Wintersalad │ Disclaimer: I do not own "Prince of Tennis" or any referenced translations. │ Written: 09/18/10 │ Posted: 09/18/10│ Last Edited: 05/04/11

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Genius 006: Irony

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Pwong

Whump

"…"

Smirking, Arai fixed his headband higher before sliding his free hand into the pocket of his shorts. His body was tingling with anticipation. Moving his eyes around the courts, he took in the small gallery of observers and preened. Relaxing his shoulders back, he rested his racket over one as he made a show of tapping his foot impatiently. With a mocking lilt to his voice, he asked the target of this afternoon's entertainment, "Hey, what's wrong? Where'd that big attitude of yours go? Can't you even be responsible enough for the big words you used earlier?

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Let's finish this to the end, freshman!"

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Pwock

Fwump

"It's no use," Horio cried helplessly into his hands. "No matter how good he his for a first-year, Echizen can't possibly do anything with that racket."

Biting his lip, Kachiro glared at his fellow classmate. "Don't say that! We don't know that yet! Ryoma-kun's going to come up with something! I know it!"

Huffing with impatience, Horio glared right back. "Oh shut it! You just don't understand do you? He can't control the ball! What's up with that weird impact sound? Even if he wanted to return the ball, it's not going to work the way he wants it!"

"Hm, probably."

"…!"

The small trio turned to look at the regular members sans captain and vice-captain that had gathered around them. What…?

"Ya-ho~!" A willowy young man called from around the shoulders of the regular who missed his shot to Echizen during the smash-practice that day. "You bunch the chibi's friends?"

Nodding, the timid first-years wondered what the upperclassmen, no, what these upperclassmen wanted with them.

Grinning like a cat, the same third-year answered the questioning looks, "Relax. We just want to learn more about what Arai meant by those three-rackets." At this, the young man who had initially called out to them pushed his glasses further along the bridge of his nose as he opened a notebook, pen at the ready.

Kachiro's eyes widened at this as the teen whose shoulders were being used as a support slanted his gaze towards them. Though he couldn't actually see his eyes, he was sure the young man's attention was trained on him! Taking a step back, Kachiro stumbled into Katsuo as he wondered what he did to garner the individual attention of his sempai.

Fuji smiled at the young boy cowering before him. Oh? It seemed as if this one had some sense as well. Really, this year was full of fun surprises. Widening his smile, he spoke directly to the boy as if to gently admonish him.

"With those kinds of strings, the player wouldn't be able to add a top spin to the ball."

Gulping, the short freshman turned to watch as Echizen threaded slim fingers through the strings of the battered racket. Was it really the end…?

Testing the tension of the tattered strings, Ryoma gave them a soft knock with the back of her hand. Tilting her head to cover her eyes and hide her smile, she softly murmured to the racket, "Hm…Now I get it." Taking a deep breath, she calmed the burning anger and simmered her fury to a soft boil. Time to spice things up a little. Smirking, she readied her position and looked directly into the second-year's eyes with a malicious smirk. He wanted public embarrassment?

She'll serve it to him until he's full and satisfied!

Gritting his teeth, Arai bristled at the challenge he saw in the brat's eyes and posture. 'He's still bluffing! Ha! Well, that's just great! Keep trying to hit the ball! Embarrass yourself! If you're going to brag in front of all these people…"

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Pock

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"Think you can win like that?"

The odd gathering of new tennis members and regulars paused in their unproductive exchange to watch Echizen burst into movement. The tiny first-year dug the soles of new sneakers into the court, bending knees to lean back and twist away the upper body to the side. The wound body coiled within itself before snapping forward and returning the ball with the racket grasped tightly in a bruising hold.

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Slam.

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"He hit it?"

Both Arai and the freshmen were caught by surprise. How'd the kid return the ball?-! Sure, the first-year always managed to reach and hit the balls served, but never back to Arai's court and definitely not with any accuracy to score!

"Oh~ Not bad," the previously laid-back third-year commented as he lifted himself from his friend's shoulders. "The chibi added a spin to the ball by turning his whole body.

Impressive."

"Did you see that? He was able to hit it back with that crappy-looking racket! I guess it's not that old after all…?" one of the gallery remarked,

"Can't be!" another answered. "It's still making a weird impact sound. But that return…

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…It was really fast!"

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Chuckling, Fuji turned his gaze from the interested focus of his friend to the child he's set his eyes on. He can learn to share his interest with his friends for now. It isn't everyday that Eiji found a tennis player that caught his eye. The third-year was a bit spoiled as the youngest of a large family and was rarely bothered to offer his attention to others when he could be stealing the attention for himself. Seeing as how the first-year appeared with potential and with a body-type similar to that of Eiji's, Fuji could see how his fellow classmate would be interested in the play-style of the newest member of the tennis club. Watching the tiny player on the court, Fuji continued his soft chuckles as a perplexed expression crossed the child's face. What was going through that child's mind..., he wondered.

'Damn…The ball was really slow…'

Ryoma sighed at the racket held in her hands. Ah, well, it should be enough for a match like this. Ignoring the crowd and noise, Ryoma turned her attention back to the second-year across from her and raised an eyebrow in provocation. So the cocky rooster has his feathers ruffled eh?

"Tsk!

Don't get cocky just because you were able to make it once!"

Pock

Slam!

"…!" Arai looked from the spot the ball slipped by towards the confident posture of the figure standing opposite him. He blanched at the promise projected from the freshman's eyes.

'No way! How can he return the ball with that crappy racket?-!'

Fuji's lips lifted as he opened his eyes. There was a vengeful light swirling in his eyes as he recalled the circumstances the first-years revealed to the regulars earlier. Though the first-years were just as in the dark about the mysterious freshman on the court, having been a target of such juvenile bullying when he was younger (and to a milder and more infrequent extent today), Fuji was relatively sure of the circumstances from what little the three could relay.

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"A great painter does not need to choose his paintbrush," he cruelly whispered to the uncertain Arai on the court.

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Besides him, Inui's glasses glinted in the light as he closed his book to focus on the remainder of the match. "That guy's on fire…"

Eiji, in a rare state, softly agreed with a mellow, "Yeah…"

How will this all end?

Arai pushed his headband higher to hold his sweat-drenched locks away from his face. Breathing heavily, he finally focused seriously on the match, though his attention may have been on the wrong subject.

'If this keeps going, the one who's going to become the laughing stock is me!'

Rushing to receive the ball Echizen just sent, he stumbled slightly on his feet as his unevenly distributed weight sent him lower to his knees, tilting him to the side as he fought for balance.

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"Is that ball in the way?"

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"…?-!"

Arai watched with terror as the freshman twisted in the air to send a ball flying between his legs. Where the hell was that bastard aiming at?-!

Slam!

The ball sent the one resting between his legs flying, the ball having been rolled out of his pocket when he bent earlier. In shock, his knees gave way as Arai sank to the floor, his body cold and clammy despite the workout and the jacket he still wore, his shoulder-length hair sticking uncomfortably to the back of his neck.

Feathers ruffled indeed. The kid already has full control of that racket…?

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"Hmph."

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"Kaidoh?"

The last of the regulars surrounding the group of freshmen continued walking away from the ongoing proceedings. Without so much as a backward glance, he growled out with a low voice, "I can't bear this anymore.

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He's disgracing us second-years."

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Tugging the front of her shirt, Ryoma let out a brief sigh. "Okay…Warm-up complete."

"…!"

Arai blanched at the implications. "W-What?-!"

Blinking down towards her racket, she ignored the second-year who didn't even deserve to be called her sempai. Not only did he disrespect her and tennis by writing them off just because she was a first-year and it was a weathered racket, but he actively sought to belittle them both by using that very same tennis. It was an insult that would've provided a convenient excuse should she have lost.

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But she hated excuses.

They were unforgivable.

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And so it was an insult upon another and upon a third. Each more deplorable than the last. A grievance she had no intention of letting go as lightly as she did with the other second-year.

Smiling sadly at the battered racket in her hands, she tenderly cradled the handle. The strings were cut loose during the match. "It doesn't matter…" she whispered, the angry simmer slowing down to a golden shine. At least this poor racket can go out of commission playing a game where it taught a disrespectful tennis player, one who was probably exactly like the people who did this to the racket, what dignity on the court means. Tennis wasn't a game where the outcome is decided by such trivial and shallow, meaningless things. Tightening her grip, she turned a baleful gaze towards the trembling fool and unleashed the full fury in her eyes as she spitefully bared her fangs at the second-year.

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They'll show him. They'll show the world.

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"Let's finish this to the end, sempai!"

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Seishun Gakuen, Conference Room

"So, what do you think, Tezuka?"

Oishi, a young man with an interesting haircut that left two strands of bangs framing his eyes asked the stoic young man besides him. Really, what was a vice-captain to do with such a stuffy leader? Pointing out the window towards the ongoing match below them, he smiled in an attempt to soften the bespectacled boy towards the idea.

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"I can't forgive those who break the rules."

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"Get everyone to start running!" Tezuka continued with a bark.

"What?" Oishi asked in surprise. "Even the regulars?"

Without ever removing his eyes from the match below, the captain replied, "Yeah, those guys too."

Grumbling, Oishi left the room with the captain still staring out the windows. With a sigh, Ryuzaki-sensei rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she turned to look at the tense shoulders of the boy she watched grow the past three years.

"Is it really so unforgiveable?

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Echizen Ryoma being a girl."

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"…"

She had explained the situation to the serious captain earlier. If no one else, at least the captain needed to know of the circumstances. Not everything of course, but that might be why he was so against the thought of allowing a female into a boy's club. Without any further explanation or reason, it was difficult to convince such a straight-laced young man to bend the rules and outright feign ignorance for a stranger. He probably would hesitate even for a friend!

But oh, she needed at least his agreement to support Ryoma!

Sighing, she closed her eyes as she sank her chin further. What could she do…?

"I'm not saying that you have to let her participate in official matches or allow her any special privileges. Just treat her as you would any new member for now. I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but her story is her's to tell. Just give her a chance to prove herself. You can kick her out anytime. But I can guarantee you that you need this as much as she does."

Opening one eye, she rolled it over to focus on the still silhouette stamping a shadowed outline against the soft pastels of the autumn sky.

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"She's the pillar you're looking for."

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Ryuzaki smirked at the small jerk of his shoulders at the mention of his desperate search. She closed her eyes and hummed softly to herself. Already a third year, time was running out. This was a gamble for both Ryoma and Seigaku. If they could succeed, what Nanjiro couldn't accomplish then, perhaps now…

"So? How is it Tezuka? Can you divide it into four blocks? Though first-years aren't allowed to enter until summer, this year's school tournament that is like determining who will be regulars…"

She glanced at the still empty box on the D-block matches.

"Well... that's also for the captain to decide…"

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End Genius 006

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A/N: Yay, an update. So, I wonder what Tezuka will decide? How will he deal with the fact that he's being asked to smuggle in a girl into a boy's club? Is he willing to risk it should anyone find out?

Hope you liked this chapter! Please review and let me know what you all think!