I would like to thank A Whisper None Can Hear for her sweet review. Your review made me blush and made my day, thank you so much. While I am happy from your words, I also feel a bit of a pressure. Knowing that there is someone who thinks of this fic the way you do makes me wanna do better and not disappoint anyone who likes this fic just like you do. Hopefully I don't mess up haha. Enjoy!

The next morning, Yukari is up at the usual time. If she has to say anything about herself in the mirror, she'll say that she looks horrible. Her eyes are puffy from both crying and lack of sleep. She doesn't even remember when she finally succumbed to sleep after she finally stopped crying. This is why she hates crying; it makes her look horrible in the morning and it doesn't change anything. No matter how hard she cries, they still lost.

After they returned to the dorms yesterday, she managed to just barely pull herself together as she watched all the players just sitting in the cafeteria with tears down their cheeks, unable to touch the food that the cafeteria auntie had prepared to celebrate their victory. She still had Kazuya's baseball cap squeezed in one of her hands. Needless to say, it was her first time seeing a baseball cap so wrinkled. She felt bad about having to return it to him in that state.

After she makes her face look as presentable as possible, she jogs around the baseball field. After she's done, she takes a shower and gets ready to help the cafeteria auntie with breakfast. She warns her not to make too much, because she knows that everyone won't have too much of an appetite. When her upperclassmen come into the room, they look much worse than Yukari was when she saw herself in the mirror that morning. They must've cried themselves to sleep.

The sight she sees during breakfast isn't much different than what she saw during dinner last night. As she thought, they barely touch their food as they start to cry again when they see each other's faces. All their underclassmen, including Yukari, can only watch them. They don't feel that they deserve to cry anymore, no matter how much they wanted to.

After Yukari is done helping the cafeteria auntie with the leftovers, she walks back to her room. On her way there, she sees Masuko leaving his dorm room.

"Going home, Masuko-san?" Yukari asks as a greeting.

"I am," Masuko says, "How do you feel, Ichikawa-chan?"

"If you're talking about my health, I feel much better than yesterday, thank you for asking," Yukari says. She doesn't need to tell him how she feels about their loss, "Be careful on your way home, Masuko-san."

"Take care of yourself, Ichikawa-chan. I'll see you in two days," Masuko then smiles, "Who knows? Maybe we'll be neighbors."

Yukari gives him a small smile, relieved to see him smile, "We'll see."

Masuko leaves the dorms and Yukari bows at his departing figure.

Yukari returns to her room and sees the baseball cap she wore yesterday sitting on top of her bed, looking wrinkled. When she woke up this morning, she was holding onto it like a kid would hold their favorite doll. Somehow, when she has that cap in her hands, she feels just a little bit calmer. Or maybe it's just her imagination. But that cap isn't hers, and she has to return it.

She takes the cap in her hands and goes to Kazuya's room. When nobody answers her knocks, she sighs and makes her way toward the cafeteria again. She remembers seeing him there before she left for her room. She meets Youichi on her way there.

"Yo," Youichi says.

"Hey," Yukari says, "Where are you going?"

"Cafeteria," Youichi says, "Masuko-san just left and there's no way I'm staying in that room alone with Sawamura."

"I'll come with you," Yukari says as they fall into step, "How's Sawamura doing, by the way?"

Youichi sighs in exasperation, "I don't know. It's like when Chris-senpai didn't make it to first string all over again, only worse. I don't know what to say to him."

"Maybe…" Yukari starts, "Maybe we don't have to say anything to him. It could be a matter of who says what to him that will knock some sense into him."

"You might be right…" Youichi says as he opens the door to the cafeteria. Kazuya is sitting in front of the TV, the video of their match against Inajitsu yesterday playing in it. When Yukari sees him biting on his fingernails, she sighs and resolutely walks toward him. She slaps the hand that he's biting on.

"Nail-biting is a horrible habit," Yukari says. Kazuya lowers his hand but doesn't turn to look at them.

"You're already reviewing yesterday's game?" Youichi asks. When Kazuya doesn't respond to any of them, he grits his teeth, "That's great and all, but do you have to do it now? The upperclassmen have already retired, and–"

"We weren't good enough," Kazuya cuts Youichi off, "I wasn't… and the team wasn't."

Yukari and Youichi watch Kazuya with wide eyes as the video continues to the moment of their loss. He then turns to look at Youichi and Yukari, and she jumps a little at the look on his face.

"Even with such unbelievable upperclassmen, we couldn't win. We don't have the indisputable cleanup anymore. We don't have an ace. As it stands now, going to Koshien next year will be nothing but a pipe dream."

When Yukari sees the determination in Kazuya's eyes that contradicts his words, while she is a little bit intimidated by it, she strangely feels calm. This team still has hope. They can still be better. Yukari is sure of that.

"…then let's get stronger," Yukari says, gaining Youichi and Kazuya's attentions, "It's true; we've been depending on our upperclassmen too much. We didn't even think about what we should do when they eventually leave, because we were naïve. We were so sure that we'll still be playing together, at least longer than this. But that's not the case now, is it?"

Yukari eyes her fellow second years and says, "From what I've seen, this team only gets better each year. I'm sure this year that would be the case as well. It's just a matter of when you guys will finally pick yourselves up and start practicing again. And take this the wrong way if you want, but our upperclassmen are replaceable. We still have a lot of great second string players, desperate to replace them in a game."

Yukari puts Kazuya's cap on the table in front of him, "I'm just here to return this and to tell you," she then looks at Youichi, "And you, that I'm going to the hospital again today for a check-up."

"Are you going home?" Youichi asks.

"You think I can leave you guys here like this? Think again," Yukari says, "In case you guys don't remember, I don't trust you guys. My parents will understand. Besides, what's the point of staying for just two days?" her phone then beeps. She peeks at her phone and sighs, "I'll see you guys later."

xXx

As she thought, Yukari gets scolded by her doctor for not just pushing herself to stay in a place where she can easily get emotionally stressed, but also because she hasn't been getting enough sleep. The doctor once again reminds her of all the things she should and should not do. Thankfully, the doctor only tells her to rest and doesn't need her to stay in the hospital, so Yukari is out of there quite quickly.

Much to her surprise, Yukari doesn't need to do a lot of begging, if not at all, to make her parents let her stay in the dorms. They simply drive her back to the dorms and remind her to tell them if she needs anything. She's infinitely grateful to have exceptionally understanding parents like them.

After she's returned, she notices a lot of the second string players, also the first and second year first string players, practicing in the indoor practice building. She smirks. With their upperclassmen retiring early, there are empty spots to fill, and it seems that the second string players are hungry for it.

During dinner, Yukari smirks as she sees the second string players eating more than they did during breakfast. It seems that she doesn't have a lot of things to worry about.

There is one thing that Yukari is curious about.

The third years are retiring, which includes their captain, Tetsu. From what she heard from Rei, they already have a scrimmage scheduled for next week. That means Kataoka has to appoint a captain soon. Unlike the third years, who have always been naturally led by Tetsu, the second years don't have someone like that. Yukari eyes her fellow second years, and her eyes fall on one person she thinks has the potential to lead the team.

"Yukari-chan, go ahead and eat! I can handle it from here," the cafeteria auntie says.

"Are you sure, Oba-san?" Yukari asks. The cafeteria auntie nods at her with a smile, "Then excuse me…"

Yukari takes her dinner – she is eternally thankful that on her first year here, she suggested a healthy, low-sodium diet that is heart-friendly to the cafeteria auntie, so she doesn't have to eat anything different from the others – and walks toward the second years' table. She simply sits on the free chair beside Kazuya and starts eating.

"I-I heard you were unwell yesterday, Ichikawa!" Zono says. He somehow always seems nervous when he's talking to Yukari. She knows why, but she thought he should've gotten over his nervousness already. They've been on the same team for almost two years, after all.

"Hmm?" Yukari looks up from her food, "Oh… yeah."

"Are you okay now?" Kenjirou asks.

"Yeah, you were in a pretty bad shape yesterday…" Nori says.

"You should've taken better care of yourself, Trainer-san," Youichi says with a mocking smirk.

"I already got scolded by my doctor today. Other than a bruised ego, I'm fine," Yukari says.

"THE ONE WHO WILL BECOME THE ACE IS ME! I'LL BE THE ACE OF ALL ACES! THE KING OF ACE!"

Yukari jumps a little in her seat – much to Kazuya's amusement, while her heart protests with a jolt of pain – when Sawamura suddenly shouts those words. She rolls her eyes as she puts a hand over her heart, "Again with this talk…?"

"DON'T IGNORE ME! Damn it! I'm eating! Harucchi! Rice!"

"Get it yourself."

What's that…? He seems just fine. I guess his rivalry with Furuya actually fuels his fire.

"That idiot needs to shut up," Youichi says with a smirk. Yukari smirks at him. Yeah, yeah, say what you want. I know you're worried about him, "You okay with that, Nori? They're talking about becoming the ace.

"The ace is Nori," Zono says, "It's gonna be our team. We need to make it strong."

"You're really serious about this, Zono. You look even more like a mafia boss now. Hyahaha!"

"Shut up!"

"By the way, Ichikawa, do you know who Kantoku has in mind for the next captain?" Youichi asks.

Yukari shrugs, "I've got a couple of guesses, but nothing solid yet," she says as she continues to eat.

"Miyuki-senpai!" Sawamura suddenly calls out, "Can I see the footage of the final later?"

Yukari's eyes widen at his words, but she smirks. I didn't think he'd ask for it so soon.

"Yeah. Go ahead," Kazuya says, "Furuya, you wanna watch too?"

Furuya shakes his head. Suddenly Nori stands from his seat, gaining the second years' attentions. Nobody tries to stop him as he leaves the cafeteria.

Nori…

xXx

As Yukari prepares to get some sleep, someone knocks on her door. She frowns. It couldn't have been Kazuya, since he's in the cafeteria with Sawamura. But she can't think of anyone else who would come to her room at that hour. She puts her jacket on and opens the door.

"…Rei-san?"

"Yukari-chan, Kantoku wants to see you," Rei says, "It's about the next captain."

"…okay," Yukari says as she follows Rei to the head coach's room. When she enters the room, Kataoka asks her to wait for a while. Not long after that, Zono enters the room, looking flustered when he sees Yukari in the room. Not long after his arrival, someone knocks on the door.

"Excuse me," Youichi says. Yukari and Zono turn to look at him, "Zono. Ichikawa."

"Kuramochi. Come," Kataoka waves him over. The three of them stand in front of the head coach, "I think you've already guessed why I called you here. I've decided that Miyuki should be the captain."

"Eh? Miyuki?" Youichi asks.

"What do you think?" Kataoka asks, "I want to hear your honest opinions."

The three second years look at each other. Yukari can see Youichi squeezing his hand in a fist and gritting his teeth, possibly from frustration.

"I don't think he can be the captain Tetsu-san was, but I think he's right for the job," Youichi eventually says, "I haven't reflected on our last game yet. But he's different. He accepts the loss and is looking forward."

"What about you, Maezono-kun?" Rei asks.

"He's been on the roster since he joined, so I'm not sure if he can sympathize with those who don't make the roster. However, he understands baseball and has a lot of influence. He has the most presence on the team. I also thought Miyuki would be the only choice," Zono explains.

"Yukari-chan, how about you?" Rei asks.

"Um… isn't it a little bit unfair to ask for Ichikawa's opinion?" Zono asks, "I mean, they're dating, so…"

"You think I might be biased," Yukari finishes his sentence. Zono and Youichi, who shares Zono's sentiment, look away, "I see where you're coming from, but he's been on this team almost as long as we've been dating. Have you ever seen me treating him any differently during practice?"

Zono and Youichi don't answer her rhetorical question.

"I don't care if he's my boyfriend or not. If I think he's not fit to be captain, I'll say so," Yukari says, "Having said that, I feel that what Youichi-kun and Zono said are all true," she takes a deep breath and says, "Kazuya is troublesome."

Zono and Youichi look at Yukari with confused looks.

"His personality sucks, and he doesn't have a filter. I honestly feel that he will have a hard time with gaining everyone's trust and respect. I mean, he practically has no friends."

Are you really Miyuki's girlfriend…? Zono and Youichi wonders.

"But nobody leads like he does. His baseball sense is second to none. Not to mention he actually doesn't mind getting hated for the sake of the team's progress. As twisted as it sounds, he's used to it," Yukari looks at Kataoka, "It's a hundred years too early for him to be the leader that Tetsu-san was, but he doesn't have to be like Tetsu-san. I believe he can lead this team in his own way."

"Okay," Kataoka says, "I'll let Miyuki know. However, I have some concerns," Kataoka says, "He'll play an important role in batting, and as a catcher, he needs to keep the pitchers in check. Miyuki's going to have a lot on his shoulders. It's up to the three of you to support him."

xXx

"Some went home, and some stayed, but all fifty-nine first and second years are back," Rei explains to the head coach during their first practice as the new team. Yukari stands in front of the first and second year players who are lined up in front of the head coach and staffs.

"I'm sure you guys have learned a lot already, but I've never had anyone grow as much as the third years who retired," Kataoka starts. Yukari has to agree. Those upperclassmen of hers transformed from the 'hopeless year' into the powerhouse they are, "In every practice, they all showed up with high standards and faced baseball head on. That's what made the difference. It is my failure as the coach that they couldn't go to Koshien. Never forget how it feels to lose."

"YES, SIR!"

"Then, a word from the new captain, please," Rei says. Kazuya then steps forward and stands in front of the team. Yukari's eyes widen slightly when she realizes that he looks nervous.

"Well…" Kazuya starts. He then turns to look at Rei, Oota, and Yukari, "What should I say?"

"Anything! Just a few words!" Oota says.

"Is he nervous?"

"Keep it together, leader-in-training!"

The hell…? Apparently the great, confident Miyuki Kazuya can get nervous too… Yukari thinks as she tries her hardest to cover her laughter, but she knows Kazuya can hear it, judging by his pout.

Kazuya rubs the back of his head out of nerves, "Well, then… uh… Honestly, I'm still a little unsure about this, but here goes nothing."

"Your voice is small!" Yukari scoffs out a laugh at Sawamura's shout. She shakes her head in amusement. Well, this is new. I don't think I've ever seen him this nervous before; not even when he confessed to me.

Kazuya sighs and straightens up. He raises his voice and says, "I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the tournament final," much to the players' astonishment, "I learned about my weaknesses, and I learned how strong the opponent was. Most importantly, I discovered how scary baseball is."

Kazuya… Yukari thinks as she watches her boyfriend from the side.

"It's unfortunate for the third years who've retired, but we have another year to set the records straight. I personally want to see results. I want to be greedy about winning."

Yukari smirks at Kazuya, who exudes determination. She hears a small clap from Sawamura, "You said it without fumbling!"

"To do that," Kazuya continues, "I'm not gonna mince my words, so keep that in mind," he grins when he sees the shocked look on the players' faces, "What's that? Yuka-chan has never held back with you guys, so don't expect me to lick your wounds! In fact, I'll pour salt on them!" he ignores everyone's protests and says, "Let's start with the warm up!"

"Can you talk louder?!" Zono shouts. Kazuya glares at him. Yukari nods in approval. Good job, Zono.

When Yukari turns to look at Kazuya, she swears he's blushing. I've never seen him like this… "Let's start with the warm up!" he then starts to run, followed by the other players, "Let's be loud!"

"Greedy about winning…" Rei starts, "I know where he's coming from. Have you always been thinking about making him captain?" she asks the head coach.

"Yeah," Kataoka answers, "Yuuki strongly recommended him too."

Yukari's eyes widen at this piece of information. Tetsu-san did?

"Did he now…?" Oota wonders.

"Ichikawa," Kataoka says.

"Yes, sir?"

"Help the managers with the drinks and towels. They'll be done warming up soon," Kataoka says. Yukari feels that he's trying to dismiss her, but she doesn't say anything.

"I understand. Excuse me," Yukari says as she bows at the head coach, Oota, and Rei, and turns to help the managers.

xXx

After she's done helping out the managers, Yukari stops by the bullpen, where Kariba Wataru – a first year catcher –, Hiroshi, and Kazuya are catching for Furuya, Sawamura, and Nori respectively. She's a bit worried about Nori. He seems to have been struggling to move on from the loss.

When she arrives at the bullpen, Nori leaves it, saying that he wants to run some more. She eyes him with worry, but doesn't say anything.

"Is Nori gonna be okay?" Hiroshi wonders, "He probably can't get over the fact that he gave up hits, and feels responsible for ending the third years' summer early."

"The walk he gave to the third batter hurt, but he was pitching aggressively to win. No one blames him for his pitching," Kazuya says.

"Well, of course," Hiroshi says.

"It's up to him to get over it," Kazuya says, "We can't do anything about it."

"Besides," Yukari adds as she enters the bullpen, "If there's really anyone to blame, it's all of us. It was a team effort, and if there's anyone who has to take responsibility of it, it's the whole team," she says.

"I-Ichikawa, you say the cruelest things with the straightest face…" Hiroshi says.

"Well, then prove me wrong by being better," Yukari says. That has always been her M.O. since joining the team: piss off the hot-headed idiots so that they'll get better just to prove her wrong. So far, she has been proven wrong and she doesn't mind it one bit.

"I guess there's a reason why you guys are a great match…" Hiroshi says under his breath.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Hiroshi-kun?"

"Nothing," Hiroshi says immediately.

"How can you be so cold like that?"

Yukari and Kazuya turn to look out of the bullpen.

"Miyauchi-san… Sakai-san…" Yukari says when she sees the two third year players.

"Not everyone is as strong as you," Miyauchi continues, "You have to help him get over it, new captain!"

Both third years then leave the bullpen. Yukari eyes Kazuya on the corner of her eye and sees him looking at his feet. Kazuya…

Not long after, the head coach calls everyone into the field to start fielding practice. As usual, Kataoka is batting toward one base, and then they have to throw it to another base. When she sees the dugout, apparently Miyauchi and Sakai aren't the only third years there. Kusunoki Fumiya, the former shortstop and third base coach, and Kadota are there too.

Yukari watches the practice and notices that Kazuya seems distracted. When Kataoka hits the ball lightly for him to catch, he manages to catch the ball, but his throw to Kanemaru at third base is way off, which is unusual. She bites her lower lip in worry. He's so out of it…

"S-Sorry!" Kazuya calls out.

"Oi, oi, what's wrong, Captain?!" Zono asks, "Get your head in the game!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Leader, fired already?!" Sawamura shouts. From the dugout, Yukari can practically feel Miyauchi glaring at Kazuya. She sighs. She knows that the third year catcher doesn't particularly like Kazuya for reasons that she doesn't care to know, so she's not sure if the advice he had given Kazuya earlier was sincere or laced with mockery.

But there's no one else fit for the job, Yukari thinks. Kazuya, it's going to be a bumpy ride, but I believe that you can make it. Tetsu-san and Kantoku do too.

xXx

After the afternoon practice is done, the players all filter out of the field to either take a bath or practice again in the indoor practice building. Yukari goes to the girls' bathhouse and takes a bath. After she's done, she is walking toward the cafeteria to help out for dinner when someone grabs her hand and drags her to the back of the dorm. Her body is then held within the culprit's arms, and Yukari sighs.

"Can't you just ask me to come with you like a normal person?" Yukari asks.

"But normal is overrated," Kazuya says as he holds Yukari in his arms, "I miss you, Yuka-chan."

Yukari misses him too. Some people might think it's weird, since they still see each other all the time. They have all the opportunity to talk to each other, but they don't. They have just been leaving each other to their own business. But this actually happens from time to time. They would only have minimal contact with each other and not talk even though they're sitting next to each other.

But there is no way she'll admit to him that she misses him. Instead, she wraps her arms around Kazuya's torso just as tightly.

"I guess I should congratulate you for becoming captain," Yukari says as she looks up at Kazuya, "So congratulations, Captain. Do your job well, okay?" she says with a smirk. She frowns a little when he doesn't say anything. Instead, he buries his face in her neck, "…Kazuya?"

"Sorry… I guess it just hasn't really sunk in yet," Kazuya says, "I'm the captain of this team… people are expecting a lot out of me."

Yukari sighs as she runs her fingers through Kazuya's soft brown locks, "Of course they are. But it's okay. Just do what you think needs to be done. Do it at your own pace, and if people don't understand that, then screw them. They've been with you for almost two years; they should've known better by now."

Kazuya chuckles as he pulls his head away from Yukari's neck, but his arms are still around his girlfriend's body, "I seriously love you, Yuka-chan."

Yukari blushes at the sudden confession, "W-What the hell is that, all of a sudden…?"

Kazuya laughs as he pulls Yukari's face into his chest and buries his nose in her hair. He takes a deep breath and exhales it, "What did I do to deserve you?"

Yukari bites her lower lip. She hides her face in Kazuya's broad chest and inhales his scent, "…you saved me from myself. That's what you did."

Yukari thought that he couldn't hear that, but he can; loud and clear. He kissed the top of Yukari's head and says, "Thank you, Yuka-chan."

She doesn't know why he's thanking her, but she doesn't question him. She also doesn't protest when he leads her face by her chin toward his. She only closes her eyes obediently as his lips land over hers. She grabs the back of his shirt tightly as he runs his fingers through her hair after he sneakily undid her ponytail.

He pulls away first and plays with her hair with a soft smile, "I still don't understand why you never put your hair down; you look gorgeous like this."

Yukari shakes her head, blushing a little at the smile Kazuya is giving her, "It's hot. And it doesn't make me feel any warmer during winter."

"Then why keep it long?" Kazuya asks.

"…Otou-san doesn't like it when I cut my hair above my shoulders," Yukari says with a pout. Kazuya laughs as he bumps his forehead against hers.

"You really adore your dad, don't you?" Kazuya says with a huge grin on his face, "Well, long hair or short hair… I don't mind either. You're still Yuka-chan," he says as he pecks Yukari's lips. He pulls away from her and returns her hairband. Yukari accepts it and starts to tie her hair back up, "By the way, we kinda have more free time than usual, don't we?" Kazuya asks.

"I guess… practice isn't going to be as intense as before. We have a couple of scrimmages before the fall tournament starts, though," Yukari answers.

"Go on a date with me, then."

Yukari's eyes widen at the sudden proposition, "…a date?"

Since both of them are so busy with their respective duties in the baseball team, Kazuya and Yukari hardly go on dates. Their first – and so far only – date consisted of them watching a pro baseball game, but when she told the managers about it – after much pressing and begging – they didn't think it was romantic enough to be called a date. Yukari didn't care; they had a great time, and that was what mattered to Yukari.

"…but we won't have much time, you know. I did say that practice isn't going to be like before the tournament, but there's still practice," Yukari says.

"We don't have to go anywhere far," Kazuya then leans down until his mouth is parallel to Yukari's ear and then he whispers, "I just wanna be alone with you."

Yukari blushes as she flinches away from Kazuya, "That tickles…"

"Heeh…?" Kazuya smiles mischievously, "So you're weak in your ears… noted."

"Why do we have to be alone anyway?" Yukari asks as she fans her face, trying to bring down the temperature.

"Oh, so you don't mind if people see us making out?" Kazuya asks with a mock innocent look on his face.

Yukari hits Kazuya's head with her hand, "Pervert!"

Kazuya laughs, "I'm kidding! It's just been a while since we went out. It would be a nice change of pace."

Yukari sighs, "Fine. Where are we going?"

"I know a good place. Just leave it to me. Can you prepare some food? Nothing too heavy; we'll probably be back right before dinner," Kazuya asks, Yukari frowns doubtfully at him, and he laughs, "Trust me! Practice ends at around 3 PM, right? Just meet me outside of the gate fifteen minutes after practice ends. Oh, and I want you to let your hair down all day tomorrow."

xXx

When Yukari arrives at practice the next day, she rolls her eyes when people are gaping at her. She only lets her mid-back length hair loose, for God's sakes. It's not like she got plastic surgery or anything alarming like that. She glares at her boyfriend when she sees him looking smug.

She can't really blame them for being shocked. For as long as she can remember, she has never gone to practice with her hair loose. It's always in some kind of ponytail, or when she has free time on her hands, a pigtail or even a braid. But this time, she only uses three white hairclips to hold her bangs away from her eyes.

Even after the head coach has opened the practice, some of the players are still sneaking a look at her. Rei, who notices this, looks at her in amusement.

"Looking for a change of pace, Yukari-chan?" Rei asks.

"…not really," Yukari answers as she fans her already sweating face.

"Why aren't you in your usual ponytail, then?" Rei asks.

Yukari blushes and says, "…no reason."

Rei nods in understanding, "Ah… I guess he would be curious as to how you'd look with your hair loose. Ever since you two met, you've always had your hair up."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yukari says as she walks away to hide her embarrassment, much to Rei's amusement, "If you have time to look this way, then you have time to practice!" she says with a slightly raised voice so everyone who is currently looking at her can hear.

"Heeh… I don't think I've ever seen you like this, Yukari."

"You actually look less like a demon this way, Ichikawa!"

"It's a nice change."

"Uga! You look pretty, Ichikawa-chan."

"Welcome back, everyone," Yukari says with a small sigh as she turns to look at her upperclassmen, "And thank you, Masuko-san."

"So why the sudden change?" Chris asks, "Got a date?"

Yukari's cheeks immediately turn red at his accuracy. Damn it, he's good… Jun laughs, "What's that?! Is he right?!"

"Don't look so jealous, Jun-san," Yukari says with a smirk.

"Who the hell's jealous?!"

"I didn't think you're the type of girl who'd change so suddenly because of a guy," Ryousuke says.

Yukari rolls her eyes, "It's just for today. Consider this a treat."

"Well, I guess we need to thank Miyuki at some point then," Tanba says, "It suits you, Ichikawa."

Yukari blushes a little. She's not used to getting a lot of compliments about her looks like this, "…thank you, Tanba-san."

"Anyway…" Tetsu starts, "I was wondering about how Miyuki is doing."

"With his captaincy?" Yukari asks. Tetsu nods. She sighs, "Well, it's only been his second day as captain, but he's already faced with some setbacks. The fact that he's the captain of the team hasn't sunk in yet. I'm sure he'll manage, but I think it will take time."

Jun clicks his tongue, "I still don't think he's fit to be captain."

"He seemed a little out of it yesterday," Ryousuke says, "I can't believe he made a throwing error. That was unusual."

"You saw that, huh…?" Yukari wonders, "Well, what's done is done. If Kantoku deems him unfit, then I'm sure he'd take him off his post immediately. But it's too soon to tell."

"I'm sure he can do it," Tetsu says, "If it's Miyuki, he can do it. He has to do it. He's gonna have a lot in his plate, but we've lost to the team led by a guy of that caliber."

Yukari nods as she remembers Harada from Inajitsu, who also had the same responsibilities that Kazuya does now. She wonders how he manages to do it, on top of keeping Narumiya on a leash. Kazuya might have more on his plate than Harada though, having to keep an eye on three very different pitchers at once. But if Harada can do it, then that means it's not impossible for Kazuya to do.

"Do your best to support him, Ichikawa," Chris says, "Because he's going to need it."

Yukari eyes Kazuya in the field from her spot. She nods and says, "I understand."

In tomorrow's chapter, we're going to pull away from the baseball drama for a bit and take a look at Yukari and Kazuya's relationship history, so I hope you guys will look forward to it!