❛ ARE YOU SURE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO SCOUT
A BOY WHO HAS ONLY EVER PLAYED ON A
SANDLOT, REI TAKASHIMA? ❜
❛ I'LL TAKE MY CHANCES. ❜
katsu higashi fell in love with baseball the minute the ball made...
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THE SANDLOT ! CHAPTER SEVEN
a sweaty sawamura had barged into his shared dorm just as he was about to get ready for bed. with one look at his face katsu just knew what he was going to ask. it's been the same ordeal the past few nights, and katsu couldn't help but say yes. he had to give it to him, sawamura's boundless determination helps him train harder too. (except some nights all he wanted was to sleep early.)
so here he was, thighs and calves burning from his crouching. catcher's mitt positioned smack dab in the middle of his chest, and the brunet's keen gaze was focused on it. "remember this is the last pitch!" katsu calls out, voice slightly reverberating in the empty building. with a little nod, sawamura begins his windup. except, this time his leg raised lower than usual, hips twisting as he holds out his glove. sawamura's left wrist was hidden behind his body. his eyes widen in shock. there's no way he can read the ball's trajectory. it's going to hit me.
his honed instincts do the job for him.
his arm quickly shoots out, catching the unpredictable pitch with the edge of the mitt. the sudden sharp movement makes him fall flat on his ass with a thud, which he ignores in favor of whipping around to look at the pitcher. there was a large grin painted on his mouth, eyes twinkling in sheer excitement. "what the hell was that?" he breaths out as sawamura all but bounds towards him, looking accomplished over his erratic pitching form. "you caught it! that's so awesome!" accepting the hand being held out, the brunet pulls him to his feet with little to no struggle.
it's hard to be anything but surprised around him nowadays. "that could've struck me right in the temple." katsu deadpans, slipping off the uncomfortable catcher's mitt. "but it didn't." sawamura casually quips back, squatting down to help the blonde remove his leg guards. unclasping the heavy chest protectors, he pulls it off with a relieved sigh. "you owe me by the way. we have a game tomorrow and i'm sure my legs are going to kill me." he slightly whines out, stepping towards the cabinet that held the catcher's equipment.
"i'll buy you coffee jello." a pause. "deal."
----
one last game.
the thought itself was daunting.
one more game for coach kataoka to decide if he's capable of joining the first-string. katsu couldn't even imagine how the third years felt right now. it was their last chance to prove their skills were worthy of being used. no one wanted their third year to end so abruptly before summer officially started. they dedicated their three years in high school as a second-string player, while others spent it in the first-string. the gap between their skills must seem overwhelming large.
