Devilish (Diamond no Ace)

Budding Rivalry

Hana left her normal lonely table after finishing post-practice dinner. However, on the way out she noticed her favorite dog and couldn't possibly resist the urge to torment him.

"Eat like a human being, you're making a mess."

Sawamura paused in his chewing as a chill ran down his spine. He slowly turned his head to the right to face his fellow first year. Memories of the blonde fiend landing roundhouse kicks on his back flooded his brain, permanently scarred after she sniffed him out for having not gone watch the first-string game and given himself a break.

"I amf eaphinf limfe a hu—ajsdlgkjasdgljasldkgj"

In the midst of his retort, the poor wannabe pitcher ended up choking on the globs of food he had been shoveling into his mouth.

Hana hands him a glass of water with a deadpan expression on her face. She then sat down next to him only to swing her hand at his back, whacking him as he's trying to settle down with his coughing fit.

"OW!"

Sawamura's amber eyes glared at the pale girl while she grinned up at him. Finding amusement in having used a tad too much strength.

With a final look, he returned to inhaling his bowl of rice before someone else decided to interrupt his previously peaceful dinner.

"What do you know, you're eating now. You were throwing up on the first day." Miyuki smirked at Sawamura, not yet registering the presence of Seidou's biggest first-year troublemaker.

Eijun flushed in embarrassment as Miyuki sat down at the empty seat to his left.

"You youngsters are lucky you grow up so fast."

"Shut up," Sawamura mumbled to the glasses-wearing male.

"You've gotta chew more. It's bad to just swallow."

Eijun finally looked up and noticed the tense atmosphere of the canteen.

"Everyone's so quiet. Did something happen?"

"Hm? You haven't heard? The first years and upperclassmen are having a game."

"WHAT?!" Eijun lifted Miyuki by the collar of his shirt, roughly shaking him back and forth, "I haven't heard anything about that! Can I play? CAN I?!?!!?"

"Ummm, dude...I'm an upperclassman."

Sawamura froze as he felt something clawed poke his back. There was only one person that elicited this kind of instinctual fear.

"Drop it."

Unusually silent and without complaint, the first-year male dropped the upperclassman and immediately sat back down in his own seat.

Miyuki smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt while curiously glancing at Sawamura's stiff, almost trembling form. If he squinted he could see the beads of cold sweat peppered over the younger boy's tan skin.

The catcher leaned his body forward to peer past Sawamura's form, eager to see just what could have caused the normally boisterous male to become a shivering Chihuahua.

One blink.

Two blinks.

Amber and dark red finally connected as Miyuki finally noticed the fact that Hana had been there all along, casually watching the spectacle with her cheek propped on her palm.

"Oh, you're the student coach." 'That isn't even allowed in the dugout.'

"And you're the main catcher." 'Who lost quite easily to me.'