Hello there! Happy fall! I hope you are doing well and that you enjoyed your summer!
I apologize for not updating any sooner. I had my two bottom wisdom teeth removed during the last week of August and I've just recovered from the swelling and the pain. I know ideally it would've been better to get rid of all of them at once but I didn't want to overestimate my pain tolerance :P
Hopefully there were lots of happy campers last chapter when I finally introduced Miyuki and had interact with Azusa lol
Lady Syndra you're on the right track. Azusa does have a lot of insecurities and she is running away from them. That is something she will have to come to terms throughout the fic. Also thank you for leaving a review!
I want to thank everyone who has favorited/followed/left kudos or reviews/comments as well.
Thank you for your support.
I apologize for any grammar mistakes.
Disclaimer: I don't own Daiya No Ace, Yuji Terajima does. I only own my OC.
Enjoy!
Chapter four: Everything Coming Into Place
'Everything is fine,' Miyuki typed out on his flip phone and sent the text to Narumiya Mei as he smirked to himself.
"Who would've thought that Narumiya Mei was actually a decent older brother?" the catcher mused to himself out loud.
"What the hell took you so long, Kazuya?" an angry Mei screamed at Miyuki from the other side of a phone line.
"It's three in the morning, Mei," Miyuki whispered into his cellphone while quietly stepping out of his dorm room. He didn't want to wake up his roommate because of a certain bratty pitcher.
"What's your point?" Mei asked perplexed.
"Some of us sleep," Miyuki deadpanned while tiredly rubbing his eyes. "Which I'm surprised you're not doing since you always go on about how important is for you to have your beauty sleep," he teased.
Mei snorted. "I can afford to miss out on one or two unlike others," he teased back.
Miyuki ignored his jab. "What do you want, Narumiya?" he asked in a curt tone, changing the subject. He was getting exasperated with the pitcher. Mei was not an easy person to handle, especially not at three in the morning. Miyuki desperately wanted to sleep since he couldn't afford to oversleep and arrive late to practice again. Besides, if someone managed to see him in this state of disarray; with his his black sleeping mask on top of his head and his hair sticking out in every single direction. The entire team would have a picnic at his expense.
Miyuki heard Mei loudly exhaled a frustrated sigh. "Azusa is at Seido," he said in a low tone.
"Ah yes, I saw her this morning," Miyuki said nonchalantly. "She is one of the new managers."
"And you're just saying it so casually?" Mei asked annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Don't you guys live together and are like- I don't know- actual siblings?" the catcher retorted.
"We are," Mei grumbled. "But she didn't tell me."
"I can't possibly think of any reason why she decided not to tell you," Miyuki replied, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
"Shut up you bastard," Mei half-heartedly chastised him. "I didn't call for you this."
"Then why did you call me for?" Miyuki asked. "Don't tell me you want me to convince her to leave Seido?"
"No, of course not," Mei scoffed. "I just…," he trailed off. "Just… Just take care of her, alright?" the pitcher asked in an uncharacteristically soft and pleading tone.
Miyuki widened his eyes in surprise. Not only was he surprised by Mei's tone but also at his request. Mei was not the type to ask for help. "What? Are you serious, Mei? You seriously want me to take care of your sister?"
"Who else?" Mei argued. "Besides, I… Trust you," he revealed.
The catcher raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Really?"
"For the most part," Mei conceded in a sheepish tone. "And I know that she trusts you. It's always been the two of us since our sisters are so much older than us. And then in junior high we met you and it was always the three of us after that. So now that you two are in the same school and I'm here at Inashiro. You're the only one I can trust with this task," Mei explained.
Miyuki softly smiled to himself, finding himself unable to bring up any teasing or sarcastic remark. How could he do that when Mei was being so honest with him?
"Mei?"
"Yes?"
"Don't worry," Miyuki said in a reassuring tone. "I'll take care of her."
"Thanks, Kazuya," he said in a sincere tone. "That was all, so I'll let you sleep now."
"Mei wait!" Miyuki said.
"What?" Mei asked in a confused tone.
"Don't take it personally," Miyuki said vaguely.
Mei stayed silent on the line. His low breathing was the only audible sound. To anyone else, it might've looked as if he was confused or didn't know what Miyuki was talking about. But Miyuki knew better.
That's just how their friendship was.
They didn't need many words to understand each other.
"Good night, Kazuya," Mei finally said before ending the call.
"Good night, Mei," Miyuki said fully knowing that Mei was not going to hear him.
Despite how Mei (rudely) woke him up in the wee hours of the morning and caught him off guard that night with his request. He was happy that Mei was comfortable enough to ask him that. Even though they still joked around and teased each other every time they saw each other, there was an underlying tension. Miyuki still felt some kind of awkwardness between them ever since he rejected Mei's offer of joining Inashiro. Mei was the first friend he ever made. While his teammates bullied him and ostracized him, Mei was the first one to approach him and talk to him as if it was as natural as breathing. Just for that, Mei would always hold a very special place in Miyuki's life and therefore he didn't want them to be truly at odds. Mei's call just reassured him that he was probably overthinking the state of their friendship for the past couple of months.
So that's one less worry.
However, there was Azusa on the other hand.
While there was no awkward tension between him and Azusa, Miyuki wasn't sure how she felt about him. Just like Mei, Azusa was very surprised when Miyuki chose to go to Seido instead of Inashiro. He sometimes wondered whether the newly turned manager ever felt some kind of animosity towards him for not choosing Inashiro, Mei, and ultimately them. Azusa never said anything about it and had yet to complain unlike Mei.
'And she also came to Seido, so she can't be really mad, can't she?' the catcher thought as he made his way back to the campus.
'Surprised' doesn't even begin to describe how Miyuki reacted when he first saw Azusa during the first morning practice. Mei didn't say anything about her going to a different school from him, and she certainly didn't tell him beforehand. It was obvious that she tried to keep it a secret. But failed miserably at it considering how obvious she was trying to hide behind other managers or walk around in the opposite direction. At first, he considered confronting her after the practice was over, but decided against it.
He was having too much fun watching her fret every time Sawamura screamed her name.
Besides, he thought that it would be best to let her come to him when she was ready. He knew that she had her reasons. However, Mei sped up the process because he kept harassing him; asking him, or more like demanding answers about the wellbeing of his sister, since she was not answering the texts of her dear brother. Not like Miyuki could blame her.
The catcher was slightly nervous when he first talked to her but didn't let it show. He would add that he did a convincing job considering that she was the one being awkward around him at first. But soon after they went back to normal and acted as they always did. Miyuki didn't realize how much he missed her until they started walking to the bus station together. Just like Mei, Azusa became an important person in his life and he would always protect her even if Mei doesn't ask him to.
Azusa was like his little sister and he was glad that she was at Seido with him.
It was nice having a familiar face in Seido from his past and he just knew that the rest of his high school years were going to be the farthest thing from boring.
He always had fun with Azusa and this time wouldn't be any different.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Many things have changed in the last couple of days since Miyuki came up to Azusa. Sawamura's abilities were improving just like his relationship with Chris. The older catcher's eyes looked more alive since Sawamura apologized and started listening to him. He had a different air around him and with time Azusa could see why Miyuki admired Chris so much. It was not until she watched the second string practice game where Sawamura and Chris formed a battery for the first time that she truly understood Miyuki's admiration. Chris was an excellent player. He had a good presence on the field, and his game-calling was even more impressive. Nothing bad should've come out of the game. But it did.
After that game the coach decided which two players were going to be promoted to the first string. Bringing a palpable tension in the atmosphere. Everyone thought that Chris was going to be chosen after he showed how well he played in that practice game, including Sawamura himself. But the coach chose Kominato Haruichi and Sawamura instead. Leaving Chris behind in the third string.
Chris was very gracious and understanding while Sawamura….
"Ne, Sawamura where are you going?" Azusa asked in confusion. Practice had just ended and the pitcher just took two tires with him.
Sawamura stopped and turn around to face her."To run," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Huh?" the manager exclaimed in mild shock. "But you ran earlier and practice just ended. You need a break since it's late," she said, pointing to the sun that was about set.
Ever since he got in the first string, Sawamura had been practicing more than usual and pushing himself tremendously.
The southpaw shook his head. "There are no times for break!" he exclaimed. "If I don't push myself then I won't improve!" Sawamura explained. "Don't worry blondie-chan, I will give you back the tires before you leave!" he shouted before taking off.
"Baka! I don't care about the tires!" Azusa yelled as he was running off but he didn't turn back.
'I care about you overworking yourself to death,' she wanted to say but decided not to.
"Don't come to me when you pass out from exhaustion!" she yelled angrily instead. Sawamura was so damn stubborn and he didn't want to listen no matter how many times her, Miyuki, or Kuramochi told him to take it easy.
"Why do you always have to be so damn loud?" a masculine voice asked.
"Who the hell is asking?" Azusa asked annoyed. She turned around and widened her azure eyes in surprise when she noticed who it was.
It was Isashiki Jun and behind him were the older players: Kominato Ryousuke, Kuramochi Youichi, Yuki Tetsuya, and Masuko Toru.
An irritated Isashiki Jun was glaring her down. "Me! You got a problem with that?" he asked in the most intimidating tone he could muster.
Azusa just scoffed and put her arms on her hips, glaring back at him. She was not intimidated by his height nor by his scary expression. "Yes, I do, since that would mean that you're nothing but a big fat LOUD hypocrite!"
"What did you just say?!"
"So aside from being loud she is disrespectful as well," another voice chimed in. Soon the older Kominato brother, Kominato Ryousuke stepped in. "Not to mention that you don't make any sense."
Azusa turned to him; forgetting about Jun all of a sudden. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"How is Sawamura supposed to go to you when he passes out?" he asked. "If he passes out then he'll be unable to walk because he'll be unconscious," the pink-haired boy pointed out in a mocking tone.
Kuramochi started laughing at Azusa."Hyahaha, don't mock her like that Ryou-san," he said while holding his stomach from laughing too hard.
The manager grumbled at their digs. "Stop being such a smart-ass shorty!" Azusa fought back with a glare as she tried to impose her height on him.
Kuramochi immediately stopped laughing as a shocked expression graced his features. "Hey, that was not smart," he began in a rather serious tone.
Azusa scoffed. "What?"
"Did she just….?" Tetsu trailed off.
"Say that?" Masuko finished for his captain with a terrified expression.
"You gotta have a death wish!" Jun exclaimed.
"Why are you guys acting like that?" Azusa asked, looking at her senpai. "You look like as if you just saw a ghost."
"It's worse than that," Tetsu said in a cryptic tone.
The manager cocked her head to the side. "Huh?"
"Apologize right now!" Kuramochi insisted.
Azusa snorted as she put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "No."
"You really wanna die," Jun continued.
"Repeat that again," Ryousuke said in an almost inaudible tone, scaring all of his fellow players.
Azusa turned to him. "What?" she asked in a smug tone while glaring at him.
"What did you just say?" Ryousuke asked again in an eerily calm tone while staring back at Azusa.
The manager felt a chill run down her spine as she made eye contact with Ryousuke. There was something in his voice that indicated her that she just messed up big time. "I… I…" Azusa stammered as she felt that she was gradually stopping glaring at him. She didn't know what overcame her but suddenly a feeling of dread and fear enveloped her entire body like a cloak as she was staring at him.
He was definitely scary.
"You what?" he pressed.
Azusa gulped a thick lump down her throat nervously. "N-n-nothing, I just want to apologize for being rude Kominato-senpai!" she said in a sincere tone and respectfully bowed to him.
Ryousuke smirked. "That's what I thought."
All the players burst out laughing.
"You were all bark and no fight since you folded pretty quick, hyahaha," Kuramochi teased.
Tetsu nodded in approval. "You did the right thing," he said. "Sometimes you have to stop being stubborn for your own good."
"Uga!" Masuko exclaimed.
"That will teach you to be respectful to your elders," Jun said, gloating. "So what about me now?"
Azusa straightened up her back and glanced at him. "What about you?" she asked.
Jun glared at her again as he growled in anger. "That I deserve some respect as your senpai!"
Azusa snorted in the most unlady like fashion. "As if," she said before turning around to resume her managerial duties. Leaving a furious spitz behind.
"You come back here!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The summer camp of hell was in full swing and with each passing day Azusa thought that she was closer to death. Some might think that it was silly that she was complaining about hard it was considering that she wasn't even a player. But things were really tough for her and her fellow managers. Everything was more intense than the usual practices. Longer hours of practice meant that the players needed double or triple the equipment that they usually used. Which meant that the managers needed to work harder to get them ready. Not to mention all the time that they had to spend under the scorching hot sun looking for the baseballs dispersed throughout the practice fields. Since the players were working harder, it meant that they needed more sustenance and they needed to cook more to Azusa's dismay since cooking was not her strong suit.
Azusa felt as if she was barely making it. She was feeling pathetic and weak. She came to Seido because she wanted to make a difference and help the team win the tournament and go to Koshien. But she couldn't even do that. Now, the only thing she looks forward to is to her dorm room. At least the managers got rooms to stay during hell week, so she didn't need to worry about going home late at night. But she hated the fact that was the only thing she liked since she had bigger plans in mind. She had tried to help with the pitchers since she had experience with that but both Sawamura and Furuya refused to listen to her. Not to mention that she barely had the time for that. Azusa was at a loss. She didn't know what to do.
She felt useless but at least with each passing day she was not feeling as out of place as she was feeling before. She was finally beginning to feel as if she belongs at Seido. She had fights with Sawamura and Furuya all the time but that was part of their friendship and she wouldn't want it any other way. She was still going strong with Haruno. She also stopped talking back to her senpai. Well, at least most of the time. Azusa stopped that habit with the older managers, but she couldn't help herself around Jun. He was a loudmouth just like her and he always knew how to annoy her. So she just had to annoy him right back. She would joke around with Kuramochi as well. However, she was very careful with her words around Ryousuke. He was so scary, that he sent shivers down her spine so she decided not to mess with him. Who would've thought that the short baseball player would be so scary?
'I hope that I don't have to give him any snacks,' Azusa thought with a shudder as she placed one rice ball on the long metal rectangular tray. The managers were in the kitchen, preparing refreshments for the team.
"Azusa-chan! Snap out of it and help with the trays!" Sachiko yelled as she picked up a basket of water bottles. "The team's break is coming up soon!"
"H-hai!" Azusa said with a nod as she did as she was told. She couldn't even muster the energy of rolling her eyes at Sachiko or grumble like she would usually do. It was too hot for that.
Besides, she had other (better) things to look forward to. Like giving Miyuki her own rice balls that she made herself specifically for him. While she was not the best cook, she had been practicing ever since he graduated from junior high so he could finally enjoy her cooking.
Hopefully the catcher would find it to his liking!
Azusa followed Sachiko and Yui while Haruno and Takako were behind her on their way to the field. Not only were they carrying water bottles and rice balls but also bananas and other types of fruits. At least the sun was going down along with the heat so the players were going to enjoy the refreshments more.
All the players perked up when they saw them; desperately wanting everything that they had to offer them. Azusa let Sachiko and Yui distribute the water bottles while Haruno and Takako were giving out the fruits. Mainly because she was hiding from a certain pink-haired senpai (but she wasn't going to admit that out loud).
Suddenly Sawamura came up to her along with the younger Kominato. "What do you have there, blondie-chan?" Sawamura asked in an excited tone despite of his fatigued appearance.
"Don't call me that," Azusa half-chastised in amusement as she noticed his usual bright expression. He was done with pushing himself and it seemed as if he was back to being the old Sawamura. "And they are onigiri," she replied, extending the tray to the boys.
"You made them yourself, Narumiya-san?" Kominato asked while taking one rice ball from the tray.
"Well, Haruno-chan made the one that you just took," Azusa said to him while he took one bite. "I made the last couple," she continued. "Take one, Sawamura. You don't want to pass out," the manager offered.
"Thank you!" Sawamura said with a nod as he took one as well.
Azusa shot him a small smile and then looked around as if she felt something was amiss.
"Where is Furuya-kun?" she suddenly asked.
"Furuya-kun actually passed out," Kominato replied while he pointed out at the taller boy who was sprawled on the ground.
"Furuya-kun! You can't actually be this weak!" Azusa chided while she stifled her laughter. He really did had low stamina.
"Leave him there blondie-chan," the southpaw said with a gleeful smile as he wolfed down another rice ball. "I just can't believe that there is this much food!" he exclaimed as he sat down on the ground.
"Sawamura, be careful," she tried to warn.
"Don't worry, Sawamura!" Kuramochi suddenly chimed in. He walked into their circle along with Miyuki who had a water bottle in his hand and was wearing his cap sideways as usual. "Eat as much as you want!" the shortstop encouraged.
Azusa looked at them with a concerned expression. Sawamura shouldn't really eat too much because then he would throw it up when practice resumed. "But-"
"Nothing," Kuramochi cut her off while making a silent plea of silence with his eyes.
Azusa shot him a weird look but then she smiled in understanding. He wanted to play a trick on the first-years by having them eat as much as they could to get them sick and throw up. Kuramochi was indeed evil. No wonder he got along with Ryousuke so well.
"So you made those onigiri ?" Miyuki suddenly asked her.
Azusa turned to the catcher almost immediately. "Y-yes," she replied with a blush. "Well, along with Haruno-chan," she corrected herself. "Do you want to try them?" Azusa offered in a hopeful tone.
Miyuki carefully inspected the rice balls on her tray with a thoughtful expression before turning to her. "Give me one that Yoshikawa-san made," he finally said.
Azusa gasped. "B-but why one of her's?" she asked, trying to keep her cool. "Don't you want to try one of mine?"
"Absolutely not," Miyuki deadpanned.
The manager's heart sank. "Why not?" she asked looking down at the tray. "Mine look exactly the same as hers," she added while pointing at them. They all looked the same with their round shapes.
Miyuki snorted. "Because you're a terrible cook," the catcher said in a matter of a fact tone. "Do you think that I have a death wish?" he added while snickering.
Azusa glared at him as she gritted her teeth in anger.
"They taste fine to me," Sawamura interrupted while stuffing his face with another onigiri. He had one in each hand and was happily eating them at the same time.
Miyuki burst out laughing. "Then you have terrible taste Bakamura."
That's when Azusa lost it.
"You're such a jerk, Miyuki Kazuya!" she yelled, her face red with anger.
"Thank you!"
"That's not a compliment!" she quickly retorted. Then she took one rice ball and push it against his face. "You're going to eat this now, you jerk!"
"I don't want it!" Miyuki exclaimed with a mild terrified expression as he tried to get away from her.
"Eat it!"
"No!"
"Eat it!"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"I don't want it!"
"Azusa-chan!" Sachiko suddenly yelled from the other side of the crowd, interrupting the fight between the manager and the catcher.
Azusa slowly turned to the older manager as she was trembling. "Y-yes?" she asked as she nervously gulped a thick lump down her throat. Knowing exactly what was waiting for her.
Silence sunk in as everyone turned to the two managers.
"What the hell are you doing playing with the snacks like that?" Sachiko scolded. "Get away from Miyuki-kun and come over here! You're on clean-up duty!"
Azusa suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and just lowered her head in apology. "Hai, Sachiko-senpai," she said as the entire team burst out laughing.
She could particularly hear the third years such as Jun and Ryousuke saying something about "unruly kouhai."
Azusa internally growled as anger and frustration boiled inside her.
This was all his fault.
'Damn that Miyuki Kazuya!'
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Thankfully for Azusa, the weekend marked the end of the summer camp from hell. Today's game against Kiryu was more than enough for her. It was too emotionally draining since a lot of things happened. Furuya delivered a terrible performance at the beginning of the game and only found his rhythm for a short period of time before the coach called the change. Sawamura did much better considering that he conceded less runs, but he only could pitch to the inside corner once, which was not a good thing at all. Specially with the summer tournament coming up. Then Miyuki showed her that he still can't get a hit without runners on base which Azusa thought it was hilarious. She thought that was going to be a thing of the past and that he would improve as a batter, but not even Miyuki Kazuya was perfect.
As exhilarating as that match was, Azusa wouldn't mind if the final games that were going to take place tomorrow turned out to be more mellow. It would be against Shuhoku High School and….
"Oh no," Azusa groaned out when she remembered the name of the other team who was going to come tomorrow.
Inashiro Vocational High School.
"Why? Why? Why?" she asked as she stopped walking towards her dorm and looked at the night sky for answers.
Azusa was definitely not ready to see Mei tomorrow. First, because she had been ignoring his incessant texts and calls. Second, he was going to be obnoxious as soon as he saw her. But most importantly because she just knew that he was going to blow up her cover and tell everyone that they were siblings. Mei didn't know how to be discreet even if his life depended on it. She could text him and tell him that she didn't want him to make a scene, but that would only make him more eager to embarrass her. So she decided against it. She just hoped that she could avoid Mei all day tomorrow. Perhaps, she could stay indoors throughout the games, so he wouldn't be able to see her.
Yes, that sounded like a good idea.
"Kami-sama please help me," she said with a quick prayer.
Then she heard someone snickering behind her. "Since when are you religious?" a masculine voice asked.
Azusa turned around and gasped in surprise. "Kazuya?" she asked. "W-what are you doing here?" she said as she scanned his appearance. He was wearing a green beanie hat, his beloved red baseball shirt, and grey sweatpants, and white sneakers. He was also carrying a bat which meant that he was practicing. "Extra practice?"
"Practice makes perfect," the catcher replied with a small smirk.
"Well, you definitely need it," Azusa quipped with a teasing smile.
Miyuki's smirk didn't falter. "At least my batting is better than your cooking," he teased back.
Azusa scowled at him. "How would know you if you didn't even try it?" she asked, feeling her anger rise within her as she remembered the other day when he refused to eat her rice balls.
"Because the taste of your food will forever be engraved in my tastebuds," he said dramatically.
"I've improved since then!"
"I rather not risk it," Miyuki said jokingly. "Specially since the summer tournament is coming up."
Azusa rolled her eyes before pouting. "You're so rude."
Miyuki chuckled. "Don't tell me that's why you're in a bad mood."
Azusa was going to retort with a smart comment but she stopped as soon as she stared into his brown eyes. Was he concerned about her?
She decided to play coy. "That among other things."
"Like Mei?" he asked with a knowing smile.
Azusa averted her gaze from him. "Yes," she said with a nod. "I just don't know what he's going to do tomorrow."
"Yes, Mei is very unpredictable," he said. "But he's not that bad. He wouldn't purposely hurt you."
"Are you defending Mei?" Azusa asked in an incredulous tone.
"I'm stating facts which is quite different," he corrected as he started walking ahead.
Azusa followed him with a grin adorning her face. "Sounds like the same to me," she teased. "But you're right. He's not that bad. Just overwhelming at times," she conceded. "I'm probably just overthinking it."
"You always overthink things," Miyuki said. "Which is why I tell you not think at all," he teased back.
The manager narrowed her eyes in a glare at him. "Shut up Miyuki Kazuya!"
Her outburst just made Miyuki laugh. "Now you sound just like Sawamura."
Azusa growled at him as she clenched her fists in anger. "I mean it! Shut up!" she yelled. "I'm too tired to deal with you right now," she grumbled.
Miyuki spared a glance at her while chuckling for the last time. "Fine, I'll stop," he said. "Only because this was your first hell week and I know how grueling it can be."
"Tell me about it," she said while tiredly rubbing her temples. "I feel so tired even though I was pretty much useless since I was struggling to keep up for the entire week."
"Just because I refused to eat your food, doesn't mean that you were useless," the catcher began with no trace of humor in his tone while turning to him. "I saw you and the rest of the managers work very hard every day to support us. So don't ever say that you're useless ever again, understood?" he asked, his brown eyes deeply staring into her blue ones.
Azusa felt heat rise to her cheeks as she stared back at Miyuki and gave him a sheepish nod. Miyuki's deep gaze rendering her speechless. She didn't know why but his gaze always had that effect on her. There was something deep and powerful that pulled her towards him. Her heart started beating fast in her chest when she realized how close they were to each other. His breath mingling in the air along with her own.
What was happening?
Miyuki gave her a confused look. "Azu-chan are you okay?" he asked while raising a perfectly arched eyebrow in inquiry.
"Y-yes, I'm fine," she replied while averting her gaze from him. She was blushing again which made her feel stupid for having that reaction. Azusa quickly looked up in a vain effort to calm down. As soon as she was going to look down, her eye caught something.
The sky.
It was a beautiful night with the full moon and the star adorning the sky. It was not often that the sky was illuminated as it was in the moment due to the street lights and pollution. When was the last time that she stopped and admired the night sky? She was always too preoccupied with too many things at once.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Miyuki asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Azusa looked down to glance at him and noticed that he was also looking up. "It is," she said, forgetting about her previous concerns.
"We're always so worried about our lives that we don't even notice the marvelous nature that surrounds us," he mused to himself.
Azusa's lips curved into a soft smile. "Funny, I was just thinking that too," she said while turning back to the night sky once again.
They fell into a comfortable silence as they both admired the stars. A familiar scene that brought both comfort and happiness to Azusa since it reminded her of when they were younger. Sometimes they used to hang out by the lake and look at the sun go down and admire how the sky changed colors until nighttime began.
"Azu-chan?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe next time I'll eat one of your onigiri," Miyuki said without turning to her, his eyes were still fixated on the sky above.
However, Azusa turned to him in shock but moments later grinned at him.
"I'll hold you to that."