Youthful Days (Book 1)

52. Heartbreak

Atobe stormed up the winding staircase, pushing past two maids on the way as he charged towards Kabaji's room. Right as he rounded a corner, he rammed squarely into Oshitari, who was still groggy and unkempt from sleep.

Readjusting his crooked glasses, Oshitari said, "Well, good morning to you, too. I wonder what's upsetting our captain Atobe today?"

Atobe ignored his provocative greeting. "Have you seen Kabaji?"

"Kabaji was out earlier this morning, probably running whatever errands you assigned him—"

"Did you see where he went or not?!"

Oshitari arched an eyebrow at Atobe. It was out of the character for the King to be so agitated. "I haven't. What's the emergency?"

Atobe pursed his lips. "I need him to do an investigation."

Hearing this, Oshitari smirked. "Let me guess—this is about the Hanamachi girl again."

Atobe glowered at his friend.

"I've been saying this since the very beginning, Atobe. For your sake, I'm going to keep repeating myself for as long as I need to: you must stop."

"Oshitari," Atobe snapped, "I'm really not in the mood for a lecture right now. I need to know she's safe—"

"Safe, yes," interjected Oshitari. "Okay, probably not."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I saw coach Ryuzaki going into that Hanamachi girl's room yesterday," he answered. "Frankly, she seemed very displeased, so I doubt they had a pleasant conversation. Given Seigaku's purpose of being here and the incident that happened, I don't think she was there to check on her, either."

"What you're saying is that the coach dismissed her," said Atobe flatly. Immediately, he registered the subtle smugness coloring Oshitari's expressions. Following it was the realization that punched Atobe in the gut.

He seized Oshitari by the shirt collars, his jaws locked. "You told the coach about what happened, didn't you?!"

Oshitari disengaged from Atobe's grasp. "I did it for your own good! I've tried to warn you this won't end well. Except, even after creating a scandal, you're still too proud to listen! I did what I had to do to restore peace—"

"Why are you so keen on meddling with something you don't understand?!" Atobe countered, his expressions contorted from anger. "Does it satisfy you to see a young girl taking a night bus by herself?"

Oshitari didn't waver. "She's under the responsibility of coach Ryuzaki. If the coach judged her decision to be safe, then she'll be just fine. However, if she stays after what happened, your dignity won't be."

"When are you going to stop making this about other people instead of yourself?!"

Looking Atobe in the eye sternly, Oshitari demanded, "You don't see the severity of this situation? Do you realize what character you're playing? You're trying to steal somebody else's girlfriend, with your own team and the rival team watching! Not to mention you've wrecked the girl's reputation entirely. Do you think that's fair for her?"

When Atobe failed to come up with a response, he went on, "What happened yesterday was only the induction for more disasters to follow, and I'd hate to see you drag Hyotei's name through the mud."

Lips pressed into a line, Atobe wanted to make a comeback, but he couldn't find the right words.

Placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, Oshitari sighed, "All this logic aside, there's one more thing."

When they faced each other again, he said, "Despite how much you've tried to impress that Hanamachi girl, I don't think she cared—you'll never win against Fuji Shuusuke, at least not in her heart."

Atobe shook his head. Brushing past Oshitari, he declared, "I don't believe that."

Almost as a form of verification, he found his way to the guestroom shared between Ayuna and Sakuno. The mid-morning sun fell through the French windows in thin streaks, casting a sheen of gold over everything. He eyed the neatly folded towels and the creaseless sheets of the bed near the window—the one that Ayuna had left in perfect order.

He plodded into the room and stood over her bed. That was when he spotted the vase holding the peonies: the bouquet Atobe had asked the gardener to clip as a gift. The water in the vase was muddled. The once crisp stems were now dry, and most of the petals were wilted and yellowing. It was clear they were left uncared for and untouched for days.

In that instant, Atobe felt a sickening drop in the cavity of his chest. As his friend's words ricocheted back to him, Atobe registered their truth: Hanamachi Ayuna never cared about him.

***

The following morning, Ayuna woke up expecting to see her cheek swelling to twice its original size. Once in front of the mirror, her complexion was instead immaculate as the finest porcelain.

Frowning, she touched the spot where Atobe had struck in disbelief. How could this be? Without physical evidence, it was as if that entire day had been a figment of her imagination.

A light knock came from her door before Umeko entered the sun-filled room, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Ayuna! I thought I heard someone upstairs!"

"Good morning, mom," she said, covertly dropping her hand from her face.

"When did you come back home?"

"Last night."

Umeko was incredulous. "All by yourself?"

"Of course not." she lied. "I came back with the team. Something came up, and we had to be back earlier. I'm sorry for the short notice."

"I see. Well, it's fine as long as the coach and the team were there to keep you company."

To that, Ayuna could only respond with a weak smile.

"So, how was Nikko? You were so excited to go on an overnight trip."

"I had a lot of fun. The mountains were beautiful, and there was even a waterfall. I wish you and dad could be there to see it."

"Is that right? I'm happy to hear it was a pleasant trip." Umeko approached her daughter, brushing aside a lock of hair that fell over her eyes. "Did something happen? You look kind of upset."

"I'm tired, that's all."

"Maybe it's best for you to not volunteer for the tennis club for a while," suggested Umeko. "The end-of-term tests are coming. Maybe you should take it easy and focus on your studies for a while."

Ayuna nodded meekly. "Yes, mom. I probably won't be going back there."

She then turned around to put on a new change of clothes, holding back fresh tears.