Tennis no Ojou-sama: A Prince of Tennis Fan Fiction

CHAPTER 100: Orange

"Your form is a little unstable," Ryouko said as she watched Seijuro swing the racket a couple of times.

"Funny for you to say that," Seijuro said, reminded of the times he was teaching the basics of the violin to Ryouko and uttered the line many times.

Ryouko giggled as the same memory occurred to her. "This is my forte, my great teacher. Allow me," she said and stepped closer towards him. She took the racket from Seijuro's hand and showed him a proper stance. "Like this, you see. Don't lower your torso too much. Eyes on the ball and swing freely, like trying to swat an annoying fly," she said.

Seijuro let out a laugh. "Just what kind of an explanation is that?"

Ryouko shrugged and handed him the racket. "Keep your grip firm," she said as she made him grab the handle. She posed right behind him and held his wrist. Seijuro stiffened.

Ryouko felt the tension. "Sei-sama... You can't play tennis if you're as stiff as a pole. Relax, will you?" she told him.

Seijuro frowned. He was just not used to other people having the upper hand.

Ryouko continued showing him the right way to swing a racket by controlling his arm. "See? It's easy as one-two-three," she said.

From the corner of her eye, Ryouko saw Ryoma getting dragged by Osakada Tomoka. "This way, Ryoma-sama... Sakuno and I need some advices," she told him.

"You can ask your team members. Why do you have to drag me into this?" Ryoma replied in exasperation.

"There's nothing like learning from the best," Tomoka said with a wink and gave a small titter. She craned her neck at the side. "Oi, Sakuno. Don't just stand there and come over here. Didn't you say that you're having trouble with something?"

"T-Tomo-chan... Don't cause trouble to Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said, hugging her racket to her chest. She approached the two and looked at Ryoma shyly. "Sorry about this, Ryoma-kun," she told him.

Ryoma sighed. "Whatever," he replied. "Let's get this over with. What is it that you want to ask?"

"F-form..." Sakuno mumbled quietly.

"What?" Ryoma said and leaned his face downwards towards her. "I can't hear you."

Sakuno reddened and Ryouko's grip on Seijuro's wrist tightened. Seijuro felt his wrist getting squeezed and looked at Ryouko. "Oi," he said in complaint.

Ryouko was unable to hear his grievance. Her eyes were locked onto something in an unwavering gaze. Seijuro followed where her eyes led and saw the dark-haired lad from earlier. The 'Ryoma' boy.

A couple of girls flocked over him or more specifically, the one with the brown pigtails flocked on him and the other one with long braids stammered something every now and then, her cheeks glowing a vivid scarlet. It looked like as if he was helping them with something.

Seijuro shifted his attention to Ryouko again. Her gaze was unmoving and her eyes were beginning to narrow. Her pink lips were turned up in a scowl.

Seijuro lifted his free hand and placed it over Ryouko's tight grip on his wrist. His subtle touch brought her back to reality.

"Huh?" she said and looked at Seijuro blinkingly.

"It hurts," Seijuro told her, casting a glance at his wrist.

"Oh," Ryouko said, immediately softening her almost hostile grasp. "Sorry."

Seijuro merely smiled in a comforting manner. "It's alright." He placed a hand on her shoulder and made her twist to the opposite direction, facing away from the Ryoma boy and his two admirers. "Now, would you mind teaching me how to serve? It's quite uncomfortable to be holding something like this. After all, we only need ourselves, one ball and a court in playing basketball," he said, trying to divert her attention to him.