Author's Note: Hello guys and welcome to the 7th chapter of my story! Hope you enjoy! Any comments, suggestions and reviews are vey welcome!
Replies:
archongirl1787: Thanks! I hope you will read my upcoming chapters as well.
NozoEli: Poor Eli… I hope I didn't let her suffer that much. ;P
Maki is the boss: Thanks for reading! Don't worry, I already have plans when my arc with Maki starts.
Onto the next chapter!
Chapter 7
Another lively afternoon welcomed the students of Otonakizaka Academy as students from all levels scrambled out of their respective classrooms to go to their clubs. Laughter is heard in a certain clubroom outside the school building as one of the girls inside exclaimed, "We finally have six members!" Honoka shouted out loud as she couldn't hide her excitement.
"She's so happy, nya~!" Rin commented back as she tried to tie her shoelaces on the bench.
"Honoka! You've been shouting the same thing for 3 days already. Aren't you getting tired of this?" Umi exasperatedly reprimanded her.
"But Umi-chan! We have six members! Six members! We're a bit closer to having a complete team!" Honoka excitedly replied to her.
"Honoka-chan, even if we have six members, we still can't compete in the tournament unless we have nine members on the team." Kotori reminded Honoka of the situation.
Honoka deflated for a bit before she said, "We should teach Hideko, Fumiko, and Mika to play baseball! If they join the team, then we'll have nine members!"
A knock on the door interrupted their talk as the three managers of the baseball team entered the room, "Honoka, we heard what you just said, we're sorry but we are the managers of the baseball team, and what about Toujou-senpai and Ayase-senpai?" Hideko smilingly said to Honoka.
"They're right, you know. Managers have very important jobs on the team, and the team cannot function without them. About the other two, well, I'll talk to them later." Nico said as she suddenly entered the clubroom. "Sorry I'm late. I had to fetch somebody." She added.
"Fetch somebody? You literally dragged me here Nico." A voice from outside joined the conversation. A red-haired girl followed Nico inside the clubroom and stood near the door.
"Ahem, this is Nishikino Maki and she said that she'll join the team." Nico introduced the new girl to them.
"I-I didn't say anything about joining the team! I just said that I'll think about it!" Maki stuttered out, blushing in embarrassment.
"Really?! You'll join the team?! Yes, we have seven members now! After Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan come back, then our roster is complete!" Honoka happily exclaimed as she jumped towards Maki with twinkling eyes.
As the rest of the team gushed on having "the Nishikino Maki" on the team, Umi approached Nico and said with a low voice, "How did you convince her to join? I knew that you two know each other from before, but convincing her to join after all that publicity on her sudden retirement…"
Nico hummed a little before she replied, "It's a long story."
"But she won't pitch. Ever again." Nico added in reply.
The three new members of the team lined up in front of the rest of them. "Okay, everyone welcome to the Otonakizaka Academy's baseball team. For the two of you, the rest of the team deliberated on the positions that you will play for the team. First, Rin, you have shown exceptionally good reflex and speed during your tryouts. We have decided to put you on third base, also known as the "Hot Corner" of the baseball field. As for the batting order, with continuous batting practice we also decided to put you as the lead-off hitter of our team because of your speed." Umi said out loud to them.
"As for you Hanayo, your catching and throwing skills are very good and can be improved more with continuous practice. However, your running can use a bit of help. We decided to place you in the right field because of your arm strength. As for the batting order, we will wait until just before the start of the tournament before we say the final order." She added.
Umi then looked at Maki and said, "Maki, I have heard and witnessed your baseball knowledge and skills before. However, it is a team rule that you need to tryout so that we could assess on where to properly place you on the team. Is that fine?" She asked her.
"Fine. I don't care either way." Maki replied with a bored look.
"M-maki-chan, you shouldn't talk like that to our senpais." Hanayo whispered to Maki.
Umi was going to scold Maki on her behavior when Nico nudged her and gave her a knowing look. She just sighed and said, "Let's start the practice! Kotori and Honoka, you guys handle Rin and Hanayo while Nico and I will start Maki's tryout to the team. Start with 10 laps around the field!"
As expected, Maki showed excellent all-around baseball skills during her tryouts. Her batting was comparable to Umi and her fielding skills her were exceptional as well. "As expected from the little league prodigy…" Umi commented from seeing Maki on the field.
Maki wiped her sweat away as she dived to reach a line drive bat from Umi. Maki threw it back to Nico beside Umi when Nico said, "Okay. Umi, I think you already saw everything that you need to see."
Umi dropped down her bat and replied, "Yes. She just proved to me that all that publicity is no joke."
"Maki-chan! Tryout's over!" Nico called to Maki out loud.
Maki walked back to Nico and Umi while dusting off her jersey. "So, how did I do?" She asked them.
Umi smiled genuinely and said as she extended her hand to Maki, "You did great. Welcome to the team."
Maki welcomed the handshake and replied while twirling her hair in habit, "W-well, thanks for having me."
Somebody suddenly glomped Maki from behind and exclaimed, "Welcome to the team, Maki-chan~!" Rin happily hugged her. As the rest of the team congratulated Maki, Nico told Umi that she have to leave practice early to meet with somebody. With a knowing look, Umi nodded and Nico jogged back to the clubroom after congratulating Maki as well.
Busily staring out of the window, Nozomi is playing with her cards when she smiled widely and looked back to Eli who is busily reading paperwork on the desk.
"Ericchi~! Since we just have a little pile of paperwork left and it's still a bit early, let's grab some parfait on the way home." Nozomi happily suggested as she made her way beside Eli.
"Hmmm…? Don't you think we had enough parfaits for a week, Nozomi?" Eli replied while still being focused on her reading.
"How about I treat you to the Chocolate Supreme Parfait, complete with your favorite chocolate marshmallows?" Nozomi tried to convince her.
Eli stopped in her tracks and slowly put down the rest of the paperwork down. "Mou Nozomi, that's not fair." She replied.
As the both of them finished their work for today, the two of them left the school and strolled down the streets of Akihabara. The lively street is full of people shopping around the electric town and some of the otaku shops in the area. As they made their way down their favorite shop, Nozomi asked, "So, how are you doing?"
Eli, a bit confused on what Nozomi is asking about replied, "I'm fine? Why are you asking this?"
"Ericchi, you know what I'm talking about. I've been meaning to ask you this since our sleepover last time. When are you coming back to the team? I saw you last time; you're catching and throwing the ball perfectly." Nozomi seriously asked Eli as she clutched her bag tightly.
Eli was surprised by Nozomi's sudden change of mood. She was just joking on some things earlier, and now she was asking her something that the two of them have a silent agreement to never talk about again. She stopped in front of their destination and answered, "I'm busy with the student council. And about playing baseball, that was for Arisa."
Nozomi was about to say something again when she saw someone inside the shop. The both of them entered and somebody said, "You're late."
Nico was waiting for the two of them at this parfait store for at least 30 minutes already. Her melon cream soda drink is already empty when they entered the store. She noticed the tension between the two of them and deduced that Nozomi already started the talk on their way here.
"Nico…" Eli said out loud before she looked back at Nozomi and said, "Did you just deceive me, Nozomi?"
"Hmm? No, Ericchi. We came here for parfaits. I just also invited Nicocchi, that's all." Nozomi said before she started walking towards Nico.
Eli frowned a bit and fixed her bag on her shoulder before she followed Nozomi and sat in front of Nico. Nozomi called a waiter to say their orders as Nico stared directly at Eli who is looking uncomfortable in her position.
"Sorry to rain on your parade Eli, but this is the only way to talk to you without you ignoring or running away from us." Nico bluntly said to Eli. "When will you come back for the team? We already have seven members and with the both of you, we can complete the roster and enter the tournament. The summer tournament is getting closer and we need both of you in the team." She asked her the same question Nozomi asked.
Eli looked at Nozomi after Nico asked her question and she stared back with the same intensity as she had earlier. She looked back at Nico and replied, "Nico, I handed my resignation letter from the club last year after the summer tournament. I inherited the student council president position from our senpai and I have no time for baseball anymore."
"Ericchi, we both know that the only reason that you drown yourself in paperwork is because you do all the work that is supposed to do by the other members of the student council. You don't even give them any work that's why they left. Remember that Honoka's friends, our baseball managers, are also members of the student council and are very willing to help. We don't even have that much of a student body for you to get that busy." Nozomi said to her.
"But…" Eli started to retort when Nico started to talk again, "It's not your fault that we lost last year. We repeatedly told you again and again. The senpais never blamed you; in fact, they wanted to thank both of you because without you, and Nozomi transferring in our second year, we wouldn't have even reached the finals of the regional tournament last year."
"I- I haven't practiced since that game." Eli replied to them.
"Ericchi. You practice with Arisa. Doesn't that mean that you just couldn't let it go?" Nozomi said to her. "Do you remember when we first met, Ericchi?" She asked Eli.
Eli stopped at Nozomi's question and her mind wandered as she remembered that vivid memory from five years ago. "Rivals forever…" She said out loud. Nozomi smiled as the waiter brought them their orders. One Chocolate Supreme Parfait for Eli, One Strawberry Surprise for Nozomi and One Banana Caramel for Nico.
"I betrayed the team when I left. They don't deserve me back there." Eli said to them as the waiter set their orders on the table.
"On the contrary Eli, every single day, the second years are wishing that the both of you return to the team. They all miss the both of you." Nico said to her as she took a bite out of her parfait.
"What about you Nicocchi~, don't you miss us too~?" Nozomi said as she tried to tease Nico.
"A-ah, w-well of course I do. There's no one to control those noisy second years on the team and it's getting hard for me too!" Nico embarrassingly replied to Nozomi. "How about you, Nozomi, about the team?"
"Well, like I told you before, I'll follow whatever Ericchi's decision." Nozomi replied as she also took a bite on her strawberry parfait.
Nico grumbled a bit before saying "And Eli, about your resignation letter, the previous captain shredded it after you left. She couldn't have let the next captain of the team resign, right?"
"W- what? Captain? Me?" Eli said, surprised from what Nico said.
"Huh? Are you really that stupid? The previous captain assigned you to be the next captain before the final game of the regional tournament. Or are you not listening back then?" Nico exasperatedly replied to Eli.
"Ericchi, just believe in yourself. You can't just wallow yourself on self-pity forever. Remember that our friends support you. I support you." Nozomi softly said to Eli as she took her hand and squeezed it to encourage her.
Tears fell out of Eli's eyes, unable to control her emotions any further, "I'm sorry for all the troubles I gave to you all this time. I don't deserve this kind of treatment from you after I just went and left the team last year. I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise to you Nico. I promised I will take you to Koshien but I failed."
Nico teared up as well as she saw Eli crying in front of her, "It's not your fault Eli. I didn't realize the burden that I put onto you when I said that before. And besides, we still have this year to make it to Koshien, right?"
Eli wiped her tears away as a new spark burned into those eyes. "You're right. We still have this year to make it to Koshien." She called to both of them and said, "Nico, Nozomi, I'm really sorry for my behavior before but I hope you'll allow me to come back to the team." She said as she bowed her head down to the two of them.
"Nicocchi, as I said before, whatever Ericchi's decision is, I'll follow her." Nozomi said to her as she smiled widely.
"Hmph! At last I cracked through that stubborn head of yours Eli!" Nico triumphantly said to the both of them. "Come on, the parfaits will melt if we don't start eating." She added while smiling the happiest smile that she had worn since last year.
Thanks for reading guys! Reviews for me? :D
