It wasn't that you disliked being a student of Seigaku. On the contrary, you found that the overall feel of the place suited you much more than previous schools had. It was just that, as a student manager of the Seishun Gakuen tennis club, you were obliged to attend the Tennis matches. Even the ones held against your previous school, Rikkai Dai. Your brother never seemed phased about the idea of having to face former team-mates, but you still couldn't really bring yourself to look the Rikkai Dai club members in the eye.

"[First-Name]-senpai, you look nervous."

Ryoma had seemed to notice your downtrodden aura, and decided to broach the subject.

"It's rather cold, isn't it? Don't you think the match will be canceled?"

"I doubt that's the reason, senpai. Considering we are playing inside today."

As much as you loved your kouhai dearly, he was sometimes far too snarky for his own good. Times like this almost (almost, mind you) feel sorry for your brother and whoever else is usually the recepient of the underclassmens attitude.

"Sorry, Ryoma-kun. I'm just a little out of it today," you'd hope that the boy would settle for this, because it would certainly be a little awkward to ruin everyone's excitement for the match with your concerns. You take a quick glance at the bustling group of white and blue jerseys, then at the much further away yellow and black ones.

Ryoma opened his mouth into a little 'o' shape, finally understanding.

"I can ask Tezuka-buchou or Ryuzaki-sensei if you can skip the matches, if you'd like."

For a moment, you stared at Ryoma, unsure. After a few moments, you gave a small smile. "Mm, I've got to be here for Nii-chan's match against Kirihara-kun."

"I think I heard someone mention me!~"

"Eh, are you bothering [First-Name]-chan, Echizen-kun?"

Both Kikumaru and Hiro had jumped into your conversation. You gave Ryoma a small glance and mouthed "Please don't mention this to Nii-chan."

[-]

All in all, the matches went almost as expected. Ryoma had faced Yukimura, resulting in a match won by Yukimura after a tiebreak. Hiro's match had Kirihara coming out victorious, with Kikumaru-Oishi pair defeaing the Marui-Niou pair and Inui-Kaidoh narrowly taking a win against Jackal-Yagyuu. Fuji and Sanada had been evenly matched, with Fuji taking the win in the end.

During all of which, you'd tried to stay as small as possible, as to not gain the attention of your former teammates. It had gone well (as well it could have been, with the club members from Rikkai stopped from going over and socializing by Yukimura), up until your dearest brothers match, where Hiro had specifically called attention to him and yourself ("I'll beat you this time, Kirihara! This time, sis HAS to cheer for me, 'cuz we go to different schools now!").

The Seigaku club members had their interest piqued by your brothers careless comment- they'd known that you two had attented Rikkai Dai but not that you'd been close enough with the Rikkai members to cheer for them. In your mind, it was rather obvious, considering your brothers latest obsession with Tennis- he'd dragged you into it this year, so why wouldn't he last year as well? Of course, the others didn't seem to think that way.

"Eeeh, Hiro-kun! By 'this time, [First-Name]-chan has to cheer for me', do you mean she didn't use to?~"

"Nuh! Eiji-senpai, can you believe that? My own sister was cheering for my eternal rival!"

"Onii-chan, isn't that an overexaggeration? I believe a rival is someone who is almost equal in power. You can barely get a ball past Kirihara-kun."

"Waaa! Mean!"

"Ne, [First-Name]-senpai, how did you know Kirihara-kun and the rest of them?"

"Hmm? Aa, Kirihara-kun has been Hiro and I's classmate ever since halfway through Elementary..."

[#]

"Kirihara-kun. Onii-chan. Please slow down, ne?"

It wasn't a request. It was an order. The two boys knew that, with the scruffy black haired one (the one who actually looked apologetic, unlike your brother) letting out a small apology.

"Sorry, [First-Name]-chan! Anyway, y'know how I told you 'bout the Tennis club? I got Hiro-chan to join as well!"

"Oi, Kirihara! I told you not to call me that! And it's not like it'll be FOREVER, I just can't stand to watch you be the genius first year!"

"Eh~ That's nice, huh?"

"You should join too, sis! Atleast come to practices, I'll go crazy if I have to be stuck with Kirihara!"

[##]

"... Niou-senpai."

You knew he was there. There was a plastic spider in your lunchbox, so you KNEW he was there. He wouldn't dare miss a reaction to one of his genius pranks (except that they weren't genius, considering this was the fifth time this month he'd used this exact one).

"[First-Name]-chan?~ Did you call me?"

"How many times are you going to put a fake spider in my lunchbox? It stopped being scary the first time."

"I know, but this time, it's a real spider."

He's got to be kidding, right? There's no way. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

[###]

"Ah, [Last-Name]-chan, you're early today."

It was early, but.. You couldn't help but give Yanagi-senpai an incredulous smile. It was 6am, and you could tell that everyone else had already been here for a while.

"Mm, senpai, you got here at 5am, didn't you?"

"Four thirty, exactly. But you aren't an official member of the club, so you shouldn't spend so much time here."

"I've got to make sure Onii-chan and Kirihara-kun stay out of trouble, at least."

"[Last-Name]-san, you should know by now that's impossible."

Turning, you smiled at Yagyuu, who had entered the club room. You hadn't noticed him, but then, you were still half alseep at this time of day.

"I can atleast try, right? ... Did Hiro do something?"

"Niou-kun pranked Hiro-kun, and now they're partaking in a death match, apparently."

Yeah, keeping your brother out of trouble was definitely impossible, huh?

[####]

"[First-Name]-chaaaan~ That cake you made in Home Economics-"

You held a box protectively as you gave Marui a small glare. "Is not for you, Marui-senpai!"

The glare softened into a smile, "Next time, I promise! This one is for Jackal-senpai."

Said Jackal looked up, blinking in surprise. He wasn't used to recieving cakes- he was far more often the one who would give them out.

"It isn't fair that Jackal-senpai buys all the sweets, but doesn't get too eat any because Marui-senpai goes overboard. So I thought I'd make something for Jackal-senpai!"

[#####]

Monday Morning. The sweet songs of birds. The rythmic sound of tennis balls hitting raquets. The loud 'TARUNDORU' coming from the vice captain (the fact that this was considered normal unnerved you. After all, isn't acceptance of madness also madness?) who had just discovered that Hiro and Kirihara had come late to practice. And then tried to bluff their way out of it ("We were helping a pregnant woman to the hospital, fuku-buchou!").

"Sorry, Sanada-senpai. Onii-chan is always causing you so much trouble, huh?"

"[Last-Name]-san, there was nothing you could do. You came extra early to help Renji with planning, did you not?"

"Mm, but I still feel bad."

"It's hard to believe you two are twins."

"Not that hard, Sanada. After all, there's always one responsible twin to care for the irresponsible one."

"Ah, Yukimura-buchou, good morning!"

[-]

"So Hiro-senpai was always so irresponsible, huh, [First-Name]-senpai?"

"Eeh, that doesn't sound so different from how you are with us!"

"Are you kidding, Eiji-senpai?! Obviously it is much different."

"How?"

"We are obviously much better, right, Momo-senpai?"