Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis and its characters are property of Takeshi Konomi. However, this plot and any original characters belong to McGrady. This story is rated T for language and minor sexual content.
Author's notes: Thanks to Lynn, Otakugal, Isagani, Train, Yuki, Ryoma, Red-jello, KC, Cityangelz, emii-chan, Hanako-chan, Kat, Angeoudemon, Nikel, Prinx, Rennomiya, and Mangastoptazmo for reviewing! Some reviewers commented on the amount of swearing in the last chapter. As of this chapter, I will not be changing the way I employ expletives. Excessive but carefully chosen and placed expletives in my story serve to give my dialogue a sense of adult realism. Remember, this story is rated T, and unlike many docile and incorrectly rated T fics here, this story deserves its rating.
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"Ninety-nine percent of everything done in the world, good or bad, is done to pay a mortgage." -Nick Naylor
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Karma: How the Tables Have Turned
by McGrady
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Arrogance Contacts Innocence
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May 23
Dear Diary,
I'm still looking for a place to stay next year. Uh! I should have finished this business before the semester ended. My living situation is looking pretty bad right now. All the good single apartments on Walnut Street are taken. I really, really, really wanted one of those singles!
Oh well, I've just got to keep my head up, my eyes open, and my optimism high! I feel like an opportunity is bound to present itself soon…
Love,
Sakuno
ooooo
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Sakuno Ryuzaki: "Hello?"
Ryoma Echizen: "Ryuzaki."
Sakuno: "Wha – who is this?"
Ryoma: "Me."
Sakuno: "Um…"
Ryoma: "Can you not recognize my voice?"
Sakuno: "R-Ryoma? How did you get my cell phone number!"
Ryoma: "Facebook."
Sakuno: "Facebook! That's – uh! What do you want!"
Ryoma: "A roommate."
Sakuno: "… Wait… a roommate?"
Ryoma: "Yes."
Sakuno: "Well then, you go find yourself a roommate! I'm hanging up now!"
Ryoma: "My roommate must be you."
Sakuno: "… What!"
Ryoma: "You said you needed a place to stay. My roommate must be you. I give you a place to stay. You be my roommate. Perfect trade."
Sakuno: "That's… that's perfect ludicrous! There's no way I'll ever live with you! And why the hell do you want me to be your roommate?"
Ryoma: "You improve my marketability."
Sakuno: "… What! Marketability? You mean that you'll get more money if I live with you?"
Ryoma: "Yes."
Sakuno: "That – that's ridiculous! I'm not some accessory you can wear around your wrist that will magically make people wanna throw money at you!"
Ryoma: "You dispelled my reputation as a stern asexual. Sponsors have consequently called me with offers."
Sakuno: "… Echizen, I have no idea what in the world you're talking about. I'm hanging up now."
Ryoma: "I'll give you cash."
Sakuno: "…"
Ryoma: "…"
Sakuno: "Are you serious?"
Ryoma: "How much do you want?"
Sakuno: "…"
Ryoma: "…"
Sakuno: "… One million dollars…"
Ryoma: "… What? That's unreasonable. I'll offer five thousand dollars for you to be my roommate for two semesters."
Sakuno: "What! I would very much rather spend five thousand for my own room than receive only five thousand to live with you! Echizen, I told you my price! One million dollars!"
Ryoma: "I'll give you ten thousand."
Sakuno: "Still not interested. One million."
Ryoma: "Twenty thousand."
Sakuno: "One million."
Ryoma: "Thirty thousand."
Sakuno: "One million."
Ryoma: "Forty."
Sakuno: "One million."
Ryoma: "Fifty."
Sakuno: "One million. I'm serious, I want exactly one million dollars!"
Ryoma: "… One hundred thousand dollars."
Sakuno: "Hm… that's probably almost half of what I'll end up spending on college after I'm done with it all… but I'm still not interested. One million."
Ryoma: "… Two hundred thousand."
Sakuno: "…"
Ryoma: "…"
Sakuno: "… One million…"
Ryoma: "Ridiculous. I offered to pay essentially four years of tuition and fees to go with free housing. Forget it. I'll just find another roommate."
Sakuno: "What, are you hanging up now?"
Ryoma: "Yes."
Sakuno: "No wait! Don't hang up! Don't hang up don't hang up please don't hang up!"
Slam!
Dial tone…
ooooo
Sakuno Ryuzaki groaned. "Did I just throw away two hundred thousand dollars?" she said aloud to herself. "And all I had to do was be his roommate! Sakuno, you idiot… wait a second…"
She suddenly recalled Ryoma Echizen's recent assertions. My roommate must be you, he had said. A roommate… my roommate must be you.
Resolved, Sakuno opened her cell phone and called Ryoma.
ooooo
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Ryoma Echizen: "Echizen speaking."
Sakuno Ryuzaki: "Hey… hey, Echizen…"
Ryoma: "…"
Sakuno: "… I reconsidered your last offer… and I decided… two hundred and twenty thousand dollars to live with you for two semesters, and you've got a deal."
Ryoma: "Two hundred and twenty thousand it is, then. Do you have plans for tomorrow evening?"
Sakuno: "Tomorrow? No…"
Ryoma: "We will meet at the Bubble Tea House at eight o'clock to discuss the details. I will afterward take you to the apartment where we can settle the final papers."
Sakuno: "… Okay…"
Ryoma: "I'll see you tomorrow."
Sakuno: "… okay then… bye…"
Slam!
Dial tone…
Sakuno: "What did I get myself into?"
Dial tone…
ooooo
March 24
Dear Diary,
I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I'm going back to Japan in two days, I managed to get one of those Walnut Street apartments to live in next year, and I got another 30,000 dollars out of Ryoma Echizen. It's not like he can't afford it; he probably makes like millions every year. The bad news is that I'll be living in the same room – not just the same apartment, the same room – as Ryoma.
The apartment is spacious, but it's a one-room studio apartment. The kitchen and single bedroom are lumped together without any walls dividing them. It has two closets, which is nice, and Ryoma already has plans to add nice couches, chairs, a big TV, and a desk. However, in planning what furniture to order for the room, Ryoma only anticipated that he would live alone. Apparently, I was just a last-minute afterthought to improve Ryoma's business. Thanks, jerk!
But anyway, he only ordered one desk and one bed. I told him instantly that I wanted the bed, and that he could have the desk to himself. We argued about it, yadda yadda, blah blah, and finally he agreed to give me the bed and even the extra cash. Haha! I have the bed to myself! Ryoma has to sleep on the couch!
What's super-lame, though, is that I can't be seen in public with any guys other than Ryoma! He said it was part of the deal… What if Mr. Handsome asks me out? Though I can dream all I want, I doubt that will actually happen. My lifetime record with love has been pretty poor. Look at me now: I'm going to be living with my middle school crush, who's a jerk, and who I didn't get over for over a year after he left me in the airport! And when I'm finally over him, he waltzes back into my life, still a jerk, and tricks me into living with him. I want to punch Ryoma in the wiener.
Even though living with Ryoma will probably be really uncomfortable, at least the room has other nice features. It's located right next to the university book store, the main library, the gym, and is pretty close to the center of campus. From our window, we have a beautiful view of the sun setting over campus. Ryoma will order all the furniture himself, and the furniture will be new. The location is hard to beat, and should be a good plus from living with Ryoma.
And then finally, I agreed. Ryoma got all official about "final papers." He even had me sign a contract, lawyer and all. Whatever. At least he's giving me a quarter of a million dollars to do this.
When I return to school in late August to move in, I might be a good deal richer, but I'm beginning to think that living with Ryoma isn't worth it.
Love,
Sakuno
ooooo
CONTRACT
Ms Sakuno Ryuzaki agrees to reside with Mr Ryoma Echizen on the following terms:
1. Mr Echizen will transfer an amount no less than 250,000 USD to Ms Ryuzaki's savings account within the first week of her arrival.
2. Ms Ryuzaki will be the sole user of the bed.
Mr Ryoma Echizen agrees to host Ms Sakuno Ryuzaki on the following terms:
1. Ms Ryuzaki will reside with Mr Echizen for at least two semesters.
2. Ms Ryuzaki will tell no one with whom she is living.
3. Ms Ryuzaki will not be seen publicly in the companionship of any sole male whose age appears to be between 16 and 30 years of age, with Mr Echizen as the sole exception.
4. Ms Ryuzaki will make monthly appearances with Mr Echizen as his escort to major publicized events.
5. Mr Echizen will be the sole user of the desk.
6. Ms Ryuzaki will tolerate, and aid in caring for, Mr Echizen's cat, Karupin.
This contract is void if and only if both Mr Echizen and Ms Ryuzaki express mutual disinclination to uphold this contract.
Signed and accepted for:
Ryoma Echizen, 24 May 20XX
Sakuno Ryuzaki, 24 May 20XX
ooooo
"And cut! Beautiful, Ryoma! That's a wrap, everybody!"
Ryoma Echizen had just completed filming a commercial for men's formal attire. The idea for the commercial, in Ryoma's opinion, was nonsense. The commercial would simply show him wearing a suit and threading through a large, crowded, annoyingly fancy cocktail party, turning the heads of numerous attractive women as he briskly brushed past them. However pointless he thought the commercial's concept to be, Ryoma still appreciated the money he would receive for the endorsement.
Before leaving the set, Ryoma met with the manager to finalize the transactions.
"And you sign here, saying you will collaborate with Brooks Brothers," said the manager, pointing to a dotted line on a thick tablet, "and here, saying you will wear only our suits during your press conferences… and one more time here saying that you agree to your payment of the amount listed in this box. That's the last place to sign! Thank you, Ryoma!"
Ryoma signed at all the designated spots and let his eyes fall on the large number, the number of dollars he would receive for only being in a commercial and wearing suits. In the past, he would have never received so much money, not even for endorsing a tennis racket. Now, however, since he was rumored to be an active heterosexual, the corporate world finally saw Ryoma fit to bear their products. Sakuno Ryuzaki is the reason why these opportunities to make millions are now available, he realized. As his former agent had said, the paparazzi for once helped him instead of hurt him.
"I hope your girlfriend likes a well-dressed man," said the manager jovially as they shook hands for the last time.
An image of him and Sakuno holding hands formed in Ryoma's mind.
"I hope she does, too," said Ryoma curiously as he left the set.
ooooo
After a long ride home by plane, Sakuno Ryuzaki was enjoying summer's first Saturday afternoon in Tokyo with her high school friend, Tomoka Osakada. They had both grown since their middle school days, both of them returning home as young adults. However, as Sakuno realized, some things never change.
"Sakuno!" said Tomoka eagerly, grabbing Sakuno's hand. Tomoka weaved them through Tokyo's bustling street. "I almost forgot," said Tomoka over her shoulder, "that I need to show you my favorite billboard!"
"Favorite billboard?" said Sakuno quizzically. "Tomoka, that's silly! Since when did you have a favorite billboard of all things?"
They rounded a corner to reveal an enlarged banner of an almost-nude man on the face of a large building, overlooking the busy traffic. The man was obviously extremely attractive. His body was lean yet muscular, powerful yet smooth. His skin was hairless and creamy, his hair glossy, and his eyes mysterious. The man's sole article of clothing, noticed Sakuno, a pair of simple grey boxer briefs, accentuated several of his finer features. Sakuno admired his slim waist under the taught waistline, as well as a certain bulge underneath the underwear that made her blush.
"It's Ryoma!" squealed Tomoka, oblivious to the passerby citizens of Tokyo. "Ryoma is now a super sexy underwear model!"
Sakuno suddenly felt that her clothes were overbearingly suffocating. Tomoka's chosen description of the underwear model, she noted, was thoroughly accurate.
Tomoka, on the other hand, was far from blushing; her eyes sparkled shamelessly at the large billboard. "Oh," Tomoka moaned, "if Ryoma called me and asked me to be his roommate… I think I would just die! Wouldn't you, Sakuno?"
"Yeah… I would just die…" Sakuno urged her eyes form the billboard and continued walking. She refused to think of Ryoma as anything but a jerk.
ooooo
June 30
Dear Diary,
I've been home in Japan for nearly a month now, and while I love being home and seeing my family, I kind of wish I was not here. I actually wish that pretty frequently. Remember how I supposedly improve Ryoma's "marketability?" Ryoma was the world's number one tennis player for a long time, but he's never really been seen in commercials, or advertisements of any sort. In fact, outside of the sports channels on TV, I never heard or saw him, never in Japan and never in America. But almost right after I agreed to live with him, he suddenly appears all over TV and the magazines… It's like I can't get away from him!
And every week, Tomoka and I go down to Tokyo for the day, and every time we do that, we stop and stare at Ryoma's underwear billboard. I swear, the world's biggest jerks should NOT also be the world's sexiest men! I want to tell Tomoka that I don't want to see the billboard anymore – because that's true, I don't want to see pictures of almost-naked men who made me cry – but somehow, I still find that I want to see Ryoma in that pair of tight boxer briefs. I swear, I will actually punch Ryoma in the wiener if I see him walking around the room in only his underwear!
As attractive as Ryoma is, I have to remember that beauty is only skin deep. He's still a jerk, even five years after he blew me off in the airport. Gah, I can't believe I told him that I loved him! I was such a stupid, stupid 15 year old… The way he talks to me just angers me! Am I not good enough for complete sentences? Because he seems to actively try to communicate with me using the smallest number of syllables possible.
Whatever. I shouldn't get myself worked up over it. I'm really, really, really starting to think that living with him simply isn't worth it, not matter how much money he gives me…
Love,
Sakuno
ooooo
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Author's notes: I'm not too sure if this chapter turned out well. I'm also not sure how well my epistolary style is working. Do you like the story's format? Did you like the chapter? Also, I'm curious to know how people liked the prelude. Was the prelude a bad idea? Please comment, question, criticize by means of review! Your input is vital for me to improve!