All the Difference - Chapter Nine
Chapter Summary: With classes starting, Fuji has no time for unease. But is he really suited for playing tennis at Rikkai?
Chapter Nine: School
Chapter Nine's Author's Notes:
~Last Chapter - After I started writing this chapter, I noticed a common thread in all of the reviews - no one commented about Jackal. He really is forgettable, isn't he? Poor thing.
~Chapter Name - Pretty self-explanatory this time.
~Honestly, between the transitional nature of the chapter events and the time I was able to devote to working on it, this chapter got a little tedious to finish. When I nearly reached the lunch scene, I realized that I really wanted to get into the tournament(s) and, frankly, back to some familiar characters. The tournaments begin next chapter, but the latter feels like such a long way off...
~Train system - probably be a lot easier to figure out with some context, but difficult without. Not sure where Fuji lives in Tokyo. To keep things simple, have him live somewhere on the subway line to Minato (using Azabu-Juuban as my default, thank you Sailor Moon!), which then goes directly to Fujisawa via the Tōkaidō Main Line. On the Commuter Rapid, which is the faster of two lines that go along that path, it's about a 50 minute ride to Fujisawa, then another half hour to get from downtown Fujisawa to the coast where Rikkai is. I'm fudging the travel times a little. Luckily, rush hour starts at 7:30am, but he'll usually already be at practice by that hour.
~Cherry Blossoms - It's customary for them to be outside schools and public buildings because of the way their blossoming coincides with the new school/fiscal year in Japan, but I couldn't find any in art of Rikkai. In both the OVA and Chapter 300, Rikkai's trees just have lots of green leaves. It's quite different than Seigaku, which makes a point of showing them all over the campus.
~Equipment - When I was re-watching the Rikkai OVA where Akaya challenges that Big Three, I thought it was strange how no one is carrying tennis equipment other than Akaya. I figure everyone leaves their stuff at school, which would especially make sense for Fuji who's commuting quite a distance.
~Timeline - When the new OVA featuring Marui and Jiroh came out, I worried that it might have shot a hole in my accuracy of the timeline. I was prepared to ignore it, since I'm trying to adhere to the manga rather than the anime, but there were a lot of adorable moments in the OVA that I'd like to reference in the future. Luckily, I think it will fit in with only minor tweaking.
~Seating Arragement - The PairPuris tell us that Nioh is Seat 14 and Marui is Seat 16 in Class 2B - of course Fuji had to be Seat 15 after I learned that! Unfortunately, I had already decided that I had to place him near a window. The only way I could get the numbering to work out right and keep him by a window is if they all sat by the window.
~ O-koto/Japanese harp - This is a Daikanyama reference, where Marui's first actor played a character who was skilled at the instrument. It's neat looking.
~ Classroom - I had a lengthy description of the classroom that was supposed to be included somewhere before the school day started, but I couldn't get it to fit in right. I don't think much time will be spent in the classroom after this, so here's the description for those who are interested: the classroom has a double-height chalkboard, so the teacher can slide one board up when it's full without needing to erase anything that was already written during the lesson; fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling in a square around the room's perimeter; a television mounted to the ceiling; windows along one wall looking out onto the courtyard between the school buildings (the building across the courtyard houses the elementary levels); an announcement board in the back; a clock in the front; standard brown desks; and traditional sliding doors into the classroom.
~ Biology committee - More PairPuri fun. Jackal explains that "biology committee" is just a fancy way of saying that he takes care of the classroom pet, which is a turtle in his case.
~Marui - I kept flipping back and forth whether Fuji was going to play a match with Marui or not. Honestly, it was never going to be a full match and was just Marui showing off his special techniques. Since I had chapter fatigue, it probably ended up being even shorter than I originally imagined, but it served its purpose. Marui's techniques were really the only thing that Fuji hadn't had a chance to see up close, and Marui was feeling a bit insecure enough to want to show off. Actually, Marui strikes me as being very insecure in general. Why else would he constantly emphasize that he's a genius? Plus, look at the teammates that he's got to fight against in order to get his share of the spotlight.
Next chapter: The first step on the road to the National Tournament is here! Fuji makes his official tournament debut as a member of the Rikkai Regulars. But wait...that can't really be his name on the roster in a doubles slot, can it? With who?