Chapter 10: Ginka vs. Daishi
Inner Taro: Daishi? Never heard of them.
Inner Kin: (sighs) Good thing too...
So Kin learned her lesson. Sure, stubbornly, self-righteously and petulantly, but she eventually accepted the fact that Hiroki's use of reverse psychology was very effective on her. Now she looked at her coaching job in a new view: a challenge that often triggered massive migraines, but a necessary obstacle on her way to Tezuka's downfall.
To get the regulars to work for her, she used two very useful methods: bribing and blackmail. The winner gets free lunch and the loser has to stay longer to practice. Either way, it was a win-win situation for the tennis club, but it was digging a hole in her wallet.
"Guys, I've decided who will play the matches in the preliminary rounds of the Prefectural Tournament," she announced nervously.
"Hontou? Let me see," Suzuki grabbed the paper, but she pulled it back.
"Listen carefully. Doubles Two- Suzuki and Doumoto. Doubles One- Kiyoshi and Hiroki. Singles Three- Tashiro. Singles Two- Me. Singles One- Fukushi."
"AAAHHH? I'm playing doubles with this baka? You got to be kidding m-" Suzuki started, pointing accusingly at an exploding Doumoto.
"Who're you calling a baka, baka?"
"You, obviously! You couldn't-"
Everyone sighed. "Doumoto's strength compliments Suzuki's speed. As long as you guys aren't killing each other, you'll do well," Kin explained to no avail.
"Fat chance of that," Kiyoshi scoffed at the sight of them picking a fight every five minutes.
"Well, I'm counting on you two, Kiyoshi-senpai, Hiroki-senpai," she smiled as they slapped hands.
"Don't worry, we aren't them," Hiroki smiled, "It's just good to have you back again." When the rest weren't watching, he whispered in her ear. "Psst, it may not look like it, but Tashiro and Kiyoshi were actually pretty guilty about what they did. He told me to apologize for him."
"Gomen, apology not accepted. If they really are sorry, they'd come to my face and apologize, but it's nice to know," she smiled, doubting the validity of his statements.
"It was getting lonely around here without you. I think everyone would agree," Fukushi added, putting an elbow on Hiroki's shoulder.
"I'M NOT ON THE LIST!" Itsuki exclaimed, a waterfall of tears cascading off of his cheeks.
"Gomenasai, Itsuki-senpai, but you're just going to have to be a reserve."
"What he means is that your training results weren't spectacular," Fukushi explained.
"Train harder and you can replace Tashiro, okay?" she smiled encouragingly, a tinge of guilt filling her.
"Ha, as if that's ever going to happen," Tashiro waved his tennis racket in his face. Itsuki huddled in the corner, a melancholic aura clinging to his clothes with a raining cloud overhead. "D-do you think I went too far?" Tashiro frowned.
---The First Day---
"So that's the team we're facing? Pffth, they look like losers to me," a tall guy with shoulder-length red hair snickered.
"Hey, who're you calling a loser?" Tashiro called, clutching a fist.
"Calm down, Tashiro-senpai. You'll be able to crush them on the tennis court," Kin said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Hmph. So this is your coach? He's so tiny." An enormous guy with a potbelly looked down at Kin and she gulped. Hard. "I'm playing singles two. Nice to meet you, kid."
Another gulp. The guy was practically shielding all the sunlight.
"Ah, you too," she sweatdropped.
"Good luck, Taro-kun," Hiroki forced himself to twitch his lips up, and everyone on the team was glad that they weren't facing him.
"Doubles Two will now begin. I repeat, doubles two will now begin. For Ginka, Doumoto and Suzuki please step up. For Daishi, Kyo and Masuyo will begin," the umpire declared.
"Remember everything that I taught you guys, okay? Just..." She waved her arms wildly, unsure of what to say. "Get out there and have fun, all right?" Everyone looked at her weirdly and Tashiro whistled in amusement.
Inner Kin: Have fun? Where did that come from? Since when did Kin's tents of tennis change from 'I've got to beat onii-chan even if I die' to 'just have fun'?
'You be quiet.'
"Whatever," Doumoto muttered as he took off his sweatshirt and approached the baseline.
"Matte," Suzuki cried as he ran to the service line.
"Doumoto to serve," the umpire declared.
"I'll give you a taste of my power serve!"
'No, Doumoto, stop! I told you specifically not to use your power serve at the beginning because it takes up too much stamina!' She buried her head in her arms as they won the first point. If she was alone, she would be slapping her head against concrete right now.
Inner Kin: Since when did they listen to you?
Kin closed her eyes as felt her insides squirm in apprehension and waves of heat pass through her body. Even thought she wasn't even the one playing, she touched the back of her neck and was surprised that it was completely covered in sweat.
"3-1. Daishi leads."
'What am I doing here? Ginka's hopeless. I'm a girl pretending to be a guy leading a pathetically hopeless tennis club that won't listen to me. I can give you an entire list full of reasons why I should not be doing this. WHY AM I HERE?'
Inner Kin: How pathetic. Now that you've made it this far, you've having a panic attack. Calm down, Kin. It's not the end of the world. Didn't you tell them to 'just have fun'?
'Are you saying I should just enjoy myself and hope for the best?'
Inner Kin: Isn't that what you just told them? Girl, you're still 'mada mada dane.'
'Then how about you do something more constructive than run your mouth at me?'
Inner Kin: Then let's start cheering.
'Cheering? The bench coach doesn't cheer.'
Inner Kin: Then don't be bench coach. Duh. You need to blow off some steam.
She was amazed to look down at her sweaty palms and realize that there was blood on her nails from clutching her hand so hard.
"GINKA! Ginka! Ginka! Ginka!" a familiar voice came from behind her.
"Taro-chan?" she muttered barely audibly, surprised to see her cheerful best friend.
"Ginka! Ginka! Ginka! Doumoto! Suzuki!" he shouted, smiling at her.
Inner Kin: You know, he's right.
'Arigatou, Taro-chan. You're right. If I don't believe in them, what am I doing here? I have to believe in them.'
"5-1. Daishi leads."
"What was that, baka? How could you miss such a shot?" Doumoto grabbed Suzuki's collar, slamming his racket to the ground.
"Then why didn't you get it, baka?"
"That's enough!" She stood up from the bench and stared at them with glinting eyes. 'It's time for me to act like a bench coach.' "A proper doubles pair doesn't argue. Here, you guys." She handed both of them their bottles and towels. "You're doing well."
Both of them nearly choked at her last words.
"We're doing well? We've lost the last five points," Suzuki snorted. 'What had gotten into this guy today?'
"Look, Doumoto-senpai and Suzuki-senpai, look at me." They stared back at her blankly, surprised to see her tone change from aloof to professional. "Everyone, take a deep breath." She inhaled and exhaled deeply several times, calming her jumping nerves and covering her doubts. "Tell me, you two, do you believe you can win this game?"
"With this guy?" Suzuki shook his head.
"What do you mean 'this guy'? If it wasn't for you, I would've won a long time ago," Doumoto glared at him.
"Stop arguing. You're going to accomplish nothing. Do you really believe that you can win this match?"
They glanced at each other and turned away.
"I see then. If you have no belief in yourself and your partner, why are you on the court at all? Umpire, Ginka decides to forfeit this match," she declared.
"NANI? Are you crazy? We're not forfeiting! The game's not over yet," Doumoto and Suzuki protested.
"What's the point to keep on playing if you don't think you can win? The result's going to be the same anyway. We're just wasting everyone's time."
"Do you wish to forfeit?" the umpire asked them.
"IIE!" they both screamed in unison.
A vein bulged in Kin's head as she exploded in anger. "If you plan on continuing, then you have to win this match. No ifs, no excuses, nothing. If you lose, I'm kicking you out of the club. I'm sure Itsuki would be delighted to replace you both."
"Are you crazy? You can't kick us out of the tennis club," Doumoto protested, grabbing her shirt.
"Well, look at that. Internal fighting, neh? This game's already ours. Hurry up, kids," the captain taunted from the other side, but no one heard him.
"I can and I will unless you win this game," she crossed her arms stubbornly.
"We can't win five points in a row," Suzuki fought.
"Then forfeit."
"Teme..." Trapped, Suzuki put a hand on Doumoto's shoulder. "Let's ignore her. She's cuckoo today. Besides, it's your service game. We can win this point, but how we're going to win the next three points I don't know."
They returned to court, avoiding her gaze. "You know you can't win with one lucky serve," her flat voice reminded behind them.
"Damare!" they snapped at her. She sat back down, smiling, blinking back tears. Her boys Suzuki and Doumoto were growing. A month ago, they would have forfeited without a second thought. Now they were on the courts, displaying Ginka's pride and playing to their hearts' content.
Inner Kin: That was a little harsh, don't you think?
'They have to learn to believe in themselves before they can expect anyone else to believe in them.'
Inner Kin: True, but a little support couldn't have hurt, right?
'I'm not spoon-feeding them. That's not my teaching style.'
"2-5. Daishi leads."
They returned to benches after an entire game of service aces.
"Not bad, Doumoto-senpai. You should take it easy and reserve your stamina. Doubles is not a game of power, but rather of control. Perhaps it's time to use a formation, neh? You guys did endure merciless training from me," she licked her lips. Now the game was starting.
"Ready to kick ass, Suzuki-san?" Doumoto smirked broadly.
"Hm. I was waiting for you to say it." Kin sighed with relief. Now they were starting to act like a doubles pair.
When they returned to the court, Suzuki stood on the center hash mark while Doumoto stood directly on the service line in front of him.
"Australian Formation?" the opponent blinked in surprise.
"Nope, 'I' Formation," his partner corrected.
The opponent served, and Doumoto feigned a hard cross court, but he missed the ball and instead Suzuki appeared behind him and slammed it into the empty side.
"0-15."
"Chikusho, I can't decide which way they're going," Kyo muttered.
Kin closed her eyes as the formation worked successfully. The I-Formation worked well because it was fairly deceptive. The partners' playing styles were completely different, so they had to prepare for both of them. Suzuki was a fast sprinter while Doumoto hit hard, but often inaccurate balls. While Doumoto overwhelmed them with his strength, Suzuki covered for the balls he couldn't reach. Kin had spent hours of frustration (and screaming) teaching Doumoto how to do volleys and drop shots, but eventually relented when everything ended up becoming a power game.
"5-4. Daishi leads."
The strategy worked for three games, but now there was an increasing problem: Suzuki's stamina. Suzuki had been running continuously for 20 minutes now, and the opponents were taking advantage of this.
"Game and match to Daishi. 6-4."
"Gomenasai, Taro-san. I couldn't keep up," Suzuki buried his head in his towels between fervent pants.
"It's fine. You guys did great," Kin smiled, glowing in pride. At least they knew what to work on: Doumoto's accuracy and Suzuki's endurance.
"You're not kicking us out of the club? I'm relieved," Doumoto said sarcastically. Kin just smiled cheerfully.
"Not too shabby, Mr. Powerhouse," Kiyoshi commented, "It's a pity that you can't control your shots or else you might have won."
"Save your energy for the court, Kiyoshi-senpai. I'm counting on you two."
'You guys are my only hope because if you don't, I won't even get to play.'
Inner Kin: Don't worry. Kiyoshi may be a selfish jerk who sexually harasses girls, but Hiroki's more than enough to back him up.
'I hope you're right.'
Inner Kin: Of course I'm right.
'I'm sorry to break it to you, but self-denial and telling lies are not healthy habits.'
Inner Kin: Excuse me? Who's the one in self-denial?
To everyone's surprise around her, she chuckled softly. This day was turning out to be more interesting than she ever expected. This was her first day ever being a serious competitor in a sports tournament. It was not only a test for her club's tennis skills; rather, for Kin, it became a psychological challenge of proving the fact that she, like Tezuka, could become the heart of the world they were passionate about.
'Leadership is a nuisance, isn't it?'
Inner Kin: To you, yes. However, it's also bringing out the best in you. Imagine if you were doing the same thing in your math class.
'...Please don't get graphic on me now.'