Green Eyed Dollar (Prince of Tennis)

Chapter V: The Norm

Hanna threw a waveover her shoulder to Akaya, telling him she'd see him tomorrow in class and a quick thanks for showing her around before she ran into the waiting arms of the old woman.

Both Akaya and the girl at the front desk were stunned. The instructor, Ms. Nakamoto, had the reputation of being a stern lady who was strict and sometimes even harsh towards her students. It was her way of preparing them for their furture as professionals; the sooner they learned the harsh reality that is life, the better off they will be when they set off on their own.

Akaya was feeling happy as he left the studio because Hanna was happy. He saw her grinning ear to ear when Ms. Nakamoto appeared and couldn't help but feed off her contagious energy. His mood quickly changed however when he glanced at one of the clocks in the hallway and realized he was late. Like really late. He sprinted down the stairs and out the building to the changing rooms and got onto the courts as quickly as was humanly possible.

"Akaya, you're late," the captain with wavy blue hair said with a frown, his tone disapproving. This was unlike him.

"Sorry. Lost track of time," he said vaguely and out of breath.

"30 laps."

"Yes, Mura-buchou." And so he took off to begin running his laps without a single complaint.

"Akaya was late today? What was he doing?" another member with closed eyes asked the captain. He was sweating from having finished a game with another teammate.

"He said he lost track of time," Yukimura replied.

"That's all? Hmm." The other member thought it was strange, too. Akaya was one of the most dedicated members and had never been late before... (well not since he became captain last year of the middle school division) AND he did his laps without so much as a complaint. This was very strange indeed, but they decided to let it go for now.

Back in the studio, Ms. Nakamoto and Hanna were having a chat over afternoon tea in one of the private rooms. They were catching up. Hanna and Ms. Nakamoto met a few times in the past at different competitions that Hanna's old instructor, Ms. von Hallen, had taken her to. They were both old friends of Hanna's grandmother, having competed together and eventually danced in the same ballet company when they were younger. 

After tea, Ms. Nakamoto took Hanna up to the fourth floor to watch a rehearsal in Studio A on the third floor from behind a glass window.

"This is the senior company. I want you to tell me what you see," she said.

Hanna watched the five girls: one dressed in all black, one in a pink top, one in light blue, the other in a darker blue, and one in neon.

"The one in all black is the best of the bunch," she said. "Her technique is good. It's better than the other girls'. And she at least finishes her steps, unlike the others."

"The one in pink has really nice feet, but she looks... awkward?" Hanna continued to observe her a little while longer to try and figure it out. "It's the placement of her feet."

"The one in light blue has great expressions, but no technique. She needs to straighten that back leg and keep her feet from sickling."

"The one in the darker blue isn't very graceful. She looks more of a powerhouse than a lyrical dancer."

"That one is pretty good, but she's not flexible enough to bring her leg higher when jumping from a la seconde."

Hanna looked to Ms. Nakamoto, and she smiled back at her. Finally, someone who really knew dance was here to share the same critique. It was difficult teaching older students as they were more set in their ways and resistant to change. They wanted to believe what they've been doing is right, since they've been doing it for so long.