A Gentelemen's Wager, Chapter 11
A/N: I'm not an Echizen person, so everyone knows. Sorry, ochibi, but I will take every chance I get to mess with you. This includes throwing a drama queen tensai at you.
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"Ne, Echizen. Would you warm up with me?"
The hell? In Ryoma's entire time at Seigaku, Fuji-senpai had never, ever, even once asked him to warm-up with him. Since Buchou had been gone, Fuji-senpai warmed up with Kikumaru-senpai or Kawamura-senpai. Not him. Fuji-senpai avoided speaking to Ryoma at all if possible. So that meant either Fuji-senpai wanted something or Ryoma had done something to upset him. With Buchou gone, Echizen didn't see how he could have upset him, but still ...
"I'm warming up with Momo-senpai today," Echizen answered, tugging his hat down.
"Actually, I think Momo and Taka-san are doing some further doubles training today, so we're both out our usual partners. Come join me?"
Echizen did not want to join Fuji-senpai anywhere, especially not somewhere without witnesses and especially not when Fuji-senpai was smiling at him like that. But he didn't seem to have much of a choice. He grabbed his racquet out of its bag, feeling a little better with the object in his hand, and followed Fuji to one of the far courts. Several sets of eyes followed them as the rest of Seigaku's tennis team wondered what the two could possibly have to discuss.
"Why don't you take the first serve," Fuji offered.
"Fine." Echizen served normally as they were just warming up. Besides, Fuji-senpai offering a serve meant he wanted a Twist Serve, so Echizen wouldn't do it.
The tensai seemed to sense the freshman's resistance, and volleyed the ball back lightly. The game continued, neither side taking the offense. And then, Fuji-senpai started talking.
"Are you nervous about the finals?" Topspin.
"No," Echizen sliced it back.
"Have you ever seen Sanada play before?" Volley.
"I saw the tape." Return.
"Saa, Sanada was good," Lob. "But he was playing doubles on the tape. I'm afraid it hardly does his true skills justice."
The lob was a dare. The warm-up had obviously ended if Fuji was setting up counters like that. Echizen decided to test the theory, smashing the ball back.
The elegantly executed Higuma Otoshii confirmed the freshman's suspicions.
Fuji rose, turning back toward Echizen and removing another ball from his pocket. "So, do you have any new tricks for him?" Serve. "One of their players is as efficient a data gatherer as Inui, so you can trust he already knows your current skills." Slice. "I suggest you bring him a surprise ... or four if you can manage." Backhand.
Echizen scowled as he returned the ball. "Tennis isn't about gimmicks--" crap.
Fuji-senpai's hand was already in the air. Echizen dove to save the Tsubame Gaeshii he knew was coming, but was too far back to catch it before it hit the ground, skidding against the court. Some warm up.
"Indeed," Fuji smiled as Echizen sullenly fished another ball from his pocket. "And Sanada is not one to employ them. But at your current level, the best you can hope is that he is too amused by your Drive B pose to respond to it. I suppose it could win you a point."
So not every move could look like a Tsubame Gaeshii. Personally, Echizen thought Fuji-senpai paid a little too much attention to how his hair looked during his moves and not enough to the actual tennis. Drive B worked just fine, and if Fuji-senpai hit him a drop, he would gladly demonstrate. He switched the racquet to his right hand, preparing for --
"And he already knows every facet of your serves. May I offer you some advice?"
Echizen huffed, lowering his racquet. Whatever advice Fuji-senpai wanted to give him was most likely a trap to embarrass him and make him lose face with Buchou. "Why?"
"Because I'm your senpai, and I want to win these finals. Finals that will probably come down to you." Fuji approached the net. Echizen did not. "Doubles is going to be difficult. Momo and Kaidoh have great potential individually, but no coordination as a team. Oishi, no matter what he says, is injured, and a long match will wear him down. And Inui won't tell me the odds regarding his own match, which is never a good sign."
"What about your match, Fuji-senpai?" Echizen frowned.
Fuji's smile curved into a smirk. "I didn't give up the chance to play Sanada to lose. But there's always a danger, and I cannot deny Kirihara's unpredictability. Still, I doubt he can beat me. And then I will be passing the game to you." Eyes opened. Ryoma didn't realize eyes could look jagged, but Fuji-senpai's were. Standing under that glare too long felt like having a serrated knife dragged against his skin. "You need to win."
Ryoma had never seen Fuji-senpai this concerned about winning a game before. Wins and losses, Fuji had always remained complacent and easy-going about them in the past. Maybe Tezuka's absence was starting to take its toll. Why do I have to be in the way of this drama? Echizen mentally sighed. "I will win."
"Not if you're this easily distracted," Fuji continued. "Sanada will goad you. He will insult your pride. He will insult the team. He may even insult Tezuka. Do not let it distract you." Fuji's intonation suggested that if the last distracted Echizen, there would be an added penalty to simply losing the match. "If you try to match him with power or ...gimmicks alone, you will lose."
Fuji-senpai was talking like he was in a movie again. Ryoma was getting really sick of melodrama, but he knew the quicker he finished Fuji-senpai's script, the quicker he could get back to practice with nice, sane teammates. "What do I do instead?"
Another smirk. Fuji crossed over to the side of the courts, sipping from a water bottle before answering. Echizen rolled his eyes and moved to grab his own things, waiting for Fuji-senpai to decide his dramatic pause had been held a suitable length. Finally, the tensai answered, "You will play his own game back at him. Do it with respect and with class, but you can distract him as easily as he can you, if you time it right."
Now Ryoma was annoyed at himself for being intrigued. Stupid drama. "Time what?"
"Have you heard of Yukimura Seichii?"
"The captain?"
"Yes. He's in the hospital right now, scheduled to undergo surgery a week after the finals. His illness is something of a sensitive subject with the team, particularly Sanada." Fuji raised himself back up, looking down on Echizen with eyes still open. "Don't offend him, but mention that name if you feel you're in trouble. If his mind isn't on the tennis, you could steal an entire game."
Ryoma was still somewhat concerned with why Fuji-senpai was offering him advice at all. Best at least to agree while the tensai was here. The freshman nodded.
Fuji looked skeptical and spared him one more serrated glance before saying, "Good luck, Echizen." The tensai then wandered off to where Inui-senpai had been watching them for most of their impromptu match.
"Geez, Echizen, what'd you do?" asked a familiarly loud voice from the door to the courts.
Ryoma tugged on his cap out of habit. "I don't know. Weren't you training with Kawamura-senpai again?"
Momo-senpai blinked quizzically. "Taka-san? I wasn't planning on it. Did he ask or something?"
Ryoma sighed. He was going to be very happy when Buchou was back and Fuji-senpai stopped acting like a crazy person. Honestly, it was just tennis. "Let's just go practice, Momo-senpai."
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"I feel I should warn you there is a 48 percent chance that simply hearing Echizen say Yukimura's name will cause Sanada to berserk."
"Any better suggestions?"
"Not at the moment."
"Then it's a risk I'm willing to take."