Autumn crept into the town quietly, painting the trees in warm hues of amber, gold, and crimson. The summer heat had given way to crisp air and soft breezes, and with it came the subtle, unspoken excitement of change.
On the second floor in the classroom of 1-C at Akagi Middle School, Souta Fushimi tapped his pen against his notebook as the teacher's voice drifted over his head. He wasn't ignoring the lesson but today, his thoughts kept drifting. Beside him, Eijun Sawamura was barely containing his energy, fidgeting like a child waiting for recess.
"Hey," Eijun whispered during a lull, leaning over. "Lunch break let's throw a few."
Souta smirked. "If we don't get detention first."
From the row in front, Wakana Aotsuki turned slightly, flashing a grin. "You two are baseball-obsessed."
"There's no baseball club in this school, so we need to play by ourselves," Eijun whispered as Wakana rolled her eyes.
They made their way to the small open field behind the school during lunch. It wasn't meant for sports just a patch of earth with a few tufts of grass and an old tree but it had become their makeshift training ground.
Souta had drawn chalk lines in the dirt for batting stances. Eijun brought a slightly worn baseball and two gloves. They warmed up quickly, falling into familiar rhythms. Every toss, every squat behind an imaginary batter, spoke to their shared history.
As they tossed the ball back and forth, the conversation turned more serious.
"Eijun," Souta said, catching a fastball. "You think the teachers would allow us to create a baseball club?"
Eijun paused, rubbing his chin. "That's a great idea! But I don't know… we'd need more people to join first. And a teacher to approve it."
Souta nodded, tossing the ball back. "We can try asking our friends."
After lunch, during cleaning duty, they approached Maki and Hiromu.
"A baseball club?" Maki blinked. "Sounds fun, but don't we need like… an actual adult to supervise?"
"We'll convince someone," Eijun said confidently. "C'mon, you're always saying you want more action after school."
Hiromu chuckled. "Oh well i'm in but you'd have to teach me basics."
Tatsuya took more convincing, but after hearing Souta and Eijun would teach them everything to not be useless but a reliable player, he grumbled and agreed. "Only if we get real uniforms eventually."
They even began a sign-up sheet, handwritten and messy, but full of heart. They handed it around class and managed to gather a dozen names. Some kids laughed it off, but others signed without hesitation, encouraged by Eijun's enthusiasm and Souta's calm assurance.
By the end of the week, they had a loose group, scattered but committed. Maki and Hiromu started researching about drills, Tatsuya talked about glove maintenance, and Wakana began noting scorekeeping techniques in a notebook, despite pretending it wasn't a big deal.
The spark was catching.
In the weeks that followed, the boys grew closer with their classmates. Souta, more reserved, became a quiet anchor in group projects. He impressed teachers with his calm demeanor and sharp questions. Eijun, loud and unpredictable, became the class mascot of sorts and was constantly in trouble but also he was impossible to dislike.
Wakana, ever observant, made a game of teasing Eijun and Souta in equal measure.
"Don't go falling asleep during math again, Ei-chan," she'd say, poking his forehead with her pencil.
"Wasn't sleeping," he'd mutter. "I was visualizing strike zones."
When the Autumn Festival came, Wakana was the first to suggest they all go together. Maki and Hiromu joined, and even a reluctant Tatsuya agreed.
They wandered between glowing lanterns, food stalls, and hand-painted signs. Eijun dragged Souta to every booth that offered a prize, losing miserably at most of them. He failed at the goldfish scooping game, splashing water everywhere, but later knocked over every can in the can-throwing game and won a stuffed bear.
"Here, it's yours, Wakana," he said, cheeks flushed.
"T-Thanks, Ei-chan," Wakana replied, hugging it to her chest, a blush tinting her cheeks.
Souta looking at the interaction between them smiled warmly and thought to himself 'So many things have changed compared to orginal timeline but maybe the most importnant one is the change in Eijun himself. He isn't the well known loudmouth and goofy Eijun he was in orginal timeline, he's now starting to mature and is getting more calmer, he can be still a loudmouth when he wants tho' Souta chuckled quietly
Eijun seeing Souta chuckle turned even more red "W-what are you laughing at?"
Souta replied with composed smile "Nothing in particular" walking past him he patted his shoulder and walked to join other boys.
They shared taiyaki and takoyaki, laughing over who could eat more spicy dango. Maki chased Hiromu with a sparkler, while Souta took a quiet moment under a tree, watching the colorful lights reflected in his friends' eyes.
As fireworks bloomed in the night sky, the group sat by the grassy slope near the edge of the festival grounds. Wakana rested the bear in her lap, glancing sideways at Eijun.
"This was a good idea," she said softly.
Eijun nodded, grinning. "Yeah. Let's do it every year."
Souta leaned back with his hands behind his head, the sound of laughter and fireworks mixing in the air. "Next year, maybe as an official club."
The group laughed, but none of them doubted they could make it happen.
As the semester wore on, their small lunchtime sessions were still the same but now they were teaching their friends and others who wanted to learn and were eager to sign up for baseball club in future. They started taking turns pitching, catching, and running improvised drills. Even some teachers watched with mild curiosity from the windows.
One chilly afternoon, as the leaves blew across the field and their breath came out in light fogs, Eijun suddenly stopped mid-throw. He caught the ball and turned to Souta with that unmistakable gleam in his eye.
"Souta," he said, serious now. "You ready to beg the Principal?"
Souta blinked. "For what?"
Eijun stepped closer, fire in his eyes. "To let us create a baseball club! We've got a group, we've got spirit, we just need that green light. We'll march right into the office and lay it all out. No more playing behind the building like we're hiding. We need a diamond, real practice, and the chance to play other schools."
Souta laughed, tossing the ball into his glove. "You sure you can keep from yelling at the Principal halfway through?"
"No promises," Eijun grinned. "But we gotta try. If we don't fight for it, who will?"
Souta looked up at the fading sky, then nodded. "Alright. Let's beg."
The next day, after class, the two stood outside the principal's office. Eijun cracked his knuckles. Souta gave him a sidelong glance. "Let me do the talking."
Eijun pouted. "I can be persuasive."
"You're persuasive like a trainwreck," Souta smirked, knocking on the door.
And with that, they stepped inside ready to make their dream a reality.
As they stepped inside, they were greeted by the principal's confused face and the smell of stale coffee. Both boys instantly bowed deeply.
"Principal, we'd like to request permission to form a baseball club," Souta began. "We've gathered interested students, outlined basic needs, and are willing to clean and maintain any space given. We just need a place to play and official recognition."
Eijun blurted, "We'll even clean the bathrooms for a month if you let us play!"
Souta looked at him horrified and thought 'We do what?! That was not part of the plan!'
The principal a bit taken aback at that statement, sighed and leaned back on his chair. "You're serious?"
Both boys nodded fiercely.
"I'll need to check staff availability," the principal muttered. "And you'll need a supervising teacher. But... if you can get one to volunteer, I'll approve it on trial."
Eijun punched the air. "Yes!"
Souta bowed again. "Thank you, sir. We won't let you down."
They left the office grinning, already planning their next move.