Chapter 1
�Oi, come on Echizen!� Momo shouted to him. �You�ll play me today, right?�
�You�ll only lose, sempai.� Ryoma replied flatly. He tapped his shoulder lightly with his racket and walked towards the door.
�Now don�t say that�� Momo whimpered, following him.
They were about to leave the clubroom when something- a noise- deterred them.
They turned around in shock and with curiosity; they noticed something lying on the ground.
�Did something just fall out of Inui-sempai�s locker?� Asked Momo, voicing their thoughts as he so often did. In response, Ryoma only hummed.
�Is that it? Well I�m heading off��
�Hey! Stop right there!� Momo shouted, grabbing Ryoma�s shirt. �You have to help me put it back�you just have to! There are pieces of paper all over the floor! Come on! Sempai�s Order!�
Ryoma sighed huffily.
�Whatever.�
They stepped slowly and carefully back into the clubroom, towards the object, whose identity was now obvious; it was the infamous data book.
�Hey�Echizen�� Began Momo, as he picked up the book marked �Property of Inui Sadaharu�, �Aren�t you� curious, about what it says in here?�
Ryoma stared at the book, an intense glint in his normally indifferent eyes.
Cautiously turning the worn cover, the boys peered at the writing with great interest. Inside, chapters were clearly stated with numbers written beside them.
�Where should we start?� Asked Momo, �it all looks so interesting��
Without saying anything, Ryoma grinned and grabbed the book.
�This is� Tezuka-buchou?� Asked Momo, after Ryoma had finally finished flicking through, and was beginning to read the information.
�What�s your interest in the captain?� Momo asked innocently. �He�s in Germany, so it can�t be that you want to find his weakness��
�He has no weaknesses.� Ryoma muttered distractedly, turning the page and looking at a picture of Tezuka using the �Zero-shiki drop shot�.
��Huh�� said Momo, a little confused, but he smiled. �Do you think we could look at Kaidoh�s page?�
A long time had passed- neither boy knew how much- before their entertainment of reading the forbidden book was disrupted.
�Daigorou!?...� Momo gasped, struggling to keep his breath beneath laughter. �A giant bear�haha!�
�It�s not that funny.� Scolded Ryoma; he turned the page and read on.
A noise from outside awoke them from hilarity.
�It�s not here� I�m sure I took it with me!� At this noise, Momo and Ryoma knew, was Inui�s voice, they hurriedly opened the vacant locker (the one that had a picture of a girl on the inner side of the door) and shut themselves inside.
�Well I�m sure we�ll find it�� The vice captain�s voice replied reassuringly.
�It�s probably just in you locker In~u~i!� called the third member of the search party.
There was a short period of silence in which Inui saw his locker: Open, messy, and half of the contents on the floor.
�Waw, that�s suspicious-nya�� Eiji whispered. �I wonder who did it?�
Ryoma�s heart stopped as Inui stood in front of the locker, and stared suspiciously at the thin slits in the door.
�Speaking of which, Echizen and Momoshiro haven�t turned up today, have they?�
He whispered in a low voice, still glaring suspiciously at the thin slits in the locker door.
�Chibi and Momo were in at lunchtime, right?� Eiji asked the room, but almost subconsciously, he turned to Oishi, who replied:
�I saw Momo in the dinner hall, and Echizen was sitting with the first-years��
�Then why are they so late to practice?� Inui continued, again with his suspicious tone.
�Hmm� that is true. But we have to get back to practice now.� Oishi said, �After we clean up this mess.� And with that he walked to Inui�s locker and began to pick up pieces of paper from the floor.