Hello there! Surprise! Double update! Since the last chapter took me longer than expected, I figured that to just write another chapter right after to make the wait worth it.
I hope you like this chapter because it's my favorite so far!
This is Azusa's birthday which I'm so excited about. I've been excited since I drafted my outline. The date for this chapter would be September 22nd. So yes, that means that our girl is a Virgo which makes a good match with Scorpio. If you have read my past fics, you know that I LOVE astrology. Any fellow Virgos here aside from Azusa? I'm on the cusp so I'm almost a Virgo.
As always, every comment/Kudo/review/like/favorite means the world to me. I hope everyone who celebrates Mother's Day today has a peaceful and happy day.
Disclaimer: I don't own Daiya No Ace, Yuji Terajima does. I only own my OC
Enjoy and be safe!
Chapter 15: Birthday Girl
"Today is such a beautiful day!" Azusa squealed in delight as she danced around her bedroom. Usually, she was not a morning person and was seldom in a good mood. But how could she not be in a good mood today, when it's her birthday? Even nature agreed with her since the weather was nice, sunny, and just a tad bit breezy. The perfect autumn day. To make things better, she was going to spend her sixteenth birthday with Miyuki.
'Bzzz.' 'Bzzz.'
"Who is it now?" she asked in curiosity to herself, picking up the phone from her nightstand.
The manager smiled as soon as she saw her notifications.
From: Bakamura
'Happy Birthday Blondie-chan!'
From: Polar Bear Furuya
'Happy Birthday Manager-san.'
From: The Good and Pure Kominato Brother:
'Happy Birthday Narumiya-san! I hope you have a wonderful day.'
From: Haruno-chan
'Happy Birthday Azusa-san! I hope you have fun today.'
From: Sachiko Pigtails Senpai
'Good luck today :P Oh and Happy Birthday!'
From: Yui Pixie Senpai
'Happy Birthday Azusa-chan!'
From: Beautiful Takako Senpai
'Happy Birthday Azusa-san! I hope you enjoy your day.'
From: Kuramochi 'Cheetah' Youichi
'Happy Birthday! Don't forget that you're still a reckless kouhai. Don't get in trouble today!"
From: Scary Kominato-Senpai
'Have a nice day today my dear disrespectful Kouhai :)'
Azusa shuddered at the last text.
"How did I let myself be bullied into giving my LINE info to both him and Kuramochi-senpai?" she mused, replying to all the texts individually giving her gratitude. Even though the elder Kominato brother scared her, it didn't put a damper on her mood at all and was grateful for all the messages that she received.
Placing her phone aside, she decided it was time to start getting ready since she wasn't the fastest at getting dressed. She usually doesn't put on make-up or puts a lot of effort into her hair. Always opting to put her hair up in a ponytail due to her being a manager since it makes things easier for her. Her hair can't be in the way. Instead, her time was always spent in the bathroom since she always enjoyed taking long warm showers.
But this time was different. This time she had to put on a little effort since she was going out with Miyuki. Not too much because she doesn't want him to tease her and say that it's a date. But enough to look different and more appealing to him.
She was sixteen now! The same age as him for goodness sake. At least for the next eight weeks. Regardless, it was time for him to view her as an actual teenage girl and not an immature child.
"I'll show that cheeky-
"Ring Ring."
"Now what is it?" she exclaimed annoyed. Didn't they know that she was trying to get ready?
Picking up the phone, she snarled when she saw who was calling.
"Mochi Mochi," she greeted, picking up the phone.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU DEAR LITTLE AZUSA!" Mei greeted her singing.
"Why do you have to be so loud?" the manager asked, moving the phone away from her ear.
"Because it's your birthday and it's such a happy occasion!" Mei exclaimed. "Don't you like it?"
"I appreciate the sentiment but I'd prefer you tone it down a bit for next year," Azusa replied, still rubbing her ear.
"No can do," the southpaw said cheekily. "So, what are we doing for your birthday?"
Azusa narrowed her blue eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean by "we?"
"Well, don't you want to spend your special day with me?" her elder brother asked.
"No, I don't," the manager deadpanned.
Mei gasped. "Why not?"
"I already made plans for the day," Azusa replied, rolling her eyes at his melodramatic gasp. "Without you," she then added in a firm tone.
"You made plans without me?" Azusa could practically see him pouting through the phone.
The manager let out an exasperated sigh. "If you wanted to hang out with me then you would've made plans with me weeks ago, she began explaining. "But you didn't."
"I didn't know that I had to make plans in advance with my SISTER just to see her," Mei scoffed.
"Well, dear onii-san, you're not the only star in the family with a busy agenda," Azusa teased with an evil smirk. "So don't even bother coming home because I probably won't be here until evening."
"You're hurting my feelings," Mei sniffed.
Azusa rolled her eyes again. "Thankfully today is my birthday and not yours," she quipped.
"You're such a terrible little sister!"
"Goodbye, Mei," She said before disconnecting the call.
'Now, where was I?' she mused, putting her phone aside. She was not going to let Mei put a damper on her mood. Nothing will stop her from enjoying her day with Miyuki.
Even if he hasn't even mentioned her birthday since that night that she proposed this outing to him. But that doesn't mean anything right?
"So when are you going to fess up about your birthday plans?" Sachiko asked in a teasing tone while she closed her locker after retrieving her belongings. They were ready to go leave for the week. So Takako decided to visit them so they could walk home together like they usually did.
"Who says that I have birthday plans?" Azusa replied in a coy tone with a question of her own. But her smile betrayed her.
"Oh please, who do you think you're fooling?" Sachiko scoffed.
"If you didn't have any special birthday plans then you wouldn't have that smile on your face," Yui quipped with a wink.
Azusa blushed lightly.
"Yui is right," Takako chimed in. "You look very happy."
"You do!" Haruno added. "Please, please Azusa-san tell us."
The blonde manager cupped her face in embarrassment while she averted her gaze from the group of her inquisitive friends.
"I guess I can tell you," she gave in. "I'm spending the day with Miyuki-senpai," she revealed the last part in a whisper.
"WHAT?" they all exclaimed shocked.
"Is it a date?" Haruno asked.
"It has to be a date," Sachiko said.
"Did he ask you out?" Takako asked in curiosity.
"Tell us! Tell us!" Yui chanted.
"It's not a date!" Azusa exclaimed, already regretting telling them.
"Are you lying?" Sachiko pouted.
"I'm not lying!" Azusa insisted. "We're just hanging out as friends," she explained. "It's nothing weird since we're childhood friends."
Yui gave her a skeptical look. "Are you sure?"
Sachiko pouted. "That's no fun."
"Sorry to disappoint ladies," Azusa said in sarcasm.
"So whose idea was it?" Takako asked, seeming to take in all the information.
"Was it his idea?" Haruno asked with excitement.
Azusa flinched. "Actually… No," she replied. "It was my idea. I just asked him if he wanted to hang out during our next day off," she added, careful with no revealing the other content of her private conversation with Miyuki.
Takako narrowed her eyes. "So you didn't even mention your birthday?"
There was a pregnant pause in the air.
"Does Miyuki-kun even know that it's your birthday?" Takako pointed out.
Azusa gulped a thick lump down her throat in nervousness.
"That's a good question," Sachiko quipped.
"He has to know!" Haruno exclaimed in an innocent tone. "They've known each other for years!"
Azusa nodded in agreement. "Exactly Haruno, he has to know," she said, trying to convince herself.
He knows that it's her birthday, right?
"Are you sure?" Sachiko scoffed and Yui quickly elbowed her.
"Of course he knows," Yui said in agreement. "Miyuki-kun is not an airhead."
"So, do you know what you're going to wear?" Takako asked, promptly changing the subject which Azusa couldn't be more grateful for.
The blonde flushed again in embarrassment. "I don't know...," she replied coyly. "I haven't thought much about it. Something casual since it's not going to be a big deal."
"You have to put some effort into looking extra cute," Takako advised with a wink.
"Yes, don't show up wearing sweats," Sachiko teased.
"Maybe some make-up too?" Yui suggested.
"After all it's your birthday Azusa-san, so don't be afraid to take a risk," Haruno said in encouragement.
Azusa just nodded as she tried not to feel overwhelmed by all of their suggestions.
Why didn't she just lie?
"Did they make a good point?" Azusa asked out loud to no one in particular. "Does he even know that it's my birthday? Did he forget?" the manager started panicking. Even some players (thanks to a certain loudmouth pitcher) mentioned it on Saturday. So if they mentioned it, then he must know, right?
Right?
Right?
The manager shook her head. Whether he remembered that today was her birthday or not didn't matter. What mattered it's that she was going to spend her birthday with him, and she was determined to have fun with Miyuki.
"Now time to get ready."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Azusa was fidgeting as she fought the urge to pace back and forth just outside the train station that Miyuki and she agreed to meet up at. She was feeling wrecked with nerves which were silly considering that she has hung out with Miyuki plenty of times before. But this time felt different. Perhaps, it was because it was the first time that they hung out as high schoolers. Or maybe it was because of how Miyuki joked that she was asking him out or was it the fault of her fellow managers by asking her all of those questions?
Was he going to like where they were going to go? Was her outfit okay? What he was going to think of her?
The manager looked down at her outfit. She decided to wear something that she deemed cute and casual. She opted for an ombre white-blue sweater paired with light washed denim jeans, white sneakers, and a light brown small backpack. She thought the blue of the sweater paired well with her eyes. She also thought she looked cute but without overdoing it and also event appropriate. She needed to wear comfortable shoes and besides white sneakers were classic and also trendy. Azusa even put on some light make-up consisting of mascara to make her blue eyes pop and some pink lip gloss. She straightened her hair to make it look shinier than usual and adorned it with a blue hair clip on the side.
'I hope he thinks I look pretty,' Azusa thought.
"Aren't you early?" A masculine voice interrupted her nervous musings.
"Kazuya?" the manager replied with a small smile.
There he was. The catcher was just a couple of feet away from her. Sporting a striped black and white striped t-shirt, a black jacket, khaki pants, and brown shoes. Oh and his trademark cocky grin.
"I'm not early, you're just late," Azusa retorted with a teasing grin. Trying her best to sound as normal as possible.
Miyuki snickered. "Disrespectful as always."
"I just learned from the best," Azusa said, rolling her eyes. "Now let's go before the train leaves without us," she added, before turning around on her heel and heading towards the inside of the station.
The catcher followed closely behind her. "So are you going to tell me where are we going?"
"Hmmm," Azusa exclaimed while tapping on her chin. "Let's see, let's see," she said in a sing-song tone. "How about no?" she let out a giggle.
Miyuki let out a humorless laugh. "Should I be worried?"
"Worried about what?"
"I don't know, being kidnapped or something."
"Who the hell would kidnap you?" the manager scoffed. "Stop being so dramatic."
"And you stop being so secretive," Miyuki retorted back.
"Can you relax? It's just a surprise,' she said. "Surprises are good from time to time."
"You know that I don't do well with surprises. I always have this habit of wanting to find out what they are beforehand."
"I know," she nodded. "But just trust me and relax okay? You'll find out soon enough."
Miyuki let out a defeated sigh as he heard the train approaching and the bustling of people walking towards the platform. "I guess so," he said in defeat. "Anyway, I don't think it will be bad considering how you're in a good mood."
Azusa was taken aback by his comment and turned to him slightly. "What makes you think that?" she asked coyly. The train was already arriving at the station.
Miyuki smirked. "It's a secret," he said, before getting on the train leaving a dumbfounded Azusa behind. "Are you coming or what?"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"So, what do you think?" Azusa asked in an excited tone.
"The zoo?" Miyuki exclaimed while he gawked at the large blue sign on top of the entrance area which read 'Ueno Zoo' in big white letters. The place was huge with lots of people coming in and out.
"Do you like it?" the manager asked carefully, still not knowing what he was thinking.
Miyuki nodded. "I've never been here before or to any zoo for that matter," he replied.
Azusa widened her eyes in shock. "What? What do you mean you've never been to a zoo before?"
The catcher just shrugged. "My father never took me and I never bothered to go on the school trips."
"Then we must fix that immediately," Azusa said. "Let's go! I'm going to show you everything. It's going to be so much fun!" she added, grabbing his hand and leading him to the admissions area.
"Oi! Be careful! You're going to rip off my arm," Miyuki complained, hastily following her behind. "My left arm to be precise," he added.
"Oh relax," Azusa quipped.
The banter continued as they bought their tickets and entered the zoo. First, they started with the west side of the zoo. The west side had African animals such as black rhinos, hippos, and one of Azusa's favorite animals:
"Kazuya look!" the manager exclaimed like a little kid. "There are giraffes!" she pointed towards the grassy green field where they were eating from the trees. "They are so cute!" she gushed, taking pictures of them with her phone.
"Giraffes are still your favorite animals?" Miyuki asked, amused at her enthusiasm.
Azusa nodded with a grin. "Yes, giraffes and pandas are my favorite animals."
"They're both pretty cool," he said in agreement. "But we need to move on so we can see the other animals. Like your beloved pandas."
The manager pouted. "You're right," she said, snapping more pictures away. "Just one more."
"You already took like fifteen pictures," Miyuki chided, taking her away from the giraffes and walking down towards the vivarium section where they would animals such as turtles, saltwater crocodiles, and green iguanas according to the guide map that Miyuki took from the front desk admissions center.
"No, I didn't," she stuck her tongue out at him.
"So fourteen?" he continued teasing her.
Azusa rolled her eyes. "You're impossible," she glared at him. "And you act like such a mom too."
Miyuki snorted. "No, I don't."
"No? Look at you," she motioned to the map in his hands. "You actually took a map and you're reading it to guide us when we could just look at the signs around if we want to know where to go next," Azusa began. "You're very serious about not spending a lot of time at one place so we get a chance to look at the whole place," she continued, signaling the number two with her fingers. "Three, you asked me a bunch of times if I brought enough water with me because it's very important to stay hydrated. Do you want me to go on?" she asked with a cocky tone.
"So... You prefer to pass out from dehydration? Is this what this is all about?" Miyuki deadpanned.
"Silly me, I don't need to go on," Azusa said with a giggle. "You just continue to prove my point."
"Silly me, for wanting you to stay alive and well," the catcher huffed. "Let's hurry up and stop with the distractions!"
'He's even a drama queen like a mom too,' Azusa mentally noted.
"Sure, let's go look at the crocodiles first,' the manager said in defeat.
"As I've been-" Miyuki suddenly stopped in the middle of the way and went in a different direction where a lake was.
"What are you doing? That the crocodiles are not there."
"Look!" Miyuki exclaimed, pointing towards the lake.
Azusa narrowed her eyes and noticed the color pink ahead amidst all the greenery on the lake, once they got closer she could make out that they were flamingos who were idle standing right next to each other in the clear blue lake.
"Flamingos!" the catcher exclaimed again in excitement. "And there are a lot of them!"
Azusa glanced at him in disbelief, then at the flamingos, and Miyuki back again.
Flamingos?
He really is excited over flamingos?
"Are flamingos really your favorite animal?" she asked in an incredulous tone as she took in his childish grin.
"I don't think I have a favorite animal per se," the catcher began. "But I think that flamingos are pretty cool, don't you think so?"
The manager let out an awkward laugh. "Sure," she said in agreement, deciding against teasing him while she leaned against the railing. How could she tease him, after seeing how excited he was? "They're pretty cool," she said with a smile, before snapping some pictures of Miyuki and flamingoes away.
Miyuki blinked in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Taking some pictures of you with the flamingos," she replied with a small grin. "I'm going to send them to you later."
"There is no need for that," he pouted.
"Oh come on, live a little," she chided. "Now, let's go. We wouldn't want to miss the rest of the zoo, right?" Azusa added.
Miyuki just pouted again as he reluctantly peeled himself away from the flamingos. They walked back towards the paved concrete ground towards the crocodiles and iguanas. Now that they had actually stopped with their banter for a quick second she realized something since they have been at the zoo.
People were staring at them and giving them glances.
But why?
'Is there something wrong with me?' Do I have something on my face?' Azusa thought, panicking.
But then shook her head. If there was something off with her appearance then Miyuki would've said something by now. Even if it wasn't out of concern, he wouldn't have lasted this long without teasing her.
No, it has to be something else.
Azusa's attention then was directed by a couple of giggling girls walking next to them who kept glancing. Out of curiosity, she followed their gaze and then realized what they were staring at or more precisely who they were staring at.
It was Miyuki.
'Of course,' she said to herself, feeling silly. Who else would people stare at? Certainly not her. She was walking next to someone whose looks rivaled the ones of a model. Why would anyone stare at her with him by her side?
"Is there something wrong?" the catcher asked, pulling her away from her self-pitying thoughts.
Azusa lightly gasped, his question taking her aback. He was giving her an oblivious innocent look and his tone was dripping in concern which made her heart feel warm and fuzzy.
'Of course,' she smiled. 'Kazuya it's not like that. He never took his looks seriously.'
The manager shook her head. "Nope, nothing it's wrong," she replied and then smiled widely at him. "Let's go," she said, grabbing his hand.
"We need to hurry up."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"I'll get us a table," Miyuki said, peering over his shoulder while holding a tray with two cheeseburgers and french fries.
"Sure, I'll meet up with you in a sec," Azusa nodded, while she stayed back at the cash registrar.
The cashier was getting their drinks and Miyuki decided to get a table before they all got occupied according to his mom- logic.
"Here you go," the cashier, a middle-aged brunette woman who kept her hair in a neat bun said with a polite smile. She put down the drinks on the counter. "And your straws too."
Azusa flashed her a bright smile. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome, I hope you enjoy your meal," the cashier replied back and then gave her a mischievous smile. "And the company too," she added in a sly tone.
The manager blinked in confusion. "The company?"
"That boy that you're with," she said as if it was obvious. "He's very handsome. You're very lucky to have a boyfriend as handsome as he is," the cashier explained in a dreamy tone.
Azusa gave her a nervous laugh while her cheeks were set ablaze with the biggest blush of her life. "My boyfriend?"
'Kazuya, my boyfriend?'
"I… Uh," the younger girl wanted to say that Miyuki was not her boyfriend. But she couldn't get the words out, especially with the cashier's smile. How was she supposed to deny it? "Yes, he's very handsome… But he can't hear it too much or it will go to his head," the manager joked instead with an awkward laugh.
"He must be a pretty popular fellow," the cashier joined in the laughter.
"That hottie with the glasses is her boyfriend?" Azusa heard a girl behind her whisper to her friend.
"What? No way!" the other friend exclaimed.
"Oh you have no idea," Azusa deadpanned, taking the drinks and straws from the counter. Already feeling annoyed by those girls. "Thanks again," she said with a forced polite smile and made her way to find Miyuki.
She didn't have the desire to hear those girls gossip literally behind her back again.
Azusa scanned the cafe who was filled with idle chatter and people eating together. She soon spotted Miyuki at a round table in the far corner of the cafe. She immediately made her way to him as a way to escape the gossip. Also, she didn't want him to find out that the cashier seems to think that they are dating and that she didn't do anything to clear it up.
"Here are the drinks," she said, putting them down on the table before sitting across from him.
"Thanks," he muttered before taking a plastic cup and a straw. "What was taking so long?" he asked out of curiosity.
Azusa's heart skipped a beat, but she tried to play it cool. "Oh, nothing. You know how some people like to make small talk," she explained in a nonchalant tone as she unwrapped her burger and took a bite from it.
Miyuki made a noncommittal sound as he also took a bite from his burger.
"After this, we can go finish exploring the rest of the eastern part that we haven't seen," Azusa spoke up after a few minutes of silence.
"Sounds good," the catcher nodded. "We don't have much ground left to cover."
The manager giggled before taking a sip of her drink. "You sound as if we are on a mission."
"And you're failing," Miyuki deadpanned.
"Haha," Azusa said in the same tone.
The catcher smirked before slurping down his drink. "Be nice and I might give you a passing grade."
"I don't think I can do that," she said nonchalantly before digging into some of her french fries.
Miyuki gave her a weirded-out look.
"What?" she asked.
"Dip them in ketchup first, you demon," he said in a serious tone as he gave her some small packets of ketchup.
Azusa snorted before replying. "I like fries both ways," she said, ripping the packet and pouring ketchup next to her fries. "And I'm squeezing it nicely next to the fries and not all over the fries so you don't have a heart attack."
"Of course, who does that?" he asked. "I know we were in middle school but you should've known better than back then," he added in a disapproving tone.
The manager rolled her eyes as she remembered when she used to pour ketchup all over french fries when she was younger and Miyuki scolded her for the whole day.
"Get over it," she scoffed. "I don't know why you didn't want me to prepare Bentos for today and I don't know why I let you convince me. I could've spared us from this."
The catcher shuddered. "You prepare lunch?" he asked in an incredulous tone. "So you could poison both of us? No thanks," he shook his head. "I'm glad you said that when I was not eating or drinking anything because otherwise, I would've choked."
Azusa let out an indignant gasp. "I wouldn't have poisoned either of us," she defended herself. "I'm not that bad."
"Not that bad? You're the only person who can undercook and overcook something at the same time!" Miyuki exclaimed. "I'm not taking any chances. Especially not when the fall tournament it's just around the corner."
Azusa narrowed her cerulean eyes at the catcher while she quietly growled to herself.
Miyuki returned her gaze for a few moments before snickering. "Oh c'mon. You can't still be surprised at the fact that I don't trust your cooking."
The manager pouted. "You're right. How can I be so naive ?" she conceded.
"Exactly," he said, flashing her a teasing grin before taking a sip of his drink.
Azusa then teared up another small packet of ketchup and then squeezed it all over his fries.
"Oi!"
"Oh c'mon! You can't still be surprised at the fact that I can be quite petty when I want to be," she said with the sweetest smile she could muster.
Miyuki narrowed his brown eyes at her. "You're right. How can I be so naive? Mei is your brother after all."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Azusa and Miyuki were walking down to her home after their day at the zoo. The sun was just starting to set and the sky was twinged with hues of oranges and yellows. Overall, Azusa would say that the day was a success considering how much fun she had with the catcher. She wished she wasn't so close to home yet. But she knew that they had a busy day tomorrow ahead of them.
"Now that I went to the zoo that's one thing that I can cross off my bucket list," Miyuki joked.
Azusa chuckled, turning to him. "So how was it? Did you have fun?"
The catcher nodded. "Yes, it was fun," he replied with a sincere smile. "Thanks for inviting me. I really appreciate it. I needed a distraction and this certainly helped."
Azusa's heart skipped a beat while a small blush threatened to stain her cheeks. She was not expecting that genuinely nice response from him. "Y-you don't have to thank me," she tried to reply coolly.
"No, that's not true," Miyuki said. "You were kind enough to invite me out on your birthday to just cheer me up. That means a lot."
The manager widened her eyes in surprise as she was taken aback, not expecting his answer.
"So you knew?" she asked with a gasp. "You knew it was my birthday?" she asked again, dumbfounded.
Miyuki gave her a small teasing smile. "Of course I knew, silly," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Why do you think I insisted on paying for everything?"
Azusa blinked several times as she remembered all the events of the day. He did pay for their tickets, their lunch, and ultimately that stuffed panda Riri that he got her at the gift shop.
A blush spread across her cheeks as she gave him a bashful look. "I thought you just were being nice…"
The catcher chuckled. "Well, that too," he said. "It was hard, y'know?"
Azusa joined him with a small laugh. "Yes, I imagine that it was hard," she said, still a bit disconcerted. "Sorry, I just genuinely thought that you… Forgot about my birthday," the manager admitted in a low tone towards the end.
"How could I ever forget, you baka? " He lightly scolded her, tapping her on the shoulder. "C'mon, it's you."
She shot him a confused look "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you're different from the rest," he vaguely explained. "I've known you for how long now?"
"About three years now," she replied.
"Exactly," he nodded. "That's why I noticed what you were trying to do and I appreciate it."
Azusa averted her gaze. "You don't have to thank me," she said. "I just wanted to help you and by extension help them, the team, as well… And… Well, I also had fun with you."
Miyuki's lips curved into a sincere smile. "I know," he said. "Which is why I promise you that I'm going to be better," he added with determination. "Not just for the team but for you as well too."
Azusa returned his smile. "I promise that I'm going to be better too."
"I have no doubts about that," the catcher said with a nod. Then he started to fumble in the inside pockets of his jacket, as he was trying to look for something. "Now, it's time for your gift."
"A gift?" she squeaked. "But you already got me the gift from the zoo and the tickets and the-"
"Shhh," Miyuki silenced her with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's just a very small gift so it's not a big deal."
Azusa bit her lip to contain herself from rambling on and decided to calm herself down. "So what is it?" she asked, starting to feel excited.
Miyuki stopped right in front of her home and turned to her to present her with a small rectangular box wrapped in cerulean blue wrapping paper. Azusa smiled at the touch since blue was her favorite color.
"It's more of a gift for the both of us," he said, handing her over the box. "And again it's not a big deal."
Azusa put down the shopping bag from the zoo's gift shop on the ground and accepted the box. She gave the box a tentative look before glancing at him. "Can I open it?" she asked in curiosity, especially since he said it was a gift for the two of them.
"Of course," he replied, looking away.
Azusa could've sworn that there was a twinge of blush across his cheeks but disregarded it. The manager carefully tore the wrapping paper and discarded it by placing it inside the shopping bag which revealed a black box that really didn't solve the mystery. She then slowly opened the black velvet box which revealed a rose gold pen.
"A pen?" she said, mostly to herself. She picked up the pen from the box and quickly noticed how sturdy it was but yet lightweight. It felt as if it was made out of copper and it had ridges alongside the body of the pen which made it feel very comfortable. The pen had a nice feeling to it, the kind of feeling that drove you to start scribbling away to just feel it glide across paper. She also liked the rose gold color which made it more appealing.
"I miss your notes," Miyuki said, as he watched her examine his gift. "From back when we were in junior high. They were very helpful and I liked reading them during our lunch breaks," he continued. "That's why I said the gift was more for the both of us," Miyuki sheepishly added. "I know, it's selfish but-"
"I love it," she cut him off. It was something that Miyuki gave so how could she not like it? "I miss writing my notes too," she confessed. "I admit that I did lose my confidence at times but this time it will be different. I'll use my new pen for everything. Not just to write up my notes for you but also now that Takako-senpai has retired, I'm starting to help out with scorekeeping so it will be helpful for that too even though I'm not that good-"
"You'll do great," Miyuki said, cutting her off this time around. "I thought it would've been great for the scorebooks too."
Azusa gazed into his eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked, doubting herself again. Hating herself for sounding so weak and insecure.
The catcher gave her a small smile before he tapped her arm. "Yes, I'm sure," he said with confidence.
Azusa didn't say anything for a few moments before cracking a smile. "I'll do my best!"
Miyuki nodded. "I know you will," he said in a low tone. "Azu-chan… I know that I probably haven't said this before but… I'm really glad that you came to Seido," the catcher revealed as he gazed into her eyes.
Azusa let out a small gasp as she stared at him in disbelief. "I'm glad that I came to Seido too," she replied.
The catcher smiled at her.
"I'm also glad that I spent my birthday with you, Kazuya-senpai," she then said in a barely audible whisper. She was feeling her cheeks growing hot and her heart was beating fast in her chest so she decided to keep her gaze down.
"Me too," Miyuki said with a sincere smile, matching her low tone. "Happy Birthday Azusa."
Azusa gulped a thick lump down her throat as she suppressed a shiver that ran down her spine caused by his low husky tone. He has never said her name in that tone before.
The manager bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling like an idiot. "Arigatou," she said, holding his intense gaze. It was bizarre. She was feeling as if she was melting under the intense gaze of his warm honey brown eyes but she couldn't peel her eyes away from his.
Azusa followed his eyes that were going to her lips and then to her eyes and back to her lips again.
"Ne, Azusa?" he called out her name, not taking his eyes away from her.
"Yes?" she answered eagerly, closing the distance between them.
She could her heartbeat drumming away in her ears and she couldn't keep her breath steady. Is this is it? Is this a… Moment? Is he going to kiss her?
"I-"
"AZUSA!" they suddenly heard a loud screeching voice call out her name that cut off Miyuki.
Both the catcher and the manager turned around up the small hill where they saw Mei who was clad in Inashiro's tracksuit, jumping up and down in excitement before making his way down to them.
"Mei?" the manager quietly called out.
Miyuki blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean what am I doing here? It's my sister's birthday!" the southpaw replied with a grin before turning to Azusa. "And you? Where were you? I've been here waiting for you all day!" he exclaimed with a pout.
Azusa didn't reply as she looked down to the ground, and put her present back in her shopping bag before she clenched her fists in anger.
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here. Mei?" she asked, seething.
Mei just happily smiled at her, disregarding her less than stellar mood. "I just got tired of waiting inside, so I decided to go out to see if I could see you on the way home. And I was right! Am I a genius or am I a genius?" he grinned.
The manager continued growling before she glared at him. "Mei you baka!" she yelled before grabbing him by his collar and shaking him over and over again.
"Oi! Oi! What are you doing? Is that how you treat your older brother?" Mei said, his head bobbing back and forth as she was shaking him.
"This is what older brothers deserve after they embarrass their little sisters all the time," she quipped. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"
"Ka-ka-Kazuya! Please help!" Mei exclaimed, wailing with his arms up in the air.
"Oh, don't you dare calling him for help!" Azusa warned.
"Maybe he learned his lesson?" Miyuki tried to defend mei in vain.
"Absolutely not! I'm not planning to let him go easy this time around," the manager said with a vengeful smile, tightening her grip on the southpaw.
"Especially, after he ruined my moment with Kazuya," she mused. "What happened to the best birthday ever?"