Second to None

38. all for you

Mayu considered tossing the key into the trash. The mere thought of slipping into a hotel room behind Tezuka's back nauseated her. Once was a mistake but twice was a crime. Yet a part of her ached to know what Ryoma wanted to tell her even though she'd explicitly said that they wouldn't meet again. On the train ride home, this yearning and painful indecision made her realize that, somewhere along the line, her heart had started reserving a spot for another man.

Back at home, she prepared dinner while waiting for Tezuka to come home. When they sat down at the table that night, she prayed that he'd say he'll be home on time tomorrow so she'd have to get rid of the key.

Instead, Tezuka said that he needed to be at work late for a special training session. As soon as these words reached her, Mayu knew she was a goner: she would be going to that hotel, and there would be no coming back.

At six p.m. the next day, Mayu found herself in the lobby of Four Seasons Marunochi, a five-star hotel next to the busiest train station in the world. Upon entry, the concierge welcomed her with ninety-degree bows and guided her to the elevator as if she was a princess. 

As the elevator moved up, she thought about all the reasons why she should press for the ground floor and turn back while she still could, but her feet were taking her in the opposite direction.

Ryoma was waiting at the entrance when she entered. Without a greeting, he took a hold of Mayu and kissed her with her back pressed against the door.

"This is all I could think about for the past month," he said after their lips parted. "Do you know how difficult it's been?"

Mayu blushed, but she removed his hands from her waist. "I didn't come here to do this. You said you had news for me?"

"And you had no doubts that it could be a trick?" he smirked. "You must've wanted to see me badly, too."

"I'm leaving if it's a trick."

He took both of her hands and led her towards the bar. On the counter was a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket. "I thought you don't drink," she said with a hint of shock.

He sat her on a bar stool, uncorked the champagne with a loud pop and poured two flutes. Handing one to her, he said with a mischievous look, "I don't, but this is a special occasion to celebrate us."

"Us? What do you mean?"

"Let's begin with you," he said. "We're celebrating you because you're coming back to the tennis association, as the chair of the Officiating Committee."

She gawked at him. It was two tiers up from her previous role, Mayu knew. The Officiating Committee was the controllership for the Event Operations Department, meaning all event and tournament plans, financials, athlete rosters would be approved here. As the chair, she would be the key reviewer before the department director gave the final okay. She'd be one of the leaders—or in Hirose's words, no longer in an in-between role.

"How did you know about this? Tezuka hasn't said a word to me."

"That's because the High Performance Department doesn't know about our department's internal news until the executive board gives the green light for an announcement."

"Our department?"

"Yes," his smile widened. "We're also celebrating me because you're looking at the new director for the Event Operations Department. In this new role, I have the authority to restructure and hire people that would benefit the department's performance." Clinking glass with her, Ryoma said, "You were outstanding before, and now, you're indispensable."

Strangely, Mayu didn't feel the joy that was supposed to accompany his news. She set down the champagne she didn't touch and asked, "Is it appropriate for you to show partiality as soon as you become a part of leadership? And am I even qualified to be the chair and make important decisions?"

"If you can handle the European Parliament, then I'm certain you can handle a tennis association," he replied. "Besides, this isn't showing partiality: I justified your case to Minister Yazawa using your accomplishments to date."

"How were you able to directly get to the Minister?"

"Before he was named the Minister, he spent several years in the U.S. as a diplomat. Interestingly, he so happened to be my father's fan back in the days. He was very quick to warm up thanks to these commonalities."

Mayu suddenly understood his tactics: by directly targeting the Minister, Ryoma got what he wanted through the power of a higher official. He strategically avoided Tezuka's mistake, which was to badger Director Yanagi, who had to consult his peers to make a decision rather than directly making commands.

"In any case, I've proved to the Minister that you earned this. With his influence over the executive board and his position in the government, there won't be any objections. No one has a reason to believe that you're being offered this position because you're a friend or because I like you."

"Except, those are the real reasons why you did this, aren't they?" she asked.

He set down his glass too. "I thought you wanted a managerial position at the association."

"I do, but..."

"Then don't pick at the details so much. Opportunities present them in all sorts of ways and you're too smart not to seize them. The whys or the hows are trivial." Moving closer to her, he touched her cheek and kissed the corner of her lips, "Say yes so I can see you at the association again."

Looking into his amber eyes, she nodded, feeling his lips touch her mouth, her ears and her neck, feeling her senses being snuffed out like a dull flame. When his hands fell against her hips, Mayu stood up and started backing away. "I can't stay long. Tezuka will be home soon and..."

"Tezuka's at a training session for the next two hours," said Ryoma, securing her against him. "You can stay."

Mayu's eyes widened. "You already figured out my schedule."

"I do everything I can when it comes to you," he said with a boyish smile. "Just stay."

Left with no words, she fell into his arms and felt him pressing her close, her heart drumming with a force that made her wonder if it was love.

***

a/n: maybe I've put too much emphasis on Ryoma's bad side, but here's a look at his softer side (I know, hard to imagine). But this doesn't take away from what the man can do, which is a lot of influence.

Hope you're still enjoying the story~ thanks for reading!