"That was much better," Atobe remarked as he tossed the tennis balls back into the machine's basket. "Like I said, you can reduce the aim range if the power came incrementally from your arm instead of your wrist."
Ayuna nodded. "You're absolutely right, captain Atobe. Thanks to you, I feel less sore and have much more control over my shots."
"I see you aren't going to drop the 'captain' anytime soon."
Ayuna grimaced. "I'm sorry... It just doesn't seem right to drop the honorific with a senior."
"You do it with Fuji Shuusuke, don't you?"
"Well, that's different..."
Atobe decided to drop the thorny topic and shifted his focus back to tennis. He strode across the court until he was at Ayuna's side. "In any case, although I'm seeing a dramatic improvement, the biomechanics of your forehand swing still isn't quite right. I suspect it's a sign that you're still transitioning out of your badminton form. Your take back before the swing is inconsistent."
"Is that so?"
He motioned for her to hand over her racket. Tossing a ball in midair, he made an impeccable stroke, his arms relaxed while the shot darted across the court with explosive power. With a satisfied grin, he turned back to her, "That's how it should be done."
Ayuna gawked at the point of impact. "Surely it's going to take a lot more practice for me to even get close to that kind of forehand swing—"
"You'll get there faster than you think," said Atobe with certitude.
He didn't say it out of sheer flattery: having run the tennis club for years, he'd never seen anyone improve as fast as Ayuna. In fact, he'd never expected younger female tennis players to match up to the skills of their male counterparts. This is mainly because most high school girls lacked the attention span to take in all the technical details and commit to stoic training.
This didn't seem to be the case with Ayuna, who was a remarkable observer and had clearly devoted time to consistent practice. All she needed was a few pointers to accelerate her learning process.
He returned the racket to her and kept his hand there. "I'll guide you through the motions so you can get a feel for an effective forehand swing."
Standing behind her, his arm shadowing hers, Atobe helped Ayuna trace the racket smoothly from back to front, finishing the shot with a clean wrist whip and with her hand pronated.
When the shot was finished, Atobe didn't immediately let go. With their faces mere inches apart, he said in a hushed voice, "See? Do you know how it feels when it's done correctly?"
Ayuna turned. She didn't realize how close they were until she came face-to-face with him, their cheeks nearly grazing. Before she could speak, her answer was replaced by a voice from the tennis cage entrance.
"Now I see why my forehand swings don't always work out the way they should," said Fuji icily. "Seems like I've still got a long way to go."
Atobe straightened himself. Meanwhile, Ayuna recoiled from him like she'd been bitten by a snake.
Facing Fuji, he countered with equal hostility, "Keep underestimating yourself like that, Fuji Shuusuke, and you'll never become the ace of Seigaku."
Fuji ignored his inflammatory comeback. Eyes landing on Ayuna, he remarked, "I didn't know Hyotei's captain was offering free tennis lessons."
"I don't mind teaching someone who isn't going to become an opponent," answered Atobe flatly. He glanced at Ayuna, whose expression was somewhere between unease and embarrassment. "Besides that, it's a shame to see wasted potential. Someone like her should be put into good hands."
Fuji glared at them coldly before turning on his heels. "Of course. I'll be sure to stay out of the way."
As Fuji walked away, Momoshiro shot Ayuna a horrified look before stumbling after his friend. Immediately, she darted out the tennis cage and chased after the older boys. With Fuji already gone, she called out to Momoshiro. "Senpai, please wait a minute—"
"Hanamachi-san, what the heck are you doing with Atobe Keigo?!"
"I was practicing with the tennis ball launcher and he just showed up..."
"Is that it?"
Ayuna gaped at him. "Yes. What's the problem?"
Momoshiro scratched his head. "Well, it didn't look all that innocent when you're left alone with him and standing so close together..."
"Is that why Fuji's so mad?"
"That's not all..." With a chagrined look, he began, "I'm sorry, Hanamachi-san. We came back from our run and saw you with Atobe. Then Fuji-senpai asked me about what's going on with you and him... So I had to tell him about what happened at street tennis, and... Well..."
Ayuna cringed. There was no need for Momoshiro to finish to guess what might be running through Fuji's mind. "Don't be sorry. All you did was tell the truth. It's my fault for not mentioning it earlier. I'll go talk to him."
"That's good, I guess... Though you should know that Fuji-senpai's... livid." Momoshiro's face pinched at these words. "I've honestly never seen him this worked up."
Ayuna thanked the senior. She circled the perimeter of the pond until reaching the guest house, where Fuji was stretching out his hamstrings on the back porch, his back facing her.
She cautiously tiptoed towards him, unsure if she should call out.
"What are you doing here?" demanded Fuji when she was a few steps away. "I thought you were busy taking a tennis lesson."
"Fuji..."
"Why didn't you tell me you knew Atobe?"
"Everyone who knows anything about tennis knows captain Atobe," answered Ayuna quietly.
Fuji was irked by her answer. "That's not what I'm asking and you know it! Why didn't you tell me you've met him at street tennis before? Were you trying to hide this fact?"
"I wasn't trying to hide anything. The stress level was so high back then that I didn't think it was worth mentioning."
"You're right—you were likely preoccupied with keeping Tezuka's injury a secret."
Ayuna winced at the stinging comment, speechless. She thought they'd passed this hurdle after Tezuka's public apology. Now, it seemed that the incident was going to haunt them forever.
Without receiving a reply, Fuji spun around to face Ayuna, her face ashen and shoulders sagged as if she'd just been stabbed.
Instantly, he felt a pang of remorse for his unkind outburst. "I'm sorry. That was unnecessary."
"I thought it was all forgiven and forgotten. Seems like I'm wrong."
"That's not it!" He shoved a fist into his pocket, scrambling for an explanation. "I didn't mean that... I just don't know what to think after seeing you and Atobe together like that."
"And what else?"
He met her eyes. "Why didn't you ever mention he asked you out?"
"Because he's never brought it up again after I said no."
"Then... What about this time?"
"What about it?"
"The flowers, the tennis lesson, and this entire offer to stay here..." Fuji trailed off, feeling an unfamiliar twinge of fear. "From the looks of it, he hasn't given up."
"I don't know what his motives are and I don't care." Closing their distance, Ayuna gently wrapped her fingers around Fuji's hand. "The only person I care about is you. Captain Atobe is just that—a captain from a rival team."
She looked up at him, her gaze steady. "I hope you'll believe me."
Tucking a lock of hair behind her ears, Fuji tilted her chin up and kissed her. Ayuna let out a soft gasp when she felt him part her lips, his arms locked tightly around her back. He kissed her for a long time, until all the oxygen from her lungs seemed to be depleted.
When they pulled apart, Fuji kept his hands around Ayuna and pressed her against him. "I believe you," he whispered, planting one last kiss on her forehead. "And you belong with me."
***
After that turbulent morning, Ayuna decided it'd be best to steer clear of Atobe Keigo. There was one more day left before they returned to Tokyo. Until then, Ayuna was determined to accept any chores that kept her out of Atobe's sight.
To do this, she willingly took on the most time-consuming task. Instead of watching the regulars play against the Hyotei team the next day, she volunteered to set up ropes and floaters in the pond for the afternoon's agility and speed drills. Knowing Atobe would be overseeing the practice matches with coach Ryuzaki, Ayuna presumed this would be enough to keep her safe.
The next morning, she was chauffeured by one of the groundskeepers to purchase supplies from a nearby village. Upon returning, she immediately started cutting the rope based on the coach's measurements and tied them up around the dock post.
From across the pond, she occasionally heard the tennis ball bounce across the clay court and the referee calling out scores. From time to time, she'd catch a glimpse of Fuji entering the court then walking off to make room for the next player.
Although sad for missing out, Ayuna tried not to get distracted—she had a job to finish.
***
By mid-morning, all the informal rallies between Seigaku and Hyotei were done. While coach Ryuzaki mapped out match pairings, Atobe thought it'd be ideal for everyone to take a short break before continuing. As the two teams dispersed from the courts, he noticed that everyone except for Ayuna was in the crowd.
He stood up from the shade of his sun umbrella and headed for the courtside. Under a maple tree, Sakuno was trying for a conversation with Ryoma, who seemed deeply disinterested in any form of talking.
Standing over her, Atobe asked, "Ryuzaki-san, have you seen Hanamachi-san?"
Sakuno bowed to him. "Not at all, captain Atobe. I think grandma sent her away to set up for this afternoon's training..."
"By herself?"
Sakuno blushed with embarrassment. "I offered to help, but she adamantly refused. She insisted she could handle it alone." Haltingly, Sakuno murmured, "Though it's really unusual for her to willingly miss Fuji-senpai's matches..."
Ryoma focused on sipping his orange juice to refrain from glaring at Sakuno. After working with Ayuna day and night, it was hard to believe she couldn't tell her partner was deliberately trying to avoid Atobe. It seemed to him that Hanamachi Ayuna was inherently marked for problems.
"What kind of set-up is she doing?" pressed Atobe.
"Grandma said something about the pond—"
"So I see," Atobe interjected before Sakuno could finish, keeping his expressions even as he sidestepped her. As he was leaving the court, Gakuto caught him by the elbow.
"You can't be leaving now, Atobe," he said emphatically. "Coach Ryuzaki just announced to us that she's setting Fuji up against Oshitari. You can't miss this—it'll be interesting to see what the hell that prodigy can do against Hyotei's genius."
Atobe shrugged him off. The coach's timing couldn't have been more perfect.
To Gakuto, he said, "I have something to take care of. Meanwhile, do tell Oshitari to take his time tearing Fuji Shuusuke down. I'll be back expecting to see him win."