I'm really sorry for not updating earlier, but I came down with a bad case of perfectionism. I've been revising this chapter like crazy, and therefore I proudly present to you the third edition of the fifth installment of "Tensai, Tensai, Tell Me Why"!

Chapter 5

Tensai, tensai, tell me why

Your smile looks sweet, but it is sly

"Chotto sumimasen ga… Yamagawa Chuugoku wa doko desu ka."

The old man looked at her as if she had sprouted sunflowers from her head. After a moment, he pointed dumbly down along the road, eyeing her with evident suspicion.

She walked on, muttering darkly to herself about the eccentricities of elderly folks. And stopped as she saw a signboard at the entrance to an old, deserted building. It read: Yamanaka High School.

"What the - !"

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After about an hour of walking, getting lost, asking for directions, and walking again, Shyoko was just about ready to give up. Even if she ever found the place, she was terribly late by now. Fuji would probably have gone home anyway…

A sudden thud and the appearance of a tennis ball bouncing through the bushes startled her considerably. Surely someone couldn't be playing tennis in the midst of all those bushes, could they? She walked closer to investigate, and what she saw nearly made her scream with frustration.

The courts were right here.

And she'd been walking a big circle around them like a blind man.

She walked onto the courts, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings with a critical eye. Lush greenery encircled the two tennis courts, giving an emerald cast to the entire place.

"This had better be the right court..."

"Shyoko."

She turned at the sound of her name. There, some distance from her was Fuji beaming his ever-present and reassuringly familiar smile. "Fuji! So this is the right place after all, ne?"

"You got lost?" There was a suppressed note of mirth in the tensai's voice.

She gave him a steady look. "Drop it, Fuji."

His smile was positively dazzling.

"So, shall we practice?" Shyoko neatly sidestepped the issue.

"Saa..." Fuji looked around. "Let's start against the wall."

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Shyoko was fuming. She had gone through all that trouble just to come and play against a wall?!!! "I thought we were going to practice doubles." Her voice was flat.

"We are." His calm answer did not appease her in the least bit.

She took her frustration out on the wall, hitting each ball with force. There was quite an impressive spot on the wall by the time she was done with it.

"You've finished warming up?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, let's start." He stood facing her with his hands loosely clasped. "The underlying foundation for doubles is trust."

Azure orbs flew open, searching her with burning intensity. "Do you trust me?"

She fidgeted uncomfortably under his inscrutable gaze. "Yes..."

"If I told you to drink this," He held up a suspiciously red glass of liquid, "would you?"

She automatically backed up a few steps. "That's under the belt! You know I can't stand Inui's concoctions!"

"Would you?"

Remembering what he had said earlier about trust and doubles, she replied reluctantly, "Yes."

His lips curled into the most evil smile ever seen on earth. "I don't really know that that was a test of trust. But if you say so, I suppose I could sacrifice this chance to try Inui's New Improved Aozu..."

Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't!"

He arched an elegant brow. "I wouldn't?"

"You... you - !"

Now how do I get out of this? "It is about trust." She countered. "I trust that you, as my oh-so-responsible doubles partner will not give me anything that may harm me in anyway whatsoever."

"It won't harm you." He looked mildly offended at that suggestion.

"Of course it won't harm me. All it'll do to me is make me vomit my lunch back up, or worse, make me keel over in a dead faint." She rolled her eyes. "Can we just get on with the doubles?"

"I'm trying to teach you here, but apparently the student isn't being very cooperative." He huffed. "But my point is that we have to trust each other to cover for us. For example, if I am at this side of the court," He indicated the right part of the court, "you have to be ready for any shots that come to the left. That's synchronisation."

"Okay."

"Shall we try it?"

He bounced the ball a few times before serving. It glanced off the wall towards her, and she automatically returned it. They practised alternating shots like this for a while until they had gotten fairly good at reading each other's moves.

He caught the ball in his hand and turned to face her. "In doubles, you must understand that you cannot cover the court by yourself. That is why you have a partner. You have to trust your partner to get what you cannot."

As he turned away to serve again, he winked at her. "And never try to steal your doubles' partner's shots."

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The next day, Fuji pronounced them ready to fight against real opponents, although he suggested avoiding the Golden Pair until they were more experienced.

"Then who do we play?" She queried.

He thought for a moment. "In terms of teamwork I suppose Echizen and Momo would be the best, since we're a little better than them… "

"It's settled, then. Let's play them!"

She failed to notice Fuji's amused expression at her enthusiasism. Clearly, she had never had the opportunity to see the two juniors play doubles before.

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"Two games to love. Change court!"

"Momo-sempai, stop bumping into me!"

"It's not me! You take care of your own side!"

Shyoko looked at them in undisguised horror. "You said we're a little better than them? No one in the world could possibly be worse!"

"Maybe..." He shot her a sidelong glance, remembering their first game. "...or maybe not..."

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Needless to say, they won. It was an extremely unusual match, if only because of the hilariously incompatible partnership. It also taught Shyoko a whole lot about doubles. Or rather, how not to play doubles.

"Do you understand now why trust is needed in doubles?"

She nodded fervently. "Definitely."

He had a sudden urge to laugh at her horrified expression.

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Chotto sumimasen... doko desu ka - Excuse me, where is Yamagawa Middle School?

I know this chapter is pretty short, but the next one'll be better. I promise!

Review, ne?