Hello there! I have risen from the ashes with a double update.
I didn't want to end the year with the last chapter being so dramatic. Even though now that I'm thinking about it, this chapter has some drama too lol. Sorry :P
Anyway, I hope you like it!
As always, thank you for your support.
I apologize beforehand for any grammar mistakes.
Disclaimer: I don't own Daiya No Ace, Yuji Terajima does. I only own my OC.
Enjoy and stay safe! I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year! Hopefully, 2022 will be a better year :)
Chapter 18: Resolution… ?
"Azusa-san, don't forget the drinks!" Sachiko reminded her from outside the team bus.
"Hai!" Azusa replied, before readjusting her ponytail. She went inside the bus again and spotted the big thermal bag with the drinks for the players.
'Victory!'
The manager grabbed the bag and faltered a bit under its weight, underestimating how heavy it was. But Azusa didn't seem to mind since it was going to keep her mind preoccupied. Which was exactly what she needed right now since she was still riled up from what happened last night with both Miyuki and Zono.
She was not just angry at Zono for not keeping his hands to himself but also for making the situation worse. Yes, Miyuki was the captain, and he still had a lot of growing up to do. But Zono was the vice-captain and it was his job to support the captain if he was seeing any shortcomings.
Azusa descended from the bus with the heavy thermal bag and saw Haruno waiting for her outside. She gave her a small smile and started making her way towards her.
"Ne, Narumiya-chan," Azusa froze when she heard a masculine voice call out her name.
She turned around and grimaced when she found out it was Zono who was behind her with a friendly smile. 'Just great…'
"What?" she asked curtly.
He took a step back at her tone but then cleared his throat. "Do you need help carrying the bag?"
"No," she shook her head while making sure not to show any sign of distress. "I'm fine," the manager added in an offhand manner.
Zono blinked several times in confusion. She could tell he was perplexed. "Are you okay? Did I do something to upset you?"
Azusa turned up her nose at him. "Let's just say I'm not happy with your behavior right now," she explained.
"W-what? But why? What did I do?" Zono stammered.
The manager gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Well, that is because," she began. "You-"
"Azusa-san!" Haruno interrupted them. "C'mon let's go! Sachiko-senpai and Yui-senpai are already inside the stadium."
Azusa pouted as she noticed Haruno's distressed expression.
"I gotta go," she said begrudgingly, leaving a stunned Zono behind.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Once inside the stadium, everyone in the bleachers took their seats eager for the third match to start. The audience was hyped up since Ugumori proved themselves to be the dark horse of the tournament by defeating Inashiro in yesterday's match. People wanted to see if they were also able to defeat Seido as well.
While everyone was eager, she knew that most likely everyone down there in the dugout must be feeling the tension from yesterday night's fight between Miyuki and Zono. Azusa hoped that it wouldn't interfere with the game today.
This time around, instead of Azusa sitting next to the rest of the managers and Rei, she decided to sit next to Nabe. They agreed to sit next to each other to keep scores and write notes on the pitching journal.
The match started with Furuya opening which as to be expected, was not starting well. Furuya still had the issue with rough starts and even let the first batter move on to the first base with four balls. He then proceeded to do the same thing with the second batter which still didn't continue to surprise anyone since his early game had always been weak.
Furuya finally got a break when he struck out the third batter. Then Umemiya, the fourth batter, and ace of the team came up for his at-bat.
'C'mon Furuya, you can do it,' Azusa internally cheered for him.
Umemiya had a strong presence on the field that undoubtedly baited the pitchers to abandon any type of care in the world to go head to head with him. She only hoped that Furya was strong enough. Furuya threw the first pitch and Umemiya managed to hit it but fortunately, the umpire declared it a ball. Then, the second player on base attempted a steal just as Furuya seemed not to give it any mind and threw his second pitch at Umemiya.
However, Umemiya managed not to just hit Furuya's high pitch but also scored a home run off Furuya stunning everyone on both the field and the stadium. Azusa was also in disbelief since Furuya's pitch wasn't that bad, but it was a testament to Umemiya's ability as a clean-up batter.
The inning progressed, and Furuya was able to finish it out without conceding any more runs. Azusa didn't know how since usually that would rattle anyone. But Miyuki seemed to tell him something that got his head back in the game.
Soon after they wrapped up the first inning, and the Seido players approached the dugout, Miyuki caught the attention of Nabe and raised his hand in apology.
Nabe gasped in surprise and then shook it off.
"It's fine," he yelled out. "Switch gears!"
Azusa smiled to herself. She knew it was just a matter of time before Miyuki did the right thing.
"See?" she quietly nudged him which made him turn to her. "I told you that Miyuki-senpai was not a bad person," Azusa added with a wink.
Nabe nodded. "You were right, Narumiya-san," he smiled back at her.
And just like that… The tension of the air dissipated, and everything felt lighter. Azusa just knew that everything would turn out to be alright.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Just as she suspected it, Azusa turned out to be right when it came to the outcome of the game. Seido won, advancing to the next round! After the first inning, Miyuki played marvelously, getting RBIs off of Umemiya to the point that he was getting walked towards the middle of the game. The rest of the players also played great including Zono and Furuya. Just when she thought that Furuya was getting tired in the seventh inning. It was as if he got a second wind and persisted throughout the game not conceding any runs until he finally couldn't go anymore. Towards the end of the game, The tide of the game was favoring Ugumori, so the atmosphere was difficult, but Sawamura stepped in and changed the tides back to Seido's favor and thus resulting in them winning.
Azusa couldn't be happier for the team just like she couldn't be happier for herself. The scorebook that she filled out with today's game looked pretty good if someone dared to ask her. She couldn't believe how easy it was with Nabe coaching her. Not to mention all the notes that they managed to get on the pitching journal.
'I think Miyuki-senpai is going to love it,' the manager squealed to herself.
"What are you grinning about?" Sachiko asked her, closing her locker behind her.
"It's probably about Miyuki-kun," Yui chimed in with a teasing grin.
"What?" Azusa blabbered, heat rising to her cheeks resulting in a deep blush.
"Something happened between you and Miyuki-senpai?" Haruno asked in excitement.
"Of course, what else would make her so happy?" Sachiko teased with a shrug.
"No!" Azusa exclaimed. "This has nothing to do with Miyuki-senpai!" she continued angrily. "My life doesn't revolve around him, so you know," she pouted while crossing her arms across her chest.
"So what is it then?" Haruno asked in curiosity.
"I was looking at this scorebook," she held up the book for everyone to see up in the air in annoyance. "I filled it out with the stats of today's game with the help of Nabe-senpai which I was planning to show you, Sachiko-senpai," she added, pointing towards the pig-tailed manager.
"Me?" Sachiko blinked in confusion, taking the book from Azusa's hands.
The blonde manager nodded. "I know that you've been struggling with keeping the scorebooks ever since Takako-senpai left," she began explaining. "So I wanted to get better to help you with the coverage of the upcoming matches."
The three other girls were stunned by Azusa's revelation, and they all looked at each other in awe.
"Azusa-san…" Sachiko began, feeling a bit emotional. "I didn't know that you were thinking about me."
"We didn't know that you could be such a good kouhai," Yui said, playfully ruffling Azusa's hair.
"Yes, that was very sweet of you," Haruno said with a tear in her eye.
Azusa's blush grew wider and wider as they continued with their praises. "S-stop it you guys," she stammered. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Of course, it is," Sachiko hugged Azusa much to her chagrin. "I appreciate it, but I don't think you can help me with the scorebooks."
Azusa blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Sachiko grinned at her. "This is actually way better than mine," she replied, pointing at Azusa's scorebook. "You should keep the score from now on, not me."
The blonde gasped. "Really?"
Sachiko nodded as Yui and Haruno clapped.
"Well, I mean… Isn't that too soon for that?" Azusa looked away embarrassed.
"Well, obviously we need to talk to the coach first."
"Yes, we can't make rash decisions such as that," Yui nodded in agreement.
"Okay, fine. But first…," Azusa began still blushing. "I want to show Miyuki-senpai first. If I have his approval, then it will be easier for me to go up to the coach."
"Is that so?" Sachiko asked with a mischievous smile.
"So you were thinking about Miyuki-kun as, we guessed in the first place!" Yui teased.
"What? No!" Azusa vehemently denied it.
"Yes, you were! Yes, you were!" The two older girls made fun of Azusa while Haruno tried her hardest not to laugh.
'This is what happens when you try to be nice,' the blonde groaned to herself.
*Time Skip*
Practically skipping over, Azusa approached the club room with giddiness. It was not every day that Sachiko-senpai was sincerely happy with her work. Not to mention, praise her. The manager was half-expecting her to be impressed that she took the initiative of learning how to keep the scorebooks. But she never thought in a million years that she was going to suggest taking over her duty as recordkeeper. It was a big responsibility and Azusa wanted to make sure that was ready for it. Even as strict as her senpai were, she knew that they were nothing compared to their oh so dear captain Miyuki Kazuya. If someone was always upfront with her, it was him.
Azusa took a deep breath as she stood right outside the clubroom. She didn't want to seem too happy to show him what she worked on today. That was just going to guarantee a tirade of teasing remarks from Miyuki. She could already hear him in her mind:
"Do you want a prize? Perhaps a sticker saying 'well done?'"
"You look like a puppy wagging its tail."
"Do you want me to praise you that badly?"
Of course, his obnoxious laugh wouldn't be missing at all. He was probably not going to be able to get in a word in if he decides that her behavior was comical. No, Azusa was going to march in there and behave like a composed mature-
"So you just tell him to do what he wants?" Azusa heard Zono scream from inside the clubroom which piqued her curiosity.
'What the hell is going on?' she wondered while she took a peek through the glass of the front door. She didn't want to go in and interrupt at the wrong moment for a change. Once she took a good view, she saw that Zono was up from his seat and it seemed like his words were directed at Miyuki.
'Don't tell me that they are fighting again,' the manager grumbled to herself. What was the problem? Boys were so stupid.
"He's the one who has to come down to an answer," Azusa heard Miyuki reply to Zono in a much calmer tone compared to the vice-captain.
"Are you being serious right now?" Zono asked, slamming the desk in anger. "You're the captain! It's your job to keep the team intact!"
"Seriously? This again?" the manager groaned to herself, rubbing her temples in irritation. "I thought we were past this," she sighed in despair but soon after she tensed up when she felt something was behind her.
"Are they fighting again?" Azusa heard Nabe ask her.
The manager gasped and turned around. That something turned out to be someone and it was no other than the subject of the conversation at hand.
"Nabe-senpai…" Azusa trailed off. "For how long were you standing there?" she tentatively asked as she took in his figure. He had a notebook in his hand which she assumed was the pitching journal that he said that he was going to work on after the game. He had a downcast expression, and the lighthearted relaxed look on his face from a few hours ago had disappeared.
"I just got here," he replied, looking away. "But I figured that they were fighting again because of me due to your reaction."
'Damn it!'
"Well… It seems like Zono-senpai thinks that Miyuki-senpai is still not treating you correctly," Azusa said, choosing her words carefully. She already could tell that Nabe was upset, and she didn't want to make the situation worse.
"I see," Nabe said dejectedly.
"Miyuki-senpai did admit that he was a bit harsh with his words, though," she added, trying to make him feel better. "He meant his apology to you."
Nabe gave her a small smile. "I never doubted his apology," he said. "I just wish we could move forward. I just wanted to feel like I had a place on the team, it was never my intention to cause this much conflict within the team. Especially not during the middle of the tournament."
Azusa's cerulean eyes softened at Nabe's confession which tugged at her heartstrings. He was beyond feeling uncomfortable with this situation and she understood how he was feeling. She knew all too well how it felt not to belong and not knowing whether you were in the right place or not. "Nabe-senpai…" she began.
Nabe shook his head. "Just forget I said anything," he said, before turning on his heel and running away from her.
"Nabe-senpai wait!" she yelled behind him to no avail since he didn't stop.
Azusa groaned to herself as she clenched her fists in frustration and also anger so she started pacing around while she heard the players go on with their argument. She was frustrated because she had grown to respect and like Nabe a lot in such a short period and didn't want to see him upset. It hurt her to see him like that. He was a good and kindhearted person and like he just said, he just wanted to feel like he belonged in a place. Like he was useful. Everyone should be able to feel like that even though not everyone is that lucky. That need shouldn't have been used as a way to create discord between teammates, but the opposite. It was supposed to bring people together to help a fellow teammate. But of course, it is never that easy…
Which was also why she was angry. Both Miyuki and Zono were being so immature. But at least she could recognize that Miyuki was trying. Trying as he has never tried before to be empathetic and grow as a captain. He was nowhere near perfect, but he was trying to respect Nabe and his wishes as much as he could in his own way. Zono, on the other hand, was the one aggravating the situation more than it needed to be. There was no reason to pick a fight with Miyuki tonight. Especially not even before trying to talk to Nabe to find out what he wanted and what kind of support he needed.
Without her realizing it, the players started to come out from outside the club room commenting over how awkward that fight was. And how they wished they could put their differences aside. Azusa averted her gaze with a blush staining her cheeks, not trying to make eye contact with any of them. She was mildly embarrassed just standing there outside and was hoping that no one would ask her a question. If someone asked her what she was doing there, how would she respond?
She was there to see Miyuki? Now, the possibility of talking to him about scorebooks seemed kinda stupid. Should she just leave?
Azusa looked around as if her surroundings were going to give her an answer. Her eyes fell on Zono's back who was probably walking towards the indoor training area to practice his batting just like he does every night.
The manager clenched her fist, her right one crumpling the scorebook once again. Perhaps, her surroundings did give her the answer.
No, she just can't leave. At least not yet.
Azusa took a deep breath and marched towards with a determined look across her features. Already made up her mind. She was going to talk to Zono and give him a piece of her mind whether he liked it or not!
"Zono-senpai!" the manager called out behind him.
She saw him react at the mention of his name with the turn of his head. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her.
The elder player gave her a small smile as he casually rubbed his head. "Oh, it's you Narumiya-chan, what a surprise!"
Azusa raised an eyebrow in irritation. 'Narumiya-chan? Who the hell he thinks he is by using that honorific with me?' she thought in anger.
"How can I help you?" he asked her in a friendly tone.
Azusa couldn't help but scowl at him. "You can help me and the team along the way by not picking up fights with Miyuki-senpai!" she replied, pointing her finger at him with an accusing tone.
"Huh?" the vice-captain babbled, taking a step backward. He was taken aback by both her statement and tone.
"You heard me!" Azusa yelled at him.
"What does that mean?" he asked, perplexed.
The manager scoffed. "So are you going to pretend as if you didn't just pick a fight with Miyuki-senpai even after things seemed to have calmed down?"
Now it was Zono's turn to scoff. "Just because we got along on the playfield, doesn't mean that we have to get along off the field. I don't agree with Miyuki's sentiments."
"I'm not asking you to get along with him off the field," she said, crossing her arms across her chest. "But you can keep your unnecessary comments to yourself instead of stirring the pot."
Zono clenched his fist. "Unnecessary? So you agree with Miyuki that we need to leave Nabe alone and don't stop him from quitting the team?" he asked angrily.
"I never said that I agreed with him," the manager said firmly, narrowing her blue eyes at him. "So don't put words in my mouth."
"Then why did you say that my words were unnecessary?"
"They were unnecessary because you brought it up to him without even asking if he had talked to Nabe-senpai since then," she replied. "If you had, then you would've known that Miyuki-senpai apologized to Nabe-senpai during the game today."
Zono widened his eyes in surprise. "A-are you sure?" he stammered.
"Of course I'm sure. I was there," the manager scoffed again.
"Then why didn't he at least say that?" the vice-captain asked her.
"Maybe because you jumped to conclusions?" Azusa offered. "Besides, it's Miyuki-senpai we are talking about. He wouldn't say that in front of everyone."
Zono shook his head. "Even if he apologized, that doesn't mean that he has changed his mind. He admitted it tonight. Even with apologizing, he is not going to do anything to stop Nabe from quitting. He still thinks that he doesn't have to help anyone by guiding them through their doubts and insecurities," he maintained.
Azusa narrowed her eyes at him again. "Is that so?"
"Yes, it is," he repeated. "To be honest… I think you're being biased in this situation Narumiya-chan since you know Miyuki from before even joining the team and that's why you're defending him."
Azusa clenched her fist once again.
'Seriously, who the hell does he think he is? I know Kazuya and his flaws more than anyone else on this team. '
"Well, well senpai," she began with disdain dripping from her tone. "Since everyone is wrong here and you're right. Oh and let's not forget that you're oh so righteous. Tell me, have you talked to Nabe-senpai?" she asked, totally disregarding his accusation of her being biased.
Zono blinked in confusion. "Talked to Nabe?"
"Yes, have you talked to Nabe-senpai?" she reiterated the question. "Since you're so hell-bent on defending him, I imagine that you already talked to him, right? You know very well how he feels about the situation and you totally know that he feels comfortable with you speaking on his behalf… Is that right?"
Zono visibly gulped a thick lump down his throat, and he started sweating in nervousness.
"I'm taking that as a no," Azusa deadpanned as she shook her head in disappointment. "So you have no idea whether Nabe-senpai considers Miyuki's senpai's apology enough. You have no idea whether he is still thinking about quitting."
The vice-captain clenched his fists as he stared at the ground. "No, I haven't asked him any of that," he admitted.
"Thought so," she said in sarcasm. "Y'know senpai… I'm not blind nor am I stupid," she continued with traces of sarcasm remaining in her tone. "I know that Miyuki-senpai has his faults. He is far from perfect. He is always annoying people with his teasing remarks and he can even hurt people with his words at times. But he deeply cares about this team and is always thinking of ways on how to win every future game so we can take the coach to Koshien. No one takes baseball more seriously than he does so he doesn't take his position as captain as a joke. He's just terrible at showing that he cares. I know that in his heart of hearts he thinks that he is not doing a disservice to Nabe-senpai by deciding to just respect his wishes. Whatever they may be. But he doesn't understand that sometimes It's okay to try to stop someone and make them reconsider if there is a chance to change things," the manager explained while Zono listened intently.
"So you, Zono-senpai, as vice-captain it's your job to step in and help him fill in those gaps where our captain is lacking at the moment."
"But that's what I'm doing!" he exclaimed.
Azusa shook her head. "No, you're not Zono-senpai," she replied calmly. "You're just creating drama and tension within, the team. You're just complaining about how Miyuki-senpai is handling things and picking fights with him. Anyone can complain. But you haven't even tried to make a difference and help Nabe-senpai. You haven't even tried to show Miyuki-senpai how he can help Nabe-senpai or any of the other players who might feel the same. If you think that by berating Miyuki-senpai you're helping Nabe-senpai then I'm afraid that you might not be fit to be vice-captain!" she ended up exclaiming.
Zono took a step back at her outburst. He opened his mouth in response but then closed it, pouting instead while averting his gaze. Feeling embarrassed by being berated by his kouhai.
"I still don't hold the same views and values as Miyuki and maybe you as well," Zono said. "I admit that you've given me some things to think about Narumiya-chan," he conceded.
Azusa shrugged. "We don't have to," she scoffed. "But that doesn't mean that we can't respect each other and work together towards the same goal that we have. Goodnight, Zono-senpai," she turned around after she just said her last remark. Not even bothering with hearing what he had to say. Miyuki was stubborn, but Zono was not lagging in that department. Besides, she already said to him what she needed to say and there was nothing else she could do to change his mind. The rest was up to him. If he wanted to keep on being stubborn then that just showed what kind of person he was.
'Oh well… We'll see how he behaves in the next couple of days. Regardless, one vice-captain down and now a captain to go!'
Azusa was definitely not done with tonight's lectures. She decided that she wasn't half bad at them if she actually remained calm throughout most of it. So why not try her luck again?
And who better to try it on again than no other than their dear captain, Miyuki Kazuya?