Ryouko was on her way home. The freshmen have no afternoon practice after all and there's something she had to urgently do, before it passed the 'statute of limitations' as that person called it. He needed to be punished severely alright... That's the only way for him to understand.
All of a sudden, she was intercepted by Yamabuki's Sengoku.
"Hey, Ryouko-chan! Long time no see!" He greeted.
"It hasn't been that long. Say, don't you have other things to do other than coming in here?" She greeted back.
"That's so cold of you... I did come here to see if you're doing fine. I've heard about the stalker thing from Omoshiro-kun." Sengoku replied.
Then, a chuckle came from behind Sengoku. "I thought I told you, Fujioka Ryouko-san..." Mizuki Hajime said with a knowing smirk, with loyal Fuji Yuuta by his side like always.
"If you accepted my offer to go to St. Rudolph, you won't be having such problems like stalkers and such." Mizuki said confidently.
"I don't think that her having a stalker and transferring schools have anything to do with each other though." Yuuta commented.
"Otamarinasai, Yuuta-kun. (Be quiet, Yuuta-kun.) Do you or do you not want Fujioka-san into our club?" Mizuki said, a bit irritated.
Yuuta blushed. He indeed would want Ryouko to be their manager. He never did had many experiences with talking to girls and Fujioka Ryouko is such an attractive one. And from the stories he had heard from his older brother, she has a personality of a strong, reliable and mature lady.
"Not to worry. I have it all sorted out." Ryouko told them.
"Sorted out? What do you mean, Ryouko-chan?" Came Kikumaru's voice from behind them. The regulars were currently preparing for practice and they were about to go inside the courts.
"You know about the stalker?" Oishi asked Ryouko, surprised.
Ryouko nodded.
"How did you know?" Kawamura asked.
"Ryoma told me." She replied.
Everyone's heads swerved to where Ryoma was standing. Ryoma pretended that he didn't hear his name.
"Well, anyway, it's my problem so I'm the one responsible in finding a solution." She told them all.
"And what solution is that? Did you tell the police?" Inui asked.
"No. I caught the stalker myself." She answered simply.
"Caught the stalker?" Fuji repeated. "You mean, you chased after him and caught him by yourself?"
Ryouko nodded.
"And it turned out that he's perfectly harmless." She said. "I'll show you."
Suddenly, she went to the bush-covered trees at the side of the Seigaku tennis courts. All the players left looked at each other curiously as strange sounds came from the corner. Then, Ryouko came out, dragging what it looked like a rope. She tugged on it and out came Fujioka Ichidou from the bushes, his hands and upper body tied with a long rope.
"Ryouko-chaaan... I'm sorry, okay? I already apologized... You've kept me here since the start of class. You didn't even give me something to eat for lunch. I'm starving... and the rope's cutting on my skin..." He complained and whined.
"The punishment's just starting. Wait 'til we go home. I'm going to make Licht hang you on the backyard tree upside down for the whole night." She said and smirked evilly.
She turned at the confused senpais and made a brief eye contact with Ryoma.
"As you can see, the identity of the so-called 'stalker' is my cousin, Fujioka Ichidou." She told them. "As for the reason why he followed me with this kind of suspicious outfit and took photographs, I haven't asked yet."
"And she already tied him in ropes... This girl really is... Scary. Too scary." They all thought in silence.
Ryouko turned to Ichidou. "And the answer is?"
"Well, Ryouko-chan warned me not to go to school anymore, but everyone in England's all curious about how you're doing. They've been pestering me to tell them and to send pictures as evidence. And so I wore these clothes as a disguise so Ryouko-chan won't recognize me." Ichidou reasoned.
"If that's so, you can just ask me and I can have my own pictures taken here. There's no reason to tail me around like a stalker." She told him.
"But that's no fun." Ichidou said with a pout.
Ryouko sighed. "And the true reason is out. You're bored so you played 'spy' for a while, didn't you?"
Ichidou grinned and nodded.
Down came Ryouko's fist on Ichidou's head with a whack.
"Ouch! What did you hit me for?" Ichidou complained.
"On the contrary, maybe I'll just make Licht place you inside a container and make it roll down the grand staircase." She said calmly.
"I'll die though." Ichidou told her.
"That's my intention." Ryouko answered.
"It's creepy how these two cousins converse..." Momoshiro thought.
"What about those flowers that you keep on receiving?" Oishi asked.
"Oh, those. The senpais needn't know about it." Ryouko answered.
"They're just gifts from Ryouko's suitors." Came Ichidou's reply.
Down came Ryouko's fist on his head again.
"Suitors?" They all replied.
Ryouko sighed. "It's complicated matters. And it applies to our family too, so I really don't think other people should know."
"Apparently, Ryouko-chan had been arranged for marriage with thirteen different guys because of our grandfather's mistake." Ichidou answered. He made himself fall down on his back when he saw Ryouko's fist descending over him again. He grinned in triumph. Ryouko kicked him on the side of his left butt.
"Arranged marriage? Thirteen different guys? Hoo... That's a lot, Ryouko-chan." Sengoku commented.
"I guess the rich really do think differently from normal people..." Kawamura said.
"It's a mistake my grandfather did though. I planned on straightening that one out as soon as possible." Ryouko answered.
She helped Ichidou stand up.
"Can't you cut the ropes though? I'm not going anywhere..." Ichidou said and made puppy eyes at his cousin.
"I'm not taking any chances." Ryouko replied and smiled mercilessly. "You made everyone worry unnecessarily and there's a price that comes with that."
Ichidou sighed. "Go ahead then." He turned to the others. "Goodbye, Ryouko-chan's dear senpais. I guess this will be the final time that we meet. Ryouko-chan will be grilling me home to death after all."
"If you looked close to death, I'll stop okay?" Ryouko told Ichidou with a loving smile while ruffling his hair with her right hand and holding onto the rope with the other.
"Have a nice day, senpai-tachi. My cousin and I will be going now." Ryouko told them and left.
"I can't believe that the reason behind those flowers will be like that..." Kikumaru said as he looked at Ryouko and Ichidou's backs becoming smaller.
"It's tough being on a prestigious family, isn't it? After all, Ryouko-san is the only girl in the family. Her marriage will mean a lot to her clan." Mizuki commented. "Let's go back to the club, Yuuta-kun."
"Huh? Uh, okay..." Yuuta answered.
Sengoku sighed. "I guess I'll also get going... Seigaku no longer has anything fun to offer right now."
"Don't make our club your source of entertainment, you bastard!" Kaidoh said, annoyed.
"Calm down, Kaidoh, you're making noise." Momoshiro said.
"What did you say? You picking a fight with me?" Kaidoh yelled.
"Oi, oi..." Oishi said and played peace-maker.
Fuji gave a short laugh. "See you at home, Yuuta." He called to his brother.
~~~
Finally, it was the day of the practical exams of the freshmen. Everyone will be able to see the results of the training they had with Ryouko.
"Finally... The exam day. And the weather's just right for it too." Commented Inoue to Ryuzaki-sensei.
"It is. I can't help but feel excitement. If the freshmen will fare excellently, some of them will be included in the ranking competition." Ryuzaki-sensei replied.
"Seigaku should prepare to nurture new players, after all..." Shiba commented. Then she sighed. "I still can't believe that it's near time that the teams that I have come to love will be broken up because of graduation."
"The players do have their own lives, beliefs and paths that they should take individually. After all, they're just in junior high. They still have a long way to travel." Inoue said.
"Ara, ara... Inoue-san and Shiba-san... You also came to watch?" Hanamura-sensei of Josei Shonan said as she arrived.
"Not planning on missing anything, aren't you? I see that you have no student to accompany you this time..." Ryuzaki-sensei greeted her.
"Indeed I don't. They all have important things to attend to and I can't afford the younger ones missing any more practice. Not when the enemies are preparing battle strategies for stronger soldiers." Hanamura replied as she glanced at the freshmen warming up. "And I won't be missing anything that has something to do with Ms. Fujioka Ryouko. I told you so. I'm extremely interested in her." She added.
"You'll try and recruit her again then?" Ryuzaki-sensei said.
"It depends on today's results." Hanamura replied and fixed her eyes on the court.
The juniors and seniors filed around the courts, witnessing the exams unfold. Ten minutes after it started, their jaws fell down one by one.
The performances of the freshmen weren't like anything they expected. The stances, the styles, the speed, the power... And above it all, the calm expressions on each of the first year's faces. The sensibility, the growth, the confidence... It brimmed in their performance from every corner of the court.
Ryouko smiled in satisfaction.
"Next. Yamamura, Kazuki." She called.
A boy a head taller than Ryouko who looked really gangly and clumsy walked forward, his knees shaking. He looked at her with wide, scared eyes.
"Ryouko-san... Why are there so many people? I can't play with so many people watching. I'm sure I'll fall down on my face and everyone will laugh at me." He said with a terrified expression.
Ryouko touched his arm lightly in a comforting way. "Don't worry. You'll do fine. Don't think of the people. Imagine that they're not here. It's only you, the court and me by the side cheering you on. And remember, like I always tell you... Falling isn't something to be embarrassed about, as long as you have the courage to stand up again." She smiled at him encouragingly.
He returned the smile and ventured to the court bravely.
"She gives effective pep talks too. I was a bit untrusting when she first came but I think you made the right decision about her, sensei." Inoue whispered to Ryuzaki-sensei.
"Indeed." Ryuzaki-sensei replied.
"She's one smooth-talker, alright." Shiba commented bitterly.
"She doesn't talk like that all the time. It's genuine effort and sincerity for her to say encouraging things. The first years should consider themselves lucky." Came the voice of Ryoma from behind them.
Shiba, Inoue, Ryuzaki-sensei and Hanamura looked at each other, surprised. Ryoma didn't bother talking about anyone at all, except when it comes to tennis.
"I see that Ryoma-kun's interest had also been caught by Ryouko-san..." Hanamura commented.
"Betsuni... (Not really...) There's nothing for me to be curious about. I already know everything about that girl." Ryoma replied and went away.
"What does he mean by he already knows everything about her?" Shiba asked.
"I have no idea about that. I do know that they came from the same class." Ryuzaki-sensei answered.
Behind them, Miyako and Mami began giggling into their hands.
"You girls starled me... Since when have you been there?" Inoue said.
"That's really rude, Mr. Inoue. We've been here the entire time." Mami said, a bit annoyed.
"What were you girls laughing about?" Shiba asked.
"Nothing really... It's just that we know what Echizen-kun meant with what he said." Miyako said mysteriously.
"What does he mean then?" Shiba asked.
"We can't tell..." Miyako answered.
"The only thing we can say is that Echizen-kun and Ryouko-chan... well, they're more than what people see on the outside..." Mami said with a wink.
"Chotto, anata! (Wait a minute, you!) I've been hearing you two whispering around the place about my Ryoma-sama. If you have something to say, then just say it so everyone can understand." Osakada Tomoka, president of the Echizen Ryoma-sama fan club, interrupted, flanked by her best friend Ryuzaki Sakuno as always.
"Tomo-chan, koe ouki... (Tomo-chan, your voice is too loud.)" Sakuno said with a small voice.
"We can't help it if we can't say anything... If you're curious so much that you're dying, you should ask your precious Ryoma-sama yourself." Mami retorted.
"Why, you..." Tomoka said and started charging angrily at Mami.
"Tomo-chan..." Sakuno said and held her friend back.
Mami childishly blew a raspberry at Tomoka.
"Mami-chan... That's enough. You're acting really silly." Miyako told her friend. After all, Miyako didn't like fighting, may it be verbal or physical.
"Fine, fine... Let's just get going, Miyako." Mami said. The two went away.
Tomoka fumed with annoyance. "Those two... If they start any ridiculous rumors about my Ryoma-sama, they're going to get severely punished by me." She said, gritting her teeth.
"Is there a problem, Sakuno?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked her granddaughter.
"There's nothing, obaa-chan. (Grandma.)" Sakuno answered.
She turned to her fuming best friend and held her by the arm. "Come on, Tomo-chan... Let's go there at the side and be quiet." They went away, Tomoka still bickering.
The adults looked at each other in confusion.
Inoue smiled. "Looks like you'll be in for some youth love problems, Ryuzaki-sensei."
Ryuzaki-sensei sighed. "I do hope you got it wrong. This old lady is a bit too rundown to deal with such things."
Hanamura-sensei smiled. Out of all the Seigaku regular members, the last one she'll think of being caught in such matters is Echizen Ryoma. If what the first year girls were arguing about is true, then it made Ryouko even more interesting to be able to stir such a cold heart like Ryoma's.
~~~
Atobe Keigo frowned as he read the personal, hand-written letter sent by his father. It seemed like his old man was making plans without Atobe knowing.
Because Atobe refused to make efforts to make himself look good in front of the girl who hits like a guy, his father was slowly making sure that he and the girl will be standing on the same ground to encourage some interaction.
"An inter-school tennis camp?" He said again to his butler to confirm.
"Yes, Keigo-obocchama. (Young master.)" His butler answered.
"Ten participating schools that Hyotei fought including the schools who participated in the nationals?" He read off.
"Yes, obocchama." His butler said and nodded.
"I see that my old man will stop at nothing to get me acquainted with the Fujioka heiress... But why an inter-school tennis camp?" Atobe asked.
"The Master said that Ryouko-ojou-sama dislike social events and the only ones she did participate in are those that concerns tennis. Also, Keigo-obocchama is a third year and it will not be strange for you to hold an interschool tennis camp to commemorate your last year as the Hyotei Academy tennis club's captain. Ryouko-ojou-sama might not come if the motive sounds suspicious." His butler answered.
Atobe looked at the letter and reread it. "By the looks of it, the preparations had been made."
"Yes, obocchama. It can start next week. And I am instructed by the Master to send out the invitations to the tennis club coaches." His butler replied.
"Fujioka Ryouko will not come. She have to train the freshmen of the Seigaku tennis club." Atobe said.
"Master included in the letter that the Seigaku freshmen are allowed to come as special treatment because the Seigaku tennis club is this year's champion." He answered.
Atobe placed the letter on the table. "Fine then. I lost. Tell Oyaji that I will take care of the final preparations. After all, I am planning on an event that can leave an impact on the history of tennis in this region. My team worked hard. They deserve a celebration."
Above photo - Licht Roth (Licht - meaning light Roth - meaning red-haired (he came from a family whose forefathers were all redheaded...)