***
"Daichi! Look alive."
"Y-Yes coach!"
Daichi was in the middle of another grueling practice for Osaka, running laps around the field to finish their work out.
For some reason, it felt like the coach was singling him out, leading to some dissatisfaction inside.
'We just won Koshien, why is he being so harsh with me?' He thought, gritting his teeth.
Having just lost his biological mother, Daichi sensed a feeling of emptiness within him. It was like there was a void inside of him that devoured everything in sight.
His happiness, motivation and fighting spirit.
Daichi sucked in large gasps of air as he completed the final stretch of the running they'd been tasked with. Feeling his whole body scream out for oxygen, he did his best to accommodate.
Yet while he was recovering, his mind felt numb.
'This isn't fun.'
A small voice appeared in the back of his mind, stating the obvious. No sane person would enjoy running over 20 laps around the baseball field, not now, not ever.
'Why am I suffering like this?'
Daichi's face turned up in annoyance, yet he was too tired to complain outwardly. He focused on getting his breathing under control, looking forward to when he could shower and head back to the dorms.
"Daichi, come here." The coach said, motioning him over.
It took a lot of restraint not to roll his eyes, but he ended up complying.
Coach Narukami let out an exasperated sigh. He had been a coach long enough to know when something was not right with a player, yet he never thought he'd need to have such a conversation with Daichi of all people.
Usually the guy was always enthusiastic at training, even getting angry at other players if they were slacking.
Yet as he looked at the teen now, he hardly recognized him.
"Daichi… I know you're going through a tough time right now, but I need to see more from you." Coach Narukami said, trying his best to sound understanding.
Though it seemed to have the opposite effect.
"More from me!?" Daichi replied, feeling his body heat up.
"We just won Koshien only 2 months ago, not to mention I helped our National Team win the Asian Championships. What else could you possibly want from me?"
The Coach was clearly not expecting this sort of attitude from Daichi, causing a tense silence to stretch out between them. Thankfully the other players were already on their way to the dorms, otherwise it would have made it worse.
Daichi seemed to have realized he had misspoken, yet he didn't try to correct himself.
"It's true that you are talented Daichi. But just because you have talent, doesn't mean you can stop giving it your all in practice. Half the time it feels like you're not fully present, it's starting to effect the others."
Coach Narukami decided to ignore the disrespectful tone, trying to reach the teen in front of him. Daichi was one of their best players, if he began to slack in practice, it could cause some friction within the team.
Since Osaka Toin had a lot of competition for the starting line up, playing Daichi when he was under performing would undermine the coach's status within the team.
Not to mention the effect it could have on the younger players.
Daichi clicked his tongue in annoyance, feeling some bitterness in his heart.
"I'm completing the training just fine. Perhaps your inflated expectations of me is to blame for your dissatisfaction."
He locked eyes with the coach, not backing down.
Coach Narukami was silent for a few moments, processing his words.
"Mmm, okay fair enough." He said simply.
Hearing this, Daichi nodded, turning his back and heading towards the dorms.
"I'm taking you out of the starting line up. Starting tomorrow you'll train with the 2nd team."
The coach's words caused Daichi to freeze in place for a moment before he balled his hands into fists. Yet in the next moment he continued towards the dorms, not turning back.
The Coach let out a deep sigh, shaking his head in disappointment. It was clear that the teen was going through a lot at the moment, but unfortunately he was left with no choice thanks to Daichi's attitude.
It was one thing not giving 100% in practice, but an entirely different matter disrespecting the Coach. While he could have cut Daichi a break and let it slide, it was not how he operated.
He watched the teen's retreating figure and lamented.
"If he doesn't shape up soon, he might never recover…" The coach muttered.
Daichi returned to his dorm and grabbed his phone right away, sitting on the ground against the wall. Usually he would go shower as soon as he finished practice, but he didn't want to see any of the other players right now.
"Mom? I want to come home…"
"Daichi dear, what's wrong? Of course you can come home any time." She responded right away.
The concern in her voice did well to help his mood.
"Okay I'll be home for dinner." He said and was about to hang up.
"Okay sweetie, travel safe. We love you."
…
"Mmm, love you too."
Beep Beep Beep
Daichi fought back the tears as he gripped his phone tightly.
"Who was that?" Chris asked, poking his head into the dining room.
Yuki turned to her husband with a worried expression on her face. "Daichi called, he's heading back home tonight."
Chris frowned.
"But it's only Thursday today? Doesn't he have class tomorrow?"
However, Yuki didn't care about such things, not when her motherly instincts were letting her know something was wrong.
"I'm home!" A voice shouted from the door, causing both Chris and Yuki to look in the direction.
Ken stepped into the house and saw both his parents looking at him. He could tell that something was weird.
"Ah… What happened?" He asked suspiciously.
"Have you talked to your brother lately?" Yuki asked, her tone sounding a little like an interrogation.
"Um, no?" Ken replied, feeling a little guilty. This was exacerbated by the look his mother was giving him.