Broken Strings (Prince of Tennis/ slow burn love story)

Part 27

"Saa. I suppose there is only one way to resolve this... a match." Fuji challenges.

Ryumi blinks in surprise, baffled. How did things spiral out of control like this? It was just a double booking of the court. There are others still free, so she suggested to go elsewhere, but Fuji put his foot down, certain he reserved first.

And, St. Rudolph's Mizuki is being just as stubborn, dragging an unwilling Yuuta into the mess with him.

Mizuki smirks. "Fine by me. This will not be a repeat from last time." he points out confidently.

Fuji smiles. "No, it won't. Because I suggest a doubles match." he states.

"Doubles?" Ryumi, Eiji and Yuuta wonder at the same time. Eiji has been joining in on Ryumi's practice for the last two times, trying his best to help.

Fuji nods. "I'm putting forth, Eiji and Ryumi!" he exclaims confidently, making the two share a shocked look while Mizuki and Yuuta look surprised.

Eiji turns to his friend wide-eyed. "Oi oi! Fujiko, what are you playing at? Is this alright?" he asks worriedly.

Fuji nods in reply. "Ryumi-chan will play at the baseline and you at the front like you usually do. With your experience and Ryumi's ball control in the back, she will be able to play her first match in a long time. As her coach, I give the O.K." he explains.

Ryumi draws in a nervous breath. "My first match." she whispers to herself uncertainly before turning her gaze to Eiji, who looks at her with a calculating gaze.

Finally he smiles. "Wanna give this a shot, Ryumi-chan?" he asks, putting his fist out.

Drawing in another breath to calm her down, she taps his fist with her own. "Okay Eiji. I trust you as my partner." she tells him, making him nod in understanding. He won't let her down.

"Hey! What the heck is this?" Mizuki mutters before Yuuta stops him for making a fuss about it.

"I look forward to playing another Echizen." he states, positioning himself in the back of the court.

Ryumi smiles at him in thanks, also taking her place at the baseline. She feels excited at the prospect of playing an earnest game. Her last doubles game must've been ages ago though, so she hopes she can do it right for Eiji.

"Alright then." Mizuki sighs, setting himself up by the net before smirking over at Fuji who stands at the sideline confidently. "You will regret this."

"I doubt it." Fuji counters calmly.

Eiji grins excitedly as he faces Mizuki. "Let's do this! Hoi hoi!"

.........

A murmur runs trough the gathered crowd. Word got out fast that St Rudolph players have started a match against two Seigaku players, though what really got people running over, is that one of them is a girl.

"4 games to 4. Echizen to serve!" calls the middle school student who offered to referee the match.

*Snap*

"Wha~. Inoue-senpai is missing out here." Shiba breathes in amazement, snapping a few more pictures as Ryumi serves a controlled ball. Shiba knows she should probably call Inoue, but she can't tear her eyes away, so she opted on a quick text during the court change.

"15-love!"

Ryumi is breathing hard, a small frown on her forehead. Eiji looks over at her, noticing that she is getting tired. "Ryumi-chan! Let me do my thing!" he calls, making her look over, trying to understand what he wants her to do. "You can count on me!" he adds.

Ryumi's eyes brighten and she nods. Yuuta is great at returning her serves and he often targets her for the return. However, if she can give the ball the right spin...

She serves her next ball, watching as Yuuta catches up to it and returns it, but his eyes widen a little when the ball does not go where he thought it would go. He could feel it wouldn't do what he wanted the moment it hit his racket. And there is goes, straight into Eiji's awaiting racket.

"Zannen, Munen, Mata Raishuu!" he calls, smashing the ball past an unsuspecting Mizuki and over to the opposite corner from Yuuta.

"15-15!"

"Hoi hoi! Nice work Ryumi-chan! Let's keep this up a bit longer!" Eiji cheers, making Ryumi nod determinately. She can do this!

Yuuta rubs at his forehead, wiping the sweat away as he stares at the opposite side of the court. "No wonder a freshmen like Echizen got so good." he smiles. "This is really interesting, isn't it Mizuki-senpai?" he asks his partner of the day.

"Ah~. Interesting indeed. And frustrating too." he admits, heaving a sigh. "How can two players who never played together before play so well together? Never mind one being a girl, that is frustrating enough as it is." he moans.

Yuuta chuckles, he's not sore about it at all. He's having a really good time actually. "Good chemistry I guess." he answers.

"Mh. I guess you're right, Yuuta-kun." Mizuki muses, gazing at the duo opposite them and assessing their interaction. There is a large amount of trust and dependence between the two he notes and they manage to whip each other up. That, along with Ryumi's adaptability and ball control, alongside Eiji's energy and reach... They make a good pair.

"Yuuta-kun, we can't take it easy on them." Mizuki tells his junior, who nods in understanding.

.........

"Shiba! What's going on?" Inoue calls, wrestling his way through the onlookers, only to gasp when he sees who's on court.

"Inoue-senpai, finally! Take a look at this. Ryumi-chan is making a comeback in inter-sexual doubles! So cool~!" Shiba gushes.

The reporter takes a moment to gain his breath and observe the match, a smile growing on his face. "She's been working hard right under everyone's noses huh? This will make a good piece in this month's magazine." he muses.

.........

"Game, set and match! 7 games to 6! Kikumaru and Echizen pair win!" the umpire calls, making a roar of comments mixed with cheers rush over the courts.

Eiji jumps up and down in excitement besides Ryumi. "We were totally awesome Ryumi-chan!" he exclaims.

"Yeah." Ryumi can't help but agree. It worked out way better than she thought. They managed to cover each other's weaknesses well. But despite how well it went, both are spent.

"Well well." muses Mizuki holding out his hand for the winners to shake. "Guess the court is yours. Felt really strongly about it, did you?" he teases.

Ryumi shakes his hand. "You can have it Mizuki-san. I'm done for today." she tells him before turning to Yuuta. "Thanks for playing us seriously, Yuuta-kun." she tells him.

He nods. "Of course. I learned a lot. Makes me want to play doubles more often." he admits before looking around. "That's quite the crowd." he notes, watching them slowly disperse.

Ryumi looks around as well at that. She didn't even notice. She was too caught up in the game and perhaps she is still a bit used to crowds from her heydays in the US.

She realizes that word will go around soon about their match and sighs in dismay. Eiji pats her back sympathetically, knowing what she is thinking. All secrecy is out the window.

She turns to Fuji. "Happy, coach?" she asks him, receiving a proud smile.