CH 71

Chapter 71: Facing The Same Stage

TL: Akabane

***

I went to the cafeteria to have lunch with my usual group of friends, but there was an unusual customer.

"No after all?"

Igarashi was there with her usual members. They are a group of people who have a high level of appearance, but not much inside, so they are attracting a lot of attention from others.

"I don't like it."

Yuzuriha was refusing Igarashi's request with a mysterious face. The other members were also shaking their heads with subtle faces.

"You, what are you doing?"

"Ah, Tokiwa! Hey, I have a favor to ask you! Listen to me!"

"No, you can't! I'm not going to do it!

Igarashi stood up and came toward me. Yuzuriha also came closer, and the two of them pulled my hands together.

"So what is it? Someone, please explain!"

Milan is smiling bitterly, and Ayashiro is sighing like she's about to give up.

"Igarashi wants us to come and help out with the cheerleading squad."

Ayashiro said nonchalantly. She doesn't seem too interested in this topic.

"Look, the Tokyo Five College Baseball Tournament is coming up soon! They want us to join the cheerleading squad."

Milan, on the other hand, seems to be having a bit of fun. She's in the entertainment business, and she likes that kind of thing. But at the same time, there was a look of concern on Milan's face.

"Wow. Sounds interesting. But why the delicate atmosphere? Especially Yuzuriha. Why are you so uncomfortable with it?"

"Right! It does sound interesting! So, Tokiwa, convince math-chan!"

As far as Igarashi's proposal is concerned, there seems to be no problem. But Yuzuriha's reluctance is a bit strange.

"It's not arithmetic! It's math! Kanata! No, you can't! Cheerleading and all that riajuu stuff will melt your body! Besides...!"

"Besides?"

"That guy who likes dreams more than boobs is going to play in the five-college baseball tournament! I don't want to show my panties with my legs open for someone like that! I don't want to!"

"Ah? Hagiri's playing baseball? Huh? Hey! Igarashi, what's going on! Explain!"

When I said that, Igarashi looked troubled.

"I guess I'm stuck there after all...fufu. I heard that Chuso is going to join the baseball team as a helper. And I was ordered by the head of the cheerleading club to gather cute girls who can be seen on TV as punishment for skipping practice the other day...haha...I'm so depressed..."

It's hard for me to accept that kind of thing when you say it so carefree.

"No! I'm an absolute no! I won't let you do that to my kids!"

"Is Tokiwa the father of these children? Well, I guess it's going to happen after all! I understand. Well then, how about Tokiwa joining the baseball team too? Then Ayashiro and the others will cheer for us, right?"

"Hey, wait a minute. That's impossible."

"Is that so? You're a good athlete, Tokiwa. I'm sure they'll be fine."

I'm almost dizzy from the too-appropriate suggestion.

"As expected, that's impossible. I don't care if it's a circle, but I don't feel like being a scoundrel to the point of being a nuisance or rude to the stiffs in the club activities."

University club activities and circles are still different in their stiffness. The seriousness of club activities is especially noticeable in sports. I'm not someone who is so brazen as to casually show up at such places.

"I see. Hmm. Well, it's hard to easily show up at club activities, isn't it? I understand. I'll pick up another girl. See you later."

Igarashi, probably originally thinking it was a bad idea, simply withdrew and went away.

"But you know what? It's just like Hagiri, isn't it? The Five College Baseball Tournament is televised, and if you play well there, you'll become a celebrity. Well, I'm sure the people in the original club wouldn't be too happy about it."

Ayashiro says this with a deep feeling in her heart.

"I really wanted to be in cheerleading. I'm in the performing arts, and cheerleading gets exposure on TV and the Internet, so it's very tasty for me. But I don't want to cheer for Hagiri. It's physiologically impossible."

Milan said with a disappointed look on her face.

"...But the costumes are cute...cheerleading...it shines..."

I can tell Yuzuriha is probably envious. If it weren't for Hagiri, I would have wanted to push her to join cheerleading.

After school came, and since no one had anything special to do today, we naturally decided to play in the courtyard of the Tagichi dormitory with the usual group of students. And I guess our lunchtime talk had lingered a bit. We decided to play baseball with plastic bats and rubber balls. Milan, the pitcher, threw the ball with her feet high in the air, like something out of a manga.

"This is how it's done!!!!"

Milan's pitching style is very cool. But the ball wasn't flattering fast, and it didn't change. So the hitter, Ayashiro, caught it just right and pulled it as hard as she could to the outfield.

"Ohoho! The home run queen is mine!"

I don't know who hands out that award, but it's indeed a liner that looks like a home run. But strangely, Yuzuriha was already standing at the drop of that ball. And she stands a little taller to catch it.

"Phew! I did it! I got the ball! I paid you back, Ayashiro! Wahahahaha!"

"Huh! What was that! It was a fluke, a fluke! Milan! Throw it again! I'll make sure you get it!"

"Yeah, you can't be a grown-up and out...oh well. I'll go! Let's go!"

And Milan throws the ball again. The ball, not too fast, flies toward my glove as the catcher. That's when it happened. The hitter hadn't even hit the ball yet, but Yuzuriha was fluttering to the left from my point of view. And Ayashiro caught the ball again. And she swung with more force than before. The ball went down the left side with a liner. Yuzuriha jumped and caught it on the spot. Today's pants were a fresh green.

"Phew!"

"Keeeeeeeee! Milan! Throw it!"

"No, so let's just admit you're out...I hate losing. Well, it's okay, though. Yo!"

Half-heartedly, Milan throws again. This time, Yuzuriha comes into the infield at the same time as the pitch and crouches down at shortstop. Her thighs are very shiny and dazzling. Then, Ayashiro hit again. But the pitch was a strong but hard hit, and to Yuzuriha's surprise, it rolled to the shortstop's position where Yuzuriha was. Yuzuriha caught it and threw it to first. Well, there was no one at first...

"Phew! You still haven't noticed?"

"What are you talking about? You're talking to me!"

"This is the power of mathematics! This is the power of mathematics! Ayashiro is now just one variable in my equation! I am the perfect calculator of everything!"

"Oh, no... It means that everything has already been set up... that all my efforts and decisions are just in my hands... oh no..."

Ayashiro kneels down, hands on the ground in frustration. What's with this chuunibyo development...?

"Not only can you calculate the number of people you've experienced, but you can also calculate baseball. Yuzuriha is amazing!"

Milan is very impressed. It's true, it's amazing. But isn't this too much?

"Hey there, can I talk to you for a minute?

A man with a shaved head approached us. He stood in front of Yuzuriha.

"You! I've been watching you since you were a baseball player! You're so talented!"

"What?"

Yuzuriha shivered, ran away from the man, and hid behind me. The man now stands in front of me. He's taller than me, maybe 190 cm.

"Get out of my way, please! I need to ask the girl for a favor!"

"Sorry, I can't do that. If you have a requirement, you'll have to go through me."

The man stared at me as if I was somehow in his way, but he seemed to change his mind when he saw that Yuzuriha was frightened.

"I see, I've frightened you. I'm sorry. But I really need to ask you to do something for the girl over there!!!!"

This shaved head. He doesn't look like a bad guy. Yuzuriha is also looking over my back to see how the guy is doing.

"My name is Kyogoku Yuharu! I'm the head of the baseball team! Please! Manager of our baseball team! No! I want you to be the manager!"

""""Huh?""""

We couldn't hide our confusion. "We want you to be the manager." That's understandable. But "I want you to be a manager!"

"Well, I don't understand...why do you want me to be a manager?"

"I was allowed to watch you play just now from the dorm! That kid was anticipating the hitter's move! I didn't think there was anyone in this world who could do that! If only you were here, it wouldn't be impossible to aim for the championship in the upcoming Five College Baseball Tournament!"

"Ah...I see. So that's how it is. I see."

It was true that Yuzuriha had anticipated the hitter's move with computing power equivalent to foreknowledge. With that instruction, it might be possible to win a baseball game. But isn't this a very bad story? I turned to Yuzuriha and asked.

"What do you want to do?"

"Of course I can't be a manager!"

"Well, that's right. It's impossible to be a manager, you know."

Yuzuriha is half in tears. If a scary man suddenly came to her and asked her for a scary favor, she would probably cry.

"Besides, that guy is in the baseball club right now! I absolutely hate it!"

"I agree with you on that. I'm sorry, Kyogoku-senpai, but I have to decline this offer."

I said to Kyogoku-senpai. But Kyogoku-senpai insisted.

"Can't you do something about it?"

"No."

"Mm-mm. Then, can you at least tell me how to predict that hitter? I...I have to retire from club activities this year. We didn't win a single championship during my time here... so just once, I want to win! I want to win one last time. I'm sorry. Please tell me."

Kyogoku-senpai bows deeply. I don't think there is any ill will there. There was the will of an athlete who wants to win at any cost. Perhaps struck by this, Yuzuriha turned from the side of my back to face Kyogoku-senpai and said.

"I understand. I'll show you the equation for the baseball player behavior analysis method I mentioned earlier. That is a kind of vector arithmetic combined with probability statistics...Mugyu?!"

I stopped Yuzuriha's lips with my index finger as I began my commentary. My intuition whispered to me. The image of handing this equation over to the baseball club with Hagiri in it might be a gateway to something too dangerous.

"Kyogoku-senpai. What you just said was just that. It's what's called a woman's intuition! That's why it's not something that can be taught! Haha, I'm sorry!"

I mislead Kyogoku-senpai with a proper cajoling.

"I see. Well, that's right. I don't think I can calculate something like that. Phew...I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble..."

I'm starting to feel really sorry. But the method of human behavior that Yuzuriha has. I now realized its greatness or danger.... Yuzuriha herself seems to have invented these methods from rather trivial motives, and she is indifferent to their greatness. This is bad. This is absolutely bad. But at the same time, this seemed like an opportunity.

"Excuse me, Kyogoku-senpai. Could you please wait a moment?"

"Hmm? Well, I don't mind."

We moved away from Kyogoku-senpai for a bit. Then we formed a circle and started discussing.

"I have a hunch. I have a feeling this is our chance. I think this could be a chance to harass that Hagiri, or rather, shake him off his feet."

"Yes, that's true. I also noticed that Yuzuriha's current baseball behavior method is pretty bad, isn't it?"

"What? Am I that bad?"

"Yes. Yuzuriha is bad. Well, anyway. This will be a good bargaining chip. And if it goes well, I can get more than Hagiri for Tokiwa..."

"What? A deal? Could it be that I'm going to be sold to him?"

"Yuzuriha, don't worry. Tokiwa, why don't you let me and Milan talk about it? We'll make it all work out!"

"Okay, please."

""Leave it to me!""

Ayashiro and Milan are good communicators. If these two have a plan, then they will be able to work it out.

"Kyogoku-senpai. What do you think? How about hiring us as baseball consultants?"

Ayashiro said with a grin. Kyogoku-senpai's eyebrows twitched.

"Consultants, you say?"

"Yes, that's right. You already know that with our Yuzuriha's intuition, we can predict the opposing team to some extent. But Yuzuriha is a little shy. So, we would like you to allow us to come in and out of the baseball team as a set. Well, the girls can be temporary managers."

"I see. I appreciate the offer, but you must be asking for some kind of compensation for being a consultant, right? I'm sorry, but I don't have any money and I can't pay for the club."

"It's not money. Please let our Tokiwa join the baseball team as an assistant player."

"What? Do you mean 'helper'... we already have a big helper named Hagiri... and to bring in a helper other than him, there's a possibility that it might destroy his reputation..."

Kyogoku-senpai is a little concerned about Ayashiro's proposal.

"That's all right then! Look at this! We're good friends with Hagiri's childhood friend! We won't ruin Hagiri's reputation!"

Milan showed me a group photo of the tennis team she had taken the other day on her phone. It was a picture of Igarashi and the four of us together, all getting along. I bet Milan could make a living in something other than show business. She would also be a good scam artist.

"You'll get a great deal if we join you as consultants! We can also arrange other cheer performances for dance clubs! We'll put on a cheer show that's even better than the cheerleading squad! What do you think? Imagine! We'll go to the Five College Baseball Tournament with an all-Imperial Capital University team! And win the championship! It will be the best memory! We can give Kyogoku-senpai not only a five-college championship, but also a performance that will make his youth come alive!"

That was the tome of Milan's sales talk. Kyogoku-senpai's cheeks relaxed a little. If not only the cheerleading club, but also the dance club's cheering and so on were in the audience, the match would be very exciting. And with Yuzuriha's predictive ability, he would snatch the championship. The best moment of his life will come to him. The temptation is irresistible.

"Okay! Tokiwa! I agree to make you a temporary member of the club! Let's work together to win the championship!"

Thus, the conversation was settled, and Kyogoku-senpai was back at the dormitory with a ruffled look on his face.

"Yeah...you two were like intellectual yakuza!"

"Yes, they did. It looks like Tokiwa's anti-corporat germs have been transferred. Fufufu..."

"But now, we can participate in the Five College Baseball without any worries! I'm really looking forward to Kanata's success!"

The three people's gazes fell on me. There is anticipation. Yes, I'm on the same stage as Hagiri. I stood on the same stage as Hagiri.

"Oh, I'll take care of it! I'll do better than Hagiri!

"""Ooooooooo!"""

We shouted, throwing our hands up to the sky. We were about to jump into a huge event that we thought we had nothing to do with. We couldn't contain our excitement and elation.

***Author's musings***

The plot changed a little, and an event called the Five College Baseball Game occurred.

The economic cheat using the knowledge of the future and the event of joining the right arm will be moved up to the next season.

Also, the author likes to set up the story in a middle-aged way.

I like the story of Rex Sacrorum in the last chapter and the room with many giant servers.

But I'm going to stick to romantic comedy, so please keep up the good work.