After a few days of settling in, Sora got accustomed to her new way of living and developed a solid everyday routine for herself. She would have breakfast with the rest of her teammates, attend morning practice if there was any, go to her classes with Kawakami, Kuramochi and Miyuki, spend lunch break either with her classmates or with the other first years if Sawamura came and picked her up after his own lessons, in the afternoons she would have baseball practice with the second string until dinner and after that she had made it a habit to accompany Sawamura with his late individual practice of running laps and playing catch ball. Sometimes he would train with one of the other catchers than Miyuki in the bullpen, but mostly he appreciated the blue haired girl joining him. Since he was her guard for the bathroom anyway, they could as well stick together.

In the evenings, the young girl often met up with Kawakami, Shirasu and sometimes also Watanabe to do homework and study, because honestly speaking Miyuki and Kuramochi sucked great deal or just chose to ignore their assignments completely, which she didn't want to get associated with because she did have an academical scholarship after all and she wanted to live up to that.

Her free time on the other hand was occupied by the green haired shortstop who dragged her to his room whenever he had the chance to play videogames. Sometimes also his pink haired fielding partner Kominato would come over, but since the calm boy was much more reasonable than Kuramochi, Sora had to keep his company alone most of the time. Luckily it was also Sawamura's room, so at least the brown haired pitcher would be present occasionally, joining the gaming session or watching his teammates play and giving his comments from a place on his bed.

In only a short amount of time the young girl had spent with the members of the first and second string, she had been able to get to know them much better and she also had come closer to them which scared her. Not that she didn't like those loveable baseball dorks, no, on the contrary they were already way too precious to her for her own good. After what had happened to her with her other two teams, with people she had known for her whole life since Grade School or even earlier, befriending the Seidou members now while constantly having to lie to them was really frightening. Because she knew they wouldn't want her on the team if they were to find out about her secret. They only tolerated her and were nice to her because they thought she was a boy, but facing that reality was hard when she was hanging out with them and having so much fun.

She couldn't trust them. No, she shouldn't trust them too much. The only one Sora could trust in the whole team was Sawamura, because the young southpaw knew her secret and because he wouldn't judge her for it. In fact, he was the first guy who would like to have a girl on a boy's baseball team, much like he had accepted Wakana in his Junior High team as well. His presence alone was very reassuring for the blue haired girl. The pitcher was a good friend.

What really troubled her was coach Kataoka wanting to team her up with Miyuki as her catcher. Forming a battery with her captain wasn't exactly her first priority. Usually encounters with catchers didn't end all too well for the blue haired girl. Luckily, she had some time until he would be fully recovered.

Right now, Sora was glad and satisfied with having another chance to play baseball again. She would be willing to abandon the pitcher position and just play infield, even in the second string for good if the coach wouldn't promote her to first string as a field player. It was enough for her to be able to play and to participate in official matches. As a girl in a male powerhouse team that was all she could possibly ask for. It hadn't have to be the mound, the ace position or nationals for her. She barely had one year and a few months left anyway before going to college.

The young girl sighed and looked at Kawakami, her current project partner in history who seemed to struggle with the passage in their textbook. She also glanced over her shoulder, snickering slightly at Kuramochi and Miyuki who had been paired up together. With a mischievous glint in her sky blue eyes, she nudged Kawakami a bit and gestured discreetly in the direction of their two teammates.

The brown haired pitcher followed her movement with his eyes and had to suppress a snort. He covered his mouth quickly with one hand and Sora flashed him a wide grin.

"Couldn't possibly be worse off than those two, right Kawakami?"

It was just a lighthearted attempt to cheer him up, but it seemed to work.

"Right", he agreed, returning the grin. "And everyone calls me Nori, by the way. You're the only one who still calls me Kawakami, you know"

"Sorry, Nori. Force of habit since you're older than me. Miyuki already made me drop the senpai thing though"

"Did you always call your own classmates senpai since skipping a grade?"

"At first not, but many of them weren't happy about having someone younger in their class. Especially in High School when the teachers explained that I had skipped, a lot of my fellow students thought I'd be on my high horse and finally there were rumors spreading about me being disrespectful and cocky and looking down on anyone who wasn't a genius like myself", Sora explained under her breath while answering some of the questions regarding their history text.

Kawakami's shoulders dropped and he threw the blue head an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Sora"

"Nah, not your fault. But I wanted to avoid the same thing happening again, so better safe than sorry. Only because I'm in the same grade doesn't mean I don't respect my elders after all and also in a team showing some respect to your teammates is important. Particularly if you're a transfer student who comes in so late in the year. It's just good manners, ya know"

The brown haired pitcher nodded his head in understanding and also began scribbling in his notebook.

"J-Just so you know... I-I think you're doing great so far. I personally hope you make it to first string so we can play together. So, uhm... Keep up the good work and do your best"

Sora's head shot up in surprise and her bright blue eyes widened as she stared at Kawakami who was avoiding her gaze with a reddened face. She couldn't help it but to smile genuinely at the submarine pitcher.

"Thanks, Nori. That means a lot, really"

He nodded again and rubbed his nose in embarrassment.

"Can you help me over here?" Kawakami asked quickly to change the topic and showed Sora his textbook.

"Sure, lemme see..."

And thus, history passed with Kawakami and Sora working well together, whereas Miyuki and Kuramochi completely stressed out and it wasn't getting any better that day for the two of them. Next was chemistry and their teacher had decided to let his students write an unannounced test to define their levels of knowledge up to this point.

While Sora was finished in only a few minutes since it was multiple choice, Miyuki and even Kawakami were struggling and Kuramochi chose to completely give up and doze off. He literally fell asleep on his desk, causing the blue haired girl to facepalm.

She carefully reached out her hand to snatch the shortstop's paper without their teacher noticing and began filling it out just for fun. Then she tried getting the attention of the other two, who were sitting in front of them, but that was a bit more difficult because the young girl really didn't want to get caught.

Sora took her rubber and pinpointed a very cautious throw on Kawakami's desk. The brown haired pitcher winced a bit in surprise and turned around to give the blue head a questioning look. She stared back and threw a very pointed look at Miyuki sitting beside him.

Get his attention too and look at me!

She wasn't sure if Kawakami would be smart enough to understand her psychic messages and even if he would, she also wasn't sure if the captain was bright enough to get the connection to the chemistry test, but whatever. The young girl was bored anyway. Could as well mess with her classmates.

Luckily the pitcher was quite intelligent and so he just threw Sora's rubber on the brown haired captain's desk next which made him raise his eyebrows at his seatmate in confusion. Kawakami just turned around, facing Sora once again and after a short moment Miyuki followed suit. Sora smirked mischievously at both of them and began tapping the point of her pencil down on her paper. Then she lowered her other hand and started giving signs like a catcher would to his pitcher. First one finger down, then four, meaning the answer to question one is number four.

To her astonishment, Miyuki's eyes widened instantly in understanding and his evil little grin crept up his face. He nodded once at her, turned and placed his answer, causing also Kawakami to realize what was going on. They both filled out their test before glancing back at her. Like that Sora gave the two boys all the following answers of the test and also sneaked back Kuramochi's paper on his desk.

When their teacher finally ordered them to hand in their tests, the blue haired girl kicked her neighbor's leg making him sit up straight right at the same moment and with a puzzled expression the green haired shortstop stared at his paper before giving it to their chemistry instructor. Miyuki one row in front of them only held up a thumb for Sora, smiled brightly and threw back her rubber. She caught it with ease and also Kawakami flashed her a grateful smile. The pitcher made a thank you gesture with one hand and Sora nodded back at him. Kuramochi on the other hand watched the silent exchange of his teammates, but couldn't figure out what it was all about since he just had woken up.

At the lunch table in the cafeteria, the four classmates sighed in unison and Kuramochi seemed even more tired than before despite having slept during the whole chemistry lesson.

"You've been a real lifesaver, Sora. Thank you again", Kawakami said with Miyuki only nodding along because the captain had his mouth full of rice already.

"Yeah, I owe you one, man", the shortstop yawned, patting Sora's back. "Couldn't believe my eyes when my sheet was suddenly filled out after I woke up"

"Don't get used to it", the blue haired girl responded dryly. "I was just being bored is all"

The brown haired catcher just raised his eyebrows at her. His smirk clearly told her he wasn't believing one word of what she said and even Kawakami furrowed his brows, but had the sense of decency to be not so obvious about it.

"Hyaha! C'mon you don't have to hide being a good guy, ya know. We all appreciate that about you"

"You may want to wait until you receive your grades", Sora warned playfully, sipping on her water bottle. "Who said I was giving you the correct answers?"

As her three classmates froze in their seats, mouths slightly agape and faces turning pale, the blue haired girl flashed them a more than malicious grin, very satisfied with herself.

"Watch whom you trust, guys..."

"Heh..." Miyuki's caramel eyes glinted with great interest.

"S-Sora, you didn't really... D-Did you...?!" Kawakami panicked a little, causing her grin only to widen.

"Well, who knows...? You're gonna find out soon enough, right?"

"In my case it doesn't really matter anyway", Kuramochi tried to calm his own nerves. "You couldn't have done worse than me handing in an empty paper"

"Uh-huh, whatever you have to tell yourself to survive your heart attack, Kuramochi"

The baseball captain snickered slightly to himself. Seriously, he usually didn't do guys, but he had to admit that this was dangerously close to being hot. Like really close! That smug grin on Sora's face and the evil satisfaction behind his words that made his classmates break out in cold sweat paired with those shining cerulean eyes... Wait, why was that hot?! That honestly shouldn't be hot, right?!

But Miyuki very rarely had the chance to meet someone with an equally twisted personality or someone who could tolerate him more than a few hours a day, so this was really something new. The brown haired catcher had already accepted his fate of being stuck with Kuramochi, but now he had some hope that his life could get a little bit more interesting.

Not to mention, didn't the blue head look a little bit too pretty? Sora had called him the pretty boy, but to be fairly honest, wasn't Sora the one looking almost overly handsome even for an Ikemen? Also attractiveness had to have a limit, right? The blue haired seemed like gir- No! No, no... bad thoughts! Very, very bad thoughts. Completely wrong direction, Miyuki Kazuya! Chill out a second and focus! Interesting, entertaining and very male new guy with a sassy personality on the team. Great! Should be fun! Yeah, right. Fun.

Sawamura crashing down his tray on the table right next to Sora made everyone jump in surprise and Miyuki thanked whichever God had sent over the pitcher to rescue him from very troublesome teenage hormones getting out of control.

"Sora, please, I beg of you, you have to tutor me!" the young southpaw pleaded, clapping his hands together and lowering his head.

Following directly behind the brunette, Furuya set down his tray on the table as well and stared intently at the blue haired girl.

"Me too, please"

A fiery aura emitted from the ace's body and Sora blinked.

"...?" She was speechless for just a second. "I beg your pardon?!"

"Pffft!" Miyuki spluttered with laughter and Kuramochi and Kawakami soon joined him, very amused about Sora's disbelieving face.

"I just can't afford to take any make-up exams, so please help me. You're my last hope!" Sawamura elaborated and Furuya's silent nods affirmed every word his brown haired fellow pitcher was saying.

"Don't you guys have Haru for that?"

The blue haired girl was referring to Kominato Haruichi whom she had started to call Haru after they were playing videogames with Kuramochi and sometimes Sawamura together now more often.

"I'm flattered that you think I could accomplish such an impossible task all on my own, Sora-kun, but I'm afraid my efforts don't bear much fruit", said pink haired boy chimed in from the other side and sat himself down next to Kawakami.

Sora sighed.

"Gee, fine!" she finally gave in. "For Haru, not for you!"

The young girl pointed at Sawamura and Furuya, but the brunette southpaw broke out in tears of joy anyway.

"Soraaaa! Thank you so much, you're such a great guy!"

"Mhh... I bet my classmates here would beg to differ..."

"Nope, I'm in", Miyuki grinned.

"Hyaha! Me too"

"Me three"

"Really Kawakami, even you? I thought better of you, ya know", the blue haired girl teased.

"But why?" the submarine pitcher gave back lightheartedly and they all began laughing together.

"Ugh, Haru you better help me out with them!"

"I'll try my best", Kominato promised her with a reassuring smile. "Maybe I can get Kanemaru-kun and Toujou-kun to join us occasionally"

"Yeah, I'm gonna ask Shirasu and Nabe as well. We're doin' our homework and regular study sessions together anyway, so I think having some more people around won't make that much of a difference"

The pink haired boy nodded in agreement, Furuya and Sawamura were truly grateful while one of them could express it a little better than the other, Miyuki and Kuramochi were amused to no ends despite really needing the help as well, Kawakami got his earlier panic under control, now being completely convinced that Sora would never do any harm to his grades on purpose and the blue haired girl asked herself again and again what she had gotten herself into.

Later that day in the evening Miyuki and Kuramochi were carrying their laundry baskets and were heading to their common room with the washers. They walked in mutual silence, none of the boys wanting to start a conversation. However, as they arrived in front of the door to the self-service laundry, the captain and the vice-captain of their baseball team could clearly hear some familiar voices.

"Coach wants me to team up with Miyuki once he's healed completely"

Kuramochi and the catcher exchanged some glances. That was Sora speaking.

"Whooo, congrats Sora! Seems like you're gonna get your chance as a pitcher for Seidou then. So, it's already settled that you'll get promoted to first string? No wonder looking at your fielding abilities! That's great, isn't it?" Sawamura answered in his usual energetic demeanor.

Miyuki's eyebrows shot up. Did he just hear that right? Pitcher?! The blue head? Kuramochi seemed equally confused and set his basket down carefully to not make any noise. The captain followed suit and both boys sneaked a little closer to the door that was left ajar to be able to hear better.

"I'm not so sure about that, Eijun... And no, it's not been decided if I can advance to first string just yet. To be completely honest I don't even know if I want to"

"Whatcha mean? Of course you want to! You wanna be a pitcher, right?"

"Might be better for me to stay in second string as an infielder though. I'm quite a capable shortstop and those guys need someone reliable. I could even participate in official matches like that. Doesn't sound half bad"

"Huh?!"

The brown haired captain suppressed a snort. He didn't like one bit what he was hearing right now. After his suspicion of Sora being actually a pitcher had been confirmed and after learning that the coach wanted him to team up with the blue head, Miyuki felt like celebrating inwardly, but Sora being so negative about it was a true mood killer.

"C'mon, Sora. Don't be like that. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't do catchers, Eijun. You know that..."

"Wahaha, now that sounds wrong in more than just one way..."

"Shut up, you know exactly what I mean! I just... I can't...!"

Okay, slowly but surely Miyuki was beginning to take this very personally. He wouldn't go as far as to say he was being hurt, no, he certainly wouldn't, but honestly what was the big deal?! Even Kuramochi shot him a glance as if to ask him what he did to Sora for him to refuse working with his captain as a catcher so vehemently.

"Don'tcha think you worry too much?" Sawamura asked lightheartedly. "I'm pretty sure the Cap's gonna handle your killer pitches"

Killer pitches?! It was getting more and more interesting. Just how much did Sawamura know that the captain and his vice-captain didn't know? Miyuki remembered the conversation about a pitcher whose balls couldn't be caught and he wondered if Sora had referred to himself back then. But why would Sawamura know? They heard the blue haired sigh.

"No one has ever been able to handle my special pitches, Eijun. Not the female catchers in the softball team, not the male catchers in the baseball team and none of the catchers we had challenged from teams who had matches against us and wanted to bet on being the first to catch the uncatchable freak ball..." Sora explained in exasperation. "A pitcher whose pitches can't be caught is useless. I've been told that more than just once, so I'm painfully aware that being special isn't always a good thing. It's creeping people out if you're the freak in the team. That's why I was kicked out of two teams in a row from people whom I had known my whole life and I had trusted and considered my teammates and my friends. Only to be abandoned, left alone and heartbroken, feeling just wrong and empty inside. I experienced that twice already, Eijun. I really don't need a third time! I don't think I would be able to stand it again. This time I'm pretty sure I'd break for good. There is a limit on how often you can be strong and get back on your feet on your own"

Miyuki stiffened and his caramel eyes widened in shock at the anguish in Sora's voice. Next to him he heard Kuramochi hiss angrily. The green haired shortstop had clenched his fists and gritted his teeth because he knew exactly what the other boy was talking about. He had been in a similar situation once after all. And also the young captain was aware of the consequences of being different.

"The Seidou guys wouldn't do something so cruel to you! Don't just lump them together with those bastards who hurt you. I'm still gonna murder them if I get the chance, ya know!" Sawamura argued, but only received a snort as an answer.

"Yeah, right. I thought the same about my childhood friends. They would never do something like that... That's the most naïve way of thinking, Eijun. Try to grow up and face reality already. I know it hurts though"

Kuramochi had to fight back the urge to destroy something very hard by now. Whoever it was that had dared to treat Sora that way, the shortstop made a mental note to torture it out of the stupid Bakamura later. And then they would team up and go on a rampage. Miyuki beside him looked calm and composed on the outside, but the green head could recognize the hidden gleam of pure rage in his captain's eyes as well. Although the catcher would be rational enough to be against violent methods, just because their baseball careers would be in danger in case they got caught.

"Sora!" the young southpaw scolded, now sounding completely taken aback. "You don't wanna tell me you think they would-..."

But the blue head didn't let him finish.

"And do you think they would want me on the team if they knew the truth? The whole story about me and who I really am? You think they could accept me like you did?"

"Of course, I do! They're our friends! We're a team after all. If I can accept you, the others could too!"

"Oh, c'mon Eijun", Sora scoffed. "That's bullshit and you know that. They're only tolerating me at the moment because I keep my secret. I constantly have to lie to my so-called friends and teammates. In fact you're the only one in the whole team I can truly and honestly trust and rely on. Because you know everything and because you accepted everything"

Miyuki and Kuramochi exchanged another glance with each other. There seemed to be a whole lot more going on than the two of them could process right now. Many untold secrets and big trust issues.

"Ah, I see. Is that what troubles you? You're having a bad conscience because of our secret?" Sawamura's voice was getting a little lighter again. "Well, can't help it, right? Since coach has ordered us to make sure that nobody finds out about it, not even the team. It's not your fault. But that you feel bad about it actually shows you care for those guys, no? If not, you wouldn't give a damn about lying to them. So, you do see them as your friends after all. Just be more honest, for God's sake, I was getting worried here! Don't scare me like that! Ya know, I still think that we could actually tell 'em and they'd be okay with it. I believe in our team! Besides they've already seen what you can do and that's what really counts. Everybody has acknowledged you as a capable baseball player. And I guarantee you that they will also acknowledge you as a pitcher!"

Even the coach was involved? Miyuki furrowed his brows in deep thought. Well, it did make sense since Takashima had scouted Sora and Sawamura had been with her that day. And from the blue head he also knew about the fact that the young southpaw had attended the first conversation between Sora and the coach, meaning it wasn't unlikely that the staff members of the baseball team were well informed about the whole picture of Sora's case and also the blue head's past.

"Ugh, Eijun! Sometimes you really are a pain in the ass. Think before you speak, do me the favor just once in your lifetime!" Sora shot back in annoyance and Kuramochi had to hold his breath in order not to let out his typical loud laughter.

"So rude!" the pitcher pouted.

"Just think about this...", the blue haired started to explain. "Miyuki is considered a genius catcher, right? A decent playmaker and the pillar of our team. He's even good enough to be drafted after High School. Everybody has high expectations and they all think he'll start a pro career, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Sawamura sounded clueless.

"So, what do you think would happen if he wasn't able to catch my pitches?" Sora questioned. "The genius catcher not being able to receive a throw from a younger, smaller, obviously weaker pitcher whose throws don't focus on strength or speed and that right in front of our head coach. What a scene that would be, huh? Hilarious, really. Just think about how much damage that would cause for his reputation. I'd be humiliating him to no ends, Eijun. Do you think I want that?! You think I'd be enjoying myself there or somethin'? No way in hell I'd want to do that to him. I don't wanna be the reason he loses his face. Don't wanna take the blame either and sure as hell I don't wanna have to deal with the consequences!"

Kuramochi and Miyuki gaped. What the fuck...?! And Sawamura started laughing. Quite wholeheartedly. Much to Sora's annoyance.

"You're worried 'bout him!" the brown haired pitcher pointed out, making Sora gasp in irritation. "Which means - and I'll say it again... - that you care. You care for the Cap and you care for the team. 'Cause you like 'em! You already try to protect your friends, Sora. Although you deny and you hide it 'cause you're afraid. Well, no wonder with your past. You're too kindhearted for your own good, ya know. You're scared Miyuki-senpai might abandon you like all the other catchers did. That he'd start hating you if he failed to catch your pitch and blame it all on you"

Like hell he would do that! The captain scrunched his nose. He wouldn't have thought Sora was that much of a sensitive type of guy, but with the background story that just had been revealed that made some sense. The blue head sure had some acting skills! That'd be tough to see through in future when they'd be forming a battery. Sora was hiding way too much and trying to solve everything alone. As his catcher and his captain Miyuki would have to watch out for him a lot more. He suppressed a desperate sigh and scratched the back of his head. Kuramochi's hand landed on his shoulder, telling him silently he wouldn't be doing this on his own. He had the shortstop and also Maezono as vice-captains to count on.

"Oh, for the love of..." Sora cursed. "Then, what should I tell him?! Sorry, captain but I don't like to take orders since I have issues with authorities and besides, I don't trust you enough to put your strategies into practice, so let's just use mine. Please stand still, don't move and if possible also don't use your own head to make our plays?! Really, Eijun? You don't wanna tell me that's gonna work out right? Or do you actually think our captain would let me use him this way? Catchers aren't human targets! How many times do I have to explain that?"

So basically, Sora wanted to use him, huh? Why didn't that sound very wrong in his head? And why wasn't he concerned it didn't at all? In fact Miyuki's caramel eyes lit up with excitement and mischievous plans, schemes and thoughts crossed his mind as to how to trick Sora into a battery with him. He wanted to catch for the blue head now, not matter what. All that the captain had heard just right now made his fingers itch. He wanted to experience which kind of pitcher Sora would be and how far they could go together as a team. Of course, the brown haired captain had no doubt that he would be able to catch those killer pitches, how Sawamura called them. He'd definitely make Sora feel at ease! That was his job as a proper catcher after all.

"Well, I guess if it's the Cap he'd appreciate you being so honest..." Sawamura simply replied, much to everyone's shock. "It'd be much more of a hassle for him if he had to figure you out first. If he just knows what's going through your head from the beginning, he'd be able to work with it. He's not the one to mince his words, so he shouldn't take offence in you doing the same to him. Cap's got a twisted personality, but I don't take him as a hypocrite"

Kuramochi was laughing silently, holding a hand pressed over his mouth while Miyuki blinked and shuddered. Sometimes he was crept out by Sawamura's trust and optimism. To be honest the captain wouldn't have expected the young southpaw to give him that much of credit though.

They could hear Sora sigh in defeat and the beeping sound of a finished dryer. A door clicked open and someone rummaged around.

"You're a weirdo..." the blue head said matter-of-factly.

"Oi!"

"So, three guys with trust issues and childhood traumata in one baseball team, huh? Sounds like a very good idea to me..."

"Huh?! Sora, what the hell are you talkin' about?"

Miyuki and Kuramochi froze on their spot, looking at each other with enlarged eyes. There was no fucking way that Sora would've realized in such a short amount of time, right?! Just how good was the blue haired in reading and understanding people? They had barely met!

"Never mind. Sorry, Eijun"

"Eh?!"

Both boys eavesdropping in front of the door exhaled in great relief and relaxed their stances again. That really had been a close call!

"That your tee?"

"Ah! Yeah, thanks"

Silence...

"Hey Sora..."

"Hm?"

"I'm here, ya know. For you. You're not... alone or somethin'"

Snuffling...

"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Eijun"

"Uah! S-Sorry, sorry. Don't cry!"

"Shut up! I don't!"

"Wanna try video calling Aniki?"

"Ugh, yeah... It's still creepy when you call him that though!"

"Ehhh but why? I'm protecting you on his behalf after all!"

"Why did I let you join the video calls with my family again?!" Sora questioned in annoyance, but Sawamura just started laughing again.