Epilogue

“Tonomuraー! Let’s play baseballー!”

I woke up to an annoyingly familiar voice Saturday morning. When I looked out of the window, I saw Sugiuchi repeating the same line, just as I thought he would be.

“Tonomuraー! Let’s play baseballー!”

“What do you want! Scumuchi.”

Who the h**l’s Scumuchi?!”

“Just get ready,” Scumuchi urged me. I had nothing better to do, so I changed out of my pajamas , grabbed some food,  and got on my bike.

“What’s with baseball in the morning?”

This is the only time you can do it.”

“What are you talking about?”

When I looked at my phone, it was almost  nine o’clock. It seemed that I was going to an elementary school, so I pedaled my bike after Sugiuchi.

As I yawned and rubbed my tired eyes, I arrived at the elementary school grounds to find Hinagata, Uchinokura-san, Honma, Ayahi and Su-chan. There were so many of them.

“Baseball? With only this many  players? Can we even play?”

“It’s not about what we can do. Let’s do it!”

“Why is he so fired up?  You should at least feel the difference in energy between me and you.”

When I parked my bike at the school gate, Su-chan was the first to notice me.

“Ryu-kun, Ryu-kun. He’s here!”

“Yes, yes, I’m here. I see Honma and Ayahi are here too.”

As Su-chan came running towards me to hug me, I saw Ayahi and Honma come towards me.

“Senpai, good morning.”

“You two can play baseball?”

“Yeah, I guess? I thought we could do it on the spur of the moment.”

Hahaha, Ayahi laughed. She is an athletic person and is known as a karate gorilla. This girl must be the type of person who just goes with the flow.

“As for me, I wanted senpai to teach me everything he knows.”

“Honma-chan, I don’t need that today.”

“Why not? And what do you mean by that?”

Mouu, Honma puffed up.

“Ryu… Tonomura-kun, good morning.”

“Good-Good morning.”

I returned the greeting to Hinagata ad nodded to Uchinokura-san, who also exchanged bows.

“Sugicchi had originally planned it. Grass-lot baseball today.”

I looked at him to see if that was the case, and Sugiuchi nodded in excitement.

“That sounds like fun.”

“Well, yeah.”

While I was explaining the rules, Hinagata was struggling to peel off Su-chan, who wouldn’t let go of me. 

“Suzuka, you’re bothering him, you’ll get in his way!”

“Suーka, isn’t getting in the way!”

“Why are you sounding so confident…!”

Honma, Sugiuchi, and Uchinokura-san laughed at the sights often seen in the Hinagta family, which seemed to be fresh for everyone.

“Anyways, you’re pitching for now.”

He half-heartedly made me pitch, but I was probably the most sane person in the group, and I couldn’t find any reason to refuse so I stood on the small mound.

“I figured this distance would be fine.”

Sugiuchi seemed to have taken this into consideration. It was true that I could throw a ball as far as an elementary school kid.

I asked Su-chan to let go of  me and left her with Ayahi.

“Su-chan, your big brother is going to show you something cool.”

“I’m watching!”

Su-chan’s eyes sparkled.

“Shiori’s sister is…. deathly cute and adorable, right?”

Uchinokura-san was fascinated by Su-chan and Hinagata was smiling.

It seemed that Sugiuchi had borrowed an extra glove from the softball club that everyone was carrying. When everyone had scattered to the ground, Sugiuchi went to bat.

“Ha…haha…..hahaha… MUAHAHAHAH! This day has finally come! In middle school, you were untouchable, but today… today, I’m going to beat you to a pulp!”

Uwaa, this small fry.

“Do you enjoy stomping on me when I can’t throw properly?”

“It’s fun!”

He’s got a good personality.

“Sugiuchi-senpai, you’re not cool…” said Honma.

“He’s a nobody,” said Ayahi.

“Sugicchi…” said Uchinokura dumbfoundedly.

“Hit the batter,” Hinagata said, as if nothing had happened.

“Sis Sis, can he face my brother?” Su-chan tilted her head

After the first pitch, Sugiuchi hit the ball with ease and started running.

Ayahi caught the ball and quickly threw it.

“Hahahaha!! Tonomura’s throw is nothing to worry abou─ UGYAA!?”

The ball was thrown back by Ayahi and hit Sugiuchi with a thud.

“Yay!! You’re out.”

A throw out!?

“Hey, Onii-chan, this is okay, right?”

“Yeah. That’ll do for Sugiuchi.”

“Waaaaaaait!”

Sugiuchi bravely plunged in , but fell down. He was in tears saying, “Ugh, it’s bruised…” It’s a soft ball, but a direct hit can be quite painful.

To Ayahi, Uchinokura-san, Hinagata, and the sports girls, my curved throw was just right, and everyone hit it back well. 

When Honma takes her turn at bat—

“Senpai~ Please a little slow~♡”

“I can’t  pitch anything but slowly though.”

“Senpai~ Women don’t like man who are fast~.”

“Honma-chan, we really don’t need a character like that.”

“Please don’t call it a character. I’m more serious than serious.”

Why is Sugiuchi so hard on Homma?

Honma swung at the ball with an “Ei~” When she hit the ball, she squealed with delight.

When it was my turn to bat, Sugiuchi took the mound.

“I’ll throw the ball properly and you try to hit it.”

“Okay.” I replied, and easily hit back at Sugiuchi’s pitch.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue.

The ball flew a pretty good distance before it hit the window of the school building.

I’m glad I didn’t break any glass, but , if I remember correctly, that place looks like… it looks like the staff room….

I sincerely hope that no teachers are working on the weekends.

As I was praying, I saw a shadow and the window opened with a loud sound.

“Hey! Who are you people! What are you doing!”

The sound of an adult voice that sounded like a teacher echoed well in the still ground. That voice ….is of the teacher who chased me and Hinagata the other day.

“Hey, Sugiuchi?”

“Hmm?”

“Isn’t that teacher angry?”

“That’s strange. I was wondering the same thing.”

“I wonder why he’s so angry.”

“That’s because we are playing baseball here without …permission.”

“Didn’t you ask for permission?”

“It’s not my school or anything. Do I really need permission?”

“Of course you need permission, Sugiuchi-san.”

“I’ll ask him, but why can’t we use the ground without permission?”

I can’t believe this is coming from someone who lives in harmony.

“Well, Tonomura, you should apologize. Cause you hit the ball.”

“No, it’s your fault for not asking for permission in the first place.”

Which high school are you students from? ── In a loud voice. “This is definitely bad. Run away,” Ayahi said, and started running with Su-chan in her arms.

When the teacher disappeared from the window, he opened the door to the service entrance and came out.

“Su-Sugiuchi, Go and give an explanation to him! We are counting on you!”

“NOPE NOPE!! I’m not good at that”

I grabbed my glove and hurried to my bike. Sensing an emergency, Uchinokura-san, Honma, and Hinagata all rushed off to leave the ground.

As I got on my bike, Hinagata quickly sat down on the back.

Uchinokura-san took the wheel of Sugiuchi’s bike, which was not locked, and Honma rode behind her.

“Hey Wai-! That’s my bike!”

Behind the panicking Sugiuchi, the teacher, running furiously, was making his appearance bigger and bigger.

“Well, I guess I’ll be in touch later!”

Uchinokura-san nodded, and we split into two groups and began to flee.

“Don’t ride together──! Wait, both of you boys!!”

Sugiuchi ….was a noble sacrifice.

As I was praying in my mind, Sugiuchi started to chase after my bike and somehow managed to escape from the teacher. Sugiuchi’s running speed was deadly fast.

Hinagata, who had been quietly watching the whole thing, began to chuckle in the back.

I couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“He got pissed off…. Again.”

Hinagata said with an exhaled laugh. I couldn’t take it anymore and let out a burst of laughter.

“AHHAAH. Why again, the same teacher? Hahaha.”

I don’t know anything about that.

I laughed again.

“Our club activities starts at noon, so we decided to play in the morning.”

Hinagata’s arms had been wrapped around my waist ever since we got on.

“Ahh, that’s why…”

No wonder it was so early in the morning.

“I think I’ll be done by evening, so when I’m done with …can I come to your house, Ryunosuke?”

I was startled, and found myself imagining strange things again.

My answer was yes.

“I’d like to talk to you again…”

“Oh.” and “Hmm.” together we made a strange sound.

The person Hinagata likes may or may not be me──

I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, and I’m starting to feel like he could be anyone.

At the same time, I was becoming more and more aware that it would be nice if that person was me.

Maybe I do like Hinagata.

I didn’t know whether or not I actually liked her; or if I was in love with her. I finally realized it.

“Oh. I just received a message. We’re meeting at Ryunosuke’s house.”

“Why my house?” When I complained, Hinata laughed again.