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: So I haven't updated for like a month and a half and I have no excuse for it, I have been procrastinating. But hey, I updated! It's now cool right? I finished 5/8'ths of this chapter in June but then I got really tired and I didn't want to proofread anything and before I knew it I was playing 'Harvest Moon' and taking care of my avatar so… yeah.
Guest – "Is she going to be a Mary Sue?"
To those who don't know what a 'Mary Sue' is it means a female heroine who is always perfect. No, Eirin is not perfect in this story. I dropped hints in the last chapter and she's just the same as Eijun in the canon story which means she sucks at batting. And let's be real, she's not going to get in the first string that easily. She still has a lot of flaws which you'll find out after reading this chapter.
Cameroniele-"Yuka had me rollin on the floor hahah she's so awesome are you sure she's three? I have a few questions by the way. Does Eirin have some sort of connection to Furuya? Is Yamato actually going to Seido with her? Is she going to become the ace? Will Ojou take her back? Cause it's so awesome."
Yes, Yuka is actually three. It must have been someone substituting her innocent bed time stories with shojou manga. And yes, Eirin has some sort of connection with Furuya. It's in this chapter so I won't spoil anything until you guys finish reading it. No, Yamato is not going to Seido with her. He's going to stay in Ojou and she's not going to become the ace really easily. There's still Furuya and not to mention, she has… problems which you'll see in this chapter. As for Ojou, will they take her back? Hmm… probably. Only her friends and a couple of her previous teammates know that she's going to Seido. But, that'll take a long shot. Probably a couple more chapters and the answer will be revealed.
AxisPowers – "Hey is it fine? I have a couple of questions. Did something happen that Eirin started to pitch using her right hand? You mentioned that she is ambidextrous in the A/N. Second, is Yamato going with her to Seido because if he does come with her, I'm curious about Miyuki's reaction. Third, does Sanada and Eirin talk/text each other? Will they meet during matches? I'm so excited for this one. Lastly, what about Furuya? Are Yamato and Eirin involved with him in something? I can't wait for the next chapter honestly. So awesome!"
As I mentioned in the previous chapter, she's ambidextrous for a reason and that will be revealed in this chapter. Yamato is not going with her and yes, Sanada and Eirin talk to each other for a couple of times. As for matches, yes they will meet in the future. Yamato, Eirin and Furuya have met each other in the past. Everything you just asked will be cleared up in this chapter.
Namelessjoker- "Yamato Takeshi? Is it coincidence that his name is almost the same as Katekyo Hitman Reborn's Yamamoto Takeshi? And holy cow, their school is named 'Princess'? No offense but I kinda laughed at that! I look forward to the next chapter!"
Well, now that you mention it, it's kind of similar. I based the name on 'Yamato Takeru', a character in Eyeshield 21. I was like… 'well, I can't completely copy the name' and 'what goes well with Yamato?'. During that time, I kind of remembered Mori-senpai from Ouran, he's a 'Takeshi' so yeah… But hey, I guess you do have a point. As for their school name, it's also from Eyeshield 21 XD Ojou means 'princess' or 'Milady' yes, I am aware. But that's why I chose it. Remember Seido's cheer? When Seido and Ojou are going to face off, Ojou is also going to have a huddle cheer which is going to be awesome. It's also named Ojou because it fits the concept of White Knights. They serve their Alma matter, like knights to their Queen, with nobility and readiness to put everything on the line.
As for the poll, I'm taking count. Keep voting and enjoy this chapter guys~! Ciao!
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 Two: The Determination To Keep Standing
Eirin's eyes focused on the magazine in front of her. She was so sure that the picture on the page belonged to that bastard catcher of Seido. It seems like he was talented after all. She found out that his name was Miyuki Kazuya and that he is the regular catcher of the school that scouted her. It appears that he was a year older than her and she gritted her teeth, a bit annoyed at that. Even until now she couldn't get the sound of his mitt out of her ears. The way his eyes looked so serious when he asked for a pitch. The way he grinned when he provoked her. That excitement she felt when he caught her throw.
"Show me that you're a feisty heroine who's more than just a pretty face then,"
The girl groaned. She just wanted to hit him all of a sudden.
He was such a bastard.
"I'll show you feisty," she muttered under her breath.
If she played with him just how much better will she get? Yamato never told her what to do. He always let her be. She was a prodigy in his eyes and she hated that. She hated the fact that she couldn't rely on others for help. Or is it just that she never asked? The battery she formed with her childhood friend was perfect and airproof. It was too perfect that mistakes were not forgiven and overlooked. One wrong move and their reputation would be destroyed. It has been like that since they entered junior high.
They were asked to join in order to have new members and if it wasn't for Eirin, Yamato wouldn't have entered. It was a way to kill time. In their second year of junior high a regular got his shoulder injured and that was when they saw a thread, a red string. They had to climb it up and before they knew it they were Ojou's puppet in strings competing with others for ranks and numbers.
Perfection?
Glory?
Power?
She never wanted any of that. All she wanted was to have fun, not rivalry inside a group and defending her honor. She was tired. She wanted to be in an actual team and not play on her own. Perhaps Seido was giving her that chance. But leaving the town for Tokyo? That was a bit crazy. And not to mention that she'd be in her school's rival team, what would she do if she did go to Koshien and face off with her former team mates? That means she would be playing against her friends and upperclassmen! The very same people who helped her train and improve.
Eirin groaned.
She was the one who dragged Yamato into playing baseball. She can't just leave him like that. Sure he said that he'll be transferring with her but she knew that both of his parents, right from the start hated the sport. They were lucky that they allowed him to play but that cost him to be wary of nearly everything. He always needed to be in the top three of the school or else it was goodbye to baseball. They would never allow him to go with her! He was never interested in sports to begin with and he just stuck with her. How could she possibly betray him?
She just… can't.
Eirin blinked when she heard her phone ring. Someone just messaged her. She unlocked her phone's password and went through her inbox. There had been a couple of messages after another from her friends and she softly smiled. It was supposed to be her graduation day today but because she was kicked out, she could not attend even though her name was still included. Her grandfather on the other hand was the one who claimed her diploma and certificate from the teachers in private this morning. She tapped on her phone, opening one message after another. Most of them were from her classmates. She expected them to be questions but was then proved wrong.
[11:52 A.M, March 03, 2016] [MITSUKURI GIN]
-It's awesome that you got scouted by Seido, Ei-chan! We wish you the best and good luck! By the way, the class is having a party as Taira's place later. Better come! We still have a lot of things to tell you. Don't even think about skipping like what you did at the graduation ceremony this morning!
[11:52 A.M, March 03, 2016] [AOTSUKI WAKANA]
-Ei-chan, you're so cruel! You didn't tell me that you were going to transfer! You should have seen the look on our faces when we asked your grandfather why you were absent for almost a week straight! I assume that the others had already told about the farewell party? Wear something nice okay? A dress! I'll be interrogating you later so prepare yourself!
[11:53 A.M, March 03, 2016] [TAKATSUKASA SHIMA]
-Kohai! Yamato told us that you're not going to attend Ojou anymore. You should have seen Taketomo-senpai's reaction when he discovered that. We're worried for the baseball club's future now! We only have two pitchers left. Not that we're going to lose though. Good luck!
[11:54 A.M, March 03, 2016] [HONJOU MIYU]
-Ei-chan! Seido scouted you! And I was last to know! We're both girls why didn't you tell me? I'm going to congratulate you for now okay? I still have a lot of things to ask later at the party so you better come! I'm feeling a bit bitter because you were not at the graduation ceremony earlier.
[11:55 A.M, March 03, 2016] [ARAI YUKINO]
-I miss you already Ei-chan! I like seeing you follow your dreams though. Go chase after Seido! It's a good chance so don't let it go! I'm just a bit worried that you'll have no friends because no offense everyone is scared of you because of your pitching. It might be different when you transfer so I don't really know. Just give me a call when you're sad okay? And don't skip the party later! I bet Yamato already told you that though.
[11:55 A.M, March 03, 2016] [TAIRA SHION]
-Oi, what's this I'm hearing huh. You're going to transfer to Seido? That's a rival school you dumbass! As the captain I won't allow you. But I guess it's useless to persuade you at this point. Go get them, Eirin. You're Ojou's ace so don't let us down!
A tick mark appeared on the girl's forehead before she silently growled. That damned Eitoku-jiji! He didn't really have to tell them everything! She was planning on doing it herself and he just ruined all of her carefully schemed plan! But she really didn't expect them to reply like that. She thought that they would be more vexed, furious maybe. Her friends has always been scolding her when she did something dumb or make an offense. Even though their words were nice to hear and encouraging, she felt her heart ache a bit. Then her phone rang again…
Yamato Takeshi.
Ohh, here it is.
"Yo," she greeted him with a cheerful tone. Eirin would be lying if she said that she didn't expect this. He has always been the first one to inform her of things. It was also probably the reason why her classmates didn't include any information about the party in their messages. They relied on her childhood friend too much. "What's up?" the student was lying on her stomach while her free hand flipped through the pages of the magazine where Miyuki's interview was.
Yamato on the other side of the line coughed, "A lady does not say such words as a greeting, Ei-chan. What do you mean 'Yo, what's up?'" She knew that he was only teasing her and she grinned. "Or have you already forgotten about Ojou's teachings and had moved on? You didn't even attend the graduation ceremony! And by the way, Eitoku-jii-sama told the others about you transferring. I hope you were not startled by the messages?" she held back a scoff. He always referred to her grandfather as '–sama ' and she told him that her grandfather was not nice at all. The elder just acted decent and proper towards others unlike how he does to her. Now she sounded like the bad guy. Yamato insisted that it was just right and proper to address the head of the Sawamura house with respect.
"I have been informed of that Takeshi no kimi," she mocked him back with a very regal and dignified voice which she rarely used. When she heard no reply from him she giggled as if she was wearing a kimono and was laughing at her sleeve. "Now why did you call?" It was astonishing how fast she recovered and changed her tone. This time she sounded bored and her eyes scanned the page before her. She lowly growled when she saw the page she was on. Why won't the bastard Tanuki, Miyuki Kazuya leave her alone for a second! How many pages is he in anyway?
Yamato laughed on the other side of the line and said, "You read the Book of Five Rings too much, Ei-chan. There's going to be a party at the Taira estate and everyone expects you to be present. Are you going to be available at around six thirty? Don't even think about skipping, I've already told your grandfather earlier and he agreed."
"Hmm, well I'm free. I can go! What about the dress code?"
"Ei-chan, it's a formal party. And knowing Taira's family it's going to be something grand,"
"So it's a dress? Okay then,"
"Just so you know I'm going to pick you up later at six to make sure you're wearing something proper and I'm going to ask Eitoku-jii-sama to make you change if I see you wearing jeans and a shirt—Ehh? W-What did you just say?"
"I said okay, I'm going to wear a dress later,"
"Who are you and what did you do to Ei-chan?"
Eirin laughed at his acclaim, "It's the last time I'll be meeting the others for a while. It seems like I'm really going to Seido huh?" Well she didn't really consider transferring schools at first but hearing her friends assume that she's already leaving somehow scarred her heart and encouraged her to move on. Not that there were any other school options. There were no other good schools in Nagano aside from Ojou and some public ones which were really far away from her house. She wanted one with a well-structured baseball club anyway.
"And just so you know I'll be wearing something white," she could literally hear him choke on thin air. He was probably blushing by now or so she thinks.
"Then… it's a white tie for me then," she chuckled at his response. Yamato was very excited. He didn't get to see her during the graduation ceremony so he was anticipating for six o' clock to come. When it did, he immediately headed to her house by his family's car dressed in his own attire.
Yamato walked on the Sawamura estate's stone path with his hands clenched. He was wearing a suit which was black and his formal button up, pants and shoes were in the same color. His white necktie was loosely tied while his hair his was brushed to the side. He looked handsome in fact. Standing 5'9 in height and with midnight blue eyes no one would try to deny him. Everyone even bets that he has a chance to catch a hot model as his girlfriend. He had no idea why he was so clammy though.
Eirin's mother, Sawamura Sumire, who kindly opened the gate for him giggled at the sight and asked, "What are you getting nervous for Takeshi-kun?"
He flinched on his place before replying, "I'm… worried that she might not be wearing the appropriate attire. It's already a little bit pass six and if she changes we have no time left. We'll be late." Sumire glanced at him and laughed.
Ohh, kami.
All the lies he has been telling. From his parents and chauffeur, now even to Eirin's mother.
He was actually nervous because—
"Takeshi!" the voice belonged to Eirin and he glanced at the main house's door which slid open.
He paused on breathing and took in the sight in front of him. Her long hair was done in waves and a front braid. She wore such little amount of make-up and he concluded that it was not done by her because she absolutely sucked at it. Perhaps Sumire helped her with that. Hints of eye shadow, mascara, blush, gloss and powder were enough. She was wearing a long white formal evening dress which seemed to flow in layers. Her hands and neck were bare while on her feet were—sneakers?
Takeshi was about to walk towards her but paused on his tracks when he noticed. He crossed his arms and raised a brow at her. Eirin's mother took a step forward before gasping at her daughter and asked, "What's with your feet? What happened to the shoes I gave you earlier?
"They're three inches Mom! Three inches! That's too much for me!" she complained while being pushed inside the house by her mother. Like hell with three inches! People could wall with six and three is not even that high. Yamato sighed and followed. And there he was thinking that Eirin would look like a bride wearing a white dress. Miracles don't happen that easily huh? Wait… what did he just… The catcher turned red before shaking his head to make the blush on his face disappear.
Eirin's grandfather entered the living room they were in and blinked before grinning and teasing them, "You two are already getting married huh?"
Ohh wait. Let Yamato take that back.
Miracles do happen.
Eirin was muttering something under her breath as she struggled to put on her strappy white three inch heels. "Go away jiji!" she exclaimed rather loudly only to hear laughter from the elder. He on the other hand was covering the bottom half of his face with his hand. "Other colors don't suit me anyway! I can't pull of red, orange is way too flashy, yellow is too bright for a formal party at night, green doesn't look good on me, I don't have any blue dresses, I don't like violet and black reminds me of the darkness where a lot of yokai live and manifest— "
"Okay we get it. Just get going already! Takeshi is waiting for you!" her mother helped her get up and Eirin turned to face Takeshi who had a soft smile on his face. He has been listening to the entire thing and being childhood friends with the girl definitely did make him get used to such scene. It was a lively one in fact. He had been to the Sawamura estate a couple of times before in his childhood and for the past years. It was always a rowdy sight.
"Takeshi!"
"You look nice, Ei-chan. Shall we go?" he asked as he offered her his arm.
Eirin grinned and accepted, "Sure!"
The pitcher pranced into the Taira mansion's wide hall with her childhood friend trailing behind her. In Eirin's opinion the party was rather grand for just fifty people if you include their homeroom teacher Sano. But Ojou and its students were always over the top and by the years she had already learned that. As if immediately, when she walked towards her friends, as if metal and magnet the others started to crowd around her.
"You're going to transfer!?"
"Why did you not attend the graduation ceremony earlier?"
"You were absent for about a week and we haven't seen you since!"
"Ei-chan, we heard from your grandfather that you got scouted by Seido. So how did it go?" her friend Miyu asked in the most refined manner. Most of the girls acted and spoke that way, feminine and as if defenseless. Eirin didn't even consider pretending to be that way even if it was for the sake of her grades. "You accepted it right? It would be such a waste! Who knows, you might get drafted in the national team again. Last time it was impossible because of your age right?" the others behind her nodded.
"Seido is okay, probably the same as Ojou just not with the manners and stuff. The baseball club was awesome! It's like war there with everyone training like mad. There's this Enoki guy who was the star player of the Sakuragaoka Jr. High that we played against to last year and the coach doesn't even seem to notice him!" her classmates seemed to awe at that. She was always fluent when it came to baseball.
Wakana smiled, "You're finally following your dreams, Ei-chan!"
She turned and looked at them with her smile slowly disappearing.
"Go for it, Ei-chan!"
"We'll support you no matter where you go!"
"Yeah, we'll even cheer for you when Ojou faces against Seido in Koshien! "
"Really?" they didn't seem to notice the hint of sadness in her voice and how her eyes smiled fake at their remarks.
"Ei-chan, if it's you then nothing is impossible!"
"Take flight to your dreams! It's what you want right?"
Eirin lowered her head. She could feel her eyes starting to water a bit.
"Aww, don't be so sad. We'll be fine! In fact, the room will be quiet without you! We'll miss you though!"
That's not it.
"You're the lady representative right? Prove that to Seido, Ei-chan!"
I want to stay with you guys.
"So, where's Taira? I want to greet him. Do you want to come with me, Ei-chan?" before she knew it she was already getting dragged by Yamato towards the veranda. No one was there and it was silent while the light from the hall shone at them through the large arched French doors. She was silent while he leaned over the railing with his hair blown by the wind. It was freezing. It was cold. But Eirin did not notice because she held her head down.
After a few seconds, she leaned on the cold metal with her elbows, "The air doesn't feel like its nearing summer at all."
Yamato inched forward and draped his blazer around her bare shoulders, "You'll catch a cold."
Eirin just hummed in response.
"They really ask a lot of questions huh? And I thought I explained the case well earlier," he sighed at the end of his sentence. He glanced at her who seemed to flinch before laughing. He softly frowned at the worried look on her face. "Is something bothering you?" they have known each other for years in order to identify the difference. In their case, being childhood friends and forming a battery, they have a thicker bond between them than any other would expect.
"I guess you didn't tell them that I got kicked out," she grinned at him.
"It was not my place to do so. I figured that you wanted to tell them yourself,"
"Yeah, I would like that,"
Yamato softly smiled at her before saying, "So did you enroll at Seido yet? We have less than a month before the new school year starts." She paused at that and looked at him with a crestfallen expression. He was willing to go with her but she knows that it's impossible. She clearly heard the way he referred to the two of them as 'we' but that was not going to happen. He noticed the biting expression she had before he laughed bitterly and continued, "What? I'm going to go with you. I thought I told you that last time?"
Eirin simply stared at him while he continued on smiling at her and said, "But you can't just leave your parents for baseball. We're lucky that they let you play the sport with me in Ojou but they won't let you go to Tokyo just for that." He flinched at her words. Yes, his parents were strict. He came from a well-off family that had no connections to the field of athletics but he could care less.
"My parents have nothing to do with my decisions, Eirin. I want to continue playing baseball with you. We want the same right? We're a battery,"
"What I want and what I am supposed to do are two different things,"
"What do you want then?"
"I want… to go to Seido," she answered him and he gave no reply. He waited for her to continue and she did, "Takeshi, I want to be in a team. I don't want to be the ace just because everybody expects me to be and when I fail they get disappointed. I don't want to cause more trouble for you guys just because I can't control how I act."
Yamato avoided her gaze at that and asked, "What are you supposed to do then?"
"I'm going to accept Seido's offer and I'm leaving you here," she could see his hands turning white from the grip he was applying on the railing. "Not because I want to but because it's needed. I don't want to involve you in my mistakes, Takeshi. You deserve better and Ojou is going to give you that. Your parents are not going to allow you anyway." He saw her sad smile and he sighed. Eirin has always been considerate since they were young. She always weighed out options and picked the one where most people benefits the best and ignored what she desired to do. He doesn't know if that was a good quality of her though.
"Is the baseball club of Seido good?" he asked her with his tone sounding a bit sad.
She nodded and replied, "They're great. There's definitely someone who caught my eye when I came to visit."
"They need you in Ojou," her eyes were dead serious and she could see his hands go to his sides and his head turn to the ground. "You can't come with me to Seido, Takeshi," the cold wind blew and it froze her fingertips. She wasn't sure if he felt the cold since he looked the same but if you looked closely, you would be able to see how his eyes were a bit crestfallen.
Yamato sighed and painfully closed his eyes, "I see."
"Takeshi— "
"I'm going to greet the others. I'll talk to you later,"
It was the second week of March and the new term started in about a week and a half. Eirin found herself looking out of the train and gazing at the cherry blossoms that they passed by. In the end, she never told her classmates and friends that she was already leaving. Yamato didn't even contact her after what happened at the party. She was heading to Tokyo and ready to move at the dorms. She was already enrolled and her things were sent to the school though he had no idea who'll she be with. A couple more minutes and the train would stop on her destination. Eirin sighed, a bit nervous. She glanced at her phone which rang and showed a new message.
[10:57 A.M, March 25, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]
-Well congratulations on getting admitted to Seido. Our teams might face each other during the road to Koshien so I'm hoping to see you pitch. Good luck!
Eirin grinned. She and Sanada have been exchanging messages for a while now and it has been fun. They talked about a lot of things especially baseball. Sanada was interested in Ojou and her while he also told her about his teammates. "You bet! I'm going to be working my ass off just to be on the regular line-up!" she typed and pressed sent. A few moments later her phone rang again.
[10:59 A.M, March 15, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]
-I'll be looking forward to it then, Eirin!
Well she was confident that she'll be making it in the second string at least. She wasn't really exactly sure if she's going to make it on the first string though. Seido was different from Ojou after all. What she knows is that she was definitely going to work hard to prove that gender in baseball doesn't matter. Females were now allowed to participate in Koshien so yes, this was her chance!
"Our next stop is Tokyo, Kokubunji Station,"
Well would you look at that. Eirin stood up from her seat and out of the line when the train stopped. She scanned her card and tried to get out of the station when-
"Sawamura-chan~!" Eirin twitched. They only met once but she clearly remembers whose voice it was. She froze on her place and scowled at the person who stood a couple of meters away from her. "Don't just stand there! I'm going to leave you, you know," he chuckled at her with that demonic grin. Eirin forced herself to stop scoffing. She recognizes that chestnut hair anywhere. And those glasses…
"Miyuki Kazuya!" she huffed with her hands on her hips as she stomped towards him.
That damned Tanuki!
"What? Rei-chan was busy so she asked me to pick you up! It's a privilege so be grateful," he smirked at her teasingly. "And all I have to do is walk with you anyway. The school is just a ten minute walk from the station," he added.
She shook her head at him and replied, "I can take care of myself!" by then the two of them started to walk.
"Why do you hate me so much anyway? It kind of hurts my feelings you know," he teased and acted on a frown. She froze and glanced at him with a scowl. Well now that you mention it, he really didn't do anything that bad for her to despise him. "And we'll be working together from now on so you have no choice but to bear with it," her eyes widened at that. If she did make it into the first string then yes, she definitely has to work and form a battery with him.
She frowned and looked at him before saying, "I don't really hate you. I just… don't like you. You're completely different from Takeshi. And I haven't pitched to anyone other than him and the coaches before."
He raised a brow at her statement. Now that made him curious. "Well sorry for not being kind and considerate. Just so you know Seido is a warzone for baseball players so we'll treat everyone the same way, female or not. Don't compare us to some elite school like Ojou," he answered rather grimly.
Eirin rolled her eyes at his assumption and answered, "That's not it. It's just that…"
"That?"
"Takeshi never asked me to throw a specific pitch before," her voice sounded sad and he paused in order to continue looking at her. "After I threw the crossfire pitch you asked for one down in the middle. That's why I don't like catchers your type! Well not really but… I'm not used to it I guess," Miyuki stared at her and noticed her crestfallen expression.
"A cross fire pitch,"
Miyuki's eyes widened and he stared at the ball in his hands. If time could dramatically stop it would be the perfect time to do so. The athletes on the sidelines looked baffled at the scene and were somehow whispering. No one expected her to throw such a difficult pitch at such young age. He turned his attention towards her. She was glancing at her surroundings while rotating her shoulders. She looks calm, has she done this many times before?
"Sawamura!" he exclaimed showing her his mitt.
Her eyes widened. Down in the middle?
Eirin grinned before starting her windup. Why not?
He was silent for a second and stared at her face. "Yamato Takeshi never asked you to throw a specific pitch?" he laughed and she glared at him. He was just teasing her to lift her spirits up. "Don't worry. I'm not that kind of catcher. I'm completely different from him," he assured her, not exactly sure what to feel about that. He sometimes let the pitchers throw whatever pitch they wanted but most of the time it was based on his decision.
She threw him daggers for the second time with her eyes and replied, "Yes, I know. You are completely different from Takeshi. You're a jerk and a bastard that likes to irritate people!" He grinned down at her for that one.
"Well thank you,"
"That wasn't a compliment!"
Soon, even before they knew it they were already inside the school's grounds and Miyuki was walking her towards the Greenhorn dorm. Seido looked the same as she remembers, like the last time she came but one thing definitely caught her attention for sure. There were players in the mound practicing, running and training. She blinked at that and Miyuki seemed to notice her questioning look. "Even though it's spring vacation we still practice hard in the morning. There's also afternoon training but most of the regulars stay for the whole day. Some extend till night beyond curfew in their own time," he answered but Eirin remained silent with her gaze focused on the bunch. Even Ojou which was an elite school didn't practice or even try this hard. This was beyond what she was able to understand.
"Why is it that everyone is training so hard? Why do you all want to go to Koshien?" she faced him with a desperate expression. She did not understand why the players of Seido always exerted such efforts. Was it because they wanted to prove something? To get scouted and drafted in the national team? Some were not even in the first string so why try so hard when you know that you'll not have a chance to step on the mound and play?
"Unlike the players of Ojou everyone is not blessed with the natural talent for baseball. It's all because of sheer work and determination that everyone is able to improve. We want to go to Koshien because we're a team and its proof that we are strongly forged,"
Eirin's eyes narrowed, "For… the power and glory?"
Miyuki shook his head and replied before grinning, "Because we are challengers." She softly smiled taking it as an answer for now before walking away from the scene. Seido sure is strange and Miyuki was even worse. She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if she stuck around for a couple of months.
"And we're here! Ja jan, welcome to the dorm where everyone from the baseball club who is far away from home lives! Seeing that you're rich and from Ojou you can start complaining now and I won't even stop you because the first time I arrived here, I was also baffled by the sight,"
Eirin crossed her arms and replied, "Why do you assume that just because I'm from Ojou means that I'm rich and annoying? It looks like a regular apartment to me but what's up with all this underwear!?" It almost looked like there was a bargain sale. Miyuki chuckled, completely amused by her reaction and paused on his tracks. The girl who was trailing behind him was startled and hit his back, "Dammit! Don't just stop walking all of a sudden—" she turned to look at the door he stopped in front of.
The pitcher gulped. On small wooden planks her name was written on besides other two who she assumed were her roommates. It was her first time living with other people before and the thought slightly terrified her. Miyuki grinned and said, "Well my job ends here. You'll get along well with them," he assumed out the blue. The catcher walked further away from the dorms and perhaps towards the field while she had her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath before turning it and-
"Gah!" someone covered in blood came face to face with her and she immediately paled.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The male broke out into a smile which later on turned into loud bursts of laughter. "Hahaha! That worked really great! They did that to me last year and I was so scared that I couldn't get up!" he exclaimed reaching out a hand to help the girl who was sprawled on the floor with her mouth wide open. She really did not expect to be welcomed like this. It was rather astonishing and unusual. Eirin accepted his hand and stood up while she heard him continue, "Welcome to Seido High's baseball team!"
She then saw another person standing inside the room behind the other. A 'nice to meet you' was written on the paper he was holding and she immediately wondered why. The one who tried to scare her grinned before pushing her inside the room and said, "Don't let it get to you! He made an error yesterday so he's not letting himself talk." The bigger male behind him silently fumed with a blush on his face.
"I'm Kuramochi Youichi,"
"Masuko Tooru," another paper was shown.
"S-Sawamura Eirin,"
"Yosh! To deepen our friendship we'll have a golf tournament with you!" he exclaimed holding out his controller and game console. He and the Masuko sat in front of the television screen while she stood near the door still baffled and amazed. "Have you played this before?" he asked, slightly amused. Well regardless of her answer they were going to force her play it anyway.
"Well, yeah. I have played it before," slightly unsure she walked towards the two and sat down. She was taking back everything she said. Seido was not similar to Ojou in the slightest way possible. She thought that it would be like an army base but she figured that she was wrong. "I have a similar game at home and I tried it a couple of times," she crossed her legs in a pretzel and accepted the controller that he handed over to her.
"If you lose you're going to be our slave for a year," she could hear Kuramochi mutter dark words under his breath and she turned to look at him.
"I think I just heard something really scary!"
"Ahahaha! It's just your imagination! Hurry up and let's play golf!"
Eirin stood in line besides the other new first year members. It was morning practice and her roommates were fortunately kind enough to inform her of the schedule. At first Kuramochi was hesitant and wanted to make fun of her but gave in anyway. They said that the coach was a pretty scary guy but it was different in her opinion. He reminded her of a character from her favorite historical novel 'Book of Five Rings'. He sounded kind of like a general because of the way he speaks so sternly. She blinked when the others started to introduce themselves. There were a lot of famous players and aces of baseball teams throughout their junior high. Their schools were not relatively well-known like Seido though.
"Higashikuni Naoki! Position, short stop!" she glanced at the speaker. He was also from Nagano and they faced off with his team during the preliminaries. If she remembers, he was from Shonan-Higo Jr. High. A pretty decent school per say.
"Hino Takumi! Position, catcher!"
"Andou Akira! Position, center fielder!"
"Furuya Satoru. Position, pitcher," Eirin grinned, so there he was. He looked the same like the last time she remembers. All that changed from him was his height.
"Hideaki Arata! Position, left fielder!"
"Kashiwagi Jun! Position, pitcher!" Her grin was slowly disappearing into a frown. Just how many aces applied to Seido? He was from Tondabayashi, Osaka and was Shimizu-Hizashi Jr. High's ace, a pretty popular one too in fact.
"Unohana Hiro! Position, right fielder!"
Eirin smiled like a feline knowing that it was already her turn, "Sawamura Eirin, position, pitcher!" And all of a sudden she could hear various gasps and whispers from everywhere. Some of the practicing upperclassmen also glanced at her direction before saying something to one another. Well she did come from a rival school that they want to obliterate so it was understandable. She couldn't blame them really. But for some reason, she felt very proud when she felt Furuya's gaze on her. It was cold one on top of that.
"She won the MVP in the Spring Junior High Tournament last year and this year!"
"What is she doing here? Man, and here I thought that I had a chance!"
"We won't even get a place on the third string at this rate!"
"But dude, listen. She won't stand a chance because she's female,"
"Y-Yeah, I guess so. High school is different from junior high so,"
Well some statements kind of struck a nerve.
"Hey! Guy! You! What did you say? You there with the idiotic face! That dumbass who's pointing to his face! Higashikuni from Shonan-Higo Jr. High who lost to me in the preliminary round last month! What did you say? I've seen you play before and you suck!" The coach looked at her with a brow raised while Furuya from afar was covered in sweat. The other newcomers seemed to look surprised at the sudden rise of action.
"You can't even field properly and you're such a sexist jerk! Come here and I'll kick your ass—"
"Sawamura," the coach scolded her grimly.
She turned at him with a smile on her face and asked, "Yes, boss?" He stared at her and noticed the admiration in her eyes. It has been like that since they first met and he assumed that it was because she looked up at him, he was the coach after all. But no, it was just due to the fact that he reminded her of her favorite character. It was as if he just suddenly came to life. You know, with her being a massive fan of the General and all the shojou-manga influence.
"Come with me for a second. The rest of you go to the field and run,"
Everyone palled at the girl. Ohh kami, she was going to get scolded—
"Yes boss!" she trailed behind him like a puppy.
—And she had no idea.
When they arrived at the office she was not shocked to see that Rei was also there. She was the assistant coach so her presence was necessary for the club. On the other hand, she completely had no idea why she was suddenly called. She expected her first day to be a regular one where she practices with the others and maybe pitch a throw or two. She started to wonder that perhaps she was going to get scolded for picking a fight. I mean, she always gets called to the teacher's lounge for that and what else? Eirin unconsciously started to brace herself and gritted her teeth, hard.
"What are you doing," Rei asked with her arms crossed and her brow high. Honestly, Eirin didn't understand the question at all. Was she referring to what she did earlier or something else? She opened her eyes which seemed to have closed from bracing herself. "Why are you looking like we are about to hit you?" she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
Eirin blinked at that before smiling brightly, "You're not going to scold me?" It was the happiest she has been for years. It has been the first time she was called by the teachers for something else other than getting reprimanded for something that she has done. To be honest, she was a bit proud of herself. Okay, maybe a little bit too much.
"Why would we scold you?"
Her smile became even sunny if possible, "Really? What did you guys need me for then?" The older woman smiled at that- smirked if possible.
"We want you to tell us everything about Ojou,"
The female pitcher grinned. Touché, Seido is smart.
"Sure why not. Where do you want me to start first?"
"Who are the ones expected to be on the first string this year,"
Eirin nodded and made herself comfortable on one of the seats. The teachers didn't really seem to mind and Rei took out her pen and notebook. They needed information and they needed as much as possible. They would be lying if they said that they scouted the girl just for her skills. She was a member of Ojou so she knew a lot about the team. Eirin also assumed that that was one of the reasons, not that she minded. She'll be working with Seido from now on anyway.
"There are three people that are expected to be in the first string I guess. Mitsukuri Gin, Asakura Hayato and Yamato Takeshi," she stated while counting her hands. She talked to them but was not really close except for Yamato who was her childhood friend and personal catcher in her past school. "Mitsukuri is our relief pitcher in the junior high team. He's the one who replaces me when I get called out by the coach. He has this 152 km/h fastball which is such a pain in the ass for me when I'm batting because I can't really bat to save my life and— "
Eirin gulped when she saw Rei leering at her.
"He has a changeup and he's very fast at running I guess. He concentrates really well too! He never disobeyed Yamato's signals. I'm not sure about Asakura because we're not really close and I hate his guts. He always tells me to act more womanly and quit the baseball club to do more feminine stuff like flower arrangement—"
Another glare.
"He's… the first baseman and he really good at contact, not to mention he's very intimidating. He made four homeruns in the whole junior high tournament last school year but other than that he's not really something great because he sucks at bunting," she paused for a second and started to think about what to say before smiling at the two. "And do I really have to tell you about Takeshi? He's really popular so I thought that you already have data on him," she blinked when she saw Rei smirk at her.
"We have the general one but we need information from someone who has pitched to him. What calls does he usually make?" Kataoka sternly asked and the girl found herself wondering again. Yamato never called for a pitch during games. He always positioned his mitt in the center and waits for her to throw one that she likes. He always left the choice to her when it was her time to pitch. Not that he ever missed one of her throws.
"Takeshi just lets me throw,"
Rei raised a brow at her curious statement, "And why exactly is that?"
Eirin grinned and before shrugging her shoulders, "Well, I don't really know. He asked me for pitches during our first year when we entered the club but halfway through, he stopped asking me for specific throws."
"Eirin's smart. She doesn't need to be reprimanded by anyone. You can't tell her what to do. She's just a bit reckless sometimes," she could clearly see how furious he looked when their coach told him that she wouldn't be joining the baseball club anymore. It was not her choice to quit. She was made to because of her injury. People kept telling her that it was for the best, she wouldn't be able to pitch with her dominant hand again anyway. "At least let her stay in the team as the manager," her eyebrows knitted and her eyes narrowed, getting a bit teary when she saw him clench his fists and hear how his tone changed from raged to terrified and pleading.
"You won't find someone as passionate as Ei-chan when it comes to pitching,"
Yamato always knew what was best.
"The accident was not her fault. The batter was confused and I should have moved faster,"
Yamato why do you keep defending?
"If you need to remove somebody, it's me,"
Eirin took a deep breath before walking away from the door which was left open and unnoticed.
The assistant coach sighed at her unobvious persistence and said, "Tell us about the regulars."
The female pitcher couldn't help but break a smile at the thought of dominating the mound like literally. Everyone in the baseball club went to the Tokyo Spring Tournament Quarter finals to support the regulars and watch the game along with the female managers and staff. Eirin on the other hand insisted to stay because she missed morning practice due to the conversation she had with the coaches. She grinned and started to stretch with the empty field somehow giving her a sense of independence.
It was then she started to realize one very important thing, "W-Who will catch my pitches?" Her eyes widened at the thought. Well she could use the nets but it was a pain to clean up and it was far away from the mound. Eirin chuckled after spending a minute on brainstorming ideas. She could play catch with herself… she guesses. She just has to throw the ball really high and run fast then—
Catch.
Throw.
Catch.
Throw.
Catch.
Eirin slumped on the ground. It seemed like she realized that playing catch on her own looked really sad and not to mention depressing. She flinched a bit when the light coming from the sun hit her eyes and her lashes fluttered close. What was she doing here anyway? Opening her eyes, she was greeted by someone's face.
"Hey, is that fun," it was no one other than Furuya and he was looking down her figure with that never changing stoic expression of his, just like she remembers. He definitely got taller but she was only trailing behind him by a couple of inches. Other than that, nothing much changed. "You're playing all by yourself," he continued and he remained on his place despite the change on Eirin's expression.
The female pitcher immediately rose and stood on her feet, exclaiming, "Satoru!?"
"If you want someone to play with how about me? Since you look kind of pathetic," seriously, that guy had no delicacy when it came to girls.
"Hah!? I can totally manage on my own. How long have you been there anyway? Don't tell me you've seen all of that!" she then sent him a glare which obviously said that she would not be happy if he did. The two knew each other because of baseball. They met in Hokkaido during the time Ojou held a practice match with his school. "And stop watching people, you'll be mistaken as a stalker!" she added making his blink for a second.
Furuya stared at her monotonously but if you look closely, you could see how sweat dripped from his forehead to his chin and how he unconsciously gulped, "I did not. The bus left while I was in the bathroom and it would be a pain to go after it so I have no choice but to stay behind. And what are you doing here?"
Eirin huffed and crossed her arms above her chest, "What do you mean what am I doing here, playing baseball, obviously. Furuya you're really slow sometimes you know."
The male sweat dropped for the second time of the day, "I didn't mean that. I mean, what are you doing here in Seido?" Seriously, he wasn't sure if it was her lack of common intellect or it she hit her head on something when she was born. It would definitely remain a mystery to Furuya. "Weren't you supposed to be in Ojou with Yamato," it didn't even sound like a question coming from him. It was more of a statement on his behalf. He was actually shocked to find her alone during the new members' introduction this morning.
"Well things happened and I didn't have a choice but to go here instead. Seido's assistant coach, Rei-chan scouted me after we played against Narushima," she was dusting her pants as she spoke while the other pitcher only stared at her. She really did change over the years, she looked completely different from the last time he saw her even if some remained as it is. For example that brash attitude and that signature grin of hers. "What are you doing here in Seido?" she placed her hands on her hips and inched her face forward making him step back a couple of inches. They were too close and she looked up at him so that angle didn't really help him that much.
"I applied here in Seido because of him,"
Eirin grinned and threw him the ball, "Miyuki Kazuya?"
"I read an article. If it's him then he can catch the pitches I throw in full power,"
The girl giggled with her eyes smiling before humming in curiosity, "I wonder about that, he's such a weirdo sometimes. But no one can catch your pitches in Hokkaido so he's better than the others I guess. Have you pitched to him yet?" When she saw him shake his head, she sighed and grinned at him with one which irked him because it obviously said 'Well, I did'. "I thought you were going to Ojou because of Takeshi," she expected him to reply but he remained silent while she tapped her shoes on the mound, trying to dig them in for better balance.
Furuya only stared at her worriedly and asked, "Your left arm… Can, you still even pitch properly?"
The girl blinked at him before she gave him a reassuring smile and said, "Yeah, I can throw."
Furuya didn't push her any further and only watched as she showed him her mitt, signaling him to throw the ball to her. He would be lying if he said that he was not worried. He had been a part of the accident, he was also one to blame. The male pitcher's eyes narrowed at the thought. It has already been years but there were still times which that event haunted him in his dreams and he would always wake up in the middle of the night breathless.
Guilt.
It was eating him alive.
Furuya silently stared at the batter and catcher who were twitching like mad in front of him. He was in Tomokomai Junior High's baseball club and mostly everyone couldn't catch his pitch because of the crazy speed found in the fastballs that he can pitch. It was kind of disappointing really. They were in the same age as him and some of them even trained more than he did. Winning the junior high baseball tournament in their prefecture would be a piece of cake with him on the team.
Or so he thought…
Strike!
It was during his school's practice match with Ojou Academy. Furuya's eyes widened as the ball flew pass him and towards the catcher's mitt with the bat he was holding not having the chance to move even a millimeter from its original position. It was the first pitch, it was fine. He could still move and retaliate. The male repositioned himself and gripped the bat tighter. Those blaring golden cat eyes were staring only at the catcher's mitt, he could tell. The first time he saw her, he was immediately horrified by the amount of concentration she had. And that pitch… that modified slider…
Strike!
It was terrifying.
One last pitch and he would be out. How can a catcher catch that kind of pitch anyway? It spun to all directions. In the first pitch it was clockwise and in the second, counterclockwise. This was getting ridiculous. Rather than the game, he was interested in the battery. Sawamura Eirin and Yamato Takeshi, they were an interesting pair. The female southpaw, he was definitely determined to hit her throw.
Furuya dug his shoes unto the ground while Eirin raised her right leg forward, winding up and—
Clang!
"Eirin!"
"It healed? I thought the doctor said—"
The female pitcher shook her head, "I'm not a southpaw anymore. My left arm is useless when it comes to pitching. It's better than the last time it was though."
"Ohh,"
"Hey, Satoru, do you want me to catch your pitches?" Yamato smiled while the other male sat on the swing, silently. They were hanging out in the playground because Eirin went back to Nagano for her surgery. Ojou Academy was on a trip so only she was allowed to go back. Yamato on the other hand, didn't have any other choice but to stay in Hokkaido. It was also what the female pitcher insisted.
"I thought you only catch Eirin's pitches,"
The raven sadly smiled at his statement, "Of course not, I also catch for other pitchers but yes, it's mostly Ei-chan. She's amazing when it comes to baseball you know. But she's bad at batting, I guess."
"I'm sorry…"
"It's alright, it was my mistake. I made the wrong call,"
Eirin blinked when she saw the crestfallen expression on Furuya's face, "Don't worry about it, that was years ago! Even if I can't pitch using my left arm, I still have the other. And don't expect me to give the ace position to you just because I'm female! Just you wait and see! I'm definitely going to be number one!" he stared at her with a small smile on his face though it was not entirely visible. She surely was unpredictable.
"That's why Satoru you better be prepared!"
"The first years are losing very badly. No one even has the determination to fight anymore," one of the third year's second string players commented from the dugout which was just located on the other side of the field, opposite to the younger students'. The score board showed the numbers '12:0', the game in favor of the seniors. "The regulars are not even holding back either. Tanba-san looks more energetic than usual," he continued.
One of the first years twitched when he saw the opposing team score a run again. Kuramochi was grinning openly while Miyuki who was on his position gave a thumb's up to his teammates. The freshmen were getting dragged around and it wasn't even funny anymore. They needed to come up with a plan or they would remain scoreless on the board. Even the previous aces of junior high schools didn't stand a chance when it was Masuko who was batting.
"Hey, don't you think that we're in a bad shape? We're getting defeated Furuya!" Eirin elbowed the other when she saw him dozing off asleep. With that Furuya immediately came to his senses only to find the girl standing up and exclaiming whatever he has no idea about, "Boss! Pitcher change! Sawamura Eirin! Let Sawamura Eirin pitch!" The male pitcher was really tired of the ruckus and just wanted to sleep. He figured that he'll just wake up when it was his time to pitch already-
"Sawamura— "
"Yes! Finally it's my turn!"
"Right field!"
"Of course, leave it to me boss! I won't let your expectations on me down—wait, what!?"
"Over there," the coach pointed to the spot where she was supposed to be located.
The girl huffed and looked a bit displeased but walked to her position anyway. It was better than being in the dugout, she guesses. Why was she in the outfield anyway? They didn't say a word about her being a pitcher. She was such an idiot to think that that sunglasses guy was a good person. Shouldn't they like, depend on her during moments like these? And what about data? They needed data on her right so they'd let her play right? She swears to kami that Furuya must be laughing at her right now behind that emotionless mask of his.
"Dammit! Satoru, stop laughing!" she exclaimed towards their dugout's direction, directed at the student from Hokkaido who was now sitting upright.
"How can you tell!?" at least most of everyone in the fence questioned.
"Hey! The ball is coming, snap out of it!"
"Gah! It's right in front of me!" Eirin shouted trying to reach for it and extended her limbs as much as she could.
"Numb skull! It's right behind you! It's not a softball! For a hardball you have to go further than you would expect —What are you doing!? Get the ball to the third! The batter is still running!"
The female pitcher groaned and picked up the ball she dropped before getting unto position and threw the ball with a massive blush on her face. The ball was swift and fast like a laser. It passed the runner but her control sucked so it went back and hit him on the back. The victim screamed and everyone had their mouths open and eyes wide. Who would have thought that the White Knight's ace had a weakness? Wait till they find out about her batting skills, they'd be even more shocked. Now that you mention it, she didn't really play outfield in their games and she didn't bat that much because they usually finished matches fast and she was rarely ousted so it must have been a slap to reality for them.
"Sawamura-chan, that pitch was bad!"
"Shut up! Focus on your own task, Miyuki Kazuya!"
Must he really rile her up? And Sawamura-chan?
"Pitcher change! Furuya Satoru!" her eyes widen at the sudden exclaim while the other players in the fence muttered and continued to wonder what kind of pitch he had.
She watched him position himself on the mound, kicking the soil on his feet before he started his wind up. The only female player in the first year's dugout winced, knowing what was coming. She then smirked knowing that the catcher and the batter won't know what would eventually hit them. The third year batter watched carefully as Furuya raised his leg, shifting his weight to the other and—
Eirin sighed, "I bet that catcher's helmet is going to fall off."
Clang!
—there comes his 150 km/h fast ball.
"Kami, that's even faster than I remember," the female muttered to herself as she watched the catcher groan and put his helmet back on. In front of him stood the batter who looked a bit terrified, it was different seeing it up so close. Right when the ball was released, they sensed that it would go low but it got lifted up in a whirlwind. Other than that… "Boss! Furuya how dare you!" she shouted from her position on the outfield. The current pitcher on the other hand, looked as composed like usual while the audience seemed to gasp at the situation. He just hit the coach's head! How? And why does the coach look fine!?
"You passed Satoru," the girl groaned, she knew where this was going.
"Be at the first string's team practice starting tomorrow,"
The regulars seemed to look at Furuya at that moment with both positive and negative looks. The other first years looked baffled. It was kind of shocking to see a first year get drafted into the first string and they were just in their first week in school. Eirin frowned. It was unfair that only he got to pitch. What about her and the others? How come she's still on the outfield!?
Furuya nodded, "I wanted to pitch more but this way I'll get to team up with my senior, Miyuki."
"Damn you, Satoru!"
Miyuki who was staring at the scene smirked. They definitely had a bunch of interesting first years this year. To think that Furuya would start practicing with them after only one pitch, the coach must have seen his incredible potential. He wouldn't let anyone hit his throw? It turns out that's what exactly happened. Eirin who was standing outside of the diamond scowled and crossed her arms. She was obviously upset but would she just stop with her physical innuendos? Kami, is she clueless or what? She huffed and kicked the soil below her feet muttering something about 'Stupid boss not letting me pitch' and 'Satoru thinking that he's so high and mighty'.
"From Yoko Junior High in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kominato Haruichi," Rei announced while the said student went on his position, the pitcher was obviously pitching on the outside.
A batting average of .635 in junior high… now this was going to be something.
The pitcher nodded to the catcher before starting with his wind up and—
"Going for an outside pitch for an unknown opponent, there's no easier pitch to hit than this one,"
The bat made contact with the ball and those in the dugout gritted their teeth as the female pitcher started running before everyone knew it. It was the fourth inning and the catcher grinned when he saw Eirin on the base. She was definitely the epitome of reckless. From her unique pitching form to how she went on the base… Miyuki could only sigh. Can he even keep up with her energy when she becomes a first string member?
"Safe!" the umpire, Coach Kataoka called.
"Finally! A freshman got a run!"
"The hitter was great but the runner who went for the run was also something!"
The catcher scoffed. That girl, her timing was definitely an out. She went to tag her but she dodged his mitt and twisted her body at the very last second and reached the base. He narrowed his eyes when he saw her jumping up and down, proclaiming their first run. Could she really twist her body like that? If that was done wrong then she could injure her shoulders and her back and her entire baseball career would be over.
"All we got was one run! The game is just starting. Get ready to step it up!"
"Y-Yeah!"
One of audience who was watching blinked at the scene, "Hey, what was her name again? That girl, she came out of nowhere and stirred the third years single handedly."
"Kataoka mentioned her name earlier. What was it again? Sa, Sa… Sawada?"
"Doesn't she look familiar?"
An older male blinked before he pointed unto the fence, "W-Wait… isn't she?"
The coach stared at the girl for a second, "Pitcher change, Sawamura Eirin!"
Eirin's eyes widened before she grinned.
"Yes, boss!"
With that, Furuya's posture on the bench straightened and Miyuki from the sidelines smirked.
