Chapter 24: Baseball Idiots revealing secrets?
"Mochi, they're obviously fake!" Sora stated with total conviction making the green haired shortstop point his finger at his blue haired teammate accusingly.
"No way in hell!"
"You wanted my opinion, you got my opinion. Whether you believe me or not is for you to decide, ya know…"
"How are they fake? They don't look like that to me at all!"
"Honestly, Mochi, no offense, but have you ever seen the real deal?"
Sora sat on the floor on her carpet in her dorm room beside Kuramochi and looked over his shoulder. However, hearing her blunt question almost caused him to faint at any second. He blushed profoundly and Miyuki, sitting at Sora's desk began snickering as always.
"Doubt it", the captain commented dryly.
"Shut up Miyuki!" the green head fumed.
The blue haired girl was still waiting for an answer, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. At first it had been quite the struggle to suppress her own embarrassment, but after some time her acting skills had proven themselves to be very useful once again.
"Besides, I'm actually wondering why you bring stuff like that to my room"
"I have needs, Sora"
"Pffft… Ow, my abs…!"
The young girl just rolled her cerulean eyes at her two friends. The shortstop had brought a couple of erotic magazines to her room to show her and Miyuki his favorite "idols" a.k.a. erotic models and had asked for their opinion. Sora had remarked that Kuramochi's absolute most precious model apparently had undergone plastic surgery and that she preferred female bodies to be natural, leading to this kind of discussion with their always so dutiful captain laughing his ass off.
"Yeah, I mean I don't judge, but are you into group activities, or…?"
If that was even possible, the green haired teen's cheeks grew even darker. He was pretty close to either having a heart attack or a major nosebleed.
"Hahaha! Oh, Sora, please… It hurts, stop! Stop, please! I can't breathe!" the brunette pretty boy catcher wheezed and wiped away his tears of laughter.
"Fuck, no!" Kuramochi grumbled crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at his two friends who seemed to make fun of him the whole time. "I told you, I just wanted to know what you think"
"I think you need a real girlfriend", the blue head deadpanned.
"Ah, I second that!" Miyuki agreed, still panting and gasping for air.
"Oh hell, I just can't with you two!"
Kuramochi threw his hands up in utter annoyance.
"Alright, so now that you heard my opinion and you obviously don't believe me, you can have your needs some place else, please…"
The shortstop sighed and glowered.
"Should have known I can't have a serious conversation about girls and types with you guys"
"If that's what you wanted, you're very welcome, Mochi. But discussing girls, romance and relationships and discussing porn are two different kinds of things, just in case you haven't noticed"
Kuramochi flushed again and panicked.
"T-That's not po-…"
Sora just raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a pointed look.
"Ugh… fine…"
"That was a quick surrender, Kuramochi", Miyuki teased with his signature smirk, just receiving a pillow in his face as an answer.
"Just for the record, I still believe that you're imagining things, Sora"
"Mochi, for the love of…"
The blue haired girl let out a groan, ruffled her artificial hairpiece in frustration and grabbed her smartphone, researching the name of the popular erotic idol.
"There you got proof!" she said, shoving her phone into the shortstop's face. "She has even announced it beforehand and there were several interviews and even a TV show with her talking about it and confirming it multiple times. She herself seems to be very proud of it, so how can you as a fan not know about this?!"
Kuramochi stared at Sora's phone in shock. His body froze on his spot and he blanched completely.
"My worldview…" he sobbed, making Miyuki laugh out loud again.
"How come you want to talk about girls all of a sudden, Kuramochi? That's unheard of. You fell in love or somethin'?" the captain asked.
"Ohhh… So, Mochi has a crush?"
"Yeah… I mean NO! I have… uhm… err…" the green head stuttered helplessly. "I-I mean, it could be that I have a crush at the moment, but I'm not sure and that's also not the reason I wanted to talk about it"
"Heh…" the brunette catcher drawled in great interest. "Then why don't you start with answering Sora's question first. Any experiences yet?"
By now little white clouds of smoke could be seen rising up from Kuramochi's hot head.
"Wow, Kaz you seem to be unusually interested. I always knew you're a gossip at heart"
"Hey, who was the one asking that question in the first place? As if you weren't interested as well!"
"True", Sora admitted openly, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, I wouldn't really call it an experience. It was a stupid story, to be honest…"
Kuramochi rubbed the back of his head and lowered his gaze on the ground. Sora and Miyuki exchanged a surprised glance.
"Mochi, you don't have to talk about it if you're uncomfortable", the young girl assured him.
"Nah, whatever!" he waved her aside, however still with visible embarrassment. "During my first year when I had entered Seidou and the baseball team, there was a very beautiful third year senpai. Many guys were in love with her and when we heard that she had a thing for baseball, we thought we might be lucky. Maybe we could see her watching us practice or maybe she'd come and cheer for us the next match. Something like that"
"Uhh… Why do I have the feeling that this wasn't her intention at all?!" Sora questioned.
"I don't even know whom he means", Miyuki remarked.
"Figures", Kuramochi and Sora both chorused flatly.
"Oi!"
"So, as Sora already recognized, her intention wasn't so much the baseball sport, as rather… uhm the players"
The Seidou captain started laughing again.
"Oh shit, no way! Really now? She only wanted to get into their pants?!"
"Yeah"
Sora sighed.
"And let me take a guess, she had her way with a lot of 'em, huh?"
Kuramochi nodded uncomfortably, his face heating up for the umpteenth time this day.
"And she seduced you as well and since you had a crush on her anyway, you fell for it?"
"Yeah, kinda…"
"How I hate bitches like that", the blue haired cussed.
"I mean, she wasn't making things clear to me or anything and I was hella confused, but also happy, so… ugh…" the poor green haired boy tried to explain. "She was pulling me into a storage room and she kissed me completely out of the blue. We hadn't even talked a word with each other. Then she started complementing me and she undressed and things happened, ya know. Nice things… Like, back then my brain probably didn't work anymore and I was also naïve enough to think that maybe she honestly liked me for jumping me like that all of a sudden… But sad to say the harsh reality was she consequently ignored me after that as if nothing had happened and as if she didn't even know me. Later I heard that she had done the same thing or even worse things to some other players as well. Apparently she was being bored and merely playing around, toying with people like they were pawns"
"And you guys always claim that I have a twisted personality", Miyuki complained
Sora raised her eyebrows and chuckled slightly.
"Wanna deny it now, Kaz?"
"…No…"
She only nodded, switching her attention back to her green haired friend.
"What'cha lookin' at me like that, huh? That's it. I'm done"
"So, you never had a girlfriend before or after? Like, no honest romantic relationship or anything like that?"
He shook his head no.
"I'm awkward around girls", Kuramochi admitted. "They're usually afraid of me or don't approach me. I haven't actually talked to many of them during my Junior High time and here at Seidou it were mostly the managers, classmates who'd only talk about school related stuff or who'd want to wish me good luck for the next game or stuff like that"
"No wonder, your face is scary. Your whole aura screams delinquent alright", Miyuki gave back matter-of-factly.
The shortstop jumped to his feet, grabbing his captain by the collar angrily.
"What was that you bastard?!"
"See?! Scary, scary…"
"Kaz, I'm not gonna help you if he beats the crap outta you for that, ya know. 'Cause that'd be well deserved"
"Hyaha! Glad we agree, Sora"
"Yeah, it's not nice mocking someone who got his heart broken during his one and only intimate experience…"
"Do you really have to put it like that?!"
"Hahaha, my stomach…"
"Shut the hell up, Miyuki!" Kuramochi seethed. "The whole team knows that you're a goddamn fuckboy anyway"
"Jealous?"
"Sora, help me get rid of the corpse and the evidence"
"Sure"
"I surrender! Okay, I give!"
"So, basically not Mei is the fuckboy, but you, huh Kaz. That's rather unexpected", the blue haired girl mused. "I thought you had nothing but baseball on your mind. And since you don't have any social skills and you always treat your fangirls quite coldly, I just assumed you wouldn't be interested at all"
…
Stunned silence followed.
"Mei?!" Miyuki and Kuramochi blurted out unisono.
"As in Narumiya Mei? The ace of Inashiro?!" the shortstop asked flabbergasted and Sora sighed.
"Yeah, his dad is our new sponsor for the wellness center, so he came over to inspect the facility during new year's vacation", she explained for the second time. "After that I was hanging out with him at the mall for a bit and he showed me some really fancy baseball store because he needed new cleats and stuff. That's when we were talking about his fangirls and how popular he is, but apparently, he doesn't like to act up on it too much. He admitted that he had one or the other thing with some cute fangirls, but he denied very strongly breaking hearts on purpose or just sleeping randomly with any girl that would let him. Plus, with his school and baseball schedule he wouldn't have much time for that even if he wanted to"
Kuramochi and Sora readjusted their seats to the unoccupied lower bunk bed since they both had been lolling on the floor up until now, while Miyuki still swayed in his beloved desk chair.
"You call him Mei?"
"Kaz, we've literally talked about sex and your point is that I call him by first name…?!"
"Hyaha! So true…"
Miyuki let out a groan in exasperation.
"So, just for the record because I know you're gonna pester me anyway…" he started, pinching the bridge of his nose to express his annoyance. "Yes, I'm pretty experienced. I played around a lot in my first year of High School for fun and no, I've never had a long-term relationship up until now because as Sora said, I simply wasn't interested. It was only physical and in the meantime even that has decreased drastically. I lose interest easily and some of the girls were getting clingy and annoying. Besides, you're right, I want to concentrate on baseball, I have to keep my grades up to be allowed to play and to practice and we baseball players all have a tight schedule, so my last time is quite a long while ago already. But I wasn't breaking hearts on purpose or just randomly sleeping with anybody either. I always made it clear that I definitely and without any doubt don't want a girlfriend"
"Hey, no judgement here", the blue head simply said holding her hands up. "As long as you're single, you're free to do whatever you want with whomever you want. I honestly don't care. Ah, but use protection…"
Both of her friends were staring at her expectantly now and she blinked in confusion. Had she said something weird?
"…What…?"
"Your turn, Sora", Miyuki demanded with his signature mischievous smirk.
"Yeah, what about you?" Kuramochi just played along. "Any girlfriends or adventures yet?"
"Ehhh?! Do you mean you guys seriously didn't figure it out yet? I'm disappointed! So much for being sharp and observant, my ass!"
Sora decided to use her chance to assure her true secret wouldn't be revealed by just giving them another fake solution to her little riddle called Sora.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Her captain gave her a pointed look, waiting for an answer.
"Remember when you told me you'd figure out my secret?"
He just nodded, signaling her to go on.
"I honestly thought you would've by now. Either Mochi or you. And that you just didn't say anything to be considerate of the team and the coach. You know, since I was ordered by coach to keep quiet about it"
"I have no friggin' idea!" Kuramochi deadpanned.
"Sorry Sora, but same here", the brunette catcher agreed.
"Anyway, what has your secret to do with you having a girlfriend?" the shortstop wondered and leaned back on the bed they were sitting on.
"Mochi… I don't do girls…!"
"EH?!"
The two boys exchanged a glance with each other, jaws almost dropped to the floor before they regained their composure.
"Wait a sec… So, that is your secret you're keeping from the team the whole time now?!" the green head asked incredulously. "You're just gay? That's it?!"
Sora nodded, acting regretful by avoiding his gaze.
Miyuki let himself fall back in her desk chair and let out a desperate sigh and a chuckle.
"Oh hell, it all makes so much sense now… How was I not able to see that?! Agh, now I feel incompetent. You played me well, Sora. I have to salute you"
"Kaz, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. I never wanted to-…"
"Yeah, I know, I know. It's fine, I was genuinely praising you", he interrupted quickly. "I'm not holding anything against you. If anything, your acting skills are impressive"
"Hyaha! You can say that again. And then that cosplay thing on top… Hell, that took me off guard"
"Don't remind me, Kuramochi…"
"But why did coach order you to keep it a secret?" the green haired boy questioned again. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't expect you to broadcast it, but going as far as you by not showering or changing with the team and also by not having any roommates and all that. Isn't that kinda discriminating?"
The blue haired girl shook her head.
"Think about it, Mochi. We're trying to be considerate of our team members as well as we want to protect Seidou's reputation in public and in the media. And I'm sure that coach Kataoka also wants to protect me as his player and as his student and a student of Seidou High School"
"Isn't that a bit much?"
"Nope. Sad, but true", Miyuki chimed in. "Being gay for many male athletes is still a taboo. Or rather, many people don't accept it. I've heard of one or the other internationally well-known soccer player who had their coming-outs and it caused huge scandals not only in the media, but also in their own teams. There will always be those ignorant and intolerant pricks who wouldn't treat just anyone as an equal as it should be. There was a lot of bullying and bashing going on"
"And even if all the Seidou guys would accept and respect me, they might still be a little uncomfy or awkward changing in front of me or having a bath with me. Everyone is different and some may be more bashful than others. It could easily be seen the same as undressing in front of a girl. I mean metaphorically. Because I could as well check them out and stuff", the young girl added. "We have so many different characters here and I just don't want to upset anyone. It would also be bad for the team's morale and our teamwork as a whole. I just don't see any need in them knowing and I don't mind living like I do at the moment. I'm good here as it is now"
"Huh, I see", Kuramochi grumbled displeased. "Kinda don't like it, but oh well, if you say so…"
"It isn't really anyone's business anyway", the brown haired catcher added nonchalantly. "As you said, your sexual orientation or generally speaking your private life actually shouldn't matter. You're you and you're Sora, that's all there is to it. We're all here for baseball, not for drama or teenage puberty angst"
"Thank you, guys. I'm so glad you understand"
Sora clapped her hand together in gratitude and at the same time had a horribly bad conscience for lying even more to them although they were such understanding and kindhearted friends.
"Thank you for sharing, Sora"
"Hyaha! Yeah and for the trust. Your secret is save with the two of us"
"Three, actually", the blue haired girl corrected. "Eijun knows from the beginning, remember? He was assigned as my guardian from coach Kataoka himself. It's his duty to help me prevent my secret being revealed to the team. The dude even goes as far as guarding the bathroom door for me when I'm inside, so that no one can walk in on me"
"What the fuck?!"
Kuramochi gaped speechlessly while Miyuki only facepalmed.
"This idiot…"
"Hey, he's being nice, okay. Don't be mean"
"And there you were wondering why I thought you two could have a thing. So, I wasn't that far away since you truly prefer guys", the captain teased, his caramel eyes glinting in amusement.
"Yeah well, guys, but not Eijun. As I said, he's more like a brother. Or sometimes… rather like a puppy", the blue head responded dryly, making her two friends laugh again.
"Ah, right", Kuramochi suddenly perked up on that. "Speaking of which, you still haven't answered the how experienced are you question from earlier, Sora"
She blinked innocently with big, round eyes and fluttered her eyelashes.
"I'm all sweet, pure and innocent"
…
They broke out in howling laughter, causing the young girl to humph audibly.
"I already told you, no one's ever gonna believe you that, Sora!" her catcher stated, still holding his side with one hand.
"Ehh, but it's true. You're insulting me!" Sora insisted. "I've never had a boyfriend and I don't like one-nighters or anything that wouldn't be serious like friends with benefits or that bullshit. I had a crush in Junior High, but I never confessed and it was unrequited. That's all"
Miyuki and Kuramochi both suddenly stalled at that. It had needed a little bit of time until their brains had been able to process and analyze the new information, but now it hit them like a blow with a hammer.
Sora was gay. Their blue haired teammate preferred male company. And apparently was… inexperienced, since the words pure or innocent just didn't fit at all. Holy hell…
Which deity to thank for that?!
"And what are you two suddenly blushing for now, hm?!" the young girl scolded, snapping them out of it.
The shortstop and the captain looked at each other and it was like they instantly knew what the other one was thinking, which was very creepy to be completely honest. Miyuki got his confirmation on his assumption who Kuramochi's crush could be and the green head knew that the catcher had figured it out and also that he was most likely sharing the feeling with him.
"By the way, Mochi, Kaz was actually right. Why did you want to talk about that stuff so suddenly? It never came up between us before"
The green haired shortstop fidgeted nervously on his seat on the bed.
"Curiosity for one thing, of course…", he began, but trailed off. "But there were some… ugh very stupid circumstances and I bet you're gonna make fun of me anyway, but since I've won the base running challenge, you owe me Sora and I need your help with something"
Sora exchanged a glance with her crafty battery partner and nodded along.
"Okay, fine. Whatever it is, a lost bet is a lost bet. I have my pride, so I promise to help. Well, I hope that you know that I would've helped you anyway, but let's just say I'll also try my best not to make fun of you for this one, even if it's stupid. Actually, I have to give you props for noticing and admitting that you've done something stupid yourself, so that's that. Spill it!"
Kuramochi looked anywhere but at his friends as he started narrating his problem. Long story short, he had been to the arcades on the weekend and had met two interesting guys whom he had competed with playing games and they had become friendly with each other and also had promised to meet again soon. However, they both had bragged about having beautiful girlfriends and going on double dates frequently and they just had assumed that the young shortstop would also be very popular with the ladies since he went to Seidou and was a regular of their very well-known baseball team.
Not really wanting to deny that, he had agreed and claimed that he had a cute girlfriend and that she was always visiting his matches to cheer for him and that she would even come to his practice, causing the two guys to get jealous since their girlfriends would complain about them spending too much time with their club activities.
"So, you basically lied to them", Sora concluded.
"Granted, but they kinda started it with just assuming whatever about me only 'cause I'm a baseball player at Seidou. Guess I just went with the flow, but it took the wrong way"
"And now they want to meet your girlfriend?" Miyuki took a guess, causing the green head to flinch.
"Nailed it, huh…" Sora sighed.
"Yeah… That's why I need your help, Sora. I might be sharp and a prankster, but you're more cunning. Even Sawamura said your personality is worse than Miyuki's and he's not the type of guy who'd usually recognize stuff like that"
"You know, somehow it really pisses me off how you put that…" the baseball captain reprimanded only to get ignored.
The blue haired girl on the other hand just showed her malicious smirk that sent a cold shiver down Kuramochi's spine.
"Knowing that, are you really and honestly sure that you want me of all people to take care of it?" she asked in the sweetest tone of voice she could pull of without switching into her female voice. "I mean, I could arrange something for you, Mochi… Just not sure if that'd be to your liking"
"Why do I have a very bad feeling about this all of a sudden?!"
"Mhh… dunno… Beats me"
"Argh, you give me the chills when you are like that, stupid Sora!" Kuramochi complained, running one hand through his olive green hair. "Fine, I know you wouldn't betray me, so I'm just gonna trust you with it"
Miyuki whistled impressed.
"Gutsy!"
"Your decision, Mochi"
"Yeah, I'll be in your care then. I'm leaving it to you"
"Completely?"
The shortstop nodded hesitantly.
"Okay… You've been warned plenty, so no hard feelings, right?" Sora sang very satisfied with herself. "I'm gonna text you the details then"
"Ugh… yeah, thanks"
"For you always"
"Dude, you're so gonna regret this", Miyuki snickered.
"Seriously, Miyuki… Just don't jinx it"
Sora didn't say anything further to deny her captain's statement and smiled. A certain sparkle lit up her cerulean eyes as she was already planning things out. Her battery partner watched her in great interest.
"You're awfully hot like this, Sora. Do you know that?" he smirked.
"Hell yes, I am. That's my only purpose"