Even Zombies Can Play Tennis

The new story will start as soon as I finish updating the extras for this one! For my other completed Prince of Tennis fanfics, please check my author page. The cover uses a shared template I bought. The U-17 content will be updated in the extras. Thank you, everyone! My next story is [Onmyoji Can Play Tennis Too]. Please add it to your favorites! Ryu's new deskmate is a transfer student. He wears Rikkai University's standard uniform, but his appearance and aura don't seem to have anything to do with being a student. He wears a single eyepatch, and the eye left uncovered is black. He often keeps it lowered, making it impossible to see what he is feeling. His fingers are slender and beautiful, his skin even paler than Niou's, and his lips are faintly colored. What catches Ryu's attention most is that the other boy's fingernails are black. Whatever kind of nail polish he uses, paired with those pale, slender hands, it makes him look like a slightly deranged punk teenager. Ryu silently records his deskmate's details: likes to sleep in class, likes to sit around daydreaming after class, never starts conversations, and rarely speaks. Even when he does speak, he mostly uses single words. He seems like a rebellious loner, but might actually be a socially anxious boy. Nohara Kaoru, forced back to school by his zombie mom and dad, is furious. What kind of zombies go to school?! He makes no attempt to hide his black fingernails or pale skin. To look even more intimidating, he even steals his mom's makeup and smears a little black eyeshadow on his eyelids. (That's what the villains in horror manga usually look like.) He wants to scare away the classmates and teachers who approach him, so they'll decide he doesn't look like a student and tell him to drop out. Then he can happily go back to his zombie parents and sleep all day. But his squinty-eyed deskmate never gets scared of him. Instead, he takes great care of Kaoru and is a genuinely good person. Nohara Kaoru, who often gets beaten by his zombie parents when he disobeys, is both flattered and a little fond of him. So he asks his deskmate, "Your, biggest, wish, is, what?" He can't help it. A zombie's tongue is a little stiff. If he speaks quickly, he stutters. If he speaks more slowly, he sounds a little strange, but at least he doesn't sound as much like a stutterer. Then his squinty-eyed deskmate opens his eyes and tells him that his wish is to win fifteen and sixteen consecutive Kanto titles with his teammates, and to claim three consecutive national championships. Nohara Kaoru decides to grant his deskmate's wish. "I, help you!" Then his squinty-eyed deskmate hands him an application to join the tennis club. Nohara Kaoru: o.o? "Welcome to the Rikkai University Tennis Club. Our goal is sixteen consecutive Kanto titles and three consecutive championships for Rikkai." And so the Rikkai University Tennis Club gains an ordinary member who doesn't talk much, shows only one eye, has a pale face, and likes to paint his fingernails pitch-black. "Your movements are too stiff!! That's not how you do it!" Vice Captain Sanada watches one of the club members, a certain zombie, making obviously incorrect movements. Fuming, he steps forward and patiently teaches him, one step at a time. But it doesn't help at all. The boy is just as stiff as before. Seeing that Vice Captain Sanada is about to be driven mad by him, Nohara Kaoru says, "Just, hit, it, over." When it comes to tennis, the important thing is hitting the ball. "Hah! You think tennis is such a simple sport? You want to soar to the top without putting in any sweat and hard work? You're far too lax!" "Then, fly!" Worried the other boy might not understand, Nohara Kaoru points at the sky with a pale finger. From nearby, Yukimura chuckles. "Renji, your deskmate is going to make Genichiro drop dead." Yanagi's lips curve into a smile. "Don't underestimate him." His deskmate is astonishingly strong and fast. Kirihara Akaya gazes at this senior with admiration. "He actually dares to talk back to Vice Captain Sanada. He's so cool!" Vice Captain Sanada decides to make Nohara Kaoru pay for his irresponsible words and careless attitude toward training, so he challenges him to a practice match. The result leaves everyone dumbfounded. Before they can even finish hitting a single ball, the half of the court where Sanada is standing collapses. At the same time, Yanagi looks at the court, which seems to have been hit by a massive earthquake, and calculates how much it will cost to repair. His face grows even darker than Vice Captain Sanada's. From then on, Rikkai's regular lineup gains a member who looks frail but has incredible skill and destructive power. The strategist updates the Rikkai University Tennis Club rules in the middle of the night: Nohara Kaoru is forbidden from playing matches on the school's tennis courts! Nohara Kaoru: 0.0 Reader's Guide: 1. The protagonist is a zombie, cute and harmless, and doesn't eat people or carry a zombie virus. This is a family of zombies created for this story. His love interest is Rikkai's strategist. 2. The story begins at the start of the second year of middle school. It's a slice-of-life story, a gentle and healing light read. Matches are only briefly mentioned, and there are lots of original details. Yukimura's illness will be cured as soon as possible, with the protagonist's parents helping to contact a top specialist. 3. Apart from the protagonist's couple, there are no other couples. Rikkai has sixteen regulars plus three. 4. Slice of life, slice of life, slice of life. This synopsis was screenshotted on January 2, 2025. Theme: Walk alongside the light and heal the heart.