On the training field, everyone was going through a bunch of drills with the setting sun on their back. Since it was spring, the air was beginning to warm up with the approach of summer.
The teens dripped with sweat as they called out to each other, working on their skills and unity as a team.
Coach Hanada’s expression was graced with his usual poker face as he watched his team practice with the assistant coaches. However, judging by the metronome-like tapping of his pen on the clipboard, it was clear that he was anxious about something.
His eyes continuously moved between two students amongst the training drills. One was a tall and long-limbed teen with a serious expression and the other was average height, yet his body looked to be filled with power.
He saw the face of the latter wince for a moment after bending down to pick up a ground ball in stride, however he quickly hid his expression a moment later and threw the ball back to the player on base.
“Haaaahh” The coach let out a deep sigh, feeling a bad taste in his mouth.
‘I hope it’s not as serious as Ken says.’
First and foremost, Seiji Hanada was focused on providing a safe, fun and competitive environment for players to enjoy their school lives. Of course he also wanted to coach a team that could aim for nationals.
While he liked to think of himself as a good coach, his real skill was evaluating talents. Something that had been honed through his 15 year tenure in professional baseball clubs.
Which was why he instantly saw the 3 shining stars of the new batch of first years. The blinding Ken, the steady Shiro and the dark star Yusuke.
His eyes set upon the talented youngster who seemed to be shrouded, as if something was preventing him from living up to his full potential. The coach always felt there was something, but he could never put his finger on it.
However, now that Ken had pointed it out, it was staring him right in the face. He’d only been watching Yusuke for a few minutes before he could already see winces of pain, or a slight hobble during movements.
“Okay nice work everyone!” The coach yelled out, getting everyones attention.
Hearing the coaches voice, some people let out sighs of relief while others didn’t seem satisfied just yet. Surprisingly, Akira was one of the players who didn’t feel as if training was long enough.
Ken turned his attention to the coach, hoping that he would take heed of his words earlier that afternoon. However he felt confident. After all, the man that he knew in his previous life would never let a student play and risk his entire future.
“Let’s do some stretches and cool down before we head home. Find a partner and work together.”
Shiro as usual gravitated towards Ken.
“Yusuke, I’ll be your partner.” The coach said, heading over to a corner of the field.
Yusuke was surprised, however he still agreed and followed shortly after. They had yet to officially nominate the starting team, so he was hopeful that the coach wanted to talk to him about this.
Ken stood in place, watching the two before letting out a sigh.
After completing his stretches, Ken turned only to see Yusuke with his head down, still listening to the coach. The coach stood up and patted him gently on the shoulder before walking off, his poker face once again plastered on.
As the instigator of the situation, Ken felt rather guilty, however he believed that Yusuke would be thankful for this in the future.
Just as he was about to retreat to the locker room, he saw Yusuke walking over towards him.
“Let’s talk over here.” Ken said, without letting him speak.
A look of surprise appeared on his face before realization suddenly hit. The look in Ken’s face told him that he already knew something, did that mean he was the one who ratted him out to the coach?
A burst of anger assaulted his psyche, causing him to grit his teeth and clench his fists. However, he still followed Ken to the edge of the field.
When they finally arrived, Ken turned around and stared at Yusuke who looked as if he was about to snap.
“What is it you wanna talk about?” Ken’s face was void of expression, almost looking disinterested.
This only served to piss Yusuke off even more.
“Was it you? Did you tell the coach that I have an injured knee?”
The words were full of emotion, portraying the betrayal that he felt in that moment.
“And if it was?”
“Y-You!”
Without warning, Yusuke grabbed onto the front of Ken’s uniform and pushed him back into the fence. Thanks to his height, Ken could still see the boy’s expression, one of hurt and frustration.
“What gives you the right to do such a thing? Why has the coach barred me from the club until I get approval from a doctor?”
He didn’t wait for Ken to respond before continuing to yell at him. “Tell me… Do you feel so threatened that I might outshine you that you would sabotage me like this? TELL ME!”
The commotion seemed to attract the attention of all the other players, causing them to turn to their direction. Coach Hanada also saw what was happening and was about to yell out, however he stopped after seeing Ken raise a hand in his direction, waving him off.
“Is that what you really think Yusuke?”
Ken’s deep voice broke the silence, barely audible above the warm afternoon breeze.
Instead of continuing to yell, Yusuke felt his eyes tear up in frustration as he held onto Ken’s shirt like a vice grip. He stared right into the calm and seemingly uncaring face of Ken, his mind in turmoil.
“No…” He finally uttered, loosening his grip and dropping his head.
Seeing this, Ken relaxed a little. After the outburst, Yusuke must have been feeling drained.
“Good.”
Ken straightened the creases on his uniform and looked up at the crowd that was staring his way. He shot them a glare, essentially telling them to mind their own business.