Chapter Text
Ryousouke, Kuramochi, Haruichi, Furuya, Miyuki, Chris, Tetsu, Jun, Tanba, Okumura and Seto are at a Elementary School to pick up Kominato's nieces from school after their afternoon training since their scheduled team practice game at 5pm were cancelled due to blazingly hot weather. They decided all to get dinner since it was rare for them to meet up especially these days because of their upcoming games and well, Chris and Tanba's migration to US. The others (Chris, Miyuki, Haruichi and Okumura's batch) are either on their way to the restaurant, waiting for them or just also getting out of their respective jobs. They're almost complete. Almost. Except there's someone who's missing.
"Man, I know summer's coming but this is the worst." whined Kuramochi, while he pats the sweat that formed into his forehead with his hands.
"If I didn't know better, I will really think that its already summer hahaha." laughed Chris.
"....Hot....Summer..." lazily stated by Furuya.
"We literally just got off the van and you're all whining immediately? What in the professional athletes you are." snickered by Ryousouke, who just got off the van after parking it.
"Let's go. Let's wait at the entrance of the school since its nearing the kids dismissal." Tetsu said, while looking at his watch, 20 minutes before 4 in the afternoon. While they were walking through the entrance, the group cant help to tease Okumura, who surprisingly went with them to fetch the kids, being the only one un-affected to the heat.
"It's not like its much different in college. Those days were much harder since were doing practice and drills and its not like its new to all of us, anyways. I still remember Coach Kataoka throwing us in the middle of the scorching weather because of Sawamura -senpai ---" the laughter immediately died once they realize what was Okumura saying, remembering a certain person who reminds them of summer weather and hot blazingly sun, just like the weather. Sneaking glances towards Miyuki were thrown almost immediately at the sound of his beloved- Sawamura's name, whose face goes blank, but not missing the yearning and sadness at his face.
"Sawamura, huh. I wonder where that idiot is now. He instantly disappeared after his graduation and after that we can't contact him anymore." Kuramochi said solemnly, missing the loudmouth's "Kuramochi-senpai!" for the past 8 years.
"What I still can't believe is, that maybe he stopped playing baseball. I tried going to the universities that we talked about when we were choosing where to go, but he's not there. We also wait for the draft, but he didn't enter his name too. He disappear like....just like that." Haruichi says while remembering the days he and Sawamura spent bickering while picking colleges.
"It's impossible for Sawamura to stop playing. I can't even imagine him not playing baseball at all. We all saw how determined he is when it comes to baseball. How he loves to play with us. With the team and make it to the top. I can't help to think that there's more to the story that he can't tell, though i really doubt since Sawamura is terrible at keeping secrets, well, mostly." Said Chris while in deep thoughts of his favorite kouhai.
"You all really didn't have a clue, Senpais? Didn't you all contacted yearly his family in Nagano too?" Okumura said, before he sits in one of the bench in front of the school.
"None." Answered immediately by Miyuki, who seemed to shock the group, since its was well known to Chris up to Okumura's batch what his relationship to Sawamura is. Catcher and Pitcher. Teammates. Friends. Lovers. Partners, on and off the field. They got together before the third years retired in sawamura's first year. Miyuki who can't believe that his feelings were returned by Sawamura can't help to vent out to Kuramochi without him knowing that the 2nd years, 3rd years and some of the first year were actually listening to him gushing out. By the end of the day, everyone knows, especially the coaches (courtesy of Rei-chan whose smiling widely with a glint in her eyes) that they're already dating and Sawamura can't help to blush and sputter some incoherent words, being calmed by also blushing Haruichi and sleepy Furuya, from the teasing he gets while Kuramochi and Ryousouke laughs loudly in the background.
Amidst to everyone's knowledge, or so Miyuki thought (since everyone has a clue anyways), Sawamura and Miyuki already talked about Sawamura going to the same university where Miyuki was. To form a battery again since they both said their time at Seido was not enough. That they can grow together more before they step into the world of pros. Only to not be fulfilled. The hush and sweet promises they make when they're alone. The plan of getting an apartment so they can live together. Going to university and home together.
Everyone knows how it deeply affects Miyuki. If they know the first year Miyuki, the Miyuki after Sawamura's disappearance is much worst. He ignored everyone for almost 2 years. He throw himself to focus on school and baseball. If you see him talking to someone at school, it mainly just about baseball, what strategy is the best and then he will go back to his personality with now higher walls with no one to knows how to break it.
Sawamura's the only one who manage to completely break it for Miyuki just to build it up again, much higher, sturdy because of the same person. He just come out of his shell, slightly, when Chris-senpai talked to him.
Even after 8 years, Miyuki still cant help to hope. That eventually he will see Sawa- Eijun again. One of the things why he didn't go completely insane or closed off to others is because he knows, Eijun will hate it. Eijun wants him to be friends with the others. That Eijun will come back to him again. He honestly doesn't care in which form. If they will see each other again, will they go back from senpai-kouhai relationship? friends? partners on the field? or maybe...maybe off too? like lovers, again.
Because for Miyuki, it was, and always will be Eijun. For 8 years. He never fall out of love. Even if some girls and few boys throw themselves at him, he can't seem to find someone like Eijun - hell who is he even kidding? - there is just one Eijun.
Some would probably say that it's only a typical High School romance, but for Miyuki, it not.
It's Sawamura Eijun or no one else.