More colours exist beyond what the eyes of ordinary humans could see.
Some of it fibbed akin to the determination
Some of it fibbed akin to the desperation
Thus, let me, the ruler of this macrocosm, spread upon you two of these colours that assorted onto the tale nobody ever told before.

The story of the Silver and the Gold upon the canvas...


Prince of Tennis © Konomi Takeshi

Canvas of Memories

Prologue - Colours


"I truly believe that the colors of this world are not limited to red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, or brown. Or even white and black."

Her sudden chirp made him lift his head from his book. He shifted his eyes towards the silver-haired girl with a brush in her possession, dried and dirty. Before her was a plain white canvas, clean without any trace of paint. Her amethyst-like eyes didn't stare at it and were instead focused on the dirty palette on her lap. The dark-haired young man raised an eyebrow, a subtle hint of confusion visible on his face. He didn't answer, deliberately waiting for her to elaborate.

"There are invisible colors that you might not be able to see. For instance—" She turned her head, gazing directly into his dark blue eyes. His heart almost skipped a beat the moment her eyes glinted with curiosity. "—what is the color of your eyes?"

He smirked at the normal, yet random question. Even he didn't see it coming.

"Ore-sama can proudly say it's dark blue."

"There's more to it. I see it as a burning color. It's a blazing hot fire."

His smirk faded, replaced by a frown, "...it's red, then."

The girl laughed playfully. Her voice, clear as morning dew, rang through the air. "Are you sure that fire only consists of red color alone? There's red, indeed. But sometimes there are others; orange, yellow, blue. I had even seen a green flame."

Atobe Keigo seemed even more puzzled by her reply. The book on his hand, opened wide, lay forgotten from since the beginning of their conversation. A random chattery with this girl was clearly more inviting. He closed the book with a snap and put it on the table before leaning forward to take a closer look at the silverette. Miyazaki Yori didn't seem unsettled by the way Atobe's eyes focus on her, instead taking the challenge head-on and gazed straight into the depth of his dark-colored irises. Silence began to take over as the pair regarded each other closely as if conversing in a language that only they could understand.

After what seemed like forever, Yori eventually broke the silence, "What do you see?"

"Obviously, Ore-sama see purple."

"Oh?" Now her expression shifted to that of surprise with a hint of bemusement. "Honestly, I always see nothing in my eyes. Void."

Atobe raised a hand towards his face, studying Yori's countenance with his Insight. "Now that you mention it..."

Yori's face immediately turned pale as she hugged the palette on her chest. "—wait, you're using your Insight towards me? Pervert!"

"Oi! Ore-sama simply wants to see what you're seeing!"

"So, what do you see?"

"You."

His voice, as soft as it sounded, made the butterflies inside her stomach flutter. Yori has never been fond of something as silly as romance, choosing to avoid speaking any words of affection towards her partner. She used jokes, tsukkomis, and memes as a wall against the affectionate, loving words Atobe often throws at her. But this was different; it was able to catch Yori off guard, and as strange as it was, she didn't seem to mind a bit.

Relief washed over her the moment Atobe lowered his hand. Slowly, despite her pale skin, a faint shade of pink began to color her face as she grinned wide.

"I'm glad that I'm able to see you too," she said, "Though it's a little sad that we can only see each other this way."

Yori's fingers touched the screen as if attempting to reach the young man on the other end. It has already been a month since the Hyotei regulars went to U-17 camp, and their strict training regimes occupied most of his time. It was only during this time, when the sun was preparing itself to set, that they could communicate. They were able to see each other, yet the distance couldn't lie. Nonetheless, as Atobe put his fingers on the screen, they could feel the warmth of each other's hand.

"We'll be leaving to Australia tomorrow," he began again. "World Cup will start soon, and naturally, they have assigned me as the captain of the middle school representatives."

Yori hummed in understanding. "Heee, so they finally put you on the top."

"It's only natural for the King to be placed on the top. What else do you expect, ahn?"

With a flash, Yori swung the fist of her free hand. "Someone to knock you off the throne?"

"...oi."

Seeing how dark Atobe's face had become, Yori couldn't contain her laughter. "Haha... Kidding. I expect nothing less of you since you always exceed all of the 'expectations' thrown at you."

His expression instantly changed to that of amusement. A smirk was painted across his face as he stated, "That's right. Ore-sama is glad you understand."

Yori chuckled at his words. As someone who has been standing beside the King, she understood perfectly how hard Atobe had worked to achieve his position as the 1st Middle School Representative of Japan. Dethroning him won't be easy; his skills kept on improving, his willpower has grown even stronger, and it would be difficult for amateurs to subdue him. Not to mention his determination, which was one of the things that Yori adored from the King.

His deep voice snapped Yori from her trance as he continued, "Once this is over, Ore-sama will spoil you. So wait for me."

"Sure. Good luck."

"Ore-sama doesn't need any luck."

"Then... Don't hold back. Give it your all to reach the top of the world."

"You don't even need to state the obvious. Ore-sama knows what to do."

Yori instantly pulled her hand, cutting off the warmth. She looked slightly annoyed hearing Atobe shoot down her encouraging words.

"Nande ya nen!? Okashii yan omae wa!"

Atobe chuckled, seemingly content after teasing the silverette. "Heheh. I see that you're still using Kansai dialect whenever you're upset. That's what Ore-sama wants to hear."

Yori snorted in annoyance. "Bastard. You often hear the Shitenhouji folks speak Kansai. Why me?"

Instead of flashing his usual smirk, he smiled softly. "Because Ore-sama missed you."

Her heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. It was startling, a little bit addictive, yet painful to the point she struggled to breathe. After a brief silence, Yori was able to take a sip of air.

"...oh."

A clatter could be heard outside the art room. It didn't take long until a black-gold haired girl came into view, a gentle smile painted her face as she called,

"Yorichin. Let's go home."

"Okay~!" Yori nodded to the girl and turned back towards the screen. "I think that's all. You should go back to your training."

"Ah." Despite looking a little dejected, Atobe nodded nonetheless. "You're right. I'll call you later."

"Pfft. Don't call me too much, you should use some of your spare time to rest." Yori chuckled. She put her palette on the table and reached for her bag.

"Hmph. Bye for now, love you."

"Okay. Bye." And with that, Yori cut their phone connection. Swiftly she locked her phone and shoved it inside her blazer pocket.

"You should learn to say 'I love you' properly." The dark-haired girl, chuckling lightly, gained the silverette's attention. "The King would be offended if you don't reply."

"Hmph." Yori pouted, feeling a bit offended. "It's embarrassing, so I won't bother to say it."

The other girl shook her head in bemusement and turned on her heels, preparing to leave. "Okay then. Let's go home, Lewis is waiting."

"Sure. Let me put these away first."

Yori picked up the palette, intending to wash it. However, the moment she took a step, an excruciating pain struck her chest like a truck. Burning sensation instantly made its way, suffocating her. She gaped for fresh air, but the pain slowly doubled to the point of ripping her senses apart. Her sight turned blurry and her hearing weakened, unable to catch any sounds. Pain threatened to overtake her sense of touch; she couldn't tell whether or not the palette was still in her hand, or even if the girl before her was calling her name.

"K... K... Ko... ga..."

It was all she managed before her consciousness succumbed to darkness.


Special shoutout for _Lunetta11_ for proofreading and editing the script.