"Nya, the sun's hot!" Kikumaru complained, shielding his eyes. Echizen just pulled his cap lower.
"You can't complain about that during the match, Eiji-sempai," Momoshiro said, also fanning himself madly with his hand.
"Minna! Tezuka sent an SMS!" Oishi announced, looking up from his hand phone. Like always, everyone crowded around him, reading the message. Except Echizen, who stood by the side and just listened to Momoshiro, who read it out loud.
---
"ARITA!" The whole team, excluding Sakura and Rika, shouted at her. She had received a message from Kenita and had kept it from the team but was found out.
The person being shouted at, however, just stared at her angered team. Even she felt Sakura was in a small temper. Still she glared at them coolly.
"Win today's match first." was all she said. "Shimaya will announce the players."
Timika Shimaya stepped forward and cleared her throat, "Doubles Two, Kirisawa Tanya and Timika Shimaya, me. Doubles One, Hikari Kenrina and Mikagami Mingzashi. Singles Three, Tachibana Rika. Singles Two, Sakura Hanajima. Singles One, Yanagi Arita buchou."
Arita turned to Marashi. "You're allowed to sit in this time. Kenita isn't here. But you should be warned, after Kenita returns, you will be outside again."
"Like I care," Marashi smirked, though her eyes told a different story.
"You do, my sweet Yankee," Sakura interrupted while admiring her black nails.
"SHUT UP!" Marashi clenched her fists but she immediately looked guilty.
"Hanajima."
"I've stopped, Yanagi-chan darling buchou. And sorry, Marashi-chan darling, I played with your feelings."
"You're just making things worse, Sakura-san."
An announcement was made and they got ready.
---
"Game won match, Dunman High doubles two, Kirisawa/Timika! 6-4!"
Kirisawa bowed politely while Timika pulled one of her startledopponents into a hug. "Great game!"
---
"Game won match, Dunman High doubles one, Hikari/Mikagami! 6-0!"
Hikari did a ballerina bow and almostdanced off court. Mikagami followed, yawning.
That was when Arita felt someone tugging her arm. "What is it, Marashi?"
"Come with me."
Next was Rika, and she walked steadily onto the court. Whispers followed, and her opponent heard something that sent a shiver down his spine.
"I heard that she is precocious! She skipped her first year when she enter secondary school and went straight to second year! She was top in her class too!"
"Can anyone really make that? Top of her elders!"
"That's what I heard! Maybe she's just as good in tennis too?"
She turned to the referee. "I'm backing out."
And she traced her footsteps off the court.
Her opponent, feeling brave, shouted, "You must be too chicken to play against someone better than you, huh? Ha! Precocious my foot! I'll take the next player here!"
Smirking, he raised his racket at Rika. "Wimp!"
"Ne, my turn already, darling referee?" Sakura produced a black rose from nowhere to the referee.
Stunned, he nodded, not taking eyes off her.
She walked to the bench and changed to high heels. Her opponent, already terrified out of his wits by Sakura's aura, whimpered slightly.
"Regretting?" Rika called from the benches.
The opponent either ignored her or he couldn't hear her.
Sakura secured her high heels and walked onto court with her racket. She walked up to the front of the net, where her opponent was waiting with shaking knees. Out of nowhere, she produced another black rose and threw it onto the ground. Then, she crushed it with her heels.
"The seed is being planted," she purred dangerously.
With a ball in her hand now, she walked to the back of her court. She shot a smiling glare at him, "The water and minerals are important to the seedling, sweetheart."
The ball flew past him. "The rain has started. Water is near reach."
Another ball flew past him. "Water and minerals are absorbed."
This time, she hit a slow ball, which was caught easily by her opponent. "The seedling fights to be above other seedlings."
"Game, Dunman high Sakura. 5-4!"
"The struggling is over," Sakura finally announced and the ball flew past her opponent, who was expecting a slow ball and did not react in time.
"Game won match, Dunman high Sakura, 6-4!"
Sakura walked past a currently being scolded Tachibana Rika, who had gotten off the match without Arita's permission.
"Why'd give him the face?" Uotani asked Sakura.
"I'm a kind soul, not like you, my sweet Yankee," she smiled softly, though her eyes were anything but gentle.