Stealing First

Chapter 8

The summer vacation rolled on at Seido. Charlie returned to her study, but she was finding it much harder to concentrate the further she went into the break. This particular afternoon, she found herself re-reading the same textbook page for the third time and decided to call it a day. I need to get outside, she told herself, standing and stretching her arms lazily above her head. She thought a walk might do her good, so she threw on a jumper and some sneakers and headed out into the school grounds for some fresh air. Just as she made it down the stairs, Charlie heard someone call her name from across the courtyard.

She turned to see Takashima Rei waving at her. Charlie changed course and went to greet her mentor. She was surprised to see Rei dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair hanging loose around her shoulders; she was so used to seeing the associate director with her hair pulled back, bespectacled and dressed in a formal suit. Charlie reminded herself that this was the staff vacation period too, but Rei's dedication to the team obviously didn't allow her to spend too much time away.

"Nice to see you, Rei. How has your summer break been?" Charlie returned the director's warm smile.

"Lovely, thank you. And your father made it even better by agreeing to a trial as a coaching consultant when he returns from his trip." The older woman gave a small, satisfied smile at this. After all, it had been her plan to have Jack Sullivan act as an assistant coach, and she was excited by what he might be able to add to the team. "What are you up to today?"

"I have just been studying for my upcoming Japanese language exam, but I wasn't really getting anywhere so figured a walk might help," Charlie shrugged.

Noticing the slightly defeated air about the first year, Rei considered how she might help. "Well, you know that Coach Kataoka is here over the break, and he is a language teacher – why not ask him to give you some final pointers? I'm headed over to the field now. If you want to join me, we can ask him after practice if you like?"

Charlie cocked her head to the side, considering the suggestion. If she was honest, she found Coach Katoaka to be a pretty intimidating presence and she was nervous about the idea of talking to him but, on the other hand, she was also really anxious about the upcoming exam and didn't want all of her hours of study to go to waste if she failed.

"Thank you, I would really appreciate that." Rei nodded and smiled, and the two of them made their way across the grounds towards the practice fields.

As they approached, the first thing that struck Charlie was just how noisy the practice was. She had never really thought of baseball as a loud or aggressive sport. Then again, she reminded herself, she had never really been to a game, and certainly not one involving Seido. As they neared the field, she heard Kuramochi's trademark laugh rising above all of the other sounds and turned to see him slap Ryo on the back with this glove, the two of them obviously sharing a laugh. Charlie smiled at seeing the pair in their element, feeling slightly guilty that she had yet to make the time to see them play (or even practice) since they had become friends. Rei showed her to a quieter viewing area off to the side of the field where she could wait for the coach until the session was done, and Charlie took a seat.

She continued to watch the team train, becoming engrossed in the players' impressive skill at the various drills and the level of intensity they all exuded. Her focus was broken sharply by a loud shout from the bullpen to her right. She immediately recognised the voice as belonging to her classmate (and hopeless lab partner), Sawamura. He seemed to be yelling at a tall, dark haired young man with a dour, almost bored look on his face, telling him in no uncertain terms that the ace title would be his.

Charlie chuckled, finding his unbridled determination and energy refreshing. The taller boy, who she assumed must be the Furuya who Sawamura frequently complained about, turned to face his teammate and rival with an equally determined and assertive look. Charlie's smile faded as she saw the tension rise between the two. She hoped they were not about to come to blows. At that moment, a movement from the far end of the bullpen caught her eye. She saw one of the team's catchers rise and walk purposefully towards the pair. As he approached, he lifted his face mask and her breath caught. Miyuki...