Chapter Text
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When Rei offered him a tour of Seidou High, Kazuya didn't expect much. All he knew was that the school lacked a true ace, a pitcher who could take them to Koshien.
But as soon as the recruiter mentioned Sawamura Eijun, a brilliant catcher with daring calls, Kazuya took the bait.
The young pitcher doesn't know much about Seidou's valued catcher. He had only heard of the boy from the monthly baseball magazines and, surprisingly, Mei. The blonde often contacted him to complain about a certain “Ei-san” not accepting his proposal to attend Inashiro.
However, when Rei added how the boy could make pitchers uneasy due to how risky his calls can be in crucial moments, Kazuya took it upon himself to meet the catcher in person.
That's how he ends up standing next to Rei, eyes wandering around the field in search of a specific someone while only half-listening to the taller woman.
Seriously, where is he? Isn’t he the regular catcher?
"Miyuki-kun? Do you have any-"
"Hey, you stupid pitcher! What kind of cowardly pitch was that?! Are you looking down on me?"
Flinching from the booming voice that interrupted Rei, Kazuya glances at the source of the sound. He then sees a batter with a large belly pointing a bat at a panting pitcher in gallons of sweat.
"That wasn’t even good enough for practice!" shouts the batter, his brows furrowing closely. "If you’re not even going to try, go back to your little farmhouse! I'm losing my edge when it comes to dillweed pitchers like you!"
Who's that? And why is he being so harsh on that pitcher?
"That's Kiyokuni Azuma, third year," Rei starts, pointing at the angry batter. "So far in high school, he has hit 42 home runs due to his top-notch batting skills. He’s currently a contender for this year’s draft," the scout continues, eyeing the boy next to her for any reaction.
Draft, eh? Not bad, if not for his attitude.
Kazuya whistles as the ball travels far toward center field after a strong swing by the older man.
"What a lame reply that was! How did you even come this far, being so weak? Someone get him out of here!" Azuma pulls his eyes away from the humiliated pitcher and scans the area for any other pitchers who can hopefully give him actual practice.
"That went too far, Azuma-san! Nori has always been pushing himself to do his best!"
That face!
Kazuya's amber eyes twinkle with interest at the arrival of a boy who can boldly speak up against the scary third-year.
It’s him.
Sawamura Eijun.
Rei smirks as she notices the younger’s abrupt reaction to the catcher's appearance. An idea immediately comes to her mind to make this day a little more memorable.
"Azuma-kun! Eijun! Come here for a moment!" Kazuya whips his head toward the woman in shock, wondering why she has called the bickering two.
"Rei-chan! What can Azuma-san and this Sawamura Eijun do for you?" asks the lefty, eyes glinting with curiosity at the unexpected call after trotting to them with Azuma trailing behind.
Rei chuckles fondly at the energetic boy before shifting her gaze to the third-year. "Say, Azuma-kun. Would you like to try facing a pitcher known for getting every hitter on the other team out?" The air suddenly feels considerably hotter than earlier as Azuma starts to laugh hysterically.
"Alright, brat. Let's see your reaction when I hit your pitches far across the field!" The older sneers as he returns to the batter's box, prepping to shoot any good pitch out of the park.
The middle schooler observes Azuma as the man swings his bat with a boisterous laugh, dwelling on what Rei’s possibly thinking to challenge the other.
"Ahahaha! Isn't this exciting? Hey Rei-chan, may I catch for him?"
Kazuya's mouth drops open at the prospect of forming a battery with the famous catcher so soon. He glances at Rei with eyes pleading for her to grant them the chance.
The woman stifles a giggle at the younger’s sparkling eyes. "Sure. I was about to request you anyway. Go put on your gear." Dismissing Eijun, she turns and motions for Kazuya to follow her, which prompts a raised eyebrow from him. "You can’t play baseball in a hoodie and some sweatpants now, can you? Let's go get you a more suitable outfit."
And now, he’s standing on Seidou’s mound in their baseball uniform, playing catch with none other than Sawamura Eijun.
"Okay! That should be enough warming up." Returning the ball to the pitcher, the catcher jogs onto the mound. "So, Miyuki Kazuya. What kind of balls do you throw?"
"Four-seamer, change-up, and if lucky, maybe a splitter?" Kazuya's voice decreases volume when he mentions splitter, making the lefty tilt his head in confusion.
"Maybe? What do you mean?" Eijun questions, unconsciously taking a step closer to the pitcher in intrigue.
"For some reason, my splitter won’t drop as much as it should. It nearly always stays up, making my splitter look similar to a typical fastball." Kazuya sighs, his body tensing up as recollections of the split-finger fastballs didn't turn out the way he wanted them to flash through his mind.
“Pfft. Seriously?” An arm swiftly wraps itself around his shoulders, followed by a chortle.
"You’re looking a little too uptight, Miyuki-kun! Relax. It doesn’t matter whether you have a splitter or not. We’re taking down that monster together!" Eijun says to the younger, smiling encouragingly. "Besides, I know all of Azuma-san’s habits. Leave the leading up to me!"
"How do I know if I should trust your calls or not?" voices the pitcher, who immediately regrets it as the other’s face alters into something more serious. Kazuya swears he caught a glimmer of gold in the pair of eyes in front of him.
"Do you know what the best kind of pitching is, Miyuki Kazuya?" Eijun diverts his gaze toward the batter's box, where the impatient third-year is. "It's when both the pitcher and the catcher come together as one to create a work of art," he finishes, the corners of his plump lips lifting back up.
"As one?" Kazuya repeats, to which the older nods in response.
"Yeah! I’ll pull out all your strength, so trust my mitt and throw your best." The freshman winks as he faces the astonished pitcher. "What do you say? Do you want to create that work of art with me, future-ace?" The southpaw grins as his eyes illuminate to a golden color, taking the amber-eyed boy’s breath away.
"Yeah?" Kazuya stammers both from awe and bewilderment, causing the older to chuckle in amusement.
"Alright! Let’s do this, partner!" Eijun beams, mitt thumping against the pitcher’s chest before walking back towards Azuma.
Partner?
Kazuya feels his heart picking up a pace, possibly from excitement. Or perhaps, something more?
He doesn’t know.
"Oh wait! One last thing!" the catcher yells before running back onto the mound, startling the pitcher. "Can you control the pitches?"
"Yeah, anywhere you want. My only issue is the splitter," Kazuya answers, unintentionally widening the older’s eager smile.
"Great! 1 for four-seam, 2 for change-up, 3 for splitter, note that." The southpaw quickly holds out the fingers for each sign before retreating to behind home plate, squatting in preparation for the upcoming pitch.
Wait, he’s still going to call for the splitter?!
At the sight of Kazuya’s wide eyes staring at him, Eijun smirks and nods.
Of course we will. Succeed or not, we’re in this together.
When Azuma's ready in his batting stance, the catcher positions his mitt and signs for the first ball.
Is he for real?
A splitter to the middle, outside corner.
What on earth is he thinking?
Eijun raises an eyebrow as he notices the younger's hesitation.
You trust me, don't you?
Kazuya shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them and nodding at his partner's call.
Yes, I do.
Checking his grip once more to ensure everything’s in place, the pitcher begins to wind up. His left leg rises high before he stomps it hard onto the ground. With a whip-like motion of his arm, he releases the ball.
Bam.
Music to my ears.
"Good eye, Azuma-san! That was a ball," Eijun exclaims while glancing up at the fourth batter with a cheeky smile, making the other tut.
"What kind of ball is that? If that’s all he got, don’t mind if I hit it far away!" The southpaw calls for a timeout as Azuma snickers.
"Don’t worry, Azuma-san. We won't let you." The underclassman winks before heading toward the pitcher.
"Your splitter is not bad, but you're putting too much backspin on the ball, which causes it to stay up like a normal fastball instead of sinking at home plate. Can you show me how you gripped the ball?" Eijun hands Kazuya a ball, and he does as told. "Your grip's theoretically correct, so there's nothing wrong with that. I suspect the wrist's the main issue here." The catcher grabs the pitcher's wrist and gives it a light squeeze. "Keep your wrist stiff when throwing the ball, at least stiffer than when throwing a fastball," the older nods in satisfaction as he feels the younger stiffen his wrist as instructed.
"That's it! However, even though your wrist needs to be tense, try not to grip the ball too hard, just enough to deliver a good pitch." Releasing the wrist, Eijun taps twice on the back of Kazuya's pitching hand. "In short, the keys here are stiff wrist and loose grip. You may even throw your first actual splitter if you give it a try!" The high schooler sends the other a broad smile and raises his mitt.
"Let’s take that monster down, partner!" At those words, the younger can't help but thump his mitt with the other, his toothy grin matching the boy in front of him, his eyes shining with determination.
You’re fascinating, Sawamura-san.
"That’s a great look on you, Miyuki Kazuya! Keep that up!" shouts Eijun as he jogs back to his place before crouching down, positioning his mitt to a low, outside corner while holding out a finger.
I want to be your battery partner.
At the sight of his mitt, his call, and his golden eyes, Kazuya nods before winding up.
I want to be with you.
On that hot summer day, Miyuki Kazuya struck Seidou’s fourth batter out with nine pitches after forming a battery with a genius catcher named Sawamura Eijun.