Capítulo 4: [4] The Terrifying "Childhood Friend"
Chapter 4: The Terrifying "Childhood Friend"
Aotsuki Wakana is a character familiar to fans of the Daiya no Ace (Ace of Diamond) series. Although she is often considered the female lead of the series, her screen time is quite limited, and some fans even argue that she's more of a secondary character, with others believing that the confused manager is the true lead.
Regardless, Wakana holds a unique and significant place for Eijun Sawamura. She is Eijun's childhood friend and has long harbored feelings for him.
For Eijun, navigating his relationship with Wakana proves challenging, especially since he is not the original Eijun but someone with a portion of his memories and emotions. The difficulty is compounded by Wakana's subtle suspicions about him, making the situation even more complicated.
Eijun is aware of the need to manage his behavior carefully, trying not to act in ways inconsistent with the original Eijun's character to avoid arousing suspicion. He plans to use his move to Tokyo and the changes in environment as excuses for any personality shifts or other differences when they meet again in the future.
Despite Eijun's efforts to blend in and hide his differences, most people haven't noticed anything unusual—after all, a visit to Tokyo and exposure to its baseball scene could naturally lead to some changes. However, Wakana, being someone who has grown up with him, is perceptive enough to sense that something is off.
As a childhood friend, Wakana embodies all the traits one would expect of someone who knows the protagonist best, making her especially keen to detect any discrepancies.
During these practice sessions, whenever Aotsuki Wakana's occasional, questioning gaze landed on him, Eijun couldn't help but internally groan.
The sensitivity of a childhood friend is truly formidable.
Eijun is confident that he hasn't made any major mistakes in his behavior. Minor changes are usually overlooked or ignored by most people. Yet, such details are readily noticed by a childhood friend.
Wakana's sixth sense, which some might call miraculous, is incredibly sharp, especially when her gaze contains not only a hint of doubt but also underlying emotions.
This makes Eijun increasingly uneasy. He feels that this is his first real challenge in this world—confronting the trials brought by a childhood friend.
Eijun sighed inwardly, shaking his head slightly.
"Eijun? Eijun?"
"Huh? What is it?" Eijun snapped out of his thoughts, looking dazedly at his friend, Shin, who was waving his hand in front of him with a puzzled expression.
"Eijun, didn't you say it was time to pack up?" Shin, who was a catcher and one of Eijun's friends from middle school, looked at him with confusion. The other teammates who had already packed up their baseball gear also turned their attention to Eijun.
"Oh, haha, I just zoned out for a moment. Sorry about that..." Eijun scratched the back of his head and smiled.
"Ha, that's so like Eijun."
"Of course, Eijun must have been thinking about baseball."
"Maybe he's thinking about going to Tokyo," one of the teammates remarked.
Eijun's words elicited knowing smiles from his friends. They were familiar with Eijun's tendency to be reliable in crucial moments, occasionally scatterbrained, but always embodying the leadership they had come to expect. Although there might be some changes, Eijun remained their dependable leader.
"Alright, thanks for all your hard work today. It's getting late, so you all should head home," Eijun said, clapping his hands with a sunny smile.
"Okay."
"Got it!"
"Well then, we're heading out, Eijun."
"See you tomorrow, Eijun."
"Catch you later, Eijun."
As his friends packed up and said their goodbyes, Eijun smiled and waved at them.
"See you tomorrow," Eijun replied with a light chuckle.
"Let's head home too, Wakana," Eijun said, turning to Aotsuki Wakana. Despite feeling somewhat nervous inside, he maintained his usual cheerful demeanor.
Eijun and Wakana lived in the same direction, so they usually went home together. Although Eijun tried to avoid spending time alone with Wakana, it was unavoidable in this situation. Avoiding going home together would seem contrived and suspicious.
"Mm," Wakana nodded.
The two walked side by side towards their homes. The journey was marked by a quiet, almost awkward atmosphere. To break the silence, Eijun tried to initiate conversation about various topics, whether it was about baseball or their friends.
However, despite Eijun's efforts to keep the conversation flowing, Wakana's responses were limited to non-committal "mm," "ah," and "yes."
Eijun's smile began to waver, and he felt a cold sweat break out as he wondered if Wakana had guessed something. As he frantically tried to think of ways to ease the awkwardness, Wakana's gentle voice broke through the silence.
"Eijun…"
"Huh? What's up, Wakana?"
The sudden, soft voice made Eijun's heart race. He quickly turned to face Wakana, trying to maintain a calm demeanor, though his inner nervousness made his expression tense.
Eijun was aware that his current expression wasn't ideal, but being a teenager, he found it challenging to stay composed even when he knew better. Especially when faced with Wakana's bright eyes, he felt as if she could see through him completely.
The intuition of a childhood friend was a formidable thing, and Eijun thought to himself that this challenge might be tougher than he anticipated.
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