Title: Variable Geometry (3/?)
Author name: Leo Dormiens
Author email: leodormiens2000@yahoo.com
Category: Drama
Warning: Non-explicit Shonen Ai
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A love triangle... No wait! It's a love square.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Takeshi Konomi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author notes: A million thanks to my betas Abinikai and Jennifer M for catching most of my stupid mistakes.
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This was not going well. Actually, scratch that. This was going to be the end of him. Ryoma closed his eyes in dismay.
It was ten days since it started, but Inui still found new ways to torture him. Sure, Seishun Gakuen was a large enough school, with plenty of closets and deserted hallways to hide in, yet somehow his ruthless senpai always managed to find him and ruin whatever he was trying to do. The worst time, of course, was at tennis practice, because Ryoma couldn't even attempt to escape.
"That was your third miss, Echizen," said Inui, handing him the dreaded plastic flask. "I'm afraid you'll have to drink my latest concoction."
From the stand nearby, Sakuno and Tomoka witnessed the scene with matching outraged expressions on their face. "Inui-senpai," protested Tomoka, "he only missed this shot because you called out his name just as he was about to strike the ball!"
"I know," Inui replied without turning back. "I was testing his concentration. Apparently, he still has to work on it."
With a snort, Ryoma raised a hand to take the flask. Inui caught him by the wrist and pulled him close. "Now, Echizen, if you tell me what I want to hear, I'll discreetly replace this highly dangerous beverage with your favorite brand of soda."
Ryoma suddenly remembered what he forgot to do: perfect his 'surprised and innocent' smile. "What you want to hear? Let me think. Data Tennis rules!"
Inui stared at him blankly for an instant, then smiled grimly. "Okay, if that's how you want to play, it's alright with me. Please drink. Comments and suggestions about how to enhance the formula are highly appreciated."
"Ah, poor Ryoma-sama!" he heard Tomoka scream as he reluctantly drained the flask. It occurred to him that Inui usually handed out his creative punishment in paper cups. And this flask had Ryoma's name on it. So. A new type of Inui juice prepared especially for him. Just how bad could things get?
He turned to leave, already feeling dizzy. Inui held him back by the collar. "You can't win with me, but I'm really enjoying your show of resistance," Inui whispered in his ear before releasing him.
.
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After half an hour spent painfully throwing up in the toilets, Ryoma felt marginally better. He went to the sink to wash his face and rinse his mouth, then glared at his sick-looking face in the mirror. This had to stop. But how? He gave his word to Kaidoh, so telling Inui the truth to get the third year off his back just wasn't an option. He could make up some pretty lies. No, that was the coward's way out of it. For lack of anything better, he would just have to suffer until the end of the year, which, mercifully, was only a month and a half away. This ordeal was likely to sharpen his survival instinct, which was at least something.
Sakuno and Tomoka were waiting for him at he entrance of the gymnasium's men's room, and they started fussing over him as soon as he appeared. While Tomoka babbled about the infirmary and why he should go there, Ryoma stole a glance at Sakuno, sizing her up. As usual, she looked like a Barbie doll. And for God's sake, Hello Kitty hair pins? Would she ever notice that she wasn't in primary school anymore?
"Your tennis outfit is too. pink," he tossed at her casually. "You should think about buying another one."
The comment brought Sakuno on the verge of tears, and Ryoma lowered his head in exasperation. Tomoka, who hadn't even heard him, went on and on about his supposed fragile health and how she intended to preserve it.
"Madamada dane."
Back at the courts, he felt relieved when Inui didn't even spare him a glance, immersed as he was in a quiet argument with Kaidoh. "All the symptoms are clear to see," he was telling the second-year, "lethargy, joint and muscle soreness, decrease in appetite, significant loss of body weight. You're over-training, Kaidoh, and it's starting to affect your tennis."
Kaidoh fidgeted, looking everywhere but at Inui. "I'm fine, senpai. Just having a slow day, that's all."
"You've been through an alarmingly long series of slow days recently. I understand your desire to excel, but pushing yourself too far and too hard will only weaken your body. It's not even about tennis, is it? Drowning your worries in physical exertion won't make them go away. If you experience problems at home or at school, you can always talk to me about it."
Ryoma saw Kaidoh's eyes bulge in panic when Tezuka joined the conversation. "Inui is right, your performance is starting to deteriorate. If you continue at this rate, you may be in serious risk for emotional and physical damage."
It struck Ryoma that if Kaidoh was in his normal state, he would just bite the head off anyone fussing over him, never mind the respect due to senpais. Momoshiro also seemed to sense that something was wrong, because he refrained from making any comments.
After scolding a disturbingly quiet Kaidoh, Tezuka paced to where Ryoma stood to assess his recovery from Inui's juice. "Are you feeling better, Echizen?"
"I'll survive."
"Good, then resume practice."
"Yes, Captain."
In fact, Ryoma had been trying to do just that for the past ten minutes, but he kept getting distracted by Kikumaru and Fuji giggling in a corner.
"What's so funny, senpais?" he asked them.
Fuji cleared his throat and studied Ryoma, visibly assessing whether the topic was safe with him or not.
"Nyaa," Kikumaru said, "Inui's really acting desperate. Next thing we know, he'll just kidnap Kaidoh and be done with it!"
"You're cruel, Eiji!" reproached Fuji, stifling a chuckle. "Try to understand, it's already February, there isn't much time left for him to make his move."
"Make his move?" Ryoma knew it wasn't clever on his part to show ignorance, but he couldn't help it. He didn't have the faintest idea what they where talking about.
The third-years exchanged meaningful glances and burst into laughter.
"Nyaa, Ochibi, you're too cute!" mocked Kikumaru when he calmed down. "I'm sure you're the only one in the club who can't tell what's going on."
"Really, Eiji?" questioned Fuji. "You think Kaidoh's aware of the.uh.problem?"
Kikumaru frowned, thinking hard. "Who knows with him? He often pretends ignorance to be left alone, but in this kind of situation he's just as thick as Ochibi."
Since his intelligence had just been badly insulted, Ryoma thought a clever retort was required, but all he could come up with was "Huh?"
Where the hell was his talent for repartee when he needed it?
He left his senpais to their gossip and knocked the ball around a bit, while observing Inui out of the corner of his eye. True, the third-year shamelessly clung to Kaidoh. Nothing new under the sun. For as long as he could remember, Kaidoh had been receiving special advice and training assistance from Inui. Ryoma never bothered to wonder why, and he wasn't going to start now.
Still, it was infuriating to be treated like a baby. Fuji had looked at him like he considered Ryoma too young to join their conversation. 'Make his move.' Was Inui planning to attack Kaidoh? To challenge him perhaps? It didn't make any sense, anyone could see that Inui was fond of Kaidoh, why would he.
Oh.
Ryoma realized he had dropped his racket when he heard it hit the ground. A small part of his brain registered Kikumaru and Fuji looking at his face and exploding in a fit of hysterical giggles, but he felt far too horrified to care.
"Congratulations, Echizen," Fuji said triumphantly, "you're a big boy now!"
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Friday evening. The school was deserted, as most students had left already. Tezuka stayed back to answer the formal summons he had received earlier that day. He drew to a halt in front of Ryuzaki-sensei's office, checked his watch, then softly knocked on the door and opened it.
"Ah, Tezuka, we were waiting for you." The coach smiled and motioned him in.
Inside, standing on opposite sides of her desk, were Momoshiroh and Kaidoh. Momoshiroh's arrogant eyes were fixed on Kaidoh, who met his rival's gaze with a tired scowl. The animosity between them was palpable.
"Please sit down" invited Ryuzaki-sensei. The two second-years didn't move. Tezuka crossed the room and stood by the window, his arms folded across his chest. She rolled her eyes. "All right, you can all stand up if you want. This conversation won't take long anyway."
Tezuka guessed the purpose of this meeting, but he still felt she should have told him beforehand. At least, judging by the nervousness of the two boys engaged in a staring contest, they had no idea why they were here. He observed them carefully as their coach began to speak.
"Kaidoh, Momoshiro, for a start, I would like to ask you an important question. Do you intend to join Seigaku's tennis club again next year?"
"Of course," exclaimed Momoshiro.
Kaidoh growled at him, as if to say 'You stole my line.' "Yes," he mumbled.
"It's not a trivial matter," said Ryuzaki-sensei. "Many students withdraw from club activities when they reach their last year, to concentrate on their studies. You have the right to do the same."
Seeing both boys shake their head, she smiled. "Well, I'm glad you've decided to stay. Which leads us to the reason I asked you to come. Next April, our dear captain will enter senior high school. We have to think about his replacement."
Momoshiroh started in glee, suddenly realizing what she meant. Kaidoh stared at his feet. Tezuka couldn't figure out if he was thrilled or intimidated by the prospect.
"I strongly believe both of you would make excellent captains," lied the coach, "but only one can hold the position, and a choice has to be made. Therefore, Tezuka and myself will watch you closely from now on, to decide which one of you will have the privilege to lead the next team during the tournaments. Your tennis skills are taken into account, of course, but it is most essential for a leader to show authority, fairness and maturity. Keep your behavior in check at all times. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Good. One, don't start stupid fights. Two, don't come late for training. Three, don't show off. Four, don't mistreat other members of the club. The first one I see breaking one of these rules is out. Anyway, you'll soon be seniors in this school; you should start to act accordingly. Take advice from Tezuka, while he's still here to guide you."
Tezuka nodded, but stayed silent.
"Now, if you don't have any questions, you may leave."
Momoshiro hesitated, clearly wanting to ask something, but a furtive look at Kaidoh seemed to make him change his mind. He bowed, murmured, "Thank you, have a nice week-end," then walked to the door. Standing in the doorframe, he turned back with a predatory grin. "Mamushi, you'd better get used to calling me 'captain'."
"I'd rather die!" snapped Kaidoh.
"Boys." warned Ryuzaki-sensei, but Momoshiro was already gone.
An awkward silence stretched between the three people remaining in the office.
Ryuzaki-sensei eventually broke it. "You have something to say, Kaidoh?"
"No, Sensei. I just don't want to leave at the same time as him."
"Oh, for crying out loud," she said, shaking her head, "you know this is exactly the kind of attitude I want you to avoid."
"This is not me being hostile, this is me doing my best to prevent a fight." He peered at the window, checking that his rival was out of sight. "You can't force us to become friends."
"Don't worry, I won't even try."
"Have a nice week-end, Sensei. See you on Monday, Captain." He left, closing the door silently behind him.
Tezuka returned his gaze to Ryuzaki-sensei, who had started to organize the papers on her desk, obviously waiting for him to speak first. He had no intention to do so. He used the long silent minutes to think about how he could show his displeasure without sounding reproachful.
"Why, Tezuka, are you sulking or something?" she mocked, when the top of her desk was completely bare, and she couldn't fiddle anymore.
He decided not to take the bait.
"Well," she sighed, "I hope this is going to work. Please help me monitor those two pigheaded fools, we're definitely going to see some action."
"You're manipulating them," he pointed out. It was dangerously close to a reproach, but he couldn't find a better way to put it.
"Only for their own good," she protested. "Besides, that ridiculous rivalry has caused me enough trouble, I have the right to use it to achieve my goal." She began to pace across the room, explaining further. "As you've probably noticed, Momoshiro's running wild. I think the recent lack of competition affects him more than anyone else in the team. As for Kaidoh, well, I didn't need Inui's concerned reports to realize something's wrong with him. He's always exhausted. Competing against each other may help them get their spirits back, don't you think?"
"I suppose this is a tactic worth trying."
"My bet is still on Momoshiro, but Kaidoh is unpredictable, for better or for worse. Anyways, we don't have any other option." Ryuzaki-sensei stopped before him, narrowing her eyes. "Now, don't tell me you're upset because I didn't select Echizen!"
Again, he decided no answer was appropriate.
She chuckled. "Tezuka, he's not ready."
"Neither are they."
"Good point," she conceded, resuming her pacing, "but at least they're old enough. It would make it easier for their teammates to accept their authority."
Tezuka gave a tiny nod, reluctantly expressing his assent.
"If it is of any consolation to you, I haven't completely ruled Echizen out as a potential candidate. Let's say it could be interesting to make him enter the game as an outsider."
"You always keep him tucked up your sleeve. I hope he's comfortable there."
The coach stared at him in complete amazement. "You're almost insolent today! What's the matter with you?!"
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End of chapter 3
.
--------------------
. Thank all of you very much for the reviews of the first and second chapters, as well as for reading this chapter here.
1- Tezuka is not happy. LOL Messing up with his plans for the next "Pillar of Seigaku" is asking for trouble.
2- Okay, you have the triangle. Now, can you guess who will be added to make it a square?
3- Go. Review. Now.
Author name: Leo Dormiens
Author email: leodormiens2000@yahoo.com
Category: Drama
Warning: Non-explicit Shonen Ai
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A love triangle... No wait! It's a love square.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Takeshi Konomi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author notes: A million thanks to my betas Abinikai and Jennifer M for catching most of my stupid mistakes.
.
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.
This was not going well. Actually, scratch that. This was going to be the end of him. Ryoma closed his eyes in dismay.
It was ten days since it started, but Inui still found new ways to torture him. Sure, Seishun Gakuen was a large enough school, with plenty of closets and deserted hallways to hide in, yet somehow his ruthless senpai always managed to find him and ruin whatever he was trying to do. The worst time, of course, was at tennis practice, because Ryoma couldn't even attempt to escape.
"That was your third miss, Echizen," said Inui, handing him the dreaded plastic flask. "I'm afraid you'll have to drink my latest concoction."
From the stand nearby, Sakuno and Tomoka witnessed the scene with matching outraged expressions on their face. "Inui-senpai," protested Tomoka, "he only missed this shot because you called out his name just as he was about to strike the ball!"
"I know," Inui replied without turning back. "I was testing his concentration. Apparently, he still has to work on it."
With a snort, Ryoma raised a hand to take the flask. Inui caught him by the wrist and pulled him close. "Now, Echizen, if you tell me what I want to hear, I'll discreetly replace this highly dangerous beverage with your favorite brand of soda."
Ryoma suddenly remembered what he forgot to do: perfect his 'surprised and innocent' smile. "What you want to hear? Let me think. Data Tennis rules!"
Inui stared at him blankly for an instant, then smiled grimly. "Okay, if that's how you want to play, it's alright with me. Please drink. Comments and suggestions about how to enhance the formula are highly appreciated."
"Ah, poor Ryoma-sama!" he heard Tomoka scream as he reluctantly drained the flask. It occurred to him that Inui usually handed out his creative punishment in paper cups. And this flask had Ryoma's name on it. So. A new type of Inui juice prepared especially for him. Just how bad could things get?
He turned to leave, already feeling dizzy. Inui held him back by the collar. "You can't win with me, but I'm really enjoying your show of resistance," Inui whispered in his ear before releasing him.
.
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.
After half an hour spent painfully throwing up in the toilets, Ryoma felt marginally better. He went to the sink to wash his face and rinse his mouth, then glared at his sick-looking face in the mirror. This had to stop. But how? He gave his word to Kaidoh, so telling Inui the truth to get the third year off his back just wasn't an option. He could make up some pretty lies. No, that was the coward's way out of it. For lack of anything better, he would just have to suffer until the end of the year, which, mercifully, was only a month and a half away. This ordeal was likely to sharpen his survival instinct, which was at least something.
Sakuno and Tomoka were waiting for him at he entrance of the gymnasium's men's room, and they started fussing over him as soon as he appeared. While Tomoka babbled about the infirmary and why he should go there, Ryoma stole a glance at Sakuno, sizing her up. As usual, she looked like a Barbie doll. And for God's sake, Hello Kitty hair pins? Would she ever notice that she wasn't in primary school anymore?
"Your tennis outfit is too. pink," he tossed at her casually. "You should think about buying another one."
The comment brought Sakuno on the verge of tears, and Ryoma lowered his head in exasperation. Tomoka, who hadn't even heard him, went on and on about his supposed fragile health and how she intended to preserve it.
"Madamada dane."
Back at the courts, he felt relieved when Inui didn't even spare him a glance, immersed as he was in a quiet argument with Kaidoh. "All the symptoms are clear to see," he was telling the second-year, "lethargy, joint and muscle soreness, decrease in appetite, significant loss of body weight. You're over-training, Kaidoh, and it's starting to affect your tennis."
Kaidoh fidgeted, looking everywhere but at Inui. "I'm fine, senpai. Just having a slow day, that's all."
"You've been through an alarmingly long series of slow days recently. I understand your desire to excel, but pushing yourself too far and too hard will only weaken your body. It's not even about tennis, is it? Drowning your worries in physical exertion won't make them go away. If you experience problems at home or at school, you can always talk to me about it."
Ryoma saw Kaidoh's eyes bulge in panic when Tezuka joined the conversation. "Inui is right, your performance is starting to deteriorate. If you continue at this rate, you may be in serious risk for emotional and physical damage."
It struck Ryoma that if Kaidoh was in his normal state, he would just bite the head off anyone fussing over him, never mind the respect due to senpais. Momoshiro also seemed to sense that something was wrong, because he refrained from making any comments.
After scolding a disturbingly quiet Kaidoh, Tezuka paced to where Ryoma stood to assess his recovery from Inui's juice. "Are you feeling better, Echizen?"
"I'll survive."
"Good, then resume practice."
"Yes, Captain."
In fact, Ryoma had been trying to do just that for the past ten minutes, but he kept getting distracted by Kikumaru and Fuji giggling in a corner.
"What's so funny, senpais?" he asked them.
Fuji cleared his throat and studied Ryoma, visibly assessing whether the topic was safe with him or not.
"Nyaa," Kikumaru said, "Inui's really acting desperate. Next thing we know, he'll just kidnap Kaidoh and be done with it!"
"You're cruel, Eiji!" reproached Fuji, stifling a chuckle. "Try to understand, it's already February, there isn't much time left for him to make his move."
"Make his move?" Ryoma knew it wasn't clever on his part to show ignorance, but he couldn't help it. He didn't have the faintest idea what they where talking about.
The third-years exchanged meaningful glances and burst into laughter.
"Nyaa, Ochibi, you're too cute!" mocked Kikumaru when he calmed down. "I'm sure you're the only one in the club who can't tell what's going on."
"Really, Eiji?" questioned Fuji. "You think Kaidoh's aware of the.uh.problem?"
Kikumaru frowned, thinking hard. "Who knows with him? He often pretends ignorance to be left alone, but in this kind of situation he's just as thick as Ochibi."
Since his intelligence had just been badly insulted, Ryoma thought a clever retort was required, but all he could come up with was "Huh?"
Where the hell was his talent for repartee when he needed it?
He left his senpais to their gossip and knocked the ball around a bit, while observing Inui out of the corner of his eye. True, the third-year shamelessly clung to Kaidoh. Nothing new under the sun. For as long as he could remember, Kaidoh had been receiving special advice and training assistance from Inui. Ryoma never bothered to wonder why, and he wasn't going to start now.
Still, it was infuriating to be treated like a baby. Fuji had looked at him like he considered Ryoma too young to join their conversation. 'Make his move.' Was Inui planning to attack Kaidoh? To challenge him perhaps? It didn't make any sense, anyone could see that Inui was fond of Kaidoh, why would he.
Oh.
Ryoma realized he had dropped his racket when he heard it hit the ground. A small part of his brain registered Kikumaru and Fuji looking at his face and exploding in a fit of hysterical giggles, but he felt far too horrified to care.
"Congratulations, Echizen," Fuji said triumphantly, "you're a big boy now!"
.
}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{
.
Friday evening. The school was deserted, as most students had left already. Tezuka stayed back to answer the formal summons he had received earlier that day. He drew to a halt in front of Ryuzaki-sensei's office, checked his watch, then softly knocked on the door and opened it.
"Ah, Tezuka, we were waiting for you." The coach smiled and motioned him in.
Inside, standing on opposite sides of her desk, were Momoshiroh and Kaidoh. Momoshiroh's arrogant eyes were fixed on Kaidoh, who met his rival's gaze with a tired scowl. The animosity between them was palpable.
"Please sit down" invited Ryuzaki-sensei. The two second-years didn't move. Tezuka crossed the room and stood by the window, his arms folded across his chest. She rolled her eyes. "All right, you can all stand up if you want. This conversation won't take long anyway."
Tezuka guessed the purpose of this meeting, but he still felt she should have told him beforehand. At least, judging by the nervousness of the two boys engaged in a staring contest, they had no idea why they were here. He observed them carefully as their coach began to speak.
"Kaidoh, Momoshiro, for a start, I would like to ask you an important question. Do you intend to join Seigaku's tennis club again next year?"
"Of course," exclaimed Momoshiro.
Kaidoh growled at him, as if to say 'You stole my line.' "Yes," he mumbled.
"It's not a trivial matter," said Ryuzaki-sensei. "Many students withdraw from club activities when they reach their last year, to concentrate on their studies. You have the right to do the same."
Seeing both boys shake their head, she smiled. "Well, I'm glad you've decided to stay. Which leads us to the reason I asked you to come. Next April, our dear captain will enter senior high school. We have to think about his replacement."
Momoshiroh started in glee, suddenly realizing what she meant. Kaidoh stared at his feet. Tezuka couldn't figure out if he was thrilled or intimidated by the prospect.
"I strongly believe both of you would make excellent captains," lied the coach, "but only one can hold the position, and a choice has to be made. Therefore, Tezuka and myself will watch you closely from now on, to decide which one of you will have the privilege to lead the next team during the tournaments. Your tennis skills are taken into account, of course, but it is most essential for a leader to show authority, fairness and maturity. Keep your behavior in check at all times. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Good. One, don't start stupid fights. Two, don't come late for training. Three, don't show off. Four, don't mistreat other members of the club. The first one I see breaking one of these rules is out. Anyway, you'll soon be seniors in this school; you should start to act accordingly. Take advice from Tezuka, while he's still here to guide you."
Tezuka nodded, but stayed silent.
"Now, if you don't have any questions, you may leave."
Momoshiro hesitated, clearly wanting to ask something, but a furtive look at Kaidoh seemed to make him change his mind. He bowed, murmured, "Thank you, have a nice week-end," then walked to the door. Standing in the doorframe, he turned back with a predatory grin. "Mamushi, you'd better get used to calling me 'captain'."
"I'd rather die!" snapped Kaidoh.
"Boys." warned Ryuzaki-sensei, but Momoshiro was already gone.
An awkward silence stretched between the three people remaining in the office.
Ryuzaki-sensei eventually broke it. "You have something to say, Kaidoh?"
"No, Sensei. I just don't want to leave at the same time as him."
"Oh, for crying out loud," she said, shaking her head, "you know this is exactly the kind of attitude I want you to avoid."
"This is not me being hostile, this is me doing my best to prevent a fight." He peered at the window, checking that his rival was out of sight. "You can't force us to become friends."
"Don't worry, I won't even try."
"Have a nice week-end, Sensei. See you on Monday, Captain." He left, closing the door silently behind him.
Tezuka returned his gaze to Ryuzaki-sensei, who had started to organize the papers on her desk, obviously waiting for him to speak first. He had no intention to do so. He used the long silent minutes to think about how he could show his displeasure without sounding reproachful.
"Why, Tezuka, are you sulking or something?" she mocked, when the top of her desk was completely bare, and she couldn't fiddle anymore.
He decided not to take the bait.
"Well," she sighed, "I hope this is going to work. Please help me monitor those two pigheaded fools, we're definitely going to see some action."
"You're manipulating them," he pointed out. It was dangerously close to a reproach, but he couldn't find a better way to put it.
"Only for their own good," she protested. "Besides, that ridiculous rivalry has caused me enough trouble, I have the right to use it to achieve my goal." She began to pace across the room, explaining further. "As you've probably noticed, Momoshiro's running wild. I think the recent lack of competition affects him more than anyone else in the team. As for Kaidoh, well, I didn't need Inui's concerned reports to realize something's wrong with him. He's always exhausted. Competing against each other may help them get their spirits back, don't you think?"
"I suppose this is a tactic worth trying."
"My bet is still on Momoshiro, but Kaidoh is unpredictable, for better or for worse. Anyways, we don't have any other option." Ryuzaki-sensei stopped before him, narrowing her eyes. "Now, don't tell me you're upset because I didn't select Echizen!"
Again, he decided no answer was appropriate.
She chuckled. "Tezuka, he's not ready."
"Neither are they."
"Good point," she conceded, resuming her pacing, "but at least they're old enough. It would make it easier for their teammates to accept their authority."
Tezuka gave a tiny nod, reluctantly expressing his assent.
"If it is of any consolation to you, I haven't completely ruled Echizen out as a potential candidate. Let's say it could be interesting to make him enter the game as an outsider."
"You always keep him tucked up your sleeve. I hope he's comfortable there."
The coach stared at him in complete amazement. "You're almost insolent today! What's the matter with you?!"
.
}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{
End of chapter 3
.
--------------------
. Thank all of you very much for the reviews of the first and second chapters, as well as for reading this chapter here.
1- Tezuka is not happy. LOL Messing up with his plans for the next "Pillar of Seigaku" is asking for trouble.
2- Okay, you have the triangle. Now, can you guess who will be added to make it a square?
3- Go. Review. Now.
