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Chapter 11

Izumi Himuro

Two Years Ago

Key Biscayne, Florida, United States

She couldn't believe what happened.

She never believed it could happen.

Yet it did.

Just under an hour ago she was playing an intense game of professional tennis. Now she was lying on a hospital bed... with a blown knee.

Izumi Himuro couldn't have been more devastated.

At least it wasn't during a Grand Slam, she thought.

That would've only made it worse. The French Open was two months away, but now it was highly unlikely she would participate this year. Or ever again.

She had been playing in the Miami Open in this year's WTA Tour. She had made it to the quarter final round. Then it happened in the middle of the second set. Her career came to an abrupt end. A blown knee was the last injury any athlete wanted. Even if she made a full recovery she would never be able to play like she used to.

Even though the doctor was optimistic, he knew as well as she did that her career was over. Izumi looked out the window at the clear blue sky.

Naturally she would like to think that she could make an incredible comeback, but she wasn't a naive child anymore. She'd been in this sport long enough to know what kind of injuries can end a tennis player's career. She just never imagined it happening to her.

With a heavy sigh she leaned back against the pillow.

At least now she'll be able to spend more time with her family.

Izumi Himruo. One of the best players to ever come out of Japan. Winner of 23 Titles and achieving the highest rank of 6 in the WTA Tour, but never winning a Grand Slam. The closest she'd ever gotten was four years in the French Open. She had gotten so close, so very close, yet it was snatched away at the last second. It had been the most devastating loss of her career, but she kept trying. She kept playing, waiting for the next opportunity to finally win it all. Now there would no more opportunities.

That was the worst part. She wasn't able to keep her promise. A promise she made to her closest friend when she went pro. For the last sixteen years she'd been trying to fulfill that promise but was never able to pull it off. Now it seemed that it never will be. It would be something that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Unless...

A knock sounded on her door and she turned to see her two good friends standing there.

"Hey," Lita waved with a smile.

"We came as soon as we heard," said Yoshi.

Izumi sat up as the other two came in and settled down in the chairs beside her bed.

"How bad is it?" Letitia Gagliardi, an American of Italian descent and better known as Lita, pointed to Izumi's bandaged knee.

"Please don't me tell me you blew it," Yoshi, a fellow Japanese player, looked at it in despair.

"I'm afraid I did," Izumi sighed deeply.

Her friends groaned.

"Damn!" Lita pounded her fist.

"I know it could happen to anyone, but not you. I always believed you were invincible," Yoshi sniffed.

"How did your match go?" Izumi tried to change the subject, "Who won?"

Lita pointed, "She did. 3-6, 6-4, 6-4."

Izumi smiled proudly at Yoshi, "Good job."

"Thanks, although this is not how I imagine we would celebrate."

Lita pulled out a bottle of white wine and some glasses from a bag.

Izumi raised a brow, "Are you trying to sabotage Yoshi's next match?"

"She's a heavyweight," Lita rolled her eyes as uncorked the bottle, "She'll be fine."

She poured three glasses of the pale gold liquid and handed two of them to her friends.

"Here's hoping Yoshi wins the tournament," she raised, "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Glasses were tapped and all three took a sip, then a long minute of silence.

"So what will you do now?" Yoshi finally asked.

Izumi shrugged, "Retire, settle down at home, and raise my kids."

"Will you go back to Japan?" asked Lita.

She shrugged again, "Depends on how Sada feels. Since this will be his last year he's already been offered to coach up in Charlotte. I think it's best to leave it up to him."

A long minute of silence passed between them.

"So I guess that's it then," said Lita, "It's the end of the line for us."

Yoshi sadly nodded, "It seems so."

Izumi looked at them both in surprise, "Don't tell me you're going to retire as well."

"We're not getting any younger," said Yoshi, "At some point we all have to hang up our rackets."

"And I haven't been as successful as you two have been," stated Lita.

"I'll stick around for the rest of the tour. There are still three Grand Slams left. New York's my best bet, since I've always been good on the hard courts. As for the rest..." Yoshi sighed, "You know I've always had a hard time at both Wimbledon and France. I'll just have to try my best."

She didn't sound confident enough and the others couldn't help but agree. Another long minute of silence passed as the reality slowly set in.

"Man, this sucks!" spat a disgusted Lita.

"I know," Yoshi agreed, "It feels like we've achieved nothing in our careers."

Izumi nodded solemnly. Eight times she had been a finalist in all four Grand Slam tournaments, but had always finished as the runner up.

Eight times...

Eight times she tried and eight times she failed. It wasn't because of bad luck or for lack of trying. She had simply gone up against the best in the sport over the years. Henin, Clijsters, Mauresmo, Sharapova, and of course the Williams Sisters. She had beaten all those opponents before, but never where it mattered the most and it frustrated her to no end.

She looked over at her friends, knew it was the same for them.

"She would have been proud regardless," she said, trying not to sound bitter, "She knows that we gave it our very best."

"I know," Yoshi sighed and rubbed her hands down her face, "It's just so... frustrating that it had to end like this."

Lita reached over and patted her shoulder, "Perhaps you'll pull off a miracle after all."

Yoshi snorted, "That would be some miracle."

Just then her cell phone went off.

"That's my coach," she announced, "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you guys."

She stood from her chair and started to turn, then stopped. A moment later they heard her sniff and her shoulders. Yoshi then whirled and looked at Izumi with tearful eyes. The next instant her arms were around her friend and she sobbed into Izumi's shoulder.

"I'm really going to miss you, Izumi," she cried, "It's not going to be the same without you around. Who am I going to have as my doubles partner?"

Izumi smiled and rubbed Yoshi's back. They had been close friends and teammates for almost twenty years.

"You'll be fine," she assured, "You don't have to participate in doubles if you don't want to."

"And it's not like we'll never see each other ever again,"

After a minute Yoshi finally calmed down and released her.

"Sorry," she wiped her eyes, "I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright," Izumi patted her, "Don't worry. We'll see each other again soon."

"Go and win this tournament for us," Lita gave a thumbs up, "We'll be rooting for you!"

Yoshi laughed and hugged her tightly, "Thanks for cheering me up. I'll do my best!"

"We'll be in touch," Izumi waved as their friend went to the door.

"Good luck!" Lita cheered.

Yoshi waved and smiled at them one last time and was gone.

"She's always been a good counter puncher," Lita said proudly.

"Mm-mmm," Izumi agreed, "That's why I always had her as my partner."

"Think she'll win a Grand Slam before the this year's tour is over?"

Izumi shook her head, "I doubt it, but you never know. Maybe this will motivate her."

Another minute of silence passed.

"So..." Lita slapped her knees, "I guess this is really it, huh? Shame it couldn't have ended on a high note."

Izumi's stomach then growled and her friend laughed.

"Haven't had lunch yet, huh? Neither have I. What do you want?"

They both decided on chicken tenders and fries. Lita stood up to go when she thought of something.

"Hey, listen," she said, "I have an idea on what might do if you decide to remain in the States. Remember the college I went to?"

Izumi thought back, "Chapel Hill? I remember. Very nice college."

"Yes, it is. Thing is the head coach of the women's tennis team is looking for a new assistant coach. He offered me the job but... you know, it's something you could look into."

Izumi lifted a brow, "Me as a tennis coach?"

"Why not? You were our trainer back in high school and you have a vast amount of experience. You could work as a volunteer if you wish. If you and your husband decide to stay in Charlotte it's only a two hour drive from there and you don't have to stay there for long periods. Who knows? Maybe you'll come across a player you like to coach yourself. Plus..." she gestured to the bandage knee, "It will give you something to do while you recover."

She looked at her knee and thought it over.

"Hmm."

"Think about it while I go get lunch. Oh! I almost forgot. What do you want to drink?"

After Lita left Izumi laid there staring out the window again. She thought about what Lita had told her. Who knows? Maybe you'll come across a player you want to coach yourself.

"There's only one person I'd like to coach," she whispered, "As would you, Lita."

She reached over to one of her bags her coach had brought in earlier. From there she pulled a little metal case and opened it.

Inside were two pictures. One was Izumi and her closest friend when they were teens. The other portrayed a woman with five young girls who all looked alike.

Izumi smiled fondly as she ran her fingers over the two pictures. She had carried these with her since she had left Japan. It was her most cherished possession.

"Sorry, Rena. I wasn't able to keep my promise, but I know you would have been very proud regardless of the outcome."

She laid back and looked at the picture of the five girls, wondering how they were doing. Particularly the one named...

"Hey! Izumi! Wake up there!"

She snapped out of her daze as Lita whacked her on the head with a stack of papers.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Ugh," her friend glared at her, "I was asking if you've completed the data of our upcoming game against Michigan."

Izumi blushed in embarrassment, something she didn't do very often. She was usually, if not always, very punctual when it came to work. Not doing her job was unacceptable.

"Sorry," she muttered, "My mind was elsewhere."

She turned her attention back to the sheets in front of her, but she could tell that Lita was raising a brow at her.

"That seems to be happening a lot lately," she said, more to herself than to her.

Izumi decided to ignore her and focused on her task.

It had been two years since that day in the hospital. After receiving surgery on her knee she had spent the rest of the year learning how to walk again. During that time her husband had decided to take the job as Head Coach of the Men's Tennis Team at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, sealing the deal of staying in America instead of returning to Japan. In return Izumi had decided to take Lita's offer as a volunteer head coach at UNC Chapel Hill while also being a data analyst. Lita, being an alumni, had taken the job as the new Associate Head Coach.

Izumi liked it here and was content with her job. She was also very impressed with the Head Coach. He had taken command of the team back '03 and in fifteen years he had built it up into one of the most successful programs in women's college tennis. Chapel Hill's Women's Tennis program had won plenty of both ITA and Conference championships over the years and had remained as a top ten team for over a decade, but it had yet to claim a national championship. The same went for the men's team.

Recently they had just returned from an ITA Indoor Championship up in Wisconsin in which, Izumi was proud to say, they had won against all four of their opponents. Conference play would soon start after this game against Ann Harbor. She was confident they would have a good chance of winning the championship this time and not have a disaster like they did last year.

The minutes passed as Izumi went over the data, but soon her thoughts drifted over to the envelope that she received last night through the mail. She hadn't had a chance to look it because she was dead tired and had gone straight to bed.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

Her gaze snapped over to Lita, who was watching her with a slight grin.

"Who?" she automatically asked.

"You know who," Lita pointed to the envelope, "That's the latest from Miyu, isn't it?"

Izumi looked over at it and with a little laugh she set aside her work and opened it. Lita came over and leaned her arm on her shoulders, looking over her head.

"So what's the latest about our dear Yotsuba?"

A minute later they were both frowning.

"That's it?" Lita lifted the envelope, but it was empty, "That's seriously it? That's... not much."

"Indeed," Izumi agreed, her face dark, "Not much at all. Just like last time."

Lita shook her head, "I don't get it. She was so active in sports. Now she just volunteers whenever teams need an extra body? What happened? What caused her to start doing that?"

"According to Maruo, she didn't want to be in the spotlight anymore after she failed to pass the make up exams at Kurobara."

"That's the reason? So she made a mistake. So what? Big deal. Yotsuba is a gifted athlete. We all knew where she inherited it from. She got the skills, the reflexes, and the coordination. She would make an excellent ten-"

She stopped, realizing what she'd been about to say.

Izumi smiled, "You feel the same way I do. You wish she had taken up tennis instead of basketball."

She remembered a grizzly old baseball coach saying the same to her one time during high school.

"Yeah," Lita sighed "Yeah, I really do. I would like to have the opportunity."

"So would I," Izumi agreed, "I would have liked to have had that chance too."

"Anyway... imagine if she did take up tennis? Imagine what kind of player she would be? Under the right trainer she might be unstoppable."

"Yes, I imagine she would," Izumi agreed, "I won't lie. I would very much love to have the honor of being her coach. With you as my assistant, if you wish!"

Lita laughed, "I would gladly accept it. I'm sure the others would as well. We owed so much to Rena."

"We certainly do," her smile deepened as she remembered those times.

"Tell me, if Yotsuba were to play tennis how far do you think she would go?"

"I'd say she could go all the way. In fact, I think she could surpass her mother."

Lita looked at her in surprise, "You really think so?

"I do. Like you said, under the right coach she would be unstoppable," she suddenly sighed bitterly, "If she actually went all the way, it would bring a great sense of fulfillment for all of us. And a great deal of peace for me."

Her friend's face dropped a little, "You still haven't gotten over it, huh?"

"Have you? I was actually thinking of that day when you whacked me on the head," she sighed again, "It just doesn't feel right, having never fulfilled that promise. I wanted to win one so badly for her."

"We all did. Yoshi didn't even get close that year. I know she's still bitter about it. I guess Yotsuba is our last hope, huh? But... we can't force her to play tennis if she's already committed to playing basketball."

"No, we can't."

"Yeah," Lita looked at the scouting report again, "Still... it doesn't make any sense why she stopped participating in sports the way she used. It was very obvious that she enjoys it more than anything. So what changed?"

"I've been wondering the same thing too," Izumi then remembered something, "Actually, now that I think about it, Miyu did send some close ups of Yotsuba's face one time."

"Her face?" Lita frowned, "Why?"

"Let me show you," she pulled them up on her phone, "There. Notice anything?"

Lita looked but shook her head and shrugged.

"It's her smile," she explained, "Miyu tells me that Yotsuba once had a very cheerful personality, but now it feels... forced."

"Forced?"

"It doesn't feel natural, according to her. It feels more like a mask, like Yotsuba is trying to hide something."

"Could be her grades. Miyu's told us that she's not the brightest of Rena's girls. Maybe she doesn't want her teammates to worry about her."

"Miyu doesn't think so. Besides, Maruo hired a tutor, a fellow classmate, for them after they transferred and their grades have improved. Miyu also mentioned that whenever Yotsuba does, she doesn't look like she's playing for fun. It feels more like she's forcing herself to. Like she's trying to avoid something. Or prove something."

Lita blinked, "You believe her?"

"You know Miyu. She's always been very good at reading people."

"True," she admitted, "I always said she should've become a psychiatrist instead of a sports journalist. So you think that Yotsuba might be having issues?"

"Miyu certainly thinks so. I mean, she is a teenager after all. Who didn't have problems back at that age?"

"Hmm," Lita rubbed her chin, "That is interesting. When was the last time you spoke with the quints' stepdad?"

"Not for a while. Now that you mentioned it I probably should give him a call soon since they're about to graduate high school."

Just then Izumi phone rang. When she saw who it was that was calling her eyes went wide.

"Well, speak of the Devil..."

"Are you sure about this, Sir?"

Ebata was in shock by what he'd just been told.

"Forcing Yotsuba-chan to leave her home seems rather extreme."

Pausing at the passenger door of the car Maruo sighed heavily. He was having a difficult time himself. Yotsuba's confession had thrown everything out of proportion. He was still having a hard time believing it. He couldn't believe that Yotsuba, of all his stepdaughters, would go to such lengths. He now felt more ashamed than ever before.

"Do you really think she can stay there after what she's done?" he asked his driver, "Would you want to live in the same place as she? Knowing everything that she did?"

Ebata looked away, "No, Sir, I would not."

"I know how you feel. I don't like this anymore than you do, but Yotsuba brought this all on herself. For too long she's been living like a child. She never grew up and this was the result. I may not like it but this may be the only way to make her grow up. That said... she does need some sort of guidance.

Maruo lifted his eyes heavenward, feeling sadness for the first time in many years.

"If only Rena hadn't died. She never would have allowed this to happen," he sighed deeply, "I really do wish she was here. I could really use her help right now."

He watched the stars begin to appear as nighttime fell, wondering what he could have done to prevent all this from happening. He was really beginning to regret not being more involved in his stepdaughters lives.

Then he thought of something.

"Wait a minute! There is someone who can help," he pulled his phone and was about to make a call, but when he saw the time he groaned, "Damn, it's still nighttime over there. I'll have to wait at least until midnight."

Then he had an idea and called one of his fellow colleagues, asking if he could switch places with him for the night shift. He knew the man had wanted to spend more time with his family so he was grateful when Maruo offered to take over for him.

Afterwards he took Yotsuba to his apartment.

"There's plenty of food in the fridge," he said after she settled down, "Help yourself to anything you like. I'm heading back to work. If I don't see you in the morning I'll see you in the afternoon."

He turned to leave, then stopped turned and looked at her.

Yotsuba had not said a single word since they had left the penthouse. She sat there in silence, head down, face grave, and eyes distant. She definitely had the look of someone who had nothing to live for anymore. It was honestly sad seeing the most energetic of the quints looking so battered and depressed. With a sigh, Maruo went to her.

"Yotsuba, look at me," he waited until she did, "I want you to understand something. I am very angry and more disappointed than ever. But I also want you to know that I'm not going to abandon you. Not until you force me to. But it's high time you took responsibility. For yourself and for your actions. I want you to think about where you are and how you want your life to be, because from this point on everything will be different. Everyone will be looking at you differently. That includes Uesugi."

He took a moment to let those words sink in, hoping they would have the necessary effect.

"I don't want to give up on you, Yotsuba, but if you're not going to make the effort then there's nothing I can do for you. Please understand that."

After returning to the hospital Maruo worked until one o'clock before he went up to the roof and made the call, hoping she wasn't in the middle of something. He really needed to speak to her because he really needed her help. Actually, it was Yotsuba who needed help and he didn't feel confident enough to provide what she really needed. The person she really needed to speak to-

"Maruo-kun!" came a cheerful voice, "This is certainly a surprise! I don't think you've ever called me before."

His lips lifted a little. It was good to hear a familiar voice.

"How are you doing, Izumi? I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all! In fact, it's actually raining over here right now."

"How's your knee?"

"Oh, it's fully healed now. I'm just sad that I can no longer do what I love."

"At least you're still involved. That's better than nothing."

"Yes, I suppose that is true, but enough about me. To what do I owe this pleasure? If fact... I believe it's past midnight over there. Don't tell me you're working the night shift."

"I am actually. I needed to talk to you."

"Oh? Have you finally become so lonely you needed the soothing comfort of a woman's voice?"

He rolled his eyes, trying to suppress a grin.

"No, that's not it. I'm doing fine. Mostly."

There was a slight pause, "And the quints? How are they?"

He sighed, "That's actually what I'm calling you about. Izumi... I know this sudden but can you come to Japan right away?"

There was a longer pause, "Has something happened?"

"I'm afraid so," Maruo took a deep breath, "The quints... they've just had a fallout."

"A fallout?"

"A real bad one too. Yotsuba has been kicked out as a result."

He heard her gasp, "Yotsuba has been... Maruo, tell me everything. What the world happened?"

"It's a real long story, but..."

When Izumi returned the first thing Lita saw was the expression on her face.

"Whoa. I haven't seen that look in a long time. Did something happen?"

"I'm afraid so," Izumi shook her head in disbelief, "You're not going to believe this, but the very girl we were just talking about has just been kicked out of her home. By her very own sisters."

The pen dropped from Lita's fingers.

"What? Why? How?"

"According to Maruo she did some things she shouldn't have done and it got her in deep trouble."

Izumi stood there for a while, her eyes distant.

"Well... What happened?" Lita asked impatiently, "What did she do?"

Izumi sighed and shook her head again.

"It's a really long story, one that's impossible to believe, but apparently it all had to do with a boy."

From there she told Lita a story that really was impossible to believe.

"You've got to be kidding me," Lita made a sound that was between a cough, a laugh, and a gasp, "I can't... you've got to be kidding me! All that because of a boy?"

"Apparently so," Izumi returned to her seat.

"Wow. That is impossible to believe. I mean... abandoning your own home and moving into a dangerous rundown apartment just to keep a boy with you," this time she did laugh, "If any of us did that we would have been grounded for an entire year. I can't even begin to imagine what Rena's reaction would have been if she were still alive."

Izumi started going through her phone, "She certainly would've been pissed."

Lita snorted, "Pissed would've been putting it lightly. She would've been beyond furious," she shook her head again, "Well, we were wondering why Yotsuba had suddenly stopped participating in sports like she used to. Now we know. I never imagined it was something... personal like this."

"Nor did I."

"Man, I just can't believe Yotsuba would do something like that. I mean, I understand her resentment towards Ichika but resorting to revenge simply isn't the answer."

"No indeed. When you try to get revenge on someone, you end up hurting someone else."

"How's their stepdad doing? I imagine he must feel guilty about all this."

"He does. He feels that he let Rena down, that he should have been more involved in their lives. He feels that he should've noticed there was something wrong with Yotsuba. Instead he just spoiled them all without second thought."

"Well, now he's paying the price for it. Once that guy entered the picture disaster was inevitable. Five girls in love with one guy? It was never going to end well no matter what they did. I'm just glad Rena wasn't there to see it. Where is Yotsuba right now? She's not all by herself, is she?"

"No, she's staying at Maruo's place for the time being."

"Oh, good. How is she?"

"Devastated. Seeing Nino breakdown like that right in front of her really had an affect on her."

"Can't say I blame her. Poor girl, she must have really loved that guy in order to have taken it so hard.

Izumi nodded, "After what happened to her at Kurobara, she deserved a chance of happiness. Unfortunately the boy never cared about her feelings."

Lita sighed heavily, "This was exactly what Rena was afraid of. It was Yotsuba who she was worried about the most."

"I remember. I also remember what she said about her the day before she died."

"Turns out she was right after all," Lita finally noticed that Izumi's phone was in her hand, "What are you doing?"

"Booking the next flight to Japan."

She blinked in surprise, "You're going to Japan?"

Izumi nodded, "Yotsuba needs help, guidance, and Maruo doesn't believe he can give her that. She's too intimidated by him. The person she really needs to talk to..."

"Is her mother," finished Lita.

"Exactly. Unfortunately she's no longer here."

"So he's asked for your help?"

"Rena would've asked the same of me," Izumi looked at Rita, "You and I were the first ones she told about her pregnancy, remember? She trusted us that much."

"In that case, I'll go with you. Book me on the same flight."

Izumi paused and looked at her, "What about the team? What will Coach say?"

Lita snorted as though she was offended, "I don't care about that right now. The daughter of my best friend is in trouble and I want to be there to help her in any way I can. I'll just tell coach that it's important and he makes a big fuss about it I'll just quit and head straight over."

Izumi chuckled, "No need for that. I know you want to come with me right away, but I need you to stay here for now. If Coach asks about me just tell him that I went to Japan to see my cousin."

"Oh, that's right. She's gonna be joining us next year. Why can't I go with you though?"

"It's also better that I go on ahead first to see how things are. You can come the day after I leave. I'll go ahead and book a flight for you. There's only one seat available anyway."

Lita thought about it, then nodded, "Okay, I can do that."

"I also need you to do me a favor. I want you to get in touch with Miyu and Yoshi. Tell them what's going on and see if they can get in touch with the others. Once I get an idea on what's going on I like to have you guys come over to my place for a reunion."

"A reunion?"

Izumi nodded, "I think it's time we met the Quints. I think it's also time they knew who their mother was, what she meant to us, and what we meant to her."

Author's Note

So, here is the start of the second act. In the last chapter I told you that I would be RE-introducing an old character from an old anime into this story. Well, here she is.

Izumi Hirmuo from Princess Nine.

In case you're not familiar with this anime Princess Nine is a sports drama original series centered around girls baseball, first released in the Spring Season of 1998. It tells the story about nine girls who form a baseball team at a distinguished all girls high school for the purpose of standing on equal footing with the boy's teams and the dream of going all the way to the National High School Baseball Championship. The school's chairwoman is the creator a girls baseball team despite heavy opposition from both the school board and Japan's baseball organizations, stating that girls simply cannot compete on the same level as boys due to physical differences and that the school already has a successful sports program centered on tennis.

Izumi Himuro is the chairwoman's daughter and the school's star tennis player with a promising future ahead of her. However, she also has a very estranged relationship with her mother due to her indifference towards her and not understanding why he mother is so obsessed with creating a baseball team, going as far as recruiting players who are not ideal students to the school. Then one day she happens to discover her mother's secret, one that will lead her to having a confrontation with the team's pitcher Ryo Hayakawa.

This anime has been a personal favorite of mine as Izumi is my favorite despite how difficult and off putting she can be. Like Nino in The Quints she's emotional and impulsive but she does have her soft side, it's just she has difficulty showing it at times. The same also applies to her mother. Izumi also works hard at whatever she does and doesn't give up, even if it is for selfish reasons. Most importantly she won't resort to cheating or using cheap tricks no matter how tempting it is. At the time I also saw a bit of Yotsuba, both in Izumi and especially her mother. Izumi was also in love with her childhood friend that she was reluctant to let go while her mother also had difficulty being honest out of fear of being seen as weak because of her past. Both had to learn to let go because it was hurting everyone around. This was the biggest reason why I decided to include Izumi in my story because there were so many similarities.

Now, while I do like this anime and this character I do have some issues with it. For one, the love triangle. Yeah, let's just say I didn't like it and leave it at that. The bigger problem I had was(Spoiler Alert!) Izumi's decision to join the baseball team by abandoning her beloved sport of tennis and starting over from scratch, going as far as burning her treasured rackets as a way to make sure that that they'll be no going back. While I do like the idea of getting rid of things you no longer need in order to turn a new page I always felt that Izumi had joined the baseball team for the wrong reasons. I felt that she only did it for herself and not for the team, or even for her mother, even though she became a major power player and a key figure in improving the team.

I then started to wonder what it might have been like if Izumi hadn't given up tennis and instead had decided to transfer to another school after realizing there was nothing left for her at her previous. What if she met Rena right afterwards?

In this second act will set the seeds of redemption for all our characters, especially for for Fuutarou and Yotsuba when they begin to discover who they are, what they can be, and what they can do in their lives. Thank you for reading. I'll see you in the next one.