CH 11.2

“ ‘……..’ “

Isn’t this just making things even more awkward?

Hinagata scribbled something down in her notebook and tore the paper up. She then rolled it up and threw it at me.

I caught it and opened the unrolled piece of paper.

“How many ecchi DVDs do you have?”

What are you asking me?

“I don’t have any.”

I returned the message, and she immediately threw another back again.

“Gals. The one in our class. Do you prefer Hamana-san?”

You’re asking a lot of questions!?

Hamana-san is a girl who seems to be the center of attention in many ways. She has a loud voice, puts on a lot of make-up, and wears nail polish. Teachers often lecture her… Also she has huge t**s.

“I prefer a more normal girl.”

“What is normal?”

“A healthy high schooler, like a typical high school girl… No gals, no big t**s, nothing like that.”

With a swoosh, Hinagata’s desk came back to its original distance.

The teacher came in and we started the morning routine.

Though I didn’t care about that and continued to pass each other notes..

Hinagata’s interest was focused on what genres I had and how many I had.

If you’re going to ask so many questions, I’ll ask the same questions as Sugiuchi did.

“That’s why I want a normal girl. Someone who’s close to me, who I can talk to without worrying about anything else, and who’s fun to be with.”

“Is there such a ecchi DVD?”

“You know──”

I instinctively raised my voice, and it drew the attention of the entire class. The teacher’s voice immediately focused on me.

“Tonomura, do you have something to say?”

“No sir, nothing.”

“I don’t care if you’re not listening, just keep it down.”

“Alright,  Sorry.”

I slightly bowed my head and saw Hinagata chuckling next to me.

“It’s your fault….”

“Sorry.”

Hinagata wiped the tears from her eyes as if it was too funny.

“Hey….”

“Hmm?”

In the notes we exchanged, Hinata went to the trouble of underlining the words.

The part that said, ‘Someone who’s close to me, who I can talk to without worrying about anything else, and who’s fun to be with.’

“Is this me?”

“No, and it’s….”

I quickly looked away. I wrote down what came to mind, but it didn’t necessarily apply to her. 

I felt my face turn red, which made me even more embarrassed.

I felt a little relieved inside, as if yesterday’s confusion had been resolved.

“I see.”

She seemed to be convinced, but I heard her voice sounding like it might have musical notes.

The next few days were uneventful.

Hinagata seemed to be training herself on how to cook. This was evident with the amount of bandages on her hands.

“Did you cut your hand cooking something new ?”

I asked casually, and she shook her head.

“No.”

“Oh, you injured your fingers?? That’s pretty common.”

“…..Yeah, injured em.”

I was satisfied with the answer and didn’t think about it any more.

After lunch that day, Hinagata’s face gradually became grim.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Then Hinagata muddled up what she was going to do. Sugiuchi had a similar attitude and teased her, saying, “Something’s wrong with you today.”

“Same as always.”

“Weird as always?” 

I was waiting for a response like, ‘Nothing’s weird…’ but she was silent, as if something was bothering her.

What’s with Hinagata and Sugiuchi?

After school, I found out why they were still acting like that.

“….Tonomura, let’s go to the baseball field.”

“Why?”

I tilted my head at the sudden proposal .

At that time, I had no way of knowing what had happened since that day.

So even though he had a serious face that didn’t suit Sugiuchi, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

The baseball field is the common name for the baseball team’s field. I’m sure Sugiuchi knows that it’s hard for me to show up now that I’ve quit.

“Look at the baseball field.”

“What’s over there?”

I waited for an answer, but he didn’t say anything, so I peered through the window looking at the baseball field. The new first-years were getting ready for practice, and they were greeting the seniors who were coming out of the club room with a big loud voice. I felt nostalgic for a moment, thinking that I was like them last year, but I was soon overcome with a sense of unease.

There were two girls in uniforms heading that way. I knew they weren’t the manager because none of them were wearing a jersey.

….It’s not really clear but, could that be──

“Hinagata?”

“Correct. Hinaga-san and her chaperone, Ucchiー”

As I was wondering why, I saw some upperclassmen playing warm-up catch on the side of the field.

I immediately recognized them by their form.

“Hinaga-san is a batter, and she’s going to play a one-game match against Nishimura-san.”

“What? Why?”

“She didn’t tell me how it happened, but she said he pressured her to go out with him.”

“What the f**k does he think he is doing.”

I had a  bad feeling back  then and I was right.

….That guy sometimes comes to school from that direction. I’ve heard that he sometimes stays at his grandfather’s house or something and goes straight to school.

That day, we spent the night there as it was a rainy day shelter, but that kind of facility is basically forbidden until 18. It should….

If you don’t say anything about it, no one will know, but if someone sees you and reports you, you’ll be in trouble.

“Hey, what the h**l are you talking about?!”

“I was told by Hinaga-san, not to tell you. She said if I told you, you’d be in trouble too.”

“No matter what trouble, It can’t be this annoying.”

“You’ll have to tell that to him. Well, anyway. Whatever the reason, she’s going to play a one-hit game against the current ace of the third year. I swear, when I first heard that, I laughed and said it was impossible. But Hinagasa-san, she was really serious. I think she was swinging really hard. The number of bandages on her hands increased day by day.”

“Did you cut your hand cooking something you’re not used to?”

“No.”

“Oh, you injured your fingers ? That’s pretty common.”

“…..Yeah, injured.”

“If she loses….?”

“I want to know. There must have been something that forced her to accept the challenge. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Nishimura, so it’s not unnatural to think that he’s using something as an excuse to come after you.”