Hello there! Long time no see. I know it has been a while and I apologize for the late update. This chapter took me forever to write. I know 2022 hasn't been an easy year in terms of worldly affairs but I hope it has been going well for you. I can't believe this year is basically halfway over. Time goes too fast.
Back to this fic… I thought that I was going to be able to tone it down with the drama but from now on it will seem like a difficult task lol. So I hope you won't mind ;)
As always, thank you for your support.
I apologize for any grammar mistakes beforehand.
Disclaimer: I don't own Daiya No Ace. Yuji Terajima does. I only own my OC.
Enjoy and stay safe!
Chapter 19: Insecure
'It's a good thing that he's a creature of habit,' Azusa thought, smiling to herself as she watched Miyuki swinging his bat in the same corner behind the indoor training area. 'Makes looking for him way easier.'
Although she was still feeling determined in talking to him, she was finding it to be somehow difficult now. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep concentration and he seemed like he was in a good rhythm. It didn't feel right to interrupt him right at the moment. Not when he was working so hard to improve his batting.
'Now that I'm thinking about it… It wouldn't kill you to practice with everyone else once in a while, Kazuya,' the manager mused. She understood that it was his preference to practice on his own and to a certain extent she couldn't blame him. Some people just concentrated better on their own. Which in his case seemed to be working judging from his performance during the match against Ugumori. But the downside of that in Azusa's opinion was that the team couldn't get to see how hard he works to improve his skills. As well as his dedication.
'But that's a conversation for another night,' she mentally tucked that plan into the back of her mind. Then looked down at the white plastic bag that she was carrying. She had other plans tonight.
"Azu-chan?" Miyuki stopped his swing midway startling the manager since she was deep in her thoughts. "What are you doing here?" he asked, turning to her.
Azusa's cheeks began having a small reddish twinge, feeling suddenly embarrassed out of the blue. "I was looking for you," she sheepishly replied, tugging the bag even harder.
The catcher cocked his head to the side in curiosity giving her an innocent look. "Is it time for you to leave now?"
"Well… Now that you mention it… Sorta," Azusa began, slightly panicking. She didn't realize that it was getting so late.
"Do you want to start walking to the bus stop?" Miyuki asked, putting his bat down, and wiping his forehead with a towel that he had around his shoulders.
"No- I mean that wasn't why I came looking for you," she tried to clarify. "I wanted to talk to you about something important."
"Talk?"
"Yes," she nodded, motioning towards the bench farther away from them next to a post light.
"I see," he chuckled to himself but didn't question anything as he walked towards the bench that Azusa pointed to.
She followed closely behind him and sat down on the bench next to him.
"So what is this about? You're acting mysterious," Miyuki noticed.
"Well, I think that you've been under a lot of stress lately so I decided to bring you a treat," Azusa replied, taking two popsicles from the bag and extending her arm to offer him one.
Miyuki widened his brown eyes in surprise. "Popsicles?" he muttered dumbfounded.
"You used to do this when we were kids, remember?" she asked with a small smile. "Even as recent as this summer," she added, reminiscing about that time he took her to a convenience store on their way to her bus stop.
He returned her smile. "Yes, you're right," he said, taking a popsicle from her hand. "It feels like it happened a lifetime ago."
"Yes, a lot of things have happened since then," the manager said in agreement, ripping the packaging of the popsicle.
"I'm just a bit tired lately," he said out of nowhere, taking the popsicle out of the packaging revealing to him that it was cherry flavored. He seemed to be pleased by it and gave the popsicle a lick.
"I'm aware of the fight that you have with Zono-senpai regarding Nabe-senpai, y'know?" she casually revealed, making him tense up.
"Is that so?" he said flatly.
"Yes, I'm not as oblivious as you may think," she joked, slipping the popsicle into her mouth.
"You have your days," the catcher joked back but his smile didn't reach his eyes. Azusa could tell that he was feeling a bit nervous.
"I'm not mad at you, so I'm not here to yell at you," Azusa said, her demeanor suddenly turning serious.
"Even when you told me to have more tact?" he prodded.
"Even when I told you to have more tact," she confirmed, nodding. "However, that doesn't mean that I approve of what you did," the manager clarified.
"Then why aren't you mad?"
"Because I know that you didn't have ill intentions and I also saw that you apologized to Nabe-senpai during the game today," Azusa replied. "You're trying to make it right and that's what counts."
A small blush spread across Miyuki's cheeks as he turned away from Azusa and stared right ahead instead. "You saw that huh?"
Azusa giggled at his reaction. He reminded her of a child. "Yes, I thought that was very captain-like of you."
"Is it really captain-like if the team is being divided like this?" he scoffed. "I'm supposed to be leading the team and instead I'm just messing things up and creating tension within the team."
"You're learning along the way that's for sure," she said carefully. "But this is not all on you. It's not like you were arguing with yourself," Azusa added with a scowl, getting angry all over again.
Miyuki shot her a confused look and then a weak smile when he realized what she was getting at. "Oh, you mean Zono?"
Azusa gritted her teeth. "Yes, him," she said in irritation and then took a bite of her popsicle.
The catcher chuckled dryly. "He's not backing down," he said, before doing the same as Azusa. Their popsicles were starting to melt so it seemed like they were both in a rush so they wouldn't make a sticky mess.
"Because he's an idiot!" the manager exclaimed, surprising Miyuki. "He is supposed to be the vice-captain of the team and instead of doing his job he's picking fights with you."
Miyuki blinked in confusion, being at a loss for words. "Well…" he trailed off, scratching his cheek. "He has his viewpoint which he feels very strongly about."
"Which is totally fine," Azusa interjected. "I'm not saying that he needs to agree with you or stay quiet. He can certainly express his opinion," she began explaining. "But not like this. Picking up a fight with you in front of the team is not the way to go. He could've had a private conversation with you where you could both disagree to both your hearts' content. And along the way offering to help with Nabe-senpai's situation and talk to him so he would feel more comfortable in the team. But he didn't do any of that. He just complained instead of doing his job as the vice-captain," the manager ranted.
Miyuki stared at her, perplexed. "I… Well, I don't know what to say," he muttered. "But it's okay really. You don't have to react like that. It's ultimately my fault because I'm not being a good captain."
"Stop that!" Azusa scolded him. "I don't like that self-deprecating attitude of yours. It doesn't suit you," she continued. "As I said before, he's not fulfilling his role as vice-captain. Yes, your job as the captain is to lead the team, but his job as the vice-captain is to support you. Don't try to carry all the burden yourself," Azusa said the last part in a softer tone. "You're doing your best, and it is paying off because I see you improving every day. Just like in today's game."
The catcher gave her a dismissive wave. "I'm just doing my job as captain, catcher, and clean-up."
Azusa narrowed her eyes at him. "Remember when Mei would refuse to give me the cherry flavored popsicles and instead gave me the watermelon ones because he hated those?" she asked with a faint smile, reminiscing. "You switched my watermelon popsicles for your cherry ones, even when you hated them."
Miyuki widened his brown eyes in surprise. "Y-you knew about that?" he stammered.
"Not until recently when you took me to that convenience store," she replied as he averted his gaze with a blush adorning his cheeks.
"I see…" the catcher trailed off. "But why did you just bring that up?"
Azusa gazed into his brown eyes as her lips curled into a smile. "Because a person like that can't be a bad captain."
Azusa's response seemed to stun Miyuki to silence. He didn't say anything and just went back to eating his popsicle, stifling a small laugh to himself.
"Arigatou, Azusa."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"You're in charge of the pitchers, and you bat clean-up. There's so much more pressure on you than what I had. I knew that, but I recommended you as the captain. With you as the captain, the team will get better. That's what I thought. I can be much of a help, but I'll gladly hear you out."
Miyuki smiled, remembering what Tetsu-san told him not so long ago today when he went up to him for advice. The new captain not only felt an immense amount of gratitude towards his predecessor but also was greatly touched by his words. He had always had a grandiose and positive image of Tetsu-san, so it came as a great surprise to him to hear from his own lips that he also struggled with captaincy during the beginning since he always lead the team so confidently with his plays.
It made him feel better about himself and his current insecurities. Not to mention that Tetsu-san's trust in him made him feel more invigorated. He didn't magically have all the right answers but now he feels like that is okay. Nobody has them. He just has to do his best as each day goes on.
He slightly regretted not going to Tetsu-san sooner, but quickly pushed that idea to the back of his mind. He was going to remain positive. He was not only feeling better because of his conversation with the former captain but also from the latest conversations with Azusa. Lately, despite her feisty nature, she has always made him feel more relaxed and supported.
She has grown to be a bit more mature. Not that he would ever seriously admit it to her of course.
'Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to invite her to hang out outside of campus as a way to thank her,' the catcher thought, immediately blushing in embarrassment. 'What am I thinking?' he slightly shook his head as if trying to shake the idea off his mind. It was not like he was trying to ask her out. No, of course not. It was Azusa after all. But he couldn't deny that he hasn't had as much fun as he had during her birthday in a long time. Making him at times crave her company. It was fun teasing her, getting into crazy shenanigans together, and just seeing her smile whenever she got excited.
Miyuki shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he tried to ignore the flutter in his heart when he pictured Azusa smiling.
'What am I feeling like this?' the catcher mused. Perhaps, the stress was getting to him. He didn't like feeling uneasy and out of control with his emotions. It was already bad enough that he had been leaning on Azusa too much for his liking lately. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable as well with whatever he was going through at the moment. Miyuki was beyond happy that in the end, she chose to go to Seido. Every day she has been proving herself to be an asset to the team, and the last thing that he would want is to drive her way or worse- make her regret her decision.
'Another reason why I should stop moping and just do my best.'
"What's wrong with you?" Miyuki hears Kuramochi ask him, pulling him away from his thoughts.
The catcher glanced at the shortstop not knowing how to quite reply to him. He felt slightly nervous under Kuramochi's inquiring gaze. It was no secret that Kuramochi was very observant so one wrong answer would just lead to more inquiring gazes and interrogations. Miyuki opted to do what he knows best.
Deflection.
Miyuki shrugged and glanced around the crowded room. "It's just too noisy to even concentrate on my thoughts," he said nonchalantly. "We never really hang out here." They were currently in the school cafeteria where all the students were eating and chatting away sitting spaced out throughout the room. Miyuki and Kuramochi usually had lunch in their classroom, but Kuramochi bullied him into coming for a 'change of pace' once he saw the catcher stroll around the corridors after his conversation with Tetsu-san.
Now it was Kuramochi's turn to shrug. "I guess it's noisier than in the classroom," he said before taking a bite out of his yakisoba.
The catcher shot him a teasing grin as he propped his elbow on the table to rest his chin on his hand. "This was your brilliant idea after all."
Kuramochi glared at him. "Shut up you bastard!" he yelled at him. "Being around your peers from time to time won't kill you."
"Oh? Don't tell me that you're doing this out of concern for me," he continued teasing.
"Yes, I'm deeply concerned that you're doing to die as a friendless loser," the shortstop deadpanned.
Miyuki was unmoved. "I feel touched."
"You're welcome."
The catcher snickered to himself.
"Miyuki-senpai!" They both hear a high-pitched voice call out his name, making them both scan the room to look for the owner of the voice.
Miyuki didn't have to look for long because Azusa was behind Kuramochi, waving at him as she approached their table.
The manager sat down right next to him, putting her brown book bag on the table with a wide smile on her face. Which Miyuki thought was adorable much to his dismay since that flutter in his heart came back.
"Hi Miyuki-senpai!" she happily greeted him before turning to Kuramochi. "And you too, Kuramochi-senpai!"
Kuramochi shot her a confused look. "Why are you so happy?"
"Miyuki-senpai, did you finish reading my pitching journal from last night?" she asked, ignoring the shortstop's question which undoubtedly ticked him off.
The catcher felt the corners of his lips turn into a smile. "Actually, yes, I did," he confirmed, making her smile. "It was really good with lots of details. Just as I like it."
"Really? That's great. I'm so glad you like it!" the manager beamed.
"Can I keep it until after practice tonight?" the catcher asked.
Azusa nodded in a heartbeat. "Of course! I don't have an issue with that."
"Thanks!"
Kuramochi started snickering. "You two truly are nothing but baseball idiots."
Miyuki ignored him while Azusa glared at him. "Shut up, Kuramochi-senpai," she retorted lamely, annoyance dripping from her tone. But it quickly dissipated as she pulled a scorebook out of her bag.
"Miyuki-senpai," she began holding out the scorebook for him. "I've been working on this, and I was wondering if you could give it a glance to see if I'm doing a good job so far," the manager asked rather shyly towards the end.
The catcher smirked at him. "Being meek doesn't suit you," he teased her before taking the scorebook out of her hands. He opened it before she could protest and started reading it. His eyes meticulously darted from page to page as he grinned to himself before turning to her.
"And?" she asked with a wide-eyed innocent look.
"This is also very good," he genuinely complimented her with a smile. "You've improved a lot. They are starting to become very detailed like Takako-senpai's notes."
Azusa grinned from ear to ear. "Sachiko-senpai said the same thing but it makes it feel more surreal if you say it since you're nitpicky."
Miyuki pouted. "I'm not nitpicky."
"Yes, you are!"
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"Anyway," Miyuki rolled his eyes, changing the subject. "If you keep it up you might become as good as Takako-senpai or even surpass her."
"Well, I don't know about that," she averted her gaze in embarrassment with a small blush adorning her face. "But Sachiko-senpai suggested going up to the coach with her and asking him about me becoming the scorekeeper instead."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea and-"
"Hi Miyuki-kun!" a random girl interrupted their conversation.
Miyuki turned to see who it was and they were two semi-random girls. He recognized them from his class but never bothered to learn their names. The taller of the two had long brown hair and hazel eyes, while the other one had dirty blonde hair cut in a pixie cut.
"Congrats on winning the game! But it's such a shame that you won't be able to join us on the trip," the taller one said quickly with a pout before he could awkwardly greet them back.
"Yes, it's a shame that we won't be able to get to know each other more," the shorter girl said with a similar pout. "They should totally change the scheduling of the trips."
"Well, I'm sure we won't be missed," the catcher said with an awkward chuckle, pointing to Kuramochi and himself.
"Talk about yourself. It seems like you two don't have any qualms about ignoring me!" the shortstop angrily exclaimed, shooting daggers toward the girls.
The girls started laughing. "Oh Kuramochi, stop being so dramatic," the long-haired brunette girl said with a dismissive wave.
"And you stop joking Miyuki-kun. Of course, you'll be missed," the other girl gushed.
Kuramochi scoffed. "Where are the honorifics for me? And Miyuki will be the only one missed? MIYUKI?"
"What can I say? I guess I cause a big impression wherever I go," Miyuki joked with a wink, trying to rile up Kuramochi even more.
Kuramochi gritted his teeth at him. "You cocky bastard."
"Now, now don't fight," the taller girl warned. "Otherwise, we'll only bring Miyuki-kun a souvenir from the trip since he can't make it and not you Kuramochi," she said, while her friend giggled.
"First, you ignore me, second, you disrespect me, and now you're threatening me ?" the shortstop exclaimed.
"It was such a good idea to come here and fraternize with other people, don't you think so my dear friend?" Miyuki asked in sarcasm.
Kuramochi rolled his eyes. "Shut up."
"Anyway, that's not necessary," the catcher turned to his classmates. "I don't need any gifts. You guys will have it when you come back to us winning the next match," he said confidently.
"You just sounded so cool, Miyuki-kun!" the shorter one gushed again.
"Cool? He is the opposite of cool," Kuramochi scoffed.
"Don't be envious Kuramochi," the girls chastised him while laughing.
"Yeah, don't be envious Kuramochi," Miyuki repeated in a mocking tone. Perhaps, after this, he was never going to drag him to the cafeteria ever again.
While the group of second years laughed at the expense of the shortstop, a certain blonde manager managed to slip out without anyone noticing her disappearance.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Congrats Miyuki-kun!"
"We are going to miss you Miyuki-kun."
"You're so cool Miyuki-kun!"
"How about you go to hell Miyuki-kun!" Azusa yelled in frustration, slamming her fists on her bathroom counter.
Anger was not even close enough to describe how Azusa was feeling at the moment. She was fuming and irate. Just when she was getting so close to him and had him starting to finally acknowledge her efforts, those girls came and ruined everything for her. They were so damn rude interrupting them like it was nothing and then pretending like she wasn't even there in the first place.
'Seriously, screw them!'
But as angry as the manager was with those upperclassmen, she was also feeling hurt. They pretended like she didn't exist but it was not as if Miyuki acted any differently. He completely ignored her too. Along with Kuramochi who was too busy bickering with Miyuki and those girls. Was she that insignificant?
She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and scrutinized her appearance. Her cerulean eyes were starting to have dark circles underneath them from all those nights that she was staying up late. Studying the scorebooks and keeping up with the pitching journals. Her skin was starting to look dull, unlike those girls who had perfect bright flawless skin. Azusa ran her fingers through her long blonde hair which was wet from just taking a shower.
"It's getting longer," she noted while grabbing her hair and straightening it out. It was already way past her shoulders and looked like what she described as "mermaid's hair." Which was what she always wanted. She thought that she would like all the other girls with long glossy beautiful girly hair.
But it was not the same.
What was the point of growing it out if it was not the same? Miyuki was right a few weeks back. Having long hair was a hindrance. It got in the way of her work and her forehead always got sweaty and sticky with her bangs all slicked back. Even though summer was leaving, and fall slowly settling in her hair wouldn't stop being an annoyance. Besides, that was not even getting into how much longer it took to wash and maintain it since it was longer now.
"Yes, it is annoying," Azusa said to herself, opening the cabinet on her right and pulling a pair of scissors. She inspected it for a quick second to make sure that it was still working. It wasn't such a bad idea. Her hair was wet, and she was still in her towel which would make cleaning up easier. With that final thought, she cut one strand of hair and watched it fall on the sink before she continued.
She wasn't one of those girls and was never going to be like them. The faster she learned to accept it, the better was going to be for her in the long run.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Unfortunately, life wasn't like a rom-com movie where the female protagonist gets a haircut and feels like the weight of the world just disappeared along with her hair.
Azusa still feels every bit of bitterness, insecurity, and anger. Perhaps, she was just being petty. Or maybe she was just not mature enough to know how to quickly move on. Along with not knowing how to stop dwelling on what in the future is going to seem like an unimportant circumstance.
But here she was. She was feeling stuck and unable to stop from her running her hands through her now short hair. She cut it so short that now it barely touched her shoulders. She tried to make it cute by braiding some of her hair and placing a red barrette on one of the longer strands of hair. She still had her bangs framing her face, but they were slightly shorter now and were proving not to be as cumbersome. Some people have mentioned it looked nice which she replied with a nod and thanks. It was the most that she could comfortably do throughout the day considering her mood.
She has barely spoken to people throughout the day, and she knows that it was probably causing a stir. Just like Sawamura, she was known to be a loudmouth. So whenever either her or he was quiet it was cause for concern. But she wasn't in the mood to talk or to pretend like she was fine. She was just not like Miyuki so pretending was not her expertise.
"Ne, Azusa-san?" the blonde manager heard Haruno call her name out.
"Yes?" Azusa replied, without looking up to see her. She was putting some baseballs in a bucket in the shed, setting it aside from the rest since they were cleaning everything to go home soon. She knew that Sawamura had been practicing his new pitches, so she wanted to help him even if it was just by having some extra equipment set aside for him.
"Are you okay?" Haruno looked around nervously at the other managers who were looking at Azusa with an inquiring gaze.
"Yes, I'm fine," she answered in a quiet tone, still not looking up.
"Lies!" Sachiko exclaimed, startling both Haruno and Azusa.
Yui nodded. "You can't even look Haruno-chan in the eye," she noted.
"I'm fine!" Azusa huffed out, this time facing them.
"Then why are you so quiet?" Haruno inquired.
"And fuming," Sachiko added.
"I'm not fuming," Azusa retorted with a roll of her eyes.
"Then why have you been pouting all day long?" Yui quipped.
The blonde pouted. "I'm not pouting!"
"You're doing it again!" they all pointed out.
Azusa gritted. "I'm fine!" she exclaimed again. "Nothing is wrong with me. But there is a whole lot wrong with other people. Other girls to be more precise. Rude girls who don't care about interrupting other people's conversations. Rude girls who ignore others just because they think they're pretty and popular," she ranted with disdain.
"Who are these girls?" Haruno asked innocently.
"Upperclassmen," Azusa answered with a snarl. "But not you guys," she added, reassuring Sachiko and Yui.
"Well, I'm glad," Sachiko giggled. "I wouldn't want to get you this mad."
"I'm not mad!"
"What did they interrupt?" Yui asked, taking advantage of Azusa's outburst.
"My conversation with Miyuki-senpai when we were talking about me potentially becoming a scorekeeper for the team," Azusa replied without thinking about it.
The three managers exchanged knowing looks without saying anything. Haruno shot Azusa a sympathetic look while both Sachiko and Yui had a mischievous look on their faces.
"So these girls interrupted your precious time with Miyuki-kun?" Sachiko asked in sarcasm.
"Yes!" Azusa answered almost immediately and then started to blush when she realized what she had just said. "I mean, no. It's n-not like that," she stuttered.
"And now you're upset," Yui noted, giggling at Azusa's new rambling state.
"More like jealous," Sachiko corrected with a teasing smile.
"Is that why you cut your hair?" Yui asked.
"What? Jealous?" Azusa sputtered. "Why would I be jealous, and what does my hair have anything to do with that?"
"Don't worry Azusa-san," Haruno began in a kind tone. "It's a normal reaction."
"But I'm not jealous!" Azusa insisted. "Why would I be jealous of some dumb girls who lack basic etiquette?"
"Because you feel as if they took Miyuki-kun's attention away from you," Sachiko replied as if it was obvious.
Azusa huffed while crossing her arms across her chest. "Whatever," she finally said, rolling her eyes. She then took the yellow bucket with the extra baseballs in her left hand. "I'm taking this to the indoor training area since I gather that we're done organizing the shed for the evening," the manager concluded without a response from the rest of the girls.
"I'm sure Miyuki-kun will appreciate that," Sachiko teased on her way out.
Azusa gripped the bucket harder on her way out.
"I'm not jealous!" she repeated before storming out causing the girls to burst out laughing.
*Time Skip*
"Something's not right! What is it?" Azusa heard Sawamura's voice from inside the indoor training area as she approached the entrance.
"You're way too stiff, idiot!" Miyuki chastised the pitcher. "You got stiff right before you pitched."
Azusa slightly recoiled at both the sound of Miyuki's voice and the sight of his back. She was certainly not expecting him to be there. But her surprise didn't quell her confusion at the scene before her.
"What's going on?" she asked, putting the bucket on the ground. Sawamura was on the opposite end of the room along with Kanemaru, Toujou, and Karibo. Coach Ochai was in the middle with his usual nonchalant expression and Miyuki a few steps in front of her seemed to be catching Sawamura's pitches.
'But why this late in the evening?'
Sawamura seemed to perk up when he noticed her. "Blondie-chan!" he waved. "I'm trying to learn a new pitch, but I can't figure it out," the pitcher cried out in frustration.
The manager widened her eyes in surprise. "A new pitch? Two days before the game?" she asked no one in particular since she wasn't interested in having any conversations with Miyuki for the time being.
"This half-assed pitch is too weird!" he continued complaining.
"Half-assed?" she muttered to herself. He didn't mean?
"He's talking about the change-up," Miyuki confirmed, turning to her. "He wanted to learn an off-speed pitch," he added, bringing her up to speed.
Azusa gasped, taking a step farther away from Miyuki. "Isn't that too risky?" she asked in a quiet tone.
"Quit complaining Bakamura!" Kanemaru yelled at Sawamura.
"How can I not? I can't relay any power to the ball with this grip," Sawamura protested.
Azusa rolled her eyes because she couldn't take this much stupidity even though she had just gotten here.
"That's the whole point!" both her and Miyuki yelled at the same time. She blushed and averted her gaze while Miyuki didn't seem to think about it much.
"Is that right Kanemaru?" Sawamura turned to Kanemaru.
'How can he be this dense?'
"We've been saying this the whole time!" Kanemaru shot back. "Narumiya-san!" he then turned to her. "Please back us up here."
"Sawamura," the manager began crossing her arms across her chest. "You have to forget about all your preconceived notions you have from learning other pitchers. The change-up is completely different. It's not about overpowering the batters with your speed but confusing them," she explained.
Sawamura just gritted his teeth, still looking unsure of himself.
"Toujou," Miyuki called out. "Can you show him how it's done?"
'That's not a bad idea,' Azusa thought while the former pitcher proceeded with his demonstration. 'Toujou used to be a great pitcher in junior high so there was no one better for this task. If Sawamura nails this then he would be able to throw off Oiya in the next game."
After Toujou pitched a perfect change-up, Sawamura positioned himself again to try to recreate the pitch.
"You're just standing," Coach Ochai said quietly to him. "That's not your normal form. You're not putting your weight onto your lower body. Throw like you're on the mound. Make sure you shift your weight."
'That was pretty much sound advice,' the manager mused, noticing a change in the southpaw's expression. It seemed as if it was starting to click for him. 'It makes a lot of sense. If he is at least pitching in his usual form then that would take his mind off from the gripping of the ball."
After the coach told Miyuki to let Sawamura throw some pitches, Sawamura positioned himself in his usual form to pitch another change-up. This time, he was going slowly, following closely coach Ochai's advice. Which worked wonderfully since he was able to pitch a change-up that Miyuki managed to catch.
"My arm felt really light!" Sawamura exclaimed.
"That was nice!" Kanemaru complimented.
"Nice pitch, Sawamura!" Azusa exclaimed in agreement. It was truly amazing how that small piece of advice made a great deal of difference.
After the coach told him to stop making a big deal out of just one pitch. Sawamura tried pitching the change-up again with that dumb "relaxed" expression that he had been sporting lately.
"You did it agan, Sawamura!" Azusa jumped happily.
"Your arm movement was great, and the pitch was slow!" Kanemaru pointed out, excited as well.
"Thank you! I love you all!" Sawamura exclaimed.
The manager snickered. "You should practice some more before you forget Sawamura!" she suggested.
"Hai!" Sawamura nodded. "I'm going to change the grip," he announced, raising the ball in his palm. "This is how I used to pitch when I started playing baseball."
'That basic ass grip?' Azusa thought in disbelief.
The southpaw geared himself up to pitch another change-up using a new grip, but the direction of the ball already looked off, as it was slower than usual, and then-
"It broke?" Azusa gasped in surprise, watching how the ball missed Miyuki's mitt.
"How was it?" Sawamura asked. "It felt better on my arm!"
"That was such a weird break," Azusa pointed out.
"I'm going to try again with a different one!" Sawamura said, changing the grip in his hand. He positioned himself just like Ochai told him to and pitched again, this time the ball breaking even more causing Miyuki to miss catching it once again.
"That one is a no-go," Sawamura complained before muttering to himself to look for another grip.
Azusa blinked in confusion. How come the ball was breaking differently? She knew that everyone's breaking ball was different. But this was a bit unusual to say the least. His pitches were changing according to how he was gripping the ball? Does that mean that -
"Azusa," Miyuki suddenly spoke up.
She initially flinched at the mention of her name and then slightly turned her head to face him. There he was there with an easy smile gracing his features with a hint of excitement in his eyes. Looked at her as if it was nothing. Did he really have no idea of what he did to her?
'Baka!'
Azusa dug her fingernails onto her palm as she clenched her fists so she wouldn't go off on him for being a jerk. "Yes?" she managed to ask while keeping her tone even.
"Do you know what this means?" the catcher asked with a smirk.
The manager spared a glance towards the pitcher while managing not to think about the pang in her heart. After all, Sawamura didn't have anything to do with how she was feeling. Something great was unfolding right before her eyes, and she shouldn't be moping around.
"His moving fastball is evolving," she replied quietly, not taking her eyes off of Sawamura.
Miyuki nodded. "This is what he needed and the team too to be honest," he continued while turning to him again. "So I need your help again."
"Help?" she asked him.
"Can you take notes of how the ball is breaking according to the grip? I would like to study that later," Miyuki elaborated.
Part of her wanted to take the bucket of baseballs next to her and throw it at him, but she bit back the urge. After all, this was not about her.
"Can I try more grips? I wanna keep going while my arm movement feels good!" she heard Sawamura ask in excitement as if he was a child in a candy store.
She bit the inside of her cheek. "Of course, I don't have my notebook with me, but I can use my phone," she mustered in the sweetest tone that she could.
"Awesome!" Miyuki gave her a small smile. "Arigatou, Azu-chan."
Normally, Azusa would melt at that smile. That smile was only meant for her. But this time around she couldn't help to feel anything other than pain.
But she put it aside.
For Sawamura's sake and the sake of the team since compared to that, her feelings didn't matter.