Hello there! I hope 2021 started well for everyone. I can't believe it's May. Really… I can't believe it. I never thought that it would take me that long to update so I apologize for that.
The last chapter was kinda hard for me to write. I enjoyed writing the fun parts with Mei but I struggled with writing the most appropriate portrayal of Mei's loss in Koshien. In the end, I settled with Azusa being in disbelief at first but quickly moving on.
This chapter is also going to be hard for me to write. I hate how I have to go through the difficult parts of the series so I can get to the good stuff with more original content created by me. The next chapter will be very fun, I promise! This one not so much.
As always, thank you for your support.
I apologize for any grammar errors beforehand.
Disclaimer: I don't own Daiya No Ace, Yuji Terajima does. I only own my OC.
Enjoy and stay safe!
Chapter 14 Hopeless
The practice game against Yakushi started with Furuya who was going all out in the beginning. He was motivated to say the least. Azusa overheard him when he asked the coach if he could pitch for all nine innings. That idiot. Why was he being so reckless when that was Sawamura's go-to trait? But Azusa had to give it to him. Furuya had guts and was being reliable.
Seido managed to score the first run and Furuya did not concede any runs either. Furuya even overpowered Todoroki when everyone thought that he scored a home run. However, Seido only had Furuya going on at the moment. The team was not meshing well and it was glaringly obvious during the game.
That didn't necessarily mean that Seido was not playing well. It's just that they couldn't come together. Individually they were all great. In particular, Toujou, Kuramochi, and Kominato made amazing plays. Despite being in the three-hole, Zono was still struggling with his style of pitching.
Throughout the sixth inning, Furuya was the star of the game. He was doing great both at pitching and batting. However, he was going all out and it was starting to show since Yakushi adopted a more aggressive style of playing to tire him out more. Exploiting Furuya's greatest weakness which was his lack of stamina.
Although Furuya persevered and didn't concede any runs during the sixth inning, the coach decided to switch him out for Sawamura who was dying to go up to the mound. Azusa thought that Sawamura was going to jump up and down in happiness but instead he was acting quite different. He was quiet and even looked tense. He didn't even do his usual speech at the beginning of the inning.
'What the hell is wrong with you Bakamura?' the manager thought in concern. Was he cracking under pressure because of Furuya's performance?
Sawamura even messed up his first pitch. It was obvious that he was too tense.
'This already is not going well…'
Sawamura gave up a hit and now there was a runner on first base. That was the second pitch that he messed up. Miyuki wanted him to be aggressive since he was up to Yakushi's three-hole, and Azusa was feeling his aggression. His pitch seemed to have power and his control was decent for a change. But something was wrong. He was not delivering.
'Don't tell me that he…,' the manager began thinking in dread.
As if things were not bad easy, Todoroki Raichi was up to bat. Todoroki was not only an amazing batter, but he also scored a home run off Sawamura during the summer tournament that affected him pretty badly. Azusa was hoping that Sawamura was not experiencing any flashbacks that could make him tense.
Miyuki asked for an outside pitch which made the impression that he was trying to avoid a fight with Todoroki. But then he asked for a cutter ball on the inside. It was a good choice. Todoroki didn't know about that pitch and Sawamura could pitch that.
Azusa almost started praying. 'I have faith in you, Sawamura.'
Sawamura geared up to pitch the cutter ball but something went wrong and Todoroki got a clean hit resulting in a home run leaving everyone in shock. Now they were 2-1. The team was trying to switch gears and Azusa noticed that Sawamura was also trying to get into the same mood. But the game was getting difficult to watch since it was getting progressively worse. Sawamura was giving up consecutive walks and cornered himself into having the bases loaded. He was not able to pitch to the inside at all which was completely unlike him. While Sawamura has been overwhelmed by pressure before, he at least had been able to perform decently.
So what was going on today?
After the coach called for a time out and spoke to Miyuki in the dugout, he called Furuya to switch out with Sawamura. Azusa felt a pang in her heart. The look on Sawamura's face was heartbreaking as Furuya approached him. Part of her wanted him to stay longer to see if he could redeem himself, but she knew better. If Sawamura kept playing then it would just be worse for everyone in the long run. Besides, they were going to play against Yakushi in the fall tournament so they couldn't see Sawamura fall apart even further.
'I'm going to help you get better Sawamura. I promise,' Azusa thought with clenched fists as she watched Sawamura walk off the mound with tears streaming down to his face.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
After Sawamura was switched out with Furuya, everyone did their best to take back the game and changed the momentum. However, Yakushi ended up winning the game despite everyone's best efforts. The game ended 7-2. Yakushi left in high spirits, rejoicing over winning their twentieth consecutive win. While Seido on the other hand pondered over the state of the team. That was their limit at this moment which meant that there was a lot to work on.
The coach told the team that he was going to be flexible and anyone who was playing well could make the roster. That lit a fire in the players and they moved forward with renewed spirits as the second trimester was going to start soon. However, while everyone moved forward together, Sawamura had to move forward on his own. After he fell apart during the Yakushi game, the coach put him on a separate training menu since he was told that he developed the yips after the final game of the summer tournament.
Azusa already suspected that much. It became glaringly obvious during the Yakushi game when he couldn't pitch to the inside corner. But that didn't soften the blow for her at all. She was feeling terrible for Sawamura. Yips were no joke. They were not like a physical injury where you know that if you rest and follow some kind of physical therapy menu, you'll eventually begin to feel better. This was a mental issue that was so much more difficult to treat. It was also difficult since she didn't know how she could help him or anyone for that matter. Ultimately, it was Sawamura the one who could help himself.
'Why is this happening now? Why does everything have to be so complicated ?' the manager whined to herself, curling on her bed.
'Bzzz Bzzzz'
Azusa's heart skipped a beat, startled by the vibrating sound of her cell phone that was in her pocket.
"I'm getting it, I'm getting it," she said to no one in particular while she fidgeted taking her cell phone from her pocket. "Who the hell is it at this time?" she mumbled, taking a look.
'Mei-chan calling,' it read the caption on her cell phone screen.
The manager gasped. "Mei?" she exclaimed, swiping on the green icon as fast as she could.
"Took you long enough little sister," she heard her brother's familiar teasing voice from the other line.
Azusa's lips curled into a smile as a sense of relief settled in her chest. He not only just finally called her. But he also sounded like himself.
'Thank goodness,' she thought in content. She was happy that he finally called her back but she was damned if she was going to show it to him.
"Took me long enough? You mean that it took you long enough to finally call me back?" she retorted annoyed. "I've been calling and texting you nonstop for the last ten days. Why didn't you respond?"
"I already told you," Mei began in a conceited tone. "The life of a star is pretty hectic. I didn't have time to respond."
Azusa rolled her eyes. "Again with this star excuse?" she said, almost bored. "I thought you wanted to be a hero for me," the manager changed the subject. "How can you be my hero when you ignore my calls?"
Azusa swore that she could see Mei flinch through her cell phone even though it was impossible. He stayed quiet for a few moments before he spoke. "Well, since it was obvious that you betrayed me with Kazuya, I decided to stop trying to be your hero this summer."
The manager snickered. "Does that mean that the great Prince of Tokyo, Narumiya Mei gave up for once in his life?" she teased him.
"I didn't give up!" he exclaimed. "I never said," the southpaw continued. "I just said that I decided to stop for the summer because the season is over. But I'm going to try again in the fall. You'll see! I'll win and we'll go to the spring invitational and you won't have any choice but to look up to me this time around!"
Azusa narrowed her eyes. "So you're completely bypassing us?" she asked in an eerily, quiet icy tone.
"I don't intend to lose sis," Mei replied, not missing a beat. She could feel him smirking.
It was creepy. Sometimes she wondered if Mei and she were twins but their parents lied to them about it.
"We don't intend to lose either," she countered, her tone matching his same confidence.
"So we'll see each other in the fall tournament," Mei said. "Don't you guys dare to lose until we face off."
Azusa smirked. "Right back at ya," she said before hanging up.
Mei was right. The fall tournament was coming up soon. That meant that she didn't have time to waste by feeling bad for all the difficulties that the team was facing. They had to get better. They had to get stronger. If not, then they won't stand a chance.
If she wanted the team to get better, then she needed to focus on Sawamura to get him back on his feet.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The second trimester started and the school halls were once again filled with her fellow students and idle chatter. Azusa couldn't say that she was particularly happy about it. She hated studying and was always the happiest when school was out. But what could she do about it? There was no way her parents were going to let her be a high school drop-out.
'Enough complaining Azusa,' she reprimanded herself. 'There is a task at hand that we need to concentrate on,' the manager mentally added as her cerulean eyes zeroed in on the back of a certain pitcher.
Azusa sat down on the desk right beside Haruno who was sitting next to the window. She did this without taking her eyes from Sawamura. He was quiet which was strange for him, but unfortunately not strange for his current self. Since he hasn't been talking much lately.
"Ohayou, Azusa-chan," Haruno greeted with a small smile.
Azusa momentarily flinched at the sound of her name and then turned to Haruno. "Ohayou, Haruno," she greeted back, returning her smile.
"So-"
"Haruno-san, what happened to Sawamura?" two girls interrupted Haruno mid-sentence. Azusa didn't know their names but she knew that they often hung out with Haruno outside of baseball hours.
Haruno blinked in confusion. "Sawamura-kun?" she said, glancing at the pitcher.
Sawamura was quietly reading at his desk without saying a word.
"He looks so gloomy now!" the long-haired brunette one pointed out.
"He's reading a book, too!" the other one with shorter black hair said. "That's the book of The Five Rings. It's the book Miyamoto Musashi wrote before his death."
"Mushashi? Is he trying to be a samurai now?" the brunette snickered.
Azusa fought the urge to roll her eyes. 'They're so damn annoying. Going all about how gloomy Sawamura is,' the manager huffed. 'We know!' Which is what makes it so frustrating. Azusa didn't have anything against reading even though that was not an activity that she spent time on. But she didn't like how Sawamura was focusing on only reading and not even bothering with socializing with the rest of the class which was so unlike him. She needed to find a way to get him out of his rut.
'I'm sure I'll think of something,' the manager thought.
But that 'something' never worked. Throughout the next couple of days, she would observe Sawamura just like she did on the first day to see if there were any changes. But no. He was still acting the same. He was quiet and with that gloomy expression on his face. She would try to break the ice at times and go up to him to say hi. But he would only reply with a quick hello and then go back to reading. Yes, he was still reading too. Once he finished Musashi's book he went ahead and read another one. At least he'll probably have a better grade on his Japanese Lit classes.
But that was not what Azusa was after.
She didn't care about his grades, she just wanted her best friend to talk to her again. To joke around with her again, tease her, call her 'blondie' again. Was that too much to ask for? She always used to tell him to stop with his ridiculous nicknames, but not at this cost.
Time was not fixing it. Leaving him alone was not fixing this. Gently trying to rope him into a conversation was not fixing it. Teasing him was not working either. She was not getting any of his usual reactions. She didn't know what else to do.
It was clear that she was out of her depth here. Perhaps, someone else could help her?
'Of course! Why didn't I think of that before?' Azusa thought, abruptly getting up from her desk.
With determination, the manager walked out of her classroom and went up the stairs to the upperclassmen's floor. Being her usual impatient self, she increased her pace to fast walking and almost bumped into some students in the hallway, but thankfully made it in one piece. She, however, did not fail to make an entrance as she startled some of the girls that were talking by the classroom door.
"Is Miyuki-senpai here?" Azusa asked the second-year girls without caring for her tone or appearance.
"He's over there with Kuramochi-kun," one of them replied with a confused look on their face while pointing towards the two baseball players who were sitting by the window. Miyuki was sitting on his desk, while Kuramochi was standing right in front of him. It seemed like they were having a conversation.
"Arigatou!" Azusa said with an appreciative nod before making her way to Miyuki's desk. Some of the second-year players noticed her before Miyuki and tried to greet her but she ignored him. She first needed to take care of some business.
"Miyuki-senpai," the manager called out his name in a firm but yet polite tone.
The newly appointed captain turned to her with a small grin. "What brings you here, Azu-chan?"
Azusa returned his smile. "I'd like to speak to you, Miyuki-senpai," she replied in the sweetest tone she could muster. That was the tone she used every time she wanted something from Miyuki.
"Miyuki-senpai huh?" the catcher joked, flashing her a smirk. "If you're calling me senpai and in that polite and sweet tone not less, then that means that you want something."
The manager flinched but she quickly recovered. She refused to let him see her sweat.
"Then that means that she is pretty bold," Kuramochi chimed in with irritation dripping from his tone. "Not only does she barge in here, interrupting us without excusing herself, but she also dares to call you senpai while completely ignoring me? Who the hell do you think you are, Narumiya?"
Azusa took a step back in fear as she gulped a thick lump down her throat. This time around, the manager couldn't keep her cool. She could deal with Miyuki… Most of the time that was. But Kuramochi? He was something else. He could be scary sometimes. Not as scary as the elder Kominato brother, but scary nonetheless.
"I'm so sorry, Kuramochi-senpai!" Azusa sincerely apologized with a small bow. "It won't happen again."
"It better not!" the shortstop retorted with a menacing glare.
"Now that's out of the way," Miyuki nonchalantly interrupted, redirecting their attention. "What can this humble catcher do for you, Azu-chan?" he asked in sarcasm.
Azusa stared at him dumbfounded for a few seconds before regaining her focus. Yes, she came here for a specific purpose.
"It's not really for me, Miyuki-senpai," the manager replied, making the catcher curious. "It's for Sawamura."
"Sawamura?"
Azusa nodded. "Yes, Sawamura," she reiterated. "He's not doing well. You've seen him in practice. He's all quiet and gloomy and he is behaving the same way in class. He's not talking to anybody. He barely talks to me and he is not getting any better."
Kuramochi groaned and then turned to Miyuki. "See? I was just telling you this. Sawamura is not the same. He needs help. He's all gloomy and depressed in our dorm all the time too. I'm tired of it!"
"So you were talking about the same thing too?" Azusa asked.
"Yes, so you came in at the right time to see if we can convince this idiot."
"As I was saying," Miyuki continued in his nonchalant tone while casually looking at the scorebook on his desk. "We have other priorities right now, like improving our weak batting line-up. "
Azusa widened her eyes in shock. She couldn't believe what Miyuki was saying. "I know that's a big problem," the manager conceded, glancing away with a dejected look.
"So that means that you understand that with the fall tournament coming up we need to prioritize the team over individuals," the catcher continued with a stern tone.
The manager gritted her teeth. "But Sawamura's condition affects the whole team," she argued.
"She's right," the shortstop said, backing her up. "He brings life to the team."
"Which is important for the fall tournament," Azusa added.
"Ultimately, this is something that only Sawamura can overcome on his own," Miyuki insisted. "It-"
"So you just want to abandon him then?" Azusa abruptly cut him off. "That's pretty messed up, even for you," she added with an accusing finger.
Miyuki gave her a confused look. "Since when do you care this much about Sawamura?"
Azusa took a step back. "What do you mean?"
"I can understand Kuramochi being concerned about Sawamura being the big softie that he is," the catcher elaborated in a teasing tone.
"Oi!" Kuramochi yelled in protest.
"But you? You fight with him all the time only to barge into my classroom just to ask me to help him?" he continued teasing her. "What is it? Do you like him or something?" he asked, in a half-serious and half-joking tone.
Azusa clenched her fists. "You think that this is a joke? I'm being serious about helping Sawamura and the only thing that you can think of is teasing me?" she exclaimed, fuming. "Forget it! It was a terrible idea coming here. I don't know why I even came here in the first place."
"Azusa," Miyuki began in a more serious tone now.
"I said forget it, you heartless stupid catcher!" she yelled. "I'm helping Sawamura on my own," the manager declared, before storming out of the classroom leaving a bewildered catcher behind her.
He tried to tell her something but she couldn't make it out. Regardless, it didn't matter. He already let her know how much he cares about Sawamura.
'Screw you. I don't need you anymore Miyuki Kazuya.'
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
It took a while for Azusa to cool off after her outburst with Miyuki. Well… She just cooled off a bit, if she was being honest. Her temper always got the best of her and no matter how hard she tries to calm down, it always takes her time. This time around, it was harder to shake off. She was angry at Miyuki for being so heartless but she was angrier at herself because she felt impotent and helpless because she couldn't help Sawamura herself.
Luckily, Sawamura soon started getting into better spirits out of the blue. He was still quiet and a bit gloomy, but he was slowly becoming himself by becoming more talkative again and being more upfront with his determination. At first, it was weird for her that he suddenly changed but everything made perfect sense when he told her that he was recently in touch with Chris-senpai again when she asked him. Sawamura had the utmost respect for him and always listened to what he had to say.
'Of course,' Azusa mused. 'Why didn't I think about it before?'
The manager felt slightly deflated that she didn't ask the elder catcher for help sooner but she was glad that Chris-senpai was helping Sawamura get back on his feet by teaching him a new pitch. By learning how to pitch to the outside corners, Sawamura would have some pitches that he could throw comfortably. But Azusa wanted to help him get over the yips and throw to the inside corners so he could start unleashing the potential to become an even greater pitcher.
Which was why she thought of the idea of recording him while he tried to pitch to the inside corners in the bullpen. It worked perfectly since the coach noticed the changes in Sawamura and instructed him to pitch to Miyuki.
"This is the form without a batter," Azusa said, pressing the stop button. She was in the meeting room with Sawamura, Miyuki, Kariba, and the catcher. They were all watching her recording of Sawamura while he was pitching in the bullpen earlier in the day. "And this is your form with the coach," Azusa mentioned as she pressed the start button again. "It looks the same in the beginning. But everything changes when he starts to throw."
"Yes, if you look when he is pitching, he is not swinging his arm down completely," Kariba chimed in, pointing at Sawamura's arm on the screen."
"Are you sure?" Miyuki asked in a skeptical tone.
The manager narrowed her eyes at him. Still, a bit annoyed at the catcher for his earlier antics. "Of course we're sure."
"We are absolutely 100% sure," Kariba insisted. "I'm very good at finding differences and so is Narumiya-san!"
Azusa nodded while Miyuki looked deep in thought.
She knew him and he was probably just as annoyed as her or even more that this turned out to be the issue. Sawamura's issue was so subtle that it was hardly noticeable. What could they tell him to help him? It was not as easy as just telling him to swing his arm down enough. He was most likely holding himself back unconsciously due to what happened back in the final match of the summer tournament. Until he worked through that moment he was not going to be able to throw to the inside corner.
"You need to stop thinking so much, Sawamura," Miyuki suddenly said with his brown eyes narrowed at the pitcher. "It's not like you had good control in the first place, baka."
Azusa gasped.
Was he serious?
"Don't you know the meaning of the word 'tact?' Baka!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
When Azusa was not stressed and helpless over Sawamura, she was feeling like that over the team. That was because the team still has not come together yet. The stages group games, before the fall tournament started and they got lucky with the brackets that were placed in. It was the only new piece of good news that they have received since they got placed with a group of teams that were at a lower level than them. There shouldn't be any issues or surprises and they should win all games with no problem.
The other good thing is that Furuya was for the most part doing well and has even been outdoing himself with every game that he has played so far. However, the important thing to note here was that Furuya's great performance was not consistent. The latest game with Seisho from the group stages was supposed to be a piece of cake, however, Furuya was off his game and nothing helped him get back on track. Ultimately, Seido ended up winning the match 6-4 but it felt more like a defeat. It should've never been that close with a team such as Seisho. But Furuya's bad performance put pressure on everybody else which led the entire team to make rough plays and don't think things through.
The coach berated the team for their disastrous performance and made them run laps as punishment so they could get their heads together. After that, saying that the atmosphere was somber would be an understatement. Everyone was feeling down and disappointed with their performance. Therefore Azusa knew better than to start any fights with anyone or tease anyone for that matter. For a hothead, she knew her place when the time was right. Well… Sometimes.
The manager gathered her belongings from the managers' locker room and made her way towards the exit. Tonight she was going to walk alone since the other girls left before her who stayed behind to finish up on her last task. Also, she was certain that Miyuki wouldn't be walking her to the bus stop either. After her little outburst in front of everyone in his classroom, they have not been talking a lot and they were distant from one another. She didn't particularly like it, but she didn't know how to break the ice with him. Nor, wasn't sure if he even wanted to be at least civil again with her. She did yell at him in front of his classmates.
And over Sawamura nonetheless.
She was starting to feel bad for her actions like she normally does after she finally manages to calm down after one of her little outbursts. Perhaps, she did overreact one teensy bit. She was justified in being angry at Miyuki for his nonchalant attitude. That she was sure of and would never apologize for that. But after replaying the scene over and over again in her head, she realized that she cut him off and didn't let him finish towards the end when he was starting to get somewhat serious. She also called him heartless. Did she hurt his feelings?
She certainly hoped that she didn't.
'What if he never talks to me again?' the manager thought in panic.
"Azusa," a deep masculine voice startled her out of her thoughts.
"M-Miyuki-senpai?" Azusa stammered, widening her eyes in surprise when she realized that he was standing by the school gate. He was wearing a pink t-shirt and grey sweatpants paired with white sneakers. His arms were crossed across his chest while he leaned on the metal gate like he usually does every school night while he waits for her to walk her to the bus stop.
"It took you long enough," he spoke again, disregarding her startled expression. His tone matching his disinterested facade.
Azusa blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think?" the catcher said in sarcasm. "I'm walking you to the bus stop," he said as if it was obvious. "Now let's go," he beckoned, turning around on his heel and shoving his hands down his pockets. "We have to go now or you'll miss your bus."
"H-hai," she nodded while she trailed behind him. His tone didn't leave any room for arguments and she never found the courage to contradict him whenever he used that tone with her.
She would've loved to say that they soon fell into a comfortable silence just as always when they walked together. But this was the total opposite of comfortable. Not only was she nervous because she wasn't sure of where she was standing with him. But he was unnerving her because not once has he cracked a joke, teased her, or even given her one of his usual grins. He was tense. That much she could tell by the way he was pursing his lips and tensing his jaw. This was sort of a novelty for her since Miyuki was always regularly in a good mood. Perhaps, it was today's match that had him like this. Or perhaps, he was angry at her? Or was he angry because of both things?
'Should I ask him what's wrong with him or let him be?' the manager briefly wondered and then scoffed to herself. 'Who am I kidding?'
"Ne, Miyuki-senpai, what's wrong?" Azusa finally asked.
'So much for subtlety.'
"Huh?" Miyuki turned to her with a confused look across his face.
"Don't 'huh' me," Azusa scoffed with an eye roll. "You heard me. You're acting weird with that serious expression of yours that doesn't suit you and pouting all over the place."
The catcher blinked several times and then gave her a sheepish smile while rubbing his jaw. "I guess I didn't realize that I was doing that," he explained with an awkward laugh.
The manager averted her look. That was certainly not the reply that she was expecting. "I thought you were angry," she said in a quiet tone.
Miyuki widened his brown eyes in mild surprise. "Angry?"
Azusa nodded. "Angry at me," she elaborated, this time facing him with a timid expression.
"What? Why would I be angry at you?" he asked in a sincere tone.
"Y'know…" she trailed off, averting her gaze once more. "For yelling at you and calling you heartless," she said, hunching over.
The catcher blinked again in confusion and then burst out laughing.
Azusa stopped in her tracks as she stared at him with a dumbfounded look. "W-why are you laughing, b-baka!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he apologized while gripping his sides to stop his body from shaking. "It's just that I can't believe that you thought I was angry at you over that."
"Why would I not think that?" she defended herself.
"Oh c'mon, I know you already," the catcher began, wiping a tear from his eye. "If I'd get mad every time you yell at me then I would be suffering from high blood pressure at this point, or even worse get a heart attack and die," Miyuki joked.
Azusa started to pout. "I don't yell at you that often," she defended herself.
"No, just around every day or so," he said with a toothy grin.
"That's not true!" the manager grumbled.
"No? How often then? Every other day?" Miyuki continued.
"Not that often either!"
"Well, I must disagree. Really think about it," the catcher said in a teasing tone. "Sometimes not even a day goes by that you haven't yelled at me," he added with a faux melancholic tone.
"Not true!"
"It's true!"
"Not true!"
"It's true."
"Well, then you're certainly entitled to your wrong opinion,' Azusa huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.
Miyuki chuckled. "We can certainly agree to disagree."
Azusa smiled to herself. Now they were back on track. This is how their relationship was. How their relationship was supposed to be. She felt so relieved. As if a ton had been lifted from her shoulders. Miyuki was joking around with her again.
'But wait.'
"So if you weren't mad at me then what was wrong with you?" she asked with genuine concern.
Miyuki shot her a look out of his peripheral vision and then just kept his gaze straight ahead. "I was just thinking about today's game."
"Oh yes," she said, feeling deflated. "That was not a good game even though we won."
Miyuki hummed in agreement.
"But it wasn't just that, right? You usually wait until you're in your room all cooped up looking over the stat books, not mope around before that," Azusa pointed out.
The catcher flinched before giving her a small smile. "Am I that predictable?"
Azusa shook her head. "No, I just know you," she said, returning his smile.
"I guess we've known each other for quite a while," he said with a shrug. "But it's nothing. Just more of the same with this captain thing again. I already talked to you about it."
Azusa pouted. "That doesn't mean that you can't talk to me about it again," she replied. "Is it because of the game? That was not just on you. Furuya had a bad day and everyone else was probably just having a bad day too that let his performance affect you."
"It was not just the game," Miyuki let out a deep sigh. "It's everything that's going on. Sawamura with those stupid yips. It was my fault that he reached that point during the Yakushi game. And to make matters worse, at the end I couldn't do anything to help him and had to ask Chris-senpai to talk to him," Miyuki admitted, feeling ashamed. "Also, the team is far from ready to start playing in the fall tournament. Today's game made that clear. We're stuck and I don't have the slightest idea on how to guide the team in the right direction."
Azusa gasped in surprise. "You called Chris-senpai? But you said that we needed to let him figure it out."
"Yes, yips is a mental problem that only him, not even Chris-senpai, can fix," Miyuki maintained. "But he needed to hear the right words to find the right path. And we both know that I'm not the best with words. Now it's up to him."
"So you did the best thing you could, captain," she said with a small smile. "You won't have all the answers. The team is composed of multiple individuals, it's not just you. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is part of being a good captain. If you're too arrogant and blind to accept help or refuse to use any assets that you might have to fix a problem, then that would be a problem for the entire team. This is about Sawamura who needs our help, not about egos. And you pushed yours aside to help Sawamura," the manager explained. "Besides, it's not your fault that Samuwara broke down during the Yakushi game. He was already having a hard time due to the dead ball during the Inashiro game at the summer tournament. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Not letting him play or make him realize what was going on with him would not have been helpful since he would be out in the dark."
"Then why do I feel like such a loser?"
"Because you're an idiot who likes to do everything by himself," she replied, playfully sticking her tongue out at him.
"Stop," Miyuki said with a playful eye roll. "It will take me a while to accept your words but… Thank you," he said, turning to her. "Lately, it seems like you always manage to make me feel better."
Azusa smiled at him. "You don't have to thank me," she said. "I just gave you my opinion. I don't think you're a terrible captain. You're doing the best you can, considering that this position takes you outside of your comfort zone."
Miyuki snorted. "You can say that again."
"As I said before," the manager began. "You'll be an amazing captain once you settle into your role. You'll see! You'll be such a natural."
The catcher chuckled. "We're going to have to see about that."
"Well, we won't see that with that attitude," she chastised. "I think you need a break to get your mind clear."
"A break?"
Azusa nodded. "Yes, a day off won't kill you."
"And what do you suggest I do with this day off?" Miyuki asked in a skeptical tone.
"Why don't you go out with me?" the manager proposed with a cheery tone.
"Go out with you?" Miyuki repeated and then gave her an evil smirk. "As in a date? Are you asking me out Azu-chan?" he taunted.
A blush spread across Azusa's cheeks as she sputtered with embarrassment. "No, of course not!" she exclaimed. "This is for you. To help you clear your mind and help the team in the process too… Y'know because you're the captain and everything."
"Uh-huh," Miyuki nodded, enjoying the blushing mess that the manager was. "Sure, sure," he teased. "So when do you want to go out?"
"On the twenty-second of this month… September!" she said, still flustered. "It's next Sunday, and we don't have practice that day."
Miyuki shot her a knowing look. "I'm aware that we're in September," he teased. "And I know my days of the week," he continued.
"S-shut up," she retorted, looking away.
"Fine, we can go out that day."
"Really?" she asked, trying to hide her excitement while still not feeling brave enough to face him.
"Of course, it will be fun Azu-chan!"
"Yes, it will be."
"And it will be my best birthday ever."