me, huh!? Here, check my bag, I'll show you! You see anything!? Do you!?"

The other bus riders were held in suspense as the accuser peered into the open bag the accused held out to him. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth, looking away. "Must have dropped it somewhere," he muttered.

"Told you," the other man said in a huff.

"What, a mistake…?" Shizuka heard being murmured around her.

She glanced at the two from the corner of her eyes.

Much to the relief of the other passengers, the jacket man got off at the next stop, muttering about how they were all giving him strange looks even though he had been wrongly accused.

"…Hey," another rider asked the man who lost his wallet, "What was that about?"

"A knife."

The man responded, ashen faced, "The wallet was there, but he meant to show me the knife he had in his bag."

Horrified reactions from those who overheard.

"Bus Driver." A voice from the back. "I'm getting off here."

Shizuka moved to the rear doors as they opened and closed to let someone off.

"Bus Driver," the brunette called before the transit vehicle could depart. "I'm getting off as well."

Blue jacket, rugged appearance, and black shorts.

She had committed that appearance into memory.

"Hello, Officer?" Shizuka placed her cellphone to ear. "I'm tailing an armed pickpocket. You can pinpoint my location, right?" There was something else she was noticing, as she kept a trained eye on the movement of the offender through the throng of people. "Please send people over quickly."

…That bandana guy some ways ahead of her. Was he tailing that man, as well?

"-Miss, some close-by patrols are rushing over. Stay on the line."

Nearly dropped her phone.

—she had just witnessed the bandana guy yanking the pickpocket into a side alley.

That was an armed man he was going after!

"-Hello? Miss?" Communication forgotten, Shizuka sprinted to their location, brushing by many pedestrians in the way.

"Stop!" Her shout turned the heads of passersby as she rounded the corner. "Police are on their way!"

…

"Hah…!?" The guy wearing the bandana was crouched with knife in hand, fisting the front of the jacket of the pickpocket who—as far as she could tell—was knocked out cold.

…Huh?

"You-…"

Before she could organize her thoughts, men in uniform rushed past her yelling, "Freeze!"

"What-!? Oi!"

Shizuka snapped out of it. "Wait-…! That's not the one!"

After a minute or two of listening to her explanations and casting dubious stares at guy who had the knife in hand, the officers finally released the innocent.

"You're the one who made the call?" they asked her as they dragged the pickpocket away.

"Yes," she replied. "What he stole should be inside his bag." The bandana guy retrieved his own belongings, a heavy duty sports bag, from the ground and headed off, pointedly ignoring the stares of onlookers.

"May we request you to come with us to the station, as an eyewitness?" the officer who spoke to her was asking.

She cast a glance down at her watch. "You can always reach me on my number, but right now…an important appointment…" Thinking quickly, the brunette grabbed the elbow of the bandana guy who just happened to pass by right then. "As for an eyewitness, isn't there another?"

"Hah!?" The guy's glaring eyes rounded on her over his shoulder.

"While you're at it," Shizuka was saying to the officer. "…Please teach him the dangers of going after armed offenders on his own."

"What!? Hold it right there, I've also got-!" The officer's hand clamped down on the guy's shoulder.

"Come with us, Sir."

"I've said-!" The bandana guy protested, and caught sight of her waving goodbye as she departed. "Why you—!"

She was going to be late.

She was late.

Even though she had been running since the place the express bus had dropped her off at. Why was a training camp located so deep into a mountainous area at the outskirts of Tokyo? The reception here was so bad that she couldn't even make a call to inform of her delay ahead of time.

She was entirely out of breath by the time she ascended the steps of the huge three-storied building at the end of the path. The only architectural structure she had seen since leaving the main road.

She pressed the buzzer.

Sound of sliding doors. "Your immediate right, on the third floor." She couldn't see clearly against the glare of the midday sun, but it appeared to be a man's form, looking down at her from a third floor balcony with binoculars. "Doors not locked."

Was that…the coach in charge of this place?

Shizuka pressed down on the handles, and found that the doors were indeed unlocked.

"…Excuse me for the intrusion…" the girl said, entering quietly.

The interior was quiet, almost too quiet. She had half expected to see people there, but she supposed they would be training outside in this nice weather.

It was a place that gave off a decent feeling, however. From an architectural design perspective, she had learned that the sun-brightened space, with wide arches and airy windows overhead, was meant to instill perceptions of freedom from constraints. Simply put, it was a newer building, designed with the influence of Western view on education in mind.

The white on the railings of the stairs was still untarnished, though the telltale scents of new paint had long faded. Two years, she absently guessed. Maybe three, since the place was initially built.

The man greeted her at the top of the stairs. He was wearing a thin white coat, almost like a lab coat, handsomely on his lithe frame. His platinum blonde hair was so light coloured it was almost white…or maybe it was white. At second glance, it was difficult to tell the age range this man belonged in. The dark green eyes behind his thin round glasses frames were definitely seasoned and professional.

"Okura Ashita," the man introduced himself as. "I've been notified of your arrival."

He turned, beckoning for her to follow him into his office. "You're with the group that came in yesterday, correct? Sakaki Tarou's students?"

"Ah, yes." Shizuka remembered her manners. "Please forgive my tardiness," she bowed, "I am terribly sorry to have inconvenienced you."

"You're fine." The man, Okura-san, waved it off. "I've just been contacted by the other group. They've also apparently been held up by one of their members. More importantly," he held out a hand, "I believe you have something to give me."

The…letter, she offered it to him with both hands, bowing her head in respect.

He gestured for her to take a seat, then swiftly retrieved the contents of the envelope with a letter opener.

…

It must be admitted that she was not breathing naturally as he read through the contents.

In all her life, Kagami Shizuka had only been through one official interview. And that had been a marriage interview she had floundered.

'If you cannot be feminine enough to attract a good man,' her mother had said candidly to her afterwards, 'then you should at least be smart enough to support yourself financially.'

'I care not if it is in fine arts or anything else, as long as it will not bring embarrassment to me: Get into a first rate post-secondary institution and receive a degree. That is my only condition.'

…She had gotten absorbed in those memories, she hadn't noticed the man glancing up from the letter.

…Coach Sakaki…do you…

…also think that a path in fine arts was no longer feasible?

"Man, these guys." Okura-san let out a long-suffering sigh. "When I started up this pilot project two years ago, people claimed it's too tedious a process. Now, I'm suddenly popular~"

Shizuka blinked up.

"Well, it's certainly the first time I've been entrusted with two groups at once." Okura-san chuckled, placing the letter aside. "This is good. I can attempt something new with this. With your arrival, the numbers match."

"Um…" Sensations of dread were beginning to fester. "What exactly-…" What exactly did that letter contain-

Her question was prematurely interrupted by the sounding of the buzzer.

"One sec," Okura-san told her, getting up with his binoculars. He went out to the balcony again.

"Doors are unlocked. The coach, join us up on third floor."

Wow…he was speaking so casually to another coach, was he?

"What excellent timing," Okura-san remarked upon his return to his desk. "Saves me the trouble of explaining things twice."

…Shizuka got to her feet. She supposed she could wait a bit longer for that explanation.

It wasn't long before a tall young man, carrying with him an aura of sublime sophistication and intelligence, entered through the door with a bow of apology.

"For missing the appointed time, I deeply apologize on behalf of myself and my team."

The newcomer noticed her presence, inclining his head to her as well. "Please accept my appearance," he greeted in conventional decorum.

"Yes," Shizuka replied in kind, "Please accept my appearance."

"Tezuka," Okura-san remarked, "Glad your group can make it. Finally got your off-season schedule worked out?"

"Most assuredly," was the reply from the young man. "My apologies for the uncertainty up until now."

"Tezuka here," Okura-san thankfully explained to her, "is the temporary coach over at Seishun Academy's senior high division. He's a young professional athlete your age, already with some coaching experience." The man was speaking of said young athlete with something akin to admiration. "Achieved a Grand Slam in the junior discipline at singles last year, and had just erupted into the senior scene this January as a quarterfinalist."

"…I see," Shizuka responded, glancing at the guy whom Okura-san was praising. "That must be impressive."

Okura-san gazed at her with the speaking lift of an eyebrow. "Kagami-chan," he said, already knowing her name. "You're not here because you love tennis, are you?"

…

If she loved tennis, she would've joined the girls' tennis club instead.

"No," Tezuka protested in modesty, pressing up on his glasses with two fingers. "My record is nothing exemplary. There is nothing unusual about this young lady's reaction."

He had a good voice. Full of vitality and underlying confidence. A person who spoke like a natural born leader of men.

"Ah, that's right." Okura-san gestured to her. "This is Miss Kagami, who was recommended here by Hyoutei's advisor, Sakaki Tarou, at the last minute. It is sudden, but I ask for your cooperation in having her participate in this program."

Turning toward her, the guy named Tezuka inclined his head in a solemn nod.

Her questions still haven't been answered.

"Well then, respective coaches," Okura-san announced with the cross of his arms. "There is just one thing I need to make clear before anything else."

…Come again-?

She might have heard something amazing just now-

"Unless given my explicit permission, no playing between players is allowed," the blonde man emphasized. "I want no injury on my hands that the schools will complain of."

Whoa, whoa, whoa…

Injury. He just talked about playing and injury in the same breath.

"Uh-"

"You are legally responsible for the well-being of your respective teams. Keep that in mind, and it shouldn't go wrong."

Too fast. Whoa, too fast.

"Excuse me, please," Shizuka interrupted quickly. "Am I to understand that, by 'coaches'…" She glanced to the guy next to her, and then pointed toward herself. "Me, as well…?"

"Something the matter?" Okura-san was lifting his glasses up higher onto the bridge of his nose. "It's why you were sent here, were you not?"

Definitely…wasn't the reason.

She was here because she couldn't understand tennis the way they did, so how could they expect-

"I'm sorry," Shizuka said. "There must be some mistake."

Under their questioning stares, she hastily admitted, "I can't possibly fill that role. I'm not skilled enough to help them."

Okura-san's head tilted to one side with an amused smile. "You two. What is a coach's role, do you think?"

As she hesitated in her reply, the guy next to her answered, "The coach sets the standards and provides the means. The athlete's task is to meet those expectations with his own ability."

"As expected of Tezuka," Okura-san praised. "You've had experience on both sides of the equation."

…She glanced at the serious countenance of the tall guy next to her. He honestly believed in the description he gave.

"Kagami-chan," Okura-san said. "I hope that's adequate for you."

Her mind…was reeling…

"For the five days you are here, until Saturday, you'll both be working to improve the team I assign you."

Dimly, she registered that word, seemingly out of place, in that sentence. "Assign…"

"Kuku. Let me ask you two," the blonde man demanded in response. "In your minds, who is the toughest opponents your teams will ever have to face?"

Immediately, her mind flashed back to yesterday.

Rikkaidai…?

Surprisingly, Tezuka answered, without the slightest trace of pause. "It is within ourselves the greatest enemies are to be found."

…Again, she glanced over at him.

"That is correct," Okura-san said in approval.

…Was that so…? She was instantly ashamed.

"As a matter of fact," the blonde man proclaimed, "a coach's most important task is to understand where his or her players' weaknesses lie. And of course, to know how to utilize their players' strengths in overcoming their weaknesses."

"Therefore~" He pointed to Tezuka. "Tezuka-kun." He pointed to her. "Kagam-chan."

To Tezuka, "You'll be working with Hyoutei." To Shizuka, the opposite was true, "You'll be responsible for Seigaku."

What-?

What—?

He declared, "The testament of your true abilities as trainers will reveal on Saturday. You have five days to grasp and target your own team's weaknesses, as well as to overcome the weaknesses of your assigned team that the other trainer is familiar with. So when Saturday comes around-…"

"Train them so that they will defeat your own teams in the matchups I will be arranging."

…

Nothing. Made sense anymore.

She reached for the back of the chair at her side, and felt the strength in her legs give out.

The last thing she recalled seeing was the alarm and confusion in both males' eyes before dizziness overwhelmed her.

Ah…

…She really shouldn't have gone to school today…

A/N: Lots of trouble and fun times ahead. Please look forward to it!

Yes, I understand it may be upsetting to see Tezuka being taken out of the competition for the Nationals. But, I honestly believe Konomi created Tezuka to be a character who is undefeatable, except perhaps by Echizen, and I wish to respect that.

If there are any Seigaku fans following this story, you can drop me a line on which regulars you'd like to see me try writing more about. I have a great deal of flexibility to work with in the following chapters.