Baseball and the Azure Blue Sky

Chapter 16: A surprise for the Baseball Idiots

It was the 22nd December and the Sunday before the one week of hellish winter training camp would start and Sora was sitting down with the three female managers of the team and also the only already retired girl manager who was the only third year. With them in their discussion and planning on a phone call was Tomo-chan, Sora's boss and manager of the cosplay café the blue haired girl was working in. They were making plans together for Christmas since the young girl had noticed that it would fall into the week of training camp and because she was too stubborn to accept the fact that there wouldn't be a Christmas party for the baseball team. There had to be at least some kind of small event! The guys were always working so hard, they just deserved to have a nice Christmas. And also the coach, Takashima-sensei and the rest of the staff and of course all the third years would be invited as well since they had promised to come and help out with practice.

"So, we will hold it on the evening of the 25th?" Umemoto Sachiko, an energetic girl in second year with brown haired pigtails asked and looked at her notes on her clipboard while her best friend Natsukawa Yui, a cute and short haired fellow second year nodded along eagerly.

"Yes, we will have the cakes, the chocolates, the cookies, the decorations and the tree ready by then, I hope", the clumsy but loveable first year manager Yoshikawa Haruno answered, plugging a strand of her reddish brown hair behind her ear.

"And I will be sure to bring all the retired third years along as well", Fujiwara Takako, the beautiful dark haired third year senpai assured her kouhais with a captivating smile.

"Great, then we will help out with the catering. I'm really sorry that we don't have more time and staff available to make a big and fancy Christmas cake for you guys. I'll leave the cakes to the manager girlies, so you can count on us with the cookies and the chocolates for the whole lot of your team. You just gotta pick 'em up, we can't deliver to Seidou unfortunately. Sora-cha... er- uhm... I mean -kun, you're gonna drop by and lend us a hand, right?" Tomoko chirped through the phone.

"Yes, of course. I'll just have to get up very early for baking, but I guess that one day won't be much of a problem even if it's training camp. I think I won't be able to feel my body anyway in that one week, so no harm done", the blue haired girl half-joked and made a face. "And I'm gonna ask Takashima-sensei and President Oota because of the tree. We can't possibly organize that on our own, no matter how hard we try. Besides, we'll need permission for using the cafeteria anyway and I'll have to inform them that I will be gone so early in the morning to help in the café. Can't do that in secret again or else coach's gonna fry me this time. And Kaz and Mochi too"

The managers and Tomoko started chuckling and agreed on Sora's suggestions.

"Will you bring Eijun-kun along to help you with the wagon?" the café manager asked and Sora hummed thoughtfully.

"I'd rather make it a surprise for him too, but I'm gonna need a second pair of hands to pull that thing if we want to put all the sweets for the whole team in there, I guess"

Everybody nodded in affirmation, the female managers secretly glad that the blue head was reacting rationally for once.

"Hey, how about I organize a karaoke machine for the evening? I know someone who could lend it to us for one night only", Umemoto suggested and of course they all agreed instantly, so it was added to the to-do list.

"Then I'm gonna be in charge for the drinks again like last time", Natsukawa added. "Haruno, help me carrying?"

"Sure!" Yoshikawa nodded her head and pumped her fists excitedly.

"Alright, so me and Sora will go and buy the ingredients for the cakes and we managers will meet up on the 24th to prepare them for the next day while Sora has training camp with the other guys and will go to help Tomoko-san and his colleagues at the café early in the morning of the 25th. The party will be held in the evening on the same day, so we will have to make sure to have everything ready by then. Also the managers will be in charge for decorating and preparing the cafeteria for the party without anyone noticing in advance", Fujiwara concluded with a satisfied smile.