The Kunoichi of Tennis (by DaPsionicFox)

Chapter 32- A Day at the Beach

"Yakiniku Bugyou...?" Ayame repeated, confused.

"Ayame-chan wasn't there," Momo reminded Fuji.

"Oh, right," Fuji said. "Kanna, do you remember when we were going out for yakiniku, but you couldn't come because you were studying your homework?"

"Oh yeah," Ayame said. "What about it?"

"We were having some argument over which is better on yakiniku, salt or sauce," Fuji began to tell the story. "But right then, Oishi snapped and started yelling at us, telling us that the most important part of yakiniku is the meat juice."

"Oishi-senpai did that?" Ayame asked in disbelief.

"... If you see it, you'll believe us..." Ryoma said.

A small wave then came along, and a broken bottle that was patched with tape drifted to the Seigaku students. There was a note inside and a piece of calligraphy.

"Oi, is that a message in that bottle?" Ayame asked.

Ryoma scooped the bottle out of the water.

"Seems like so," Fuji said. "Echizen, open it."

Ryoma pulled on the cork and opened the bottle. The four Seigaku students read the note, saying to leave an item inside of the bottle.

"I don't have anything on me," Ayame said. "I'm a little hungry, so I'm going back to eat some yakiniku. You guys do whatever you want with the bottle."

Ayame paddled her way back to shore and saw that Oishi was still going berserk with the remainder of the Seigaku regulars plus Ryuzaki-sensei about yakiniku. She became surprised as soon as her eyes set on the sight, and she felt her muscles going stiff at the same time her eyes lost their focal points. The tennis members finish grilling the yakiniku under Oishi's supervision, and Ayame wasn't aware of that. She was finally spotted by the group.

"Kanna, call Echizen, Momoshiro, and Fuji back," Tezuka said to her.

Ayame didn't respond.

"... Kanna?" Tezuka said quizzically.

Ayame blinked and her eyes went back into focus. "Huh...? Oh, yeah, I'll call them back. Ryomaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Momoshiro-senpaaaaaaaaaai! Fuji-senpaaaaaaaaaai! Come on back here!"

After a few moments of waiting, Ayame was able to see the small figures of the three boys.

They're moving too slow... she thought.

"Hurry up and get over here!" she called in a tone like as if she was going to stab them. "If you don't make it back here within thirty seconds, I'll bury your asses right here in the sand!"

"Whoa, that's scary, Ayame-chan!" Kikumaru remarked.

Right then, the three boys out on the sea began to pick up the pace.

"Th-that was a joke, right?" Kawamura asked nervously.

"No, it wasn't," Ayame answered. "I'd even do it if it was Ryoma. He still acts like a bastard to me, so I'm looking for some way to get revenge on him."

Ayame then went to grab some yakiniku.

"Was Ayame-chan for real when she said she'd bury us for being too slow?" Momo asked Ryoma as they both got onto the shore with Fuji.

"Yes," Ryoma said. "Once when some kid destroyed her sand castle in a sandbox on purpose and didn't apologize, she buried him to the bottom of the sandbox in revenge."

"Eh?! How old was she back then?" Momo asked.

"Seven," Ryoma answered in a rather too casual tone.