That Uncle

Smack!

"Huh? I fell asleep? Ouch, that hurt."

Sendou, who had been asleep with his head on the table, suddenly slapped the table and bolted upright for some reason. Only then did he realize that he had fallen asleep there last night, and his hand hurt.

"I remember that last night, Fumino was supposed to be sleeping at the table, then what did I do? I..." Sendou suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Did I actually fall asleep while staring at Fumino's face?" His cheeks reddened slightly.

"In other words... No! No! No! I'm not some perverted lolicon. She's just a little cute, that's all."

"So I fell asleep because I was happy to see her? Isn't that exactly what a pervert would do?" Sendou suddenly said excitedly halfway through talking to himself.

"Does it count? Does it not count?..."

"It probably, maybe, definitely doesn't count, right? Liking cute and beautiful things is human nature. That's right. Nature!!!"

"Phew! Thank goodness I'm not a pervert!" It was hard to imagine the usually calm and steady Sendou having a side like this. Was it cute, or did he simply care a lot about this matter?

"This is...? My blanket? Was it Fumino? Hmph!" Only then did Sendou notice the blanket covering him. In the end, he smiled contentedly. Just as he relaxed...

"Wait! Why does my blanket smell like this? This scent is... that's right, it's Fumino's scent.

You're still a child, girl! You're only thirteen! Why are Japanese boys and girls so mature so early? Just kidding! But..." The last sentence was entirely a joke.

"Furuhashi Fumino!!! What exactly did you do while I was asleep?" Fumino downstairs heard that roar loud and clear!

"He said, 'What did you do?' So what did you do? Did you play some prank on him?" Wakaba asked with amusement.

"Bleh!" Fumino did not answer, merely stuck out her tongue playfully.

"I never expected Akila to have a side like that."

"That's how he normally is!"

"So the calmness he shows around us is fake?" Wakaba teased Fumino.

"Not exactly. How should I put it? When he's serious, he's more reliable than anyone—calm, composed, dependable, decisive! But when he's alone, he's this cute type!"

"I see!" Although Wakaba only half understood, she vaguely grasped some of his personality traits, though she did not know how to describe them.

"So what exactly did you do?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"All right!"

"Phew!" Fumino let out a relieved breath, her face red.

Neither Sendou nor Fumino was particularly straightforward. Fumino was not only extremely airheaded; she could also be sensitive at times. After all, she was a literary genius, with delicate emotions. But the closer something was, the harder it was to see clearly.

"All right, I need to go train with Eijun and the others too." After tidying up the kitchen, Wakaba spoke to Fumino.

"Oh, sorry. I'm so useless, I couldn't help with anything!"

"Don't say that. Everyone has things they're good and bad at! Besides, studying is hard work for you too. I'm heading out!"

"Thank you, Wakaba!" Fumino said silently in her heart before continuing to read.

"How long have you been reading?" Sendou had just gotten dressed and come downstairs. Not knowing what else to say, he asked casually.

"If we count before breakfast, three hours."

"I see. You've worked hard all day too."

"If you don't have talent, you can only rely on hard work."

"That's true! Sometimes, I really admire you, Fumino! My perseverance is nowhere near yours! Keep it up!"

"Mm!" Fumino brushed back her hair as she answered. She looked rather happy to have Sendou acknowledge her.

"So, why does my blanket smell like you?" The abruptness of the topic change caught her completely off guard.

"Th-this..." Fumino did not know what to say.

"What? What? What is this? How did it suddenly turn to this? Could it be that I thought he looked cute while sleeping, so I secretly lay on his back and hugged him?

Absolutely not! ヽ(≧Д≦)ノ What do I do?" At the same time, she panicked internally!

"Could it be..."

"Anyway, I'm sorry!" Fumino instantly dropped to her knees and said, trembling all over.

"Huh? I didn't expect you really sprayed the perfume you use on my blanket as a prank."

"Don't say it out loud!..." Fumino's body trembled wildly as she knelt on the floor, thinking to herself.

"Huh?" Fumino suddenly came to her senses and raised her head to look at Sendou.

"Eh? Wasn't that it?" Sendou was somewhat confused too!

"No, that's exactly it! Anyway, I'm sorry!" Fumino immediately bowed down to the floor again.

"All right! I'm hungry. Where did you put breakfast?"

"It's in the kitchen!"

"So, keep it up, then!" With that, Sendou walked toward the kitchen to heat up his breakfast.

"That scared me to death. Good thing he got the wrong idea."

What Fumino did not see was the smile curling at the corner of Sendou's lips as his back faced her. Sendou truly did not know what had happened. He had only said that to give them both a way out and define the matter.

As for what had actually happened, although he was curious, if Fumino did not want to tell him, Sendou had no intention of forcing her. For now, the matter would end there.

"She really is cute," Sendou thought from the kitchen.

As a literary genius, Fumino was actually quite good at reading people and situations. She also had a slightly scheming side and embarrassed easily, but Sendou seemed to be her natural nemesis. Sendou was even better at observing others, while never showing his true thoughts on the surface.

Training proceeded as usual that day, but Sendou did not appear at the small practice field in the afternoon. Today was the day he had arranged to meet Coach Nakanishi.

Sendou arrived at Wildcats Little League at two in the afternoon, but he did not enter. Instead, he watched the players train from outside while reminiscing about his time there.

"No matter how many years have passed, the Wildcats are still the Wildcats. Nothing has changed! Though he has gray hair now? Ah, that uncle!" Sendou thought as he watched the players training and Coach Nakanishi nearby.

That was right. The Wildcats were still the Wildcats, the undisputed King of Kanto, with defense as coordinated as an iron wall, and every player able to develop a batting stance and technique suited to them.

That was the level of a Major League-caliber coach. Everyone who knew the Wildcats understood that Coach Nakanishi tailored different advice and guidance to each player's characteristics, allowing them to improve rapidly in just a few years. When they retired, he would even point out the direction they should work toward in the future.

For example, he would recommend Changeup types for pitchers in middle school, or suggest pitches and training methods after physical changes, such as suddenly growing taller. It was because of this dedication and sense of responsibility that, aside from players whose potential had suddenly been exhausted or who faced various other circumstances, Wildcats regulars who developed normally became highly sought-after prospects for Tokyo's major high schools.

Originally, I wanted to use the Japanese pronunciation, "ah, that uncle," as the title, since it sounded both like an exclamation and a sigh. But after thinking it over, I decided against it. Using pinyin in the title would be too much. As always, please recommend and bookmark! I'm super sleepy, good night!