Summary: Sakuragi's biggest challenge? Not Rukawa, not the court, but crazed fangirls with the fury of a thousand suns. When your rivals are teenage girls with hearts in their eyes, every day is a battle for survival.
#03 - ATTACK OF THE FANGIRLS
"Behold! The unmatched brilliance of the Genius, Sakuragi!" A two-pointer swished through the net, but Sakuragi's smug grin immediately soured.
"RU-KA-WA-SAMA!"
A whirlwind of squeals and blushes engulfed him. The Red-Headed Genius was promptly sidelined as Rukawa strolled past, a storm of fangirls swirling around him.
"Grrr, that damn fox," Sakuragi muttered, yanking a fangirl off his arm like a stubborn burr. "Stealing all the spotlight..."
"Jealous, flame-head?" Rukawa's mocking smirk sparked an instant wildfire. "Maybe if you weren't a brainless gorilla-"
"Say that again, mop-head!"
Fists collided, insults ricocheted around the gym...until it all screeched to a halt. The fangirls had gone eerily still. Their adoration transformed into a glare so icy it could freeze a volcano.
"You..." One girl's voice dripped with menace, "...dared to insult Rukawa-sama."
Sakuragi, true to form, puffed out his chest at first. "Hmph! What are you scrawny girls gonna-" Then he noticed their eyes-no longer starry, but blazing with a devotion hotter than his own temper.
"Uh oh..." Even Sakuragi recognized impending doom. He locked eyes with a terrified Youhei.
"Mitsui!" Sakuragi's plea echoed across the gym. "A little help here, buddy?"
Mitsui, ever the spectator, raised an eyebrow. "Nope. Those ladies are a force of nature. You're on your own, rookies."
"Traitor! Argh, damn you, Mitchy!"
With a final, bone-chilling shriek from the fangirls, Sakuragi and Youhei abandoned all pride. The two rivals, for once, fled side-by-side, united by a fear far greater than any fistfight.
###