Baseball and the Azure Blue Sky

Chapter 17: Christmas with the Baseball Idiots

After a very quick bath, Sora and Sawamura split up into different directions. Since the managers were busy with decorating the cafeteria and getting the food, the cakes, the drinks and the dishes from the kitchen, Takashima and Oota were helping with the Christmas tree, Fujiwara was gone to drag the third years along and very surprisingly coach Kataoka and his co-coach Ochiai had offered to lend a hand with the electricity, the karaoke machine and the music in general, Sawamura had agreed to somehow lure the rest of the first and second string teams to the party and Sora was collecting the cookies and chocolates from the cosplay café from the kitchen to distribute them.

Since unfortunately the cafeteria wouldn't be able to provide space for more than hundred people all at once, the secret party was only for first and second string members who were considered in the team, so the blue haired girl had pity with the non-string teammates and was putting one of the little present bags with sweets in each of their lockers in the school building to surprise them at least a tiny little bit.

When she was done, she took the rest with her back to the party to continue her gift giving there as well. She was kinda disappointed that she hadn't thought of making a Santa costume. That would've been a perfect opportunity to wear one. Sadly she wouldn't have had time or any energy left to sew something anyway, so she had to cope with sweets in little present bags which she was transporting in the small wagon from Tomo-chan.

Back in the cafeteria, Sora was the last one to arrive, of course, since she had been busy with her task. The party had already begun, everyone was assembled and having fun. The blue haired girl's face instantly lit up with a bright and genuine smile seeing her teammates so festive, even though especially the first-string members still had to endure the consequences of their hell camp.

To her big surprise, the club's president Oota was standing on a small improvisational stage and performing a song with the karaoke machine while some of the students were giddily cheering for him and the assistant coach Ochiai was wearing a colorful party hat despite looking rather grumpy altogether. Coach Kataoka and Takashima had grouped together with him, standing slightly at the side and the adults were observing their players like they would during practice. Sora sighed. Some habits wouldn't even change on Christmas it seemed.

Natsukawa and Fujiwara were presenting a really beautiful cake to the retired third years and Isashiki blushed and had to hide his joy over the fact that they had been invited to the party and even got offered their own food from the managers while his fellow soon to be graduates could at least pull themselves together to say their thanks properly.

Yoshikawa had some problems to keep a fuming Umemoto away from a cockily smirking Miyuki who had a plate with a piece of cake in his hands and Sora could only guess that his comment on the affectionately prepared cake from the manager girls hadn't been much of a praise. Sora facepalmed. Why the hell did he even bother to eat it if he didn't like sweets? He could just say something after all... Not that anybody would force him! Just his own way of appreciating the managers work, but of course they wouldn't know that with his snarky remarks. Such a tsundere!

Most of the other boys were flocking around the table with the food and the drinks and some of them were toasting with their juice. The atmosphere was truly lighthearted and comfy. The young girl was glad that her idea had been a success. She cleared her throat, still standing at the entrance with her presents.

"Gift giving time, you guys!" she cheered with a loud and happy voice, beaming at her teammates and waving them over with one hand. "Merry Christmas!"

"Soraaaa! There you are!" Sawamura shouted back with excitement in his loud and booming voice as always. "Mission completed! It's a great success! As expected of our grade skipping genius. He has the best ideas ever!"