Hello there! I hope you enjoyed my double update and that you've had a nice summer so far.

We're entering my favorite part of the story because this is when the romance between Azusa and Miyuki will start to develop since our favorite emotional constipated catcher is starting to feel things that he can't explain.

I have twenty two chapters outlined until now (with no ending yet) so we are just getting started lol (well… Right in the middle of the fic since this is chapter eleven but y'all know what I mean).

I apologize for any grammar mistakes beforehand.

As always, thank you for your support!

Disclaimer: I don't own Daiya No Ace, Yuji Terajima does. I only own my OC.

Enjoy and stay safe!

Chapter 11: Popsicles

'Inashiro is a force to be reckoned with,' Miyuki thought, standing up from the bleachers along with the rest of the team.

The match between Inashiro and Sakurazawa ended only after five innings. It was a called game with a score of 11-0. The stadium was going wild with cheers and excitement for Inashiro and in particular Mei for his splendid pitching abilities. Seido, on the other hand, was starting to feel anger as they were remembering the loss they suffered last year at the hands of Inashiro. They were going to face each other in the final game of the summer tournament. That match was going to determine whether Inashiro was going to Koshien two times in a row or Seido was going to go after being away from their goal for six years.

'Which one will it be?' the catcher mused with a smirk.

Naturally, he was going to do everything in his power to secure the win and go to Koshien with his teammates. Defeating Inashiro won't be an easy feat which makes it a daunting task. However, Miyuki has always loved challenges, and he has never backed down from one. Needless to mention that he won't be starting now. He just needed to think of a strategy to face off against Mei.

Despite what is at stake, Miyuki feels at ease and confident unlike many of his other teammates who were tense after watching the match with Inashiro.

Well, perhaps not so at ease.

The catcher let his honey brown eyes wander towards a certain blonde manager. She was talking to Haruno, while they were putting the cooler and the rest of their belongings back on the bus since they were preparing to go back to the campus. She was animatedly talking to the Ichinen trio as well and seemed as if she was in a good mood.

However, she hadn't talked to the catcher all day long. Not even a 'good morning' when they crossed paths in the didn't even praise him for his performance at the game with Sensen. Not that he cared since he wasn't a puppy who wagged his tail every time he received a compliment, unlike a certain someone. But still… It was strange, and he was not used to it. Was she mad at him? Was she avoiding him? Well, he couldn't blame her if she was considering how rude he was to her the other day.

In his defense, he did not plan to act that way and he certainly did not mean to be a jerk to her. It's just that his emotions have been all over the place ever since the third years teased Azusa about her having a crush on Sawamura. He knows that they were just teasing her. He knows that it was just a joke and most likely she doesn't have a crush on the idiot pitcher. But… What if she does? What if Azusa really likes Sawamura?

Miyuki shook his head in disdain. 'Impossible,' he thought. 'There is no way she likes him. It was just a joke. It was just a joke,' he repeated the mantra in his head. It was just a joke. He knew it was just a joke.

So why? Why does the notion of Azusa liking Sawamura bothers him so much?

The bespectacled catcher zeroed his eyes on both the manager and the southpaw who were engaged in their usual banter (and too close for comfort in his opinion.). She took her long blonde hair that was past her shoulders out of her ponytail to readjust it while she was laughing with him.

'Since when did her hair get so long?' Miyuki wondered while he stared at her. He noticed that she had changed. She was no longer that tall scrawny little kid that she used to be back in junior high. Her cerulean eyes sparkled with her smile. Her hair was glossy and her bangs framed her face nicely, her pink lips were plumper, and now she had noticeable feminine curves.

'Why am I thinking about that now?' Miyuki thought, feeling confused and mildly disgusted with himself. This was Azusa!; his childhood friend who was like his sister.

Exactly, she was like a sister.

'Which is why I'm feeling this way since Mei asked me to look after her. I'm just being protective,' he concluded, feeling a bit more at ease with himself.

"Let's go to the restroom!" Sawamura declared which earned him a scolding from Kuramochi who told him that he didn't need to announce that.

"I need to go too, so I'll go with you guys," Azusa said, trailing behind Sawamura who was going to the restroom along with the younger Kominato and Furuya.

'Absolutely not!'

"Wait up!" the catcher suddenly exclaimed. "I'm going with you guys as well," he said before he fully registered what he was saying.

Sawamura turned around and blinked in curiosity. "Do you want to go to the restroom as well?"

Miyuki grinned at him. "No, but if someone doesn't escort you then you guys will get lost again," he replied in a teasing tone.

It was scary how he even believed that statement himself. The truth was that deep inside he didn't want Azusa to spend any alone time with Sawamura.

The southpaw frowned at his response. "We don't need a chaperone, you tanuki bastard!"

Furuya silently nodded in the background.

"Eijun-kun," Kominato began, trying to appease the pitcher. "Maybe it's for the best."

"See? He agrees with me," Miyuki said with a cocky smirk. "You heard him, now let's go!" the catcher beckoned while he ignored the pang in his chest at the realization that Azusa hasn't said anything to him as she would normally do.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Hurry up!" Miyuki exclaimed, reaching the entrance of the restrooms along with the ichinen trio and Azusa.

"You didn't have to follow us here!" Sawamura said while gritting his teeth in anger.

"As I said earlier, you guys are always getting lost," the catcher replied in a dismissive tone.

"You bastard!" Sawamura yelled, clenching his fist.

"Eijun-kun, manners," the younger Kominato gently chastised as he pushed the pitcher towards the restroom.

"I'm going now!" Furuya announced, getting ahead of Sawamura.

"Me too!" Azusa also announced as she went to the women' restroom.

Miyuki quietly chuckled to himself as he heard Sawamura fighting with Furuya for supposedly cutting the line.

"Inashiro was amazing!" An spectator said to his friend while they passed by Miyuki.

"They're going to win this year!" the other one said.

The catcher smirked as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest.

They had a point.

Seido's pitchers needed to hold their own against Inashiro's powerful batters and they needed to score runs off Mei if they wanted to win.

'Either way, it's going to be a tough game,' the catcher thought to himself.

"I'm back!" he heard Azusa announce while she exited the bathroom.

Miyuki's heart skipped a beat while he turned towards the bathroom entrance and found her next to him. They haven't been alone all day long.

The manager took a step back looking bashful with a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"T-that fast?" he lamely asked in an awkward tone.

Really? That was all that he could say?

The manager narrowed her eyes at him. "How long do you take in the bathroom?" she asked him in irritation.

Miyuki gave her a sheepish smile. "We're not discussing my bathroom habits here," he replied in a light teasing tone.

Azusa snorted. "Then don't ask about mine."

The catcher let out a small laugh, feeling the tense energy around them dissolve. They were teasing each other as they always did.

"Hey, it's Miyuki and Narumiya-chan!" they both heard a masculine voice interrupt them.

Both the manager and the catcher turned around at the mention of their names and flinched at the sight of who was approaching.

It was Mei with Carlos, Shirakawa, Yabe, and Yamaoka.

"What are you guys still doing here?" Carlos asked.

"You were waiting for your darling older brother,right Azu-chan?" Mei asked in a cocky tone.

Azusa awkwardly laughed to herself. "Of course, Mei," she said. "There was no way that I could leave before seeing you," she then added in sarcasm.

Mei smiled to himself feeling pleased. "What did I do to deserve to have such a wonderful younger sister?"

"Were you able to gather any valuable data?" Shirakawa asked Miyuki in a curt tone, ignoring Mei and Azusa's banter.

Miyuki grimaced. "Data?" he asked. "I was too speechless after that perfect pitching."

Mei smiled to himself again. "Wow! Kazuya just complimented me," he exclaimed, running his fingers through his short blonde hair.

"Remember the last time we were all together?" Carlos asked no one in particular.

"Oh yeah," Mei said in agreement while nodding.

Azusa blinked in confusion. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"You were not there little sister," Mei replied. "He is referring to the time that we asked Kazuya to join our all-star team."

Miyuki just stood there in silence.

"In the end, you were the only one who refused to join the team," Mei spoke again. "And you too Azusa," he added, turning to his sister who stiffened at the mention of her name. "However, even without you, we have our ultimate all-star team this year. We're going to nationals!" he exclaimed with confidence.

Both Miyuki and Azusa smirked in response as Mei started to leave. The other players followed through.

"Just live with regret for not joining us. Ten years, or even twenty years, down the line," Shirakawa said, passing by.

"We'll see you at the game!" Mei exclaimed.

"See you then, Mei!" Azusa replied.

Both Azusa and Miyuki exchanged glances expressing relief with a knowing smile.

"I feel so much better!" they both heard Sawamura exclaim as he exited out of the bathroom along with Kominato and Furuya. "It's the white-haired guy again!" he added when he turned to see Mei.

Azusa narrowed her eyes at the pitcher. "You're late!" she chastised in annoyance. "Why did you guys take so long?"

"Don't change the subject!" Sawamura countered. "What were you guys talking about?"

Miyuki smirked at him. "Nothing," he replied, starting to walk towards the exit.

"What do you mean nothing?" the pitcher questioned unsatisfied with the reply and then he turned to Azusa. "What were you guys talking about?"

"He already said that it was nothing," the manager said in mild annoyance, turning her heel and leaving behind the catcher.

"Hey, you two! Don't ignore me!" the pitcher exclaimed. "We're playing them in two days!"

Both the manager and the catcher ignored the pleas of a certain pitcher.

There were more important things to take care of.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"And that was the last thing," Azusa said to herself while she zipped her book bag in the locker room. She closed her locker and slid her book bag over her shoulder. Night already had fallen which meant that it was time to go home. Today was an exhausting day. More so emotionally than physically. She wasn't expecting her encounter with Mei to be that emotionally draining.

Will she really regret her decision to come to Seido instead of Inashiro? Right now she doesn't have any regrets. She has grown to love the team and feels like Seido is her second home.

She wouldn't usually feel uneasy but Miyuki's reaction was what left her feeling restless. After they had arrived at the bus, he took a seat in silence and looked pensive for the whole ride. She wondered what he was thinking about. Was he thinking about the same thing that she was? Was he questioning his decision?

Azusa shook her head. 'Who cares?' He was a jerk to her, and he didn't even apologize. So, therefore, she didn't care about his mood.

The manager slammed the door behind her in annoyance and made her way towards the gate to finally go home. This time around she was going home alone. The managers were a handful last night and she didn't want to deal with that. And Miyuki… Well, she still felt awkward around him. Not to mention that she was still angry at him!

If he wanted to walk her home then he was going to have to change his attitude with her.

As she approached the gate, she noticed a familiar figure leaning against the gat with his arms crossed.

It was no other than Miyuki Kazuya.

Again.

She scanned his appearance. He was wearing a red baseball shirt paired with a pair of black sweatpants and white sneakers. His hair was slightly damp which meant that he recently took a shower. "What are you doing here?" she asked in curiosity.

The catcher flashed her his signature smirk. "I'm here to take you somewhere special."

"Somewhere special?" Azusa scoffed. "I don't have time for games, Kazuya," she admonished. "It's late and I'm tired."

"It won't take long, I promise," Miyuki said, motioning for her to follow him.

The manager narrowed her eyes at him. She promised to herself that he wouldn't walk her to the bus stop unless he apologized, so why was she about to fold?

'Oh right, because I like the cheeky bastard,' she replied to herself.

Well, technically he said that he was going to take her to somewhere special, not to take her to the bus stop. So it didn't count, right?

"Fine," she relented. "But it better be worth it!" she threatened, trailing behind him.

"Don't worry, you'll love it," he said with a small laugh.

Azusa rolled her eyes as they settled into their usual comfortable silence. They were walking down the quiet streets that they usually walked but took a small detour when Miyuki took her in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" she asked, not wanting to be too far away from the bus stop.

"You'll see soon," the catcher replied vaguely.

"Kazuya, I'm not joking," she pressed.

"A couple more steps," he said in a carefree tone.

"Ka-zu-ya," the manager grumbled.

"We're here!" Miyuki finally announced. "It's over there!" he clarified while he pointed at the convenience store in the corner.

"A convenience store?" she exclaimed, confused.

He better have an explanation and quick.

Miyuki grinned at her. "You told me that I owed you a popsicle, right?" he asked.

The manager took a step back. "W-well yes," she stammered.

"So I brought you here to buy you one!" the catcher declared with a smile. "Now let's go!" he added, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the store.

"K-kazuya wait," she pleaded, blushing with embarrassment. She wasn't expecting the catcher to grab her hand.

The sliding door opened and the two teenagers entered the store. They were both greeted by a young male employee at the cash register.

"C'mon, let's go pick one," Miyuki said eagerly as she trailed behind him. They both walked towards the back of the store, to the frozen aisle in search of popsicles.

Azusa immediately felt the chilly air coming from the freezers but couldn't help but grin at the sight of the different brands of ice cream and popsicles. Her eyes scanned the freezer in search of her favorite flavor; raspberry.

The best part was that she wasn't with Mei who would steal all the raspberry popsicles from her. At least Miyuki was somewhat more mature than her brother.

"Oi, Kazuya!" she called out. "Look! There are watermelon flavored popsicles," she said, pointing at the green box on the top shelf.

"Oh, I don't really like those," he said dismissively while he opened the door of the freezer next to her. She shivered as soon as she got blasted by the cold air. "But here we have raspberry popsicles," he took two wrapped popsicles from the freezer as he showed her.

"Thanks," she said with a forced smile, taking one of the popsicles from his hand.

She followed him to the cash register feeling confused.

What did he mean that he didn't like watermelon popsicles? He always ate them when they were younger.

'Here, take it,' Miyuki offered his raspberry popsicle to Azusa. She was crying because Mei bought her the watermelon one which was the one that she didn't like.

"Really? Thank you so much, Kazuya!" she exclaimed and then exchanged her watermelon popsicle with his.

"Don't mention it," he said with a shrug while he ripped the plastic.

Azusa, Miyuki, and Mei sat together by the river to watch the sun go down as they enjoyed eating their popsicles.

"Do you like it?" she asked the catcher.

"Yes," he nodded, taking a bite out of the popsicle.

"I'm glad!" she gave him a childish toothy grin.

Did he lie to her for all of those years? Did he really eat those watermelon popsicles so she could have her favorite ones when he hated them?

She looked at him in silence as Miyuki paid for the popsicles and smiled to herself.

'Damn you,' she thought. 'This is why I like you.'

The two teenagers exited out of the convenience store and started walking towards the bus stop. They were eating their cold treats in comfortable silence and it was as if their previous awkward tension didn't even exist in the first place.

She spared a glance towards the catcher who was finishing his popsicle.

"I've always wondered why you eat popsicles when you don't even like sweet things," she said, breaking the silence.

Miyuki turned to her with a small smile. "At first I didn't like them," he confessed. "But then Mei insisted that we had to eat them every summer so I got used to them," the catcher added. "And besides, they're not even that sweet since it's just flavored water."

Azusa giggled. "Mei would be happy to hear that he had that much influence over you," she joked.

"Which is why we need to keep it between us," the catcher joked back.

The manager nodded. "Ne, Kazuya?" she began.

"Yes?"

"Did you ever think about going to Inashiro instead of Seido?" Azusa suddenly asked.

Miyuki widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting that question from her.

There was a pregnant pause in the air but then he cleared his throat before answering.

"Yes, I have," he revealed.

Azusa let out a small gasp, not expecting that response from him.

"I've thought about what it would be like if I was at Inashiro instead of Seido," Miyuki elaborated. "I was actually thinking that if it weren't for Chris- senpai and, Rei-chan I wouldn't be here earlier today in the bus," he continued.

"Yes, I remember you telling me that back when you were in junior high," she said, nodding.

"But I don't regret it," Miyuki said. "I don't regret coming to Seido and regardless of the outcome in two days, I'll never regret it," the catcher added firmly.

Azusa smiled at him, feeling all of her doubts disappear. "I don't regret it either," she said. "I don't think I'll ever regret coming to seido either," she added, thinking back to all the friends that she has made in this short span of time. She has made memories to last a lifetime and she will always look back at this time fondly.

Seido was her second home and whether the team made it to Koshien or not was not going to change that.

"Good luck, Kazuya,"

"Thank you, Azu-chan."