BUZZ BUZZ
"Good luck out there today man. I'll be watching closely to see how much you've improved."
Daichi read the email he received and smiled before placing his phone away in his bag. He turned his attention to his cleats, ensuring they were tied properly.
"Alright listen up." Coach Narukami addressed his players, banging on the door of the nearest locker to get their attention. It didn't take everyone long to turn their heads, showing just how much respect they had for the old coach.
"As you know, we're up against Koryo today. We've been over tactics this past week so I won't speak about this again. I want you all to trust each other out there and work together." He said passionately, his eyes moving over the players in front of him.
"Out of my almost 30 years of coaching High School baseball, this team is the best that I've ever coached. As long as we play like usual, I don't think there's anyone here that can stop us on the field."
The atmosphere within the locker room was somber, yet filled with a fierce determination.
"Captain, did you want to say anything to your team?" Coach Narukami asked, his eyes focused on a certain individual.
Daichi stood up promptly and made his way over to the coach before turning to his teammates. He saw the familiar faces of his teammates who were like family.
"This is just another game." Daichi announced, "Don't think about the stakes. Try to focus on playing as you usually do and no one will be able to stop us."
His words carried an unshakable confidence, as if nothing could change his mind.
"Bring it in."
Everyone moved forward, placing their hands in the center.
"Victory on 3!"
"1, 2, 3"
"VICTORY!"
The team shouted before making their way out of the locker room and heading through the tunnels towards the field. Upon reaching the field, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"TO~IN TO~IN"
A band began to play music, with large drums beating, adding to the electricity in the stadium. Despite the game not starting yet, things were already loud.
Daichi wore a serious expression as he ran out, leading his team. This was his 3rd Summer Koshien, so none of this was new to him. After winning both the Summer and Spring Koshien last year, he had a lot of expectations on his shoulders as the Captain.
As they began to get the warm up drills started, Kouichi tapped him on the shoulder. "Erm, Diachi… Why is your face in the crowd?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Daichi replied in question.
He turned, only to see his friend pointing towards the 1st base side of the field.
"EH!?" Daichi's eyes widened as he saw a giant cutout of his face attached to a wooden signpost. The photo looked to be a couple of years old, judging by the baby fat still on his cheeks.
A wave of embarrassment and incredulity threatened to overwhelm him, but it was quickly replaced with annoyance. "Just who is the bastard who made this sign?"
He jogged towards the big sign, leaving Kouichi behind who seemed amused.
"Oi, would you mind putting that away? It's very distracting." Daichi called out. But it seemed the person holding the sign either didn't hear him, or ignored him completely.
'This bastard…'
Daichi was forced to walk all the way over to the barrier and call out. "Please put that away before I call security." He said.
"NOPE, you'll have to take it off me yourself." A voice replied from behind his giant face, filled with teasing.
Daichi felt his eye twitch uncontrollably and was about to call for security. But just before this, the sign was lowered, revealing a handsome face with thick eyebrows and a chiseled jaw.
"Huh?"
Feeling as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, Daichi rubbed them briefly before looking once more. However, it was still his brother's smiling face staring back at him.
"Ken!? Is that really you?" He asked in disbelief.
"Hehehe." Ken laughed cheekily, sending him a wink. "Of course it's me, you think any other person would pay 10,000 yen to print a giant sign with your ugly mug on it?"
Daichi hardly heard the words that were directed at him, his mind blanking in that moment. Before he knew it, he'd already jumped over the barricade and entered the crowd.
He pulled Ken into a tight bear hug, embracing him.
Ken's expression softened a little, patting him on the back. "It's good to see you too bro." He said smilingly.
"How are you here?" Diachi mumbled, his face buried into Ken's shoulder.
"I thought I'd come surprise you and Ai since it's summer break." Ken replied.
Finally after a few more moments, Daichi moved back, holding Ken at arms length. "You should have told me you idiot."
"And miss out on your reaction to my sign? Nahhh." Ken quipped wearing a mischievous grin.
"Hi Daichi." Ai said, waving from beside Ken.
"Oh, hey Ai…" Daichi was a little surprised, but he suddenly realized that he was about to play in a game. He could even feel the burning gaze of his coach drilling into his back at this moment.
"Damn, I better go warm up otherwise the coach will kill me. Let's catch up tonight after the game." He said, taking one last look at Ken.
"Mmm, don't lose."
Daichi turned around and raised his hand, acknowledging that he heard what Ken said. With a light heart, he jumped the barricade and returned to the field to warm up with his teammates.
"What was that all about?" Kouichi asked. From his distance, he still wasn't able to make out who Daichi was talking to.
"That was Ken. He decided to surprise me." Daichi replied with a small smile.
"EH!? Didn't you say he moved to America with your family?"
"Mmm. But it's also summer break over there apparently. Anyway, get your head in the game, we'll be starting shortly."