Golden Era (Book 2)

57. Old Habits

As spectators left the coliseum for lunch, Yuuta pulled Fuji aside and said, "Ayuna just left with Atobe Keigo."

"They're partners. After what's happened, it's understandable for them to have a discussion."

"Only the two of them?" rebuked Yuuta. "Without other organizers. In a staff room."

Fuji stood up. He refused to be fed wrong ideas and let them cloud his judgment. 

Met with his brother's silence, Yuuta persisted, "You can ignore me all you want, bro. Every time you find me a bother, just think about how much you really know her. And if you did, you'd see that I'm right, and so is sis."

Picking up his tennis bag, Fuji told Yuuta he'd see him after lunch. Exiting the coliseum, he took the side door towards the accessory courts. At noon, most players had left for the restaurant row near the river. He walked until reaching the outermost court reserved for warm-ups. There, he loaded up the tennis gun and set it to the highest speed.

As Fuji batted oncoming balls, his thoughts drifted back to Yuuta's final question: How much did he really know Ayuna?  

Over the years, he'd certainly learned her likes and dislikes, her temperament and her commitment to him... But he knew nothing when it came to her upbringing. She was a mystical figure who materialized out of thin air. Yet a visceral force tethered him to her. He needed her, knowing he'd be a ghost otherwise. There was no intermediate—that love was all-or-nothing, life or death. She had that power over him, but he didn't know her.

The first round finished, he went on setting up the second. With each stroke, he asked himself over and over again who Ayuna was, each time coming up with no answer. This loop repeated until he heard someone pushing the gate open.

Fuji finished his final shot before looking up: on the sideline stood Shiraishi Kuranosuke.

He was wearing a suit vest without the tie. Hands in his pockets, he had his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. In the midday sun, he looked at Fuji with a lopsided smile.

Fuji walked off the court to greet him.

"I've been meaning to come up and say hi," said Shiraishi jovially. "Watching you play brought back wonderful memories for me."

His tone seemed genuinely reminiscent rather than gloating over a past victory. "I'm glad." Fuji said with a hint of lament, "Though I thought for sure you'd participate."

Shiraishi explained he, Atobe and Inui had collectively agreed to sit out. "Conflict of interest."

"That's too bad."

"I'm quite okay with it. Tennis is a fun pastime, a warm reminder of the past, but no longer a priority for me."

"I can tell. From the looks of it, you're excelling in your new niche."

Shiraishi thanked him. "Same to you. I heard you're studying to be a doctor?"

"That... Who knows what might happen next?"

"Regardless, I'm sure you know how it feels to have other pursuits and gradually letting tennis go." Pausing here, Shiraishi studied Fuji's racket, "Even so, you still play as well as I remembered."

Fuji chuckled. "From what I recall, I didn't play all that well the last time we met on court. In fact, if you participated in the tournament, I'm still not the least bit confident about winning."

"I think that's where you're wrong, Fuji-san. You're a far stronger player than me."

Taken aback by his compliment, Fuji didn't know what to say.