Deafening Silence ( prince of tennis) (#wattys2016)

Chapter1

Rikkaidai Fuzoku.

A middle school based in the Kanagawa region famed for producing talented young middle-schoolers. The institute consists of state-of-the-art equipment for every subject and club, providing the necessary materials for every student to reach their full potential. Students there are constantly put under rigorous watch and examinations to ensure they are working at their absolute best.

In Rikkaidai, anything less than 100% is unacceptable.

That's at least, what he heard.

Echizen Household

RING ~ RING ~ RING ~ RI-

The black-haired kid silenced the alarm clock next to him with a firm smack, silencing it further. He groaned, but slowly sat up in his bed. He was short for a first year, he had long black hair that was angled across his face so that his left eye was hidden behind it, his cat-like right eye, the colour of molten caramel, surveyed the room, gathering his bearings.

The room was basic, blue walls, a dresser, two desks and two beds, one belonging to his brother.

He turned to look at his brother, who hadn't even stirred from the sounds of the alarm clock. He sighed inwardly, and moved out of his own bed to wake him.

This was their first day in middle school and he still refused to wake up on time.

He shook his brother's shoulder lightly. His brother groaned in response, and half turned to him with his eyes shut.

His brother looked exactly the same, with the same caramel-coloured, cat-like eyes, dark black hair and sharp features.

"Leave me alone" he grumbled, and turned to go back to sleep. The other boy sighed, and simply obeyed his request, leaving the room and allowing his twin brother to be late.

He quickly took a shower and brushed his teeth, excited for his first day of middle school.

Back in his room, his brother was still asleep, and to his request, he did not pester him any further, but quietly opened the drawers of the dresser and pulled out his Rikkaidai uniform. It was a simple uniform for such a prestigious school, just black trousers and shoes, with a white, short-sleeved shirt and a blue and white striped tie. He quickly changed and left the room without making a sound.

Downstairs, his father was reading the newspaper with a bored expression, and looked up to acknowledge him.

"Ah, Roko, you're up" he claimed nonchalantly. Roko simply nodded in response.

His father, Echizen Nanjiroh, was sprawled out on the wooden chair reading his newspaper with one hand, far too unimportant to bother use two hands. He was already dressed in his monk robes. He wasn't entirely sure how his father had become a monk, being the pervert that he is, and the fact he's a former tennis pro.

He walked past him to pick up a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice that was conveniently sitting on the counter.

"Your mother had to leave early for some work business, but she said good luck" Nanjiroh added when Roko had consumed the toast and juice. Roko nodded again in response, leaving no space for conversation.

"Where's Ryoma, by the way?" he asked suspiciously. Roko gave him a knowing look. Nanjiroh sighed.

"Asleep still? Does he know what day it is?" he wondered. Roko just shrugged.

"Anyway", Nanjiroh began, "since you're going to Rikkaidai you need a head start. You know which train you have to take?"

Roko nodded once. Of course he did, with Rikkaidai far away, and his parents being overprotective, he had been forced to memorize the route to the school exactly so he did not end up getting lost.