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

CHAPTER 142: Invasion!

It's the thirtieth of December, marking the sixth day from Ryoma and Ryouko's thirteenth birthday. Ryoga had been staying in Japan for five days and was blending in nicely to both the Echizen and the Fujioka households. His carefree personality let him shamelessly intrude into the Fujioka manor anytime he pleased, even sleeping there for the last two nights. Of course, Ryoma tagged along, 'pretending' to look as if he was coerced into it.

The three of them (sometimes with the company of Ichidou and Licht) spent the last few days mostly fooling around, playing games, eating a lot, playing tennis and talking late into the night. Thanks to that, they learned quite a lot about each other including things that they were better off not knowing.

The two brothers in particular felt quite closer. It was as if they didn't grow up separately and had been alongside each other for years. Ryoma also got accustomed to calling Ryoga 'Aniki' in a more natural way.

Looking at them, Ryouko felt the same envious feeling she harbored on Christmas day. Although she receives a lot of 'sibling love' from her cousins, particularly from Ichidou whom she truly considers as a brother born from different parents, it doesn't change the fact that she doesn't have a sibling who shares the same blood and genes from her parents.

People often says that a blood connection with siblings is a special thing. Watching Ryoma and Ryoga kind of makes her prove the credibility of that belief to herself.

Because the boys ended up spending two nights in the Fujioka manor, a pouty Rinko told them that they're not allowed another sleepover until the New Year. Thus, Ryouko ended up spending the night in the Echizen residence instead and helped brighten Rinko's mood by talking and cooking with her.

The morning was spent quite productively as Ryoga, Ryoma and Ryouko all helped with breakfast and general cleaning. They finished in time for lunch and ate heartily. Food after labor tasted a lot better making them eat twice their usual appetites.

A little bit more cleaning was done before teatime and by the time Rinko was satisfied with the state of the house, the three were bushed. They took turns showering and planned to laze around until dinnertime.

Half an hour later, Ryoga, Ryoma and Ryouko could be found spread out lazily, occupying the entire carpet in the living room, with their hair freshly dried, covered in warm blankets and purring like cats. Karupin walked in to join the lazy bunch and settled between Ryoma and Ryouko's heads.

To help pass time much easier, Ryouko took her tablet and the three of them watched videos of professional tennis matches and other random sports. When Rinko passed by the living room on her way to the kitchen, she couldn't help smiling at the figure of Ryouko sitting on the couch between her two sons, snuggled together like a bunch of kittens, their cat-like eyes glued on the tablet screen. Karupin managed to wedge himself under the bend of Ryoga's elbow, settling on Ryouko's lap and occupying the very center of the snuggly bunch.

"Rewind that a bit. How did that happen?" Ryoga said, tilting his face closer to the side of Ryouko's head.

"Reduce the speed. It's worth it seeing that on slow-mo," Ryoma also remarked and reached a hand behind Ryouko's head to push his brother's mug a few inches away from her.

"Hey!" Ryoga exclaimed in protest, his cheek being squished by his brother's fist.

"Gosh, that slice is a killer. So fast and cleanly executed," Ryouko said, ignoring the sibling hostility that was starting to heat up.

They watched clip after clip and ended up watching a compilation video of inspiring moments during sports matches and competitions. It included clips of opponents helping each other during cramps and accidents happening mid-match, the sportsmanship shown during awarding ceremonies, the good regards that players displayed after tournaments and professional players taking the time to interact with their fans.