The courts were buzzing with chatter about this new club member that had gotten Arai so riled up. Sadaharu Inui walked from group to group, listening in to their conversations and occasionally jotting down things in his notebook. Apparently, it was a first-year or second-year, who rambled in English and Japanese, and was friends with the first-year regular. Everyone was curious and had hoped that the acting captain would shed some light on the situation, but as he was getting ready to begin their usual warm-up run, he was called to Ryusaki-sensei's office. He left in a hurry, but not before giving the order of 20 laps to all club members.
"Hey Momo, what's going on?" Eiji Kikumaru asked as they were running. "Who's this new guy everyone's talking about?"
"New guy? Is he going to take someone's place?" Takashi Kawamura asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
"Hey ochibi-chan, you know him right? What's he like? Is it really true? Does he really wear his hair in a bun? The only person I know who wears their hair in a bun is my grandma!" Kikumaru remarked.
Ryoma gave no response except to run ahead.
"Hmmm, it seems that Echizen does not want to try my special Inui Juice today. I'm trying out a new formula today, with the taste thoroughly adjusted," Inui said, running alongside Kikumaru, Momo, and Taka-san.
"Ehhhh????" the trio screeched. The color drained from their faces as they turned their concentration back to the most important task at hand: running for their lives.
Fuji could only chuckle as he increased his speed to keep up – he was not going to be robbed of the fun of watching someone else drink the juice yet again.
Oishi knocked on the door to Ryusaki's office and was greeted with a "Come in."
The acting captain entered the room to see Ryusaki-sensei seated at her desk and a girl looking out the window that overlooked the courts.
Wow, they're so motivated! It's amazing, they're actually gaining speed after that many laps!
"Well, Oishi, Kuroko-san sent over a player as you requested, second-year Elizabeth Ayazumi Tsuyoshi, regular member of the girls' tennis club."
"Elizabeth" huh? I wonder if she is an Amerikajin.
The girl turned around, took a step towards the acting captain, extended her hand towards the boy and, looking him straight in the eyes, said "Oishi… nice to meet you."
Oishi looked at her for a second before taking her hand in a handshake and introducing himself, "Syuichiroh Oishi. Nice to meet you, Tsuyoshi-kun."
Aya tilted her head to the side for a moment, her brows furrowed. Then her face lit up in realization of her mistake, and a small, embarrassed grin came onto her face. "Excuse me! I am so sorry! I keep forgetting and doing things the American way." She took a small step back and gave a slight bow to the older boy in front of her. "I am Elizabeth Ayazumi Tsuyoshi, but please call me Aya. Nice to meet you, Oishi-sempai, and please excuse my rudeness," she said in a very formal voice.
Oishi smiled as he assured her that she need not apologize nor be that formal, earning him yet another embarrassed grin. "So Aya-kun, did Ryusaki-sensei tell you why you're here?"
"Yup! It sounds very interesting," Aya answered.
"Then, you want to play with us?"
"Of course! I would love a chance to play with the famous Seigaku boys' team."
Suddenly, laughter erupted from behind the two students. Aya turned to see Ryusaki-sensei laughing heartily at the window. "You two should get going. It looks like they're done with the laps," Ryusaki-sensei said between hearty laughs, wiping a tear from her eye. A puzzled Aya shot a look at Oishi, wondering if he knew what was going on, only to find the boy with the interesting haircut sweating nervously and looking quite pale.
"So, you're from America?" Oishi asked as the two made their way down to the tennis courts. "One of our regulars is also from America."
"Right, Ryoma," Aya answered.
"You know him? Did you go to school together?"
"Oh no, we're actually from completely different sides of the country. He's from New York, and I'm from California."
"How do you know each other then?"
"We played in the same circuit. We've played in the same tournaments several times."
"Echizen played on the national level in America?!" Oishi exclaimed.
"Ryoma? He…" Aya stopped. Could it be? It sounds like he doesn't know. Well, guess the brat never told them. Oops. "Well, they were junior tournaments for students," she said vaguely. "Um, so, does he still have that wonderful knack for pissing off people he's just met?" she asked, earning a nervous chuckle from her sempai.
Luckily, Oishi changed the subject back to her as they arrived at the courts to find all of the club members lying in a heap near a table. Well, almost. The boy whom Aya had seen before was leaning against the fence, while a very tall boy with spiky hair and wearing glasses was madly scribbling in a notebook.
"Hey! Who's that with Oishi-sempai?" Momo asked as he gasped for air. There was something familiar about her that Momo couldn't quite put his finger on. As they came closer, Momo realized why. It can't be….
Everyone looked up to see Oishi approach with a girl in a girls' tennis regular uniform.
Kikumaru eyed the figure who seemed to be speaking closely with his doubles partner. "Oishi", he said in a near-whisper. Then a huge, mischievous grin snaked its way across his face. Forgetting his exhaustion, he bounced up and pounced on the raven-haired boy. "Oishi, sneaky! You've been keeping secrets from me! Aren't you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?"
"Eh???" Oishi turned bright red. "Eiji! Don't joke around like that! You may give her the wrong idea!"
"So, she's not your girlfriend?" Kikumaru said slowly. The redhead leaned over Oishi, closer to a wide-eyed Aya and flashed a silly teeth-baring grin. "That would mean she's available?"
"Eiji! Stop!" Oishi reprimanded, earning a pout from the charged acrobat. "You're making her feel uncomfortable!" The flustered boy pried his doubles partner off and in the calmest and most authoritative voice he could manage, yelled out, "All members on the courts! I have an announcement to make!"
Aya looked at the rows of boys lined up facing her and the acting captain. She observed the seven regulars who were standing in the very front. On one end was Ryoma looking most uninterested. Next to him was Momoshiro, who was staring at Aya as if she were an alien, and next to him was a surly looking boy in an orange bandanna. In the middle stood a tall boy with a friendly face and a timid smile, and next to him was the energetic redhead, who was having trouble standing still. In complete contrast was the boy next to him. The boy from before still had on a serene, almost amused smile. At the end of the line, opposite of Ryoma, in more ways than one, stood the tall, spiky-haired boy who was holding a notebook at his side. Everyone looked to be in great shape, and suddenly, Aya felt extremely self-conscious. She could hear the murmurs from behind the line of regulars; the club members were having trouble containing their curiosity. She breathed a sigh of relief when Oishi began talking.
"Ahem," Oishi waited for them to quiet down. "Two weeks ago, I received an email from Kiyosumi Sengoku of Yamabuki Middle School. It was an invitation sent out to some of the schools that participated in the regional tournament. He had convinced his coach to let him organize a special contest to be held in two weeks at his school. The invitation included a challenge to Seigaku and Fudomine to let the other schools get a chance at revenge at a friendly competition. Even though nationals begin in three weeks, I have accepted their challenge."
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Oishi was surprised when he checked his email that night. It had been only three days since he took over Tezuka's duties, and he had found himself with less and less time. Checking email had to be one of the activities that got cut. Even then, he was surprised to open up his inbox to find 42 new emails, most of which were from students in the regional rival teams.
His first instinct was to say no when he read Sengoku's invitation. The date fell right in between the break between Kantou and nationals, and he figured that his team would need that break. It was hard to turn down a direct challenge, even a light-hearted one, but his team's health was at stake here. However, as he read the correspondence between the other captains and Sengoku, he became more and more convinced that this was going to be fun. As expected, Fudomine was one of the teams that had not responded as they, like Seigaku, were playing in the semi-finals of Kantou at the time.
Oishi chose to speak with Ryusaki-sensei before making a decision, but he knew that the ultimate decision would fall on him. As expected, she told him of the pros and cons, but left the burden of deciding with him.
What finally helped Oishi make up his mind was seeing the members at practice that day. He noticed that everyone was trying hard, but seemed to have lost concentration. The pressure of the semi-finals and the absence of their captain, compounded with the growing doubt as to whether Tezuka would return in time for nationals, were pushing his team hard. Too hard, the naturally caring boy decided. As the last captain to respond, Oishi accepted the challenge posed to him. He also decided to keep it a surprise until after Kantou was over, so his team would have one less thing to worry about.
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"So, what's so special about the tournament, Oishi-sempai?" Momo asked.
"The tournament will have two singles matches and two doubles matches."
"Uh, so what's so special about that?"
"Ahh," a slight blush spread over Oishi's cheeks as he explained. "Sengoku-san was, um, very insistent on having female players in the tournament." To be exact, the words he had used were actually "I want to see lots of the cute, cute girls that go to the different schools here, especially the ones from Seigaku." Oishi had, naturally, assumed that it was a joke, but it would have been too embarrassing to repeat those words in front of the team, especially in front Aya. I'm sure she already feels awkward enough. "So, one of the doubles matches, the main event, in fact, will be a mixed doubles match. That's where she comes in." Oishi gestured to Aya. "This is Elizabeth Ayazumi Tsuyoshi. Aya-kun is a second-year regular on the girls' team. She has agreed to be our mixed doubles partner for the tournament."
Aya gave a small bow to the group in front of her, where a low murmur was growing. "Elizabeth? She doesn't look like an 'Elizabeth'." "What were you expecting?" "Someone blond or something. She's not even a gaijin."
Oishi cleared his throat to get his club's attention. "As I was saying, Aya-kun will be training with us until the tournament takes place. Please make her feel welcomed." The club responded affirmatively. "Now, first-years get ready for balls running! Second and third years on C court. Regulars will be on A and B courts."
Aya watched as everyone but the regulars scrambled off. The seven now gathered around her and the boy with the close-cropped hair, who began introductions. "Aya-kun, these are our regulars: second-years Takeshi Momoshiro and Kaoru Kaidoh."
The boy in the bandanna, avoiding eye-contact, grunted a greeting, while the boy with the spiky hair waved with one hand and ran the other hand through his hair, all the while sporting an embarrassed grin.
Oishi continued "Third-years Takashi Kawamura …" who gave Aya shy smile and introduced himself in an uncertain voice.
"…Sadaharu Inui …Inui!" The boy's head snapped up from his notebook, said a quick "Nice to meet you", and then turned his attention back to scribbling. Aya thought she heard him mumble something that sounded like "159 cm."
"Inui! Put that notebook down. Why do you need data on her?"
Aya watched as the tallest boy flipped to another page and scribbled down something while mumbling that sounded like "okaasan."
Oishi sighed. "This is Syusuke Fuji …" The tensai smiled warmly as usual as he greeted her. How creepy. His eyes are closed again. Does he ever open them? I wonder what color they are. Aya found herself thinking.
"… and this is…" Oishi was cut off by the bouncing ball of energy.
"Hoi hoi! I'm Eiji Kikumaru! How long have you two known each other? How did you guys meet? Are you really not his girlfriend?"
"Eiji!"
"What, Syu-kun?" Kikumaru grinned at the taller boy.
Aya watched the two boys in front of her begin to bicker. Oishi was beginning to lecture the other how he should be more considerate, while Kikumaru teasingly accused Oishi of having a secret affair and not telling him about it.
Aya's head began to spin. This was all just a little bit too overwhelming.
"Don't worry about them, Tsuyoshi-kun. They're always like that," Fuji said to the distressed girl.
Seeing his amused smile helped her calm down. "Oh. Ahh, please call me Aya, that's what I'm used to." Then she turned to the Golden Pair. "Ano…" she interrupted. "Kikumaru-sempai, I met Oishi-sempai about ten minutes ago in Ryusaki-sensei's office."
"Aww," Kikumaru said disappointedly. "Well, that's no fun."
"See? And, uh, where was I? Oh yes, Echizen," a worn-out Oishi said.
"Ryoma."
"Aya," he replied. Momo's fist promptly made contact with the top of his head. "Sempai."
"All right, let's not waste any more time and start practice! Inui, explain what we'll be doing."
A/N: Yup, it's an girl. I noticed that there aren't that many female characters in TeniPuri, not at Seigaku anyway, so I added one. There's been a rash of stories with OC girls lately, yay. I hope the characters aren't too OOC here.
Next chapter: Why is Aya at Seigaku? Did she follow Echizen here? (The answer is no.)