Seraphic Charm

Summary: She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura.

Pairing: Undecided.

Warnings: Alternate universe, OOC, canon similarities, unbelievable pitches, Fem!Sawamura and lots of cliché scenes.

A/N: Yes, I know that I haven't updated in three months. Most of it is because of prom and laziness. Well most of it is because I'm too lazy and prom is just an excuse but anyway! Here's an extra-long chapter to make up for my unacceptable behavior as an author! I know that I should be updating consistently but! Listen, I know that most people don't read A/N's but! If you read this, know that I'm so sorry that I made this chapter thirty three Microsoft word pages long and 16,000+ words at length. That's how sorry I am. I still don't know when the next update is and I'm sure that it's going to be a pretty long time. Not more than three months. That's my limit. If I don't update in three months feel free to bombard me with PMs until I freaking reply. I'll do my best to make it happen! I'll update with ten pages if I have to!

Damn, that sounds like a campaign speech.

Guest - This was such a detailed and funny chapter! I really like how Eirin is highly intelligent and got the first year representative position! Everyone's reactions was hilarious, especially Jun-senpai's! And Sanada is so daring and forward, so I wonder if he will be Miyuki's rival for Eirin's affections? If she gets back to Seidou, will she tell that she was spying on Yakushi? Or does the Coach only know? I'm really curious to see the team's reactions, especially Miyuki's, about Yakushi and Eirin. I'm looking forward to the future chapters!

Yes, Sanada would be rivals with Miyuki in the future chapters. It would be not that intense, no fist fights but more on glaring and verbal talk. They'd face each other in the mound in the future chapters so yeah. She does tell them that she was spying on Yakushi. That brings on quite a lot of questions from the team. You'd see their reactions in this chapter so I hope that I wrote it well.

Guest – can you make haruchi and furuya popular 2?

Of course! Totally! You have no idea how much fun I had in writing this chapter because of your review. Have fun reading the trio's shenanigans!

And to the people who asked me to update soon, here it is. Please forgive the typos. I beta-read the chapters myself and the story is pretty long so an error is like a dust in space for my sight. I tried to fix most of them as much as possible and I do my best, really! So if you see an error or something out of place I really appreciate it when you point it out. Thanks guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Diamond No Ace or any of its characters. This story is purely fan made and no profit has been made.

Chapter Six: Shoujo Manga Rom-Com Chick Flick

Eirin walked pass the field where the regulars were practicing along with a few second string players. Judging from their voices, she could easily pick out Kuramochi and Isashiki from the bunch due to their volume. It was nearly sundown but the regulars didn't really have a schedule during weekends so some of them ended practice later at times. Usually, she would have stopped on her tracks to greet them but she needed to report to the coach first. Heck, there was also Chris-senpai who wanted to talk to her for who knows what.

"Coach," when she entered the coach's office, Rei, Furuya and Chris were also there much to her surprise. "What's up?" Eirin gave the group a grin despite the serious looks on their faces which made her very confused. Were they playing a prank on her or something? "You guys look uhh… err… scary?" when Furuya walked over towards her and pulled her sleeve down, she flinched and pushed him away. The coach, her childhood friend, mentor and Rei's eyes widened at the sight of her skin, not due to embarrassment but to its discoloration— aside from the bandages that wrapped around her shoulder and upper arm, purple welts were scattered across her skin like a disease. It must have hurt to move and they wondered if some bones were cracked.

"Satoru, what's wrong with you!?" the teen didn't even flinch at the tone of her voice when he saw her put her shirt back in place. His eyes were only focused on her face, anger evident through glassy orbs. Of course— of course, Sawamura was the type to hide things from them, very important ones. Who knows when and how this could've even happened? Eirin on the other hand, looked very nervous and uncomfortable.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were injured?" Furuya asked with the stoic expression that he was known for. "You're going to pull the team down," that wasn't what he meant to say and Eirin knew better so she didn't really take it personally. "How long?" his eyes went to her left shoulder— she couldn't have injured it again without being so reckless and knowing her personality, at one point she must have.

"Well—" when Furuya tugged her sleeve down again, she would've sent him a glare if it wasn't for Chris who was standing beside her giving her a look that said don't. "There was that one time I went to Inashiro and—" she shut her mouth tight when she saw the look on the coach and Chris' face. "I was uhh… geez, remember that time I went out late and didn't come back until morning?" she had this forced smile on her face to somehow avoid getting into trouble the more she explained. The coach didn't like anything a single bit.

"You made Kuramochi and Masuko worried, Sawamura,"

"We were looking for you all night,"

"Didn't even answer any of the calls we—"

"Anyway!" she cut off everyone in order to continue her explanation. "It was an omiai and he happened to be a member of Inashiro. I played his team the next day, became a bit reckless and voila! Injury resurrected—" she smiled as if it was a good thing. The coach looked very stern and Chris had that disappointed look on his face. They seemed to believe her enough though— or so she hoped. "His mom was a doctor so she fixed me up. It looks bad but it's not that bad— I'm sorry?" she pleaded making her mentor sigh.

"It doesn't look that serious anymore. It's already more than halfway healed," Rei commented when she finished scanning her injury. "What I want to know is why you used your left arm," the assistant manager pushed her glasses up. "Did you ever consider that playing against them would reveal Seido's cards? Now they know that you're in the team," she did know and consider those consequences— the situation just called for it.

The catcher of Inashiro was grinning when the batter hit home— Eirin clenched her fist and switched her mitt to her other hand with a grin. She was already out but it was just a practice game anyway, what harm could it bring? Mei who was in the dug-out smiled when she got into her position, left hand used for throwing, whole body in a perfect flexible wind-up. The batter himself was also in his place but he wouldn't know what's coming— an ambidextrous player was never heard of before.

"Gave them a good ol' left handed pitch and bam! The catcher didn't even catch—"

"Sawamura," Chris cut in and she blinked, smiling up at him with a very sunny smile. "You won't be playing for a week. Do not pitch in the time being, heal first," the coach nodded at the idea. She obviously wouldn't be able to play with that kind of injury despite being halfway through recovery. "This would teach you not to be reckless," honestly speaking there were times in which Chris didn't even know how to handle her protégé. Eirin frowned but nodded, obeying nonetheless— it was Chris-senpai, what was she supposed to do then?

"And ohh, I went to Yakushi today, here," when she handed the coach her notepad filled with information, the room darkened. Perhaps it would be good not to send her as a spy next time, she kept attracting weirdoes— especially those who were rivals with Seido or somehow involved in the baseball team. Seriously, if it wasn't some sort of coincidence due to her popularity, some sort of scary shit must be happening around her— there was no way she'd be so close to their archenemies. Or like Isashiki-senpai said, she's just reading too much shojou manga that her life is starting to get influenced by it.

Anyway, back to the main topic— how did Chris-senpai even know she was injured?

Furuya shivered.

"So… who was that guy?"

The water Eirin was drinking all of a sudden got stuck in her throat— damn it! First of all she was just eating peacefully with her co-first years and Miyuki Kazuya comes barging in all of a sudden, wanting to sit with them so now their table is filled with regulars and third years. They have a completely reserved seat over there! All the way to the side, not here. The female pitcher grimaced when Miyuki grinned and all eyes turned curious. Dammit! How does she explain the fact that she was in Sanada's house!? Seido's enemy, antithetis, one of the players they hate the most—

"Uhh… you don't need to know Miyuki Kazuya," at first she was nervous and hesitant before she leaned over with the smuggest expression on her face. She just couldn't find an excuse, really. Miyuki cursed her under his breath. "He was just a… uhh... friend," well that was not a lie, that was true. Sanada was a friend. Or was he? Since he was an enemy of Seido does that mean that they're rivals? Are they or are they not friends— now she's getting confused. Eirin finally settled on deeming him as a friend. She was close to his cousin anyway.

"What are you talking about, Miyuki?" Eirin hoped that Miyuki would just leave it alone because she wouldn't live it down if Chris-senpai out of all the people in the universe— 'she has a boyfriend, Chris-senpai'— dammit, Miyuki Kazuya! "A boyfriend?" Chris looked at Eirin who was shaking in her seat. How did she get in this situation again? All of a sudden the baseball club turned into a police interrogation police force.

"Yeah, I heard a guy's voice over the phone,"

Kuramochi gave her a glare that said no, you weren't talking to Sanada again.

Eirin slightly huffed, nervous, "I was with a friend. The boss asked me to scout Yakushi and— uhh, Spitz-senpai?" Isashiki was giving her the look. He knew that she wasn't telling them everything. And why would the coach ask her to scout Yakushi!? "Well uhh… he's also a pitcher on the team and—" by then all hell broke loose— Kuramochi was rather calm about it though while Miyuki was grinning madly like a Cheshire cat. She didn't really like explaining that much either. She'd just rather drown in her own destiny. Goodbye world.

"Yakushi!?""

"Pitcher!?"

"Oi, Bakamura! How dare you have connections with the opposing team!"

Kuramochi smirked at the other side of the table and Eirin glared at him. Of course he knows because he stole her phone before. "It's the guy she's always texting. Right, Sawamura?" somehow when the shortstop grinned, a chill climbed up Eirin's spine. Masuko gave her a puzzled look— now it made sense. "Okay, so let me get this right. You have a childhood friend who has a crush on you, an omiai partner we don't know about and a Yakushi opponent as a boyfriend," Eirin rapidly shook her head while Furuya turned red.

"What's up with him?" Isashiki asked a bit weirded out— first years were so damn strange.

"F-First of all, that omiai partner you're talking about doesn't exist! It was just a meeting with my grandfather's student and her son. I don't have a boyfriend and Furuya's not in love with me!"

"Furuya? Why are you talking about Furuya?"

"Uh… he's also childhood friends with Ei-chan, senpai," the younger Kominato answered on behalf of his friend. The regulars' eyes turned to Furuya who still had a tinge of red on his face. "But you were referring to Yamato, correct?" Isashiki's eyes narrowed in confusion. "They have known each other since… middle school?" Haruichi looked at Eirin and Furuya who nodded.

Miyuki stared. What's up with this shoujo manga rom-com chick flick situation!?

"Ehh?"

Miyuki and Kuramochi stared weirdly at their classmates who were constantly chatting about the new students. Apparently, boys had this radar for new cute students that entered the school— girls were worse. The pair were also a bit popular themselves, especially Miyuki, not that he was complaining or anything. The canteen seemed to be a very good place of gossip and one table seemed particularly empty despite it being so crowded. The catcher raised a brow at the commotion being made.

"The first year batch this year is scary as fuck, dude. We had dodgeball in P.E. class together with 1-B and we literally had to dodge to save our lives. It was terrifying since one guy had a very good throwing arm. He's a freaking monster," Miyuki's former classmate said while eating. If you looked closely, you could see the tears in his eyes. The shortstop's grin stopped and furrowed into a frown— first year? Class B? Throw? Monster?

"The guy with pink hair was also very athletic, he ran so fast. How could he even see with all that hair covering his eyes?" another one complained. Miyuki choke on his food— pink hair? Fast? "He had very good dodgeball defenses. Our class, the second years lost," okay, now this was starting to get creepy. "First years and their damned abilities getting popularity on their first month of school!" he started to eat with a pitiful expression on his face.

"By the way, did you get her number?" another pair started to talk.

"Whose number?" Miyuki who was curious, barged in and asked. When they referred to her, it couldn't be her, right? What were the chances? One in a thousand? There were a lot of girls in Seido afterall.

"Her!"

"Yes her!"

"Who is her!?"

"Ehh!? Miyuki, you don't know?" Kuramochi and Miyuki raised a brow at the continuous questions. Damn it, couldn't they just use names!? "She's very pretty with her long brown hair, golden eyes and angel-like features. First year-representative, Sawamura—"

Creak.

And like a scene taken out of a shoujo manga, the canteen door opened. Cue the canteen sound system to play. From afar you could hear Isashiki-senpai curse.

"Kami, hell no," Kuramochi muttered under his breath, shaking his head while each and every head in the cafeteria turned to the group who just entered. Miyuki grinned.

"Look at that group. Apparently they're not from Tokyo,"

"Isn't it obvious? They look so different! Girls from Nagano are obviously the prettiest,"

"I heard that they joined the baseball club. They already have enough popularity there,"

"Hah! You're lying. There's no way you got a high score in your test today, Satoru. Harucchi told me that you sleep in class. Every. Single. Time. The boss is not going to be happy," the girl who stood between the two guys shook her head and grinned teasingly at her childhood friend who seemed to be dozing off despite walking. "The club is going to get blamed at this point and it's all going to be your fault! Think about the consequences!" Furuya glared at her for the deja-vu, those were obviously Rei's words to her the last time she got scolded.

"At least I'm not banned from practice for a week,"

"What did you say, Sato—"

"Guys, stop it!" the younger Kominato who was the most timid of the bunch stood between the two. "You guys are causing a scene, see?" he glanced at the people around them as if saying something. Miyuki sweat dropped because of course it was the golden trio. And he was pretty sure that they weren't starring because of the commotion but because of their reputation. The baseball club was not an organization for idols —Eirin was already enough, please don't add Furuya and Haruichi to the bunch, thank you very much.

"Well, if you say so Harucchi," it was his soothing calm voice that made her oblige— totally different to her childhood friend's mocking voice that did nothing to soothe both of their ego. "Look, that table's free. Were on the same table again as yesterday, weird huh," she ended her sentence with laughter when they sat down. Furuya shook his shoulders while Haruichi tried to go with her strange topic. Kuramochi who was sitting three tables away from them stared— it wasn't a coincidence, people must have left if unoccupied on purpose. It was so damn weird seeing his roommate surrounded by people.

"A-Ano, are you Furuya-kun from the baseball club?" one particularly cute girl with long black hair came up to their table and asked— a blush covering her face. Eirin grinned behind her hand while Haruichi flushed red. "Umm, this… if you have the time please read it, thank you very much," she gave him a rather cute looking, pale pink envelope before running away. Furuya stared before sighing and putting the piece of paper on the table. The female pitcher burst out into laughter at his expression.

"Satoru, that's like the third time someone confessed to you this month. Be happy for a bit—ow!" she was cut off by a karate chop on the top of her head. Eirin turned to scowl at her attacker, "What was that for— Isahiki-senpai! Yuuki-san!" her face immediately lit up at the sight of a very irritated upperclassman and calm captain. Furuya and Haruichi immediately stood up to slightly lower their heads and greet— they had to make Eirin bow since respect was easily forgotten in her vocabulary.

"What was that all about you three!? I can't believe you entered a public place like that. Especially you, Sawamura!" a tick mark appeared on his forehead and the three somehow backed away unconsciously. Uhh, wha— what? Furuya's eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Don't act like you don't know! Stop acting cool by entering the cafeteria as if you're the most popular bunch in a freaking shoujo manga! You morons!" Haruichi sweat dropped because— one, they just entered the place normally and two, uhhm… Isashiki-senpai, how do you that it happens in shoujo mangas.

"We won't do it again?" How did they even do it anyway in the first place?

Isashiki groaned and shook his head, "Why are you guys even together? If I remember clearly, the three of you ate separately during the first week of school and you—" he pointed unto the female pitcher who blinked pointing at herself, "—kept pestering Chris to eat with you. Did you guys change plans or what? It's making a commotion you know." He pointed unto the eyes that stared at their group.

Haruichi forced a laugh before replying, "…actually,"

Kuramochi almost choked on the water he was drinking, "Sawamura has a stalker!?" some of the first year members of the club who were seated near them gave them wary glances. Daily practice had just ended so all that was left was the bath and dinner. Currently, they were eating so it was a very good time for some sort of gossip. "But isn't she going to be fine? I mean… she's Sawamura after all," well, now that you think about it, it did kind of make sense but anyway!

Miyuki glared at the short stop before making a shushing gesture, "You're too loud! Her stalker might be a member of the club!" Kuramochi raised a brow as if questioning him. "Apparently, Haruichi saw some guys of another class looking at pictures of her. Jun-san and Yuuki-san told me!" the other teen looked unbothered anyhow. "Isn't that creepy? What if they have pictures of your roommate naked or stuff?" that was the moment Kuramochi started to get a little bit bothered.

"That's why those three are always together?"

"They said that they're hunting for him during lunch time since they're too busy after school,"

Kuramochi laughed before standing up his seat, "She'll be fine. She's like the brashest, loudest and most annoying person I know. If there's a stalker, we'll find him easily anyway." Miyuki sighed when he saw him walk away. Perhaps the shortstop had a bit too much faith on their pitcher sometimes… just a little bit. "Since its Sawamura, I'm sure that she's not bothered," when he arrived in the room he shared with Eirin and Masuko, the two were already playing a golf tournament on the console.

"Sawamura-chan is good at this game," the third year commented when the score popped up on the screen. Eirin had managed to place second on the record game list while he was on the upper tens.

"Kufufu," she laughed like a vampire— it was obviously an impression of a character of some sort. "We already played this game a lot. Masuko-senpai, you just need to practice! I'm sure that you'd be able to beat Kuramochi-senpai's high score in no time with ease!" she pointed at the top score on the screen. Well it was Kuramochi's game so of course he's got the best score out of the bunch— it was just some sort of excuse but it assured them anyway.

"Still banned from practice, Bakamura?" the shortstop questioned before taking his place on the floor beside the two. It has only been four days since she was not allowed to join practice but it already seemed like eternity— or so it seemed for Eirin. The pitcher scowled and muttered a chain of incoherent words under her breath, throwing silent insults at her upperclassman for bringing up such a sensitive topic. "We have a match next Tuesday, you know," by then she would still not be allowed to join without much practice attendance… or so they think.

Eirin twitched and Kuramochi looked at her weirdly.

"Sawamura-chan~!" one of her classmates called out during lunch. He swung an arm around her shoulder and Eirin blinked, not knowing what was going on. She was on her way to fetch Furuya and Haruichi to eat but she was stopped all of a sudden by… what was his name again? He was in her class but she couldn't remember. "How are you?" he gave an overly sweet smile that somehow reminded her of herself. She was always that cheerful and bright. Eirin couldn't help but cringe. Was she also this annoying?

"W-What's up?" she couldn't help but somehow back away looking completely uncomfortable at the sudden contact. "U-Uetake-san?" the female pitcher raised her brows, not really sure. The guy laughed before nodding at her expression. She does remember his name… or so it seems. "Do you uhh… need anything?" her friends classroom was just meters away and students were already going out of their rooms. Standing in the hallway with a guy's arm draped all over her shoulders— even Eirin's not that dense.

"I wanted to join the baseball team so I wanted to ask you a few questions," he took his arm off her and to Eirin when he did that he seemed so much more friendly. The girl's eyes lit up when he mentioned the word baseball. The guy laughed, "You're smart and friendly, plus you're in the team so I figured that you knew a lot about baseball. Would you mind?" He scratched the back of his neck, slightly blushing while he lowered his head. Eirin broke into a very bright, cheerful grin. Ohh…

"Talk to you about baseball for a bit? No, not at all. I would love to! " she shook her head before smiling at him. He seemed genuinely interested about the sport. Plus, it would be fun to have more people playing right? "I'll tell you everything you need to know," she gave him a smile— it wasn't meant to flirt or anything but the guy blushed. He couldn't help it. Mention anything about baseball and she would just be thrilled. Heck, if baseball was a human being she would gladly marry him without hesitating.

"So… meet me at the library after class?" Eirin nodded— she had nothing to do and was banned from practice anyway. "Great, can't wait to see you! I'll be waiting okay?" he gave her a wave of goodbye before running towards the opposite direction. The pitcher smiled and waved back at him until he was out of sight. What's up with this!? Kinda reminds her of the shoujo manga she just read.

"Who was that?" a taller figure loomed behind her, over her shoulder giving her the shivers.

"Wha— Satoru, you idiot! What was that for? You just shaved ten years off my life span you dimwit!" when she tried to give him a karate chop he successfully dodged to the side. She should really stop hanging out with Isashiki-senpai… his actions and insults were starting to rub on her. "Don't dodge! Let me hit you," she pointed a finger at him and he sighed before finally standing still. Eirin nudged him on his side— strong enough to make him twitch. Damned female was stronger than she looked.

"That my friend was Uetake-kun, my classmate. What took you guys so long?" Haruichi stared at Furuya who looked like he was so done for life and Eirin who had a massive grin on her face. "I was waiting for years. Years I tell you, years," she crossed her arms and they started to walk towards the canteen.

The younger Kominato who stood beside her asked, "What did he want to talk about, Ei-chan?"

Kami, thank him because Furuya also wanted to ask that. Eirin grinned before shaking her head, "No, nothing much. He wants to join the team so he probably figured to ask me for advice. I'm banned from practice and all so we're meeting up after school at the library." Furuya and Haruichi stopped on their tracks while Eirin turned to give them the brightest smile they have ever seen. "He seems like a nice guy," Haruichi silently clenched his fists.

Miyuki blinked at Furuya and Haruichi, "Sawamura's not with you guys for once?" Practice had just ended and Chris-senpai has been told not to give Eirin any training for the past week. Her mentor was present in the dug-out, he always was. Eirin, even though banned, still attended practice to observe though seeing her not around today was kind of different. "First year representative issues?" Miyuki teased with a massive grin on his face.

Haruichi shook his head, "Ei-chan's meeting up with her classmate… Uetake-kun."

The regulars paused on their places while Jun seethed, "Oi! Isn't that a date? Damned Sawamura still has the time for boyfriends when she's all occupied with baseball? The coach is going to get mad at her." Well, some of the third-string players had girlfriends of their own and Kataoka never said anything about it— the regulars themselves just prefer to stay single for the sake of baseball itself. "What if he's that stalker guy you two were talking about?" Furuya and Haruichi froze on their places.

Chris looked at Jun, "stalker?"

The vice-captain scoffed, "Someone's following her these days. They don't know who but she said that it was starting to get on her nerves. Kinda comes and go with the whole popularity thing." He explained, looking a bit shocked when the catcher simply hummed in concern. "Chris, she didn't tell you?" when the girl's mentor shook his head, the room became silent— what?

"But isn't it normal? Since she's from an elite school and all— everyone wants to talk to her. I'm sure that it'll disappear soon,"

"Hah, sure will. They'll run away once they figure out how brash and unfeminine she is,"

Miyuki raised a brow, not really convinced. Sure she may act less of a girl than others are but that's only around people she was comfortable with. Towards the public eye she was this perfect, ideal icon. "It's getting pretty late," he reminded the group. Manner or not, Eirin was a girl and girls shouldn't stay out late. Not under the baseball team's watch. And she's going to get scolded later for meeting up with some random guy for who knows what reason.

Haruichi silently stared at the door before clenching his fists, "I-I'll head out first. See you guys at dinner later." His teammates looked at him weirdly when he exited the field. His heart was pounding in his chest and there was this foul feeling that overcame his system. Something was not right.

"No, nothing much. He wants to join the team so he probably figured to ask me for advice. I'm banned from practice and all so we're meeting up after school at the library." Furuya and Haruichi stopped on their tracks while Eirin turned to give them the brightest smile they have ever seen.

Eirin was always the type to trust people easily. His face slackened; fringe covered-eyes darted about in concern as if he was searching for a place to hide. School ended more than two hours ago— they have not been talking for such a long time, right? The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow.

"He seems like a nice guy,"

When he reached the library, Haruichi tried to open the door as gently as he could. The place itself was deserted— kind of understandable since it was already late and most students do not stay in the dorm aside from baseball athletes. With silent steps he entered the room to see if his friend was there. If he remembered clearly, they were supposed to meet at this place. It would only shock him further more if ever he found his friend still here. Walking a meter past the shelves and towards the tables, Haruichi slightly gasped when he saw her on one of the seats.

He'd see the other boys trip over themselves in her presence—she was that beautiful. Haruichi refused to be like that with anyone just because they were born with a more symmetrical face. The sight in front of him was a beautiful picture— the sunset in the background and the light reflecting on Eirin's delicate features. She didn't really look like she belonged here anyway, she was like a magazine cut-out dropped onto the Seido sidewalk. Haruichi would've thought nothing went wrong if it wasn't for the unusual look on his friend's face. Eirin looked rather calm reading that letter on her hand.

"Ei-chan?" he unconsciously called out and the paper in her hand crumpled as her head turned towards him. Haruichi frowned when he saw her startled expression turn into a forced smile. "Are you… Are you done talking to him?" he doesn't know why he bothered to ask that. Obviously they were finished talking to each other since she was the only one left in the library. Somehow it kind of pissed him off to just see him leave her in this place alone.

"Y-Yeah," Eirin stood up her seat after she folded the paper back unto the envelope on the table. "Harucchi, you finished practice already?" his eyes followed her hands when she tucked the envelope in her skirt's pocket. Haruichi stared at her— Eirin was being very finicky. And did she just lose track of the time? She was also in the baseball club so she obviously knew what time practice usually ended.

"Did he confess?" that would be the only explanation he could think of for the envelope so when Eirin shook her head, he was left confused.

"Nah, we just talked,"

Bam!

The students around her turned their heads towards her direction when she slammed her shoe locker shut. Eirin's eyes were wide and shaking— Haruno gave her an odd, worried look. "Ei-chan, are you alright?" she was one of the baseball team's managers— also one of her closest friends. "You look pale. Are you perhaps not feeling well?" Eirin looked like she just saw something terrifying like a ghost in broad daylight. The manager couldn't help but worry.

The female pitcher shook her head, "I-It's nothing. I'm sorry for worrying you Haruno-chan."

"Well, if you say so," the manager couldn't help but nod at her assurance.

Lunch that day with Furuya and Haruichi was strange. Haruichi's usually too shy to start conversations and Furuya's just as silent as a mouse. Having Eirin not in the mood just made the group totally peaceful— which was just plain weird. The female pitcher was staring unto a distance with a half-eaten melon bread on her hand. She didn't even notice the two staring at her. Being this silent made her friends worried. Even the third years who were seated on the other side of the cafeteria looked at her weirdly.

"Stalker?" the captain asked—that was the only explanation he could think of. "Sawamura is very good at shogi. She lost last night," Kuramochi almost drowned in his packet of juice because that just adds to their list of worries. Eirin always wins in shogi. She always does— probably because of her addiction to historical stuff. "And the lady gave her a bowl of natto for breakfast, she didn't complain and ate it," Miyuki raised a brow. She despises natto. Why in the world would she eat it?

"She also went to bed early last night, uga," Masuko added.

Isashiki gritted his teeth— he usually had to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the trio's room because of Eirin's midnight crying tendencies and the blaring light from their window when all of Tokyo had gone to sleep. He had to threaten to burn her shoujo manga and Kuramochi's console so that they'd all go to bed. "What if she's finally lost it?" the vice-captain muttered under his breath. He didn't intend for everyone on their table to hear but they did. And they admit… it does make sense.

"Do you think she's rebelling because the coach banned her from practice?"

"Probably… she's an idiot when it comes to baseball,"

Miyuki just went back to eating his lunch.

"Ei-chan," Haruichi waved a hand in front of her in hopes of catching her attention. "You alright?" he asked, looking very worried. Furuya was also concerned although it did not show on his face. "You seem dazed," the younger Kominato had his hunch that the letter had something to do with this but he kept quiet. "You only took a bite. Lunch is ending soon," when golden eyes finally blinked and turned to him, he sighed in relief.

"Ohh…"

"Sawamura's weird, so damn weird," Isashiki and Kuramochi muttered under their breaths occasionally.

Clang!

"Really, that kid's abilities are unbelievable. Who knew that he could bat so well," Ota Kuzuyoshi, club president of Seido's baseball team, also a history teacher of the school, commented grinning unto Furuya's direction. "With that slug, it'd be a waste to keep him on the bench," Kataoka merely observed the pitcher hitting the balls coming at him into various directions. He rarely missed — Furuya was a totally different player from Eirin. Perhaps it was the expression on his face but the pitcher looked like he wanted to throw rather than to bat.

Clang!

"This guy is hitting to left field, center field and right field in sequential order," the catcher behind Haruichi looked terrified when he noticed the unusual pattern. You could rarely see batters forcing the ball's direction unto the spot they want since it was that difficult. Well the regulars were also able to do it but a first year!? When the younger Kominato smiled and muttered that he should go for a home run next, the catcher slightly gasped. The other members who were watching Furuya and Haruichi bat also looked baffled at the scene.

Clang!

"Those guys are too strong. How can they bat like that? They're only first years!"

"Ryosuke's little brother looks like he'll be promoted to the first string,"

"Dammit, I hate it when new guys join every year," a player said out loud, some of them nodding with him. They were already in their third and last year yet they never stood a chance nor got the coach to notice them for their abilities. "We used to be team leaders at our middle schools but we can't even get on the bench at Seido," the nearest they got to the mound was on the stands cheering and watching the regulars play. They just might as well be managers since at least they were sometimes allowed in the dugout to help the players.

"What's more those guys are monsters," one of them was obviously referring to the regulars. If you wanted to be on the official team, you had to be better or not on par with them. At first during their first year they were determined but as time went on, the possibility lessened and it seemed so impossible. "They work harder than anyone. We don't stand a chance," they acknowledged those who were in the first string since they saw how hard they trained, it was not an easy feat. The players sighed before looking at each other.

"Were no match for them but everyone still practices with all they've got," it was just the second week of April and they already looked like they were relieved. "We don't want to have any regrets. Even if we can't play in a match, we still want to fight on with these guys," three years is a very long time, they'd be happy to support Seido even if it meant that they'd be sitting on the stand and not on the dugout like they wished to. "What we mean it that. Well, we just want to say—" they didn't even know who they were talking to but all of a sudden, realization came to them.

"We can't quit now, quitting means that we've ruined three years of hard work!"

"Damn it, I've never got a girlfriend these past three years—"

"Idiot! We're not talking about that!" well most of the members in the first string were popular since they participated in matches and girls found their abilities cool. Damn it, if they would just step down for a day and give the position to those who yearn. Even Masuko got friendlier with girls unlike during his first year when they were too scared to talk to him. Most of them don't stand a chance against Miyuki though— the catcher is too popular for his own sake and he always gloats about it at them.

"W-Why are the upperclassmen so worked up?" the first years who were running stared at the third years weirdly. They just started shouting out of the blue so it can't be normal, right? The freshmen flinched when the seniors walked towards them and scolded them for slacking off. It was always like this in Seido, rowdy and noisy— completely different to Ojou whose organized and filed. Only one thing was common, the competitiveness. No matter where you go, everyone wanted a position on the starting line-up.

"I know why you're here in Seido," Uetake leaned over the table with a grin on his face. "I heard that something incredible happened back there in Ojou. News travels fast, ehh?"

Eirin twitched and stared at the third years who were talking to their underclassmen, "He doesn't know anything about you." Her hands unconsciously clenched when her eyes landed on Chris who was talking to the coach about the players' training schedule. "Chris-senpai was also on the starting lineup last year," Furuya and Haruichi worriedly glanced at her when they noticed Eirin's hand on her left shoulder. After the incident with Chris, almost everyone in the team knew of her injury.

"Did you join the baseball team again for fun?" her classmate laughed.

"Everyone wants a position on the team," her eyebrows knitted with each other when she felt a sudden throb on her left shoulder. "Koshien, they need to go to Koshien," Furuya and Haruichi, they also wanted to be regulars. Wasn't that everyone's purpose as to why they joined the baseball club— to play in matches and aim for the nationals as a team?

"Why is she even here in Seido anyway? I bet she just joined the baseball club to kill time,"

Eirin flinched when she remembered what Kanemaru said during the first day of school.

"Eirin," Furuya was the first one who approached her, dropping his bat along the way. He wasn't sure what kind of expression she had since her bangs covered her eyes, completely hiding those shades of medallion. Unconsciously, her grip on her shoulder tightened, sharp nails digging unto her uniform and skin. "Eirin!" by then he was already shaking her gently, trying to snap her out of her daze. The regulars looked towards their direction—they had never heard someone as quiet as Furuya shout. Haruichi immediately rushed towards his friends while Kataoka looked at Chris and nodded.

"Your scholarship, was Seido your last resort?" Eirin shivered at his words.

"Snap out of it," Furuya's hands were all over her face when he blinked and finally noticed him. Her childhood friend had his eyebrows knitted together, obviously in worry while Haruichi stood beside him looking as equally concerned. "Your hand," his left hand overlapped hers, trying to pry it away from her shoulder. Unconsciously, she lessened her grip, confused as to why Furuya was acting like this.

"Ei-chan, are you alright?" the younger Kominato asked while the other regulars and Chris were already running towards them.

"Or did you switch schools because you got bored?" his voice was poison to her system.

Then, everything turned black.

"….panic…much… should…rest…being," incoherent voices filled her mindscape and when she opened her eyes a sea of white flooded her vision. Her left arm seemed numb— a similar feeling to what she experienced a couple of years ago. Her lashes were barely resting on her cheeks— she somehow felt too tired to keep her eyes open. The room had a stagnant smell, like it's cleaned with disinfectant instead of plain water. Was she at the hospital again? "Do you… because of stress?" this time Eirin found herself hearing things a bit more clear and louder. The voice sounded familiar but too gentle and worried— grandfather?

"Hime-sama!" she slightly turned her head to see Mei out of all people standing beside hospital bed. What was he doing here? "See! You should've just transferred to Inashiro when all of this started! It's their entire fault! I can't believe they didn't even notice, those idiots!" he looked fairly pissed, alright. The blonde just kept on complaining when her eyes focused unto others— Mei's mother, her grandfather and two other doctors were present in her room. "They didn't even bother to visit," his mother elbowed him on the side and the pitcher slightly groaned in pain.

"Don't listen to him, Eirin-chan. I'm sure that your teammates are just as worried as we are," Mira said with a smile which made her son sweat drop. "How are you feeling?" the woman came closer and took her hand to look at her nails— they usually indicated if someone was in pain since they turn purple when someone is suffocated. "Something must have happened at school?" at this Mei would've said something if it wasn't for the glare that his own mother was sending him.

"I feel like I've been hit by a hammer on the head and fell on concrete— tsk,"

"You shouldn't move for the time being, Eirin-chan. You did a pretty nasty damage to your injury," Eirin's eyes turned to her left shoulder which was covered in bandages. Great, now she'd be banned from practice longer. "Do you need anything?" the female pitcher shook her head while Mei sighed and sat on the chair next to her bed. "Your friend told us that you were having a panic attack. Can you tell us what caused it?" her tone was soft and gentle— almost as if she was talking to a child.

"I don't know,"

"You don't know?" Eirin nodded her head and her grandfather sighed.

"This never happened when you were in Ojou. Perhaps I should consider Narumiya's suggestion to transfer you to Inashiro," when it came to talking to her, her grandfather's voice was always stern and serious if not reprimanding. Eirin's eyes shot up towards him looking as if she was startled. "One way or another, baseball is going to ruin you mentally and physically," there was something oddly convincing at the tone of his voice and the way he crossed his arms.

"You can't do that,"

"After seeing you injured twice in a row? I sure can," Eirin clenched her fists. She needed to go to Koshien, she needed them to go to Koshien. "Unless you give me a proper reason as to why I should let you continue. You've been playing baseball for a long time already," usually her grandfather was playful, dramatic and somehow similar to her. It somehow scared her to see him this serious and worried. "You keep making wrong choices," her chest felt tight and her breath stilled— no, it wasn't a wrong choice. Seido is not a wrong choice. Baseball was not a wrong choice.

"Do you want to go back to Nagano?"

Eirin shook her head and Mei looked at her worriedly.

Bam!

"Kuramochi-senpai!"

Hands were tightly clenched on the terrified student's collar as he dropped the pictures he was holding. Haruichi was about to stop the two when Miyuki pulled him back with a humorless expression on his face. The younger Kominato was about to say something when he saw the looks on the other members' faces. Furuya looked the same yet his hands were tightly clenched, Chris was silently staring with dread in his eyes while Isashiki and Masuko were obviously pissed off. The captain and Kawakami also looked a bit disturbed.

"You've kept it up for two weeks straight," the shortstop was obviously pissed off and the first year student in front of him was terrified. "What do you think you were doing spreading those pictures around?" as unfair it may seem, most of them had already lost their cool to actually have pity on the student who they didn't even know the name. Haruichi mentioned Uetake before but they didn't really care about his label anymore. "You even tried to blackmail. What were you two talking about?" Miyuki who was staring at the two shivered because— one, he's an asshole and not a pitiful excuse of a human being and two, picking a fight with a baseball club member, really? Let him remind them that they had over fifty active players on the run.

"L-Let me go," the shortstop's grip only tightened.

Miyuki walked towards the two before bending down and picking up one of the many photos on the ground. "What's with you guys taking photos of girls undressing?" it was a picture of the female pitcher raising her shirt halfway— most likely taken during them changing for P.E. class. "And people pay for this? I would like two sets of Sawamura-chan during baseball practice—ow!" the catcher groaned when he was elbowed on the side by the girl's very pissed off roommate. He still grinned by the end though.

"Sawamura-chan forgot to lock her shoe locker," Masuko said— that was how they found out about the pictures spreading around the school. Haruno had told them about Eirin's strange behavior that morning before class.

"The coach is not going to like this," Furuya commented making Haruichi sigh— all of them are going to be in trouble. "We have a match next Tuesday," if any of them got into a fight and the faculty decided to not let them participate in practice or any of the games then they're dead — literally dead. "And I think Eirin would prefer to beat him up personally," well there was also that but.

"Ohh, and add to the fantasies of this guy? No thank you, kaibutsu-kun,"

Haruichi blinked, what was Miyuki talking about?

"Kyahaha, I'd rather take care of him myself Furuya," a sarcastic grin appeared on Kuramochi's face and the guy struggled to get free. Well even if he did they doubted that he could outrun their shortstop anyway. "Oi! Give me that baseball bat you're holding, will you!?" he commanded out of the blue making the second and third years startled for a bit. The two first years on the other hand— yes, even Haruichi decided to comply because hey, it's respect for your upperclassman.

"Do we knock him out?"

"Just hit him hard enough he'd have amnesia,"

"Kuramochi, stop," Chris was the one who stepped forward first. He was holding the envelope they found in the trio's room— the said female pitcher didn't even hide it in a good place. "I'm sure that the teachers would give him enough punishment to make up for this commotion," logically speaking he was correct. Their coach, Kataoka was a history teacher— he was terrifying enough. The shortstop frowned before letting go of the student's collar forcefully, strong enough to push him on the ground.

"No, I don't think so. No one messes with the baseball club! Oi, Kuramochi, Furuya, Kominato! Hurry and beat up that bastard!" Isashiki was not helping the situation one bit. "He needs to learn his lesson the hard way, kora!" Kawakami sweat dropped because— uhmm… senpai, uhmm… I don't think that violence solves everything.

"I-It's not my fault! Do you guys know why she's even here in Seido!?" the guy on the ground screamed while raising his hands in front of his face, a very defensive position. "She was asking for it!" by then, even Miyuki who was usually mischievous had a frown on his face. "I bet that bitch likes the attention she receives from you guys! Why else would she join the baseball club—"

"What did you say?" Kuramochi's tone sounded baffled. The guy became horror-struck when the shortstop grabbed him by the collar for the second time of the day. This time, no one even tried to say something to stop him. Chris looked at the scene with a stoic expression but was definitely not pleased at Uetake. This was his protégé he was talking about. "You sounded really pathetic for a second so I couldn't quite hear you," the guy looked up at the older teen's figure looming over him.

Miyuki smirked before walking towards the two.

"I heard that we have a match this Tuesday," Furuya who was seating beside Eirin's bed flinched. His hands had also stopped peeling the apples he was holding— please do not ask how he ended up in such position. Chris who was observing the two chat also sighed because she would definitely ask them to let her join despite the injury she has. Haruichi looked torn since he was also worried — if they let her join her physical health is in danger. If they don't let her join, her mental health is in danger since everyone knows she that can't handle being away from baseball for a long time. Anyway, no matter what they choose she's still in danger. The younger Kominato frowned.

"What's the line-up?" Furuya's eyes turned towards Chris. He was a third year so he'd be able to handle this kind of situation right? Kami, why did they even agree to visit her in the first place? Everyone insisted for them to go since they were her fellow first years and Chris was her mentor but this deemed to be tougher than they imagined.

"My one week ban would end on Monday so I'd be able to play by then,"

Chris stared at her, of course she didn't forget about her ban lift. "When are you going to be released, Sawamura? I heard that Kuramochi and Miyuki visited you yesterday after school," it was Saturday so they were stuck with her the whole day. Haruichi smiled a bit because Chris had always managed to change Eirin's focus to another subject as usual.

"Hmm, I've been here since Thursday and Mira-san said that they still had to take more tests just to make sure so… probably tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I'd be back to school this Monday. I can't wait for Chris-senpai to catch my pitches!" one would've thought that the sparkles in her eyes and the flowers around her were some sort of phenomenon but sadly, the members of Seido's baseball club were already used to it so it wasn't really that unusual— for her to fawn over Chris-senpai that is.

"Tests?"

"Eitoku-ji found someone who could permanently fix my injury," all eyes widened and turned unto her. Eirin had a solemn expression on her face— how long had she been planning this? "I figured that in order to go to Koshien with you guys I need both of my hands," when she shot a sad smile towards their direction, Haruichi couldn't help but frown. "For now all I can do is pitch right-handedly though," Furuya doesn't know how she always manages to sound positive and cheerful despite the circumstances. "Chris-senpai has to wait until I'd be able to pitch at him using my left hand," Haruichi doesn't know what's more tragic— her smile or the fact that her upperclassman's graduating in less than a year.

"By the way... on Tuesday,"

"Hey! Chris is playing for the second string team right now!"

"What?"

"Are you serious!?" Isashiki looked the most baffled out of all the regular members. Ryousuke, Tanba, Masuko and the captain also looked shocked at the sudden announcement. "Oi, is his shoulder okay!? What if he gets injured again? Sawamura's already in the hospital, dammit!" all that was left was for him to actually grab his hair— the whole situation itself was too stressing and problematic, heck it was too worrisome. What's up with everything that's happening this week!?

"That's the thing! Sawamura is also on the field right now!"

Unconsciously, Furuya drops his bat on the ground, "Ehh?" It is as if someone had just gave him their big declaration of love, their grand speech obviously thoroughly planned and rehearsed in front of a mirror for a dozen times before getting confessed to in front of the whole school on stage… except he doesn't blush because Furuya never blush. "Wha—" seriously, he doesn't need his whole life to be some part of a shoujo manga. What's next? The main character runs after the love of his life?

"Seriously!?" by then the vice-captain was just about ready to faint.

"Keh, where's Miyuki?" Kuramochi who happened to be looking around noticed that the catcher was nowhere to be found.

"He already went ahead of us,"

Furuya's eyes narrowed.

"Holy shit, what was that play!?"

"The right fielder covered the first base!? That's a pretty gutsy play!"

"That second base player is pretty good too," one of the opposing team's members, Kokushikan's batter, twitched and cursed under his breath. He stared irritated at the younger Kominato who was talking with the female pitcher from afar— well, it's mostly just Eirin going 'Harucchi, nice job! And 'Keep it up!'. Chris-senpai also looks tired because he pinches the bridge of his nose before telling his protégé to get back in position— and she obeys him obviously because it's Chris-senpai and Chris-senpai is… let's just say that Eirin has this overflowing admiration for her mentor per usual. "Shit, why did she pitch right at the center? Ugh, that one play changed the whole game," by then, Kokushikan was already in complete utter chaos at the sudden change of pace. Seido looked rather calm despite their opponent's lead on the score board.

The coach twitched, "Hey you guys! It's still our game! Ignore any balls, just aim for easy pitches!"

"Yeah, that pitcher throws all over the place it might get away from the catcher too. Any chance I can get, I'll get back to the home plate," when the batter got on position, the first baseman scooted forwards— Chris' eyebrows slightly knitted together. "Her pitches are going to be easy as pie. It's the catcher were worried about," all throughout the game, the female pitcher had been throwing fastballs all the way— guessing where was the most difficult part so far.

"Is that… is that… Chris made that shift, planning on all that?" the assistant coach seemed to be thoroughly amazed and worried at the same time. Kataoka who had been sitting on the bench, observing the whole time just kept a stoic expression on his face. "But… I mean, we were lucky enough to get an out but imagine what would've happened if it got through!" Seido would be in deeper trouble than they were earlier. It was a pretty risky move— even the audience cheered, impressed that they managed to pull it off.

"With a provocative forward defense, he made the offence nervous. He then made a strong impression using a pitch with limited vision," Kataoka explained, completely understanding the play analytically. Of course, it was a shame that the batter missed a fastball right unto the center. "Second and third plots to the side and the outfielders responded to the shift. This play was not based on luck at all," Chris was not the team's regular catcher last year for nothing.

Bam!

"Whoa!"

"A super-fast pick off for a runner who was trying to lead off to the home plate! The runner couldn't get back!" the members of both teams were shocked by the time everything had ended. By then, Chris was already heading back to the catcher's box. "He broke through the loaded bases with no outs! Everything changed the minute that catcher came on!" the crowd cheered and even Rei— Seido's assistant coach haven't expected this to happen.

"Awesome! That was awesome! Chris-senpai, you can totally throw!" Eirin who was standing on the pitcher's mound bounced up and down with a smile on her face. "I didn't even have to do anything!" somehow it made her happy to see her mentor playing again. "Chris-senpai, you're the best!" the said senpai who was a couple of meters away from her gave her a small smile. Eirin gasped before smiling wider. Haruichi stared at the scene. Did that guy really injure his shoulder? He seemed like in perfect shape.

"Well, Ei-chan's injured and she also seems to be fine," the younger Kominato looked back and forth from the two. Eirin was as cheerful and brash as ever. Chris looked the same as always— a bit emotionless but there was that hint of determination in his eyes which made him stand out a bit more. "Is this a play by someone who was out for a year? Being out of the game meant nothing to him!" Haruichi shook his head before following the others.

"Good stuff as usual, Chris-senpai," when Eirin and Chris exited the mound for substitution, they didn't expect Miyuki out of all people to greet them first. "Hahaha! There sure is a big difference between what you've gained during practice and a real game. Learn lots, Sawamura!" when Miyuki shot her that grin, Eirin twitched. It wasn't that she hated him or anything. If you look at it closely, he was right! She had a lot of things to learn before mastering the art of high school baseball.

"I am listening to everything that Chris-senpai says, Miyuki-senpai," Miyuki laughed when she emphasized on her honorific. "Where's Satoru and the others?" she had at least expected them to come running to see Chris play— and emphasis on Furuya's name because he made it on the first string before her. "Oh, here they come," when she saw the group running towards their direction, Eirin laughed. The regulars were panting and sweating— so they did want to see Chris play.

"Oi, you just got discharged! What do you think you're doing!? And aren't you also injured, Chris!?" Isashiki was not a big fan of this battery. Both are smart — but injured. Both are talented — but injured. Both have so much to learn from each other — but they're freaking injured. "What if you two get injured again!? Sawamura this is your second time getting injured this month, you idiot!" he karate chops her on the top of her head not to lightly.

"Ow!" Eirin groans and covers the top of her head. "Spitz-senpai, I'm fine! It's my left arm that's injured! Not my right!" her defense is lousy and pathetic but it makes sense. "I'm not going to get injured," she tried to assure them but they— especially Satoru doesn't seem so sure. "And I can totally pitch just fine!" she gave them a thumbs up which didn't really seem to put them at ease.

"I don't know about that,"

"Chris-senpai!"

"Good! Two outs," Eirin grinned when Haruichi managed to catch the ball. "Now we just have to keep this up," the female pitcher laughed when one of the members scolded her in order to keep her mind in the game— seems like they know how much she gets distracted. "Good job, Harucchi," she waved to her friend who was rather far away from her. The younger Kominato waved back— he noticed that her pitches were gradually improving. There were fewer solid hits now.

"Oh my God, that girl's the starting pitcher? What's more is that she's using the moving ball which is rarely seen in Japan. Pretty good for a lady," there was a hint of mockery in his voice which gradually turned into a fair bit of awe. If Chris wanted to catch her pitches then she must be pretty amazing. One by one as he spoke, heads turned to his direction and various eyes widened in shock.

"Wha— that's animal!"

"Animal, the performer!?"

"The comedian who's not good at Japanese!? Why is he here!?"

"I mean… he's huge!"

Animal slightly twitched before turning his attention, "Who…Who is the comedian!? Me is a baseball player! Okay?" he was trying to get away from the guy who was trying to take his autograph. He came to watch his son play! Not this… this… this madness! Startled, he turned his head to the fence to see Chris looking at his direction. "Yuu! Why are you playing!? I already had a bad feeling about this. This school is really trying to ruin my son!" Eirin stared back and forth from the two then blinked when she saw Chris showing a small smile. "Oi, Yuu!" since the catcher was just staring at him, not replying, he wondered if he even heard him.

"The match is just beginning. Let's destroy them!" when Chris started to cheer and try to motivate the others, most of them were in awe. His father looked shocked while Eirin had stars in her eyes.

"Hahaha! So Chris-senpai can also shout so loudly. Ahh, but your voice kind of broke a little," his apprentice teased.

"Shut up, your job is just to pitch the ball into the mitt,"

"Hai, hai," Eirin smiled and walked beside Chris who was leading them to the mound.

"Stop joking around," Kokushikan's batter muttered under his breath, gripping the bat he was holding rather tightly. "How could we have missed out on the chance to score in the last two innings!? I'll hit this crappy pitcher out of the mound in no time!" the smile on Eirin's face only pissed him off when he saw her start off her wind up. "What's up with that look!?" the batter gritted his teeth— he had swung too late.

Clang!

"Oi! Is Chris going after that ball!?" the regular members were on edge, completely nervous when the catcher started to run after the ball. "What about his injury!?" Tanba asked with a rather loud voice with Miyuki beside him gripping on the fence rather tightly. "What is he doing!?" the thought of him getting injured again hunted their minds. Last year was bad enough already.

"Dad, I broke my promise. I'm sorry," when he saw his son's back running after the ball, Animal's breath stopped midway in his throat. "The second string match, even though it's just a practice match… even though I don't get to play I wanted you to come," Eirin and Haruichi's eyes widened, "because for me," the ball was too high— it was heading to the fence, "this is my last official match." He stretched out his hand and dove for the ball.

Smash!

"Chris-senpai!" Eirin shouted while most of Seido's members and audience stared with shocked expressions on their faces— Chris' father looked most horrified. "Are you okay!? Chris-senpai!?" before anyone was able to move, the female pitcher was already near Chris when they all saw him raise his mitt with the ball clearly in it. "Chris-senpai, are you fine!? How many fingers am I holding up?" she showed him his whole left hand which made him smile.

"He got it! He got it despite almost hitting the fence! Isn't he afraid of getting injured!?"

"Don't worry, I'm not as weak as you think," he got up from the ground and gave her the ball. She was pitching again and as her catcher, he was obliged to catch it no matter how hard. "Just focus on pitching. That throw just now was an easy one for the other team," somehow he seemed fine with how blunt he was, reminding her how much her control sucked.

Eirin sighed before grinning, "You scared me there for a moment, senpai."

"After one year off the field he's still so reckless," Isashiki said, crossing his arms. "What now? Sawamura's next?" Masuko elbowed him on the side— enough to make him groan out of pain because when it came to Eirin you weren't supposed to jinx anything, dammit!

"He's still the same. Giving all he's got just to get a runner out. Leading the team to win," Miyuki stared at the pair at the mound. "Kinda similar to Sawamura," he grinned when he saw Haruichi barging in and reminding Eirin to focus. "Well, she's still got a long way to go," his fingers loosened from the fence and he crossed his arms in a relaxed figure.

Eirin whose turn had just finished was in the bullpen with Haruichi— he came with her because she needed a bat. She was batting next and everyone knew what kind of tragedy that was, "I wanna get a point!" despite being a genius, perhaps that was the only thing she sucked at— batting, her control, her injury, her unlady-like manners, her brash nature… okay, maybe there was a lot.

"I want to transfer this burning passion to the bat," so far she could bat 90 km/hr, totally not normal because it was below the average bracket by a lot. She should've practiced with Raichi a bit more. "The desire to hit a home run… I'm passing it to you, my friend," Eirin stared at Haruichi seriously. The younger Kominato shook his head.

"I'm not hitting you a homerun, Ei-chan. You need to be the one who hits it for yourself,"

"Harucchi, you've seen me bat before,"

"Well… uhh… all you lack is technique and focus, Ei-chan. You can do it if you relax, I'm sure. If you get too tense you can't swing the bat right,"

"Technique?"

"Shit! Sawamura's batting next! Isashiki you bastard, you jinxed it!"

"Shut up! Don't distract her—"

Clang.

Kuramochi and Masuko who were roommates with the female pitcher had their mouths hanging open. Furuya and Miyuki looked just as shocked— wait, no, let me rephrase that… baffled, baffled would be the proper word. Eirin who was always an absolute disaster waiting to happen during practices. Eirin who probably sucked more than elementary students at batting just… just… did she just bunt!? Even the coach looked startled… just a little bit.

"Wha—"

"Sawamura successfully bunted!?"

"I-It's actually well placed and the ball's slow enough!"

"Chris-senpai easily reached second!"

"S-She increased the chance without much trouble!

The crowd cheered and everyone was giving her compliments when she walked back her position. "Grr, I wanted to hit it like bang! And get Chris-senpai back home," nobody knew why but Eirin had one specialty—bunting. "Harucchi, relax! If you get too tense you can't swing the bat right!" said Harucchi smiled at her before turning his attention back to the game.

"That's what I told you," Haruichi sighed when he got unto position. "But now that the battery has given us this chance, who wouldn't want to live up to their expectations?" stretching his arms out while holding the bat, he found the grip he was the most comfortable with. "I know that Ei-chan's not even getting started yet," his friend's cheerful voice cheering him on from afar made him smile.

"In the past practice games he had a surprising batting average of 0.530. He was selected as the top batter pushing his experienced seniors aside," the male assistant coach said as if he was scanning a resume. "What kind of answer is he going to answer coach Kataoka's expectations?" his results itself well qualifies himself for going up to the first string. Then, how good of a clutch hitter is he? How can he take full advantage of this chance?

"The entire outfield is drawn in closer so that they can throw to home easier," Haruichi stared at the pitcher while he did his wind up. Drawing back his bat, he cleanly hit the pitch, "Do they hit that I can't hit a long ball?" The runner and outfielders looked horrified along with the audience when the ball soared high.

"Foul!"

"T-The small guy took a full swing!?"

"H-He can hit a long ball!"

"The inside high pitch was meant to force him away from the plate rather than a strike so that the first pitch wouldn't get hit yet he still got it that far," the catcher groaned when he saw the calm, carefree expression on the Haruichi's face. "That brat. What are we going to do? First is empty. Do we stick to slow balls even if we give them a base from the pitches? But… even if we do that, what comes next is the first, second and third batters, top of the batting order. Either way, it's still a clutch," the catcher decided that gambling was the better choice. The outfielders looked at each other before moving back— thinking that they were too close.

Clang!

"R-Right, throw to the plate!" the catcher stood up, his head turning at the outfielders who were rushing to get the ball. "You jerk! Why are you back there!?" by then the younger Kominato had already been running through bases.

"What a scary guy," you wouldn't think that Haruichi who always hung out with the Eirin who was loud and brash could actually do such thing until he stands on the batter box, "protean bat control— that's exactly what we call natural endowments. His baseball sense might be even better than his big brother's." Chris knew that this year's batch was full of very talented players— especially those three. The regulars and assistant coaches were astonished. Of course, he was a Kominato, what'd you expect?

"Yeah! Third point! My bunt played a significant role after all,"

Eirin was bouncing up and down beside Chris who lightly scolded her for exaggerating. "Anyway, no time to congratulate yourself like that. Hurry up and get yourself in the bullpen. This will be the last inning of you and me as a battery. Give me the very best ball you've got," Eirin paused on her tracks and quietly stared at Chris' retreating back.

About to say something, Eirin opened her mouth, "Chris-senpai—"

"H-Hey, Yuu! Wait a minute!" the catcher turned his head to see his father on the other side of the fence. Eirin clenched her fists before turning a startled look at her mentor. Of course…. Yes, that's right. Only players can understand other player's feelings. Unfamiliar culture, unfamiliar environment… even Animal swung that bat single-mindedly until he retired— in order to prove his presence in this foreign country Japan.

"Father,"

"Hang in there, Yuu. Do your best,"

"Ei-chan…" the image of a thirteen year old Takeshi holding her hand, his eyes filled with tears dawned upon her. She was lying on the ground with the coach and teachers tending to her while her teammates also stood by. Was that… Satoru? Why is Takeshi crying? "Just a little bit more," Eirin could feel his hand tremble against hers and by then, tears had already made tracks on his face. What was happening? Ohh yeah, she got hit by the ball and fell down. No wonder everything looked hazy. "…keep your eyes open just a little bit more," his hand's grip on hers tightened when he saw her eyes slightly close. "Please…" it was too bright and the light was hurting her eyes.

"The teacher said that the ambulance is going soon," Furuya who was talking to the teachers told Takeshi who thanked him with a teary smile. "We can't move you because you're injured. The teachers said you were broken. I hit you with the ball," Eirin from the future would've cooed upon how cute small Furuya was if it wasn't for the fact that his eyes and hands were trembling in fear. "Please keep your eyes open by then… We'll get worried," thirteen year old Eirin nodded while the others ran around, trying to get help as soon as possible. Around her, it was only Furuya who kept calm.

"Hang in there, Sawamura-san," a hand fell on her injured one, the person trying to be as gentle as much as possible. Eirin from the future would've laughed at how Furuya addressed her with such formality.

"Satoru," Eirin looked a bit shocked when she saw Furuya on the other side of the fence. By then, Chris had already walked ahead of her and his father was also gone. "Satoru?" she had no idea why but her eyes teared up when she saw him panting and heaving. Perhaps it was because she knew that he came running but nonetheless he also looked shocked. "What's up?" her eyes smiled along with her— cheeks slightly flushed from stopping the tears from actually flowing down.

"Nothing," Furuya stared at her face when she laughed at him.

"So you came running for nothing then?" she teasingly smiled at him and tilted her head to the side in question. Immediately, the pitcher wiped the sweat off his head with the sleeve of his compression shirt and flushed. "Chris-senpai's father talked to him earlier. Animal-san told him to do his best," Furuya listened from the other side. "Kind of reminds me of someone," she raised her eyebrows teasingly at him. The pitcher only stared at her before sighing.

"Come closer," Furuya motioned a hand for her to move forward. Eirin blinked, not knowing why but surely followed. Her childhood friend also walked forward until they were only separated by the fence. "You alright?" when she was close enough to him, Furuya leaned his head to the fence. "You look weird," Eirin laughed but looked like she was about to cry nonetheless. Her childhood friend stared at her laughing face.

"How so?"

"I can tell," she might be laughing but Furuya knows it not. "It's not your usual expression," to others Furuya might sound the same all the time but to her he sounds worried and anxious even. "Are you not feeling well?" of course he was still worried about her and if one thing starts to come in his mind, the first thing would be her injury. Eirin forces a shallow laugh before leaning in as he turns his head. Their temples and eyes meet before she lowers her gaze.

Eirin holds a few of his fingers through the gaps of the fence, "Like I said… you don't have to be worried. Stop blaming yourself, Satoru." They're not holding hands and their fingers are merely grazing through each other. When Eirin looks down and sniffles, Furuya hates the fence for separating them. He tries to be as close to her as much as possible but the barrier between them keeps him from doing so. The two are silent for a second and nothing could be heard except for the cheering of the crowd and Eirin's silent cries. For Furuya both are terrifying. He's scared of both— the expectation of winning and her crying.

He has a lot of things to be worried of.

"Don't make this a big deal, Satoru," he stares at her shoulder— he can't see her injury due to her uniform but he knows that it's there. It's his fault. "Please," Eirin whispers, eyes pleading.

"Sawamura!" when Chris arrived at the scene Eirin was already a meter away from the fence while Furuya was still in the same position. The upperclassman looked back and forth from the two before noticing the glare that Miyuki's student was sporting. Chris couldn't help but smile, "can I borrow her for a second, Furuya?" Eirin's cheeks turn into the prettiest shade of pink they've ever seen while Furuya sighs.

From the opposing team's dugout, Kokushikan's best batter was lying on his back with a cap covering his face, "tch, what are you doing? She's just a first year pitcher. How embarrassing. As things are now, we can't go to Koshien this summer again. As I thought, I joined the wrong school." As he sits up, the coach slowly turns to him with the most irritated expression one could probably muster.

"Z-Zaizen, you deliberately let me hear you say that!"

"You heard me?" the said 'Zaizen' gave a canine filled grin. "Here's my special advice to you. If you're thinking of that pitcher to screw up think of another plan. The one who makes that battery work is not her. If you want to aim at someone, aim at that catcher," he pointed unto Chris who was discussing the signals again with Eirin. "In junior high he was so much of a monster but he's in the second string of Seido now, hehehe," the members of Kokushikan turned their eyes to Chris. What was he talking about?

"He once had his shoulder broken. He's a wreck now,"

"Wha— Bunting with two strikes!?" Eirin looked at the batter before hurriedly focusing back on Chris' mitt. "Don't worry about it. Pitch like you're supposed to!" Halfway unto her windup she scolded herself. Chris was looking at her, telling her to focus. Eirin gritted her teeth and pitched.

Clang.

"Ah! He bunted it, what a waste!"

"What a waste,"

Eirin's eyes narrowed weirdly before turning her eyes to the opponent's dugout. Kokushikan looked rather calm. "What's up with this?" all of a sudden she felt uneasy. "Ehh?" her eyes widened when she saw Zaizen talking to his teammates while obviously looking at Chris. "Chris-senpai?" the said mentor was talking to Kominato and the other outfielders while Eirin was still on her place— heart pounding against her chest rapidly for no particular reason. When the next batter came to position, she took a deep breath before she heard someone run behind her. Eirin twitched, "so that was what they were aiming for." Hurriedly, she pitched towards Chris' mitt. "What the hell!? A steal!?" the guy was already running on bases and Seido was in a pinch. The catcher caught the ball and threw it to the base but missed.

Bam!

"Safe!" the umpire shouted—Eirin and the members of Seido looked very shocked just like the audience. Animal stared at his openly horrified son. Chris?

"What was that? Did he slip or something?"

"That catcher made a throwing error?"

"Kuh, kuh, kuh. Ku ha ha ha! What was that!? What happened to that laser beam throw to second base!? Just like I thought, he isn't totally healed yet!" Zaiden laughed from the dugout. "Run like hell! Run all over them!" his teammates looked at him before grinning at the catcher. An injury, ehh? Miyuki clenched his fists from behind the fence. There was no point in calling them out, it was fair and the play itself was proper. Chris on the other hand… Eirin would be lying if she said that she wasn't worried. Heck, she was nervous for her mentor's sake. Rather than winning the game, she just wanted him to stop for now.

"Chris-senpai,"

"Sawamura, don't worry I'm fine," Eirin gritted her teeth — the members of Seido also looked completely worried. "One out! Outfielders prepare to throw home! Infielders one out at a time! Sawamura, don't worry about the runner and focus on the batter!" the female pitcher looked startled but nodded nonetheless. Dammit, it was because she let him get off a good jump off her. Tch, that was not happening again so they better rejoice now while they can.

"You can bunt as much as you want," Eirin started off her windup. The batter flinched before unconsciously moving out of the way. What's up with her!? "I'm only going to look at Chris-senpai's mitt from now on!" the batter stilled and moved his bat horizontally, bunting the pitch.

Clang.

"Leave it to me!" Eirin was about to go after the ball when Chris caught it first. Now, will he get the runner at third? Animal looked at the bases. There was no way he was going to make it. The throw was too late. Very late.

"Safe!"

Bam!

"Whoa, safe at third on the fielder's choice! Now the runners at first and third are safe!"

"What's wrong with that catcher? His throws have gotten really poor all of a sudden,"

"Chris-senpai?" When Eirin rounds the corner she is ashen, lips almost blue in the crazy summer heat. Her limbs moved as if some inexperienced person is controlling them remotely and her eyes are wide, looking right at him, but not really. Chris… her mentor… Chris out of all people… Eirin snapped out of her daze when someone from the dugout came laughing, dragging his bat on the ground with him. The female pitcher unconsciously clenched her fists— her nails digging hard on her palm, probably sharp enough to leave marks.

"With just two and a half years of high school baseball. Who would've known that a full year off would make such a difference. You're just a shell of your former self," Chris stared in horror at the player walking towards him. "As your former rival in the senior leagues, it's my duty to perform the last rites for you," he said while grinning. Miyuki and the other regulars looked very anxious from the sidelines

"Zaizen…"

Eirin blinked, "Zaizen?" If she remembered clearly, didn't she play against him during middle school at a practice match between Meto and Ojou? "He's the one Takeshi mentioned," blonde hair and brown eyes— he looked a bit different but it was him alright. "If I remember clearly, he injured his knee," she stared at the confident look on the pinch hitter's face. Eirin gritted her teeth. She's only been given three innings to play. Dammit, what was she doing!? She got her wish to be in a battery with Chris but… "My mistakes are now causing the whole team trouble," she doesn't have those crazy fastballs that Furuya has nor those incredible pitches that Tanba throws.

"One out, runners on the corners and to think that it was the catcher's, the one who pulled the team together, errors that made this situation,"

"Will the momentum fall to the opponent now?"

Eirin turned her head to Chris who shook his head at her, telling her not to worry. "I still haven't given Chris-senpai anything," she held the ball into a two-seamer before making her way to the mound again. "Sawamura, you were Ojou's ace for a reason. You can do this," Haruichi blinked when he saw the expression on her face. Furuya's eyes slightly narrowed. "You've faced stronger players before. Zaizen is a piece of cake," stretching her limbs, she turned her eyes on the former ace on front of her.

"Zaizen? Isn't that Naoyuki Zaizen!? In middle school I got the golden sombrero from him!"

"Yeah, I couldn't do anything either,"

"Are you serious!? What kind of beast is he to do that to the two of you!?" Kuramochi asked, looking astonished. Who would have thought that two of Seido's regulars have been through such from a single player— ohh well, everyone's been through all kinds of stuff at this point. "This is bad! Sawamura! Chris-senpai!" who even knows what would happen to that pair. In the state that Chris is in and how Eirin's pitching… no one could predict anything.

"I met you in the hospital once right? How has your shoulder been, since then?" Zaizen grinned darkly at Chris.

The catcher's eyes turned grim, "So I was the one that was being targeted." One out, runners on the corners. How will the other team attack us now? Will they go for the jugular? Or will they play small ball? Or will they have the runner on first run and completely force me out of the game? "Damn, I'm so pathetic. I knew that I'm not the same as I was once, but—" his thoughts were cut off when someone called him from afar.

"Chris-senpai," people other than Chris also turned their attention on the girl standing on the mound. "Let's focus on the batter, nee?" there is was —Eirin's signature grin which seemed to snap him out his daze. "I'm going to pitch to contact so everyone please be ready— ow!" she turned her head to the outfielders cheerfully before getting karate chopped on the head.

"You're doing that again,"

"Yeah, it's not like you have any other options,"

"Haha, sorry? Maezono-kun, Harucchi,"

"Hahaha, you're quite funny you know, kid? Bring it on!" Zaizen challenged the girl— was anything really even appropriate at this point? Eirin of course, tried to speak up but was held back by Haruichi. She was really good with insults and verbal fights. Like… like… like really good. "You look very familiar you know! You look like that girl from Ojou— ehh…" despite the sudden silence in the field, you could hear the regulars' roaring laughter from the outer fence. "Sawamura?" he pointed at her and Eirin pointed at herself while nodding. "The one in a battery with Yamato? Yamato Takeshi?" she nodded again.

"Anyway… I'm gonna make you cry!"

"Wha— before I leave this batter's box, you'll be the one crying!"

Chris showed a small smile when Eirin got into a sudden fight with the batter. Haruichi was nearly bursting into panic mode just to make sure that their pitcher doesn't jump on their opponent all of a sudden. "I can't believe it. She's even calmer in this situation than I am," Eirin was finally resorting to throwing childish insults to Zaizen like 'blondie'— it surprisingly kind of worked though. "You should be careful with her Zaizen. Her pitches are not that easy to hit," the catcher said making the batter obviously irritated.

"I know that! She from Ojou for kami's sake," Zaizen gritted his teeth, clearly irritated before finding his position. "Dammit, why is she here in Seido out of all places? And second string? Something's clearly wrong with their ranking order here, oi!" He couldn't stand it. That kid with the twinkle in her eye and that catcher who put his trust in his little freshman. What's up with this battery? It's freaking him out. "I'll show 'em and hit her pitch far," his grip on the bat turned tight.

"And what do you mean by focus on the batter!?"

"It means no whining when you get hit!" Zaizen slightly twitched while Miyuki from afar struggled not to laugh. Seido doesn't even look bothered anymore.

"Of course," Eirin grinned under her cap before starting her wind up. "Chris-senpai will catch anything I throw at him," her left leg raised and all of her weight shifted unto it when it reached the ground. The pitcher's right hand whipped out behind her shoulder all of a sudden and the ball appeared in Zaizen's vision, spinning for a split second before disappearing unto Chris' mitt.

Bam!

Chris couldn't help but slightly knit his eyebrows. His mitt was smoking and his hand hurt not because of his injury but because of the force from the throw itself. Seido, Kokushikan and the audience looked dumbfounded. They stared as if she'd just produced a rhinoceros from her pocket. She could just imagine the sparks in their brain, desperately trying to connect the dots and instead just causing a short circuit. They looked like pop-eyed toys from one of those claw machines at the fun fair. Perfectly funny. The regular second year catcher shook his head. He had seen and caught her crossfire before so why is he still staring, dammit. That pitch, perhaps even Furuya wouldn't be able to manage to master that technique.

"S-Strike,"

Eirin grinned, golden eyes still bright and shining from adrenaline.

[05:32 P.M, April 28, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]
-That's great! Congratulations for winning against Kokushikan, Ei-chan! I really wanted to see you play, maybe next time though. You might get promoted with Chris-senpai to the first string, I'm crossing my fingers. Do your best! Ohh, and is that guy still following you? What's his name anyway? He sounds so creepy and I hope he stops. Always be careful okay? And look after yourself. If that guy is still there just tell me and we'll go undercover on him, hahaha.

"Sawamura, who are you texting during dinner? Eat your food before it turns cold!" Isashiki pointed unto Eirin's plate which was barely finished. Furuya and Haruichi stared at their friend while Kuramochi struggled to keep a straight face— he knew exactly who it was. Eirin noticed the look on her roommate's face before glaring at him. "You're wasting the food!" the female pitcher immediately typed and sent her reply before nodding and digging in her bowl again.

[05:33 P.M, April 27, 2016] [to SANADA SHUNPEI]
-I haven't seen him earlier. He wasn't even at the game earlier. Hopefully he stopped or I'm totally going to slap him. Only two people get promoted to the first string. I'm sure that Haruichi would get promoted so… hmm… hopefully it's me or Chris-senpai. I'd be happier if it is him though. Or it could be the three of us, who knows. I really want to form a battery with him. Hopefully, there's still a chance. And like I said, I'll be fine! The great Sawamura Eirin never catches a cold, hahaha.

"Who was that? Your boyfriend?" Miyuki's initial thought was to tease her but when she coughed and choked on her food, his eyes widened. "Wha— Seriously!? You're not joking?" he would've commented unto how unlady-like she acted but he was more concerned about the shade of pink that dusted her cheeks. The other regulars stared, looking a bit astonished while Haruichi hurriedly tried to give her a glass of water. "Sawamura's got a boyfriend? This time for real? Or is it the same guy from Yakushi that Kuramochi was talking about?" Kuramochi scoffed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sawamura-chan's popular and nice," Masuko downed his fourth cup of pudding since he had finished dinner way ahead of others. "She's also very pretty, uga. It's not that surprising to hear that she has a boyfriend," Furuya and Miyuki stared again. Their heads have been too occupied by baseball that they forgot everyone had their own lives to live. This wasn't some sort of shoujo manga. Get your act together please! And Masuko made sense anyway. Despite her flaws—cough—many— flaws, Eirin was smart, athletic, nice and not to mention drop dead gorgeous. Have you seen her height? She was fairly taller than most of the female students in school and Nagano girls tend to look more exotic than those from Tokyo. Long brown hair, cat-like golden eyes and rosy lips— uwaaa. Damn, if only she was more feminine.

"Does… Chris-senpai know?" Furuya asked hesitantly, he couldn't think or any other excuse.

"No! Dammit! We're not dating or anything! Were just friends! Friends talk to each other right?" Eirin wiped her mouth with her arm making Haruichi somehow flinch because Ei-chan please be more mindful and careful. "Stop getting the wrong idea! I'm totally focused on baseball right now," when she also drank the younger Kominato's glass, everyone stared. Well, was there even anyone who could stand the way she is? The baseball club could but who else would? Kuramochi could think of some but…

"What about that omiai you went to then,"

Eirin coughed, "W-Wha—"

"Yeah! You were meeting up some unknown guy!"

"Ei-chan," the female pitcher's heart got struck when Haruichi turned to her with a frown on his face. "You don't tell us anything about yourself," it was kind of unfair since she knew all of their birthdays and they've only been together since March. It was the last week of April and they still barely knew her— Furuya might know more since he's known her earlier than them. "And you're being secretive by texting. What if it's a rival in baseball?" Kuramochi and Eirin flinched, a bit scared— that was… that was some scary intuition.

"A-Anyway, it's not that important! We have class to go tomorrow—"

"You're not going to class. Your grandfather wrote in a letter to the teachers with a doctor's permit from various physicians— I don't even know how your grandfather does that, he asked them to let you take a couple of days off after getting discharged just to make sure that you get your energy back. You have two days to heal up. Even the coach said so,"

"W-Wha—"

"You played in a match after an hour of getting discharged. Rest,"

"But—"

"Just stay in your room or run around do something then. You're not allowed to touch a ball for two days. After that it's hell so be prepared,"

Eirin sighed. She should've known that her grandfather was going to do this. From afar, she could already hear her ancestors laugh at her foolishness. Dammit, she should've just injured it and fainted at their room in the first place. Kuramochi and Masuko would just leave her alone thinking that she was asleep and her ban wouldn't be extended like this. Well, she also got to form a battery with Chris earlier so it's all worth it anyway.

Blip. Blip. Buzz.

"Mei?"

[05:42 P.M, April 27, 2016] [NARUMIYA MEI]
- Hime-sama! I heard from mom that you are free the next two days— she was the one who made the permit. The third years in my school are also taking their exams during that time so we first and second years don't have class. I know that you're going to be bored with no one to talk to while your friends are in class so I wanted to ask if you wanted to hang out. Or you could just talk to my mom… so you'd be healthy again…

Okay so Mei might beat Haruichi when it comes to intuition. His luck was just amazing and the fact that his mother was close to Eirin's grandfather? Hah, he's just like a shoujo manga hero. Eirin's eyes lit up at the message, his excuses were way too funny.

[05:43 P.M, April 27, 2016] [to NARUMIYA MEI]
-Ohh, well, sure, I'm free anyway. Help me practice my batting skills tomorrow, will you? I played in a game earlier and I flopped. I have lots of things to tell you and we only saw each other like… last week? We played against Kokushikan today.

Blip. Blip. Buzz.

Eirin flinched because it wasn't even a minute and she already got a reply.

[05:43 P.M, April 27, 2016] [NARUMIYA MEI]
-Hime-sama, of course I would help you! Please tell me that you would stay over. Mom's kind of worried because you played in a game. Said that you need a check-up. It sounds like an excuse but it's not. She's actually dying right now. She's never like this with me.

The female pitcher grinned.

[05:44 P.M, April 27, 2016] [to NARUMIYA MEI]
-Tell her that I'll make sure to bring clothes this time around, okay? Hahaha.

Eirin turned her phone's screen off before looking at Furuya who was staring at her all this time.

"What?"

Hi, guys! Eirin will know what happened to her stalker in the next chapter so expect some platonic!KuraSawa to occur. There's some sort of FuruSawa action in this chapter but it's not that much. You guys can decide if you see it as something romantic or platonic. Honestly speaking though, I'm not that good with MiyuSawa and I don't know what scenarios to do with them. If you have any suggestions or scenarios you might want to see please do not hesitate to tell me because I'll try, I'll really try to incorporate it in the story. I better do that much since I update so slow.

And anyway, polls are still open so please vote for who you want Eirin to end up with. For now the pairings would be all over the block so that you'd get to choose who you really want. Please tell me who you want her heart to beat for! I'm sorry if the pairing is still undecided, lots of people want Miyuki but Mei is not running low either. And if you're confused or if you want to ask questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I try to answer them on the A/N above. For now that's all. Please accept this extra-long chapter as my apology for not updating in three months.

Ciao~!