[Prince of Tennis] More Than Friends

Nioh glanced casually at the pink letters. Instead of considering any of the invitations, he patted the shoulder of Marui, who was sitting beside him. "Hey, let's team up."

"...Why?" Marui looked at him in confusion. "So many girls are asking you. Isn't there even one you like?"

"It's a hassle," Nioh replied. "You want to team up with a girl?"

"Yeah. Girls are great."

"Better than me?" Nioh joked. "If you team up with a girl, she might get clingy."

"If I like the look of her, I'll date her," Marui said indifferently. "Come to think of it, quite a few girls have confessed to you, haven't they?"

"You're way too casual about it." Nioh furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly. His hand was still on Marui's shoulder. He tapped the collar of Marui's uniform. "You still haven't solved your stamina problem, have you? Yanagi and Sanada just chewed you out yesterday, and you still have romance on your mind?"

"...That's a fair point." Marui sighed. "For the three-peat... Fine, I agree. We'll team up." He straightened up and stared at Nioh with wide eyes. "But first, don't you dare hold this genius back!"

"...Puri." Nioh pinched his little braid and tugged at the corner of his mouth without much enthusiasm.

This is part of the Rikkai series, one of the author's ambitious projects. Though I've always thought Bunta was a total straight guy... I'll challenge myself. Still a short story under thirty thousand words, with a school setting and a hint of romance.

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