Youthful Days (Book 1)

49. The Kiss

The midday sun beat down ruthlessly at Ayuna. Knelt in the brilliant white light without shelter, the back of her neck burned and her forehead was covered in sweat. Wiping her brow with the back of her hand, Ayuna took a laborious breath before trudging back to shore.

During the first half of the morning, she'd finished securing a network of ropes to the dock. What remained was to inflate a dozen floaters that would carry the targets. Unpacking the air pump, she hooked the hose to the floater inlet and started on the second half of the job.

"You're missing matches to inflate a bunch of swimming toys?"

Ayuna looked up. Standing before her was Atobe, who looked a cross between disdainful and flabbergasted.

Ayuna bowed to Atobe before returning to work again. "Ryuzaki-sensei wanted everything ready for this afternoon. I have to hurry."

"You could've asked for help."

"Sakuno really wanted to watch the game. After dedicating so much personal time for the team, she shouldn't miss it."

"And you haven't?" rebuked Atobe.

Ayuna didn't respond. She finished inflating the first floater, plugged the inlet securely and then reached for the second one.

Even with a step closer, Atobe could still sense the divide between them. He narrowed his eyes at her impassive side profile, "Did you take on this backbreaking task just to avoid me?"

Ayuna kept her eyes down. "Why would I do that?"

"Why else would you forgo the opportunity to watch Fuji Shuusuke play?"

"I've watched him play almost every single day during this training trip. Considering he's also up against the region's top players, it'd be best to let him play undistracted."

Atobe kept his eyes trained to her face. "Not like that's stopped you before."

Ayuna didn't answer. She picked up the pair of floaters and started towards the dock again. The second she stood up, Atobe seized her arm and forced her to face him. "You can't walk away without an answer."

"But you didn't ask a question," she said quietly. Her gaze was calm and imperturbable, as if she was looking at him from a great distance. Gently disengaging from his hold, she said, "If you can excuse me, captain Atobe, I have a job to finish."

Atobe froze, shell-shocked from her aloof response.

For the first time in his life, he felt dull and invisible: a jester who wasn't looked at twice instead of a king worshiped by his court. When he looked across the pond, he could see Fuji and Oshitari taking their positions on the court. He then turned his eyes back to Ayuna, who was now bent over the edge of the dock to test the floaters, seemingly oblivious to the world.

In three wide strides, he marched across the dock and stood over her. "Unfortunate for you, this is the worst day to be missing a game because Oshitari's up next. He's going to crush Fuji Shuusuke."

Ayuna waited for a few beats, watching the floaters bob several times before standing up to face him. "You're wrong. Fuji isn't so easily undermined."

Atobe examined her stance. He could tell she was trying to reproduce the same certainty with which she'd previously pronounced Ryoma's victory. But this time, he sensed an unsettled edge in her voice, almost like she was wagering against herself.

This discovery made Atobe smile. "Are you sure about that?"

Ayuna cast her eyes across the pond and towards the tennis courts. She concentrated, straining to conjure a prediction that easily emerged with everyone—everyone except for Fuji. Again, there was nothing except for a black hole.