Youthful Days (Book 1)

46. Forgiveness

Shortly after their arrival, Atobe disappeared into the main house to call the coach. With him gone, Ayuna and Sakuno were taken to the gazebo in the back garden for afternoon tea. The maids served iced tea, fragrant macaroons and English cucumber sandwiches cut into delicate triangles. While Sakuno marveled at the spread of treats, Ayuna couldn't manage a bite. She left Sakuno to enjoy the food and meandered around the garden.

Something about the whole arrangement unsettled her—the alarm bells in her head were ringing. Ayuna knew captain Tezuka would've declined this offer. He wouldn't have let his guards down.

She was standing in front of the mermaid fountain, deep in thought, when Atobe touched her on the shoulder. Turning around, she was presented with a bouquet of pink peonies.

"For you," said Atobe. "I saw you looking at them earlier, so I asked the gardener to clip a bunch."

Taken aback, Ayuna accepted his flowers graciously. "Oh, thank you. You didn't have to go out of your way..."

Atobe brushed it off. "It's the Atobe family disease to treat guests well."

"I see. Thank you again."

"As long as you like them."

Ayuna brushed the delicate petals and took a tiny sniff. "I do, very much."

Clearing his throat, Atobe tried not to stare. "I heard Tezuka's gone to Germany a while back. How's he been faring?"

"He regularly calls the coach and Oishi-senpai to check up on the team. Besides that, it sounds like the treatment's going well and he's making a steady recovery."

Atobe nodded, relieved. "Good. I intend to play another game with him when he returns." Appraising Ayuna for a moment, he asked, "Since you're with the team for special training, I assume the previous misunderstanding has been cleared up?"

"Yes. The team seems to have left it all behind."

Eyes never leaving her face, he asked, "And have you done the same?"

Ayuna couldn't speak for a minute. Back then, she'd been irate at Atobe for his conniving tactics against the captain. She felt that the captain's loss was unjustified. Worst of all, he had to take a leave of absence to recuperate. Considering this was his last game season, taking time off was a tremendous personal sacrifice. At that moment, Atobe was the villain in Ayuna's eyes.

But when Tezuka explained his reasons for leaving, her petty prejudice and resentment dissolved. The captain had grand dreams and wasn't weighed down by temporary setbacks. More importantly, he didn't hold a grudge against Atobe. As the face and the leader of a stellar team himself, Tezuka understood the weight carried by Hyotei's captain.

It occurred to Ayuna, then, that she really didn't know anything about leadership. She was too shortsighted, her tunnel vision only focused on the tragedy at hand. After the captain's departure, she often pictured him walking down the cobblestone streets of quaint German towns or diligently practicing his swings on lush green lawns. She knew he was recouping his strength and patiently waiting for the day of his return.

Seeing Atobe now tied everything together: it gave her a renewed perspective for the sport.

"I'm sorry about last time," said Ayuna, bowing deeply to Atobe. "I didn't understand anything back then and said some things that I shouldn't have. You did what you had to do. As difficult as it was to watch, it was nobody's fault. Like you said, it's the nature of competition. I'm sorry to have misjudged you."

As much as Atobe liked receiving heartfelt apologies, he couldn't ignore the inevitable question that pricked at him. "Does this mean Fuji Shuusuke also moved past the issue?"