CH 11.4

Nishimura accepted Ryunosuke’s offer of a one-shot game.

“Okay.”

“Thanks.”

When I raised my head, I saw that Ryunosuke’s face was very different from the one I knew. It was the same face that I had seen during the time he used to play, a face that made me feel nostalgic.

Ryunosuke tapped on my helmet as if to show his appreciation for my efforts.

I handed him the bat I was holding and he swung it a few times on the spot.

“What do you want me to do if I lose?”

“Anything. Anything is good. I don’t care if it’s doing chores for the baseball team or running around the school in your underwear. But if I win, you have to pretend that the whole thing with Hinagata never happened.”

“Fine. I don’t really have anything I want you to do, but if you lose, I’ll ask you to be the errand boy for a while.”

“Okay sir.”

“If you get more than one hit, you win.”

“Yes, sir. I got it.”

The senior catcher said to the club members waiting for the game to end, “Sorry, get on the defensive,” and the seven fielders with grabs took their places.

…It was on Monday of this week that I was approached by Nishimura, who was waiting for me at the entrance to the school.

As I was wondering what he was talking about, Nishimura broke the ice near the deserted club building.

‘Not every week, but on Sundays, I stay at my grandpa’s house over there and come to school. So. Last night, just outside the station, I saw you with Tonomura.’

I felt my heart skip uncomfortably with a thud.

“You’re looking at the wrong person…. I believe?”

I tried to convince him, but he replied confidently, ‘There’s no way I’m mistaken.’

‘I wondered what you guys were doing that  night and so I decided to investigate a bit.’

He didn’t say anything specific, but he had a wicked smile on his face.

“I can tell the teacher, or not . It all depends on my mood.”

Nishimura showed me the display of his cell phone, which showed me entering a love hotel with Ryunosuke, as if it were a weekly magazine or something.

Even though I still wanted to be with him, how could I have missed the train? My  eyes went black.

Nishimura then threatened me with the photo. He said that it would be a problem for his club activities and that it would be written on his internal statement.

I don’t want to get Ryunosuke in trouble because of my selfishness.

What should I do?”

This is how he proposed to me to play a one-shot game. I knew that I was at an overwhelming disadvantage, but I had no choice but to swallow.

I put my helmet back on and left the field with Uchinokura to watch the game.

Some of the athletic teams and students who were on their way home had heard the commotion and were gathering outside the ground.

“Hey, Sugicchi, I came to find out how you are doing, by the way, are you ok?”

Nishimura began to practice throwing before the game. The sound of the mitt resembling an explosive crackling sound echoed. The other side seems to be getting serious.

“He’s not much of a hitter, to tell you the truth.”

“Ehh. It’s no fun then.”

Uchinokura said clearly, and Sugiuchi laughed.

“Yes. It’s nothing compared to pitching. It’s not like he’s the fourth baseman or the mainstay of the team. But what can I say? He’s got a ….good feel for the game.”

“Well, watch this,” Sugiuchi said, shucking his chin and starting to laugh as he looked at Ryunosuke’s feet.

“Oh, yeah, he’s wearing indoor shoes. That’s not cool.”

While the people around him were looking at him curiously, Sugiuchi didn’t seem to be worried. On the contrary, he was looking at him rather confidently.

Why did he go through the trouble to propose a one-hit game to Nishimura? I wondered.

Did he think it would be more entertaining as a spectacle to leave him with a chance of a comeback?

If it had been for me, I would not have made such a proposal in the first place. If he was threatening me with the photo, I couldn’t do anything about it. Besides, I wouldn’t have had to accept the match with Ryunosuke.

Before going to bat, Ryunosuke bent over a few times and let out a nice buzzing sound as if it was the last time.

“I was going through the results of all the official games from junior high school until he quit, and I suddenly realized something strange.”

“Something strange?”

When I asked, Sugiuchi nodded.

“When I counted, more than half of the games we won, Tonomura scored the winning goal.”

“Winning Goal?”

Uchinokura and I tilted our heads at the unfamiliar term.

“If you win by one to zero, that’s one. It’s the same with the ‘goodbye’ hit and the come-from-behind hit. That’s the kind of score that decides the winner.”

Ryunosuke entered the batter’s box and readied his bat.

“His normal at-bats are like c**p, but in a win-lose situation, there’s no better hitter to rely on than that guy.”

The atmosphere of the club members on the defensive was serious.

“Ah….stubborn…”

I said to Hinagata that she could count on Tonomura, but thinking about it calmly, it was probably too much to expect from Tonomura, who hadn’t been away from club activities for a while, to be as active as he once was.

──Maybe Shiori likes Tonomura-kun, so unless they want to, leave them alone during the break.

In the past, after school, Uchinokura called and  talked to me! I was expecting a sweet development like…but the content was completely unromantic.

Sugiuchi’s expectation that he would be told was quite a disappointment, and he was told something else, but this was all he could manage to remember.

I had no intention of interfering with their love affair, which they may or may not have been aware of, so I decided to do so as requested.

I’ve heard that Hinagata doesn’t talk to Uchinokura, who seems to be her best friend, about who she likes. However, she recalled that her good friend, who was quite sociable was the same way, and she was convinced that they were similar in their childhood.

Nishimura, on the mound, put his hat back on and waited for Tonomura to get ready.

Sugiuchi knew that he was a senior who did not have a good reputation, and he also knew that he was a person who regarded Tonomura as a rival and tried to pick on him in any way.

Hinagata confided with me about this secretly, and I taught her how to swing, but I thought that he might have even involved Hinagata for the sake of Tonomura.

So naturally, the cheering got louder.

“You can hit it, Tonomura! Go for it!”

When I heard Sugiuchi’s voice from behind me, I raised my hand in response.

My former teammate was playing defense, and I finally felt like I was playing baseball.

I don’t remember bats being this heavy, though.

“It’s not that we want to see the most beautiful girl in the school in her swimsuit.”

As I entered the batter’s box, the senior catcher spilled the beans.

“Of course I don’t want her to go out with Nishimura. He’s just a friend.  He is so pissed off. He probably wants to win her.

I remember Nishimura-san, who was never much of a talker. For that reason, I often felt a sense of rivalry and competition from him. I know that he wouldn’t feel good if a junior member took his position.

As Hinagata said sometime ago, He was the one who became the ace because I quit – maybe it’s aggravating that people think that way.

“…Hinagata-san’s at-bat was a little too immature, a little too insincere, a little too much.”

“Got it. Then can you tell me the type of pitch and the course?”

“Idiot. It’s only a serious game, so cheating is not good.

”That’s right,” I said with a wry smile as I set up the bat I was carrying.

I struck out on the first pitch.

The ball made a nice sound and landed in my mitt.

I completely missed the swing.

I think he was serious. The speed of the ball was probably 130km/h.

He’s blank, it’s not mature of him…..

The second pitch followed.

The next pitch, a change of pace, was completely off-timed and I struck out.

There was nothing left to do.

“Ain’t I a good leader?”

“I didn’t know you could lead so well. Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“That’s sad, we were in a partnership. You’ve already forgotten me while I was in my prime.”

I took one big deep breath and refocused.

Nishimura-san shook his head at the sign, and then nodded.

You want to beat me huh…..

Shaking your head at the sign …means you’re pissed off. “that’s what it means” probably.

I could hear my heart beating louder than the sounds around me.

The pitcher went into motion. He swung and slowly lifted his foot to throw the ball.

The moment I stepped in, I took a full swing.

“My heart was pounding so very hard!”

On the way home.

Hinagata, walking next to me, held her chest and said-

“That was quite a hit.”

The hit was far from pleasant, and I still have some numbness in my hands.

“It was a big hit, though.”

That’s not cool.

If it’s more than a clean hit, I’ll feel like I’ve made a good impression.

‘You gave a flop hit…’

After the game, Sugiuchi, who was trying to hold back his laughter, tapped me on the shoulder several times.

“Whatever it was, a hit is a hit.”

“I’m glad it turned out the way it was supposed to, but what were you going to do if I had lost?”

Hinagata smiled confidently.

“Don’t worry. I would have chosen the swimsuit manager then.”

“I don’t think that’s okay at all.”

“I would have worn a uniform or jersey over the swimsuit, so no problem.”

“What?”

“It’s only a requirement that I wear a bathing suit, they didn’t tell me not to wear anything over it.”

“Are you Ikkyū-san​?”

[TN: Ikkyū-san ​is an anime based on the historical Zen Buddhist monk Ikkyū that follows his mischievous adventures as a child during his stay at Ankoku Temple. In each episode, Ikkyū relies on his intelligence and wit to solve all types of problems, from distraught farmers to greedy merchants. The anime was well-received by all ages in Japan and throughout Asia, as it didn’t rely on violence.]

When did you come up with this in the spur of the moment.

Hinagata told me all about what had happened this week. I didn’t expect that she should consult with me, but she didn’t want to get me involved.

“Did they erase the photos?”

“Yeah. That’s very relaxing.”

Suddenly, Hinagata stopped.

“──SERVES YOU RIGHT!”

She put her hands over her mouth and shouted loudly, then broke her stance. Then as if something came up and she couldn’t hold it in and started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“It was amusing.”

So it’ s been a bad experience for you.

“Ryunosuke must have felt bad, too.”

I didn’t say anything back to him on that rainy day after school because he was a senior and I could understand what he was saying and how he felt. However, it seems that I have a tendency to show my feelings on my face, and Hinagata knew what I was thinking.

I was also uncomfortable with the conditions he set for us this time.

“Maybe a little.”

“Do it too, Ryunosuke.”

She urged me to do it, and when I was sure no one was around, I shouted as loudly as she did.

“SERVES YOU RIGHT!”

“You’re too loud!”

“Don’t f**k with the boys!”

When she said, “I was so very nervous.” She doesn’t just mean during the confrontation.

“I was batting for my own swimsuit manager, so yeah, it was understandable.”

No, Hinagata shook her head.

“That’s not what …I mean.”

“So what do you… Mean?”

“A good kind of pounding.”

She looked away, her lips pursed inward in a sly smile.

A good kind of pounding?

“More importantly, tell me.”

“Okay but, what?”

“Sugiuchi-kun told me that when you entered high school, there were several schools that offered you a special scholarship.”

That guy, he said something unnecessary.

“Why did you choose our school?”

“Because it’s close.”

I turned my head away, but Hinagata kept coming into my line of vision.

“Did you choose it only because it’s close?”

“Yes, correct.”

“Is there not any other reason?”

“N-No reason……”

To put it bluntly, Hinagata puffed up a bit.

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“Why did you choose ours, Hinagata?”

When I looked back at Hinagata, who had stopped, she looked straight into my eyes, illuminated by the setting sun.

“Because the person I like is at this school.”

Maybe it’s because I’m not used to being stared at so closely, but it makes me nervous.

“Ahh, I-Is that so?. I’m glad to hear that.”

“Yeah. I’m glad.”

She smiled and ran up to me, standing next to me.