Second to None

7. busted

At one day before her all-important interview, Mayu let Fuji's words fade away with the rest of the world—such as the deep emerald of the grass and the surreal morning mist that came with long days of rain.

To accommodate the time zone difference, Mayu spoke to the interviewers at the ungodly hour of five a.m. using a long-distance phone card and a payphone on the street. The panel consisted of three older professionals who asked her ten questions in an hour. Mayu parsed her time and structured her answers carefully. 

Only at the end was she told that the interviewers, in fact, had five planned questions. Intrigued about the girl making the effort to call them from the other side of the globe, they made more up as they went and unanimously decided to pass her on the spot.

When Mayu hung up, the sun had risen, and the dreary overcast had dispersed. For the first time in weeks, she saw blue skies as if a new beginning was written there.

***

Even though she had hardly slept, fatigue didn't catch up to Mayu. She took the first train to school and disembarked a station earlier to take in the city stirring awake. She allowed rote memory to guide her towards Seigaku. Her head buzzed with a thousand thoughts racing by yet she couldn't pinpoint any in particular. When the twists and turns in the road came to a stop, she realized that her feet had taken her to the tennis courts.

"Are you looking for someone?" came clearly enunciated English.

Startled, Mayu whirled around in search of the mysterious voice. The boy standing behind her was about half a head shorter. His hair was the color of winter pines and he had eyes as sharp as a mountain eagle. Taking note of his signature blue-and-white jersey, she figured he must be on the school team.

"How do you know I speak English?" she responded in Japanese.

"The fact you understood is my proof," he smirked. "Besides, no native would ever have your facial features. They're too prominent. You're a hafu aren't you?"

"A what?!"

"Hafu. It means one of your parents is Japanese and the other not."

"I see. Well, you're the first one who noticed."

"Likely others did too and they just talked behind your back. Being straightforward is frowned upon here."

Mayu smiled at his bluntness. "It's not stopping you. Your English is fantastic, too."

He didn't thank her. "I grew up in the U.S." Eyes landing on the nametag on her bag, he said, "Ohara Mayu. You're a senior?"

"Uh-huh."

"Bet you're looking for a senior, too." When he saw Mayu nod, he said, "Too bad. This morning practice is for freshmen only."

"Then why aren't you practicing?"

"Because I'm teaching."

"Yet you aren't supervising your students."

The younger boy motioned towards the huddle of freshmen doing basic drills on court. "Taught them the routine already. If I stay in there, I'll die of boredom."

Mayu laughed. "Well, don't expect me to be your scapegoat. I'm leaving."

Before she took a step out, he called from behind her, "Who are you looking for?"

When Mayu passed him, she patted his head, "Nice try, kid. Don't they teach you to never question your seniors?" That said, she left for her first class.

***

Throughout the day, Mayu considered countless ways to deliver recent news to Fuji. When they did talk, however, she was unable to look into his eyes with a straight face and tell him she'd be leaving later this month. This strange disability stuck with her for the entire day until Fuji left to see his brother. Resigned, Mayu decided to give it another try tomorrow.

As she walked towards the school gates, dusk started to set in, enveloping the cityscape in a haze of gold and coral. Mayu paused to take in this moment of serenity and the spectrum of colors. Right before she was about to turn into the street, she spotted the midget talking to her earlier today and—Tezuka.

Out of reflex, she ducked behind the gates. At a few steps' distance, she could make out the solemnity on Tezuka's face but was too far to hear the content of their conversation. Roped in by curiosity, she followed when they started to leave. Keeping a safe distance, Mayu stealthily tailed them into the nearest station, boarded the first train that pulled in and got off after a dozen stations. Another ten minutes of walking later, Tezuka and the younger boy stopped at a neighborhood tennis court.

Deciding to get a closer look, Mayu skittered behind a tree and watched.

The game started right away. For someone so young, Mayu was bewildered to see the shorter boy fire out one cutthroat shot after another. In contrast to his aggressive offense, Tezuka's returns were clean and practiced. They were fire and ice: one proactively attacking and the other imperturbable.

While the younger appeared confident with his game strategy, something told Mayu that Tezuka, with his measured and steady shots, would win. Sure enough, six games flew by and ended as abruptly as it started. Left breathless, the younger boy knelt before the last shot and panted vigorously, sweat dripping from his forehead. To his victory, Tezuka's face showed no trace of pride or joy as he approached the net. Momentarily forgetting her whereabouts, Mayu stepped out and moved towards the fence.

The setting sun cast long streaks of shadows over Tezuka's profile, making the lines on his face appearing even harsher than usual. 

"You aren't playing true to yourself," he began in a frosty voice. "How can you know what you're capable of if you live under the shadows of somebody else?"

Speechless, the younger boy briefly looked up at him defiantly then back at the ground.

"It might be comfortable to imitate, yet in the long run, it will only do harm. To beat any opponent, you must break through this barrier to define yourself and truly know yourself," continued Tezuka. "That way, I know you could go on to carry Seigaku's legacy and become the team's pillar of support."

Mayu drew in a sharp breath. Wasn't Tezuka the captain? Why was he speaking as if he wanted to pass the team off?

Before that second thought was complete, the younger boy's head snapped up. Following his gaze, Tezuka swiveled around, his penetrating gaze meeting Mayu's. Mortified with his discovery, Mayu whipped around, bolted for the streets and hopped on the first bus she saw. Only after several stations did she disembark to take the correct transfer home.

Night had fallen by the time she emerged from the train station. Stars had come out of hiding and the moon revealed its pale face. Just when she was about to congratulate herself on this remarkable escape, she found Tezuka waiting at the exit.

***

a/n: RYOMA'S MAKING A FIRST APPEARANCE! And this is only the beginning ;) I promise