Love |Eijun x Miyuki|

2: Practise Makes Perfect

Miyuki's POV

"Keep going everyone! Our game with Karistan next week will be a big one for us if we win!" Coach Shades is prowing the field, keeping a keen eye out for anybody working against orders.

"Tomorrow we're visiting Haiheo college to watch their match with Warina, a fellow college in the district. You boys can go and experience what the real standard for college baseball is" he continues to banter.

I suddenly hear a bunch of whining and screeching from behind me, near the dugout. It's Sawamura, throwing a fit over something like usual. After to skipping over to check out the drama I realize that Chris isn't today... huh...

"I'll catch for him today if he wants" I suddenly blurt, without paying any attention to the subject they were previously screaming over. I presume it was something to do with the fact that Chris isn't here today.

"Thank you Senpai!" He yells, shifting his entire body to face me. I can tell he immediately regretted calling me senpai, and I'm gonna ridicule that fact for him.

"It's not like you to adress me with such terms-! Kouhai~" I tease blantonely. I straighten my posture and adjust my glasses, giving myself a leverage above the younger boy. He blushes furiously as he gets increasingly enraged. It's so entertaining.

"Don't call me your Kouhai!" Sawamura growls, taking a defensive stance infront of me. I cackle loudly, grinning from ear to ear. "Don't give me your idiotic shit-eating grin either!" Sawamura continues to defend.

He only makes me smirk wider. "Be careful who you're talking to," I lean in close to his face, "I promised to catch your pitches today, didn't I?" I hum.

"Well what are we waiting for then!" He exclaims, crabbing around defensively, face still viberant red.

I continue to tease the younger boy. "Nothing~! Unless you don't want to do it" His facial expressions are priceless as I push his buttons, doing this can seriously be the highlight of my day.

"Miyiki-Kun! You're so mean" Kourochi laughs, waking past the dugout where Sawamura and I are currently having our 'conversation'.

Once I again I laugh manically, turning back to Sawamura. "C'mon, let's go somewhere were we can practise." Although reluctant, Sawamura follows me to the indoor baseball court.

"Stand over there, where the little white line is marked on the ground" I order Sawamura, who grumpily stomps over to the requested spot. I stand at a neighboring white line and crouch down, holding my catching glove in my left hand.

"Is this where you and Furuya come to practise?" He asks, pating the dust on the floor with his feet.
"Sometimes" I blandly reply, adjusting my helmet.
Sawamura mumbles something I can't hear, he hangs his head down and I can't see his current emotion.

"What's that Sawamura-Kun?" I ask, raising my voice across the empty pitch. He looks up at me squints.

"Nothing!" He yells back. "Are you ready?"

"Give me your best pitch" I crouch down again, and hold out my mitt. Sawamura leans back, locks his right arm out front to form a wall, and throws the ball right into my mitt. He stares back up at me and smiles, one that gleams of satisfaction.

"Nice one Sawamura!" I throw the ball back to him, "Chris has uh, taught you quite a lot eh?" I mutter, loud enough for him to hear. "Yeah!" He exclaims. "I realised what he was teaching me would benefit me a lot, and once I started following him, I improved!" He pitches a fastball right down the middle, it catches me off guard so I only just grip it.

"That's good, you're improving at a rapid rate" Once again I throw the ball back to him. "And I like catching your pitches, they're unique, and have a certain... feeling to them" I'm not sure if Sawamura will take that as a compliment, but I know that I'm heating up and blushing like crazy.

Sawamura doesn't say anything, he just pitches a fast highball, which I once again catch perfectly in my mitt.

****************
4:58pm

"Boys! Come back to the main field, we're regrouping and discussing travel plans for tomorrow" The assistant coach barges in and drags us out of the indoor pitch, we'd been in there for a few hours anyway.

Sawamura and I walk side by side back to the field, where everyone has gathered around to listen to the coach. The two of us stand near the back, with our assistant coach keeping a careful eye over us.

"And uh, that's all really. Once the game finishes we'll hop back on the bus and return to Seido, and you guys can be dismissed early. Any questions?"

Ryosuke raises his hand up. "How long is the bus trip?" He asks. Coach thinks to himself for a second before replying.

"About two hours each way, both trips both ways should combine to take four hours by bus" Coach replies. "Any more questions?"

"Are you going?" Sawamura asks. "I think it's mandatory" I reply, facing back to coach. "What's the point of even visiting this college, I just started Highschool! College is an entire forever away!" Sawamura whines. I chuckle. "It'll be good for the people that wanna pursue professional baseball after highschool, I don't think it's that bad" I reply.

"Be here by eight am! Dismissed!"