Return of the ACE {Adapted Ace of the diamond}

Chapter 2

Miyuki POV:

I woke up to the sound of my door banging and saw that it was already 7 AM. My training starts at 7:30 AM. I cursed Kuramochi for waking me up early. We've been roommates for quite some time now. I've been with the Yomiuri Giants since I graduated from high school. After graduation, Kuramochi joined college baseball before getting drafted by the Giants.

My life revolves around playing games and training. It's essentially all about baseball. While having lunch, Kuramochi showed me an article about Sawamura, mentioning that he has become a big celebrity. By now, everyone in Japan who follows baseball knows who Sawamura is. It's been a decade since I last saw him.

During today's meeting, the coach announced that we are scheduled to have a guest match with the MLB Dodgers in two months. When the coach revealed the news, Kuramochi and I exchanged surprised glances. I'm overwhelmed at the thought of seeing that idiot again. Ever since I graduated, I've missed him so much. Despite sometimes getting annoyed, I still liked him. Minutes later, Kuramochi informed our high school about the match against the Dodgers. Yuki-San responded with a picture of him with Sawamura and Chris, mentioning that he met them again during his visit to the States. Everyone said they would come to the game since they are free around that time.

While chatting with Kuramochi, I heard a familiar laugh, "Khaha khahaha, really, are we?" It was none other than Raichi Todoroki. He's like a louder, more introverted version of Sawamura, and all he knows is baseball. It seemed like the whole team was excited about the upcoming game. I know most of my teammates from high school, mainly as former opponents. Mima, Raichi, and Amahisa Kosei were walking towards us where we were sitting. Mima and Raichi were our cleanup batters, and Amahisa was our main pitcher. I realized I was surrounded by all the loudmouths. Raichi was the first to speak, "Can't wait to smash Sawamura's pitches, Khahaha!" followed by Amahisa saying, "Looking forward to the pitcher duel with him. Hope his pitches are still erratic." Then Mima started teasing Amahisa, saying, "Last time I remember, you guys played, and you got defeated by him." We all started laughing at what Mima said to Amahisa. I reminded them that it's not just Sawamura but also Chris that we have to look out for. At least we know two players on their team and how they used to play.

Kuramochi was scheming on how to welcome his former roommate and giggling. It seems he has a mischievous plan. After today's training, we got a week of free time. We planned to go out for drinks, and some of our old high school friends would be joining us. If we're not discussing baseball, we're talking about their love lives. Amahisa had another breakup, while Kuramochi is seeing someone but hasn't revealed who it is yet. Mima showed me an article calling me a playboy and heartbreaker, which I find completely baffling. If the article were about Amahisa, it would totally make sense. At this point, I don't even react to all this nonsense. I've been single for a long time; I had a girlfriend years ago, but it didn't work out. Don't ask me why because I don't know either.

Kuramochi received a call and left the room. I noticed he was quite excited about whoever was on the other end. After a few minutes, he signaled for me to step outside. He informed me that Jun-San had tried to call me, but it went directly to voicemail. I explained that my phone was turned off. Jun Isashiki, who was our senior in high school and a baseball teammate, had called. I took the phone and spoke to him, and he shared the wonderful news that he is getting married soon, in two months, just a few days after our guest match. He mentioned that he invited the entire high school baseball team to his wedding and joked that it would feel more like a reunion. Indeed, it would be, as it would be the first time all of us would be gathering together with everyone.

Three Days before the guest game:

It's just three more days until the game, and the Dodgers team is arriving tomorrow. While heading back to our apartment after training, we saw huge crowds on the road and all the way to the hotel where the Dodgers would be staying. Sometimes, people can be crazy enough to wait from the day before. There are also a lot of media outlets stationed outside. When we got to the apartment, we heard the news that the team had landed in Japan a day early to avoid the media, especially for Chris and Sawamura. No wonder, if you ask me-those two have a crazy fan base in Japan compared to NPB players. It looks like their plan got leaked because we can see articles about the team coming out of the airport, especially those two Japanese players.

Chris Pov:

Damn Mike, we specifically warned him not to post anything on social media. Well, it's obvious he didn't understand the importance of that at all. He shared a snap about flying and challenged people to guess where he was going. There's no use complaining now. Sawamura is disappointed because he wanted to surprise Miyuki and Kuramochi before Kuramochi did something, but that plan has clearly fallen apart. It's best to stay under the radar until the match is over, and then we can relax. I messaged family and friends to inform them that we have arrived. There's no point in trying to surprise them when they likely already know the news.

After dinner, Sawamura and I planned the pitch sequence, knowing that our opponents are familiar to us, and they would also know about us. So, we have to be careful. Well, Miyuki, you'll get to see Sawamura as a fully-fledged pitcher.