He who angers you, conquers you.

-Elizabeth Kenny

Xxxxxxxxxxxx
"You're so silly senpai~~" as Eiji imitated Miyuki's voice with his cute-kitty like face behind
Inui. The data man shivered as he heard those words again, held his fist up to the air and
slammed it without warning on to the acrobatic guy's head.

"Nyaaaawww! It hurts!!!" Eiji yelled in pain, caressing his swollen corehead. "Mou, what's that
for?!" He frowned.

"Stop.That.Already!" Inui glanced to Eiji with fury--no, in fact more to humiliated way. Yes, he's
totally humiliated.

All of them parted in front of the café. Eiji wanted to walk home with Inui, he said. But Inui
knew it was just an excuse. That catman just want to mock him.

Now, it's about matter of time until everyone knows Inui thought.

"Ne, Inui! It seemed you weren't doing very well. Did you really understand what I had taught
you yesterday?" Eiji asked, stretching his hand over his head.

"Like totally," Inui complained in his head but in the end he just muttered 'hmmm'.

"Did you really read the book I gave to you?" Eiji asked again.

'Ah the book,' the data man remembered. '10 ACCURATE WAYS TO GET THE GIRL' if that's
the right title. Don't blame him, he's an information guy. What Inui believes are information and
data. The publisher of the book is the most famous one in Japan, that's why he bet on everything
he had with that book. But now he had learnt something precious. DO NOT BELIEVE
EVERYONE EXCEPT YOURSELF! Yep, bold and underline those words please.

" I won't obey the book again..." He muttered.

"Ehh why?" Eiji asked in puzzled look. He stood in Inui's way as his stare was demanding the
data man's reason.

"I'm done with the first two steps today, they are all just ridiculous!" Inui snappped, he became
staggered for a moment then let out a deep sigh, letting the rage out from himself, "I just can't...
U saw me right? I looked like a freak..."

Eiji chuckled to the Data man's answer. He stared to his expresionless face then Eiji remembered
that Inui, until now never let his feeling drove him. He's a calm person, a little mysterious, but a
supportive one. Even he always drives all Seigaku's regulars crazy with his idea of how his
experimental beverages could bring any advantages to them, he's the one that will keep them
organized. Without him, they would not be as developed as now. And now, this guy needs help.
How could he dare not to care?
"Che, he's right....." Said a calm voice guy behind him. They both turned to Inui's behind then
found a short guy leaned on the wall not to far from them. The emerald-hair guy turned his face
to them then he spoke again, "He wouldn't make any progress at all anyway. So let him be..."

Ryoma Echizen stood before them with his usual sullen face, but his eyes had changed. It's not
the usual "i-don't-care" look but more like pissed off.

Inui's heart twitched as he heard his kouhai's saying, even he didn't fully understand it. He
furrowed his eyebrows and spoke "what are you talking about Echizen?"

Ryoma stood back then walked slowly towards his senpai-tachi. "Nah, just saying the truth," he
said. "He wouldn't succeed afterall, ne Eiji-senpai?"

Both Eiji and Inui surprised with what their kouhai had said.

"E-e ochibi! Why are you talking like that??" Asked puzzled Eiji.

The prince walked closer to the idly puzzled guys. "Want to play a match?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ah, doushio?" Eiji whined behind the bar. They three had gone to the usual street tennis court.
Now, Ryoma and Inui--both already changed to their jersey-- were examining their own
racquets'. Inui stepped first into the courts. Ryoma followed.

Eiji winced upon the scene. He was worried where this would going to.

It's not so like Ryoma to ask for a sudden match to his Senpai. Well, except for the buchou, the
person whom Ryoma wants to defeat so much, Tezuka Kunimitsu.

As for company for practicing, the guy always be Momoshiro. Not Inui.

So, why is this happening?

Ryoma glared sharply to the senpai across the net. He walked closer then held his racquet
vertically so its head was touching the ground. "Which?"

"Rough..." The data man answered.

Then Ryoma spun his racquets and just a few second it fell to the ground. "It's smooth... I'm
going to serve then," Ryoma commented as he saw the result.

Inui faintly nodded to the answer then marched a few steps back and stopped a few inch before
the baseline.
Ryoma dribbled the ball first, the racquet was on his right hand. Inui knew where this will going.
'Twist serve eh?"

Ryoma flung the ball up to the air, as his body arched back. With one hop, he hit the ball
strongly. "AAAAAHH!!"

'99 percents the ball will bounce to my face, so....' Inui stepped back once to the left, with one
swung he managed to get the ball.

"URGH!" He grunted as his racquet received enormous pressure up to his arm. "No way! The
power has increased!"

"UH!" Inui bellowed as he returned the ball. It was a lob.

Ryoma took the chance, he jumped high, "AARGH!"

"Cyclone smash!" Eiji shouted as he recognize the shortie's smash.

The ball hit the ground harshly, leaving black mark to the court.

"Fifteen-love...." Ryoma muttered.

The data man drew a perplexed look as the prince returned to the baseline. Ready to hit another
serve.

"Why are you so serious?" The senpai bluntly asked.

Ryoma smirked as his feline-cat eyes sharpened to Inui, "I am always serious."

The kouhai hit another twist serve then ran quickly to the net. Inui immediately knew the plan so
he hit the ball a little higher, returned it as a lob.

A smile was drawn in the corner of the emerald-haired guy, with a fast quick split step of his
right foot, he managed to return the ball.

Inui's brain quickly calculating, "80 percents to the left!" He dashed to the corner left then hit it
straight to the middle.

But Ryoma had already expecting for it.

He lowered his body almost crawling to the ground. His racquet was already on his left hand.

It was the stance of Taka's Dash Hadoukyuu.

"Sonna..." Inui murmured. "How could he...." He trailed off, surprised by the sharp coming ball
Ryoma produced.
"Thirty-love...."

Inui amazed, looking at his kouhai with confusion filled with admiration as his mind wandered to
the last match of Kantou Tournament's Final.

The true power of Ryoma Echizen.

"Where's your data, senpai?" Ryoma said with taunting intonation.

What is wrong with my data? I believe I already updated them, Inui thought. He scoffed as he
saw Ryoma smirked.

"Look, what is wrong with you--"

"Having data is great!" Ryoma suddenly shouted. "But it's not more than references!" He hit
another powerful serve to Inui. The speed increased, made it was impossible to return.

"Forty-love...."

"Do you get me Senpai?"

"I wish!" Inui shouted, still demanding an explanation from his kouhai.

"Che, what I meant is....AAAH!!!" He hit another serve. Inui took one step back, returned it
straight. But again, Ryoma was already in front of the net. "Take a risk Senpai!!"

With loud thud voice, the ball left black mark on the ground. Inui was smart enough not to return
it, otherwise he would stay on the bench when the Tournament started, joining Tomoka and
Sakuno as cheerleaders because his broken wrist.

"Take a risk senpai, or you'll regret it..."

After saying that Ryoma left the court, shoving his racquet back into his tennis bag.

"Let's go home, Eiji-senpai..." Ryoma muttered, dragging confused Eiji with him.

"E-e, chotto ochibi--!"

Inui stood idly in the middle of the court, gazed as they two vanished from the view.

He glanced to his wristband. Took it off then let it fell to the ground with loud thud. It weighed
about 4 pounds as he recall. Because he tried to return Ryoma's hit, his wrist felt kind of sore.

He began to massage his right wrist.

"Take a risk or you'll regret it, Senpai...."

Yeah, he never tried to take a risk about his feeling. When the possibility is low, better to left it
as what it is because the possibility of your loss is higher. Better find another target, so you can
achieve more. That's what his Data Collector's Instinct said.

But it's just same with running away.

He laughed dryly as he finally digested the words into his brain. His kouhai just adviced him.

He glanced back to where Ryoma and Eiji left, smiling sheepishly. "Arigatou, Echizen...."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Inui turned the lights on as he returned to his small apartments. He put the tennis bag to its place,
then began picking up garbages that scattered across the room. He stopped at the opened
magazine, then realize that it was the "10 Accurate Ways to Get the Girl" Eiji had given to him.
'Worst title ever' he thought. He eyed the page for a while then stopped at the third paragraph.

Number 3. Fear of risk? Then just quit of being a man.

"Tch.." Inui grunted. He looked away then smiled dryly, "Did Echizen read this magazine too?"

Xxxxxxx

"Echizen-san..." The girl called to Ryoma. She squeeze the tip of her knee-length maid dress as
she made a worried face, feeling hesitate of something.

"What's wrong?..." The short guy asked softly.

She laughed dryly as if remembering something funny. "It's weird that actually we both came
from New York and now we're talking in Japanese," she answered in fluent english.

Ryoma smirked a little, then asked her again, now in English. "What's wrong?"

"Just wondering, is Inui-senpai sick?"

Ryoma almost choked as he listened to his manager's question. "E-err what do you mean?"

"Nah, it just he's kinda...you know, cold sweating, his face red, I'm afraid he can't organize
training again for regulars if this keep going on..." She sighed then. "I-is he sick?"

Ryoma wished he was as straightful person as Eiji. In time like this he could let his will to laugh
out loud, rolling to the ground hysterically. But no, he wouldn't do that, Thank God his pride is
too high.
Instead he cleared his throat, "E-eehhm...". He grinned a little.
"No, it's okay.. He's just going through some..urgh teenage boy's problem..."

"Teenage boy's problem??" She raised her eyebrows."It's funny when you're the one who said
that Echizen..."

"Che, I'm going home now...." Ryoma said, he bent his head down a little, then turning back.

"Un, thank you...but Echizen-" the girl called again. "If there's something happened, please help
him...I want to, but I don't know if I can be so much of help for him," she said with wry smile.

Ryoma just faintly nodded. The girl then turned back inside to the café.

After a few steps, Ryoma stopped. Suddenly he changed his direction, where Eiji and Inui had
gone.