Golden Era (Book 2)

26. Backfire

At midday, Ayuna received a text from Eiji saying he'd be away for a tournament. In his absence, she decided to head to Misono later in the afternoon to avoid crowds. 

As Ayuna headed out of the physiology lab, Saito Ken intercepted her. He had a marked lab report in hand and a gleaming smile, "Fantastic work on the last assignment, Kamiya-san!"

Ayuna accepted with a hasty "thank you", eager to sidestep him. 

"Are you in a rush?"

"Actually, yes—"

But Ken continued to block her. "The instructor and I were really impressed with your mark. You were the only one who got a perfect score while the rest of the class barely passed!"

"Maybe it wasn't wise to set the bar so high," she advised. "Asking students to dissect organs from the get-go is a bit too difficult."

"Or maybe it's because they don't have the right techniques. Would you consider giving a demonstration for the next class?" There was a strange spark in his eyes as he went on speaking, "You seem pretty skilled at cutting up hearts."

Something about their conversation perturbed her. Instead of agreeing, Ayuna told him that she had an urgent meeting and excused herself.

In the locker room, she changed into a casual outfit of a white shirt, blue jeans, and a black baseball cap before darting down the trail towards Misono. Without Eiji or the team present, the tennis center was quiet like an abandoned ruin.

She picked a shaded area beside the courts and sat down, hoping for the day to turn around.

When Fuji didn't show again, she took the same trail back towards Hikari. Soft hues of dusk soaked through dense foliage as she climbed the last hill. She was steps away from the opening when something jumped into view: there was a thin shadow slanting against the dirt path.

Ayuna stopped short. Right as she was about to retreat, she suddenly caught a glimpse of light brown hair and ocean blue eyes. Raising her head, she looked into Fuji's eyes, thinking he was an apparition weaved into reality by her own thoughts. After all, she'd waited for so long.

But it really was him standing there, his back towards the setting sun. 

Like time had never passed, the fragile silence and the hazy dusk were identical to their meeting.

"Eiji told me you've been taking the side trail to Misono," began Fuji quietly. "I thought I might catch you here."

Ayuna responded with the slightest nod, but no sounds came out. 

Fuji continued, "He told me you've been waiting."

She nodded again. 

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to reach out. After seeing you on the clock tower, I didn't know how to make sense of anything. I needed to think."

"What did you think about?" she whispered.

"Everything." He'd run the memories of the past few years back and forth in his mind, replaying them like a broken record. Each time he revisited them, they would inevitably be invaded by the clipped images of Ayuna with another man—Atobe Keigo, Echizen Ryoma, and now, Yozei Sachi. It made him wonder if he'd endlessly have doubts, endlessly chase after explanations.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I thought about letting everything go and leaving Kyoto for good. Like Tokyo, it's become a place of misery."

Ayuna remained still and silent. A visible paleness colored her face as his words reached her. Fuji watched her intently. From afar, she looked small and delicate like a china doll.