CH 35

“That number ’11’ is the same Yoshizumi who pitched during the summer, right?”

“I heard he got injured during the semifinals.”

“He can’t pitch today then, right? Will we win?”

The opposing bench is annoying…

Today is the third round of the fall tournament, the first game for our Seijo High. Hayakawa-san is starting and Kimura-san is practicing in the field. I’ll be on the field with him and not on the bench. They’re happy that I won’t be able to pitch…

Kimura-san said, “Hayakawa-san seems to be in good shape today, but it’s his first game, so he might be rusty. Please be prepared if anything goes wrong.”

As it turned out, Kimura-san’s preparation was unnecessary.

The score was 11-1 in our favor. Hayakawa-san let the opposing side get a run but he pitched through the rest. Our batter also connected after Takuma’s run, and the game ended with six runs scored at the end of the 5th inning.

“Hiroto! I did a great job, didn’t I?” (Takuma)

“Yeah, yeah, you were great.” (Hiroto)

““We were better than you!”” 

It’s true that our batter scored a lot of runs today, but the Yamazaki brothers’ defense kept the opponents’ runs to the minimum.

“Your pitching saved the day!” (Yoichiro)

“Oh, but my defense helped a lot as well.” 

Yoichiro praised Hayakawa, who pitched today. Takuma also played well, but from the batter’s point of view, it was more important to score runs, so I don’t think it could be helped.

““Takuma! We won!””

“Hiroto’s going to the hospital for rehabilitation now, right?” (Takuma)

“Yes, I’m going to get changed and report back to the hospital.” (Hiroto)

“What? Why can’t Hiroto join us?” (Takuma)

“Takuma, Hiroto can come next time. He needs to take care of himself.” (Yoichiro)

“Sorry, but I need to get dressed. I’ll be leaving first, please tell the manager.” (Hiroto)

I don’t know what Yoichiro and Takuma are talking about. I’ve told them I would be going to rehab, but I didn’t mention the appointment after that. If I tell these guys… especially Takuma, they’re likely to follow me. I’ll let Aizawa-san know that I’m on my way to the hospital now.

After greeting the manager, I headed for the hospital.

“Do you still feel any pain in your leg?” (Doctor)

“I’m alright.” (Hiroto)

“I’ll have to discuss it with Toru-san, but I think you should gradually introduce some exercise to your schedule.” (Doctor)

“Really! I’ll ask Toru-san about it.” (Hiroto)

Even though I know I won’t be able to make a full recovery by Autumn, I still want to be ready for next year. I want to do some running before then.

My check-up went well and I left the hospital. I looked at my phone and saw that there was a message from Aizawa-san.

‘Is the match already over? You finished early this time. I might be there a little later than you, Yoshizumi-kun.’

That was because the game ended in the 5th inning…

‘I’m done with rehab. I’ll wait at the convenience store near the school where we met up the other day.”

This should be good. It’s around 15 minutes away.

After arriving at the convenience store and waiting a bit, I got a message saying, ‘I’m done with club activities, so I’ll be there now.’ I closed my phone and felt some strange stares.

“Hey… look over there.”

“Yeah… I think it is…”

“Saijo…accident…maybe…”

There were a couple of students in Toko High uniforms looking at me and muttering something about Saijo High. Does our uniform stand out that much?

“Um… Yoshizumi-kun?” (Girl)

“Eh? That’s right.” (Hiroto)

Do they know me? I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it, but I don’t get it. Where would I know these people from?

“Do I know you? Sorry, I can’t seem to remember anything…” (Hiroto)

“Oh, I’ve never spoken to you before…” (Girl)

“We’ve been fans of you since middle school!” (Girl)

“Me? Are you sure you’re not mistaking me for someone else?” (Hiroto)

“You’re Yoshizumi from Seijo High School, right? (Girl)

“We went to cheer for you several times in middle school. We said it would be nice if he went to Toko, but you ended up going to Seijo… we should have gone to Seijo, too.” (Girl)

“I was rooting for Yoshizumi-kun, not Toko, during that game.” (Girl)

I don’t know what’s going on… but I remember in middle school, there were kids who would come during practice or a game to watch us.

“There were people who came when there was practice or a game nearby… I thought they were your friends because you talked to Kazuya and Takuma.” (Girl)

That girl with the Kansai accent wasn’t just talking to me, she was talking to all the girls.

“I told him to ‘Bring Yoshizumi-kun!’ but he never brought you to us…” (Girl)

Now I know why Takuma was always telling me to get me to go hang out with him… I guess it was a good thing that I never went.

“Your leg looks better now. Are you free…? You should come hang out with us!” (Girl)

“No, I’m meeting someone…” (Hiroto)

“Eh?” (Girl)

“I guess it can’t be helped then. Give us your contact information.” (Girl)

Hm…how do I get away… from a situation like this? I should have known that Takuma would go around causing problems…

“Yoshizumi-kun, sorry it took a while. Did you wait long?” (Haruka)

That voice came from Aizawa-san… she came at a really good time. I’m saved…

“Sorry, I’ll be leaving now since the person I’m waiting for is here.” (Hiroto)

“Eh… that girl is… Aizawa-san?” 

“Huh… yes?” (Haruka)

“Aizawa-san. Don’t worry, I just got here as well. Let’s go.” (Hiroto)

Girls I haven’t seen since middle school started talking to me, but they’re all oddly persistent. I’m really glad that I never went with Takuma…practice time is more important than play time anyways.

As I was leaving the exit of the convenience store, Aizawa-san started asking me about the girls.

“Yoshizumi-kun… did you know those girls?”

“I don’t know them. I just arrived at the convenience store when they suddenly started talking to me. How about you, Aizawa-san?” (Hiroto)

“I’m in a different class, so I’ve never spoken with them before. So it seems that Yoshizumi-kun is popular with girls…” (Haruka)

Aizawa-san seemed to be thinking hard about something, but we left the convenience store and headed for the park where we promised to go.