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Seidou’s afternoon practice session finally came to an end.
"Thank you very much!!"
A chorus of voices echoed across the baseball field.
Sawamura Eijun wiped the sweat from his forehead and trotted toward the locker room, holding his glove.
"My pitches were so good today! Even Coach must’ve been surprised! Hahaha!"
"You're too loud."
Kuramochi walked past and casually flicked the back of Eijun's head.
"Ow!"
"Don't go yelling like a loudspeaker right after practice."
"Yes, sir!"
Eijun grinned brightly, not taking it to heart at all.
A few minutes later.
The dormitory cafeteria was gradually filling up.
Members of the team lined up one by one to get their meals.
Eijun held his food tray, glancing around.
"Who should I sit with?"
Just then...
"Eijun."
A gentle voice called out from behind him.
Eijun’s eyes instantly lit up.
"Ryosuke-senpai!"
Kominato Ryosuke stood there with his signature mild smile.
"Come eat over here."
"Yes!"
Without a moment’s hesitation, Eijun carried his tray and followed Ryosuke.
Not long after the two sat down, another tray was softly placed across from them.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Eijun looked up.
"Harucchi!"
Haruichi smiled.
"Yeah."
He pulled out a chair and sat down as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The atmosphere suddenly turned... strange.
Ryosuke rested his chin on his hand, looking at his younger brother.
"Haruichi."
"Yes?"
"I thought you usually sit with Kuramochi."
Haruichi kept smiling.
"I wanted a change of scenery today."
"I see."
The two brothers looked at each other, both wearing the exact same smile.
Eijun instinctively shivered.
"Brrr... why did it suddenly get so cold?"
"Eijun."
Ryosuke picked up a piece of rolled omelet from his tray and placed it onto Eijun's.
"Eat up."
"Huh? Thank you, Ryosuke-senpai!"
Eijun beamed so brightly he practically glowed.
Haruichi looked at the omelet on the tray.
A moment later, he quietly picked up his own meatball and transferred it over as well.
"You like these, right?"
"Harucchi!"
"Thank you!"
Eijun happily dug in right away.
Miyuki, walking past with his own tray, paused in his tracks.
"..."
"Does anyone else find this weird?"
Kuramochi glanced over.
"Yeah."
"The Kominato brothers are at it again."
"Poor idiot."
"Eijun," Ryosuke smiled. "You pitched well today."
"Really, Ryosuke-senpai?"
"Yeah."
"Though you’re still pretty green."
"Ehh..."
"Needs more work."
Eijun immediately hung his head.
"I’ll work harder!"
Haruichi rested his chin on his hands, looking at him.
"I thought you showed improvement today."
"Harucchi is praising me too!"
"However..."
"..."
"You still wear all your emotions right on your face."
The smile froze on Eijun's face.
"Huh?"
"Your opponents are going to read you like an open book."
"..."
"Argh..."
Eijun clutched his head.
"This is too hard!"
Both Kominato brothers burst out laughing at the same time.
At the neighboring table, Kuramochi nudged Miyuki with his elbow.
"Hey."
"You see that?"
"Yup."
"Every time Sawamura talks to the younger one..."
"...the older one steps in."
"And vice versa."
Miyuki rested his chin on his hand.
"Brothers, alright."
"Their possessiveness is identical."
Right at that moment, Chris walked into the cafeteria.
"Eijun."
"Yes!"
Eijun stood straight up like a spring.
"Chris-senpai!"
"Come here for a second."
"Yes!"
Without a second thought, Eijun grabbed his tray and ran off after Chris.
Ryosuke watched his retreating back, his smile never fading.
"He sure moves fast."
Haruichi gave a small nod.
"Yeah."
The two brothers remained silent for a few seconds.
Then Ryosuke spoke up unexpectedly.
"He seems closer to Chris lately."
"Yeah."
"I’m a little jealous."
Haruichi looked up at his brother.
"..."
Then, he offered a very faint smile.
"Me too."
Ten minutes later.
Eijun bounded back, beaming with excitement.
"Ryosuke-senpai! Harucchi! Chris-senpai just showed me a new grip!"
Ryosuke smiled.
"Is that so?"
"That’s great!"
"Show us tomorrow during practice."
"Will do!"
Eijun pulled out a chair, preparing to sit down.
Except...
The chair next to Ryosuke had already been pulled close to his own side.
Meanwhile...
Haruichi had also smoothly pulled out the chair next to himself.
"Sit here."
Ryosuke offered a gentle smile.
"No."
"Sit next to me."
Haruichi stayed completely calm.
"But I asked him first."
"I'm the older brother."
"That doesn't matter."
"..."
"..."
Two identical smiles turned toward Eijun.
He froze on the spot.
"I... I..."
"Which side should I sit on?!"
Kuramochi held his stomach, laughing.
"The idiot’s trapped between two foxes."
Miyuki smirked.
"And he doesn't even realize he's the cause."
Finally...
Eijun took a deep breath.
"Then..."
"I'll just sit right in the middle across from both of you!"
He quickly dragged the chair on the opposite side and sat down with a thud.
"Fair is fair!"
Ryosuke and Haruichi exchanged a look.
Both of them chuckled.
"Classic Eijun."
"Yeah."
"Only he would come up with a solution like that."
Eijun scratched his head, laughing innocently.
"That way nobody gets upset!"
At the next table, Kuramochi shook his head in exasperation.
"What a dummy."
Miyuki snorted out a laugh.
"He doesn't realize..."
"...those two aren't fighting over the chair."
Kuramochi raised an eyebrow.
"Then what are they fighting over?"
Miyuki looked over at Eijun, who was happily eating his food between the two Kominato brothers, completely oblivious.
"They're fighting over him."
Neither brother said a word to deny it.
There was only Eijun, chatting away cheerfully without a care in the world, totally unaware that in the eyes of the Kominato brothers, he had become a underclassman so special... that neither was willing to yield him to the other.