Chapter Seven: I. Will. Break. You.
Inner Taro: She sounds dangerous. I'm glad she's not saying that to me... U-.-
Much to everyone's surprise, Taro, a.k.a. Kin, was improving exponentially. Still, she can't serve overhand decently after the first few games and she couldn't think of performing a volley or drop shot to save her life.
Inner Kin: It's six already. Time for you to wake up. Chop chop.
Snore.
Inner Kin: Oi! How are you going to beat onii-chan if you can't wake up early?
'Damare. I don't care about onii-chan right now. I'm sleeping.'
Inner Kin: You leave me no choice then. Forgive me.
Inner Kin pulled out an enormous, ten-story gong and pounded it.
"AAAAHHHHHH! You didn't have to do that!" Kin exclaimed, jolting from her bed. She glanced at the clock. It read 4:15.
"TTTEEEMMMEEE!"
Inner Kin: Oopsie. My bad.
---Later---
'...Just another step...'
Inner Kin: That's right. Put one foot in front of the other.
'Damare. You aren't the one running.'
She checked her watch. "Oh no, there's only 15 minutes before school starts and I'm still three kilometers away! Chikusho..."
Inner Kin: Just give it up. There's got to be a bus stop around here somewhere. You're going to drop any second.
"No, not after coming this far! I have to keep running," she disagreed, starting another sprint.
Inner Kin: Well, if you're going to give up now, it's not like there's any hope of you defeating onii-chan, who's been practicing since birth, right?
"I'm not going to give up!"
Inner Kin: That's my Kin.
---Later---
"Kin-chan, daijoubu?" Taro poked Kin's fainted figure.
"One hour... of running this morning," she mumbled, "I... can't believe... I made it."
"I'm checking homework right now! Taro, Kin, I'll be expecting you after school today," Kikyo-sensei walked around. "Remember, Kin, there's only three days before the quiz where you must get 100."
"Ah? Only three days?" She suddenly revived, staring at her teacher incredulously.
"Hai, only three days. If you don't keep your deal, Kin, you're going to stay for the entire month." 'Chikusho, this is bad. I haven't been doing my homework well either these past few days-'
Inner Kin: Do you ever?
'To get a 100 out of the blue... I hope it's multiple choice.'
"This is hopeless," she sighed and collapsed into her chair again.
"Kin-chan? Kin-chan!" Taro called, but she was already huddling in a small corner.
---After School---
After swapping clothes with Taro, she hurriedly rushed off to the tennis courts. Still, she had to do the math packets Kikyo-sensei assigned. 'I'm going to have to finish things quickly.'
"Did you hear? I heard a freshman has been beating some juniors recently and he's gone undefeated."
"Yeah, isn't his name Aoki Taro?" Smiling, Kin started doing her routine stretches.
"Oi, you're Taro-kohai, aren't you?" a gruff voice called, raising his racket to her face.
"Fukushi-buchou," she bowed her head.
"I've heard enough rumors about this too-good freshman. Let's have a match," he smiled deviously, tapping his racket to his palm.
"Ah? A match already? Don't you think you're rushing a bit, Fukushi-buchou?" Doumoto put his hand on his shoulder.
"Nonsense. It'll be a good warm-up," he smiled.
"Hai, buchou. I'll be honored," Kin smiled in return, elation and zeal filling her chest. 'To be able to play the captain... what a chance.'
"Okay! One set match, Aoki to serve," the umpire called.
"Give me all you've got," he said in a carefree tone, thinking, 'Which really won't be anything.'
"Here I go," she smiled and threw the ball.
"Nice overhand serve," the captain commented, "But you're going to have to do better than that." Before she had time to react, the ball already zoomed past her ear.
"Sugoi. You're fast, buchou," she smiled. This was probably the most challenging game yet; she was never giving up.
Serve.
Pok.
Slice.
Leap.
Smash.
"15-15."
"Not bad, kid. You caught me off guard there," he smiled. 'Aw, well, this poor kid doesn't know what he's getting himself into.'
"That Fukushi. Merciless as usual. Targeting poor freshmen, is he?" Doumoto shook his head.
"I don't know about that. Watch the boy carefully," Suzuki replied slowly. Doumoto watched Fukushi win the game, unimpressed.
"I don't see anything special about him," Doumoto scoffed, stalking off.
"Well then, Doumoto-kun, you need some new glasses. Look at the ground where Fukushi is standing."
"Hm?" Doumoto was surprised to realize that all of Kin's serves landed exactly on the service line, swapping corners. "No way."
"Ah. He was working on controlling their direction. That boy hasn't been practicing his serves incessantly for no reason. Not bad for a kid who's only started a few weeks ago, right?"
"Suzuki-san..." Doumoto smirked, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're looking up to him."
"Me? Looking up to a freshman? Absurd," Suzuki turned around, a slight blush on his cheeks.
"Game to Fukushi. 2-0."
Inner Kin: Kin, calm down. He's just another player, that's all. You can't let him get the best of you.
'Heh, you're right for once. Yosh. This guy really isn't that tough.'
"Ready for this, buchou? I'm going to beat you," she panted, bouncing the ball. 'This guy doesn't have very good analysis skills. I've been making him run back and forth, but he's only returning the shots out of luck and power.'
She served again with extra force, giving the ball a topspin.
Pok. It was a weak and low drop shot.
'Now!'
She ran towards the net, her mind going over the words she read in Tennis for Beginners. 'Use a chopper grip like the way you would hold an axe, and then come up to a net after a weak and low return.'
"Ehh? Serve and volley? Oh, nice!"
"15-0."
"Hmph. Approaching the net, eh? You caught me off-guard there," he growled, 'Aw, well, it doesn't matter anyway.'
"Good. That's what I intended," she smiled.
Inner Kin: Ready to turn this match around?
'Whenever you are.'
---Later---
Fukushi couldn't believe it. 'This newbie player is beating me, the buchou?'
"Deuce." 'Chikusho. This point decides everything.' Panicking inwardly, he tossed the ball into the air. In mid-throw, a voice interrupted his concentration.
"I will break you."
Caught off-guard, he swung but missed the ball. Chuckles erupted from the crowd.
"Damare!" he called angrily, his face red from the heat and chagrin. 'This arrogant kid. Who does he think he is?'
He served again and to his relief, made it in.
'What a predictable shot,' Kin thought, 'This guy, at heart, is nothing than a mediocre sluggard. Compared to Seigaku, Ginka is nothing but a joke.'
She slammed it hard, aiming for the baseline.
"Sugoi. What a fast shot," Doumoto blinked, not believing his eyes.
"By watching you, I realized that I can put more power in my shots by using my entire body, not just my arms. Arigatou, senpai."
"Hmph. What a conceited kid," Fukushi muttered, although he felt a grudging respect blossom inside. He served again, but once again she returned with super-fast slices.
"Game won by Aoki. 7-5."
The crowd erupted in frenzied cheering. Suzuki and Doumoto clapped enthusiastically. 'That boy may be a newbie, but he... he could be exactly what Ginka needs.'
"I can't believe I lost to a greenhorn player," Fukushi spat on the ground, thoroughly fatigued.
"That was a good game, but you aren't even trying to reach some of the fast and further balls. Didn't conserve enough energy in the beginning of the match, maybe?" she taunted.
"Damare! A beginner like you has no right to lecture me!" He stalked off, refusing to shake Kin's outreached hand. So, in his place, Suzuki vigorously shook her hand.
"Sugoi. Sugoi. You really are something, Taro-chibi," Suzuki lauded.
"A-arigatou?" she blinked at his enthusiastic smile. 'Is this guy flirting with me? One second he's glaring at me like I killed his mother, and the next I'm his best friend.'
"How about you play me next?" he challenged.
Kin suddenly gasped. "I forgot about sensei! Chikusho, she's going to kill me!" she exclaimed, her heart dropping like a stone in apprehension. "I got to go. I'll play with you tomorrow, okay, Suzuki-kun?"
She ran off at the speed of light, leaving Suzuki looking very dazed.
---Later---
Gasp.
Gasp.
Wheezy Gasp.
Inner Kin: Hey, Kin, maybe you should tone down the running for a bit?
'Nani? How am I supposed to beat onii-chan if I can't even keep running for a bit? Besides, it's taking my head off of my aching brain. All those stupid formulas... There's no room in my head to keep them.'
Inner Kin: Ah, demo, if keep this up, you're going to end up fainting or worse.
'Oh, puh-lease. This is nothing!' With that, she added a sprint that lasted about five seconds. 'I just have to make it to the lamp post... and then to that weird tree... and the last time will be to that entrance.'
Inner Kin: Maybe it's not a good idea to-'Damare! It's only been 15 minutes.'
Inner Kin: Aw, well, since when had you ever listened to me? Aw, well, maybe I can help you take your mind off of the running. Oh, I know. How about we recite some math? The test is in two days, after all.
Wheezy gasp.
Inner Kin: What is the equation for a parabola?'Y squared equals four p times x.'
Inner Kin: What is p?'The directrix, right?'
Slap. 'Itai!'
Inner Kin: It's the focus.
'Heh, I knew that.'
Inner Kin: How do you derive the directrix from it?'I don't know! Why are you asking me? If you're so good at math, why don't you take the quiz for me?'
Slap.
Inner Kin: You just did this 20 minutes ago.
'Okay, I get your point!'
Well, at least this took her mind off of her screaming-for-help muscles.
---Judgement Hour---
"It's quiz time."
'Chikusho, chikusho, chikusho...' She clapped her hands together and prayed fervently. 'Please Almighty Lord, if you're out there, show some mercy and give me a 100.'
Inner Kin: I never knew you were so religious.
Slap.
Inner Kin: Itai. That was meant as a joke, you know?Slap.
Inner Kin: Okay, okay, I see you don't need my help. Ja ne."Parabolas, circles, ellipses and hyperbolas..." she mumbled under breath, trying to retain something from cramming all those theorems into her head last night.
"Good luck, Kin-chan. Let's do our best, okay?" Taro encouraged from the seat next to her. Kin couldn't reply because her teeth were chattering too hard.
'Coming in to work on packets for the entire month...' Her entire body shivered at the thought. 'If I do that, I'll fall even further behind.'
"Here's the quiz. Remember, a 100 percent," Kikyo slid the quiz onto her desk, glaring maliciously. As Kin glanced over the quiz, she realized that none of it was multiple choice, or true and false, or anything. These were the kinds of quizzes where she got zeros on. 'Chikusho, chikusho, chikusho... That Kikyo-sensei is so evil!'
Inner Kin: Calm down, Kin. You can do this. I'm here as your savior, remember? You were nervous during Fukushi-senpai's match but you won out in the end, remember?
'Ee, but that's tennis, not math.'
Inner Kin: Are they really so different? Take a deep breath. What would onii-chan do in your situation?
'He'd ace the test without hesitation.'
Inner Kin: Well, that's true, but... how about you start out by writing all the theorems on a separate piece of paper?
Inhaling and exhaling sharply, she scribbled down everything that she remembered about the section.
'The equation for a hyperbola... was it c equals a plus b or a minus b? Arrgh...' After re-composing herself and finishing the theorem sheet, she turned back to the quiz. She re-read the problem three times and suddenly she saw the light. From there, everything started clicking.
"Oh my god, I see the light, sensei, I see the light!" she exclaimed from her seat, disrupting the otherwise silent classroom. Everyone turned to glare at her, and she cringed under the 'she-is-cuckoo' glances, but she couldn't care less.
"I will break you."
Inner Taro: That girl just can't control herself, can she? Talking to her quiz paper... makes me want to pretend like I don't know her.
'Well, that's Kin for you.'
"40 minutes until the period ends."
Tick. Tick. Tick.
'Ellipses translated x units to the right and y units up have that amount added to their variables...'
"20 minutes until the period ends."
Tick. Tick. Tick.
'That's right, in an ellipse, b squared equals a squared plus c squared and in a hyperbola, the plus sign switches to a minus...'
"Five minutes until the end. Please stop and check your answers."
'Chikusho, I still have one last problem.' Chewing on her eraser cap, she scribbled furiously like a madman, hoping that she would confuse her teacher into thinking that she got the correct answer.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Kin collapsed into her chair with relief. She had never been this exhausted in her life.
"That quiz was really hard. Kikyo-sensei's so tough," a student exclaimed. 'Hmph. Excuses, excuses.'
Kin stood up on her chair and put her foot on the desk and alleged to the world, "I answered every question on that quiz!"
"...And that's new for you, Kin-chan?" Taro sighed, bowing his head. Kin was undeterred. To her amazement, there was an elation growing in her chest. She felt like she was on top of the world; there was no doubt that she got a 100 percent for the first time in her life.
'Is this how it feels like to win? It feels... amazing. Heh, no one can stop me now, not even onii-chan!'
"Kin, Taro, stay a while after this period. I'll grade your tests right now," Kikyo smiled, collecting the quizzes.
---Five Minutes Later---
"AN 81?!" she gasped at the score drawn in red.
"That's right. I had a lot of difficulty reading your answers," Kikyo raised her head in defense.
"But the answer is right there! I should get full points!" Kin screamed, pointing at her encircled answer.
"You just wrote that right now!" Kikyo incriminated, her eyes not believing the sight.
"NO, I DID NOT! How could you accuse me of an innocent crime?"
Inner Taro: Is it just me or has this turned into a screaming competition?
"Read the directions at the top, Kin-san," she ordered, pointing to the top with a bony, twitching finger.
"Answers must be systematically in order and immediately evident in order to full credit," she read, blinking, "THAT'S BULL! Is that not 'immediately evident' enough to you?"
"Oi, Kin-chan, maybe you should-"
"Do you know how hard I worked on this?!"
"-calm down," Taro finished with a sigh.
Inner Taro: Well, looks like we can't do much when Kin is all fired up, eh?
'She should really put all that energy and devotion towards something else. If she did, she'll be unstoppable,' Taro agreed.
"LET ME FINISH!" Kikyo yelled in Kin's face. "If you would let me finish, I would have told you that there will be a redo out of 100 on Tuesday. If you get a 100, I'll let you go. You only have to redo the questions that you missed. Make sure, this time, that I can follow your work like a professional and your handwriting doesn't look like a first grader's."
"Hmph. Don't worry, sensei, I'll get a 100 no matter what."
---
September 25
Dear Diary,
And so, that was the beginning. That is, the beginning of a monster legend, I'm sure. After Kin managed to beat everyone on the tennis team to a pulp, she received her first 100 percent in her entire life. (After a retake, I barely managed to pull off a 92.) Kin and I have always been best friends ever since she saved me from those bullies hogging my lunch in kindergarten. Now that I look to the seat next to me, I see a different person. This wasn't the same loser who would always fail math or the rebellious girl who constantly decide to break the rules (and always get punished as well.) Nope, now I see a girl burning with ambition and potential. Everyday, when I step into the classroom in the morning, I see her running from school with her racket and backpack after a grueling run. Kin's always loved to sleep -that's probably her only hobby from before- but now she'd getting up an hour earlier everyday just to run. Miracles do happen, I suppose? I think so too. With these impossible events happening before my eyes everyday, I can only imagine what's going to happen tomorrow...
Taro capped his pen. He didn't know what else to write, but he knew that there would be plenty topics tomorrow...
'Kin-chan, don't let me down, okay?'
Inner Taro: Who do you think you're talking about here? This is Tezuka Kin, the name that's going to be flashing on all the newspapers in years to come.
"Did you hear? Our Taro-chan has been climbing to the top of the tennis club. He's sure to be a great tennis pro someday," his mother laughed from downstairs.
'Kin-chan, you've always been shadowed by your older brother. You don't now it yet, demo... I think I'm starting to understand how you feel, because the same thing's happening to me, only I'm falling into your shadow.'
Taro smiled. Oh, the irony.