Youthful Days (Book 1)

9. Fuji Files

The game started with doubles two. On Seigaku's side, Momoshiro Takeshi and Kaido Kaoru were asked to report to the court.

Concerned murmurs immediately rose among Seigaku spectators: the two juniors were known nemeses since freshman year. Even before they became regulars, they seemed to be in constant disagreement, root cause unknown. As partners now, they looked closer to throttling each other rather than their rivals.

Momoko groaned along with the onlookers, smacking her forehead with one hand. "This is not the pairing I was hoping for! What was the coach thinking?! She's practically throwing the first game away!"

"Yeah, well, it doesn't seem like you're the only one who thinks so," said Rei, eyeing the equally skeptical regulars.

While Rei and Momoko bemoaned this catastrophic pairing, Ayuna turned to Inui, who now took a seat beside her. "If Fuji Yuuta is Fuji-senpai's younger brother, why did he choose to attend St. Rudolph instead of Seigaku?"

"Let's just say he didn't like Seigaku all that much."

"Seigaku or Fuji-senpai?" she pressed. She thought back to the way Yuuta had turned away from Fuji's extended hand like it carried disease. "He seems angry at him."

Inui touched his chin. "It's a rather long story..."

"I have the time if you don't mind telling me."

"If you insist, then I'm going ahead." Inui cleared his throat, laying his little green book open on his lap, "Fuji Yuuta actually attended Seigaku as a freshman last year. After two terms, he suddenly transferred out. Nobody knew where he went until this term, when it was revealed that he'd registered for St. Rudolph."

"Was he in the tennis club during his time at Seigaku?"

Inui shook his head. "No. He didn't sign up. It's a shame. I've seen him play before and Fuji Yuuta is talented by his own merit." He paused, a sullen look on his face, "I suppose he wanted to avoid being compared to the prodigy."

"The prodigy?" Ayuna's eyes widened. Among freshmen, she knew this title was reserved for Echizen Ryoma, who had shattered records when he claimed the final spot on the tennis team. It didn't occur to her that the title was already taken.

Noticing her astonishment, Inui explained, "Maybe you haven't been around long enough to know this: 'prodigy' is a title reserved for Fuji Shuusuke."

Ayuna froze. Her thoughts flashed back to their first meeting, where she'd blatantly misused his title on somebody else.

"It's an agreed fact within the tennis club and the general student body. Fuji earned this nickname after breezing through the intramural tournaments in junior year and holding a scoring record higher than captain Tezuka."

It took Ayuna a minute to form a coherent sentence. "If that's the case, shouldn't Fuji-senpai be the captain?"

Inui smiled wryly. "That's the question everybody has wondered but all have been too scared to ask. You're the first." Pausing, Inui said, "Tezuka and Fuji have been close friends since the beginning. At the same time, their friendship is somewhat of a mystery."

"A mystery?"

Inui nodded. "Maybe they had some kind of pact—who knows? The question of whether Tezuka or Fuji is stronger has been an ongoing debate for years. It's the strong-willed captain and his all-around expertise versus the effortless genius and his Triple Counters.... Hard to tell which will outshine the other in a serious competition."

"What are 'Triple Counters'?"

"It's a series of Fuji's self-created tactics that are known as game-sealing returns. Once he uses a counter, there's no chance for his opponent to return it. Each counter is also intricate, highly difficult to execute and extremely powerful. Only a remarkable player like Fuji can pull off such specialized moves."