𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 | Miyuki Kazuya

Chapter 5: T Stands For Tension

| Haruka Inejiro |

Haruka watched with wide eyes as Eijun began his pitching motion. The brunette lifted both hands briefly and in swift movements, elevated his right leg. He outstretched his right arm horizontally and stepped forward simultaneously. From the back, it looked like he had formed a wall with his body. In the same motion, his left hand whipped forward and swung down all the way.

Haruka winced as the ball hit the fence behind the batter. Yōichi barked out a startled laugh and with wide eyes hollered, "Don't be so nervous first year!"

The blond held his breath as he watched his friend wildly pitch 3 more balls. His trained eye could tell that Eijun was onto something, but the catcher just couldn't catch any of his pitches. In any case, this wasn't a good predicament. Especially in the first inning of their game.

The second batter got off on a walk as well, but just as quickly did Yōichi steal third base. He could tell that Eijun was beginning to loose confidence, "You've got this! Don't rush!" Haruka yelled in encouragement.

Eijun turned back quickly and sent him a smile, "I've got this!"

The brunette stepped into his pitching form again, but this time Haruka watched as his friend accidentally hit the batter. The blond winced as Eijun took off his hat and bowed, "Sorry senpai!"

Maybe his shout of encouragement came at a bad time. Haruka tugged on his bottom lip nervously. The erratic pitching was making him tense. It seemed like the balls were everywhere. On top of that, the bases were now loaded.

A time out from the second team bench was finally called. While Ono-senpai and Eijun had their conversation, the rest of the infielders gathered in to address the situation. Coach Kataoka took off his umpire mask and went over to the second string dugout. From a distance, Haruka watched as their Coach talked with Rei-sensei. He hoped that for Eijuns' sake, he wasn't taken off of the mound. Their conversation earlier replayed in his mind.

Tuning out the conversations around him, his eyes strained to read the words on their lips. In the process, he watched as an older boy with moss coloured green eyes, cut into the Coachs conversation. Rei-sensei recoiled in surprise at the teens sudden words. Then, the boy and Coach Kataoka stood conversing. It went on for a longer time than he expected. Haruka grew restless when he couldn't catch on to what they were saying. He wondered who the person was to have warranted such a reaction.

Suddenly, the team in the dugout surrounded them and pats were issued to the younger boys back. The curly blond lifted his baseball cap and rubbed sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his other arm. He silently cursed his thick hair and the beaming sun above them. The spring wind did nothing to cool him down.

When Haruka looked over at the dugout again, the boy with moss coloured eyes had a catchers uniform on. His own eyes widened as the catcher approached the mound.

"Calling for player change! Switching out catcher, Ono for Takigawa!" Rei-sensei called out.

The Coach slid his umpire mask back on and resumed his position behind the batters box. Haruka watched as Takigawa stopped beside them. His heart did something funny as he took in how attractive this new catcher was.

He was defined features and straight lines, different from Kazuya. He had piercing moss green eyes and thick cedar brown eyebrows. His hair was the same colour and even though it was pushed back by his helmet, Haruka could tell that he had a lot of it. The blond looked away quickly, he shouldn't be ogling another player at this critical moment. He should be paying attention.