Chapter 46: An Unlikely Event!
"Ping"
"Whoosh"
A bright streak shot quickly across the outfield sky.
Eijun kept his eyes on the bright ball above while sprinting swiftly. Despite putting in all his effort, the speed of the ball still caught him off guard. As he attempted to judge its landing spot, Eijun gritted his teeth and made a desperate leap, extending his right hand.
He missed the ball by quite a distance.
"Swish"
The light narrowly avoided his glove and landed on the ground.
"Plop"
"You idiot, Sawamura! What are you doing? If you hadn't stepped back and just charged forward, you could have easily caught it! That wasn't even a particularly fast hit!"
The assistant coach's angry voice echoed from home plate.
"I'm really sorry!" Eijun quickly got to his feet, shivering slightly as he shouted in response.
"Plop"
At the same time, Furuya also missed a catch at first base.
"Furuya, what are you doing!? Don't be so clumsy with your errors. Your defense is even worse than Sawamura's!"
"Yes, I'll be careful," Furuya replied calmly, keeping his usual composed demeanor.
However, the assistant coach's words left Eijun feeling even more frustrated. What did they mean by "even worse than me"? Am I that bad? Eijun thought with a hint of resentment.
"I just want to pitch!" Both Furuya and Eijun internally echoed the sentiment, watching wistfully as Kawakami and Tanba pitched in the nearby bullpen.
"Whoosh"
"Pop"
"Good form, Kominato. Keep it up. You could go a bit faster, though," the instructor nodded approvingly after Haruichi made a precise catch and threw the ball quickly to home plate.
"Yes!"
A faint blush appeared on Haruichi's cheeks as he responded loudly.
"This is quite the disaster, with their defensive skills..." Kuramochi commented with a click of his tongue from not far away, "But at least Sawamura seems to have some fundamentals. As for Furuya, well...."
"Haha, Furuya's completely an outsider when it comes to defense," Miyuki chuckled mischievously, having just come over from the bullpen.
"The coach made the right call letting him practice defense first. With fielding like that, the first string doesn't need him," Ryosuke added with a smile, though his words were unyielding.
"Ryou-san..."
After enduring the grueling defensive practice, Eijun returned to the dugout, exhausted and ready for a short break. The first string was strong in every aspect, especially defense.
Eijun understood that being an ace meant more than just pitching; being unable to play other defensive positions would undeniably diminish his value.
However, for Eijun at this moment, the intensity of these defensive drills was overwhelming, especially when he needed to focus on pitching practice.
It was a difficult balance to strike, yet something he couldn't neglect. In this regard, both he and Furuya shared similar frustrations.
Glancing at Furuya, who was also collapsed on the bench, Eijun thought to himself that at least he had a bit more stamina than Furuya.
Truly, pitching was the most enjoyable!
Eijun looked up at the sky, thinking silently to himself, when a timid voice reached his ears, like a feather brushing softly by his ear, causing him to stir slightly.
"Um..Sawamura-kun.."
Turning his head, he saw a girl with a faint blush on her cheeks, holding a cup of warm water and standing before him.
Eijun was momentarily stunned upon recognizing her.
Yoshikawa Haruno, one of the female managers of Seido High's baseball team and the only first-year female manager.
And, most importantly...
Due to memories from his past life, Eijun knew that Yoshikawa Haruno, the team manager, held a special fondness for him. Though it couldn't be completely ruled out as love, there was no definitive evidence to confirm it—just a bit of subtle attraction.
This fondness was why Eijun intentionally avoided Haruno at the beginning of the school year. With an undefined relationship with his childhood friend, having another potential interest could complicate things. For someone like Eijun, who had been single since birth, juggling these emotions was undoubtedly daunting.
However, something seemed off at the moment...
"Go for it, Haruno. You can do it!"
The supportive cheer was accompanied by the sight of two senior female students, lurking in the shadows like covert operatives. Eijun couldn't help but twitch slightly at the scene.
"Umm... Sawamura-kun... I... I brought you some water..." Haruno stammered, looking as if uttering those words had drained all her energy. Her forehead glistened with sweat, and her breath was slightly labored.
Eijun found himself at a loss, and instinctively, albeit stiffly, reached out his left hand to accept the cup of tea. "Th-thank you..." he began, just as he extended his hand.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a surprised shout pierced the air. Eijun's eyes widened as Haruno appeared to lose her balance, causing the cup to tip toward him. Within moments, the cup's contents spilled all over him.
Drip, drip...
Although Eijun managed to dodge some of it, nearly half the tea drenched him. The liquid soaked through his clothes, trickled beneath, and dripped onto the ground.
From a distance, the two senior girls looked on in disbelief, their expressions disappointed as if lamenting missed opportunities.
"Sawamura-kun, are you alright? I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, I'm so clumsy," Haruno apologized, nearly in tears and looking as flustered as a kitten caught in a mistake.
Her distressed demeanor quickly dissipated Eijun's embarrassment. Recalling her comedic blunders from the original story, he found himself amused instead of mortified.
Maybe, deep down, Eijun never really believed in that possibility anyway.
"Haha..."
The laughter escaped Eijun's lips.
"Sawamura-kun?" Haruno looked puzzled at Eijun, who was now laughing freely, tilting her head as she called his name softly.
"No, it's nothing, Yoshikawa. I was already soaked from sweating; you really don't need to worry. Thank you for the tea," Eijun said with a bright smile.
"But, but..."
"It's the thought that counts, right? Just try not to be so clumsy next time, okay?" Eijun teased with a wink and a smile.
"Well, I need to get back to training."
Hearing the assistant coach calling the resting players back, Eijun waved and jogged back to the field.
"...."
Watching Eijun's retreating figure, Haruno was left in a daze.
"Sawamura-kun is so cool..."
Little did Eijun know, his casual words had once again stirred Haruno's heart, planting the seed for a complex, and potentially blissful, predicament—a significant foreshadowing for the future!
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