Imperfect Romance

Getting Closer

It's been 6 weeks since school started and now we are in mid-May. Baseball practices was just as grueling as Miyuki thought it would be and then some. Starting at Seido was something that Miyuki was very excited about, since he was looking forward to it ever since he met Chris-senpai three years ago. Takigawa Chris Yu was a year older than Miyuki and was the only person that Miyuki couldn't beat back in junior high therefore earning his utmost respect and admiration. He was the main reason why Miyuki decided to go to Seido along with meeting Takashima Rei or 'Rei-chan'.

The first couple of weeks Miyuki was happy that he was practicing along with Chris since he made first-string player as a first year which was a very admirable feat. He knew that Chris was very knowledgeable about baseball and wanted to learn from him as much as possible. But learning from Chris wasn't the only thing he wanted to do since he coveted Chris's precious main catcher position in the first-string team. There was nothing else more important to him than beating Chris for the first time and rightfully earning the main catcher title.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned and the entire team discovered that Chris was hiding a shoulder injury for quite a while. Resulting in his demotion to the second-string team due to his injury. To say that everyone was devastated was an understatement. Chris whose father was a former professional baseball player and showcased his prowess on the diamond had nothing short of a bright future ahead of him. And now there was the possibility that he would not be able to play baseball at all in the future. He was also an asset to the team since he was the most knowledgeable member about baseball and along with his cool, calm, and collected personality exhibited great leadership skills.

Even though Miyuki hasn't been on the team for a long time he was still very affected by these news. Chris was his rival and the person that he respected the most and obviously didn't want this to happen to him. He just didn't deserve it. 'This was not how things were supposed to happen.' Miyuki thought. Some people might say that Miyuki should've felt relieved since his main competition was out of the running, but Miyuki couldn't feel happy with gaining the main catcher position this way. He wanted to win the main catcher title from Chris fair and square. Not like this.

It took the team some time to process the news of Chris's injury which was not just easy because of how important Chris was to the team but also because of how hard it was to look at him now. His warm brown eyes now were as dull as the dead winter; as if his injury sucked the life out of him. Miyuki being Miyuki didn't dwell on this situation very long and practiced as hard as he could every day. Yes, it sucked that Chris was injured. Yes, it sucked that he only got the main catcher position because Chris got injured. But there was nothing that he could do about it. Crying or thinking about it all day it's not going to change things. The only thing that he can do is to be the best catcher ever so he can try to fill Chris's shoes in and help the team win games.

Aside from the Chris situation Miyuki was adjusting fairly well to his new team. They all got along on the diamond which was more than enough for him. Needless to say there were always some lighthearted arguments due to Miyuki's cheeky and blunt personality that didn't sit exactly well with the rest of the team. Even though he was called a 'bastard' and many other things on a daily basis by his teammates, they didn't exactly hate him since he was very reliable and an aggressive player on the field. His bluntness and his teasing created the perfect distance between him and his teammates since that way he could be on the team without really being on the team. By keeping his teammates at an arm's length he didn't have to worry about people getting too close and forming relationships.

By now his on and off the field peers have formed friendships, something that Miyuki doesn't have and could care less about. The closest thing he had as a friend was Kuramochi since the green-haired teen was the only one who could put up with his personality. Miyuki liked Kuramochi. When Miyuki teases him he teases him back, he is funny, he is a reliable player, and not to mention how incredibly fast he is which warranted him a position on the first-string team as well. One thing that Miyuki didn't like about Kuramochi was how oddly perceptive he was. Overall being perceptive was a good thing, but to Miyuki it was a dangerous thing. That meant that he couldn't lie to him like he lies to the others and he always has to be mindful of the things he says. Miyuki had an inkling that perhaps one day his fake smiles wouldn't work on Kuramochi.