Golden Era (Book 2)

53. Fiancé

The fundraiser tournament took off the morning of mid-November. It was the type of late autumn morning that marked the end of a season: the light was piercing and the cloudless sky a gradient of teal and cobalt. Weeks of intensive media coverage had drawn spectators from across the region and packed the Utsubo Tennis Center to the brim. Even the surrounding streets were congested with various cars and tennis fans, all dying to get a glimpse of their favorite athletes. 

An opening ceremony took the form of a short parade, starting from the central gates, moving through the accessory courts and stopping in the main coliseum. Leading in front was a marching band commissioned by the regional government. Following them were tennis athletes—the stars of the show. 

Of the entire line-up, Tezuka and Ryoma, who had an international presence, received the most attention. Reaching almost celebrity status amongst the spectators, fans were chanting their names and sporting homemade jerseys with their faces.

Ayuna, Atobe, Shiraishi and Inui waited until the crowd settled down before welcoming the attendees. They briefly provided the background and mission of this year's chosen foundation, followed by partnerships that made this event possible. 

At the end came the championship outline: analogous to professional tennis games, points are assigned to each match won. There would be four rounds of matches, during which players would be randomly assigned an opponent. The qualifying rounds and the quarterfinals would take place in the accessory courts, each lasting for two days. This would be followed by a day of semifinal matches, and another half day for the final match in the main coliseum. Although all seats were sold out, generous local stations would provide live coverage on screens installed outside the tennis center.

To conclude the opening ceremony, an assistant brought up a large check marked with the fundraiser's total. 

"Thanks to all attendees, participants, and organizing partners, we have raised just over 54 million yen," announced Ayuna. She waited until Atobe invite the chair of the Sasakawa Sports Foundation up on stage before speaking again. 

"Hikari and Doutsu are honored to support your organization," she said. 

"We hope this will allow you to continue funding programs that bring the joy of sports to everyone," added Atobe.

In a tsunami of applause, the chair proceeded to thank each organizer. After bows were exchanged, Inui and Shiraishi handed the check to the chair. They stayed on stage for a few more moments to allow photography and close-up footage. When the formalities were finished, Ayuna stepped forward once more and announced the official start.

***

Following the opening ceremony, Ayuna was cornered by two of her Seigaku friends named Momoko and Rei. Inui had wandered off, muttering something about data collection. Left with Shiraishi and Atobe, Noa accompanied them on a stroll through the accessory courts to survey the first round of qualifying games.

"Looks like your estimate wasn't far off," Atobe said to Noa, thinking back to their check for the foundation chair.

"You had an estimate?" asked Shiraishi.

Noa grinned at him. "50 million yen was my guess."

"That's an 8% difference."

"Just as I thought—my estimate fell into the 10% margin."

"Impressive," Shiraishi remarked. "Ayuna told me you're a finance wiz—you certainly live up to your reputation."

Noa thanked him. Scanning the courts, she lamented, "Too bad I don't get to see the two of you live up to yours. I heard from Ayuna and her Seigaku friends that you two used to be quite the stars."