Zero for Love (incomplete)

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Zero For

Love(When you put a clueless kid in unfamiliar

territory, interesting things happen)



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Synopsis:

After one year of practicing the sport of tennis on his own, 16-year-old Zero decides to expand his

horizons by joining a summer sports clinic which offered a special discount for that year. He had no idea

that more than tennis training was going on in there, however, until he gets involved in the whole mess.

On his first day, he starts off well, getting to the intermediate level and looking to go up to theadvanced level soon, until he is met by a female player with her brother and invited to eat at a restaurant,

where the brother openly declares his approval of Zero being his sister's boyfriend, making the latter

confused. He eventually finds out that the summer clinic was just a cover for the children of rich people to

get together and arrange who they will marry, and various dates with different kinds of girls start to follow

as if it were an ordinary, everyday occurrence.

Being the only one who went for the discount and not for the wife, Zero knows that he should not

meddle with the affairs of these rich people, but the bachelorettes and the dates just keep piling up. Will

he be able to get out of the summer clinic program single and unscathed? Or will he experience love for

the first time in the person of one of the many daughters of the businessmen who started the whole mess

that's starting to drive him crazy?



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Chapter 1

(Today¶s the day)

Tennis is a sport where players run around a huge court with large rackets in their hands,

pursuing a ball and hitting it in an attempt to try to get it out of his opponent's reach within the court.

Compared to other sports, tennis was played by a particularly small fraction of all the sportsmen around,

but there were still many of them. Among the people in the world who play this sport in particular was one

teenager.

³Sis, this is it! Finally, the start of the summer sports clinic! I'll have to do my best and learn as

much as I can to improve my game!´

His name is Zero, a 16-year-old high school student. After one year of self-studying by doing

shadow tennis and playing against a wall using a cheap beginner's racket, he had decided to learn more

by joining a tennis summer clinic program.

³Zeroooo,´ came a voice from behind a blanket in front of him. ³Can you please shut your trap?I¶m trying to get some shut-eye here, geez.´

Her name is Anna, Zero¶s older sister. Only the two of them were around at the house for the

entire summer vacation because their parents were out.

Zero scratched his head and faced his older sister, who was still lying in her bed. ³Oh, sorry about

that. Anyway, I¶ll be borrowing your water jug, okay?´

³Yeah, sure. You didn¶t have to wake me up just for that.´

Zero took the jug and headed for the door. ³Okay, thanks. See you later, then.´

After hearing no replies, Zero exited the door.

After half an hour of walking, Zero reached the tennis courts. From where he entered was a large

clubroom with a registration counter and a mini-cafeteria to his left, a locker room, a rest room, a gym far

out in front of him, and several benches to his right. Farther toward this direction was a door that led

outside to the open-air tennis courts. The boundary separating the benches and the courts was made of

barbed wire, so people could watch from inside.

Zero saw quite a lot of players his age, accompanied by their parents. And to think I wanted mom

and dad to go with me, or maybe sis at the very least«he thought for a moment. But the vast majority

that he saw were kids ranging from 12 to 15 years old. There were others, he also noticed, that looked

older than him, but none that looked past 18. A wide variety of players«I gotta do my best to satisfy my

competitive spirit with those older guys,he told himself before entering the clubroom.

Once he was inside, the first thing he noticed was the shower room at the far end. What the hell, I

didn¶t know about this. Guess I¶ll have to bring an extra set of clothes and a towel starting tomorrow.



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He then looked around for a vacant bench, and found just one a few yards away. He ran toward

it, afraid that someone might beat him to it, and approached the only person who was sitting on it, a male

player who seemed younger than him.

³Um, excuse me,´ he said. ³Can I sit here? I¶ve been walking for quite a while, so I¶d like to relax

for a little bit before the training starts.´

The player turned his head toward Zero and nodded. ³Sure, I don¶t mind.´

³Thanks,´ Zero said as he sat down and put his bag on the floor in front of him. ³Say, what¶s your

name?´

³Randy,´ the player replied. ³And you?´

³The name¶s Zero. By the way, are you good? You know, tennis-wise.´

³Not at all,´ Randy said with a chuckle. ³I barely know anything.´

³So you came here to learn from scratch, eh?´

³Well, that¶s one of the reasons. I¶ve always wanted to try my hand at tennis. But«´

³But?´³I wouldn¶t have gone if my parents hadn¶t forced me to come here.´

³You were forced?´

Randy waved his hand in denial. ³No, no, not exactly forced. I mean, I would have tried it at some

point, but not now. But I guess this is also good. How about you?´

³I trained for a year on my own,´ Zero replied. ³Shadow and wall tennis, as well as some other

normal workouts to keep me fit. I saw this year as a good chance to try learning more on the real court

because of the special offer. I mean, who would ignore a 30% discount?´

Randy stared at him for a moment, then he quickly snapped out of it, shaking his head. ³Um,

yeah, I guess you can¶t ignore discounts, can you? So anyway, you¶re no longer a beginner, huh?´

Zero scratched his head. ³I¶m not too sure about that,´ he said. ³I have no experience with the

pacing of a real match in the court, and in wall tennis, I know where the ball will go, so that didn¶t help me

with my reaction time. In that respect, I guess I¶m a complete beginner just like you.´

³But you have the basics down.´

³Well, yeah, I guess you¶re right about that,´ Zero said. ³Hey, by the way, you¶re also on your own

today?´

³My parents are away right now, so I went here on my own.´

³You have any friends here?´

³Well, I know a few of them; maybe a handful. But I¶m not particularly close with anyone. I tend to

act like total strangers to them because I just saw them a few times; never got to talk with any. I mean,

look at me right now; you found me sitting alone, right?´

³Ah, so I guess I¶m not the only solo person here, huh?´

³Many people are probably going solo as well,´ Randy said. ³A lot of us just came here for the first

time and are expecting to make some friends during the whole summer clinic thing.´



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³Is that so? Well, I guess we should just look forward to the whole thing.´

³Yeah.´

Just then, a middle-aged man called out, ³Alright everyone, go assemble at court D.´

³I guess this is it, huh?´ Zero said.

³Yeah,´ Randy replied. ³I¶m looking forward to practicing with you, Zero.´

³Same here. Let¶s do our best.´

The two young players then stood up and walked toward the tennis courts with their rackets in

their hands.



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Chapter 2

(I help a cutie with tennis, and then«)

Zero and Randy stood in court D with dozens of other players of varying ages; the youngest

seemed to look like 11 years old and the oldest looked like 18. They were all listening to a man in his

thirties speak.

³Okay guys,´ the man said. ³You can call me Coach Richard. I¶m in charge of the beginners. Now,

I¶ll be asking you all to group yourselves according to your skills: Beginner or Advanced. If you can play

decently, go to Advanced. Now, Beginners, go to my right, and Advanced, go to my left.

³Dude,´ Zero told Randy. ³I am not going to the advanced category.´

Randy laughed. ³It¶s okay. They¶ll probably transfer you once you get better.´

³Then the same goes for you, right?´

³Yeah, I guess.´

So Zero and Randy walked toward Richard¶s right side.Once everyone had gone to their preferred place, Richard spoke again. ³Beginners, stay here.

Advanced, go to Court B. Coach Allen will test you guys if you¶ll go to Intermediate or the real Advanced.´

There was an Intermediate?Zero thought as he looked at Randy, who simply laughed at him.

³You¶ve been had,´ Randy said. ³So that¶s why he said anyone who can play decently can go to

Advanced, huh?´

³Well, the word µAdvanced¶ kinda spoke for itself back then, you know?´

³Yeah, I guess. Even I got a little overwhelmed with that term.´ Randy laughed. ³Oh well, you can

just wait until you get transferred.´

³And going to the beginner category is a good practice for fundamentals, too,´ Zero said. ³You

gotta have that to play well in higher levels, after all.´

A few seconds later, Coach Richard spoke once more. ³Okay beginners, make 5 lines for each

side of the court; your choice, but I prefer the µfind your height¶ concept.´

Zero and Randy went to the back of the lines, with Zero on the far left line and Randy right beside

him.

³First thing we¶ll do,´ Coach Richard said, ³is shadow tennis. Now I¶ll teach you about grips.´

³Oh boy«´ Zero said softly with a sigh.

³Put your palm on the face of your racket,´ Coach Richard continued while doing what he just

said, ³ and slide your hand down toward the end of your grip.´ He demonstrated the procedure. ³This is

the continental grip. There are other types, but you can use that for now.´

While the others tried their newly-learned grip, Zero held his racket and used it to poke Randy.

³What is it?´ Randy asked.

³Put your pointer finger a little away from the others,´ Zero said. ³You know, like how you hold the

trigger on a gun. I think it helps.´



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³Oh, okay. Thanks.´

Around half a minute later, Coach Richard decided to move on. ³Okay guys, now we¶ll start the

shadow tennis. First off, we¶ll practice the forehand stroke. It goes like this.´ He demonstrated a forehand.

³We¶ll do this 20 times, okay? Get on your standby position: legs apart, knees bent, dominant hand

holding racket with your continental grip, and the throat of your racket resting on your non-dominant hand,

like this.´ He showed them the standby position and stayed like that. The others followed him. ³Okay, now

for the forehand, for the right-handed players, put your left foot forward, and the opposite for left-handed

players, then do the stroke. Got it? Okay, let¶s do it. I¶ll do the swings with you for a while, then you¶re all

on your own. Now, 1. 2. 3.´

Gee, I didn¶t know this was what I¶d end up doing in the beginner¶s category«Zero told himself as

he made his 4th swing. But I guess this is good if Coach Richard can find a problem with my swing and fix

it. Endure, Zero. This is for the sake of mastering the fundamentals«

After the 5th swing, Coach Richard stopped doing the strokes, but continued counting at the

same pace. He then walked around, checking the swings of the players. When he reached Zero, hestopped.

Crap, Zero thought. I¶m getting conscious here, sir.

³Hey,´ Coach Richard said. ³Stop swinging.´

Zero did as he was told. ³What¶s wrong, sir?´

³With that kind of swing, you¶re not supposed to be here.´ Coach Richard pointed at court C.

³That¶s where the intermediate players are. Go there.´

Well, that was fast. Zero nodded and ran toward court C.

In court C, Zero was welcomed by a man in his mid-20¶s. The other players were arranged in

pairs and throwing tennis balls at each other, save for a girl his age who was partnered with another

coach.

³Um,´ Zero said. ³Coach Richard made me transfer here.´

³Yeah, I can see that, kid,´ the man said with a grin. ³The name¶s Coach Allen. The guy over

there,´ he pointed at the other coach, ³is Coach Alfred. What we¶re doing right now is practicing ball

control with your hands. Put your racket down and take Alfred¶s place.´

Zero nodded, placed his racket beside the others on the far end of the court, and went to Coach

Alfred. When he reached them, the coach went away and patted his back.

³You know what you¶re supposed to do, kid?´ the coach asked.

³I could see from how you were doing it a while ago, sir. Upward toss, let it bounce, then your

partner has to catch it with her palm facing forward, right?´

³Yep,´ Coach Alfred replied. ³Good. Now, do it.´

Zero stood in front of the girl, who was holding the ball. ³Hi there,´ he said. ³Come on, let¶s do

this.´



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The girl nodded and proceeded to throw the ball without saying a word.

After a while, Coach Allen called out, ³Okay, let¶s move on to the next exercise. Everyone, get

your rackets and one of each pair get another ball.´

³I¶ll get the ball,´ Zero told the girl. ³Here you go.´ He threw the ball he was holding toward her and

left.

When everyone had their rackets and balls, Allen said, ³This time, you guys will practice ball

control with your rackets. Hit the ball upwards, catch it with your racket so it¶ll go up again, and repeat

until you reach 30. Okay, go.´

That¶s it? Zero thought as he continuously hit his ball upwards. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6«

«28, 29, 30. Even after Zero was finished, he continued hitting the ball as he approached Coach

Allen. ³Sir, what do I do now?´

³You¶re done with the 30?´

Zero nodded, still not stopping.³Well, for starters, you can stop hitting the ball,´ Allen said. ³It looks like that partner of yours from

a while ago is having a little difficulty. Alfred and I will help the others, so could you lend us a hand and

show that girl how it¶s done?´

³Uh, okay,´ Zero replied as he walked away, still hitting the ball.

He approached the girl, who, he saw, was hitting the ball 3 times until it gets hit too high and she

fails to catch it. ³Um,´ he said. ³You're hitting it with too much force.´

The girl stopped. ³Really? How strong should I hit it?´

Zero caught his ball with his free left hand as he walked closer to the girl. ³Probably as strong as

a flick of the wrist, only you do it with your forearm. At least that¶s how I do it. You have to keep your grip

on the racket firm so that the ball ends up really going upwards and not in any other direction. More than

catching the ball, you have to make the ball go to where you want it to. Try it.´

After a while, the girl was able to reach 14 repetitions, but lost control on her 15th.

³Well, that was a good try,´ Zero said. ³And a big improvement. You¶ll get the hang of it. Anyway,

I¶m gonna go back to my place and do the exercise one more time, okay? Good luck.´

³Wait,´ the girl said when Zero had turned his back. ³Umm«thanks for helping me.´

Zero turned his head toward the girl and smiled. ³No problem. You can ask help from me anytime.

Just tell me.´ Dude, that was just«cute. Zero replayed the few seconds when the girl thanked him in his

head as he hit his ball upward.

A few minutes later, after the two coaches had given tips to the other players who were struggling

in controlling the ball, Coach Allen announced the next exercise. ³All right guys, enough of that. Next up,

you¶ll do it the other way around: Dribble the ball with your racket. Again, do this 30 times.´

Zero proceeded dribbling the ball with ease. I wonder when we¶ll get to the real thing«? He

looked at the players in court D; the beginners were still doing shadow tennis, this time alternating



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between forehand and backhand. Then he looked at court B; the advanced players were playing mini-

tennis, around a yard away for each pair. I don¶t care if it¶s mini-tennis. I wanna start playing with

someone soon. 19, 20, 21, 22«

Zero was counting at 40 when he approached the girl from a while ago, who was having a hard

time again.

³Um,´ he said. ³You don¶t have to hit it.´

The girl stopped. ³What do you mean?´ she asked.

³You just have to catch it,´ Zero replied. ³Since the ball is going downward, you can let gravity do

its thing. If you push it, the ball¶s speed increases and you¶ll have difficulty in getting the pace right.´

³Umm, I don¶t quite get it.´

³Then«´ Zero felt like he was blushing. ³«would you mind if I hold your hand? I can try doing it

and you¶ll see how.´

³Um, sure,´ the girl replied. ³Please show me how to do it.´

Zero put his racket down and slowly, a little reluctantly, took the girl¶s hand. ³Don¶t do anything,okay? Let me dribble the ball by myself.´

The girl nodded.

Zero then let his ball drop and he proceeded to dribble it with ease. ³Just like this, okay? No

forced hitting.´

³Hmm, I think I got it,´ the girl said.

Zero hit the ball toward him and it bounced a little to his right. Then he let go of the girl¶s hand,

took his racket, and picked up the ball. ³Okay then, just keep practicing and you¶ll get the hang of it,´ he

said as he walked away while dribbling the ball. Soft hands«

A few minutes later, Coach Allen put his hand up. ³Okay guys, stop. Let¶s go to ball feeding now.

Form two lines. Alfred and I will hit balls toward you and you¶re supposed to hit it back. One hit per

person. After your turn, go to the end of your line quickly.´

Zero heaved a sigh. Finally, what I¶ve been waiting for«

The rest of the time was spent mostly on ball-feeding, with breaks in-between, followed by some

stretching, then all the players exited the court when the time was up.

Once inside the club room, Zero met up with Randy on the bench where they had placed their

bags and put his racket there.

³How was the intermediate training?´ Randy asked.

³Half-court feeding mostly,´ Zero replied. ³I guess it¶s enough for getting used to playing on the

court. My shots aren¶t too consistent either; the way Coach Alfred hit the ball toward me is different from

when a ball bounces back from a wall. How about you?´



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³Ball feeding as well,´ Randy said. ³but quarter court in our case. Coach Richard tossed the ball,

and all we had to do was take it to the other side. Just a little contact and a flick was enough, but I

couldn¶t catch the ball on some occasions. I¶ll have to practice on that.´

³Good luck, then. I hope you catch up to the intermediate soon.´

³Yeah, I hope so, too. So, are you going home now?´

Zero nodded. ³Yeah. I wanna rest up and play video games as soon as possible.´

³All right. I¶ll be sitting here for a while. Bye.´

Zero stood up and took his bag and racket. ³Okay, then. See you tomorrow.´ And with that, he

walked away.

Just when Zero had exited the club room, he heard a man¶s voice: ³Hey, kid! Wait up!´

Zero turned and saw a man whom he estimated was around 20 years old, with the girl whom he

had helped a while ago. Zero pointed at himself with questioning eyes.

³Yeah, you,´ the man said. ³I¶m Peter.´ He nudged the girl. ³Hey, come on, introduce yourself.´³Um, hi«my name is Shirley.´

What¶s going on«? ³Uh, my name¶s Zero. Um, why«´

³Why¶d I call you, you ask?´ Peter said. ³I saw you help my little sister here a while ago. Thanks.´

³Ah, no problem. Coach Allen asked me in the first place, and I had the free time.´

³Still, I¶m grateful,´ Peter said. ³So, you wanna have lunch with us, Zero? Let¶s go to a restaurant.

My treat.´

Zero¶s eyes widened. What the«?





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Zero¶s eyes widened upon realizing what Peter meant. ³Ah, no, I didn¶t mean it that way! I-´

Shirley shook her head. ³No, it¶s fine,´ she said. ³I know I have a long way to go before I get to

your level.´

Peter nodded. ³Yep, that¶s right, sis. So anyway, Zero«´ He pointed his spoon at Zero again.

³You seem to be pretty skilled at tennis. How long have you been playing?´

³I haven¶t played any real tennis before,´ Zero replied.

³W-what? You¶re telling me you became as good as you are by playing video games and reading

instruction manuals or something?´

Zero shook his head. ³No, not that kind. I mean, I¶ve never played on a tennis court until today.

But I¶ve practiced my strokes by shadow tennis and playing against a wall.´

³And how long was that?´

³Around a year, I guess.´

³I see«Well, I hope you continue helping Shirley while you¶re still in intermediate. You¶ll probably

get to advanced pretty soon if you consistently show your coaches how good you are.´³Uh, thanks for the compliment. And yeah, I¶ll help out as much as I can.´ Zero looked at Shirley

and saw that she was hiding her face from him. Oh boy«

Half an hour later, Zero, Shirley, and Peter exited the restaurant.

³It was nice being able to talk with you, Zero,´ Peter said. ³Thanks for your time.´

³Same here,´ Zero replied. ³It¶s always a pleasure to meet more people.´

³Yeah, you¶re right. So, how will you get back home?´

³I¶ll be walking. How about the two of you?´

³Taxi,´ Peter said. ³So I guess that¶s that, huh? Bye, Zero.´

³Yeah. Bye, Peter, Shirley.´

³Um,´ Shirley began to say when Zero was starting to walk away. ³Take care, Zero«´

³You too, Shirley.´ Zero waved at her without looking back. ³See you tomorrow.´

Once he was several meters away from the two, who were still waiting for a taxi, he saw Randy

walking with four adults and a girl.

What¶s Randy doing here? And that girl, she was with me in court C a while ago. Could it be that

they also went to eat, and in his case, the two of them are with their parents«? What a coincidence that

he¶s on the same boat as me here«

Ten minutes later, while Zero was still walking, he saw a couple holding hands and cuddling on a

nearby bench.

A girlfriend, huh«he told himself. Come to think of it, I¶ve never considered something like that,

have I? It¶s always been TV, games, and keeping myself physically fit. To emotionally embrace a girl

that¶s not my mom or my sister«



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³Where the hell have you been?!´ Anna said once Zero had entered the house twenty minutes

later. ³You¶re late! Did you eat already? How was your first day? Did you make any friends? Were the

coaches nice? Hey, come on, tell me.´

I can¶t tell her about the thing with Shirley right now,Zero thought. Not until I find out what¶s going

on. ³Hey, go easy on me with the questions, sis. I got hungry a while ago, so I ate at a restaurant.´

Anna raised an eyebrow. ³Were you with anyone else?´

Sorry, sis, but not now. ³Nah. Don¶t underestimate my walking capabilities. No matter how far it is,

if I want to get there, I¶ll walk and get there if it¶s the last thing I do,´ he said, hitting his chest with his right

fist with pride. ³And yeah, that¶s why I was late; I had to go out of my way to grab some food.´

³Why didn¶t you just get your food here? I could have cooked something for you, you know.´

³Nah, it¶s fine, sis. I was too hungry back then. But I¶m fine now.´

³Okay,´ Anna said. ³Just tell me once you feel hungry again, okay? I gotta take care of that

stomach of yours while mom and dad are away, after all.´Zero laughed. ³I know. I¶ll tell you, don¶t worry.´

³So, how was your first day?´

³I thought I was at beginner level, but it seems I can get to advanced soon enough. Things are

going pretty smoothly.´

Anna nodded. ³Well, that¶s good. Have you made any friends?´

³Only one,´ Zero lied. ³His name¶s Randy. He¶s stuck in beginner, but he says he¶ll try to catch up

with me.´

Anna grinned. ³Oh, so my little bro suddenly became outgoing, huh? Well, I guess that¶s a good

thing. So now you¶ll probably be playing video games again, won¶t you?´

Zero nodded. ³You know me too well, sis.´

³You better take a bath first.´

³Yes, ma¶am,´ Zero said as he headed for the bathroom.



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Chapter 4

(What are you, some sort of princess?)

The next day, when Zero reached the club room ten minutes ahead of time, he saw Randy sitting

on the same bench where they had their first conversation the day before. He quickly approached him,

placed his bag on the floor, and sat down.

³Hi, Zero,´ Randy said. ³Did you have fun yesterday?´

He knew about me and Shirley? Did he see me back at the restaurant? I gotta confirm this.³Huh?

Of course I had fun training at the intermediate category. Didn¶t I tell you that yesterday?´

³Yeah, I know that already. What I¶m asking about is what happened after. Who were you with?´

Crap, he knows. Well then, I¶ll just have to make a verbal counterattack. ³How about you? I saw

you with a girl yesterday as well.´

³Her name is Carol,´ Randy said. ³And your companion?´

³Shirley.´³I see«so, how was the meeting?´

³Well, I guess it went pretty well«´ Then Zero stopped and remembered his confusion. ³Hey, wait

a minute, how do you know all this? And why did you go with a girl like I did yesterday?´

Randy stared at him, confused. ³It¶s natural, right? I mean, everyone did it yesterday. That¶s the

point of this whole thing, right?´

³Wait, what? I¶m not getting this.´

Randy thought for a while, then said, ³Wait, don¶t tell me you came here without knowing the real

purpose of the summer clinic«´

³Wasn¶t it for the 30% discount?´

³I thought it felt strange when you only mentioned the discount yesterday,´ Randy said. ³Basically,

the discount was simply the effect of the real purpose. This summer clinic was meant for children of

various businessmen around the country to pick a future spouse. Everyday, people look for a possible

partner during the training, and after that, he and the other person meet up in a sort of casual marriage

meeting.´

³So,´ Zero said. ³Let me get this straight. That means I got myself involved in a marriage gimmick

by rich middle-aged people for their kids?´

Randy nodded.

³Damn.´

³But don¶t worry,´ Randy said, putting a hand on Zero¶s shoulder. ³You won¶t meet up with a girl

everyday; I mean, we have the normal summer clinic sessions to pick someone, so if you don¶t pick

anyone or nobody picks you, then you can safely go home. Some people might decide early on and just

stick with that person everyday. And since you seem to have no intentions of picking a girl«´



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³I¶ll just have to hope that no one takes me,´ Zero completed the sentence. ³I get what you mean.

Oh, by the way, who was the initiator for your meeting yesterday?´

³Oh, that was my idea,´ Randy replied. ³She seemed pretty lonely back then, so while I was

waiting for my parents, I went ahead and talked with her. It seemed as if she lacked self-confidence.´

³And why is that?´

Randy grinned and waved his index finger. ³That¶s a secret between us and our parents. I hope

you understand.´

³I¶ve never been the son of a rich couple, so I have no idea, but I¶ll just accept everything you say

and shut up.´

Randy nodded. ³That¶s a good boy,´ he said with a chuckle. ³Well, I just hope you get out of this

in one piece. Oh, and for the record, it¶s common courtesy to not say no to an invitation. Just saying. I

mean, you don¶t wanna be in trouble, right?´

Zero made a sour look. ³I¶m already in trouble just with this.´

Randy laughed. ³Yeah, I guess. But hey, why don¶t you take this opportunity to explore teenageromance? You might end up enjoying this whole gimmick. I mean, you never know, right?´

³I¶ll keep that in mind,´ Zero said. ³But for now, I really think I¶m in trouble.´ I mean, dude, what if

someone I really don¶t like forces me into a marriage meeting?He turned and looked at a fat girl. Oh crap,

I¶d be doomed.

³Hey,´ Randy interrupted, sending Zero back to reality. ³I think we should get on the courts now.´

Zero nodded . ³Ah, yeah,´ he said as he took his racket and stood up. ³But before that, I have one

last question.´

³Fire away.´

³Why was there a discount for this year, anyway?´

³Sponsorships, my friend,´ Randy replied. ³They go a long way.´

³So all your parents sponsored, and used the discount?´ Zero asked. ³Then that would mean that

none of you guys got any discount advantages, right?´

Randy nodded. ³I guess that¶s what happens.´

³Uh-huh«that¶s quite a messed up issue,´ Zero said. ³Okay, whatever. Let¶s go.´

³All right, kids,´ Coach Allen said when the intermediate players were huddled together. ³We have

some more additions to the family.´ He pointed to a boy and two girls beside him. ³Yeah, kid, just like

you.´ He looked at Zero.

³My, thanks for the special mention there,´ Zero said, rolling his eyes. I hope you got the sarcasm

there, coach.

³Anyway, we¶ll do the same routine we did yesterday. And to push the gimmick to the training

itself«´

Damn, he also knows the gimmick, Zero thought. But then again, they should know.



16

³«if you¶re a guy, get a girl. If you¶re a girl, get a guy for a partner. Your pick. Since we seem to

have a shortage of females, we¶ll have some guy pairs; can¶t be helped. Anyway, you guys go choose

now before it¶s too late. Oh, and don¶t take the partner you had yesterday.´

Okay, so Shirley¶s a no-no, Zero told himself. At any rate, if I¶m gonna pick a girl, it has to be

someone decent-looking. I don¶t wanna end up having a marriage meeting with someone who¶s not cute.

Zero started looking around, but felt too embarrassed to pick someone.

In a matter of seconds, the pairs were quickly being formed, and Zero was running out of options,

when he felt a soft hand grab his shoulder from behind.

He turned and saw a girl who seemed a year older than him. SHe gave him a wink. ³You look

pretty cute,´ she said. ³I guess I¶ll have to make do with you as a partner. Be grateful that I chose you.´

Uh-huh«this girl¶s pretty weird. ³Um, thanks. My name is Zero. Uh«´ Endure it, throw your pride

away, Zero«³Thank you for choosing me, madam.´

The girl put her right hand over her mouth and laughed. ³My, you sure know your manners, boy.

Here¶s a special treat for you: I¶ll tell you my name. I¶m Jessica. Well then, get the ball and let¶s start thedrill immediately.´

What the hell«³Yes, ma¶am.´ Zero then proceeded to get the ball.

The ball-throwing exercise followed soon after, and both Zero and Jessica were having no

problems throwing and catching the ball.

³You¶re pretty good, Zero,´ Jessica said as they continued throwing the ball at each other. ³I also

saw you teach a girl yesterday. Are you looking to go to the advanced class?´

³I already have my sights on it,´ Zero replied. ³My current concern is how quickly I¶ll be able to get

there.´

³My, you¶re pretty optimistic, huh? Why don¶t you just stay here in intermediate and take it easy

while you find a girl?´

I don¶t plan on finding a girl, you bossy idiot.³I¶d like to make the most of this opportunity. After all,

in the end, it¶s still a tennis summer clinic and I¶m a tennis player.´

³That¶s too boring, don¶t you think?´ Jessica asked. ³I mean, you¶re a dreamer who¶s going

straight for his dream at full force. That¶s the kind of image I¶m getting.´

³Is there anything wrong with that?´

³I just think it¶s too straightforward, you know? Say, how about you go shopping with me later?

Let¶s call it a date. How about it?´

Oh, crap. ³Uh, are you sure? I mean, with me«´

³Why not? We still have a lot of time to meet with others. Or do you not want to be with me?´

Geez. ³O-of course not,´ Zero said. ³After all, I¶m grateful that you chose me to be your exercise

partner for today in the first place.´



17

At that moment, Zero saw a gentle smile creep out of Jessica¶s face for a moment, which

changed into a wide grin almost right after. ³Then that¶s settled! Make sure you change your clothes so

that you don¶t stink as much, okay?´

What the hell, I already went along with what she wanted, and this is how she thanks me?³Uh, of

course. I always bring an extra set of clothes.´ Truth is, I thought of bringing extra clothes today after

finding out about the shower room¶s existence yesterday. Who would¶ve thought I¶d be using this on a

date instead«?

³Okay,´ Coach Allen said, which caused the players to stop their current exercise. ³Let¶s move on.

Upward bounce. You know the drift.´

Zero threw the ball toward Jessica and walked away. He wondered if Jessica would say anything,

but he reached the basket with the balls without hearing anything, so he proceeded to do the drill.

After what seemed like a repetition of what happened the previous day ± with the dribbling after

and the ball feeding up until the end ± Zero exited the courts and went to the shower room with his spareclothes. He then took his soap from his bag and took took a short bath. When he was done, he wore a

long sleeved sweatshirt covered with a short-sleeved shirt with the buttons pried loose for style. Then he

replaced his shorts with jeans.

When he exited the shower room, he saw Shirley and Peter, who waved at him almost instantly.

³Hey there, Zero,´ Peter said. ³You¶ll be going out?´

³Yeah,´ Zero replied. ³I got forced into a date. How about Shirley?´

³We¶re gonna pass today,´ Peter replied. ³It seems Shirley can¶t find someone better than you so

far.´ He gave Zero a grin.

Zero¶s eyes widened, and he hid his face. ³Uh, I-I¶m flattered.´

³I don¶t think that was flattery,´ Peter said. ³It was kind of a fact. Right, Shirley?´

Shirley, who was blushing, hit Peter¶s arm with her elbow. ³Come on, brother, let¶s go home

already! Geez!´

Peter held his arm. ³Oh, all right already. Well then, we¶ll see you tomorrow, Zero.´

³Yeah,´ he said as he waved at them. ³Bye.´

When Peter had turned his back on Zero, Shirley slowly waved her hand, then she immediately

followed her brother.

Uh-huh«Zero told himself as he slowly put his hand down. I wonder how I should have acted

there«? What should I have told her? He shook his head. No, forget it; it has nothing to do with you,

Zero. Remember, you just got dragged into this mess.

³Zeroooo!´ came a voice from his side. It was Jessica. ³Sorry for the wait!´

And speaking of mess«³Ah, don¶t worry about it.´ His eyes quickly surveyed Jessica¶s clothes;

she was wearing a flowing white cotton dress draped with a beige blazer. Among the accessories she

had were silver looped earrings, a charm bracelet with gold stars, and a broad-rimmed summer hat with a



18

big blue ribbon ³They look pretty good on you. You have great fashion sense, I see.´ He then shifted his

eyes to Jessica¶s side. ³But such a style doesn¶t go well with that big tennis bag you¶re carrying over

there, but we¶re all entitled to our own opinions, I guess.´

Jessica put her hand over her mouth and laughed. ³And you, on the other hand, well«aside from

that unbuttoned style, you seem pretty plain.´

³Well, sorry about that. It¶s not like I was planning on going to the mall, anyway.´

³Oh, so you would wear better clothes if you knew beforehand?´

Zero thought for a while, then looked at Jessica with a grin. ³Come to think of it, maybe I¶d just

stay like this.´

Jessica smiled. ³You¶re pretty amusing, boy. Now, let¶s go.´ She then proceeded to exit the club

room.

³Hey, I was wondering. Are you 17 years old?´ Zero asked as he followed Jessica.

³Yeah,´ Jessica said as she turned her head to Zero. ³How¶d you guess?´

³You look like you¶re 17, that¶s all.´³Really? Well, you look like you¶re 16. Are you?´

³Yeah. You¶re pretty good.´

³Why of course. Nothing escapes this eye of mine.´

³Uh-huh...´ Zero said with a slow nod, which Jessica couldn¶t see. ³So since you¶re just one year

older than me, could you please stop calling me µboy¶? I feel one of two things whenever you do.´

³And they are?´

³Either I¶m 12 years old or you¶re over 20. So please just call me Zero.´

³I can do that,´ Jessica replied. ³But you have to stop calling me µma¶am¶ and start calling me by

my first name.´

³I can manage that,´ Zero said. ³Jessica.´

Once they had exited the club room, Jessica stopped, Zero doing the same when he caught up.

³Wanna take a taxi, Zero?´ she asked. ³I¶m feeling generous today, so I¶ll pay.´

I¶d like to, but my pride as a man«³Um, wait, I don¶t think that¶s necessary«´

Jessica shook her head. ³No. Please let me,´ she said firmly.

Zero became confused with her serious reply. ³Why?´

³«to thank you for taking me as your partner a while ago when I couldn¶t find anyone«´ she said

in a voice that was softer than her usual.

³What?´

Jessica shook her head. ³Forget it. Just come with me and let me pay, got it?´

What¶s wrong with her? ³Okay, sure, ma¶a- I mean, Jessica.´ And what did she just say a while

ago?



19

Chapter 5

(She¶s not such a bad person, after all)

³You don¶t wanna hold hands with me, Zero?´ Jessica asked once the two of them entered the

mall. ³You¶re more boring than I thought.

³And you¶re more outgoing than what¶s necessary,´ Zero retaliated. ³I don¶t want to consider this

time with you as my first date, so no holding hands.´

Jessica smiled and nudged Zero. ³Oho, I never knew you were a dating virgin,´ she said. ³I

thought you seemed more like the playboy-in-disguise type. I mean, you did agree to go with me, after

all.´

³I¶d feel bad if I turned a girl down,´ Zero said. ³And honestly, I feel honored that you actually

picked me a while ago. Consider this as a token of gratitude.´ Although seriously, I¶m not even supposed

to be here in the first place.

³Well, that¶s good to hear,´ Jessica said. ³You really know how to flatter a girl, huh?´³Hey, hey, what¶s this all about? If you were flattered by what I said, I probably just got lucky,

because that wasn¶t my intention.´

³Is that so? Oh well, whatever. Let¶s go, Zero.´

³Go where? And wait a minute, what¶re we doing here in the first place, anyway?´

³We¶re gonna go shopping, of course,´ Jessica replied. ³That¶s why we¶re in a mall. Get it?´

³Uh-huh«so you want me to accompany you as you buy stuff?´

Jessica stared at Zero. ³Wait. You¶re not buying anything?´

³I had no intention of doing so,´ Zero said. ³So I guess I¶ll just stay with you until you finish what

you wanna buy.´

³Are you sure it¶s okay with you?´

Zero smiled and raised his shoulders. ³Well, I¶m here anyway, so I might as well go with it. Come

on, let¶s go.´

Jessica smiled and nodded. ³Yeah, all right.´

Several minutes later, the two of them were looking at clothes in a boutique, with Jessica carefully

examining every piece of clothing as she circled the place.

³Hey, what the hell,´ Zero said. ³Are you a shopping addict or something? It¶s gonna take us

forever to finish if you¶re this slow.´

Jessica turned to Zero and waved her index finger. ³Tsk tsk,´ she said. ³A guy like you wouldn¶t

understand a woman¶s passion.´

³Uh-huh«but why pink? Isn¶t that too girly?´

³Well, what am I then, Zero?´

Zero rolled his eyes upward. ³Um.,,a girl?´



20

³There you have it. Now come with me over here.´

Zero heaved a sigh. Oh boy. If women were all like this, I¶d rather not have a girlfriend.

³Man, it sure is convenient to have you with me, Zero,´ Jessica said an hour later as the two of

them walked outside the boutique, with Zero holding two paper bags in each hand. ³When I¶m with my girl

friends, we all had to carry what we bought on our own.´

³And let me guess,´ Zero said. ³You always had the most stuff bought, so you always had a hard

time after buying, huh?´

Jessica giggled. ³That¶s right! How did you guess?´

Zero showed her the four paper bags. ³Just with this, I guess.´

Jessica bowed her head slightly, raised her eyes to see Zero, and put her index finger below her

lips. ³You know, I can¶t help but feel sorry for you, having you wait for an hour and making you carry my

things. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?´

Zero¶s eyes widened. She¶s not actually that heartless, huh? ³Uh, no thanks. I don¶t needanything in particular.´

³Really? I really feel like I should do something for you. Come on, just tell me, and I¶ll do what I

can. Don¶t hold back.´

³Well, if you insist«´ Zero started thinking. ³«are you sure I can ask anything?´

Jessica grinned. ³Oh, don¶t tell me you¶re gonna ask for that ? We¶re not married yet, so that¶s out

of bounds, I¶m afraid.´

Zero raised his eyebrows. ³Huh? We¶re gonna get married?´

³Wha«? I-idiot, I didn¶t mean it that way«´ Jessica said, quickly hiding her face. ³What I mean is,

doing that is supposed to be for married couples only, you know?´³I think I get what that is,´ Zero said. ³But that¶s not what I was thinking.´

³Then what were you thinking?´

Before Zero could reply, his stomach growled, then he scratched his head and laughed

nervously. ³I guess my stomach couldn¶t wait for me to talk.´

Jessica sighed. ³Oh, so that¶s what it was.´

³Well, sorry for being hungry. But really, you don¶t have to treat me-´ He suddenly saw Jessica

getting her purse ready. ³Hey, weren¶t you listening to me?!´

³Did you want to go here and spend an hour waiting for me? Be honest with me.´

³Well«of course I didn¶t.´

³Then let me do the same for you,´ Jessica said. ³Just to be even. Deep inside, I¶m still a good

person, you know.´

³Really?´

Jessica¶s eyebrows crossed. ³Stop teasing me already!´ She quickly grabbed Zero¶s hand and

dragged him away.



21

Wait, what? I never asked for this«

A few minutes later, Zero and Jessica were sitting across each other on a table in the food court,

eating.

³I¶m terribly sorry if you had to pay,´ Zero said.

³I¶m also terribly sorry for making you wait for me,´ Jessica shot back. ³Seriously, it¶s fine, Zero.

You should be a little more selfish. You¶re too kind, you know that?´

³Being kind and selfless is a good thing, right?´

³Yeah, but«if you¶re too kind, some people might fall in love with you, maybe more than what

you¶ll want. We¶re part of a big group of various people looking for future husbands and wives. In its own

way, this whole thing is also one big battle.´

³Uh-huh«´ Zero stopped eating for a while and stared at his food. ³By the way, are you expecting

to get yourself a guy before the summer clinic ends? I mean, it¶s not like everyone will have their own

partners by then, right?´³I have to get one,´ Jessica said in a serious tone, making Zero stare at her. ³I don¶t have any

siblings, so I¶m sure to be the heir of my family¶s business. That¶s why I can¶t embarrass my parents; I

have to find myself a partner.´

³So that¶s why you seemed so full of it when I met you a while ago,´ Zero commented. ³It was to

affirm your confidence in this µbattle,¶ huh?´

³Yeah, something like that. And besides«´

³Besides?´

³I felt like I had to work harder today because I couldn¶t find myself someone to have a marriage

meeting with yesterday. All of my choices were already taken, so I thought I had to act quickly the nextday.´ And then I went and got my first choice for my first meeting.

³Uh-huh«that¶s pretty tough.´

³What about you, Zero?´ Jessica asked. ³Are you looking to find a partner?´

Zero scratched his head and grinned. ³Well, actually«´ Then a thought struck his mind: Wait, I

can¶t tell her. My pride¶ll be screwed. Hmm, what should I say«?³«I¶d like to get out of this gimmick

unscathed.´

³Unscathed? You mean single?´

Zero nodded. ³I¶m more into maturity for relationships, not urgent needs or business pride or

anything like that. But I understand the pressure you¶re going through, so I wouldn¶t like to compare.

Anyway, I hope you¶ll get what you want. There¶s still a lot time.´

³«What¶re you getting so serious for?´

³Huh?´

Jessica smiled. ³Don¶t be too serious about it, Zero. I¶m fine, seriously. Now, let¶s eat. This

conversation has made our food pretty cold.´



22

Zero ate a spoonful, then his eyes widened. ³Hey, you¶re right.´

Jessica laughed. ³Told ya.´

After they had finished eating, Zero and Jessica exited the mall, with Zero still holding the paper

bags. Then they went to the sidewalks, facing the road.

³So, uh, Jessica,´ Zero said. ³How will you get home?´

³Taxi. And you?´

³I¶ll walk. It¶ll take some time since I kinda went farther because I went here, but it¶s manageable.´

³Oh, I see. Sorry if you feel inconvenienced.´

³Ah, don¶t worry about me. I¶m used to walking. It¶s always a good form of exercise and all.´

³Uh-huh«´ Jessica then bowed her head. ³Say«could I ask you two more requests?´

³Sure. What is it?´

³Well, first, stay here with me until I get a taxi.´

³I had no intention of leaving these paper bags, so I guess that¶s already granted,´ Zero said.³What¶s the other one?´

Instead of answering Zero¶s question, Jessica leaned her head on his shoulder. ³Let me stay like

this until we find a taxi.´

His heart thumping, he managed to say, ³No problem.´

Twenty minutes later, Zero was walking home, his mind occupied by what had just happened a

short while ago.

Why did she do that? After that first meeting where she was treating me like some sort of kid, she

suddenly acted so«strangely.Zero placed his hand on his chest. And why was I feeling insanely excited back then? I¶m not supposed to feel this way, right«?

Aw, whatever. I gotta get my mind to think about something else. Let¶s see«he checked his

pockets and took out his cell phone. Maybe I could play a little game while walking for a change of pace.

³5 missed calls´ was the first thing Zero saw when he looked at his cell phone. All of them

from«Anna.Oh crap, I¶m doomed. What should I say, what should I say«? Damn, I gotta come up with

something before I get home!

³Yesterday, you got me worried,´ Anna said, squeezing and pulling Zero¶s cheeks the moment he

entered the house 40 minutes later. ³This time you had me worried sick ! What the hell did you do after

your training?!´

³I«can¶t«.speak«´ Zero tried to say while tears started to flow out of his eyes in pain.

Anna removed her grip on Zero and took a deep breath. ³Okay, I¶m ready,´ she said. ³What

happened?´

³Well, as you can see from my clothes, I went out.´



23

³Where?´

³To a mall,´ Zero said. ³A rich friend of mine treated us to food and games. It was great.´

³Oh, so that¶s it, huh«´ Anna stepped forward and hugged Zero. ³Geez, next time, please tell me

if you¶re going out. You have that cell phone of yours, right? You should try using it sometimes, even if it¶s

just to tell me that you¶re not in any sort of danger.´

³Sorry for worrying you, sis,´ Zero said. ³I just tend to forget the existence of my cell phone. But I¶ll

tell you next time for sure.´

Anna broke away from her hug and held Zero¶s shoulders. ³You promise?´

Zero smiled. ³I¶m not a kid anymore, sis; I¶ll do it, seriously.´

Anna showed Zero a sweet smile, and Zero laughed nervously in response before he got slapped

in the left cheek.

³Are you happy now, sis?´ Zero said as he held the reddening cheek. ³I didn¶t evade it this time.´

³Yeah, I¶ve pretty much put all my anger into that slap. I forgive you.´



24

Chapter 6

(A change in schedule also changes other things, huh?)

³Well, first off,´ Coach Alfred began to say at the start of the day¶s training, ³I¶d like to introduce a

new adoption from the beginner¶s class, just like yesterday. It seems the number of people is starting to

increase for the intermediate level every day. If this keeps up, we might end up needing more coaches

and perhaps an extra court,´ he said, then he laughed afterwards.

Zero rolled his eyes. Dude, that wasn¶t funny. Look, even Coach Allen isn¶t laughing.

³Anyway,´ Coach Alfred followed up after abruptly finishing his laughing fit and recovering in less

than a second.

He changed moods faster than the blink of an eye! Now that¶s a skill.

³This time,´ Alfred continued after Zero¶s side comment, ³You guys will no longer be required to

do those ball tossing and ball dribbling stuff.´

³Does that mean we go straight to ball feeding?´ a girl from the class asked. Alfred shook his head. ³Of course not. You can¶t just go and start playing right off the bat. But

before I tell you what you¶ll be doing, I¶d like to talk about your performance so far, even if it¶s only been

two days. Of course, the new kid here will be exempted from my comments.´ Then he started laughing

again.

I can¶t believe you can laugh this much over something so shallow, but since you¶re my coach, I¶ll

just let it slide, I guess.

³For one thing, the kid who transferred here on his first day.´ He pointed at Zero. ³You¶re visibly

getting better after every hour of training, but you have your bad moments, as you probably know.

Consistency, kid. Show us that, and you¶ll soon find yourself in court A training with the best players.´

Zero nodded slowly, trying to calmly take in the special mention compliment. ³Uh-huh«thanks,

sir. I¶ll do my best.´

³And actually,´ Coach Alfred continued, shifting his gaze back to the group of players as a whole,

³he¶s the only one who really stood out with potential so far, but for the others who have already started

with some good swinging skills to show, well«just keep it up, and you¶ll be levelling up soon as well.

Allen and I will try helping you guys out every now and then. And, in fact, that goes for everyone. If you

really wanna learn, we¶ll do our best to help you improve, so don¶t be shy.´

That¶s very reassuring. And he didn¶t laugh this time.

³So anyway, that¶s it,´ Coach Alfred said. ³Now, go spread out into lines and we¶ll practice shadow

tennis.´

³All right,´ Coach Allen said several minutes later. ³Let¶s keep the swinging going and proceed to

ball feeding. Everyone, line up on that side.´ Coach Allen pointed to the side of the court nearest to the

club room.



25

When everyone was lined up, the ball feeding began. Zero was fourth on the line, with the new

player right in front of him. I wonder how good this new guy is«he looks pretty bulky.

When it was the player¶s turn, he managed to send the ball to the other side, but Zero curled his

lips in dissatisfaction. He followed right after and sent the ball charging with a forehand drive, then he ran

back to the end of the line.

Once he got there, he nudged the player, saying, ³Hey, can I say something?´

The player turned back and looked at him. ³What is it?´

³You were too close to the ball,´ Zero said. ³Unlike back in court D where Coach Richard throws

the ball at you, the coaches here hit the balls with their rackets, and they put spin on it. You might wanna

back away a little and check your distance next time.´

The player quickly turned his back again, saying, ³Hmph, I don¶t need any help. I knew that

already! Don¶t go bossing me around!´

Zero was taken aback for a while, but was able to recover after a few seconds. ³Oh, sorry. I just

thought I¶d help,´ he said. Well, so much for trying to be nice.The player didn¶t reply.

Just then, the player behind Zero gave him a nudge. ³Hey, don¶t sweat it,´ he said. ³Jeffrey¶s got

his pride. Don¶t let him get to you and just leave him alone.´

Jeffrey turned and faced the player behind Zero and said, ³I don¶t like being read as if you have

my personality mastered.´

³Yes, sir. Won¶t do it again,´ the player said as he raised his hand in the form of a pledge and

sighed.

That look doesn¶t seem honest enough,Zero thought.

Jeffrey turned around again. ³Hmph.´Zero heaved a soft sigh. And here in front of me is a live sample of a rich businessman¶s son. His

personality doesn¶t seem too attractive. I wonder if he¶s gonna be able to get a girl«?

Oh, it¶s almost my turn. Zero tightened his grip on his racket.

Thirty minutes before the end of the day¶s training session, Coach Alfred and Coach Allen

stopped the ball feeding and ordered the players to huddle. When everyone had gathered together,

Coach Allen told them to take a five-minute break for the last part of the day¶s training.

After the break, Zero found out the reason behind the break: the last part of the training had all of

the players sprinting around the court for twenty minutes in the form of various drills.

After they had accomplished the task twenty minutes later, everyone ended up being too tired to

move. Zero entered the clubroom and hurried toward the bench where his bag rested and sat down.

Damn, that was rough, he told himself. As he looked at the area, he assured himself that he was

not alone. If everyone¶s as tired as this, how the hell will people have their marriage meetings today«?



26

Then a thought struck his head. Trying to ignore the muscle pain in his body as well as his

fatigue, he quickly stood up and started walking away.

This is a rare chance for me to escape. I¶m not gonna let this pass by.

When he had walked far enough so that he could no longer see the tennis courts, a smile crept

on his face and he continued walking.



27

Chapter 7

(Even streaks have their ends, I guess)

Starting from the fortunate day where Zero got out of training without a date, he had escaped two

more. After the weekend passed by, he went to the second week of the summer clinic looking to continue

his dateless streak.

During those past two days, both Coach Allen and Coach Alfred had started taking a liking to

Zero, which was evident during the ball-feeding phase of the training: whenever they gave him the ball,

they¶d tell him where and how he should hit; if he should make crosscourt drop or a lob down the line or

any other type of variation, while letting the others make whatever shots they wanted as long as it got

over the net.

When he entered the club room, he saw Jessica sitting on a bench on her own and Randy talking

with a girl on another bench. He decided to go to Jessica.

³Hey Jessica,´ he called out as he approached her. ³You alone right now? Would you mind if Itake that vacant spot beside you?´

Jessica turned her head and, upon seeing Zero, smiled and nodded, saying, ³Ah, sure, go

ahead.´ She removed her bag from the bench to give him some more space.

Zero sat down and placed his bag on the floor. ³So, how¶s your hunt for boys so far?´ he asked.

³I¶ve met two other boys aside from you,´ Jessica replied. ³I didn¶t have a meeting for one day

because didn¶t want to choose last Wednesday.´ The day after our date, if you noticed.³So, how about

you?´

³I¶m pretty glad that my last date was with you,´ Zero said, scratching his head. Before Jessica

could say anything in response, he continued, ³Boy, was I lucky for the past three days, not having

anyone to force me into any meetings.´

³You really don¶t want to find a partner?´

Zero shook his head. ³Not a chance. I can¶t imagine myself not being single.´

³Uh-huh«well, I guess that¶s your call. By the way, it¶s the first time we¶ve talked after our date,

isn¶t it?´

³Hmm, yeah, come to think of it. I guess I was too busy avoiding people that I couldn¶t talk to my

current acquaintances.´

³Acquaintances?´

³You, Randy, and Shirley,´ Zero said. ³Oh, and maybe I could count Peter, Shirley¶s brother, since

he¶s the one who does most of the talking. Hmm, now that I think about it, you were Shirley¶s exact

opposite. While she needed her brother to do the talking ± and I think I saw the same thing for two days

last week ± you invited and went with me on your own. Most of the others have their parents with them,

so how come you¶re always going solo?´

³The same goes for you too, right?´



28

³But hey, I¶m not looking for anyone, unlike you, so why don¶t you ask for support from your

parents? Wouldn¶t they want to help? After all, they¶re part of that large business group that started all

this, right?´

³They would have,´ Jessica said, ³but I asked them to put pressure on me by letting me do this on

my own. I promised them good results, so I have to do my best on my own.´

³That¶s pretty mature, even for a 17-year-old,´ Zero commented. ³After all, you¶re taking the name

of the family business all by yourself. That¶s really something. I completely understand if you couldn¶t go

and look for someone to meet with during your first day.´

No, Zero. That first day was Shirley¶s fault.³Thanks for the compliment. Putting it that way makes

me feel like I¶m carrying the weight of the whole world by myself, but it¶s also reassuring to know that I¶ve

done my best so far on such a task.´

³Hey, don¶t go too deep and metaphorical on me. Just do what you can and enjoy the experience.

Spare me from your poetry.´

³You¶re pretty easygoing, huh?´Zero grinned. ³Well, I am planning on escaping from as many meetings as I can,´ he replied. ³I¶m

not pressured. But in that sense, if you want some opinion from another perspective, you know who to

ask.´

³The guy who will finish the summer clinic without any girlfriend if it¶s the last thing he does,´

Jessica said. ³Yeah, I know.´ The two of them stayed silent for a while, then Jessica heaved a sigh. ³Say,

Zero, are you gonna miss playing on the same court as me?´

³What do you mean?´

³Anyone can tell that you¶ve become the coaches¶ favourite,´ Jessica said. ³You¶ll probably

transfer to the advanced level within the week; maybe even today.´

Zero thought for a while. ³Yeah, you have a point,´ he commented. ³But it¶s not like I bond with

the people there; it¶s more like sharing an otherwise straight ball-feeding with others such that you can

only make one shot for a certain period of time. I think the real bonding would be something like this,

outside the court.´ Zero smiled. ³Don¶t you think so, too?´

Jessica smiled back. ³Yeah, right,´ she said, pushing Zero¶s forehead using her finger and

standing up. ³Anyway, let¶s get going; training¶s about to start.´

Zero stood up. ³Uh-huh«´ What was that all about«?

When the intermediate players have gathered together, Zero was delighted to see a familiar face

standing beside the coaches. So Randy finally caught up with me, huh«? That¶s great.

³Sooo yeah,´ Coach Alfred began, ³Our numbers are increasing, and even though that¶s

supposed to be a good sign, I don¶t like handling too many people. But anyway, here¶s the newest

addition to our sweet little family. If anything, I¶d like our numbers to decrease by sending some of you to



29

the advanced level. I hope that happens soon; it¶ll be advantageous for you guys too, so it¶s a win-win

situation.´

Zero clenched his fist. I can make it. I just have to work harder«

Just then, Coach Allen put his hands together, making one loud clap. ³So, now I¶ll go over the

whole thing for today. We¶ll start with shadow tennis for now, then we¶ll proceed to ball feeding. After that,

drills.

Zero slapped his face and shook his head. Oh boy, not that killer drill-combo again«

³Is something wrong?´

Zero quickly shook his head. ³No, nothing.´ You bet there is.

After the training had ended, while all the players were starting to leave, Zero felt a big hand hold

his shoulder, and soon enough he found out that it was Coach Allen from his voice when he said, ³Wait

up, kid.´

Zero turned around. ³Yes, sir?´³Consider yourself lucky,´ Coach Allen said. ³Strangely enough, a direct import from the beginner

level will be the first to move to the advanced.´

Zero¶s eyes widened in surprise. ³You mean I¶ll«´

Coah Allen nodded. ³Yeah. You showed me and Alfred how fast you¶ve been improving, and

today, we confirmed your consistency with applying what you¶ve learned. I¶m sure you already know this,

but tennis is about consistency; in a match, you have to keep swinging like mad until someone wins the

rally, and that rally is one out of many games, which may very well be one out of a number of sets. Being

in the advanced level is a big thing, kid, and that¶s why even though a lot of you in the intermediate class

have good swings, it¶s not enough unless you can do them over and over again.´ Coach Allen smiled.

³Basically, I¶m telling you to thank us for making you the first one to move up the curve.´

I«I don¶t know what to say«³Thank you, sir. I¶ll continue doing my best.´

Coach Allen nodded. ³You better do, or else you¶ll find yourself being kicked back to intermediate.

Zero gulped a lump. ³I«I¶ll be careful.´

³Anyway, that¶s it. See you tomorrow.´

³Yes, sir,´ Zero said. ³Thank you again.´

When Zero entered the clubroom, he rushed toward his bag. Damn, I stink, he thought. Since I

haven¶t had any dates for three days, maybe I should take it easy today and take a good bath here before

leaving. Yeah, maybe I should do that.

Taking his bag with him, he then proceeded to the shower room.

When Zero had finished taking a quick bath and changing his clothes, he went straight to an open

bench, sat on it, and folded his tennis clothes, doing so with a smile in his face. No one¶s approaching



30

me. Good, looks like I¶m safe for now; I can get outta this place without a date again,was what he was

thinking.

Just then, he heard Randy¶s voice. ³Hey, Zero.´

³Oh hey, there, Randy,´ Zero responded. ³The coaches decided to put me on the advanced level.

And to think that was right after you caught up with me.´

³Really? That¶s good for you. I¶ll try my best to catch up again. Anyway«´ he motioned his head

to the person standing beside him.

Zero looked, and saw a girl whom he somehow recognized as Randy¶s first date. A grin crept on

his face. ³Oh, so you¶re gonna go on a date again today?´

³No,´ Randy replied. ³Let me introduce you two to each other formally. Zero, this is Carol. Carol,

Zero.´

³Pleased to meet you, Carol,´ Zero said with a small wave of his hand. ³So, what¶s the matter?´

³Carol¶s gonna do the talking from here on,´ Randy said. ³Go for it.´

Zero started thinking as quickly as he could. Go for it? What?O

kay, let¶s get some things straight.Right now, there¶s a girl in front of me. What should I say? What should I do? What about my clothes?

³Um«´ he suddenly heard Carol say, interfering his thinking. ³Now that Randy has introduced us

formally, could you please follow me? My parents are just outside.´

Follow her? Her parents are outside? And to top it off, it seems an introduction was necessary.

When he had put all the pieces together, Zero felt like his heart had skipped a bit as he looked at his

completed puzzle. I¶m being forced to a date?!



31

Chapter 8

(Talk about mode change, this is just cr azy)

³Wait a minute, Carol,´ Randy said. ³Can you wait outside the club room? I have a little something

to talk about with Zero.´

³And that would be«?´ Carol asked.

Randy shook his head. ³It¶s nothing much; I just wanna ask Zero what happened on his first day

in the advanced class and all.´

Carol slowly nodded her head. ³Sure thing«but please hurry. My parents are waiting.´

³No problem. He¶ll be there in a bit.´

Carol nodded her head again, excused herself, and left the club room.

When she was out of sight, Randy put his arm around Zero¶s shoulder and said, ³Be careful.´

Zero looked at Randy. ³What do you mean? What happened on your date with her, anyway?´

³Invasion of personal privacy right there, dude,´ Randy replied as he removed his arm from Zero¶sshoulder. ³I can¶t just go and tell you someone¶s private life without permission. Just keep your guard up.

Since you¶re alone right now, her parents will probably leave.´

³What makes you so sure?´

³You don¶t know anything about these stuff, do you?´

³I hope you haven¶t forgotten that I never planned on getting involved in this.´

Randy nodded his head. ³Yeah, sure, I know, it doesn¶t matter now. Anyway, let me spell it out for

you: the guy talks with the girl, and the parents talk with the parents. In the event that the parent doesn¶t

arrive, then the guy talks with the girl, and that¶s it. Get it? Those closer in age are the ones who talk with

each other.´

³Yeah, I get it, no need to summarize in one sentence for me. So, how exactly do I µkeep my

guard up¶ if I you don¶t tell me what to expect?´

³Well, let¶s just say she has nothing to lose if she doesn¶t get a guy,´ Randy said. ³Sorry, but you¶ll

just have to keep your wits up. Just keep your calm once she starts opening up to you, if ever she does.´

³So she¶ll tell me her life story?´

³She probably will,´ Randy replied. ³Anyway, get going; you don¶t want to keep a rich family

waiting, right?´

³Oh, right.´ Zero took his bag. ³I¶ll see you tomorrow, then.´

Randy waved his hand. ³Yeah. I hope you get out alive so I really can see you tomorrow.´

This guy¶s words are not as reassuring as a friend¶s should be«

Around an hour later, Zero and Carol were left on a restaurant, sitting across each other. Carol¶s

parents had left, and Zero had just finished eating, and was trying to think of a way to break the silence.

Suddenly, Carol made the first move. ³Do you want to marry me, Zero?´ she asked.



32

Zero was taken aback. Damn, she¶s pretty aggressive. ³I don¶t really like the idea of marrying

someone, considering how young we are,´ he replied. ³I¶d rather think about it in the future.´

³I see«´ Carol said as she bowed her head. ³Well, you don¶t have to worry about me. I don¶t have

any incentive to go out of my way to get a guy.´

Hmm, well here¶s a person in a different situation. Maybe we¶ll get along just fine.³Hm? Why not?

You¶re parents aren¶t pressuring you?´

³They said it didn¶t matter,´ Carol replied. ³I already have a lot of big brothers, so I won¶t inherit

that much of the family business.´

³Oh, is that so? Then why did you come here?´

³Just for formality, really. My brothers already have their girlfriends, so as the only remaining

single child in the family, my parents wanted me to find someone here. But it won¶t make any difference. If

you don¶t like me, then it¶s okay; both of us have nothing to lose.´

³I-it¶s not like I don¶t like you or anything,´ Zero said. ³I«I think you¶re really beautiful, Carol. I

think you¶re better off smiling instead of moping like that.´Carol smiled. ³My, you sure know how to flatter a woman, huh?´

Zero grinned and raised his shoulders. ³Well, I just don¶t like this scenario, with an older girl being

dramatic in front of me.´

³Yeah, I guess you¶re right. It doesn¶t seem proper, huh?´

³In a way, yeah.´

Carol smiled. ³Well then, as a man, it¶s your job to make me happy.´

³And how could I possibly do that?´

Carol stood up and took her bag. ³Follow me.´

Zero swallowed a lump, but slowly and subtly enough so that Carol wouldn¶t notice. I have a bad feeling about this«

³Um, Carol«´ Zero said as he looked at her. ³«why are you doing this?´ The two of them were

walking outside the restaurant, with Carol holding Zero¶s hand and leaning on him as they did so.

³My parents aren¶t around,´ Carol replied. ³We might as well have fun, right?´

³And your definition of µfun¶ is«?´

Zero slapped his head several minutes later as he sat on a couch inside a karaoke room while

Carol was singing her heart out on a rock song.

I asked this before, I¶ll ask this again«Zero said mentally. What have I done to deserve this?!

After the song, Carol offered the other microphone to Zero. ³Come on, sing with me. What song

do you want?´

Zero shook his head. ³I don¶t wanna sing anything. Go ahead.´

³You¶re no fun, kid,´ Carol commented.



33

³I get that everytime. Sorry.´

³Geez, I give up!´ Carol forcefully gave Zero the microphone. ³Whether you like it or not, you¶re

singing with me, kid! Got it?!´

Oh crap, scary. Is this what Randy warned me about«?³Older person¶s command?´

³You better take it that way, Zero.´

Damn, and to think she was really cute back when she was talking to me about her inferiority

complex«Zero took the microphone. ³Okay, fine. But we¶re doing a classic. I¶m not too well-versed in

rock music or heavy metal.´

Carol nodded. ³Good enough, although I can¶t believe someone like you doesn¶t know anything

about those genres.´

³How come?´ Zero asked.

Carol stared at Zero. ³Well, you look like you¶d make a decent rock star,´ she said. ³That, and

your name is Zero. It has that µcool¶ feel to it.´

³Uh-huh«thanks for the compliment.´

Zero and Carol exited the karaoke room an hour later, and Carol stretched her arms upward as

they walked.

³Man, that was great!´ she said, suddenly flinging her arms around Zero, hugging him from

behind, causing both of them to stop in their tracks just in front of the karaoke¶s entrance. ³Thanks for

accompanying me, Zero. It¶s always great to get away from my parents every now and then.´

Carol¶s chin was resting on Zero¶s shoulder. Heavy«he thought. ³Ah, it¶s not much of a problem.

I¶m glad you had fun. I guess I also enjoyed the experience myself.

³Say, kid, I noticed something.´ She refused to remove her head from Zero¶s shoulder or remove

her grip on him. ³You¶re way too submissive. You said you don¶t like to find anyone to marry, right? But I

was thinking someone as handsome as you would at least have the confidence to ask someone out, even

for a fling.´

³Unfortunately, I don¶t plan on asking anyone out right now,´ Zero replied. ³I¶m really just trying to

escape.´

³And the girls are going to you by themselves?´

³I may sound like I¶m boasting, but whatever; yeah, they go to me on their own.´

³Don¶t be so conscious about boasting; you definitely look like the type that attracts girls, or at

least makes parents want you for their daughters. Just like me.´

³Uh-huh«thanks for the compliment.´

³Don¶t mind me,´ Carol said. ³Say, am I getting heavy? Come on, be honest.´

³«actually, yeah«´ About time you actually noticed.

Carol broke away from the hug, stood beside Zero, and laughed. ³Sorry about that. Anyway, you

might wanna have a little more confidence in yourself.´



34


³You don¶t have to thank me for all those compliments, for one thing,´ Carol said. ³You¶re

handsome, and you have to accept that fact. When someone tells you that fact, don¶t think of it as

something to make you feel good about yourself, because it¶s true. I mean, you don¶t utilize your looks the

way a playboy does, but since girls and parents make you their target, you should at least realize that you

have what many other guys in this marriage gimmick lacks: charisma, looks, the thing that stuns people

the first time they see you. You might wanna use that to your advantage, and maybe try being less

submissive.´

I don¶t get it. ³Uh, okay, I¶ll try thinking about what you said.´

³Good boy. So anyway, I¶m taking a taxi. How about you?´

³I¶ll be walking for the exercise.´ Why is everyone getting taxis? «oh right, they¶re all rich.

³I see. Well, I guess I¶ll see you tomorrow, then. My parents are probably waiting for me. Thanks

again for your time, Zero.´

³Same here. Bye.´

While Zero was walking home half an hour later, around halfway before he reached his house, he

found himself looking back on what happened to him so far, the way he had been recently doing.

Talk about mode change from sweet, dramatic, Shirley-like to bossy, outgoing Jessica-like, damn,

that was a handful. Randy was right; I really needed to keep my guard up there. But she¶s the youngest in

the family, the only girl, and as an effect, was really overprotected, so I guess her desire to go out into the

world and have fun is pretty reasonable. But still, she didn¶t have to go all wild on a karaoke«

The world is pretty diverse, huh? Having been shut off from most of the fun stuff, her definition of

fun has been going all out, unlike my definition, which is lazing around and relaxing like time has stopped.Perhaps being cooped up for too long has made her forget the fun in being cooped up itself«

But more than that, what she told me about being more confident«what should I do with it? If I do

end up being more confident in myself, what should I do with that confidence? All I¶m focused on right

now is getting out of this program single and unscathed, right«?



35

Chapter 9

(It seems I still have a long way to go, even after getting this f ar)

³Dude, that¶s wicked,´ Zero said as he and Randy were standing behind a player who was one

year older than them. ³That¶s insane theoretical madness over there.´

The two of them were looking as Martin, a player from the advanced category, showed them a

simulation of various tennis shots. With every adjustment he made with the spin, the swinging strength,

and the air resistance, the path of the ball changed accordingly, and Zero and Randy quickly got hooked

with the program.

³Aside from practicing,´ Martin said, ³I also try to get the scientific intricacies behind the sport,

because I believe it¶s helpful to exercise both your mind and body to be the best athlete you can be.´

I¶ll be training with this guy,Zero told himself as he clenched his fist, along with other players

who¶re probably as good as or even better than him. So this is the advanced level«no wonder Coach

Allen and Coach Alfred were hesitant to transfer any of us here.³Say,´ Randy said, ³is everyone in the advanced level really strong and dedicated?´

³Yes, they are,´ Martin said. ³At least as far as I know, most of us have played tennis since we

were kids. I can¶t imagine an amateur who has played for a year or something to deserve to play on the

same level as us.´

Zero¶s fist loosened.

³«but you never know,´ Martin continued, which surprised Zero. ³There are always those talents

that¶re very exceptional, and there are those who have worked hard and are trying their best to improve. I

wouldn¶t mind helping such people even if they haven¶t played tennis that much. After all, it¶s a sport, and

as a veteran of sorts, I feel the need to help others in being better at doing something that they love.´

Zero heaved a soft sight.

Martin then closed the program. ³Anyway, that¶s it for my demonstration. You guys better start

getting ready; we¶ll probably start soon.´

³Sure thing,´ Randy said as he started walking away. ³Thanks for letting me see that awesome

program of yours, Martin.´

³No problem. It¶s always a pleasure for me to entertain growing tennis players.´

Zero, however, remained in his place. ³By the way, Martin,´ he said. ³I, uh«´

³Hm? What is it?´

³I«I¶ll be transferred to the advanced level today, so I¶ll be playing with you from now on.´

Martin smiled. ³Really? That¶s great. So you¶re the first one to be transferred from the

intermediate?´

Zero nodded.

³Then I look forward to training with you.´ Martin extended his hand for a shake.



36

Zero extended his hand to complete the handshake. ³I feel the same way. I hope I¶ll be able to

play at the same level as you guys. Seeing you just now was kind of intimidating, you know?́

³Aw, don¶t sweat it; just have fun and learn. That¶s what summer sports clinics are all about,

right?´

³Haha, yeah, I guess you¶re right.´ Only this one also has elements of dates and marriage in it.

Randy turned back. ³Hey, Zero, I almost forgot. I wanted to ask you something.´

Zero approached Randy. I wonder what he wants«?

Randy put his elbow on Zero¶s shoulder and asked, ³So, how was yesterday? Did she do the

mode change on you, too?´

³You mean Carol?´ It¶s gotta be about Carol.

³Well, duh. I told you to keep your guard up. So, what did she do?´

³She took me to a karaoke and went wild.´

Randy laughed. ³Lucky for you. She bought some wine from a store and forced me to drink it.´

³What did you end up doing, then? I mean, you¶re underage, right?´³I faked a cell phone call by calling myself,´ Randy replied. ³I faked getting some money with my

right hand, held the cellphone in that pocket, called my other phone, and when I got my money, the phone

on my left pocket rang.´

³You didn¶t have to look to confirm whether you called yourself?´ Zero asked.

³It¶s all in the skills, my boy,´ Randy said with a grin. ³Anyway, I got away with that, and I

apologized the day after for escaping. Luckily, she forgave me, but she told me that in order to make it up

to her, I had to introduce her to you someday. And that was the start of your misfortune.´

³My misfortune began on my first day, though.´

³Oh yeah, I guess you¶re right. So, what happened to the two of you after the karaoke?´

³She told me to have more confidence in myself,´ Zero replied, ³although I don¶t know what she

meant by that. And she hugged me before we parted ways.´

³So it¶s like she reverted back to the gentle Carol before she left?´

³Yeah, kinda.´ Like Jessica, though she didn¶t exactly revert«

³Dude, you¶re amazing. I heard everyone else tried to escape from her.´

Zero tried faking a laugh, but at the back of his mind, he was thinking, All she wanted to do was

have fun with her dates, and they end up deserting her«? Maybe that¶s why she seemed so grateful

when I stuck with her to the end«

³Well, anyway.´ Randy removed his elbow from Zero¶s shoulder. ³We better get going. We still

have to train, after all.´

Zero nodded. ³Yeah, you¶re right. I¶m gonna go to the advanced class. It¶s only a matter of time

now«



37

³Well, here you go, guys, finally we get an addition to the team,´ the coach of the advanced class

said as he introduced Zero to the players a few minutes later. ³By the way, kid, my name is Arthur. I hope

you get along well with these guys.´

³I hope so too.´ Zero looked at the group gathered together. Most of the older people that he

noticed during his first day were in the advanced level, but there were also young ones, the youngest

looking somewhere around 13 years old, but most of the players looked like 16 or 17-year-olds. From the

right end of the group of players, he saw Martin give him a thumbs-up coupled with a grin. Well, at least

that¶s a start for getting along with these guys.

³All right,´ Coach Arthur said. ³We¶ll be doing some warm-ups, then shadow tennis, and finally

we¶ll proceed to the ball feeding.

³Hey, Zero, I¶ve been wondering«´ Martin said as the players of the advanced class warmed up.

³How long have you been playing tennis?´

³Uh, unfortunately, I¶ve only played with the wall for one year,´ Zero replied. ³I¶m a completenewbie on the court itself.´

³And you ended up in the advanced class in a week like i t was nothing«´

Zero started worrying. Oh no, he said people like me don¶t deserve to go to the advanced class.

Martin¶s face lit up. ³«dude, that¶s amazing! You¶re, like, brimming with potential just waiting to be

realized! Keep this up and you¶ll go far.´

Err«what? ³Uh-huh«thanks.´

³Oh, don¶t sweat it. By the way, back when I said those who had few experience had no right to

go here with us, I meant those who really didn¶t deserve it. But Coach Alfred and Coach Allen are good

judges of skill and character; they hold people back in the intermediate class to make sure no

incompetent player makes it here, so I¶m not really worried about weak players getting in here by luck or

any other method. But you used hard work to get their approval, and that¶s a big thing.´

Zero scratched his head. ³Gee, you¶re embarrassing me.´

³Well, anyway, for starters, you can count on me to be your friend, okay?´

³Thanks. I really appreciate it.´

When the time for ball feeding came, Zero positioned himself in front of Martin. After Zero¶s tenth

shot, Martin decided to say something.

³Hey, Zero,´ he began while the two were them were still at the back of the line, ³you might wanna

adjust your grip a little bit.´


³You¶re using the continental, right?´

Zero nodded. ³It¶s the most basic grip, and I got used to it.´



38

³Well, I think it¶s about time for you to go eastern,´ Martin commented. ³You have the strength to

push the ball. If you adjust your grip a little, you can put more topspin on it with practically the same swing

movement.´

Zero tried adjusting his hold on his racket, then he looked at his hand, trying to feel the grip. ³But

what if I mess up?´

³Once you get to the point where you won¶t mess up, your shots will get better,´ Martin replied.

³Trust me. I think eastern suits your swing.´

Zero nodded. ³All right, I¶ll try.´

Martin smiled. ³Atta boy, Zero. I bet you¶ll get it within two days at most, with your weird ability to

learn quickly and all.´

³Aw, come on, stop flattering me.´

³Hey, it¶s almost your turn.´

Zero turned back to see the front of the line. ³Oh, you¶re right.´

³So, you think you can keep up with us?´ Martin asked after they had finished their drills,

signifying the end of the day¶s training. ³Frankly, I think you have quite a way to go before you reach our

level, but considering that you barely have any experience, that¶s quite some effort your putting just to

catch up.´

³Thanks for the compliment again,´ Zero said. ³I just try to do my best as much as I can.´

³Yeah, I can see that. Hopefully, you get your eastern forehand working soon.´

Zero nodded. ³I¶ll try practicing on a wall if I have time.´

³Yeah, I guess that¶s a good way to practice. Just don¶t be discouraged by the difference in skill,

okay? You can get better, I¶m certain. I mean, you¶ve gotten this far already. It can only get better.´

³You¶re right. Thanks.´

³All right, then.´ Martin turned his back and waved a hand to Zero. ³See you tomorrow, then.´

³Yeah, see you.´

³Oh,´ Martin added. ³Good luck with your date today if you have one.´

I¶m hoping not to have any for a long time, if I can avoid it.³Uh, thanks. You, too.´

When he got inside the club room, Zero went to his bench and took his soap, towel, and change

of clothes from his bag. Okay, I just got unlucky yesterday. Let¶s do this again. I¶ll take a bath, change my

clothes, and hightail it out of here. This time, for sure, no one¶s gonna force me on a date.

Once Zero had gotten out of the shower room with his new clothes on, he saw something that

made his heart skip a beat one more time: a girl and her parents were sitting on the bench where his bag

was. Calm down, Zero. Maybe they just couldn¶t find any other vacant benches.He saw that there were a

lot of other vacant ones. All right, so that¶s not the reason. Maybe just for convenience. That¶s right, Zero,





40

Chapter 10

(Girls can be really weird sometimes)

Zero sighed. And to think I was confident on getting away safely today«He was sitting on a chair

in a restaurant inside a mall, with his date across him. The girl¶s parents had excused themselves several

minutes ago, and now that the two of them had finished eating and were still alone together, Zero was at

a loss on what to do.

³Um, hey,´ he finally tried to say after a while. He saw that the girl was looking down with a blank

expression on her face. ³Do you have any idea where your parents are?´

The girl raised her head and sighed. ³Just so you know,´ she said. ³I hate boys. I just hope we

can get over with as quickly as possible because I can¶t stand staying with guys. That includes you, of

course.´

What the«? But I was the one who was forced into going here! ³Really? Then why did your

parents invite me to be with you today?´³My name¶s Alex. My parents haven¶t introduced you yet, right? And you never asked what my

name was.´

You haven¶t answered even one question from me.³Isn¶t that a guy¶s name? Or maybe it¶s a

nickname?´

³Oh, look,´ Alex said. ³There they are.´

Why you little«

³Sorry for taking so long,´ the mother said as she and her husband went to sit with them. She

handed two tickets to Zero. ³Here you go. Don¶t worry; it¶s on us. Just have fun, okay?´

Zero examined the ticket. A romance movie«?

³Oh, and Alexandra,´ the father said as she looked at her daughter. ³The driver will be waiting

outside a little before the movie finishes, but he¶ll just send a message on your phone to confirm. Go

straight home once you get his message, got it?´

³Got it,´ Alex replied. And Zero heard her mumble something like, ³And stop calling me by my

complete name!´

Oh boy, Zero told himself as he and Alex went to the cinema area.

³So, uh, Alex,´ he said. ³Would you like some popcorn? Or maybe French fries? You know, while

we¶re watching.´

³Stop being so nice to me, Zero. In fact, I can just throw these tickets away and let¶s just pretend

that we actually watched the movie. You can go now.´

Why you arrogant little«³I¶ll have to decline on that offer. This is what we¶ve come here for, right?

I¶ve gone out of my way too much, so we better go with this to the end. And besides, your parents spent

their money for us, so I wouldn¶t wanna waste it.



41

³I see.´ Alex thought for a while. ³Then get me some popcorn and a soda.´

³All right,´ Zero said, hitting his chest with his fist. ³Leave it to me, madam.´

Zero wasn¶t sure, but he felt like Alex giggled as he left to buy the food.

Zero came back a few minutes later with popcorn, French fries, a soda, and a cup of iced tea. ³I¶ll

hold these. You go give the tickets.´

³Don¶t order me around, Zero.´

Endure it, Zero. Endure«´Sorry, madam.´

³Anyway, let¶s go. I¶ll give the tickets.´

Are girls really this unreasonable«?

Inside the movie house, Alex started eating her popcorn.

³Hey, don¶t finish off everything before the movie starts,´ Zero said. ³We just finished eating a

while ago, just in case you forgot.´ Alex turned and looked at Zero. ³You can get some, you know. After all, you¶re the one who paid

for it.´

³Okay, but I¶m not giving you my fries.´

³It¶s fine. I don¶t like those stuff, anyway.´

After a while, the movie started, and Zero started taking small bites of his fries while Alex seemed

like she was gobbling all the popcorn.

³Dude, you really gotta stop with the popcorn,´ Zero said. ³You might have stomach problems.´

³Why¶d you call me µdude¶?´

³Well, you call yourself Alex, even though your real name is Alexandra,´ Zero replied. ³Judging

from the way you reacted when your parents called you by your complete name, I figured you didn¶t like a

girly name. And since you hated guys, I thought it was because of the social hierarchy, so you make

yourself as masculine as possible. So, don¶t you want me to go all the way and treat you as a guy?´

³You love analyzing personalities?´

³Not really. I just thought I¶d exert some extra effort because you¶re not letting me understand

you.´

³I¶m not gonna be grateful for your extra effort, you know.´

³I don¶t mind.´

Alex opened her mouth, about to say something, but quickly thought otherwise and closed it.

Zero heaved a sigh. I guess that¶s one less girl that¶ll pose as a problem for me; she really looks

like she was forced by her parents. But should I just leave things like this and escape?He turned and

looked at Alex. She looks pretty lonely.



42

Alex turned to confirm her hunch that Zero was looking at her, but Zero had already averted his

eyes back at the big screen before she could turn her head.

³The driver¶s stuck in a little traffic,´ Alex told Zero as they exited the movie house, her hand on

her cellphone. ³Now what?´

Zero thought for a moment. ³Uh, why not do the classic pastime?´


³You know, the arcades.´

³I«I haven¶t gone to such places.´

Zero¶s eyes widened. ³You what ?! Dude, that¶s blasphemy. Come on, I¶ll show you where it is.

We can kill some time over there.´

Alex nodded slowly. ³Okay«´

Alex¶s eyes widened when she got her first ten tokens. ³So, what do I do with this?´She¶s a complete amateur. ³I¶ll go with you. Just pick some sort of game.´

³Okay, then how about that?´ She pointed at the air hockey corner.

³You, uh, put your tokens on the side?´

³How many?´

³It¶s specified on the slot itself,´ Zero replied. ³It generally depends on the game, but it¶s usually

two tokens for two-player games like that.´

³Hmph, I knew that.´

No, you didn¶t.

Alex hurried toward the air hockey corner. ³Come on, Zero! Hurry up!´

³Yes, madam,´ Zero said as he walked toward her, refusing to follow her pace.

³Hey, no fair!´ Alex was losing 0-4. ³Use your non-dominant hand!´

Oh boy«Zero shifted to his left hand. ³There. Happy?´

Alex nodded. ³All right then, it¶s time for you to lose!´ She hit the puck forward.

Zero caught it and pushed it to the left, making it ricochet repeatedly on his side. ³I can still

manage with this, though. You¶ll have to step up if you wanna beat me.´

³Then bring it on!´

Zero heaved a sigh. She¶s too into this game«³Sure thing. Get ready.´

The two of them exited the arcade afterwards, and Alex stretching her arms upward as they left.

³Man, that was great! I can¶t believe I¶ve never tried this arcade thing my whole life.´





Documents

Zero for Love (incomplete)