Forbidden Protege

Ch. 5: Kidnapped Day Off (Part 3)

Alexia ran her finger over the seams of a pair of batting gloves. They felt comfortable and she was due for an upgrade; her old gloves were worn and dirty. They'd still be fine for a while, but Alexia wasn't sure how long until the grips gave out on them. Better safe than sorry. "What do you think of this pair, Miyuki-san?"

Miyuki glanced over from where he was scanning through the display and eyed the gloves she held up to him. "You want my opinion?" His voice was teasing and a light smirk formed on his face.

Alexia rolled her eyes. "You're a good player who seems to know his stuff. I'm used to American brands and quality and was wondering if there was a better option here. Are you going to help or be a smartass?"

Miyuki chuckled slightly as he walked over. He took the pair and looked them over. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the brand name. "These are top of the line. They're excellent quality. Expensive, too."

He handed the gloves back to Alexia who nodded. "But they're good quality, right?" Miyuki nodded hesitantly. "Alright, then. I did a little research and thought so. Just wanted to make sure."

"Are you sure you can get these?" Miyuki's brows were furrowed and it suddenly hit Alexia what it probably looked like to him.

"I'm sure it's fine. My dad knows I need some things and told me to get what I want. We also have a mutual understanding of how much I can spend and that when it comes to baseball gear, quality is most important," she hurriedly explained. "Thanks for the concern, but it's fine." Miyuki nodded, seemingly content with her explanation and went back to his own selection. Alexia turned and went to the clothing section. She had donated a large part of her wardrobe in the move and needed to grab more workout gear.

She started shifting through the clothes, looking at different styles and colors. She pulled out a light blue tank and held it up to her.

"Looking for a shirt for your boyfriend, Miss?" Alexia turned and saw a young saleswoman smiling warmly at her.

Alexia returned the smile. "No, I'm looking for myself."

The lady's eyes went wide for a brief moment before the wide smile reformed. "Ah, I see. Well, I'd be delighted to show you to the lady's section of the store." She gestured a few aisles over and Alexia forced her smile to stay.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you, but I know where the women's clothes are. I know what I'm looking for," Alexia said tensely. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to the lady. Maybe this was a cultural difference she had taken for granted in America; enough girls wore men's clothing that no one looked twice. She didn't want to be rude, but she wasn't sure how else to reply.

The lady didn't relent. "I happened to notice that you came with several friends. I'm certain you can find several cute outfits over in the lady's area. Maybe that handsome boy with the glasses could help you pick," her voice was cheery and her smile stretched farther. She seemed oblivious to what Alexia was trying to convey.

She sighed and gave the lady a tight smile. "While I appreciate your concern, I don't need it. I want to pick out a few guys clothes for myself for when I need something more durable. I'll look at the other clothes later, but that's not my priority. And for the record, I don't give a shit if guys like my clothes." The lady visibly flinched back when Alexia cussed and then pursed her lips together. Her service smile faltered and she turned and left quickly. Alexia sighed in relief.

"Not going to deny the part about Miyuki?" a teasing voice asked her. Alexia didn't need to turn around to identify the laugh.

She sighed. "If I corrected someone every time they said something like that, I'd run out of breath. I've given up," Alexia said as she measured a blue shirt against herself. She set it back on the rack and looked over at Kuramochi who was holding a red t-shirt. "I like that one. Do they have a small?"

Alexia walked over to where he was as he shifted through the rack. He held up a shirt to Alexia and she took it. Kuramochi looked it over as Alexia held it up to herself. "I like it. I'm going to get this one, too," he said.

Alexia nodded and picked up a dark blue tank. She held that one up to her as well. "Yeah. I think I'm going to get these two." Kuramochi nodded. "Have you seen Ryosuke and Haruichi?"

"Haruichi was by the bats. I don't know about Ryo-san," Kuramochi said. He laid the red shirt over his arm. "I'm going to go see if I can find him." Alexia nodded and he walked off as Alexia went over to the lady's section.

She sorted through a few racks before settling on two pairs of running shorts, one emerald and one camo, and a black tank. She proceeded to the checkout and set the items on the counter.

"Did you find everything, Miss," the lady asked.

Alexia nodded and smiled at her. "Yeah, thanks."

"You came in with your friends, right? Do you all go to the same school?"

"Yeah we do."

The lady smiled at Alexia. Her eyes jumped back and forth across Alexia's face and she braced herself. "Oh wow! I love your earrings."

Alexia blinked a couple times before it sank in what was said. "Oh, thanks!" Alexia beamed as she felt her earrings. "My teammates in America gave these to me."

The lady nodded enthusiastically. "You're from America? Is that your school's name?" The lady pointed at Alexia's shirt.

Alexia nodded, her smile becoming wider. "Yeah it is. We were the Woodrush Wolves."

"Wolves, huh?" Miyuki questioned, coming up next to Alexia. He held a pair of batting gloves himself.

She nodded at him. "Yep. And considering we prioritized team plays and were aggressive, people said it fit."

"That's so cool," the lady said as she finished ringing up Alexia's order. She said the total and Alexia paid for her items. "So what school do you go to now?"

"Seido," she replied. The girl's eyes widened even further and she looked back and forth between Alexia and Miyuki.

"Seido? That school has an amazing baseball program. Is their softball program just as good?"

"Yeah, it's good, but we're both on the baseball team," Miyuki said, his signature smirk gracing his features. The girl turned towards Alexia, as if asking for confirmation, and Alexia nodded firmly, smiling.

"Oh my god, that's amazing! You must be really good!" She continued gushing as she rang Miyuki up and he paid. "Well, I hope you both do really well on the team. Good luck!"

"Thank you!" Alexia said, her face starting to hurt from smiling so wide. She felt light and her stomach was full of butterflies. Since she had arrived in Japan, she hadn't had someone be so excited to talk with her. It felt good and it felt ten times better since Alexia felt as if that girl meant every word. She seemed completely honest in her enthrallment of Alexia being on Seido's baseball team. She had a skip in her step as she followed Miyuki to the front of the store.

"Well aren't you happy," Miyuki teased as he saw her continue to smile. He tried to smirk but felt his lips soften into a smile. He had noticed that Alexia laughed and smiled easily, but this time it felt different. It was if she was more relaxed and happiness was radiating off of her. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but it made him relax as well. She seemed so open and warm right now, smiling as if she had just received the best compliment ever. It was if she was baring herself and showing everyone how unapologetically happy she was.

Alexia scoffed a little at his remark, but still wore her smile. "Of course I am. It's been a while since someone was so excited to find out I was on a baseball team." She spoke casually but Miyuki detected a hint of sadness lingering on her words. She continued to smile, but the complete relaxedness he felt from her was gone and she seemed to regain some composure. He only hummed in response, intrigued by her shift in attitude.