Haruka's Fanfic Journal

This was the result of a word prompt. The prompt is stated at the end of the fic. Not necessarily canon.

Reading at an Adult Level (Prince of Tennis)

By Haruka (haruka@eastlink.ca)

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Echizen Rinko came to the doorway and looked down at her husband, Nanjiroh, who was sprawled on the front porch with his back to her. “Dear, would you please take out the garbage?”

Nanjiroh quickly clutched something to his chest, hoping she hadn’t seen it. “Can’t the boy do it?”

“He’s running late getting ready for school. Please?”

“All right, I’m coming.” Nanjiroh looked back and watched as she walked away, then gazed down at the girlie magazine he held. He couldn’t bring it into the kitchen with him, and if he was hauling garbage, it might fall out of his robe if he tucked it in there. Desperately, he looked around and spotted a stack of schoolbooks belonging to his son, Ryoma, on the side table. Without another thought, he stuffed the magazine in between them. He’d be back in a couple of minutes to retrieve it, and no one would be the wiser. For now, though, it was out of sight.

Nanjiroh went to the kitchen to gather up the garbage and began lugging it toward the front door. His niece was there now, dusting the side table. Nanjiroh glanced toward the stack of books to make sure it was undisturbed, then stopped dead, garbage and all. “Where are the books?” he demanded.

The girl looked at him in confusion. “What books, Uncle?”

“The boy’s schoolbooks!” he exclaimed. “They were right there!”

“Oh!” she said, looking even more puzzled by his vehemence. “Ryoma has them, of course. He just left for school.”

Oops, Nanjiroh thought, then tried to keep from laughing out loud.


Less than an hour later, the phone rang. Nanjiroh answered it. “Echizen residence.”

“OYAJI!”

Nanjiroh held the receiver away from his ear. “What are you trying to do, Boy, deafen me?”

“That’s the least I should do! Do you know where I’m calling from?!”

“School?”

“The Principal’s office! Your stupid magazine fell out of my book in class and the teacher saw it!”

“Well, whaddya want ME to do?”

“I want you to take this phone and tell my Principal that the magazine is YOURS and you planted it on me!”

Nanjiroh chuckled. “Now, Boy, we can’t have your Principal thinking badly of me, can we? I mean, what kind of father would that make me look like?”

Ryoma’s voice became even, “The kind who may NOT be sleeping outside if he does this, because the alternative means my getting Kaasan involved.”

Rotten kid, Nanjiroh thought, but smart. Chip off the old block. He heaved a heavy sigh. “All right, quit your whining, I’ll talk to your Principal. But if Child Protective Services comes to take you away after this, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’ll take my chances. Here’s my Principal.”

As Ryoma transferred the phone, Nanjiroh lamented the lengths that a man had to go to in order to relax with a good magazine these days.

--

(Word prompt – Oops!)

(2005)

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

This fic is not to be re-posted.