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The whole of Inashiro baseball team, first string, second string and all who wants to listen and understand knew.
Ace pitcher Narumiya Mei has a crush.
They all came to know this when they realized they’ve been an outlet for Mei’s daily dose of Sawamura Eijun trivia that Carlos could even bet that all of Inashiro kids knew Sawamura Eijun like an acquaintance now.
“So hear this, Carlos,” Mei called haughtily but he still looked, anyway. “Eijun knows senryu!”
They were currently chilling out on their canteen after dinner and Mei’s been in his mobile.
Carlos sees his friend with this look on his face like he’s genuinely proud about something as he seemingly think of something to reply, his tongue between his teeth.
Carlos smirks.
This is normal. This has become normal in the past weeks.
The first time he first mentioned the kid, loudly at that, the players running with him almost tripped on their own foot because Mei, known for his disregard to know someone’s name if he deemed him insignificant, actually said ‘you know that loud kid from Seido, Sawamura Eijun…’
For Mei to know the whole name of the kid, the team deemed him worthy enough to remember.
He never stopped talking about the kid then, Carlos would know, he’s always with Mei.
*
First came the unnecessary complaints.
Unnecessary because Mei doesn’t really have to complain about anything Sawamura Eijun-related.
He couldn’t get the kid out of his mouth.
There’s this one time Mei complained to Carlos about the kid, biting off his cream bun almost forcefully, as he placed the grocery bag on the table.
(‘I saw that Sawamura kid again,’ he said and he chewed rather childishly. ‘That’s why he’s been throwing junk balls. He’s picking out video games! He should practice more!’)
There’s also that time when they went to the shopping district. When Masa-san let him go on his own, Mei came back with a frown and a pout.
(‘Say, Masa-san can you believe that Sawamura just called my name just like that? Without honorifics? He doesn’t respect me at all! I even helped him pick up those blasted bats he dropped!’)
*
When they’ve seen subtle changes in Mei’s… overall character, they knew. Rather, they’ve confirmed their suspicions.
He came back one time, gloomy like the weather, the players looking bothered by the lack of his usual haughtiness and loudness.
By his fifteenth sigh, Masa-san decided to ask the reason.
Mei resumed the most troubled expression they’ve ever seen that the team collectively gasped.
(‘Sawamura got wet because of the rain.’
The whole team groaned, then.
‘And he did not even look at me. Is he angry at me?’)
*
If someone asked the Inashiro kids if they knew Mei’s favorite animal, they’ll say a lion. Because it’s the king.
‘Fitting for a King like me.’
(The team will point out Mei’s numerous lion plush toys and stickers.)
So it did not came as a surprise when Mei determined to get another plush toy from the arcade.
(‘I’m getting that lion plush!’)
They split up when they got to the shopping district and Mei left them with bursting excitement that Masa-san almost never let him go off alone. When they met up after an hour, the all-smiles Mei came back with a pout, flustered and lacking of lion plush.
(‘Did you lose?’
‘No.’
‘Did you lose your money?’
Mei looks at Masa-san, then. The look of complete defeat.
‘I met Ei—Sawamura.’)
*
After their match with Seido, Mei, with tear tracks on his face, excused himself and went to the restroom. Katsuyuki and Masa-san held Carlos back when he bolted up to join him saying ‘idiot, give him space.’
So when Mei took too long to return that even Katsuyuki got worried, they went out to find him. After all, Mei’s directionally challenged and with a temper as fickle as him and the natural displeasure of other teams to him, he’s bound to run in to trouble.
They saw Sawamura slouching off out of the bathroom, his back even looks understandably upset. Opening the door, they saw Mei looking at his phone guiltily, a look they did not understand at the time.
*
The messaging came next, with Mei holding his mobile all the time except during his bullpen sessions, batting practice.
The inevitable Sawamura Eijun facts came even more so than before.
‘He’s from Nagano!’
‘They’ve got a farm!’
‘See this, he can play the piano!’
(‘And I can sing. I wonder how we would sound…’)
‘Hey! Eijun says they have horses!’
(Carlos swears he heard a collective whiplash when the team turned to look at him.
‘Eijun?’)
*
Then there’s this one time when Masa-san sat Mei up to lecture him the importance of throwing with a limit as he caught him sneaking practice before the morning practice officially starts with three crates of baseballs already empty.
(‘Why were you even awake at five a.m.? The practice does not start till eight!’)
Mei whined. That’s not strange; Mei whines a lot. What’s strange is the obvious distress, the most troubled look and the most vulnerable they have seen him, lining his face.
“Eijun says he can’t pitch.”
They looked at him, then. With surprise, incredulity and confusion.
The few weeks that passed show them incredible… amount of emotions from Mei than they’ve ever seen the past two years. For the Inashiro kids, Mei is someone who is the top, superclass Ace pitcher they could’ve ever asked to have playing with them. Mei is someone that’s dubbed as the tyrant of the mound because of his unfaltering attack to take the hopes and dreams out of others’ reach. Mei’s the selfish, stubborn, inconsiderate, most childish person they could’ve had the misfortune to meet.
(Though, Carlos would admit, that at times, Mei will display some sort of concern to players he deemed necessary enough for the team’s success.)
So that’s the reason they were unsettled.
Because why would a diva like Mei trouble himself with someone else? Let alone someone from other team.
Fuku-chan, sitting beside Masa-san, muttered something about a practice match and Mei all but shouted he wanted to watch it.
Mei did so with utmost attention. Carlos did not really pay the game that much attention as he watched Mei instead and he knows that he’s not the only one doing so, judging by Masa-san’s side glances and Katsuyuki’s blatant stare at Mei with his eyebrows constantly up (Carlos was afraid his face must freeze up after two hours).
After watching, Mei jumped up muttering something about texting ‘Eijun’, but Carlos may be mistaken as he muttered it softly, but Masa-san grabbed him by his collar, holding him back.
“I’m sure you already have an idea,” he started. “But I don’t want you sticking your nose to their business.”
Mei deflated and that continued on to the evening.
Carlos thought that would be the end of it.
*
He was wrong.
Some nights later, as he minds his own business doing his homework, Carlos jumped when his door opened forcefully, banging on the wall.
“Carlos, bat for me!”
Carlos looked up and saw Mei by the door with Katsuyuki holding up Mei’s DSLR camera.
Here we go again, Carlos thinks as he sighed.
He wouldn’t even pretend he doesn’t know what for. Of course he’ll send it to Sawamura-kun.
He looked himself at the mirror making sure he’s presentable.
*
When they lost to Ugumori, Carlos couldn’t even look at Mei.
Carlos’ conception of Mei is this strong mountain that cannot be moved. So he couldn’t bear hearing his cries let alone to look at Mei when he broke down. So whenever Mei isolates himself every time they lose, Carlos couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved so he doesn’t have to see him in such state and sometimes he joins their betting pools of when Mei will end his self-isolation.
So when they saw Mei already out and about saying something like ‘I’ve no time to be depressed.’ Carlos could only smirk and Katsuyuki glared instead, muttering furiously.
Only after dinner did their newly appointed Captain Fukui recounted the story of how he almost got a heart attack when he saw Mei, known for being a sore loser and for his self-imposed isolation after losing a game, running the fields in the dark.
Fukui, smiling wistfully, told the team they’ve got a lot of training to do, enough to lift up the pressure on Mei’s shoulder, so that the team will shine even brighter on the mound and in the diamond.
They wondered what could be the reason of the revitalized determination in Mei’s eyes.
*
Weekends in Inashiro is no stranger to missing teammates and laidback members. Weekend practices in Inashiro is half of that of the weekdays practice menu that allows them time to frolic around in addition of their day off during Sundays.
It’s not odd for people to go to play out of Inashiro grounds but it is odd to see Mei going out without demanding someone, right now it was Itsuki, to come with him.
Carlos asked him one time what could his business be only for Mei to snap at him with his distinct haughtiness that grates on Carlos’ nerves.
His inquiry was answered when Fuku-chan and Itsuki, who’d gone out for scouting by themselves, returned to Inashiro with Mei.
(‘Mei-san, you could’ve just told us!’
‘Idiot Itsuki! My reputation will go down the drain if I’m seen with you!’
‘Mei-san…’)
It turned out Mei caused a racket watching a game of Seido and Ugumori.
To others, they’ll see it as Mei being bitter enough to watch a game of Ugumori, but for the Inashiro kids, it’s different.
It’s not Ugumori he wasted his time for to watch. It’s Seido.
Of course, it would be about Sawamura-kun, again.
*
It’ll all be about Sawamura Eijun.
It shouldn’t be a surprise.
Well, now that they know better, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore.
*
So now going back, Mei telling him about Eijun knowing senryu with a face painfully eager as he waits for a reply.
With all the changes in Mei, Carlos could definitely say Sawamura has a part in it, however small or big that part is and whether both Mei and Sawamura knows it or not.
So when Mei dropped his head to his hands and whined with this ominous expression on his face, Carlos quickly looked over to read the message Sawamura-kun sent.
From: Sawamura Eijun
20:07 I’m gonna work hard
So that I can show you up
Narumiya Mei.
Carlos looks at Mei, then, a face of a defeated person.
Mei is ridiculous.
So he says,
“Come on, let’s just play video games.”
(You’re ridiculous.
You don’t know your own feelings,
Narumiya Mei.
Carlos laughs mentally.)
Well, all of Inashiro kids knew of Mei’s crush, anyway so it’ll be fine.
They’ll keep Mei’s crush.