Miyuki Kazuya was in front of Akagi Jr. High, in Nagano. Sighing, he remembers how he got here.

It was about a week into his second year of middle school that one of his teammates one day decided that enough was enough.

This teammate snitched on the upperclassmen to the principal for bullying… mostly of out guilt for not being able to do anything else.

Of course, this teammate had recorded evidence on his phone but didn't mention his name because this "victim" didn't want this to ruin baseball for him.

As a result, all the upperclassmen involved got suspended for two weeks. However, once his father found out about this, he was furious and demanded something else be done, or he was going to transfer his son out ASAP.

For an absent father, for Toku to actually get this mad for his sake…was kind of assuring.

But ultimately, nothing else was done, so Toku moved himself and Kazuya to Nagano to live with relatives, transferring Kazuya out of Edogawa.

And so here we are…

As he can't do anything about it now, Miyuki bravely takes a step forward towards his new school in the countryside, thinking to himself with a small smile, 'It's a new start.'

Then, he meets his guide.

"Hi! You're Miyuki Kazuya right?" asks the golden-eyed kid.

Miyuki just nods.

"This Sawamura Eijun will gladly show you around!" Sawamura smiles like the sun, saluting for some reason.

"C'MON MIYUKI KAZUYA! DON'T BE A SLOWPOKE!"

'Loud,' is his first impression of this kid. And to a minor extent, 'But cute,' as he follows Sawamura around.

As Sawamura guides Miyuki around…

"So...fun-sized," Sawamura comments under his breath but Miyuki hears him anyway.

"You were just going to say short, weren't you?" Miyuki's brow twitches.

"Maybe~," Sawamura replies, smiling sheepishly.

"Aren't I your senpai?"

"You're the only senpai in this school."

He blinks, not expecting that, "Oh...really?"

"Yeah. The class is small, and the school's scheduled to be demolished after I graduate in three years."

"I see."

Further on into the tour…

"Do you like baseball?" Sawamura suddenly asks.

"Yeah," Miyuki smiles, "This school actually has a team?"

"Well yeah. I created it. I'm also the Captain," he boasts.

"Alright then. I'm a catcher."

"Really?!" Sawamura looks at him with sparkles in his eyes, "Can you catch for me then?"

It reminded Miyuki of a puppy that's eager to play. "You're a pitcher?" he raises an eyebrow.

"The only pitcher on the team and Ace by default. My class only has enough people to barely form a team," Sawamura explains, "We only have the bare minimum equipment too, but we make do with what we have. There's no other choice, after all."

"And the field?"

"We made and maintain it ourselves."

"Coach?"

Sawamura shakes his head, "Just a class advisor. We have no coach here. No adults stepped up to do it, and they're too scared to even try and learn with us either since they don't know a thing about baseball. We have to teach ourselves and each other baseball."

"Seriously?!" Miyuki's surprised and a bit awed that Sawamura did all that by himself, "You… you're amazing."

"Wahaha! Thanks!" he laughs.

After a moment of silence, Miyuki sighs, "...no choice huh..."

"No-pe," Sawamura pops the p, confirming, "No choice."

Then, when they made it to the small baseball field, Sawamura asks with hopeful eyes, "Catch for me?"

"...sure," Miyuki smiles.

"Yay!" Sawamura cheers.

They help each other stretch, Miyuki commenting, "Your limbs are like rubber."

He gets cat-eyes and a growl as a response, "I'm just more limber than average."

"Hai hai," Miyuki rolls his eyes but smiles at the easy reaction he gets out of the pitcher. 'He's so easy to rile up!'

Then Sawamura helps Miyuki get his gear on.

"I can do this myself you know…" he comments.

"I know…but I'm so used to doing it that it's become a habit," Sawamura shrugs.

"…OK then," Miyuki doesn't know what else to say about that, letting Sawamura do as he pleases.

After they warm up, Sawamura pitches a few balls to Miyuki.

"You're holding back?" he asks, a bit miffed as he catches the ball.

Sawamura's surprised that he noticed. No one outside his team has. Ever. Not even his past opponents or the adults.

Sighing, Sawamura explains, "My current catcher Nobu can't catch my full force pitches. Honestly, no one on this team can…so I've had to hold back for their sake, and they keep telling me to do so."

A minute passes as Miyuki absorbs the info before sighing, "Don't hold back on me. The best pitches are works of art created by the pitcher and the catcher acting as one. I'll catch anything you throw… so just trust me, partner."

"...partner…" Sawamura mutters under his breath, "OK…"

On the next pitch, Sawamura throws with all his might. Then he hears the resounding sound of the ball smacking against Miyuki's mitt. It was beautiful and addicting, and he wanted to do that again.

"Nice ball!" Miyuki smirks.

Sawamura's face lit up in awe, disbelief, and excitement, "You caught it…"

"I did," Miyuki smiles, very proud of himself.

"AGAIN!" Sawamura yells.

Chuckling, Miyuki complies, "Aye aye Captain!"

They play catch for hours before they were done for the day, Miyuki helping Sawamura cool down his shoulder.

'That was…fun. When was the last time I had that much fun playing baseball?' Miyuki thinks to himself before being interrupted.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Are you going to join my team?" Sawamura asks with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"I don't have much of a choice but to teach you guys and myself baseball right?" Miyuki asks.

"Not really," Sawamura shrugs.

"…I might as well take that as a challenge then," Miyuki smiles, "So yeah. I'll join you."

"Oshi!" Sawamura fist pumps.

Miyuki gets to know the team after he's settled, and they're nice as they can handle Sawamura's antics with ease.

Of course, this includes teasing Sawamura, who goes cat-eyed and calls him a tanuki. And other names along with complaints even though he still listens to his instructions regardless. Sometimes Sawamura tries to physically shake some sense into him too.

Overall, he gets along with them but gets particularly close to his new captain Sawamura. Especially after discovering what pitches Sawamura could do just by changing the grip.

It surprised them both that day since Miyuki only suggested it on a whim, and they've worked on the Numbers ever since.

Then, one day Sawamura brings him to his house.

He was nervous at first but got used to it as apparently, the Sawamuras have practically adopted him as one of their own. Much to Eijun's dismay as the youngest Sawamura has never brought anyone home before…until now.

As there was a storm approaching, Miyuki calls his dad to tell him that he'll probably be staying over at the Sawamuras' tonight before hanging up.

"Sleepover!" Sawamura cheers as he drags Miyuki to his room.

They end up playing Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 'til it was time for bed.

Of course, neither of them could sleep yet, so they end up talking while sharing Sawamura's bed.

"Just call me Ei, Miyuki Kazuya. It's easier that way," Eijun suggests.

"…alright Ei."

Eijun slightly blushes at the sound of his name being called like that.

Miyuki smirks, "But only if you call me Kazuya."

"…no."

Seeing the pitcher be stubborn about it, he sighs, "Then call me something other than the nicknames you've tried on me."

Eijun was about to open his mouth.

"Tanuki doesn't count," he quickly says, shutting Eijun up.

Eijun hums, thinking to himself before just blurting out whatever came to mind, "Kaz."

Miyuki blinks at that, "Huh… I… actually don't mind if you call me that."

"Kaz it is then," Eijun smiles before yawning.

"Goodnight Kaz."

"Goodnight Ei."

They fall asleep with their backs to each other.

Only a few hours into the night, Kazuya felt movement and opened his eyes. In the dark, with a flash of lightning, he sees Eijun awake, biting his bottom lip and clutching the sheets.

"You're not scared of storms, are you?" Kazuya asks.

Eijun blinks at him before quietly murmuring, "No. I woke up before the storm hit. Nightmare. Sorry for waking you."

"It's OK," Kazuya asks, "You wanna talk about it?"

"…don't want to be a bother."

Kazuya sighs, "You're not a bother…so just tell your senpai like a good kohai."

"…I'll never call you senpai-"

"-Unless you need something, I know," Kazuya sighs, ruffling his own hair, "Why won't you call me senpai again?"

"…cuz you don't feel like one to me. You're more like my equal."

'Equal…huh.' Kazuya smiles, "I could live with that."

Eijun smiles before Kazuya changes the subject, "Now tell me about this nightmare that has you so freaked out."

"Is the storm over yet?" Eijun looks away from him.

"Don't deflect. Answer me," Kazuya commands in a steely voice. It's what Eijun calls his "captain" voice.

"…" Eijun sighs, "I dreamt that I was alone on the mound. I couldn't see the fielders or the catcher. It was just me and the monster batters in front of me. I…couldn't beat them no matter how hard I tried. I felt like I was playing baseball alone."

Kazuya pulls him into a hug, "You're not playing baseball alone anymore. You've got me now, don't you?"

Eijun nods, teary-eyed, "Partners?"

"Partners," Kazuya smiles, hugging him tightly.

By the next morning, Eijun's mother checks up on them.

"Oh my!"

She sees Eijun and Kazuya still asleep, their hands intertwined. Smiling, she decides to let them sleep in.

With Miyuki's tutoring, Akagi became infamous in the Nagano prefecture. An unstoppable, evil genius battery. Miyuki as Vice Captain, Cleanup, and Main Catcher. Nobu switching to relief pitcher, and Sawamura as Captain and Ace.

They got to Koshien but still lose against Chris though.

Of course, this experience made Miyuki realize that having a coach and fancy equipment was all a privilege and not a necessity. That some people aren't lucky enough to have a coach at all. All that he took for granted, he'll never make that mistake again.

"So…do you have a crush on Chris-senpai?" Eijun innocently asks.

"Wha-! NO!" Kazuya denies it, his face and ears red.

"Uh-huh…" Eijun's smirks, not buying it, no matter how many times Kaz denies it.

When playing against the Edogawa Dragons…

"Kaz…you going to be OK? Should I beat them up for you?" Sawamura asks with concern. This is the team that bullied his best friend so much before.

Miyuki sighs, shaking his head, "While I appreciate the thought… No. I'd rather not get disqualified for fighting."

"Ei, we're baseball players. We should settle our problems with baseball, alright?" Miyuki gently tells him.

"OK…" Sawamura sighs, "If that's what you want…"

"Good boy," Miyuki pats Ei's head in appreciation.

Of course, Akagi wins. With their Ace glaring down at the Dragons with such murderous intent from the mound, they were too scared to bat.

Honestly, he looked like he was gonna murder them from the mound.

'Remind me never to get Ei actually angry…' Miyuki thinks to himself as he catches all his Ace's pitches, sweat-dropping.

Miyuki was so proud and pleased when they won. He wrapped his arm around Eijun, a grin on his face.

They bow, thanking each other for the game.

Eijun's eyes glow like a beast, a smile on his face that doesn't reach his eyes. This frightened the Dragons, making them flinch.

A swift chop on the head from Miyuki snapped him out of it though. Pouting and whining, Eijun looks at Miyuki.

"Let's go home?" Miyuki smiles.

"Un!" Eijun beams as they go home. Not before one last glare at the Dragons, silently warning them that if they ever hurt his best friend again…there'll be hell to pay.

The Dragons all gulp and nod, now scared of the golden-eyed pitcher. Even as they see the pitcher nuzzle contently against their old teammate, the both of them happy.

The second years of the Dragons all smile though, secretly happy that their old teammate has a good team now.

When they meet Narumiya Mei, who's just glad his friend is fine now, he still tries to recruit Miyuki into his posse, but neither Sawamura nor Miyuki will ever do that.

"Kaz is mine! You can't have him!" Sawamura growls as he hugs his catcher tightly and glares at Narumiya.

"Ei…" Miyuki sweat-drops at his possessive, protective, and territorial pitcher.

"You… You white-headed idiot!" Sawamura calls Mei, who fumes.

"What did you just call me?!" Mei screeches.

"Hahaha!" Miyuki laughs, "Nice one! Couldn't have done better myself!"

"Sorry but… I already have a pitcher," Miyuki smirks as he wraps an arm around Sawamura's shoulders, "Besides… it'll be a fun challenge to beat your team."

"...fine," Mei grits his teeth, "You'll regret this later!"

"We won't!" Miyuki and Sawamura reply at the same time as they walk away.

Later, both Kazuya and Eijun get scouted by Seido. Eijun still wanting to play baseball with Kazuya, tests six months early into high school.

Miyuki's surprised that Sawamura actually passed. That Sawamura would follow him to Tokyo.

"What about your friends? The team?" Kazuya asks, concerned.

"They'll understand…" Sawamura sighs, "Besides, they love me but don't love baseball. I've always known that… I guess I just wanted to ignore it until now."

"…I see," Miyuki sighs as he realized that too, much earlier than Sawamura, "As long as you're sure."

"I'm sure," Sawamura smiles.

Once at Seido, they meet Kuramochi and end up as a trio. They're even in the same class together.

"This one," Miyuki points at Eijun, "Tested into high school six months early just to follow me here."

"Seriously?" Kuramochi looks at Eijun, eyebrow raised.

"Yup! We're a package deal!" Eijun smiles.

"Huh…" Kuramochi huffs amusedly.

When encountering Azuma yelling at Nori…

Eijun gets so irritated and angry, that he smiles evilly, "Let's teach him a lesson partner?"

"Of course~ partner," Miyuki smirks.

They strike him out in just three pitches.

Kuramochi's just blinks in awe before laughing, "Kyahaha! Damn!"

A bit later, Kuramochi asks, "Why did Sawamura pick a fight with Azuma-senpai anyway?"

"Well… It's probably because Ei saw him as a threat, so he struck first," Miyuki muses.

"A threat to whom?"

"Other pitchers, and probably me."

"You?" Kuramochi blinks.

"You have no idea how protective he is of me. It's ridiculous!" Miyuki complains.

"Kyaha! Is that so? Well, seems like he's a good friend," Kuramochi comments as they watch Sawamura make friends with Nori and Shirasu.

"I guess he is," Miyuki smiles.

Later…

"Kaz…?" Ejiun asks as he tugs on Kazuya's sleeve.

"Yeah?"

"I like him. Can we keep him?" Eijun asks with puppy eyes.

"Hm…" Miyuki takes a moment to think it through before shrugging, "Sure. Why not?"

"Yay!"

"I'm not a pet!" Kuramochi yells.

"Suurree~ you aren't Mochi!" Kaz teases.

"Don't call me Mochi!" Kuramochi was just about to wrestle them.

"Mochi-senpai!"

"YOU! Don't call me that either!"

When a certain catcher teases his pitcher too much…

Eijun's hands immediately find Kaz's shirt and starts shaking him, "Don't make fun of me Kaz!" before letting him go.

"You OK?" Nori asks, a bit concerned.

"Yeah," Kaz smiles, "Ei won't actually hurt me…at least, not on purpose. I catch his pitches, after all. Plus, I just love riling him up."

Several people sweat-drop.

During lunch, where they have to eat three bowls of rice…

"Ei…you got the goods?"

"Yup! Who do you take me for?" Eijun brings out a bottle of sauce.

"Yes! You're the best!" Kazuya smiles happily as he takes a bite of rice covered in sauce, "So good~!"

"That is?" Kuramochi asks.

"The Sawamura Secret Sauce. I've got several bottles stashed away," Eijun smiles.

They let Kuramochi, Nori, and Shirasu try it…and they all lit up, easily clearing three bowls of rice.

Then, the senpai found out and demanded the sauce as well after trying it. They use it sparingly, at least. Ryo-san was especially scary, but at least is pleased with his meals now.

During the intrasquad game…

The battery quickly takes charge of their makeshift team.

"Why are you two in charge?" Mochi asks.

"We were pretty much the co-captains of our team…and we had to fight just to be able to play baseball," Sawamura and Miyuki say at the same time, "Plus we're used to playing without a coach. This isn't any different."

No one can argue with that.

But when Miyuki's at bat…

"Oh right… Kaz still can't get a hit without runners on base."

"Oi," Kazuya growls, "...I'm working on it, OK?"

Kaz only got a homerun to shut Ei up.

Batting practice…

"Ei… You're swinging early again. Patience."

Sawamura huffs, "Fishing right?"

"Uh-huh," Miyuki nods.

"Fishing?" Tetsu-senpai asks.

"Believe it or not, Ei does fish," Miyuki explains, "Getting into that mentality while at bat is good for him. Just that he's impatient sometimes and swings too early."

BAM!

The ball was hit long.

"Good boy," Miyuki pats Eijun's head, Eijun beaming at the rare praise.

After hearing that Jun used to be an Ace pitcher…

"Spitz-senpai… I'll work with you, so let's prove them wrong?" Sawamura smirks, his eyes full of righteous fury.

"You…really?" Jun blinks at that, too surprised to tell him not to call him spitz.

"Yeah! Just cuz the coaching staff gave up-"

"More like they didn't even try," Ryo-san adds.

"-Doesn't mean you should! I don't want you to just… give up like that. So, let's do it!" Eijun growls, determined.

Miyuki and Chris sigh.

"Well…you're going to need a catcher," Chris smirks.

"Chris!" Jun's eyes sparkle.

"...hm…." Tanba groans, upset…but not wanting to discourage his teammate, "I guess…you would be…a better Ace than me," he admits.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Jun yells.

They did their best to help Jun pitch again.

During a break…

"Why are helping me?" Jun asks.

"Because I consider you a rival, teammate, and friend. Isn't that enough?" Sawamura answers, tilting his head to the side like a puppy. Like it's just that simple.

"Huh…" Jun blinks in surprise before smiling, "Well… I can't disappoint you now, can I?"

Then, they get back to work.

Sawamura barges into Miyuki's room and camps out there like he owns the place too. Miyuki has long since given up denying this persistent pup since it's even more tiresome otherwise. Mostly, Miyuki reads his scorebook while Eijun reads his manga. It's the only time both of them are completely silent, content with the comfort of each other's company.

A few times a week, Miyuki teaches Eijun game calling…which Eijun invites his fellow pitchers and the catchers into as well.

"What are you doing?" Miyuki glares at his pitcher, upset at the uninvited guests.

"Socializing you," Sawamura grins.

"…I think I'm plenty socialized with you," Miyuki shakes his head.

"Nah. Here, I'm your only friend," Sawamura points out, "So I really need to socialize you more."

"I'm not a pet, Ei," Miyuki pouts, crossing his arms.

"Uh-huh," Sawamura smirks, "You're an anti-social tanuki."

Miyuki sighs, giving up since it's obvious Ei doesn't want to listen to him right now.

"I should've expected this from you…" he facepalms.

"At least you won't be bored, right?" Eijun smiles confidently.

He smiles, shaking his head, "Don't push your luck."

As Miyuki gets on with the game calling session, Chris asks, "I'm not exactly against it, but why are we having game calling sessions again?"

"Well…Ei wants to learn, and he's a fast learner when it comes to baseball," Miyuki answers, "Plus, he'll annoy me until I give in anyway. This is easier to deal with."

Tanba asks, "Why are you learning game calling?"

"I want to be Kaz's equal, that's why," is Eijun's answer.

"A pitcher that's equal to his catcher huh..." Chris muses, smiling a bit.

"Chris-senpai~ can you catch for me?" Sawamura asks.

Chris furrows his brows, asking, "I thought Miyuki was your catcher."

"He is. But, I still want to strike him out at least once!"

"Ei…you forget," Miyuki reminds Sawamura that he's still here and can hear him, "I know how you pitch."

Sawamura smiles, fire in his eyes, "Then it'll be all the more satisfying to strike you out despite that. It'll be a challenge for me."

Miyuki shakes his head, smirking, "Well~ good luck~. You're going to need it."

"Oh, it's on tanuki!" Sawamura yells, all fired up.

When Miyuki and Sawamura notice something wrong with Chris-senpai…

"Chris-senpai, please go see a doctor," Miyuki demands, "I don't want my rival to sit out due to injury before I beat him."

"I told you, it's probably nothing."

"Just go!" Sawamura cuts in, using the puppy eyes, "Please~? For your kohais' peace of mind!"

Miyuki smirks as he silently counts down, '3, 2, 1...'

"Fine. I'll go for a check-up. Is that enough?" Chris sighs.

"Hai!" Sawamura smiles triumphantly.

Miyuki snickers, 'No one can say no to Ei's puppy eyes if they're not used to it. Even I can't sometimes.'

Chris will never tell them this but…he's grateful they convinced him to see a doctor back then.

During a break…

"Ei… you're not my captain anymore and I'm not your vice-captain," Miyuki says.

"But we're still pitcher and catcher. We're still partners," Sawamura smiles.

'Of course, you care more about that…' Miyuki muses before sighing, "...fine. You win. Partners."

"Besides, even if we have to be apart, you're still my catcher and best friend."

"You…" Miyuki blushes, "Really?"

"You gonna say no?" He tilts his head to the side like a puppy.

"...don't push it," Miyuki murmurs in defeat at the cuteness.

Sawamura smiles brightly, giggling as an imaginary tail wags happily.

"Are you two…dating?" Nori asks.

Miyuki and Sawamura look at each other before shrugging.

"It's undefined for now," they say at the same time.

"OK…?"

When Miyuki sees that Sawamura's invaded his room again, but is all sad puppy…

"...you feel like you're playing baseball alone again?" he asks, frowning.

"...yeah," Sawamura says in a small voice, 'I'm lonely.'

Miyuki gives him a hug, "You still have me, remember?"

"...I know," Sawamura gives a small smile, "But thanks for reminding me."

They comfort each other for the night.

Miyuki as the new captain now thinks of what Eijun would do and what he himself would do, and he does a combo of both.

'Co-captains. Sawamura has the aptitude of both ace and captain combined,' Miyuki sighs, 'While I'm fine with Mochi and Zono, Ei's still my main confidant. That'll never change.'

During the Ichidaisan game…

"I know both the pros and cons of having a coach and not having one," Miyuki sighs, having had enough of this bull, "Right now, you've failed as a coach. So as Captain, I'll just do what I feel and think is right."

He turns to his pitcher, "Sawamura, you warmed up yet?"

"Yeah…" Sawamura replies, also upset at what was happening on the field right now.

"Good. Cuz you're going in next inning," Miyuki orders, using his captain voice.

"'Kay Cap!" Sawamura smiles. Miyuki's finally doing something!

"Miyuki-kun…" Rei says in shock.

"I asked Sawamura about how to be a Captain. Wanna know what he said?" Miyuki asks rhetorically, "He said that everyone leads in their own way. There isn't just one way to lead, so lead as you want to. No one expects you to change. And even if you mess up, you have a whole team backing you up. It'll be OK."

"He also said that part of being a Captain is taking control of the team when the adults can't…or in this case, won't," Miyuki smiles in a scoffing tone, "Sawamura was a good Captain to me, so I'm repaying the favor now. That's all."

Seiko game...

Miyuki gets run over. Fear flashes in Eijun's eyes as his catcher slowly gets up.

Then, Eijun grits his teeth in anger, a murderous aura rising.

"Guys...let's slaughter them on the field," Eijun smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes, "I want to end this quickly so I can drag that damn stubborn tanuki to the doctor to get checked out."

Some players flinch at the murderous intent of their usually sunshine puppy pitcher while others are downright scared, trembling in fear. A few are unaffected, and nod, agreeing.

"Yeah...let's do that," Mochi's one of the few who nods, but at the same time is kind of scared of Eijun right now.

When Miyuki comes back to the dugout, even he feels the tense atmosphere.

"Uh... Ei?" Miyuki shivers, Eijun's serious protectiveness over him a bit overwhelming.

"Kaz... as soon as the game's over, I'm dragging you to a doctor."

"I'm fine though?" Miyuki sweat-drops, trying to reason with his now murderous and protective puppy pitcher.

"We both know you're high on adrenaline right now...you'll feel it after the game, so I want to make sure you're OK," Eijun frowns, using the goddamn puppy eyes, "Please~ come with me to get checked out?"

At those damn puppy eyes, Miyuki doesn't stand a chance. He sighs, giving in, "Alright alright. After the game, OK?"

"Un!" Eijun smiles brightly like he just didn't threaten the opposing team or coerce Miyuki into giving in to him, getting his way.

At this point, Mochi's very sure that Miyuki rubbed off A LOT on Eijun. So much so that it's scary.

After the doctor's visit, Miyuki needs to rest for a few days, maybe a week or two. Of course, Eijun's right by his side, like a good guard dog.

Omake:

Kaz knows how to handle Ei. Especially since he knows his weaknesses. He'll try to trick him into eating natto, withhold catching for him, and pinch a particular spot on his side to physically bring him down when he's misbehaving. With a disapproving tone for good measure.

Ei meanwhile, doesn't want to deal with an angry Kaz nor miss pitching time, so he obeys him. Most of the time.

Omake 2:

Miyuki's Advice on dealing with Ei…

Eijun jumps Miyuki like an excited puppy. Miyuki catches him in his arms, already used to this.

"Ei's like a puppy. A shiba inu to be specific. If you don't give him attention, he'll just bark louder," Miyuki advises as he pats said puppy's head, which immediately quiets him down.

"Whatever you do, don't leave Ei alone. He's like a puppy with separation anxiety. He doesn't do very well when he's lonely."

"Ei's protective of me but just…never get him actually angry, alright?" Miyuki warns his teammates.

"Compared to Ryo-san?" Mochi dares to ask.

Miyuki just shakes his head, "About equal if Ei's really pissed."

They shiver at the thought.