"I will be officially joining the tennis club as the manager. My name is Sakurahime Chinami, I'll take care of you all from now on." Chinami re-introduced herself to the regulars properly, "Just Chinami is fine and...l-let's get along as friends from now on." She can't help but feel nervous when she mention the word 'friend'. She doesn't have much friends so suddenly having people known as friends to her was something new.
"See? That wasn't so hard! We'll take care of you back too so it's all cool!" Ever since that day on the beach, everyone can see Kenya has been a lot friendlier towards Chinami. He threw his arm over her shoulders with a grin, "You're in good hands, kiddo! You will have a nice year for sure!"
"Kenya-san, why are you being so touchy with her now?" Zaizen questioned his senpai's action but Kenya just responded by throwing his other arm over Zaizen's shoulders, "Hey look! I have two kouhais in my hold now!"
"We'll leave the non-tennis stuff to you, Chinami." Shiraishi started to pat her on the head, "Oh look, you're red."
"Y-you guys are being too close..." Chinami turned away with a pout but Chitose poked her cheek when she turned.
"Welcome to the club." The slightly tanned male smiled at Chinami, finding her blushing face an amusing delight within the club.
"Yay~! With Nee-chan here, the club is complete!" Kintarou jumped up and down with pure happiness, "Nee-chan, nice to meet you too!"
"Apple-chan, we will take care of you with love~♥." Koharu and Yuuji were being shameless as always but Chinami just nodded at them.
Gin just nodded while Koishikawa reminded her that he was the vice-captain and if she wanted to know anything, she can just ask him.
Osamu lit himself a congratulatory cigarette; his plan to recruit her has finally got together! Now he can do whatever he want without the vice-principal coming after him!
Osamu looked at the boys and at Chinami, it looked like a nice scene...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days got by peacefully and Chinami found herself looking forward to her duty as their manager. She liked being able to watch them practice from the side with the Coach but she would never tell him or anyone else that.
Chinami's job hasn't really changed much. She helped get the equipment ready before the regulars come to the court for morning and afternoon practice; she will always provide clean shirt, shorts, and jerseys for them; she will hand out towels and drinks, and she would keep the locker room clean for the boys.
"Oh? You're early, Chinami." Shiraishi was early for morning practice as usual.
"Ah. Don't mind me, I am just labeling the boxes that we received today."
"Are those the new tennis balls?"
"Yeah."
From outside the locker room, Chitose was about to open the door and get changed.
"Wow, it has a nice feel! Feel it, Chinami!"
"Buchou, I don't want to touch your balls."
"No, no, the ones I have are special! Have a feel!"
"If you're going to be persistent about it, fine."
"Did you touch it properly? Give it a squeeze."
"Oh, it does feel a little different from the ones I have touched."
"Right? Not all balls feel the same."
Chitose felt disturbed on the spot. He then wandered off, wondering what the best course of action to do without causing a big scene. 'I didn't think Shiraishi would be that bold...' Chitose walked away with a blush, trying not to imagine what was going on behind closed doors. Chitose secretly reminded himself that he should watch out for Shiraishi from now on.
"Woah! What is this?!" Shiraishi raised his voice all of a sudden and it made Chinami hit him with the paper fan, "Ouch!? Why did you hit me?!"
"Don't raise your voice so suddenly! Why did you shout?"
"Look! It's a rhinoceros beetle! Why is this little guy out of the soil?"
"The soil?"
"Yeah, they spend most of its life under the ground."
"Oh." Chinami watched the interesting looking beetle grasp onto Shiraishi's finger.
"Hey, it's a little cute..." Shiraishi fell in love in an instant with the little beetle, "I will name you...Gabriel."
"Buchou, I can see love hearts flying here and there...are you in love with it?"
"Ah. It's love at first sight."
"Since you are in the same class as her, you should take extra care of her." Kenya reminded as he and Zaizen made their way to the locker room together.
"I have been doing that before you started being creepy." Zaizen replied to him.
"Creepy?! In what way have I been creepy? I am friendly to her!"
"Didn't you say you dislike her? You said to her you wouldn't go near her with a 10ft barge pole..."
"Hey! You shouldn't bring up the past! You need to start living in the present!"
"You can't just erase the past like that..."
"Even so! Chinami is fine with it so let's start anew!" Kenya was about to open the locker room's door but he heard voices inside.
"Buchou, can I touch it?"
"Be gentle. Ah! Don't poke it like that!"
"It twitched!"
"Be gentle with your touches, Chinami."
The word 'freaked out' underestimated everything! What were they doing inside?!
"It's moving..." They heard Chinami say.
"Don't touch there. Touch the head instead, it won't bite."
The conversation sounded weirder and weirder for the Speed Star and Tensai! How dare Shiraishi exploit Chinami in such a thing!
"Kenya-san, can I kill him...?" Zaizen's face remained as usual but there was a roaring will of fire to end Shiraishi's life right now.
"Shh! Maybe it's not what we think." Kenya whispered back, listening more.
"Oh, you guys..." Chitose came back again, having gathered the resolution to tell off Shiraishi.
"Chitose, what's wrong?"
"I don't know...I think Shiraishi is taking advantage of Chinami."
"Now that I think about it, it's a bit gross." They heard Chinami say with a small giggle.
"Don't say that, I have a lot of pride in it. I mean, look at the size of it! it's something to be worth taking pride in!"
"I suppose it is big."
"If you want to see it more often, come and visit me sometime."
"Shiraishi!!!" Kenya burst through the door, "You can't exploit Chinami like that! Not under my watch!"
"Oshitari-senpai?" Chinami wondered what was Kenya's flustered face all about. Before she knew it, she was pulled up from the bench by Chitose.
"Chinami, are you okay?! Did Shiraishi do anything else gross to you?!" Chitose shook her back and forth from the shoulders, agitating her to the point she whipped his head with her paper fan.
Chinami really have no idea what was going on. She then looked at Zaizen, "Hikaru, what's wrong? Why does everyone look annoyed?"
"Kenya, good timing! Look at this!" Shiraishi happily showed off Gabriel to the Speed Star, "Isn't Gabriel gorgeous?"
"G-Gabriel...?"
"Yeah! Look at the size of it! I have pride in it."
"Oh..." Kenya realized he had thought of the wrong thing.
"By the way, what did you mean by 'you can't exploit Chinami'?" Shiraishi asked.
"N-nothing! Right, Zaizen?"
"...nothing." Zaizen got worried for nothing. "I'm just glad she's okay."
"Huh? Why? What's wrong?" Chinami was not getting an answer from the other three. "Ah! By the way, the feel of these tennis balls feels great!"
"...I finally understand what you mean by feeling the balls." Chitose said to her.
"Huh?"
"Never mind..." Chitose was too embarrassed to talk to both Shiraishi and Chinami now.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot...when it is lunch time, don't buy lunch. Come to the tennis club straight away." Chinami said to them with a light smile.
What happened in the morning will stay in the morning. Both Shiraishi and Chinami haven't a clue why the others were flustered but they didn't want to question it because they were not getting answers...
Shiraishi and the other 3rd years were making their way to the tennis club after being done with class.
"I just realized Chinami is really one of a kind." Shiraishi said to them. "She's not freaked out by Gabriel at all and she is very diligent in her duties. I don't think I have worn a dirty shirt or shorts ever since she joined us."
"Have you seen the way she handle Kin-chan behind your back?" Chitose chuckled, "I feel bad for the poor kid but it has to be done to calm down a wild horse."
"She is a good kid after all!" Kenya laughed, "I don't think anyone can dislike her."
'Even though you're the one being mean to her before...' Koharu and Yuuji thought to themselves.
When they arrived to the club, they found Kintarou saying something he wanted to open the box and eat already but Chinami stopped him from doing so. Zaizen also received the same box that's wrapped with a cloth. Can it be? She made something for them?
"Buchou, we beat you here." Chinami greeted Shiraishi.
"We 3rd years have more stuff to do. We came without lunch like you asked for."
"I made lunch boxes for you guys." She had no idea how sweet she looked to the guys right now.
At her words, an arrow shot its way into Kenya's heart; a girl made him lunch! A girl made him lunch! Sure, she's made lunch for the others too but still! She made him something!
"Ch-Chinami, really? You made us lunch? There's no need...what made you feel like making us lunch?" Shiraishi opened his bentou box with the others to find the rice, meat, and vegetables were all arranged in a cute way. It looked like something that has jumped out of a shoujo manga. "Chinami, you are so cute."
"How so?" Chinami asked him, "It's just lunch."
She made lunch for them and she sat on the floor with them. She smiled when they complimented that she can cook.
"Oh~! Apple-chan, you are the epitome of cuteness~! If I was straight, I would kiss you~!" Koharu loved his cute bentou box, "Apple-chan is really such a cutie~!"
"Wow! It looks very cute! Nee-chan, thank you! I'll eat everything but the veggies!" Kintarou didn't think anything could ruin the mood right now so he got brave.
"Kin-chan, eat your vegetables." Chinami warned once.
"No! I hate them! I like how Nee-chan cut the carrots to look like flowers but I don't want to eat it-"
"I'll give you three choices. 1, eat it. 2, I'll hit you with the paper fan...for 3, you can lick Shiraishi-buchou's poison hand."
"Hm?" Shiraishi heard his name being mentioned but he was too busy eating that he didn't pay attention to Chinami handling Kintarou.
"...I think I will eat it after all."
"A nice mixture of diet is good for the body. Since you're all going to work hard, you should eat well." Chinami said before eating her own lunch. "I like this feeling, eating with friends."
"Chinami, your bentou is very delicious!" Kenya was spitting out rice but he stopped the moment she laid the paper fan by her side.
"You were saying, Oshitari-senpai?"
"Ah...hahaha! Nothing...I'll talk to you after I finish chewing..."
"Hmph."
He had just put up the picture of the cutely made bentou. Zaizen looked from his smartphone to Chinami, a small smile gracing upon his face; Chinami's a very interesting girl, her entire existence made her stand out from those he deemed as idiots within Shitenhouji. Starting from her apple red hair and fearless personality, Chinami stood out in Zaizen's eyes and it's because of her existence that it made him definitely know for sure this year will be a good year.
"Nee-chan's bentou is good, like takoyaki!"
"I don't understand the resemblance between the two but okay." Chinami allowed Kintarou to get away with that.
"Chinami, have you ever thought of marriage?" Zaizen suddenly asked her.
"Me? Marriage? Honestly, I never thought about it."
"We'll get married if you are not sure who to marry."
Right on the spot, Shiraishi, Chitose, and Kenya spat out what they were eating on the spot.
"You will not!" Kenya snapped at Zaizen, "You cheeky brat, you just want Chinami to cook for you!"
"So what?"
"Marriage is about love! Not about food!" Shiraishi always knew Zaizen was the bravest when it was about Chinami but he didn't think he would be that brave! Wait, why did he react strongly against Zaizen's suggestion?
"I would still marry Chinami anyway." Zaizen shrugged without a care.
"Eh? Really?" Chinami's question made Zaizen smile at her.
"Why not?"
"Marriage is ages away for you, isn't it?" Chitose sweatdropped, "What if you change your mind when you grow older?"
"I doubt there is another girl interesting than Chinami." Zaizen so far hasn't met a girl more interesting than her. Even if such a person exist, he doesn't really want to meet that person just yet.
"HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH A BOLD DECLARATION IN FRONT OF THE SENPAIS!" Kenya's shout was so loud that it made birds fly away with fear. In return for the loudness, Chinami rewarded him with a a hit with the paper fan.
"Don't yell while we eat!" Chinami was truly one of a kind; even if she's literally proposed to, she was still able to hit someone with her paper fan as if nothing happened.
"Maybe I'll propose again later." Zaizen said without a care for his oppositions.
"You're only 13, take your time." Chitose said to him.
"You're too young to marry anyway!" Kenya finished the tasty lunch and was ready to have a battle of reasons with the Tensai, "Let me tell you why that is!"
While Chitose tried to be the mediator between them, Shiraishi finished his lunch completely.
"Was it nice, Buchou?" Chinami asked him for his opinion on her self-made bentou.
"It's very delicious."
"Thank you."
Shiraishi wondered why he reacted protectively against Zaizen's idea of marrying Chinami...