A lot of things changed that summer for Tezuka and Sanada. Tezuka had gotten over Fuji and Sanada had gotten over Yukimura. And they'd both lost their virginity to each other. How else were they supposed to deal with the fact that Fuji and Yukimura were dating? Tezuka found the one obstacle in life he couldn't overcome by simply glaring at it or making it do laps. His broken heart. He'd loved Fuji. As a friend, teammate and rival. But Fuji only saw him as a friend. Tezuka had accepted it.
That summer, Tezuka had discovered how much he really cared for Fuji. And Fuji had discovered Yukimura. Tezuka watched helplessly as Fuji and Yukimura discovered sex and love and all sorts of things Tezuka had wanted to do with Fuji. But he supposed discovering tennis with Fuji would have to be enough. But Fuji just had to drag him along, complaining that he never saw his best friend anymore. And Tezuka would do anything, even run laps, for Fuji. So he went. And Yukimura had brought Sanada. They'd probably hoped that Tezuka and Sanada would be a couple. But Tezuka was still hurting and Sanada clearly had a major crush on Yukimura.
But Tezuka and Sanada had discovered something. They discovered that when they hooked up, they didn't feel so lonely. When they were together, the feeling of abandonment went away. So they had a summer fling. Each of them understanding the other meant no harm when they called someone else's name.
But then Sanada began to have genuine feelings for Tezuka. Sanada found he couldn't stop comparing the two. And then it was remarkably easy to see things clearly. Sanada's thoughts about Yukimura weren't romantic anymore, but rather platonic. Sometimes, they were even nostalgic. Sanada knew everyone expected him to worry about Yukimura. Though not because Yukimura so obviously needed his support or guidance. Yukimura did just as well on his own. The thought didn't hurt Sanada as he'd expected it to. A few months ago it would never even have crossed his mind. Fuji had replaced Sanada in Yukimura's mind. And Tezuka had replaced Yukimura. Sanada realized he was in love with Tezuka when he stopped being in love with Yukimura. Or was it the other way around?
Either way, with Yukimura out of the picture, everything was so much simpler.
"You don't need me anymore," Sanada announced to Yukimura one afternoon. They were at a little café, which according to Marui Bunta, was the best.
"Of course I do." Yukimura looked up at him sharply over a plastic cup of iced coffee. He looked concerned, or as concerned as one could with a bright smile on their face. Yukimura accepted the fact easily enough; Sanada was no longer his. After Sanada had left, he'd left money on the table, Yukimura continued to sit. He drained his drink until only the ice remained. He then spent the next minute placing it at the end of the table before abruptly knocking it over. Ice cubes scattered and Yukimura got to his feet in one swift motion. Because Yukimura Seiichi did not lose control.