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“1…2…3!!!!” A swift strike came from the bat Akira was holding, though despite how quickly he swung, a small flash of white managed to pass by him and hit the steel fencing behind him. The sound of metal ratting was the sign he failed in his attempt to hit the oncoming baseball. “Shit…Too late again.”
“AWWWW You almost got it that time! Go for it again, Akira!!” Akira looked over to the viewing area and saw Ann sitting on a bench, rosy lips curved into a smile as she cheered him on. Akira disappointed frown slowly turned into a moderate smile as having a cheerful beauty cheer him on would definitely make any guy feel better. Akira brought his hand to his forehead and noticed some sweat building up. Feeling himself be a bit out of breath, Akira walked over to viewing area where Ann was watching him. Sitting down on the benches nearby, Akira grabbed a water bottle and chugged it down while Ann watched him.
“Pretty hot day huh?” Ann said as she remembered the walk here with Akira to the batting cages in Yongen. Akira nodded as he took a deep breath of air after drinking his water.
“Yeah, it is…Got a few days until Hawaii...” Akira said as he started remembering the beach trip with Futaba.
“Funny how we just went to the beach and now we’re going to the most tropical place on earth.” Ann said as she was looking forward to their school trip to Hawaii.
“Yup, but I kinda felt the beach shorts I had before was a little bit loose, so I need to grab some new ones before we go.” Akira offhandedly said. Ann jolted at the image now placed in her head. She took a glance at Akira and noticed he took off his glasses. The fact he didn’t need them had already been known by Ann, but it still surprised her to see him without them because it was, in her opinion, a dramatic change in his attitude and looks.
Akira noticed her glance and looked at her, unaware of the change he went through in Ann’s eyes. “Something on my face?” Akira said, a hint of blush showing up on his face. He didn’t want to seem like a fool in front of Ann, though he was already doing a good job of that by making her witness his failures in hitting a home run.
Ann saw his slight worry and giggled at the fact. “No, No. I just thought you looked better without your glasses.” The compliment made Akira blush even more, which made Ann blush slightly as well.
“Thanks for saying that, Ann.” He looked brought his glasses up as he gave them a quick check. “Too bad I have to keep them on then.” Akira put them back on after saying the fact.
Ann vacantly stared at Akira for a bit. “Maybe you could keep them off during our trip to Hawaii?”
“I guess I could, but what would be the point?” They were just glasses. At the end of the day, the person he was behind them would still be the same one she’s talking to.
“…..I could see you more like that.” Ann secretly thought. Ann glanced at the batting range, soon the scene of Akira playing came back and that gave her an idea. Ann stood up as the idea plagued her mind now.
“Ann?” Akira noticed Ann wasn’t saying anything.
“Let's make a bet!” Ann finally said.
“A bet?” Akira said. He didn’t know where Ann had the urge to come up with this bet.
“If I can get a home run in 9 tries than you have to take them off in Hawaii!”
“Take them off?” Were these things really worth it for Ann to make a bet over? Akira adjusted his glasses as the mention of them made him subconsciously do it. It’s become a habit for him despite the fact he didn’t need them. “You know bets go two ways, right?” Though if it was something as small as taking off his glasses in Hawaii, Akira didn’t expect his reward to be anything big either.
“Um…how about we go on date? “ It turned into something big after all!
Ann’s offer made Akira jolt a bit. Didn’t this go too far in his favor?!
“I want her to lose so bad now." Akira thought. A bad thought to have for a friend, but now was the time to be wishing for Ann’s failure. Akira tried to show he wasn’t too shocked at the offer and made it seem like he agreed for the heck of it.
Ann got in position. As Akira saw her attempt to copy his form, he grinned in amusement and thought it was adorable. Then again, Ann was always adorable to him, beautiful too.
Ann tries a couple of swings, but each time was a repeat of the last failure. On her third to last attempt, Akira noticed her hardened expression. Akira could see she really wanted to do is win this. It made him start thinking. Why did she want to win that badly? They were just glasses.
For Ann, it wasn’t about just the glasses. It was about Akira opening up to her. That was her goal in this. Those glasses signified the persona Akira had created when he first came to Tokyo. Just to fit in, Akira became someone else essentially, but through their time together Ann started to unravel that persona. Every time she managed to uncover one layer she discovered something new she loved about him. Those glasses were that final layer. If she could get them off, Ann felt like she could finally tell him. Those burring feels she felt for him.
She swung her bat one more time and another time she missed again. It was her final stroke.
Akira noticed Ann’s expression turn nervous. Akira sighed inwardly. “If you want to see them off so bad just tell me.”
Akira stood up, cupping his hands around his mouth to make a makeshift megaphone. “ Ann!!!!” Ann glanced at Akira who was behind the steel fencing. “I know you can do it!! Hit that home run!!!!!!” Ann saw his smiling face as he shouted at her, the view gave her an indescribable feeling of happiness inside her. The encouragement revitalized her spirit.
Ann focused her gaze on the batting machine that was revving up. The flash of white soon zoomed through the air, closing the distance between her and baseball very quickly. All of a sudden, Ann felt something. The world died down, all around her the surrounding grew darker, and for some reason, Ann could see the baseball despite how fast it should be coming at her. When Ann saw the ball flash blue, she felt that was the moment to strike.
“I see it?” Ann thought as her arms moved in an instant on instinct and swung. Ann didn’t hear the rattling of the metal fence behind her like the last 8 tries. Instead, she heard a hard smack and soon a merry tone could be heard that made the surrounding onlookers glace at Ann. Ann looked at the home run target in shock as she knew she just saw her ball hit it, she even managed to hit it in the dead center. She’d never done that before.
“ANN!!!! You’re amazing!!!” Akira ran through the gate and started rushing Ann.
Ann, in her excitement of the situation, jumped into his arms, to which Akira managed to catch, despite being caught off guard.
“Did ya see that Akira!!! I fucking got a home run!! I’ve never done that before!!”
“I did, I was watching you, like always….”
It was then the two of them, in their close embrace as they looked into each other’s eyes, that they finally realized what they were doing. They quickly separated from each other, embarrassed by the intimate gesture they just did.
“So uh, you win …I guess…” A tone of mixed joy and sadness could be heard from Akira.
“Um yeah. Greeat…” Ann suddenly realized that she won, somehow there’s was a mix of accomplishment and disappointment to accompany her victory.
Ann then noticed a disappointed look on Akira’s face.
“…..Guess we wont be going on that date then.” Akira laughed it off as if it wasn’t a big deal. “That’s too bad.”
Ann stayed silent for a couple of seconds, trying to process what Akira just said. “Did you want a date with me?” Ann asked.
“….I…I thought it would have been fun….spending time…with you.” Akira rubbed his neck. Anxious that he even responded like that.
“We’re hanging out right now…” Ann brought up. A date? Hanging out? They were basically the same thing, just if they were to call this a date, it’d mean-
“but this isn’t a date….” Akira suddenly said. Akira knew they were basically the same thing, but he wanted to make it clear to Ann. How he felt about her. A date was the best chance to say it.
Ann mulled it over, it’s not like she didn’t want to go on one either. After gathering the courage, “…..How about Hawaii then?” Ann offered.
“Re-Really?”
“With those glasses off, do you wanna go on a date in Hawaii?” Ann asked, rather than insinuating.
Akira was stunned silent for a couple of seconds before hurriedly responding“…..I’d…I’d love to.”
They both looked at each other, cheeks so red you’d feel they burst with all the blood rushing to their faces. That date in Hawaii would be the spark to start an inseparable, loving bond between the two.