Youthful Days (Book 1)

24. Fools in Love

The following Wednesday, Ayuna noticed Momoshiro waving at her while she did her weekly chores. Instinctively, she looked over to Ryoma, who was assigned blackboard duties at the front of the classroom.

"Momoshiro-senpai," she bowed. "Do you want me to get Ryoma for you?"

"Actually..." Momoshiro started sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm here to see you."

"Me?" Ayuna was astonished. This unexpected turn of events immediately caught Ryoma's attention, who arched an eyebrow from across the room.

"Yeah..." he balked. "You seem kinda busy though, maybe I should come back another day?"

"We're almost done here." Dusting off her hands, Ayuna asked the senior, "What can I do for you?"

"Well... I was hoping you can come to the street tennis courts with me."

"Me? Street tennis?" Again, Ayuna snuck a glance at Ryoma, who was unabashedly eavesdropping at this point. "Are you sure I'm the person you want?"

Haltingly, Momoshiro said, "I have a few things to ask you... Things that are better off asked outside of the school." Then quickly, he added, "No offense, Echizen."

"None taken," Ryoma shrugged. He bagged the trash and nonchalantly cut through the pair. "Just make sure you don't piss off the wrong person. He might not let you off the hook this easy."

"I have Fuji-senpai's permission!" Momoshiro exclaimed, red-faced.

"Just checking." Marching down the hall, Ryoma said without turning, "Have fun on your 'date'."

Momoshiro flushed and shook his fist at Ryoma's back view. "It's not a date, you brat!" Turning to Ayuna, he frantically tried to redeem himself. "Fuji-senpai's off to St. Rudolph to see his little bro today, and I offered to see you home in his place. It was all prearranged!"

Ayuna grinned at the older boy's panicked expressions. "I believe you, senpai. Don't let Ryoma's teasing get to you."

Grabbing her bag, she said on their way out, "Now, why don't you tell me what this street tennis business is about?"

***

It turned out Momoshiro wanted advice on how to talk to Momoko.

They hadn't crossed paths again since that chaotic date with Sengoku. Considering Ayuna was such a close friend of hers, Momoshiro thought he'd seek out the most reliable source for help. And because he was not accustomed to static brooding, he needed to be physically moving to sort out his thoughts. In this way, tennis had always been his form of meditation.

"I've been kind of confused ever since the Yamabuki game," said Momoshiro uncertainly as they climbed the stairs leading to the courts.

"Confused in what sense?"

"Well..." Momoshiro paused once before releasing a long exhale. "You promise this stays between us?"

Ayuna nodded. It seemed she somehow became the gatekeeper of everybody's secrets. "I promise, in the name of tennis."

This relaxed Momoshiro slightly. Scratching the back of his head, he said timidly, "I really like Momoko."

Scrutinizing his ambivalent expressions, Ayuna asked, "Is that a bad thing...?"

"No! It's just..." Taking out a racket, Momoshiro started bouncing a tennis ball in agitation. "Even though you and Fuji-senpai are dating now, I'm not sure if she still has lingering feelings for him. After all, they went out on that date looking almost like a couple..." Then, instantly regretting his choice of words, Momoshiro sputtered, "I-I'm sorry! This is probably more awkward for you—"

"Not at all." Ayuna fought to suppress a laugh. It turned out Momoshiro and Momoko were two fools in love, with everybody else seeing the obvious except themselves. "I think you've got it all wrong."

"I have?"

Ayuna nodded. "I think you should follow your instincts. Tell me, what do they say?"

Grudgingly, Momoshiro stammered, "Well, uh... it says I should ask Momoko out on a date?"

"Then go ahead with it."

"But—"

"No buts, Momoshiro-senpai," Ayuna interjected firmly. "There comes times when you simply have to trust yourself and act on your intuition. Remember, you're one of the top tennis players in our region—you had enough strength to pull off a victory with an injury, and you can't ask a girl out on a date?"

Her reminder invigorated Momoshiro. "That's right, I did pull that off!"

"It was very impressive."

"Right? You think Momoko found it impressive, too?!"

"I don't doubt it."

Shaking his head, he patted Ayuna on the shoulder several times. "I had no idea you were so wise. And you really know how to cheer someone up. It's no wonder you are Fuji-senpai's girlfriend!"

Ayuna chuckled. "Ah, I can't believe I missed the deciding factor all along!"

"That's not what I mean—"

"I know, I know. I was only joking."

"In any case, thanks to you, I'm in a much better mood now! I've been bothered by this for days!" Zipping open his tennis tote, Momoshiro handed Ayuna a smaller racket he used in freshman year. "Now, how about playing a quick game with me?"

"You want me to play against you?" Ayuna started to back away, "I won't last a minute!"

"Oh, come on! It won't be competitive play—just a few friendly rallies." Momoshiro insisted, "Please? I'm itching to play, plus you've come out this far with me already! I can also give you some pointers on technique."

Reluctantly, Ayuna accepted his racket as they headed for the nearest singles court. "As a fair warning, I'm a beginner of all beginners. Please don't laugh."

"Alright, I won't, I won't," said Momoshiro good-naturedly. Tossing her a tennis ball, he strutted towards the opposite end of the court. "I'll even let you serve the first game."

This being midweek, Ayuna was grateful that the rest of the courts were unoccupied. She knew she was about to suffer profound public embarrassment by facing one of the region's top power players.

She positioned herself for service and tested the ball with a few bounces. "Okay, here I go."

***

To Momoshiro's amazement, Hanamachi Ayuna was not at all a weak player. He expected to use full-sized baby gloves to rally against her, yet by the second round he was working up a decent sweat. Having forgone his major power moves for fairness, he found himself in an exhilarating game. The younger girl had superb form and shockingly refined shots that strategically aimed at his weaker spots. Momoshiro was engrossed with her finesse. He couldn't help but wonder whether Fuji was giving her private lessons.

They played several rounds, only breaking the silence with an occasional congratulatory comment for a deft return or a point won. It was when Momoshiro made a particularly far shot that he noticed they had an audience.

He stopped running and watched the tennis ball sail through the air in an arc, squarely landing beside the onlooker's foot.

"That's an out for you, Momoshiro," he said with a smirk. "This is what you get for practicing with a girl. It's no wonder you aren't a listed player against us."