Youthful Days (Book 1)

54. Intervention

Ryoma was the first one to spot Atobe.

The King of Hyotei stood outside the mesh fences of the tennis court. Seemingly to have come straight from school, Atobe wore a neatly pressed, beige uniform and had his hands shoved in the pockets of his khaki pants. As he looked forward into nothing, his facial expressions were a mixture of contempt and aggravation. Behind him stood the herculean Hyotei player, Kabaji, who always followed his master around like a tireless slave, his face devoid of any emotion.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ryoma tried to circumvent the odd-looking pair on his way to the boys' locker room.

"Echizen Ryoma," Atobe called out.

"'Sup?" Ryoma answered without looking.

"Where's Fuji Shuusuke?"

"Running laps around the courts."

From a distance, Ryoma thought he heard muffled shrieks of excitement. When he aimed his gaze at the main gym, he saw walls upon walls of girls pressed up against the glass windows, enthralled by the majestic presence of Atobe. To his relief, these spellbound faces didn't include Ayuna.

"When's he done?" demanded Atobe.

Ryoma shrugged. "No idea."

"Will you go get him?"

Ryoma was about to tell Atobe that he wasn't his servant before Fuji emerged from the cherry blossom grove with Kawamura. Reading Ryoma's face, Atobe turned around.

Fuji stopped midway when he met Atobe's eyes.

"Atobe-san," Kawamura greeted him cheerfully. "What a surprise to see you here! Are you looking for our coach or the vice-captain?"

Atobe barely glanced at Kawamura. "I need a word with Seigaku's prodigy."

His snide tone made Ryoma certain that "prodigy" was meant to be an insult. As if sensing this, Fuji smiled darkly before handing his tennis racket to Kawamura. "Here you go, Taka-san."

As soon as Kawamura touched the racket, he dove straight into his aggressive persona. Swinging violently at Atobe, he barked, "Atobe Keigo! What are you doing at Seigaku!? Can't get enough of our beating, can you?! You here to pick a fight, punk?! C'mon, get on the court and let's play a game like real men!"

Frowning, Atobe snapped his fingers. "Take care of him, Kabaji."

"Yes," nodded Kabaji. In two long strides, he reached Kawamura, effortlessly withdrew the racket from his hand and flung it into the nearby shrubs.

Immediately, the vicious demeanor disappeared from Kawamura. Scratching the back of his head bashfully, he apologized, "Sorry about that... I was really loud just now, wasn't I?"

Atobe sidestepped him. Eyes narrowed, he reached Fuji in one stride. "Fuji Shuusuke, you think this is a joke?"

"What makes you think so?" retorted Fuji with a look of innocence.

"I'm here to deliver a message."

"Wow. Must be an important one for you to personally grace our academy."

"I'm dead serious, Fuji Shuusuke."

"Must be," Fuji glanced at the girls leering at them from afar. "Especially when you've put on such a show."

Atobe ignored the sarcastic edge in his voice. "Come to the street tennis courts today at four p.m. We're playing a game."

"I refuse."

"Why?" Atobe smirked. "Afraid you're going to lose? Seigaku's ace, after all, lost to me."

Fuji shook his head. "This isn't about tennis at all. I refuse."

"You're right. It isn't. But I think that's the only way to knock some sense into you. So it's your pick. Either that or I'm saying whatever else I have to say right here."

Turning on his heels, Fuji declared, "I'm going to class. Keep up with the freak show if you want, Atobe. I'm not going to be a part of it."

"Fuji Shuusuke!" Atobe called out to his back view. "If you still care, you'll meet me at four."

"I'm not having any more personal discussions with you in front of people who have nothing to do with the matter."

Pressing his cap low, Ryoma started in the opposite direction. "Don't mind me. Duke it out, feel free. I'll leave you to it."

"I can leave too if I'm causing inconvenience," Kawamura offered kindly, even though he had no idea what anybody was talking about.

"Even your friends are courteous enough to give you space. Are you going to be the only coward here and run away?"

Fuji remained silent, his back stiff.

"Four o'clock sharp. I'll be at the street tennis courts." With another crisp snap of his fingers, Atobe skirted Kawamura and Fuji as he headed for the school gates. "Let's go, Kabaji."

***

When Ryoma slid open the doors to his class, he was relieved to find Ayuna there, sweeping the floors as usual. In the pool of morning light, tiny motes of dust swirled around her like fairies dancing for their queen.

"Good morning," she smiled serenely at him. It was the first time for him to see her smile since the incident at the Atobe villa. Despite this, there remained a mute sadness cloaking his friend.

Marching up to his seat, Ryoma took one glance at the updated weekly schedule and frowned. "Why are you still sweeping? Your turn's already ended."

Ayuna shrugged. "I'm already here. Might as well."

"Isn't there supposed to be a badminton club meet?"

"It ended early."

"Oh," nodded Ryoma. It appeased him to know she didn't run into Atobe. From his pocket, he produced a sweaty can of Ponta and placed it atop her desk. "Yours. Better drink it before it gets warm."

Ayuna stopped sweeping. Warm joy filled her face when their eyes met. "You bought this for me?"

Averting her eyes, Ryoma took out another can from his other pocket. "No. It fell out when I was buying mine."

"I see... Still, thank you."

He nodded once before prying the can open, releasing the carbon dioxide with a resounding hiss. The truth was, he bought a soda for her because he was both worried and sorry. She'd been kicked out again for an offense that wasn't even hers. In his opinion, Atobe Keigo should've been the one to be kicked in the face.

"How was tennis practice today?" Ayuna's voice rang through Ryoma's thoughts. Since his initial return, this was also the first question she'd asked about tennis.

"The usual," replied Ryoma, his eyes cast out to the endless blue sky. "Nothing special. Yours?"

"Same."

They remained in distilled silence afterward. Ayuna was grateful for this. One thing she liked about Ryoma was that he never pried and he never had too many questions. 

***

A/N: Okay so I'm a low-key Atobe fan too ^^'' So I'm plugging in some unexpected turn of events here.

Thank you all so so much for the overwhelming support! As usual, I hope the chapters are enjoyable~