Interesting (4)

"All right, line up."

Shirakawa Satoru, captain of the Seisho High School baseball team, gave the order.

Sanada Atsushi, batting fifth, had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just hit a home run. It came in the bottom of the sixth, but the score met the mercy-rule threshold and turned it into a walk-off.

"First start and a shutout win, huh? Congrats."

"Doesn't really mean much to me."

"Haha…"

Satoru let out a hollow laugh at Hongo Yukihisa's blunt reply. To Yukihisa it was simply six scoreless innings; complete games and shutouts in this fashion barely registered.

"See you at Koshien, Shirakawa."

"Yeah!"

They were meeting for the first time, yet they shared the common ground of young men who had devoted their high-school years to baseball. Satoru shook hands with the captain of Yoshioka High. Both were third-years, each about to head into his own battlefield—West Tokyo prelims for one, Gunma Prefecture prelims for the other. Whether their high-school careers ended here or they reached Koshien for the first time hung in the balance.

"That second-year pitcher is something else, isn't he?"

"Incredible, right?"

"Yeah. The velocity's high, and none of his other pitches were easy to hit either."

Pure admiration for Yukihisa. Satoru grinned. Plenty of powerhouse high-school teams would probably think the same once they faced him.

Meanwhile, up in the stands—

"Sanada really is something. That last home run was insane."

"Just muscled it over like that."

"That's not high-school level."

"Seisho's lineup really is the best."

"And then there's Hongo's pitching today."

"Give Hongo more chances and he'll definitely make something happen this time."

"Can't wait for the prelims."

An overwhelming victory against a school that played at Koshien-main-draw level. Every spectator rooting for Seisho rose with victory and anticipation written across their faces.

"Haruka-chan, shall we head up?"

"Ah, I'm going to join the team members."

"Right! Your friends were over there."

"Sacchan, if you dawdle we won't get out anytime soon."

"Just a second, Naomi-ng."

Hirose Satsuki grinned and lifted her phone.

"Hm?"

"Let's exchange messengers."

She thrust the phone toward Nagasawa Haruka.

"Uh, u-uh, okay!"

Haruka was flustered but couldn't refuse; her hands trembled slightly as she took the phone.

"Once Sacchan gets into something she can't stop herself."

"Hehe."

"…"

Haruka glanced sideways at Wakui Naomi and Satsuki.

Weird.

Haruka was the sort of girl who lived more in her own world than among other people. Her world was baseball. From childhood she had quietly felt that her hobbies set her apart from other girls her age. Even though more young people in Japan were getting into baseball lately, maniacs who dug into NPB, MLB, and high-school baseball the way Haruka did were rare.

And yet here she was, somehow tangled up with Hirose Satsuki of all people at a ballpark.

"Thanks!"

"Y-yeah."

"First time at a baseball stadium and I loved it. Our school's baseball club has so many cool people. You and Hongo-kun too."

"Haha…"

Haruka scratched her head and laughed awkwardly. Being lumped together with the club members she personally admired—and with Yukihisa, currently the most talked-about player—left her with nowhere to put herself.

"We'll go on ahead then."

"I'll message you, bye!"

"Yeah."

Naomi and Satsuki headed up first.

"Phew."

Once the two turned away, Haruka let out a breath. Their energy was so high it was hard to keep up.

"Hm?"

Satsuki looked back and waved; Haruka had no choice but to wave back.

"…"

I think I get why she's popular.

Even then, Satsuki ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was smiling brightly and waving. Looking at her as another girl, she was genuinely adorable. How could any guy not like her?

"Hmm."

For the first time since entering this body, I headed to Ikebukuro. Tokyo, being a world-class city, has no shortage of bustling districts, and Ikebukuro is one of them—Japanese subculture, bars, restaurants, fashion, and even a few slightly shady shops all mixed together.

Crazy number of people.

Arriving on a Sunday, the crowds were as expected. The massive department stores alone were enough to overwhelm you for a moment. The memories belonging to this body were gradually fading, so everything felt like I was seeing it for the first time.

"…"

This is something else.

I ought to be at a ballpark right now, yet here I was. It was almost absurd. Yesterday I had thrown six innings and the team had advanced to the final of the four-school tournament. Today we were scheduled to play against Kisarazu High School Affiliated, over in Chiba Prefecture. I should have been there with them, but…

(Take a full rest tomorrow,) Fukada Riko-senpai, the manager, had told me after I returned to school yesterday.

Last time the rest day made sense because there was no game, but sitting out today as well? I had even asked to at least take a turn at bat, but it was refused. According to Fukada-senpai, my personal training volume was so high that there was a move to rein me in. Apparently Coach Kote Shinya—who, unlike the strict manager, had a round, gentle personality—was especially worried.

They could just say it to my face.

If they thought my training load was too much, the manager or coach could simply come talk to me. Why treat me like some animal being broken in? Limit pitch counts in practice, don't jack the weights up too high, lengthen rest intervals—was that so hard?

"…"

Of course, whether I would actually listen if they said it was another matter entirely.

"Why did I even come here?"

It was early evening. I had wandered into Ikebukuro, the big commercial district, with no particular plan and was simply walking the streets. I had been cooped up at home and it started to feel wrong, so I came out. Huge department stores, young people waiting for dates, families of parents and kids out for a Sunday—plenty of all of them.

Impressive.

Even though it was a little early for dinner, plenty of places already had waiting lines. Not that any of it concerned me. I had to stake everything on baseball. Enjoying life in Tokyo could wait; there was no rush.

Should I just head back?

Aimless strolling really didn't suit me. Japanese transit fares were on the expensive side, but in the long run they wouldn't create any real money problems for me, so it didn't matter much.

"…"

I was heading back toward the station when I noticed a particularly long line. Longer than the ones at the other places. Didn't look like a restaurant. What was going on?

"Oh?"

A familiar face appeared.

"Ah! Hongo-kun!"

"…"

And that familiar face spotted me first.

"Hirose."

Hirose Satsuki. The moment I thought of Ikebukuro I had inevitably pictured her, but to actually run into her here? What was she, an NPC?

I walked over. She was clearly waiting in line; the least I could do was go to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Over there!"

"Hm?"

Hirose pointed at something.

"…"

A poster featuring a little bear-cub character.

"I like that one. They're selling goods at this shop, so I'm waiting in line."

"Ah…"

Got it, more or less.

But still.

"That line's ridiculous. How long is it going to take?"

"From what I heard, maybe another four hours or so?"

"Four hours!"

My voice jumped in surprise.

"You're planning to wait alone until late?"

"Yeah. I was supposed to come with a friend, but she suddenly had to go to her part-time job."

"That so?"

Don't her parents worry?

Ikebukuro had plenty of bars and entertainment districts; the atmosphere changed completely once night fell.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"Mind if I wait with you?"

"Hongo-kun too?"

"I've never lined up for character goods before. Figure I'd try it once. Not like I have anything else to do."

I proposed joining her with a paper-thin excuse. I really was terrible at inventing stories. Even if I didn't know much about girls, I at least knew leaving one alone late at night was a bad idea.

Yeah, that tracks.

The upperclassmen were always saying the Seisho baseball team was supposed to be something students looked up to, a model for others. Maybe this counted as club activity too.

"Yay! I was getting bored without Naomi."

"Haha…"

Simple, isn't she.

Lucky for me that Hirose wasn't the wary type.

"For real?"

"Yep!"

While we waited, she mentioned she had come to watch yesterday's game. That was pretty unexpected.

"Oh right—Hongo-kun, are you close with Nagasawa?"

"Nagasawa? Why her?"

"I met her at the stadium yesterday."

"That so?"

As a manager she should have been sitting with the team members; how had she ended up with Hirose? Not that it mattered.

More importantly…

Was I close with Nagasawa Haruka? Saying no here might be rude, but claiming we were close would be even weirder, wouldn't it?

"Well, she's a manager, so we know each other."

I settled on a compromise.

"Nagasawa's a total baseball encyclopedia! She knows everything."

"Hahaha."

She did have that side to her. Between Fukada-senpai and the rest of the club, there was probably no one who could match her baseball knowledge. She could rattle off NPB team records and trade talk I barely cared about, plus the stats of Japanese players who had gone to the majors.

"And she's super nice. She patiently explained every single rule to me."

"That so?"

Interesting.

Nagasawa was kind and gentle, but I hadn't realized she was that socially smooth. Wasn't she a bit on the introverted side? Then again, maybe she was different around other girls. I had never seen her talk much even in front of Fukada-senpai or the other managers, though.

"And she's all soft and round—so cute!"

"…"

Hirose kept talking about Nagasawa, looking thoroughly entertained. Did she just really like people? She seemed different from me in that regard.

"And you too, Hongo-kun! I don't know much about baseball, but you looked so cool!"

"Ah."

Suddenly the conversation swung to me and I froze.

"When you threw the ball like this and got a strikeout—yeah, strikeout—you should've seen how happy everyone around me got! From the stands you looked like a band vocalist or an idol!"

"Haha…"

Hirose even mimed a pitching motion as she talked; I looked away, embarrassed.

More than that…

I snuck a glance at her. Last time, Higuchi Shiori had been in Hirose's group. From the setting I knew and from how close they seemed…

Had Higuchi said anything about me? If she had, Hirose should have been keeping her distance. Instead she was being extremely friendly. I had only ever seen it on internet forums, but supposedly girls shared information more thoroughly and faster than guys. Did she just not care?

People might say a baseball club only needed to play well, but if you were going to make friends, reputation mattered.

Nah.

No need to overthink it. If it wasn't an issue, it wasn't an issue.

"Um, excuse me."

"Hm?"

Suddenly a little boy from the line behind us came up to me.

"You're from the Seisho baseball team, right, mister?"

"Huh?"

What?

He knew who I was?

"Yeah, I am…"

"I knew it! Hongo Yukihisa. I saw you at the stadium yesterday."

"Ah."

What kind of coincidence was this? Two people who had been in the stands yesterday, both in Ikebukuro.

"Gensuke! Don't bother people."

"…"

A woman who looked to be in her thirties spoke from behind him.

"Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine."

"I watched the game with my dad yesterday. You were seriously cool, mister!"

"Th-that so? Thanks."

Great.

I already found girls difficult; kids were just as bad—especially the ones who came up and talked this boldly.

"My dad roots for Seisho. He said you guys are definitely going to Koshien this time."

"That's really kind of him. Hahaha…"

"Hm?"

The kid looked at Hirose standing next to me.

"Ehh?"

Hirose tilted her head and smiled. Instantly the boy shrank back, lips clamped shut.

Figures.

He looked about eight. Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kids could tell when someone was pretty or handsome, or so they said.

"Whoa…"

"Huh?"

Then the kid suddenly looked at me instead. His eyes lit up with pure admiration.

Ah. That.

I understood the look. Walking around with a girl that pretty—amazing. Something like that. He wasn't old enough to grasp the complicated spectrum of male-female relationships, so he was probably just assuming girlfriend.

It was a misunderstanding, of course, but jumping in with a correction based only on near-certain speculation would be weird.

"Gensuke, come here right now."

"Okay! Mister! Fighting!"

"Y-yeah, fighting."

I smiled at the boy as he pumped his fist in support.

"So cute."

"Yeah."

"Hongo-kun! You're popular, huh?"

"What are you talking about…"

Hirose was teasing; I was already drained from the whole exchange.

"Woooow! Amazing, so cute!"

"Hmm."

We got into the shop earlier than expected. The moment Hirose saw the character merchandise her eyes went completely round. I had zero intention of buying anything, so I just stood there waiting for the shopping to end.

"All done?"

"Yep!"

Thankfully she came out quickly. With the line still long, she had probably been mindful of that.

"Hehehe."

Hirose looked blissful, hugging the shopping bag to her chest.

More than that…

She must have spent a fair amount. Was she from a well-off family? High-school girls usually didn't have that kind of money.

"Thanks for waiting with me, Hongo-kun."

"Nah, it's fine."

"Hungry? Let's go get ramen over there. It's really good."

"Sure."

It was nearly nine. I was pretty hungry myself.

"Normally the line's insane, but at this hour it should be okay."

"Yeah."

Just looking at it…

The ramen shop we arrived at. Even at nine it was almost full. Popular place, clearly.

"I'm paying, so order whatever you want."

"No, I can't let you—"

"It's fine. You waited with me the whole time."

"Ah…"

Faced with Hirose's insistence, I couldn't refuse. She ordered shio ramen with salt broth; I went with shoyu ramen, soy-sauce base. Largest size, double chashu.

"This is the best."

Hirose had already torn into her goods and was examining them.

"Isn't it super cute?"

"Yeah."

It is pretty cute.

I could see why the bear character was popular. Come to think of it, I might have seen it as a sticker pack on the messenger app Japanese people used a lot.

"Do you really think it's cute, Hongo-kun?"

"Huh? Y-yeah."

How much did she like it that she was asking twice?

Then Hirose suddenly grinned.

"In that case—here!"

"Hm?"

She held something out to me.

"What's this?"

"Phone case, and a keychain."

"Why give them to me?"

"You said you liked it too."

"Ah…"

"A present for waiting with me!"

Hirose smiled with her eyes.

So that's why.

Earlier she had asked about my phone model for this.

"…"

A bear-character case and keychain. If I walked around with these the teammates would probably laugh. Whether I actually used them was another question, but—

"Thanks. I'll use them well."

"Okay!"

I thanked her for a gift I rarely received in life, even if it was just repayment for standing in line together.

"Good, right?"

"…Yeah."

I almost reacted in a completely undignified way.

It's good.

The shoyu ramen broth was the real deal—so rich it sent a shiver down my spine for a second.

"Mmm-hmm."

Hirose started on her shio ramen too, humming under her breath from pure enjoyment. Whether she was buying character goods, talking about Nagasawa, or eating ramen, Hirose always looked happy.

"…"

I paused mid-bite and watched her. Blonde-dyed hair, careful makeup. Today again she was dressed far more stylishly than the average high-school girl. Somehow I kept getting tangled up with this girl who looked nothing like me and whose personality seemed completely mismatched.

Gulp.

The baseball club members gathered on the field. Some faces were full of anticipation; others looked as anxious as livestock being led to slaughter.

"…"

I'm not particularly nervous, but…

Even I could feel the emotions of the players standing around me seeping into the air.

Today was the day they would announce the twenty-man roster for the Koshien prelims. Anyone not selected—first- and second-years—would have to wait for next year. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The most critical group, of course, was the third-years. The autumn metropolitan tournament that decided spring Koshien qualification did not include third-years. So any third-year left off this list was effectively retiring from high-school baseball right here.

Even if the school hadn't set foot on Koshien dirt in five years, Seisho was still a national powerhouse. Plenty of third-years had never even played in a single official game. Of course they would be trembling.

"All right! I will now announce the twenty!"

With the entire baseball club assembled, Manager Maeda's voice rang out loud and clear.