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It was a widely acknowledged fact that Miyuki Kazuya was smart. Not necessarily the academic kind of smart, but rather the strategist kind. The kind that could read his opponents, decipher their thoughts and act to guarantee victory. He was a master at manipulating minds to achieve the results he wanted, an expert at hitting the right nerve to get under people’s skin; a hawk capable of pinpointing their weak spots with absurd accuracy. Miyuki, above anyone else, was very much aware of his talents (despite never mentioning it out loud out of sheer modesty).
Then why, why couldn’t he for the love of God figure out what exactly it was that drew half the baseball team into his room almost every night? And how come all of his attempts at driving his teammates away ended in utter failure? Was he doomed to spend the entirety of his high school years maintaining the menagerie that was his room come nightfall?
No way. There had to be something he could do. Something that would give him the peace he deserved.
“So…any idea, Chris-senpai?” he asked, turning to Chris who was seated on the bench next to him.
“Why don’t you just lock the door?”
“Kuramochi picked the lock when I did that – don’t ask me how.”
Chris didn’t even bother looking surprised. He was way past the peculiarity of his teammates. “Pretend you’re sick and it’s very contagious?”
“That would only buy me a day or two at most,” Miyuki sighed.
“I’m sorry I’m not very helpful on this one,” the other catcher apologized, but Miyuki shook his head.
“No, don’t worry. I guess there was no solution to begin with.”
“Well… since you can’t drive them away, why don’t you try to benefit from the situation?”
“What do you mean?”
“For instance: use the opportunity to strengthen the bonds within the team. I heard those were the words you used to trick Sawamura and the other first-years into coming to your room so you could escape,” Chris said, a faint smile on the corner of his lips.
“Touché!” Miyuki laughed. “But in my defence, it did those three some good.”
“More of a reason to continue, but without your escaping this time.”
“I can’t really imagine strengthening any bond when all I want to do is kick them all out of my room.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. The only piece of advice I can give you is to try and enjoy yourself with them, as they will be there no matter what you do.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Chris-senpai,” Miyuki sighed again.
The next day at lunch break, Kuramochi approached him. “Want some Pocari?” the shortstop offered.
“Why, aren’t you generous today, Kuramochi,” Miyuki snickered, accepting the bottle handed to him.
“It’s just that the vending machine was sorta broken and dropped me two instead of one.”
“Too bad it doesn’t do that with coffee,” Miyuki mused. His eyes then landed distractedly on the bottle. It wasn’t his favourite beverage, but he had to admit the sport drink had a nice taste to it; unlike some other sport drinks he had tried before.
Miyuki cocked an eyebrow, feeling some of his brain cells connecting. A clear forewarning of the birth of yet another brilliant idea.
He was going to strengthen the team’s bonds all right.
The ruckus in Miyuki’s room was the same as usual, with no one really noticing the host’s absence until the door was flung open and Miyuki appeared. A grin was plastered on his face and a grocery bag in hand. Following right behind were Furuya, Haruichi and – to everyone’s surprise – Chris, Nabe, Kawakami, Toujou and Kanemaru. The expression they displayed proved that they were as clueless as anyone else as for the reason of their presence here tonight.
“Good evening, gentlemen!” Miyuki greeted loud enough to capture everyone’s attention.
“Oh, you brought quite a lot of people tonight,” Ryosuke said.
“Hm, I don’t see Sawamura with you,” Maezono noticed.
“Ah, apparently he’s got some homework due tomorrow so I forced him to finish it first before coming here,” Kuramochi answered. “He should join us in a little while.”
“With a brain like his, I doubt it,” Jun snorted. “So, what’s the occasion for bringing in more troops?”
“The occasion is, I figured as the team’s captain that we need to enjoy ourselves not only on the baseball field, but also outside,” Miyuki explained. “So I thought we could all play a game tonight, to get to know each other better and stuff. What do you say?”
“I say that anything that would normally be a great idea sounds utterly suspicious coming from you,” Kuramochi stated right away. A few nods from his teammates gave credit to his statement.
“Hey, hey, hey. Now that’s harsh. And here I am, only trying to make everyone have a bit of fun,” Miyuki retorted, though the smirk on his lips only broadened. “Besides, it was also a suggestion from Chris-senpai.”
The latter frowned as most gazes turned to him. Then he sighed. “Well, I did say to enjoy yourselves, but I never said anything about a game. And you didn’t have to include me in it.”
“Don’t say that! You have to join the fun too!” Miyuki said, prompting everyone inside.
“Miyuki’s right. We never get to see you here, so it doesn’t hurt to have you among us once in a while,” Tetsu said.
“And playing a game is in fact not a bad idea,” Ryosuke added. “So, which game is it?”
The glint in Miyuki’s eyes didn’t bode well.
“I’ve never.” he answered.
“You’ve never what?” Maezono asked.
“No, no. That’s the name of the game.”
“I don’t know that game,” Kanemaru said.
“Neither do I,” Haruichi followed.
“I refuse to play,” Kuramochi declared. “We’re all underage, and I certainly don’t want the coach to kill us for bringing booze into the dorm.”
“And I refuse to have Haruichi part of the game,” Ryosuke said. “Haruichi, you go back to your room right now,” he ordered his younger brother, a menacing aura slowly emanating from him.
“Wait, what’s that game about?” Kanemaru urged. “Why are you talking about alcohol?”
“Now, now. Stop there everyone,” Miyuki interrupted him. “Obviously there won’t be any alcohol involved,” he said as he stepped into the middle of the room. He put the grocery bag on the floor. “I’m a responsible captain, after all.”
A few snorts were heard but he ignored them. Instead, he pulled several items out of the bag, which proved to be plastic glasses and bottles of some sort.
“We’re going to play with this.”
“What’s that?” Kuramochi asked.
“That, my dear Kuramochi, is a sport drink,” Miyuki answered patiently. “I told you I’m a responsible captain, so I figured we might as well combine business with pleasure.”
“I never saw those before. Are you sure they’re sport drinks?” Tetsu inquired, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“Absolutely certain. Rei-chan recommended them,” Miyuki nodded.
“Why didn’t you just pick Pocari Sweat?” Chris asked.
“Hm? Oh, that’s because those ones are a bit cheaper.”
“Well, if they come from Rei-chan, I guess they should be safe,” Jun said. “But is the game even gonna be fun like this?”
“Oh, I’m pretty certain it will. Besides, the main point is to get to know each other more rather than drink,” Miyuki smiled innocently. At least, as innocently as his personage could grant him. No one was fooled though, but no one actually had a valid reason to raise an objection.
“Will someone bother explaining the rules or do I just have to guess?” Kanemaru asked, slightly impatient.
“My bad, my bad,” Miyuki apologized. “Let’s all start by sitting down in a circle, and then each of you take a glass.”
As everyone complied – some more reluctantly than the others – Miyuki went on:
“The game’s simple: someone will start by saying something they never did before, and anyone else here who actually did whatever the previous person never did has to empty a glass of sport drink. The game is over once we finish all the bottles.”
“Sounds pretty easy, I guess,” Maezono nodded.
“Haruichi, go back to your room,” Ryosuke insisted, much to his brother’s annoyance.
“Why? It doesn’t sound dangerous or anything, especially if we’re drinking sport drinks,” Haruichi protested.
“That’s because you don’t know how vicious this game can be, and I don’t want you to be part of this.”
“Hey, cut him some slack!” Jun intervened. “This is a game just to know each other better. No harm in that!”
“I stand by the fact that it’s Miyuki who suggested the game. Therefore there has to be some harm in it,” Ryosuke countered.
“I’m hurt by the lack of trust,” Miyuki said, not looking the slightest bit hurt.
“I’ll stay,” Haruichi protested stubbornly.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let anything happen to him,” Kuramochi patted Ryosuke’s back. The third-year hardly looked convinced, but ended up yielding anyway.
The first-years were appointed to start, since leaving it to the third-years may take the game in the wrong direction, Chris pointed out wisely.
“All right Haruichi. We’re all ears. Just think about something you never did and which you believe other people have done. It doesn’t have to be something complicated,” Tetsu advised.
Haruichi nodded. “Hm, then... I’ve never bought a metal bat.”
“Kyahaha! A full score right off the bat, huh? – No pun intended. You’re actually a little devil, same as your brother,” Kuramochi sneered as he grabbed his glass.
Obviously, everyone else did the same and gulped their respective glasses down. A second later, terrible screams threatened to make the room crumble.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT?!” Jun yelled while his drinking companions were busy choking.
“Sport drinks,” Miyuki answered with an angelic smile. “Oh, I may have forgotten to say, I asked Rei-chan for the most horrible-tasting sport drink ever made, so she recommended me this one.”
“You bastard! I knew there had to be something fishy!” Maezono glared at him.
“Well, there has to be some twist in the drinking part, right?” Miyuki laughed.
“You were right, Ryo,” Jun muttered gloomily. “Anything coming from this guy is dark and full of terrors.”
“Hyahaha! This is actually gonna be fun!” Kuramochi said. “I approve, Miyuki!”
“Glad to hear that,” Miyuki answered.
“I don’t know how you two managed not to puke it out,” Maezono muttered.
“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Miyuki shrugged.
Truth be told, he thought the taste was absolutely abominable and whoever had made the recipe should be sued and given death penalty. However, as the captain, he had to remain as dignified as possible and therefore had managed to only wince in slight disgust as the beverage had flowed down his throat.
“The first-years look like someone turned them to stone,” Ryosuke mused, poking at Furuya.
He, along with Kanemaru and Toujou, were pale as ghosts; sitting immobile in a very solemn way, their eyes distant as if their souls had left their mortal envelopes. The faint heaving of their chests was the only sign that they were still alive.
“I-I’m very sorry. Are you OK?” Haruichi asked with concern.
“Y-Yes… just give me a moment to recover from the shock,” Toujou answered. “That is, I didn’t imagine such a drink could exist.”
Kanemaru merely nodded weakly while Furuya was probably already in another world, far far away.
“Anyway, let’s continue or we’ll never be done!” Miyuki prompted happily, ignoring the various glares aimed at him.
Next to Haruichi was Furuya. However, considering that he wasn’t reacting to any stimuli anymore, his turn was skipped and went directly to Kanemaru.
“I’ve never worn prescription glasses,” he stated, and several evil grins were directed at Miyuki.
“Good call, Kanemaru!” Jun congratulated. “Take that, Miyuki!”
The latter sighed dramatically before emptying his glass.
“How does the punishment feel?” Ryosuke inquired.
“Punishment? Hmm… Well, if that was really what it was supposed to be, then I think I wasn’t the only one punished,” Miyuki said, glancing at Chris and Kawakami who had also drunk their own glass.
“Seriously?? You two wear glasses?” Jun asked, surprised.
“Well, I have a pair of prescription glasses for reading, when my eyes get too tired,” Chris explained, though with a bit of trouble as he was trying to get over the taste of his drink.
Next to him, Kawakami looked on the verge of passing out. “S-Same,” he managed to articulate.
“I’m so sorry!” Kanemaru bowed deeply.
“It’s part of the game…” Kawakami breathed out.
“That’s our Nori!” Maezono gave him a strong pat in the back.
“Moving on, I believe it’s Toujou’s turn,” Ryosuke said.
The remaining first-year looked visibly panicked. “Hmm… I don’t know if…”
“Don’t worry,” Tetsu reassured him. “We won’t blame you if anything happens.”
“As Nori pointed out, it’s part of the game,” Ryosuke went on.
“But we definitely won’t complain if you find something that only Miyuki did,” Tanba added.
“Hey, hey…” Miyuki sweatdropped.
“Hmm… Then, I’ve never studied in Edogawa?” Toujou ventured.
If Miyuki was surprised at how Toujou even knew or remembered where his former school was, he didn’t show any sign of it as he took another glass of the godforsaken drink.
“Geez, here I was, trying to get everyone to have fun together to unite the team, and that’s how you thank me?”
“One: you were trying to poison us. And two: we’re totally uniting here,” Kuramochi said. “Against you.”
“Not to mention that we’re actually also having fun uniting against you,” Jun added. “Hah, I wish Sawamura was here. He’d totally be laughing at your face by now. Good job Toujou, by the way. With that, we’re done with the first-years. Now it’s up to us! Zono, give it your all!”
“All right, leave it to me!” Maezono said, suddenly pumped up. “I’ve never slept in the Seidou dorm room number 203.”
“Really, you guys…” Miyuki rolled his eyes. He emptied his fourth glass, which didn’t particularly help make it taste better. His tongue was starting to feel numb.
“That was hardly fair,” Ryosuke noted, though the faint smile on his lips betrayed his approbation.
“Nobody’s said anything about being fair in this game, Ryo,” Jun said. “Though I have to say just ganging up on Miyuki is going to get boring at some point.”
“You’re right. The game’s originally to know each other better,” Tetsu nodded. “I believe we should broaden the propositions a bit.”
“Thank you, Tetsu-san,” Miyuki said gratefully.
“Heh, it’s also about digging other people’s dirty secrets. Let’s not forget that,” Jun reminded.
“Hyahaha, then let’s dig a bit, shall we? I believe it’s my turn,” Kuramochi jumped in. He paused for a second before speaking again. “I’ve never kissed a girl before.”
As expected, the sentence immediately raised the tension in the room by a notch, with everyone watching out for the others. And then… Toujou drank, his face red as a tomato. Naturally, this triggered complete uproar among his teammates.
“Toujou, you traitor!” Kanemaru almost cried.
“Who is it? Tell us who it is! And show us pictures!” Kuramochi demanded.
“It was your sister, wasn’t it? And it was by mistake, right? Like, your sister was too young to understand what she was doing, right?” Maezono pressed on.
“How dare you, a first-year, beat us to this?” Jun roared, springing on his feet.
“I-It was just a neighbour I used to play with a lot during primary school!” Toujou defended himself. “And it was just once! We were kids so it was just a peck, nothing more!”
“So it’s not an actual girlfriend?” Kuramochi probed. Toujou shook his head hastily.
“Still, a kiss is a kiss,” Kanemaru sighed.
“That’s strange, I was almost certain Miyuki and Chris-senpai would drink.” Kanemaru mused.
Chris coughed at those words while Miyuki merely shrugged.
“Yes, I can totally imagine Miyuki breaking many girls’ hearts,” Tanba added, to which Miyuki twitched.
“Hey, I’m not sure I want to know what kind of image you have of me, all of you,” he muttered.
“The one you deserve, obviously,” Kuramochi sneered. “Anyway, Matsuko-san, it’s your turn.”
“Uga,” the latter merely said.
There was silence. Then:
“Please be more specific,” Tetsu requested.
“Uga uga.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“… Hm, next?” Someone suggested.
“Yeah… Ryo-san, that’d be you,” Miyuki said. “Ryo-san?”
Ryosuke wasn’t listening, as he was currently deep in thought about a peculiar fact that had occurred during Kuramochi’s turn: he could have sworn that Miyuki had been about to reach for his glass too, before retracting at the last second. Had he simply chickened out? No, it was very improbable and un-Miyuki-like. He, above anyone else, was the kind of person who never let any opportunity pass to piss his teammates off, and having kissed a girl was definitely part of those opportunities.
Then had Ryosuke’s eyes perhaps simply deceived him? It was a possibility, yet another hypothesis was rapidly taking shape in his head. It sounded so unlikely that he was tempted to dismiss the thought.
Still, this was Miyuki they were talking about. Coming from him, anything could be expected.
“Ryo-san, it’s your turn!” Kuramochi’s voice next to him and a pat on his shoulder snatched him out of his thoughts.
“Hm? Oh, sorry. I got a bit distracted,” he said, ignoring the curious looks he received. Then he took in a deep yet silent breath. Here goes nothing.
“I’ve never kissed a guy before,” he declared, and almost everyone around him choked. This time however, there was no fuss, as everyone was on the edge to see if someone would actually take a drink.
For a second, no one moved.
Then a smirk slowly formed on Ryosuke’s lips. Bull’s eye.
Miyuki put down his glass, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and acting as if everyone in the room was not staring incredulously at him. At this very moment, a platoon of flying blue pigs could have passed by and no one would have noticed.
It took another few seconds for someone to finally react.
“…Seriously?” Kuramochi blurted out dubiously, earning a complacent grin from Miyuki.
“What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ us! Tell us who! Tell us how!” Jun burst out again.
“It must have been an accident,” Maezono said. “It must have been an accident. It must have been an accident. It must have been–”
“Chanting mantras won’t change the facts, Zono,” Ryosuke mentioned.
Most of the other Seidou players were too shocked or embarrassed for words. Haruichi, for instance, was displaying a deep shade of pink that put his hair colour to shame. Furuya – back from the half-dead – merely stared, confusion visibly painted all over his face.
“So, tell us who!” Jun insisted.
“We aren’t playing truth or dare here, are we? So I’m not telling you anything,” Miyuki answered coolly, though the arrogance he displayed reflected his clear delight of the whole situation.
“Besides, there’s still a chance it was an accident, r-right?” Kanemaru asked with mild uncertainty.
“We’ll drag the entire truth out of you,” Jun declared. “We’ll soon know if it was a mere accident or not.”
“Too bad it’s my turn next,” Miyuki answered. “Now let’s see…”
He pondered for a few seconds which seemed like hours for the rest of the group. Sensibly enough, they braced themselves for any disaster to come. The outcome was rather anticlimactic as all Miyuki said was:
“I’ve never eaten instant noodles.”
A round of displeased grunts rose as everyone without exception grabbed their glasses. Miyuki watched with a satisfactory grin as his teammates doubled over in a cacophony of disgusted noises and curses.
“Seriously, you’ve never eaten instant noodles even once in your life?” Kuramochi grimaced.
“Nope, never. Ah, the joys of cooking!” Miyuki taunted.
“You tricky bastard,” Jun swore.
“The good thing is, this will empty the bottles faster so we can end the game sooner,” Nabe commented, slightly wobbly in his sitting position.
“I’d rather Miyuki emptied them all on his own,” Jun countered. “Speaking of which, it’s your turn, Nabe. You know what to do. We have to know the truth about Miyuki!”
“Do I really have to do that?...” Nabe sighed, but under the insistent gaze of his comrades, there was no other choice but to go along.
“I’ve never kissed a guy on purpose,” he let out flatly.
All eyes were set on Miyuki, who took his time giving a long, provocative look around him.
It was almost a cliché, with the sun setting, a faint breeze and no one around. His hand caressed the boy’s burning cheek gently, with no rush, knowing that it had to be his first kiss as well. He leant down and pressed his lips against the boy’s soft and pliant ones. A faint whimper, a gasp, and he felt his pulse skyrocket.
“Miyuki…”
If this wasn’t heaven, then it most certainly is close to it.
Miyuki licked his lips at the memory before finally grabbing his glass and gulping it down.
“I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW IT!!” Jun roared. “NOW SPILL THE BEANS AND TELL US WHO THAT IS!”
“I already told you we aren’t playing truth or dare here,” Miyuki answered casually.
“No way no way no way no way,” Kanemaru kept repeating, while Haruichi was hiding his face between his hands.
“This is getting interesting,” Tetsu observed, impassive as ever. Next to him, Nori was contemplating the wall that currently seemed particularly fascinating while Chris on the other hand appeared to demonstrate some interest in the unfolding events.
“Still, you have girls lining up to ask you out and you picked a guy of all people,” Jun ranted. “They’re gonna cry.”
“I don’t care,” Miyuki shrugged. “It’s none of their business who I date.”
“Wait, you’re actually dating that person? It’s not even a one-shot or a lost bet or something?”
“Don’t act all surprised on me, Jun-san,” Miyuki retorted, “I’m actually a very committed person.”
“Whoever’s dating you must have either lost his mind or is a blackmail victim of some sort,” Maezono muttered.
“Sure, sure. Whatever floats your boat,” Miyuki shrugged.
“But now I’m curious about how far you’ve gone with this mysterious person,” Chris commented with mild amusement. “I believe I’m next? Well then, I’ve never French-kissed a guy,” he said, triggering a few gasps.
“Why, Chris-senpai, I never thought you of all people would dare make such a statement,” Miyuki smirked.
“Well, since you went through the trouble of inviting me here tonight, I thought I might as well play along,” Chris answered lightly.
“Don’t try to chitchat your way out of this, Miyuki,” Jun snarled. “So, are you gonna drink or not?”
The first few kisses were chaste, almost innocent. They felt nice, but they no longer satisfied him.
“Hey.”
“What do you want, Miyuki?”
He loved that defiant tone directed at him. He pulled the boy closer and kissed him, reveling in how his lips automatically parted for him. He deepened the kiss, feeling the smaller body tense up in surprise. He didn’t care. He needed more. His tongue met no resistance, he noticed with delight. They tasted each other with fervent voracity, taking and giving with carnivorous appetite. It was addicting. He ran his tongue over the boy’s lips, then bit on them lightly, taking in the stifled whimper of vague protest like an invitation to repeat the deed.
They broke apart, hardly sated but needy for air.
“W-What was that for, all of a sudden?” the boy asked, flushed and breathless, his lips wet and slightly swollen.
“I was a bit hungry,” he grinned.
Miyuki drank. By now, none of the third-years – and Kuramochi – looked particularly shocked. The others were trying hard not to cross Miyuki’s gaze.
“Why are you guys acting all embarrassed for?” Miyuki taunted them. “I should be the one embarrassed, you know?”
“It’s precisely because you’re so shameless that they’re like that!” Kuramochi retorted.
“Hey, you guys brought this on yourselves,” Miyuki defended himself. “Tetsu-san did specify to stop focusing on me, after all. That’s what you get for not listening to the previous captain. Anyway, shall we move on? There’s still some drink left.”
“Nori, I believe you’re next,” Ryosuke said.
Kawakami almost jumped at the mention of his name. “I-I think I’ll call it a day,” he mumbled.
“Why? It’s still early,” Tanba cocked an eyebrow.
“I’m just feeling a bit dizzy,” the second-year pitcher answered as he stood up. “I need to go… rest or something. Sorry about that.”
He quickly left the room, a few sympathetic gazes on him.
“Poor Nori, this was too much on him,” Ryosuke commented.
“He’ll get over it. He’s a tough little guy,” Jun said. “Anyway, with this it’s finally my turn!” he added, barely containing his impatience. He took in a deep breath, then, staring straight at Miyuki, declared: “I’ve never had sex with a guy.”
The sound of a hand slamming on the floor made everyone jump and turn their eyes to the perpetrator, who wasn’t – as one would have expected – Miyuki, but Ryosuke.
“Now this is going overboard,” he stated dryly.
“Is it just me or is there actually something eerie seeping out of Ryo-senpai?” Toujou asked Kanemaru in a murmur. The latter nodded with a gulp.
“What do you mean, overboard?” Kuramochi asked, surprised. “We’re just continuing what Chris-senpai started.”
“I didn’t know you to be so prude,” Jun snorted.
“I’m not,” Ryosuke argued back, “but I refuse to have you taint Haruichi’s ears any further.”
A vague mutter of ‘brother complex’ made him turn to his neighbour. “You said something, Kuramochi?”
“No no, nothing, Ryo-san!” the short stop answered hastily.
“Big brother, you don’t have to do this, you know? I’m fine, really!” Haruichi intervened, blushing like mad.
“No you’re not. And who knows how far these guys are going to take this. If we’re still continuing, I want you back to your room.”
“But–”
“Alright, alright, no need to sound like his mother,” Jun interrupted. “It’s fine if we keep it soft, then?”
“That’d be disappointing,” Miyuki said. “I thought your plan was to drag the entire truth out of me,” he bantered.
“Your commitment to the game is startling, considering that you’re the one who’s drunk the most,” Tetsu commented.
“I’d say it’s sickening,” Maezono corrected.
“And nauseating,” Kuramochi added.
“Hahaha thank you!” Miyuki laughed.
“It wasn’t a compliment!” Maezono and Kuramochi yelled in unison, veins popping.
“To get back on the main topic,” Tetsu went on, “I would say I support the idea of keeping the suggestions on a softer level so everyone can participate, including the first-years.”
“Such consideration for them. What do you say, Ryo-san?” Kuramochi inquired.
Ryosuke pondered for a second before nodding. “I suppose it works.”
“Fine, then I’ll retract my previous statement,” Jun said. “I’ve never had any sexual thoughts about a guy,” Jun smirked.
“Jun…” Ryosuke started threateningly.
“What? It’s just thinking about it, not actually doing it. That’s totally softer,” Jun advocated.
If he could, Ryosuke would have rolled his eyes. Instead, he shook his head and sighed in exasperation. “Fine, do whatever you want.”
Almost ritually, all pairs of eyes turned to Miyuki.
Faint gasps, like the sweet introduction of something much more delectable to come.
A body writhing beneath him, rousing vivid excitement in him.
The thrill of seeing that flushed face, melting in sheer pleasure.
His name being called out repeatedly in an innocently seductive way.
Desperate moans begging for more, dragging him treacherously down sin lane.
The aching craving, making him want to ravish that lovely body that quivers at the slightest caress.
The cries, as he thrusts in. The rapture, as they’re both engulfed in scorching bliss.
And more, more, more.
He wants more.
They both do.
‘Self-control, Miyuki Kazuya. Self-control,’ Miyuki berated himself mentally. Now wasn’t the time to reminisce.
Almost ritually, he emptied his glass.
“I’m not sure I like that conceited face of yours,” Kuramochi muttered. “You totally had weird thoughts just now, didn’t you?”
“Do you want to know?” Miyuki snickered.
“On second thought, no. But seriously, I can’t believe our current captain is actually such a pervert.”
“Yes, you’re ruining the image the first-years have of you,” Tanba nodded.
“You’ve totally traumatized them,” Maezono added.
“Hey, you’re the ones who wanted to know,” Miyuki repeated before turning to the group of first-years. “Are you guys traumatized?”
Toujou, Kanemaru and Haruichi quickly shook their heads, while Furuya looked as indifferent as ever.
“N-No, we’re fine, Miyuki-senpai,” Kanemaru gave a short, nervous laugh. “Whatever you do outside the field doesn’t matter to us.”
“Y-Yes, we all know that you’re an excellent captain, no matter what,” Haruichi continued.
“W-What they said,” Toujou nodded.
“See? They’re fine,” Miyuki said casually.
“I wish Sawamura were here, just to get his reaction,” Ryosuke mused. “He’s missing all the fun.”
“Knowing him, he probably wouldn’t even understand the game’s rules,” Kuramochi sneered.
“But Ryo-san is right,” Miyuki said with obvious amusement. “Sawamura’s missing everything. Should someone go and fetch him? It’s quite unfair for him to be the only one left out.”
“Uga!” Masuko – whose presence had almost been forgotten by everyone – suddenly exclaimed, pointing at himself.
“Oh? You’ll go? Thanks, Masuko-senpai.”
As the third-year left the room, everyone else’s attention was brought back to the game.
“I was thinking, shouldn’t we be focusing on finding out who Miyuki is dating?” Jun asked.
“That would be the most interesting bit of information actually,” Tetsu gave a nod of approval. “But how do we obtain it?”
“Now Tetsu-san, I remember you saying not to centre the game solely on me,” Miyuki pointed out. “Did you perhaps change your mind?”
“As if we’re going to back down now after coming this far!” Jun answered before Tetsu could.
“It may not be so easy to find out the person’s identity,” Nabe spoke out timidly. “He could be someone we don’t know.”
“Or he could be someone we do,” Chris said lightly, much to everyone’s surprise.
“Would you happen to know, Chris-senpai?” Miyuki tilted his head to the side, a smug grin on his lips. ‘Of course you do. You’re way too smart to not have guessed by now.’
“I may or may not have some suspicions,” Chris answered ambiguously.
“If you know, tell us!” Jun demanded.
“It isn’t up to me to say anything,” Chris said, unshakable.
From that moment on, speculation was rife. Miyuki’s mouth remained sealed though, but he was definitely enjoying the whole situation. He was actually surprised no one – besides Chris – had yet to make a good guess. Well, he had no doubt the truth would come out sooner or later, and his bet was on sooner. He smirked at the thought.
In the meantime, Kuramochi was deep in thought. From the moment it had been revealed that Miyuki was dating someone, the back of his mind had been working to figure out who that person was. The cogs were slowly falling into place, one by one. Kuramochi was assembling pieces of his memory, gathering hints that could reveal the truth. He was said to be the most observant one within the team, after all; his title was at stake here.
The door to Miyuki’s room opened once again, letting two people in.
And then there was light.
Of course.
How had he managed to miss something so big all this time? He felt like head-desking – or in this current situation, head-flooring – for not noticing earlier. He was 99% sure the answer he had just come up with was the right one. Now all that was left was to prove it, and there was a very easy way to do so.
“Good evening!” Sawamura greeted with a low bow. “Yours truly has arrived!”
“Sawamura! About damn time!” Jun ranted. “We were about to finish without you.”
“I apologize deeply! But Kuramochi-senpai insisted that I finished my homework before joining you!”
“Don’t make it sound like it’s my fault you’re slow at finishing your stuff,” Kuramochi snapped.
“Eijun-kun, take a seat,” Haruichi shifted, inviting him to join the circle.
“We’re playing ‘I’ve never’,” Miyuki said. “Do you know the rules?”
“Absolutely not!” Sawamura answered.
The rules were therefore explained and a minute later, Sawamura was ready to roll.
“All right. I believe it’s your turn, Tanba-san?” Miyuki turned to the third-year pitcher, but Kuramochi raised his hand.
“Actually,” he jumped in, “would it be possible for me to play again?”
“Hm? Why?” Tanba asked.
“Let’s say I just came up with something… that may help our cause, if you get the drift,” Kuramochi grinned.
“Really? Well, you seem sure of yourself so I don’t mind giving you my turn,” Tanba nodded.
“Thank you, Tanba-san!”
Kuramochi’s gaze landed on Miyuki who was hardly concealing a cocky grin. That made Kuramochi twitch. ‘I know that you know’ was clearly written all over Miyuki’s face. That bastard seriously had no shame.
“Just to make sure, can I reuse some previous statements considering that a new player has joined the game?” he asked.
“I suppose you can, but you need to add a variation of some sort,” Tetsu said.
“Alright. Off we go then: I’ve never French-kissed a guy on purpose. And the variation will be: a guy from this baseball team,” he dropped the bomb.
Silence filled the room.
It took everyone in the room a second or two to register the words, and by now they were all staring in confusion at Kuramochi. All but two.
The bomb blew up.
“MIYUKI KAZUYA!!!” Sawamura burst out, making most people jump and turn their attention to him. “Y-You–!” He pointed a trembling finger at the catcher. “You totally conspired against me, didn’t you?! You totally did that on purpose!” he shouted.
But Miyuki merely grinned. “Whatever are you talking about? Kuramochi was the one who came up with the statement, not me.”
“Then explain to me what kind of ultra-specific statement that was!”
“Calm down, Eijun-kun,” Haruichi patted his shoulder reassuringly. “I know it’s a bit embarrassing to hear, but all of the latest statements have been like this.”
“B-B-But–!”
“What is it, Sawamura?” Kuramochi interrupted, crossing his arms, “Or could there be a deeper reason why you’re so flustered by my statement?” he asked, almost nonchalant.
“What do you mea–” Ryosuke started to ask before pausing in realization. “Oh. Oh.”
“Yes, explain what you m–” It was Tetsu’s turn to have understanding dawn on him. “Oh.”
“What’s with you guys? Just spill what’s going on here already!” Jun snarled, annoyed.
“Oh, I believe you will get it very soon,” Ryosuke said, turning to Sawamura. Jun along with a few others imitated him, still confused.
Sawamura on his side was red as a tomato, though whether it was of rage or embarrassment, one couldn’t tell. For a while he remained immobile.
“Well, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s gonna drink,” Maezono addressed Kuramochi. “So whatever you’ve been trying to achieve is–”
But Kuramochi stopped him with a raised hand and indicated Sawamura with a motion of his head.
Slowly, very slowly, and with a trembling hand, the first-year reached for the glass in front of him while a vast majority of the people in the room was struck by a collective dropping of jaws. Chris was part of the few who looked almost bored.
Sawamura drank.
Silence again. Then:
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH???!”
The pandemonium that ensued marked the end of a long era of peace and quiet.
Incidentally, it also marked the end of the game.
“Hey, Miyuki,” Kuramochi called out.
“Hm?”
“All those times you ask Sawamura to stay after practice, is it really for extra pitching?”
Miyuki didn’t answer right away. Instead, a faint grin formed on the corner of his lips.
“In a manner of speaking, we do play catch, yes,” he answered cryptically.
“In a manner of speaking?”
“Let’s say the catcher isn’t really me during those extra lessons,” Miyuki said, his grin stretching.
Kuramochi’s eyes widened in understanding. “Holy shit! Does it mean you’d have actually drunk at Jun-san’s statement? And I mean his first statement!”
“Who knows?” Miyuki laughed as he walked away.
Behind him, he heard his classmate yell ‘At least get a room, for fuck’s sake!’
Kuramochi’s piece of advice proved to be particularly easy to heed as Miyuki’s room found itself being deserted right on the next evening, startlingly enough. Well, to be accurate, it was almost deserted.
Miyuki pinned Sawamura against the door, smirking at how the pitcher was pouting and avoiding his gaze.
“What’s with the shy act?” he asked teasingly.
“I’m not being shy!” Sawamura snapped back at him, now glaring at Miyuki with all his might. “It’s just that I still can’t believe you pulled that kind of trick on me.”
“I did no such a thing,” Miyuki whispered in his ear. His hand slowly slipped underneath Sawamura’s shirt. “All I did,” he bit lightly on Sawamura’s exposed neck, “was invite everyone to a game to strengthen the team’s bonds.”
“I don’t like – ngh – that game,” Sawamura managed to protest, despite Miyuki’s sneaky attempts at distracting him.
“Then let’s play another game,” Miyuki suggested, running his tongue over his lips.
“W-What kind of game?”
“A game that will strengthen bonds just between you and me,” Miyuki answered with a predatory smile.
Sawamura gulped.
Kuramochi simply pretended he didn’t notice the empty lower bunk on that night, and on the following nights.