Second to None

9. goodbye kiss

Within a day, Tezuka dropped off a stack of maps and itineraries for the cities he recommended Mayu visit. Given limited time, she opted for a few lesser-known neighbourhoods in Tokyo, a day trip to the seaside city of Kamakura and a weekend trip to Kyoto spread out over two weeks.

A part of her wished that Tezuka would come along, but her trips unfortunately coincided with the height of prefectural tournaments. Still, he occasionally accompanied her on excursions around Tokyo and took her to eat piping hot ramen at family-run diners, browse old books in vintage shops and attend summer festivals that were beginning to light up neighbourhoods. 

The other trips she went on alone: she tried on a kimono for the first time, hiked to see the hulking bronze Buddha, and heard the wind sing through the bamboo grove. She'd always come back with souvenirs for Tezuka to thank him for planning and for the Fuji family as a token of appreciation for letting her stay.

In these last weeks, she also kept a secret: she started to attend tennis tournaments. She'd arrive on site, locate Seigaku's assigned court and pick the last row on the opposing team's bleacher area. Seigaku's signature blue-and-white jerseys made the team members easy targets to spot. 

Each time, she'd find Tezuka standing off to the side, in the spot closest to the court. His arms were always crossed, his lips pursed and his eyes stern. His poise didn't waver whether his team faced victory or loss. Fifteen minutes before each match, he'd tell the next player to warm up. At game break, he'd give his teammates water bottles and towels along with words of guidance. Tezuka rarely stepped on the court himself, but when he did, his team and the crowd would fall silent, and he would always win.

He held up the team, thought Mayu as she stood in front of the vending machine, he's their pillar.

"No longer turning down Tezuka's invitations?" rose a voice from the adjacent machine.

Mayu jumped. When she spun around, she found Fuji standing next to her with a knowing smile.

"He didn't invite me," she replied as her drink fell out with a dull clunk.

"Watching tennis matches without invitation..." Fuji's smile widened. "My, I wonder what this means?"

Mayu pried open the can and ignored him as she walked off. He picked up his purchase and followed her out into the park.

"Even so, you don't have to watch from the back row." He offered, "I can get you better seats."

"No thanks."

"How can you even see anything from where you sit now?"

"I can see enough," she said. "Most importantly, I'm in a spot where Tezuka can't see me."

With a look of confusion, Fuji said, "You've already let him plan trips, gone out with him and made the effort to show up here. Why hide now? Not to mention, being secretive isn't your style."

"I'm trying to keep my distance before I leave, isn't that obvious?"

"And what else?"

"To find out what type of person he really is." After taking a sip of her drink, Mayu cast her eyes at the courts in the distance. "Coming to these games made me see a different side of Tezuka—him as a captain and a part of the team. He might not look it, but I've come to understand that he cares about the team deeply and knows the team better than anyone, knows the sport better than anyone."

Fuji watched her closely. "Did you not think so before?"

"I just didn't know. I don't assume people's character until I see it for myself."

"Now that you've seen it, what do you think?"

"He's destined to be a leader, to perform at his best on these courts. Tezuka is someone with a larger vision for himself—one that won't coincide with the world I want to be in." Rolling the sweaty can in her palms, Mayu said with a smile, "Knowing this now, I can leave with peace of mind."

Turning her face towards Fuji, she said, "Do me a favour and don't tell him I was here, because I won't be coming again."

***

The morning of her flight out, Mayu packed her toiletries and the last of her belongings into the carry-on bag. Surveying the sun-filled bedroom she'd lived in for the past two months, she was suddenly overcome with nostalgia. Strange that ordinary days and nights in this home would soon become memories.

Her thoughts were interrupted by several knocks on the door and Fuji's voice. "Someone's come to say their goodbye."

She turned around to find Tezuka standing at the door in a plain white t-shirt and black pants. Frequent outdoor training had added a golden glow to his face and diminished the sharpness in his dark eyes.

While they exchanged greetings, Fuji offered to bring Mayu's luggages into the car. On his way down the stairs, he considerately closed the door behind him.

"Thanks for coming by," she said. Glancing at the clock showing seven a.m., she added, "Sorry you had to wake up this early on a weekend."

A hint of bewilderment crossed his expressions. "It's unlike you to apologize, especially over something trivial like this."

Mayu was caught off guard, too. "You're right."

"It's a sign that you've taken up the Japanese customs."

With an exaggerated sigh, she added, "No way I'm gonna have my way with those rude French waiters now."

Revealing the tiniest of smiles, Tezuka said, "Even though it saddens me to say goodbye, you'll be fine anywhere in the world."

"You mean that?"

He nodded. Presenting her with a gift bag, he said, "Though I don't want you to leave empty-handed, so I brought four things for you."

"Four?!" she exclaimed. "I can't accept them. You've already done more than enough!"

"I insist you have them," he said emphatically. "I hope they can remind you of your time here, even if a little."

"When you put it that way, I can't possibly say no." Peeking at the bag, she asked, "Are you going to tell me what you brought?"

"Of course." He reached in and presented her with a leather-bound notebook and a deep blue fountain pen. "Likely you're going to read more books and travel to wonderful places in Europe. I hope these two items can help you record what you see and feel."

"They're beautiful," she said, feeling the smooth cover and the weight of the pen in her hand. "That's two. What are the other things?"

Fishing out a small, metal tin, Tezuka passed it to her and said, "This is matcha from Uji, a small city south of Kyoto. The best tea in Japan is produced there. Although Europe has otherworldly coffee, I'm not sure if tea is as well done."

"You're absolutely right. European tea is laundry water compared to Japan."

Seeing he was empty-handed after returning all three items into the bag, she asked curiously, "What's the fourth thing? I can't imagine it'll outshine what you've already given me."

"I'm not sure, either," he murmured quietly. Meeting her quizzical gaze, Tezuka closed their distance with a measured step. Touching her cheek gently with one hand, he tilted her face towards him and kissed her lips. They were standing so close that she smelled the scent of wind in his hair. It was a warm, lingering sort of kiss that momentarily put her under a spell and made her forget about the fading of her time here.

His hand stayed on her cheek when he looked into her eyes and spoke, "The fourth thing is something I've been waiting to tell you."

Mayu waited.

"I won't forget you, and we'll one day meet again. That's a promise."

***

a/n: that's a wrap to their time in Japan... for now ;) More coming up & picking up as we jump over to France briefly!