Tennis no Ouji-sama © Konomi Takeshi, Shuheisha, Inc.
- Act X -
[ The Right-Hand Man]
Ever since the girl promised him that she would come to the court every day, Keigo stayed in Asakura mansion more than he did in the main house. He didn't see the difference of going back to the main house because he had everything he needed in each house and none of his family stayed in Japan.
With Hikari coming to the court, he felt like going home for a reason, which was why…
"We're… done for this week?" It was rare to see Jirō wide awake, and he usually was whenever the practice was over that Thursday.
"Yes. You can go home and do whatever you want until school starts. After that, we'll continue the club activity regularly," Keigo announced."Now that ore-sama thinks about it, life isn't all about tennis. We have to do something else to realise the value of tennis in our life. How much we need tennis? How much we thirst for victory in tennis?"
"That's a good question, Atobe. I will ask myself that as I sleep…" Jirō answered with both eyes closed as if he was ready to snooze any second.
"It's great not having to wake up at five for a few days but…" Gakuto glanced at him up and down.
"What is it, Mukahi?"Gakuto pressed both of his lips, forming a thin line as if he was going to regret saying what he wanted to say.
"It's just these past few days… you're not like… you?"
"Ahn? What do you mean byme not being me? The last time I saw myself in the mirror, ore-sama is still," he smirked, "his gorgeous self," then flicked his bangs, "in all his glory." This earned him a disapproving look from Ryō and Gakuto, Yuushi fixing his glasses, Jirō didn't look like he cared, Munehiro and Wakashi remained unfazed while Chōtaro was too polite to react.
"Tch! Whatever…" Ryō commented.
"If there are no more questions then that's all for today. Good work for today, rabbles!"Keigo snapped his finger and had Munehiro placed his jersey on his shoulder. "Kabaji, you can go before me. I have somewhere else to go."
There was a second when Munehiro remained silent before he replied his usual "Usu". He seemed to be curious and worried because it had been the umpteenth time where he asked him to do the same thing that week but that was the reason he liked Munehiro. He respected Keigo's personal space despite being ordered to follow him wherever he went.
When he packed his belongings, Keigo smiled upon seeing the orchestra concert tickets he got from the sponsor who happened to affiliated with his father's business. Giving the break to the tennis member would go against his goal for the National Championship, but he wanted to have the holiday he barely had as Atobe Corp.'s sole inheritor. And he could think of no one accompanying him to the concert.
When he rode the car on his way to the gate, he saw Munehiro walked alone with the tennis bag's strap slung across his shoulder. His forehead creased into a deep frown when Munehiro, who suddenly stopped because flying objects including rocks and pebbles were thrown at him. They were laughing, even screaming 'Atobe's ass-licker', then the other told him to give them money because he could ask for some from Keigo, but Munehiro walked away like they were nothing but a trickle of rain.
Munehiro was ordered to protect him just in case Keigo was attacked, but despite having a big body, Munehiro had a big heart and never once use his physical advantage for anything, unless it was an order.
That never changed since the first time they met.
Keigo asked his chauffeur to pull over and glowered at five male students from the basketball club that were still unaware of his presence, smirked when he saw the horror of their faces upon seeing him.
"A-Atobe-san… We… We were just—"Keigo raised his hand to stop them from talking.
"My time is too precious for your shitty explanation, rabbles. I've seen what I need to know…" he lost his smirk, "…and I'm beyond disgusted to see what you filthy rabbles do in Hyotei's holy ground."
"L-listen, Atobe-san… W-we were just playing with him! It's just small things that won't harm his big body—"
"Small things, ahn?" Keigospotted a tennis ball that rolled into his foot and took it. "Kabaji, lend me your racket."
"Atobe-san…"
"Just give it to me." And so Munehiro did. He bounced the ball several times to the ground and said, "Have you ever heard the quote, 'You can sit on the mountain but not on a pin'?"
"Uh, no?" they took several steps back.
He sarcastically chuckled. "It means even a small thing…" he threw the ball into the air and hit it with his racket, aiming the ball to fly past their faces. The ball hit the tree behind them and nested on it because of the power he used to hit it. "…can hurt a lot. Just like that ball."Keigo returned the racket to Munehiro, then shoved both of his hands into his pocket."You better start looking for a new school from now," he said to them.
"W-what?! No! You can't do this to us!" one of them screamed.
"Please, Atobe-san! Please forgive us just this once! We won't do this anymore!"
"I can and I won't reconsider!" he barked. "Now pack your things and never come back! If you dare to step on this school again, I'll smash you to pieces!"Keigo stopped when he was five steps away from Munehiro. "Let's go, Kabaji."
"U-usu…"
"You'll regret this, Atobe! You'll regret this!" they screamed. But Keigo didn't bother to look back. Munehiro got into the car just after he did and looked down during the ride to his main house, where Munehiro stayed with his family, except for his sister who studied in London.
"Why didn't you fight back?" Keigo finally broke the silence. "Why did you let them do that to you? You'd easily win against them with your power! Was this happening all the time?" Munehiro didn't answer so he took it as a yes, making him shaking his head. "I can't believe you."
"You shouldn't concern yourself with something petty like this, Atobe-san," Munehiro said with a gentle voice.
"Petty? You called this petty? Did I hear you right?" Keigo snorted.
"You already have many things in your hands, Atobe-san." Munehiro finally looked at him. "I should know my place and not let it bother you."
"What exactly did you mean by 'know your place'?"
"My family is here to serve yours, Atobe-san… I'm nothing but your mere servant," Munehiro responded as if it was something he repeated over and over until he used to say it like a prayer.
A dull throb was creeping up from his stomach to his throat at the very sentence. He scoffed and looked away, pretending like the view from the window interest him. Waiting until the car reached his main house, until Munehiro got off the car and gave him a bow Keigo didn't bother to see, until the car head into his other destination.
Even with his eyes on the road, Keigo didn't realise that he had reached the Asakura Mansion if his chauffeur didn't tell him. His body was working automatically from going into the house, changing his clothes, and going into the garden for his tea time. His mind was blank all the while.
"Excuse me, Bocchama." His head butler, Michael approached him.
"Leave me alone, Michael. If anyone comes to see me, tell them I'm busy." Keigo sipped his tea while staring at the garden.
"Even if it's your lady friend?" Keigo almost choked on his tea when he recalled that she promised to come that day. "Alright. I will tell her right away."
"Wait!" He cleared his throat then straightened his composure, checking his reflection on the window nearby to see if he was glorious enough to see her. "Please prepare more tea and cake for her."
Michael let out a knowing smile and politely bowed at him. "As you wish, Bocchama."
Taking giant steps, Keigo was close to running into the main door. He couldn't hide his smile once he spotted her. Her baby blue dress was flowing freely as she gracefully walked in his direction, a smile that was showing her equal excitement in seeing him. Even though he only saw her two days ago, it felt like it had been a while. He could even see sparks and flowers in the background.
But when she greeted him with "Weirdo", it ruined the mood and all those images disappeared in a second.
"I've told you not to call me that," he protested as he stopped a step away from scrutinised her, noticing that her gestures and appearances made her look slightly matured. She had gotten rid of the anime characters' key chains on her bag and only wear a simple silver bracelet and not the colourful friendship bracelet she usually wore. The changes were almost unnoticeable but he liked it.
"I just can't think of a better name for you," she mockingly said. "If you still refuse to tell me your name then you'll have to keep living with 'Weirdo'."
"You're going to find out soon enough." He smiled, responding to her bright one. "Anyway, how's your day?"
"Oh, I just submitted my registration to the school of my choice." She squealed. "I'm so excited!"
"Congratulations. So… Which lucky school is it?"Keigo smirked, knowing full well that she was going to choose Hyotei.
"That's a se-cret!" She coquettishly put her finger in front of her lips. "You're going to find out soon enough," she repeated his sentence. It convinced Keigo even more that she decided to listen to his suggestion to enter Hyotei and he couldn't wait for it. Especially since he had arranged everything so it would unbelievable for her not to choose Hyotei.
"If you say so." He offered his hand to her."Let's go to the garden. They have prepared tea for us."
She accepted his hand with a smile and together they walked to the garden. He could relate to most of the things she said about her living in Germany because he used to stay there even though it was only for a short time.
"…beers are cheaper than mineral water for example!" She exasperatedly groaned while stirring the tea in her cup back and forth, her spoon never touched the sides of the cup and it impressed Keigo that she actually knew the tea etiquette. "It really hurts to pay more for tasteless water. Beer has taste! And it's bitterly cheaper!"
Keigo rolled his eyes at her then chuckled upon realisation. "Wait… Did you drink beer while in Germany?" He almost laughed when she quickly covered her mouth with both eyes widened.
"Well, I…" she then made a small measure with her fingers, "drink a little bit? I tried it when my roommate bought a can but," she cringed, "I don't like it. I was just curious because people drink them like crazy during Octoberfest…" She then leant closer into him. "Please don't tell anyone. My brother would definitely kill me if he knows," she whispered as she clasped her hands together. "Please, please…"
"Relax, Princess. Your secret is safe with me." He patted her head. "So is there anything you miss from Germany?"
"Of course! The foods, the castles, the natures, and especially… a few childhood friends I made the first time I came." She smiled as she reminisced her sweet memories. "Yeah, I miss my childhood friends the most… I didn't even get to say goodbye when I left."
Speaking about childhood friends made him recall the first time he met Munehiro. They got into the same class in kindergarten back in London because Britain had a different required birthdate for the class year while in Japan, Munehiro had to be his junior.
"Say, Weirdo!"
"Ahn?" Her voice quickly snapped him out of his train of thoughts.
"Let's be fair and share what's bothering you today since I've disclosed some of my dirty secrets." She took the teapot and poured it into his empty cup.
"There's nothing bother me, Princess." He sipped his tea without adding any milk or sugar, wondering if his face looked bothered enough to alarm her.
"You're very much not yourself today. It feels like... I don't know, maybe seeing a king without his beloved crown?" He couldn't help but chortle at her allegory. "Come on. You'd feel better if you spill it out. There's nothing better than talking to strangers after all."
"We are no longer strangers, Princess."
"But I barely know about you because we just met this week. I'm very neutral because I can't judge you, so… don't save it to yourself. My grandfather said it will make your face wrinkle. Unless you're a vampire."
"Seriously, are you still at it?" She laughed like no tomorrow and it became a canvas he wanted to encapsulate forever. There was only pure happiness in her face and seeing it was like pouring some water on the dried lands in his world.
"Okay. I won't force you if you don't want to talk about it, Weirdo." She sliced her chocolate cake and spooned it into her mouth. "But if you need to talk, I'm a good listener."Keigo watched her enjoying her cake, smiling when he saw some smeared the side of her lips. He glanced back at the garden, biting his bottom lip for a moment.
"I have a childhood friend who has been following me ever since I was five," Keigo began. He heard a cling and saw her put her spoon down with her body facing his direction. "My family saved his family from a large debt and his family vowed to serve my family ever since."
"Wow… Your family is so generous…"
"We are," he proudly said with a wink. "This childhood friend entered into the same school as me to make sure that he's there to fulfill whatever I need. He can do many things from cooking to crafting…" The way Hikari widened her eyes and pursed lips convinced him that she tried to push her comment down to her throat as she swallowed. She motioned him to continue when he stopped. "He's always there like my shadow and knows what I need even before I ask him too but…" Keigo looked away.
"But?"
"Something happened to him and I didn't know it." Keigo lowered his gaze to the tea inside his cup. "He didn't fight back for his own sake, not even telling me anything because he thought it wasn't his place to burden me with his personal problem while…" Keigo sighed.
"You always see him as your friend but he doesn't think you do?" He glanced at her, surprised to hear her saying something he meant to say. "You're disappointed because of that?"Keigo didn't respond because his pride didn't allow him to. Suddenly, she giggled to herself, shaking her head as if she was amused with something. "You men are all the same…"
Keigo arched one of his brows. "What do you mean?"
"Say, when you're having a problem, do you tell it to anyone?" When Keigo didn't respond, she chuckled again. "See? You're like that too. You won't easily tell anyone about your problem. I think your friend is like that too. It's his pride as a guy. That aside… I think he doesn't want to do anything that might put you in a bad situation."
"Ahn?"
"You said it yourself that he follows you like a shadow so I think he knows that he's heavily associated with you. If he does something bad like fighting someone, people will use it as an advantage to go against you."His upper lips curled upon the realisation of how much Munehiro held himself down for his sake.
"So it's like that…" he muttered.
"That's what I think. My brother is like that too. He injured his dominant arm but he doesn't tell that to anyone except our family." Keigo whipped his head back in her direction. "I can't believe that he had his match with that hand."
Tezuka is injured?
Keigo touched his chin, lowering it a bit to hide his widening smirk. It was a piece of interesting information and he made a mental note to look into the matter later.
"So sorry to hear that. I hope he gets well soon," he said.
"Thank you. I bet he will," she confidently said and raised both arms to the air. "Then after he gets better, he will be the best tennis player in the whole country!"
The statement only flared the fire in his heart. Being the best should be the title belonged only to him. Though he wanted to fulfill whatever her wishes were, he certainly couldn't let her brother became the best.
"I see…"
"Okay. That's enough about my brother." Her face flushed out of excitement from talking about her brother. She then gently smiled at him and patted his hand. "I don't know your friend but I hope I get to meet him one day. He sounds like a very nice guy. You're so lucky to have a friend like him, Weirdo. I believethat one day, your sincerity will reach him and he will know that you see him as a friend."
He stared at her for a moment, smiling before slowly nodded in agreement. He turned his palm around to hold her hand. "Say, what can I do to repay him?"
"Hmm, many things! For example…"
Keigo rested his head on his palm, smiling wider as she excitedly presented her idea with hands animatedly moving. The burden he felt on his heart had been lifted, replaced by the gratitude to know that she was thinking the same thing as he was.
That he was lucky to have a right-hand man, also a best friend like Munehiro.
AN:I think Kabaji is one of the most underrated characters in PoT fanfics. My biggest mistake in the previous story is his absence most of the time when he, like what I've mentioned in this chapter, is literally Atobe's shadow. Being a guy that spends most of his time with Atobe, he IS the key in Atobe's character development and I have to strengthen his role in this story.
I know that most people will think that who dares to bully someone as big as Kabaji but let me tell you that this is real. Sometimes the bullies don't care and will still bully as a group. If I see his character, Kabaji is the type that will never hurt people even if he is hurt and will act only on Atobe's command.
I'm really sorry that it takes me a while to update this chapter. I'm split between continuing chapter 10 with what's happening on Hikari's side or fill it with Atobe's because you know, if you read this story, you'd notice that the odd numbers are Hikari's POV and the even numbers are Atobe's POV.
So, what do you think about this chapter? The next one will be back to Hikari's unfortunate situation with Tezuka and Seigaku's regulars, so stay tune people~ XD
Favorite, follow, and most importantly—review are gold for me! As I mentioned in the previous chapter, the story is also posted in Wattpad. Since the site allows me to post videos and images, I might be able to pamper your eyes there. Check my account in ReikaNanatsuki!
Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
