Tennis no Ouji-sama © Konomi Takeshi, Shuheisha, Inc.


- Act VI -
[ Possessed ]


Keigo Atobe was known not only for his wealth and his prowess in both academic and athletic skills. He was also known as the fashion trendsetter in Hyotei Academy. That was why every time he would wear something new, it was guaranteed that the style would be trending amongst Hyotei's male students.

It wasn't an exception when he wore a black turtle neck shirt during the tennis practice match. However, for the regulars who had known his habits like the back of their hands, they saw the style as something rather odd than cool, even though Keigo had zipped his jacket all the way up.

"What are you rabbles looking at, ahn?" Keigo finally asked when he noticed how Yūshi was looking so bothered that the blue-haired man dropped a game against him.

"Well, I know that the weather was rather cold today. But when it comes to fashion, I know that you always have your own reasoning just like how I wear these glasses just because they make me look smart, Atobe," Yūshi said.

Keigo rested his racket on top of his shoulder. "And your point is?"

"First of all, you always emphasised the importance of using the team's jersey during club activities. But most importantly, you always hate wearing something that covers your neck. You said that it makes you feel like a dog wearing a collar."

"So?"

Yūshi sighed but with a knowing smile, he said, "Nothing. Just wondering if you're hiding something below that turtleneck shirt. Like a hickey perhaps?"

Keigo rolled his eyes on Yūshi, keeping his expression stoic as he was against revealing anything to the Osakan. Hickey? He didn't know if the purplish jaw-sized mark on his neck could be considered as one. A vampire's bite mark could be considered beautiful if it was compared to his. That girl really bit him with all her might as if she wanted to rip his flesh apart.

"Woah! Sugee! Who kissed you, Atobe?" Jirō suddenly got excited.

"Stop jumping into your dirty fantasies, rabble! Ore-sama belongs to everyone like a king to his people. No women would ever own me." But that didn't mean he couldn't own one.

"While we never mentioned any sexualities, it's great to know that you still prefer women over men, Atobe. Around seventy-five percent of the freshmen are betting that you're a—"

"Mukahi. Do you want to be dropped out from the regulars so much, ahn?"

Gakuto quickly shut his mouth and shook his head.

Though he was still peeved by the ugly-looking bruise, it still didn't make him lose his interest in the Cinderella Nymph he discovered in the abandoned court. The only thing that proved her presence was the pink sneaker shoe that was currently sitting inside his drawer. Other than that, he had nothing that could lead him to her.

But he would find her. The girl made him endlessly think about her since last night, which was why he would do the same to her. That was when he thought about the plan to bait her out from her hideout. The trail of thoughts about the plan made him smirk. He just couldn't wait to execute it and meet her again.

"Uhm, Atobe-san… Are you okay?" Chōtaro carefully asked from the umpire seat.

"Ahn? Of course, I'm perfectly fine. Why are you asking?"

"It's just… You looked furious for a second, then you suddenly smirked the next second. So I was wondering if you need a break."

"I'll need a break too because I'm sleepy…" Jirō said as he rested his racket on his shoulder.

"What?! That's really lame, Jirō! You've been napping since morning and this is only your first game!" Ryō retorted him, putting a pause on his own practice match with Wakashi. "It's only a week until the new members join us and we can't let them see the way you practice!"

Keigo sighed as his teammates started to banter with one another. Putting that aside, he had his own issue to be solved. Had he thought about her that much that he didn't even realise the changes in his expression? He never lost his cool; the great Keigo Atobe never lost his cool. However, he couldn't get rid of the memory when she danced in the abandoned court. Whenever he tried to think of something else since yesterday, the scene just reappeared again, again, and again.

The part when she called him a vampire and tried to 'banish' him amused him to the point he could laugh to himself, which he unknowingly did. But the pain on his left neck just reminded him how frustrating the girl could be. That one single girl had caused the turbulence of emotion, and she was only the girl he met last night.

"Atobe, you're seriously freaking me out. What happened to you?"

"Ahn?" He craned his head only to see his teammates stood there aghast like he just did something horrible. Gakuto even clung to Wakashi like his life was depending on it. "If there's anything wrong, that will be your faces, rabbles."

"But you're just laughing to yourself, Atobe! How could we not freak out?!" Gakuto screamed.

"D-does it has anything to do with the 'ghost hunting' in your mansion?" Ryō asked.

"Ghost hunting, ahn?" He smirked. "Yeah… I managed to capture one of the ghosts last night…"

"Really?" they screamed in unison.

"T-then how was it, Buchō? Where did you put them? Please let me see it!" Wakashi surprisingly looked very excited.

"Unfortunately I let it slip…" Keigo glanced at Wakashi, then to the regulars before glancing at his palm.

"Slip? Then did you manage to touch it? How is it, Buchō?" Wakashi asked. "Is it cold and chilling?"

"It's…" He still remembered the feeling when he held her delicate fingers last night, the softness, and the warmth of her hand. He couldn't describe the feeling but he just liked it. Clenching his hand, he glanced at the curious eyes around him. He decided that he wouldn't let them know about the girl, not even his best friend, Munehiro Kabaji. The next time he found her, he would never let her slip from his hands again.

"I need to do something so practice on your own, rabbles!" He then flicked his fingers. "Kabaji!"

"Usu." The giant man approached him.

"This is the training menu for today. Please continue this for me," he said.

"Usu."

He could feel his teammates' eyes following his back, but Keigo didn't bother to look back. He had a few scenarios to play out and he couldn't wait to execute them.

"Do you think that he might be…" Yūshi broke the silence of the court.

Gakuto gulped. "Possessed?"

Wakashi narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Buchō is getting possessed. Very much possessed."

The said possessed man was sitting inside his limo, smirking when her image crossed his mind for the umpteenth time that day. Though he wouldn't call himself unfortunate to set the sight of her in the middle of the night, he really wanted to see how she looked under the sun. How brown her hair actually was? How light her skin colour was? She definitely looked like the girl in the pink dress that just entered Hyotei's gate.

That dark brown hair that reached her back; the side-braid she only made on the left side of her hair; the ivory-skin that made her dress glow under sunshine—she definitely looked like that…

Upon the realisation, Keigo banged the side of the window and shouted, "Stop!" at his chauffeur. She couldn't see him past the window because of the window tint that hid him from outside but he could see her clearly, eyes staring at his car with a hidden confusion within her dark brown eyes.

That was her and she was coming into Hyotei.

"B-bocchama? Did you forget something?" asked his chauffeur.

"Yes…" he promptly answered, but his eyes never left her. "Turn back the car. We have to go back to the school."

Everything went like a flash for Keigo. From the moment he announced that they should treat the incoming student the way they treated him, giving bonus if they could convince the girl to join the school, then commanded the school council to get rid of everything that had him in it—from banners, articles, posters, to his real-size marble statue.

"Tell me her position," he said to his radio transmitter.

"She's heading to the cafeteria," answered his bodyguard.

"Cafeteria is clear, Atobe-san," reported one of the student council members.

"Good. Make sure you clear the rest," he responded.

He had to get her under his radar first. Knowing how she tried to escape him last night, having her seeing his pictures would scare her instead so he had to make sure to clear the mall. Then he would reveal himself at a magnificent time.

Knowing the side of her story, it wasn't surprising to see her looking for school since she just got back from Germany. If she was a ballerina, then her choice would be very limited since there weren't many schools that had a ballet club in their neighbourhood.

His phone beeped and Keigo couldn't wait to open it because he asked the staff to immediately message him when they learnt her name. However, the moment he saw her name characters, he swore that his heart stopped beating for a moment.

"Tezuka… Hikari," he murmured.

Compared to Kunimitsu Tezuka, her name only lacked the 'country' word and for a moment, it made him feel like he was seeing the Seigaku captain's name instead. The Tezuka surname wasn't exclusive to Kunimitsu, but still, the thought about them being related churned the content of his stomach.

She only happened to share the same surname with him. That was what he wanted to believe. However, his brain brought him back to his meeting with Kunimitsu two days ago…

"Yo, Tezuka!"Keigo greeted when he saw Kunimitsu near the gate.

"Atobe," the cold man replied with an impassive expression.

"Fancy seeing you here. What are you doing here, ahn? Spying on our club, is it?"

"None of your business and nope,"Kunimitsu replied as he fixed his glasses' position.

"How about a match with me, Tezuka? Since you went all the trouble coming here to Hyotei, I'd be guilty if I don't show you my magnificent play." He folded his arms in front of his chest.

"I don't have time for that. If you'll excuse me." Kunimitsu shifted his position so Keigo couldn't see what he held in his other hand.

"Hn. Whatever. I'll just wait for the official match then."

Keigo tried to think harder, wondering if the thing Kunimitsu possibly hid from him was Hyotei's booklet. If he was right, then the girl was undoubtedly related to the Seigaku's captain. But before he could think further, his phone beeped again with the message from the female staff that who was touring the girl.

[She wants to see the dance studio. We're heading to the art building.]

Keigo took his transmitter. "Group D, how's the art building?"

"W-we're not done yet! We still have to find the stairs to take off the hanging banner! Please buy us some time!"

He messaged the female staff, telling her to make a long turn before reaching the art building. Fortunately, she was quick to see the message and took the opposite direction from the art building. But Keigo wasn't one who was satisfied with watching from afar, so he donned the janitor's clothes and went to her position.

It wasn't a wonder the girl loved the abandoned court so much, seeing how much she loved nature. The girl stopped in the flower garden, smiling as she admired the roses. When a butterfly perched on her finger, Keigo quickly took out his cell phone and captured her picture. It was a low deed to take her picture without her consent but Keigo couldn't stop himself from wanting to keep it.

She looked too good with nature, as if she was a fairy that magically made his abandoned court look like a fairy tale's garden.

His friends might be right about him getting possessed because every time he was near her, something pulled him to her, just like the way his legs were moving in her direction. Suddenly he was right before the girl who kneeled to admire the natural beauties before her. She craned her head to him, staring at him with the pair of doe-eyes that reflected her innocence.

"Do I know you?"


AN:Keigo hates using collar is non-cannon so don't mind me. It's just I always see him open his collar like a vampire. XD

A little side note about Kunimitsu and Hikari's names. Tezuka Kunimitsu [手塚国光] is made of the kanji of 'kuni' that means 'country' [国] and 'mitsu' that means 'light' [光]. However, 'light' [光] can be also read as 'Hikari'. The reason behind her naming will be revealed later.

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