"Seido is big" Naoki whispered in the car. Her father nodded at the front as they arrived. He parked the car and got out first then opened the door at the back seat and smiled at her.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine here since I arranged for you to stay in the Seido Spirit Dorm."
"Seido Spirit Dorm? What's that?" Naoki asks herself.
"Wah!" Naoki glanced up upon hearing her father's gasp of horror.
"Mamoru! What are you doing? Now, Naoki's clothes are full of your fur!" Ren scolded at the pure white Samoyed laying comfortably on Naoki's lap.
Mamoru raised his head slightly and gave him a short yip then returned to nuzzling her hands when she stopped petting him.
Naoki laughed lightly at her father's frown.
"Mamo, up" she softly commanded at the dog. He obeyed and jumped out of the car, his collar tinkling for a bit.
"See! Your new uniform is ruined!" Ren said in an indignant pout, putting his hands on his hips.
Naoki slid out of the car and took a deep breath, taking on the atmosphere of the huge institution.
Today is her first day as a transfer student in Seido High School and Naoki admits that she is somewhat feeling nervous in this new environment. Not only that, she'll be far away from home and will be staying in a dorm too.
"Good morning, Fujioka-san" Rei greeted as she approached them. Naoki gave the stranger before her a passing glance, assuming it was her father she was talking to.
"Ah, Takashima-san. Thank you for meeting us here."
"It's my pleasure, sir."
"Naoki, this is Takashima Rei, assistant director and recruiter of the baseball team." Ren introduced. Naoki bowed her head in response. Rei smiled.
"I've also been assigned by the school to be your guide for today, miss Fujioka and later as well." Rei explained politely.
"Which reminds me. Classes are starting already, right? You should go now, Naoki" her father said softly, laying a hand on her back and pushing lightly.
"I'll take care of your things…and Mamoru. So don't worry, okay?"
"I'm not worried"
Ren laughed at her statement and ruffled her hair.
"That's my girl"
Naoki smiled at his endearing tone.
"This way, Fujioka-san" Rei said moving her hand in the direction of the school entrance.
"Hmm…bye.."
Naoki left one last lingering look at her father standing beside the car and the prospect of running away before facing ahead.
Taking a step forward and then another, Naoki suddenly felt a pang in her chest and a sliver of fear. This move of hers, will this be her salvation or a journey fated to be a failure?
"Will I finally attain the strength that would help me face every day knowing you're gone? Or will this be just another reminder that I can't live without you?" Naoki thought as she followed Rei into the school building.
"So in order to get the-"
The teacher stops mid-explanation when three knocks were heard and the class' attention shifted as the door slid open.
"Rei-chan?" Miyuki Kazuya thought in surprise, not expecting her presence. She entered the room accompanied by a curly black haired girl wearing their school uniform, her loose braid swooshing from side to side.
"A transfer student?" He thought while observing the female. A girl of medium height with a slight tan, she shows a certain grace Kazuya had come to associate with dancers especially those who had been groomed from a young age. She would have been what you'd call as a beauty if not for those eyes.
"Like Chris-senpai back then.." Kazuya narrowed his eyes on the girl. Looks like she had lost something precious to her.
"Ah, is it her Takashima-san?" The teacher asks in confirmation. Before class started, they were already notified of her arrival although it wasn't clear what time she'll arrive at the school.
"Yes, Hino-san. Well, I'll be going Fujioka-chan" Rei said, giving her a smile and a nod. Naoki returned the gesture with a bow.
"Thank you for the information and the advice, Takashima-sensei" Naoki said quietly as Rei left the room.
"Everyone, we have a transfer student. Will you please introduce yourself?" The teacher asked politely with a gentle smile. Naoki gave him a nod.
Naoki turned to the class and tried to summon a genuine smile.
"Good morning. I am Fujioka Naoki and from this day onward, I'll be staying here in Seido High School. I hope we will get along well." She finished with a slight bow while releasing a sigh.
"Smiling is so tiring.." she thought then heard the whispers.
"Naoki?"
Giggles.
"-boy's name?"
She ignored them and stood straight. She forced her eyes to stare at the back only for it to stray to a boy wearing glasses and sitting near the window. He was smirking at her.
"Hmm, it seems we only have one vacant seat Fujioka-san. Miyuki!" the teacher called and the smirking boy raised his hand with a wide grin.
"Hai hai" He replied in a cheerful tone.
"Fujioka-san, you'll be sitting behind that man" The teacher directed.
Naoki gave him a nod and proceeded to the place he pointed.
"Okay, now where was I?"
She sat on her designated seat and laid her bag on the hanger beside the table. At the same time the smirking boy -Miyuki- turned to face her.
"Hi! My name is Miyuki Kazuya, nice to meet you Fujioka-chan" He introduced while offering his hand. She nodded at him and shook it.
"Rough and hard hands.." she observed as their hands rubbed. Miyuki gave her one last grin before facing the front.
"Broad shoulders…tanned skin" she noted as he started writing in his notebook. His uniform stretched showing his biceps while he continues to take notes. Her eyes lowered.
"Hmm…those thighs.." then something caught her eye on his table just under his notebook.
"A scorebook of….."
"Baseball huh? Probably a catcher" Naoki absentmindedly said forgetting that she's in the class. Fortunately, it didn't garner an attention from the teacher but it was loud enough that Kazuya stiffened in his seat after hearing it.
"Observant eh? Interesting" Kazuya smirked, interest piqued at the woman behind him who, from the sound she's making, is also taking down notes.
"Miyuki, can you tell me what's funny over there?"
"Aah hahaha. It's nothing sensei.."
"Hmph!"
Naoki's lips twitched at the exchange and she watched as the teacher sent a frown to Miyuki while he rubs his neck.
Thinking of baseball, Naoki suddenly realized she does not know anything about Seido's baseball team and its performance. She should have because she'll be joining the team as a practice player in the first string according to what Takashima-san said to her on the way to her classroom. She'll also be joining the team two days prior to their summer camp.
"Ah-ah, and I haven't been practicing for a year and a half. I will probably embarrass myself in front of them." She silently grumbled, propping her chin as she thought.
"Uncle Tesshin will most likely be mad at me but I guess it would be fun learning all over again" Naoki released a soft smile as she thought of possible scenarios that would happen.
Unbeknownst to Naoki, starting from that day on her once glazed eyes starts to clear, showing a sparkle that will ultimately rekindle the nearly dying fire inside of her.
She is slowly finding a will to live again.
Naoki stared at the wide blue sky outside and sent a thought to heaven.
"Naoko, I'll be playing baseball again."
"Ahm, do we always have a dog here?" Haruichi asks, stopping and pointing at a dog laying on the doorstep of a room in the far corner of the Seido Spirit Dorm. Eijun tilted his head in the direction he is pointing.
"Wah! A dog!" he exclaimed and sprinted to the dog.
"Wait. Eijun-kun!" Haruichi shouted at his back while following him.
"Practice is starting soon.." he wanted to say but held himself seeing Eijun jumping excitedly as he nears the dog.
"Anyway, I didn't know they allowed pets here" he silently thought slowing to a halt behind Eijun.
"It's so white and fluffy!" Eijun said with sparkles in his eyes. The dog raised his head to inspect the newcomer. Finding him annoying, he returned to his previous position and ignored Eijun.
"Come here little doggy.." Eijun called and offering a hand to entice the dog to notice him. He ignored him.
"Come on, come on.."
Ignore.
"Ah, Eijun-kun's being ignored" Haruichi thought trying to suppress a laugh.
Eijun's vein popped as the dog continues to ignore him.
"Hey you doggy-"
"His name is Mamoru" Satoru cut Eijun's impolite call to the dog as he approached the two carrying a small bag containing biscuits.
Hearing Satoru's voice, Mamoru's ears perked and he stood to greet him. His mouth opened giving him what dog lovers fondly calls as the Sammy smile. Satoru gave him a small smile of his own before crouching down and giving him a pat in the head.
"What?! Furuya you-you.." Eijun gasped loudly while pointing an accusing finger at Satoru.
"Is he yours Furuya-kun?" Haruichi asks while Satoru put a biscuit on the ground. Mamoru ate it. Satoru faced him.
"No" Satoru said as he observes Mamoru eat. He found the dog on his way to the field after he had changed into his baseball uniform. He wouldn't have found him if Mamoru didn't bark at him to call his attention.
"He looked kind of lonely too or maybe bored?" he thought.
"Then why did he allow you to pet him and why do you know his name?" Eijun said, pointing a finger at him again. Satoru just stared at him, not in the least bit in the mood to point out the obvious.
"Ah, Eijun-kun, he has a collar" Haruichi pointed at Mamoru's neck which stated his name and after that pointed at a hanging block at the side of the door.
"Oh. Fujioka Naoki. Wait! Why is it he's the only one here?" Eijun asked, scratching his head.
"Oi, first years what are you doing over there? Practice is starting." Someone called from the gate. The three snapped into attention and remembered that indeed they have practice.
"I almost forgot!" Eijun said shocked. Haruichi and Satoru gave him a curious look but Eijun didn't notice it. He is lost in thought.
"I have to get stronger!"
"Stronger…I have to do everything I can right now" Eijun thought with conviction while running in the field dragging a tire on his hips.
"I can't lose! Not to myself and not to baseball!" Kazuya turns to the field as he heard Eijun's loud declaration. He smirked.
"Let's go! Ten more!"
"Hahaha, looks like you were worried for nothing. He's even more motivated than ever." Kazuya said beside Youichi who was furrowing his brows at Eijun.
"Tch."
"It would be a problem if he wasn't" Kazuya and Youichi turned to the voice. It was Chris.
"Always having a positive attitude, that is his strongest quality" Chris added as he stopped before them and watched Eijun.
"But he's going a bit overboard. There's still a plethora of things he needs to learn. We need to keep him on a leash, or he'll push himself until he breaks." Chris said hand on his hips.
"Absolutely. He's too stupid to know how to hold back" Kazuya agreed wholeheartedly while Youichi grins at the prospect of Eijun on a leash.
"Yeah. He's an idiot who can't hold back"
"Nyahaha, is that supposed to be a compliment?" Youichi laughingly asks.
"Chris, Miyuki and Yuuki" coach Kataoka called near the dug-out. The shared a glance before jogging to the position of the coach.
"I'll be announcing this after practice but I'd like for you three to know beforehand." Coach Kataoka started, staring at the three.
"There will be another player in the baseball team and will be on the first string."
The three's eyes widened in surprise.
"A completely new player?" Kazuya asks inwardly, staring at the coach.
Oota and Rei stood behind him, unsurprised by his announcement.
"This player will not be in the official registry of the team for the summer tournament but I know without a doubt that this person's skills meet the requirements for the first string." Kataoka explained, seeing the confused looks on the players' faces.
"I know there will be a commotion over this and protests especially on the part of the second string. My decision is final therefore I want you to understand and accept this first." Kataoka continued, staring at each of them eye-to-eye.
"Coach, why is he only entering the team now?" Chris asked. Kataoka closed his eyes contemplating how much information to disclose.
"It's a special case. That's all." Kataoka said vaguely.
In the end, he'd decided to let the players discover what the special case will be about. Although by being vague, he had set Naoki on a perilous path for even though he had given a heads up to the pillars of the team, by not clarifying that the new member is a girl, it will still create a huge impact.
"Is it okay not to tell the three about the gender, coach?" Oota asks worriedly as the trio returned to their respective areas. He is the club president of the baseball team but he doesn't have any objections to Kataoka's plan, contrary to that, he's quite elated that there will be woman playing on the team.
"It's a pity she cannot play in official matches; we could have gotten a lot of publicity on her too."
"Coach" Rei said approaching Kataoka.
"You said that she meets the requirements of a first string member but you also said to us that she hadn't been playing for one and a half years. Will this be a problem for her?" Rei continued, feeling worried as well on Naoki's part. She's a woman after all so she must protect a sister in any way she could, including not letting the boys bully her.
"She'll be rusty at first but it wouldn't be obvious to them." Kataoka explained remembering the Naoki he knew.
"She also hates to lose" he silently added.
So he knew she will do everything in her power to return to her former self, well that is if she'll be motivated enough by this team to do so. If not, then Ren's plan will be a failure. She will continue to be a living dead, slowly fading away. But if ever the team becomes her new foundation then Kataoka knew, she'll be a force to be reckoned with.
Naoki finished the final papers needed for her full transfer at the school so it was nearly dark out when she got out of the office. She glanced at her watch. The baseball practice will finish in a few minutes so she has to hurry back. She will be introduced by that time.
Naoki paused on a window, seeing her reflection. She faced it and fixed her attire as well as her hair. Suddenly, she felt conscious of her clothes. She'll be facing the baseball team in her skirt while they are wearing their uniforms.
"Not to mention, he might be there"
Miyuki Kazuya, her classmate and catcher.
Naoki gave one last look at herself and took a deep breath.
"Okay, let's do this!"
She walked with determined steps and into the direction of the baseball field.
"Line up!"
"Now, who is this new member?" Kazuya thought excitedly as they all went to their respective positions. At the front of the organized crowd is coach Kataoka while behind him are Oota and Rei.
"The day after tomorrow is the start of the summer camp. I trust that all of you had prepared yourselves. But before that, I have an important announcement."
"Here it comes" Kazuya thought with a grin. He admits he doesn't know what the coach is up to, adding a new member when it's nearly the summer camp but he couldn't dismiss the coach's high praise of the player. If he's good enough to earn the first string title without any tests, then Kazuya is really interested. Although there's one thing he is also interested: the player's identity. He noticed the way the coach referred to the player in third person and not using the male person 'he' in his explanation.
"We will have a new member on the baseball team and will be playing in the first string"
Kazuya narrowed his eyes.
"Third person again." He glanced at the side and connected with Chris' eyes. He noticed it too.
All at once, the field became filled with noise. Questions and gasps were heard in unison.
"—second string?"
"What..mean..new?"
"—first string?"
"Eeeh!" this last came from Eijun who had completely focused on the latter part of the coach's words. He shoots a glance to Chris standing at the sidelines as he entertained the idea of him entering the first string.
"He said new member" Haruichi said beside Eijun, feeling his restlessness.
"Huh?" Eijun gave him a confused look.
"It means he's not from the second string, Eijun-kun" Haruichi explained and felt guilty when he saw Eijun's disappointed expression.
"Maybe that Fujioka is the new member?" he added as he remembered what happened earlier.
"Excuse me. Are they finished?"
Haruno looked up from her position after hearing those words. She opened her mouth to reply but froze when she saw the lady tilted her head at her.
"Y-yes. The coach is just having a short announcement" she stammered. The lady smiled and thanked her. Haruno saw her enter the field.
"Does she have a business with one of the players?" she asks aloud.
"…will be playing on the first string" Naoki heard the tail end of the announcement. She stopped just behind the dug-out, feeling cold. She could still run and get away from this place. She will not have to face them. She will not have to play baseball again.
"Naoki, don't be a coward!" she scolded herself and took a deep breath. She stepped away from her hiding place and started walking with her head held high.
The players are confused, this Kazuya surmised. It's a good thing he'd been told in advance about this or else things might have become hard to handle for the coach. Already the people surrounding him are calming down seeing that their captain, him, and Chris are not panicking.
Kazuya's attention shifted as he detected movement at the entrance of the field. His eyes landed on a girl wearing their school uniform; the transfer student, Fujioka Naoki.
"Hmm..what is she doing here?" Kazuya asks bewildered.
One by one, the players noticed the approaching figure and they too started asking who she is and what she's doing in the field.
It was Rei's expression that clued him in. It was like she was expecting the girl then their eyes connected and Rei smiled.
"Don't tell me?!" Kazuya's eyes widened as the thought dawned to him.
"Everyone, this is Fujioka Naoki, your new teammate"
