Youthful Days (Book 1)

32. Caught

Ayuna stared at Fuji. "Me?"

"That's right. When he openly defended you a few days ago, I came to understand that he entrusted you with this secret for a reason. He did it because you empathized with him. You didn't see him as a superior or tried to persuade him to change his mind with logic. You unconditionally accepted and supported his wishes. And that was perhaps what Tezuka craved underneath that steel armor of his."

Ayuna was at a loss. She cast her gaze out to the zelkova trees lining the park perimeter, their entangled branches casting long shadows against the stone path. Her thoughts flitted to that fateful Sunday morning and then to Tezuka's stoic expressions during the Hyotei game. Keeping himself together from the beginning to the end, no one could decode his thought process.

"I'm truly sorry."

Shattering their reticence, Fuji gingerly reached for Ayuna's hand. His touch had an unusual coolness to it. When Ayuna looked up at him, she noticed a subtle pallor in his face. Not once had she remembered seeing Fuji so crestfallen. "I lost control of myself. To find out that I was lied to about the same thing twice was more than hurtful—it was also damaging."

Ayuna met Fuji's gaze for a long time without speaking. Her eyes were still as a spring morning but as deep as the sea. It suddenly dawned on him that he was terrified of her response.

"I forgive you," she said softly. "It wasn't your fault—it was nobody's fault. Captain Tezuka suffered a tragedy, and it's obvious the aftermaths from it had an impact on everyone, especially on you. I don't blame you for blaming me."

Fuji pulled Ayuna in and wrapped both arms around her, hoping their closeness would somehow physically transfer the sincerity of his apology to her. In the twilight, he burned with shame and remorse from openly berating her and dismissing her altogether. "I can't tell you how sorry I am."

"It's okay, Fuji," she assured him, pulling away and facing him again. "My only hope is that both you and the captain will find a way to remedy the hurt."

"We already have."

Ayuna beamed, her eyes bright like the first summer stars. A gentle evening breeze swept by and tousled her hair messily over her forehead. With a hand resting over his, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad."

The last glow of the day cast a lovely sheen of gold over her profile. Sensing what the abrupt pause signaled, Ayuna's hand trembled reflexively. Steadying her hand, Fuji bent down and touched his lips to hers. The kiss was careful and delicate—the type emblematic of youthful, innocent love. A slight tremor went through her shoulders and he knew she felt it, that nameless spell between them intensifying. When his lips left hers, he held onto her hand as they looked out to the waning dusk.

Very abruptly, this pleasant silence was fractured by a noise.

Turning to its source, Ayuna discovered their observers a short distance away: a group that included Momoshiro, Momoko, Ryoma and an unfamiliar girl with a shoulder-length bob.

The noise had come from Momoko, who now clapped a hand over her mouth. Beside her, Momoshiro gawked with his jaw dropped while the girl stared on with equal intensity. The only person who appeared unaffected was Ryoma, who held an uncaring expression, the bill of his cap pressed low to conceal his eyes.

Fuji stood up, smiling courteously and seemingly unaware of everyone's shock. "Well, it's a coincidence seeing you all here."

"No kidding..." Momoshiro stammered, "Fuji-senpai, we didn't mean to interrupt..."

"You didn't do anything," said Fuji dismissively, swiftly diverting the subject. "Are you all on a double date?"

"No," answered Ryoma curtly.

"Oh?"

"We're going to play tennis. There are a few courts nearby," the short girl spoke up. "It's been some time, neh, Fuji-senpai?"

"Ah, yes, it has, hasn't it?"

The girl's eyes moved to Ayuna before breaking out a smile of recognition. "I remember you! You were at the district tournament with Momoko-san, searching for Seigaku's courts, am I right?"

The recollection leaped out at Ayuna. She stood up and returned her smile. "That's right. You were at the game with Fudomine and told us about Ryoma's injury."

Her eyes lit up. "That was me! I still remember how concerned you seemed when you found out!"

This caught Ryoma's attention. His gaze shifted to Ayuna, who chatted obliviously while Fuji's expressions visibly stiffened. Keeping his head down, Ryoma suppressed the urge to smile. It gave him a twisted satisfaction to learn this particular piece of information bothered the senior.

Cutting through their banter, Fuji said, "Ayuna, this is Tachibana Ann. She's the younger sister of Tachibana Kippei, Fudomine's tennis club captain. We used to play street tennis together when we were younger."

Ayuna nodded and gave her a slight bow. "Nice to meet you. I'm—"

"Fuji-senpai's girlfriend, Hanamachi Ayuna, neh?" Ann finished on her behalf with a chuckle.

Ayuna blushed. "Yes, but how did you...?"

"Everybody knows. Trust me—news like this spread fast, mostly because Fuji-senpai is so popular even outside of Seigaku," answered Ann with a giggle. From behind her, Momoko shot Ayuna a smug "what-did-I-tell-you" look.

"Still," Ann went on, "it's nice to finally put a face to all the hype. What a coincidence that we've already met!"

Shaking his head at Ann's usual candor, Fuji said, "Well, I'll let the four of you get to your tennis game. It was nice seeing you again, Ann. Do tell your brother that we're due for another game."

"You got it!" Ann replied cheerfully before taking the lead at the front.

"See you at practice, Fuji-senpai!" Momoshiro waved as he started down the opposite direction.

Fuji waved back and started to lead Ayuna away. When they brushed shoulders with Momoko, she squeezed Ayuna's arm with a wink. "And I'll see you in the badminton gym, yeah?"

Ayuna grimaced, knowing this was code to expect a thorough interrogation from Momoko. Even so, she found herself feeling grateful for these small chitchats and run-ins: at long last, everything was returning to normal.

Ayuna thought this as she crossed paths with Ryoma. Their gaze intersecting briefly, she found his tinged with an incomprehensible melancholy.