16. And so it is like you said it would be

"I'm literally screaming".

"Please don't do that, Kageyama-san", Yagyuu said. "I'd be compelled to report it to the Disciplinary Committee, and as far as I'm informed, your results alone already put your position in the tennis club at a fair risk".

"We can always count of you for comfort words, Yagyuu-kun", Matsui said. "That's what I love the most about you".

"I don't care", Kageyama covered her face. "I'm gonna quit anyways".

"Maybe you should join the boys' club as well", Matsui said. "I wouldn't mind some kind of help".

"Yes, my ambition has always been to wash filthy teenage boys laundry and fill their water bottles". Kageyama peeked through her fingers to glare at her. "Maybe I should join the library club. It's quiet, no-one yells at you. At least not inside the library".

"Lord Voldemort again?", Matsui asked. She rubbed her chin, and give another glance at the budget for the district tournament in front of her, and then to Morimura's plans to its right. They would need more money. Lots of it.

"What's exactly the problem, Kageyama-chan?", Yagyuu asked.

"Mizu-senpai", she replied, lowering her voice.

"Lord Voldemort", Matsui nodded.

"Shut up, Aki, if she ever knows we call her like that…"

"Is she the Captain of the girls' tennis club?", Yagyuu asked.

"She's not", Kageyama said.

"That's why she's always angry", Matsui added. "Hence, Lord Voldemort".

"Aki-chan, please, you'll get me expelled…"

"Told you said you want to quit", Yagyuu said.

"Yes. No. I don't know", Kageyama sighed, and hid her face again. "I'm just so tired…" She rubbed her eyes. "I'm not even a regular. I just…"

"Without the proper training, there are little chances you'll ever become one", Yagyuu said.

Matsui looked at him. "Sometimes you remember me so much of Yanagi-kun, seriously…"

"I'm merely stating a fact", Yagyuu replied. "But I suggest you to consult him, if you want to have a clearer idea of what your chances really are".

"I'd rather drinking bleach", Kageyama said. "I don't even know if I want to become a regular at all".

"Oh, come on, Kou-chan", Matsui rolled her eyes. "What's the point, then? Practice and practice and practice and then die?"

"You surely like to see the world in black and white, Matsui-san", Yagyuu said.

"Well, don't talk shit, then", she said. "If you join a club, it's because you want to play in matches".

"You're the one to talk", Kageyama glared at her. "If you really think that, why did you join the boys' club, then?"

Matsui shrugged. "Well, I used to be manager in Junior High as well, it was just…"

"And why didn't you join the girls' club back in Junior High?", Kageyama insisted.

"I did", Matsui said. "For three months. They just… You know, they weren't serious at all", she sighed. "We practiced for the two hours required, and then go to the mall. Or to the swimming pool. Most seniors just stayed there, but used the time to finish their homework so they could have free time in the evening. We'd been crushed in our very first match". She grimaced. She didn't choose that school. Her grandmother did, because it was the one she had attended, and the one her mother attended too. "So I left, and joined the boys' club as a manager". She scratched her chin. "They weren't the best, but at least they were serious, you know".

"You could have just started playing in High School", Yagyuu said. "Many people do that".

"I didn't want to", Matsui said. "Not here". She bit her tongue.

"Why not here?", Kageyama said. "The club is competitive here. Too much, if you're asking me", she grimaced. "We won every single match in the preliminaries. Chiyo-chan - our ace", she explained Yagyuu, "didn't lose a single fucking game in the entire competition. And yet they still aren't satisfied".

Chiyo-chan. Of course she didn't lose a single game. Perfect, awesome tennis prodigy she was, wasn't she? Matsui glanced away.

"Those were only the preliminaries", Yagyuu said. "There's still a long way before the Nationals".

"You're speaking exactly like the Captain", Kageyama moaned.

"And like everyone else in Rikkai", Yagyuu replied. "Wasn't it like that in the Athletics Club?", he asked.

"It was", Kageyama admitted. "But we got to celebrate victories, even smaller ones. Now?", she shook her head. "We just get an harder training schedule".

"You will celebrate at the end of the competition, not halfway", Yagyuu said.

"That's what Anzai-san says. She's the Captain", she explained Yagyuu. "She's just… obsessed with that, you know? We need do better than the boys, we have to show them what we can do", she shrugged. "I mean, we play in different competitions. What's the point?"

"That's because the boys' club has a far bigger budget than the girls' club", Yagyuu said. "We could see the numbers at the Accounting Committee meeting, three weeks ago".

"How many Committees are you in?", Kageyama said. "Well, that's not fair", she shook her head. "Our results are the same of the boys'. When we don't do even better".

"I suggest that's the reason your Captain is angry", Yagyuu said. "You should blame Matsui-san, though. She's the one in charge of the budget, starting from this year".

"So you're the reason I'm gettin yelled at, Aki-chan", Kageyama turned to look at her. "Aki-chan?"

"What?", Matsui blinked once. Twice.

"Are you all right, Matsui-san?", Yagyuu looked straight at her.

She glanced away. "Perfectly fine". Perfect, awesome tennis prodigy. She was so sick of that. "Now that you are talking about the budget, I recalled I have yet to finish the one for the next tournament", she said. "Morimura-san will have my skin if it isn't ready today".

"Well, try not to steal all the money this time", Kageyama sighed. "Maybe we could get a break for a day of two".

Matsui didn't reply. The bell rang, ending the break time, and everybody reached their desks for the next class. She glanced outside. Everything was going right. They were winning. Yukimura-kun was back in the club, also thanks to her. Yanagi-kun was her best ally by now. Morimura-san seemed satisfied with everything. They didn't lose a single match in the preliminaries. Everything was perfect.

But the journey has just started, she thought. Yagyuu was right. The road ahead was still long.

"Are you all right?"

Morimura glanced up from his desk. Matsui had just given him the budget for the upcoming district tournament. He asked her to put everything in, and he understood that he needed to be ready for Anzai to come screaming in his office again, about how it was unfair that they got the gym most of the time, how it was unfair that they got more practice matches with other schools, how it was unfair that the cheerleading squad came only to their matches, and how his entire existence was just unfair for her, at this point.

"Don't tell me she did send you". She couldn't know already about this, couldn't she? Matsui was lots of things, but he didn't believe her to be so dumb to go discussing the budget with the girls' club captain.

Taniguchi Chiyo smiled. "She who?", she asked. "I'm not bringing any messages".

"Thank god". Morimura hid the budget under the folder. Just in case. "How can I help you?"

Taniguchi was probably the less annoying in that club, as far as Morimura was concerned. Anzai Natsue, the Captain, was a level 9 annoying. Well, at least for what concerned the club activities. Morimura didn't think he had ever done anything to disrespect her at all, and still she looked at him as the enemy she dearly wishes to see dead on the battlefield. That didn't put him in the position to like her too much.

Mizuhara Maria was at least a level 8 annoying, always angry, always glaring around like everyone else's existence was just a nuisance. Morimura has expected her to become Captain, and it had been relieved at first that Anzai, a quieter and somewhat nicer person, had been chosen instead. Well, that was before she revealed the demon she hid inside.

Yoshida Matsuyo, the vice-captain, wasn't really on his radar - mostly because they barely ever talked - but she was like Anzai's shadow, and that was enough to qualify them with an honorary position in the annoying chart.

Toda Asami and Shibasaki Nanami, their main doubles' team, sorta compensate each other. Toda, constantly singing some tone-deaf song, even in class, was definitely annoying; Shibasaki, on the other hand, seemed a pretty normal girl, but since she always saw her tagging along with Toda, even out of the courts, she counted as annoying as well by osmosis.

Sakaki Nagisa was the level 10 of that bunch; even Anzai was no match for her. Asou has called her a 'female version of Hongo', once, but Morimura couldn't quite agree with that description. Even worse, he thought at her as a female version of Minami.

Hongo was just an asshole with no brain-mouth filter and with little to zero care for the consequences of his own words; his observation skills and his targeting his opponent's weaknesses worked while he was on the tennis court ; off-court, he usually didn't give a single fuck. Minami, on the other hand, was sort of proud of his talent for hitting all your nerves, just for the sake of making you go nuts. Sakaki was the same, always saying the right word that would get you losing your cool, and always aiming at the ones who were more likely to lose their cool. For as much as Morimura knew her - they've been classmates during his first year - he would say that Sakaki just liked to watch the world burn.

Taniguchi Chiyo was the exception that proved the rule, probably. Not that Morimura really knew her that much; also because, differently from her teammates, she was a year younger. If she ever got in his radar, it was because it was really uncommon for a first year to start playing as a regular straight from the very first tournament. And Taniguchi was a damn good player, for what he'd seen. A talented player, and also an unproblematic human being? Morimura would've given anything to have such a player in his own team.

He really hoped that she wasn't there to prove that she wasn't, in the end, unproblematic at all.

"I've heard something", she said. "Rumor has it you're going to have another practice match with Hyoutei, next week".

Morimura squinted. He didn't confirm it, nor deny it. But yeah, the rumor was right. Hyoutei's manager had called the day before to confirm the match for that Friday.

Their teams would complete in different tournaments for the next phase of the competitions, and they both had some newly-added first years that wanted to test. Matsui was in contact with two more schools from Tokyo for the following week. Morimura meant to take all the chances he could for more and more practice for his new recruits, even if it was only to make the regulars feel less and less confident about their place in the team.

The only thing he couldn't get was…

"And what's your concern with that?", he asked Taniguchi.

"I would say, what's your concern", she smiled again. "I'm asking you before Anzai-san finds out, and comes here to destroy your office and burn it to the ground, as she said she would do if you dared to hold another practice match without even telling her".

Morimura frowned.

"And since when our practice matches are any of Anzai's business?"

"Since when you're holding them with schools that also have a strong girls' team", she replied. "That would be a chance for us to have more practice too".

"And why doesn't she just set them up by herself?", Morimura arches his eyebrows.

"She does, but we have far less funds than you do, Morimura-san", Taniguchi looked guilty by saying that. Well, that wasn't a lie, wasn't it? "So Anzai-san said that at least when you have practice matches with schools like Hyoutei, we could tag along". She tilted her head. "Well, she told you that, last month. But when I heard about this match I just thought to mention it, because…", she looked away, the words died on her lips.

"Did she?", Morimura frowned.

"Yes", Taniguchi immediately replied. "After your practice match with Hyoutei. She said she would talk to you".

Morimura rubbed his chin. Yeah. He recalled Anzai coming to his office, a few weeks ago, but he was afraid he didn't really listen to what she said. He just assumed she wanted to complain again, about the funds, about the right to use the gym, about them stealing all the rackets and all the club equipment, like she had done at least once a week since they both became captains of their respective teams. He just let her speak, his mind focusing on his problematic teammates, about Matsui's very own problematic projects with the first years, and about how Ishiyama, Hyoutei's ace, got stronger and stronger everytime he saw him playing. He didn't listen to a single word she said.

But, thinking it over, her request wasn't unreasonable.

It was true that the boys got more funds, but hey, it had always been like that. It wasn't Morimura's fault, for sure.

"Okay", he looked at Taniguchi. "Who's the rat?" He shook his head. Why was he even asking. "No, don't even try to lie to me. I already told Matsui that if she was so eager to help the girls' club, she was free to join you at anytime". That damn girl and that damn tongue of hers.

Taniguchi expression darkened a little, then she gave him a little smile. "Wrong guess, Morimura-san. But nice try".

Yeah. As if there was another one that could've told her that. Well. He didn't care that much; it wasn't like it was some sort of secret, after all.

"I'll talk with Anzai after practice", he said. "Does it satisfy you?"

"Thank you so much", her face lightened in the brightest smile. "We really need some good practice matches. We've got a new first year in the team, too. We want to see her play, but she's not ready for an official match for now". She giggled. "You want to do the same, I guess? Well, it's not like you'll have any problems with inexperience. You've got the Big Three on your team, don't you?"

The Big Three. Quite a pretentious name, he had thought the first time he had heard it. But he sorta understood why, in the end.

Yukimura Seiichi. Sanada Genichirou. Yanagi Renji. Three new cards in his deck, three different jollys, ready to be played.

Sanada had been the first one that caught his attention. A very versatile player, a true jack of all trades, and master of all, despite the saying. He was excellent in both attack and defense, in both singles and doubles; his only weak point was his attitude.

He had been playing doubles with Hirose for four weeks now, and Morimura had to admit they had even exceeded his own expectations. They've been practicing and practicing, playing endless matches both against Mouri and Kuroba, and against the twins. Speaking about the twins, he's been seeing Masato far more motivated after his speech at the beginning of the preliminary tournament, but, for his own surprise, he had seen the same with Akira. Between the twins, Masato had always been the easier to deal with; he used to rest on his laurels and slack off, but it was easy to have him back on track with a good chat. In fact, the bare thought of losing his regular spot seemed to have scared him enough to force him back on the practice courts every single day. Akira, on the other hand, has always been the kind of guy that did as he liked - not Hongo-level, but hardly anyone was Hongo-level. Maybe giving him some good challengers had done the trick, relieving his competitive spirit, or whatever. What mattered was the result.

What he did know, was that both their doubles teams improved a lot, even if the ones that improved the most had clearly been Hirose and Sanada. From not being able to win a single game while playing together, they've been chosen to play the Doubles 2 match in the preliminary tournament finals.

Rikkai had already qualified for the next phase of the competition as the first seed, so the result wasn't crucial for them, and allowed Morimura to take some risks.

Not that real risks were taken anyway; Sanada and Hirose did well, and won their match with a neat 6-3. He knew Sanada still aimed for a singles spot, but Morimura thought he had still lots he could learn from this experience of playing doubles.

Yanagi Renji had been quite a surprise, performing under his radar for most of the time, gravitating around Matsui rather than him. That allowed her to show off with all the informations she gathered from him; but Morimura later learned that it wasn't like she was using him for her goals, but most likely the other way around. Yanagi's suggestions that came through Matsui were always on point, always useful - until Morimura went to talk to him directly, to save time and effort. He observed him during training, and he could tell that his basics were strong, but it was like he was never overdoing it - completely opposite from Yukimura, who decided to go all-out on his first day.

Morimura couldn't shake off the feeling that he was just studying the battleground before attacking. His observations skills were useful and had already helped the team a lot in both training and matches, but his goals weren't clear to him already. He didn't wast to ask directly; anyways, he most likely wouldn't get an honest answer. But he would keep his eyes on him.

Yukimura Seiichi was a completely different affair. They boy's raw talent was probably higher that everyone else's in the team, but he seemed to have learned that it wasn't nearly enough to be part of that team. He couldn't complain about him for the last four weeks; he practiced everyday, he asked his seniors and his former teammates for practice matches, he came to cheer during all their matches. Morimura was planning to have him play a match against Hyoutei, that Friday. He just seemed to have learned his lesson, and Morimura was more than ready to give him a chance to gain a spot in the team.

The big three were a big deal for sure, but he couldn't fight away the impression that the biggest deal was the underdog who didn't benefit of that pretentious name.

Niou had defeated Hongo in a practice match the day before, and that shuffled the deck again. Everything could still happen.

"Morimura-san?", Taniguchi asked, pulling him back to reality.

"Yeah", he said, looking away. "Yeah. I can't really complain".

"Well, so…", she hesitated. "Can I ask you for more details about the next practice matches? I can tell then to Anzai-san".

"Thank you, but I'd rather discuss with her personally". God forbid she would complain because he used her teammates as messengers instead of moving his ass to go speak to her. "I'll go there after practice". He glanced at the clock on the wall. "I need to go now, it's…"

The door opened with a slam.

"Morimura-san!", Matsui stormed in with the grace of a herd of elephants, "about today's schedule, I…"

She froze in the middle of the room, her eyes stuck on Taniguchi.

"…need to ask you something", she concluded, with a feeble voice.

"I gotta go to practice too", Taniguchi gave him one more smile. "Thank you for your help, Morimura-san". She turned away, nodded at Matsui as a greeting, and rushed out of the door.

Morimura glanced at the doorjamb, and then back at Matsui, still frozen on the spot.

"What?", he asked her.

"What?", she echoes, looking at him like he had just appeared from under the table.

Morimura sighed. "She didn't betray you, don't worry. You can keep talking about our business with the entire girls' club, if you like to". As if he cares. "What do you want?"

She frowned for a second, and seemed about to say something. "Yeah", she shook her head. "For today's matches. Hongo-san is sick. We need to reconsider the combinations".

Morimura snorted. Hongo was probably as sick as he was; he was butthurt for having lost the day before, that was it.

"No need to", he said. "I'm gonna play against Niou-kun". It was time for a rematch, wasn't it? "Let's go. We're already late".

She stayed froze in her place for a moment; then, slowly, she followed him out of the office, and towards the courts.

Well, Merry Christmas everybody, and Happy Holiday Season!

Santa's gifts are a girls' team introduction, the calm before the storm in the boys' team, and a new drama just behind the corner. Hope you enjoyed it.

Even in this dark times, hope you'll be having some cozy days with your loved ones, or just doing the things you like the most. Whatever makes you happy.

Lots of love,

Fanny

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

"And so it is like you said it would be" [Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter]