Friends in the Baseball World

Friends in the Baseball World

After the leadoff batter saw the Cutter, Daishōri's second and third batters both became wary, but in the end, they were retired by fastballs to the inside and outside corners.

Hasegawa's fastball has some real juice today. Did what I said before the game actually work? No sluggish start this time. After smoothly retiring all three batters in the top of the inning, Miyuki returned to the Dugout in a relaxed mood.

"Your pitches have a lot of power today." Miyuki did not hold back his praise for Hasegawa, though Hasegawa was not buying it.

The coach watched what was happening in the Dugout out of the corner of his eye but made no comment. He knew Miyuki and Hasegawa did not get along particularly well, but Miyuki could use Hasegawa's refusal to lose to him and his anger to improve his Pitching Strategy. As long as it helped the team win more easily, the coach did not care much about their personal relationship. Only during meetings would he occasionally emphasize that all problems had to be settled on the field.

After Hasegawa deliberately ignored Miyuki's praise, the backup catcher, Nakamura, handed him some water. "You were in good form in the first inning today, but weren't you trying a little too hard?"

"It's fine. Thanks to you warming me up, I got fired up really quickly."

Seeing the blazing fighting spirit in Hasegawa's eyes, Nakamura silently grumbled, You're not competing against the other team. You're competing against Miyuki.

"Make good use of how your fastball feels today. We should be able to win this smoothly." The other players also came over to encourage Hasegawa, and he gladly accepted it all.

Sitting off to the side, Miyuki looked in bewilderment at the cheerful scene over there. Then he thought of Kōshū from Kinoshita Little League and sincerely wondered why his genuine expression of confidence kept being misunderstood as provocation.

In the bottom of the first, the players all leaned over the railing to cheer for the batter. After the leadoff hitter got On Base, Miyuki began getting ready as well, while the players spontaneously discussed, "That was a fastball, right?" "Probably a fastball."

After watching two pitches, Miyuki cut in. "Their pitcher doesn't seem very confident in his fastball. The catcher hasn't called for another one."

"Then what pitch should we target?" The previously chattering crowd quieted down somewhat as the captain asked from several people away.

"If it were me, I'd target the pitch after two strikes and one ball. No matter what it is, hitting it or sending it into Foul Ball territory will affect the pitcher's mindset in the matchup."

Having witnessed Miyuki tearing into upperclassmen last year, the teammates around him would choose to keep quiet whenever they could not keep up with Miyuki's train of thought, lest they become his next target.

As they spoke, the second batter hit a sacrifice fly, and the cleanup-hitting captain stepped into the on-deck circle. With no response from the captain, Miyuki stopped talking, and the surrounding teammates began chatting in low voices again.

The third batter was unconsciously led around by the nose by the Changeup and hit an infield grounder. The shortstop threw to first, forcing him out.

With two outs and a runner on second, it was Edogawa Little League's cleanup hitter's turn. The first pitch was a high fastball that he took. The second was another ball high over the middle, and the third was far outside. The cleanup hitter had not swung at all, yet he already had three balls. Then came a low Slider. He could have taken it for a walk, but he swung anyway, sending the ball through the gap between second and third.

When Miyuki, the fifth batter, came up, there were two outs and a runner on second. Edogawa Little League had already scored one run, and Miyuki settled into the box, sensing the catcher studying him.

Go on, look all you want. Your pitcher's fastball has no power today, and he can't hit the corners. Against the cleanup hitter just now, he threw three straight fastballs for balls. So the only pitch he'll dare throw in the Strike Zone now is that deciding Slider, right?

The first pitch was an Inside High Straight Ball. His control had probably recovered a little, and it barely grazed the edge of the Strike Zone. Miyuki sent it into Foul Ball territory.

Whoa, that was close. Good thing it landed foul. Miyuki glanced down at Home Plate. Looks like the pitcher is slowly finding his fastball again.

Then I'll guess Slider for the next one.

"Crack—"

Ha, got it right.

Edogawa Little League scored another run.

"Did he guess it right again?" Hayakawa Aki muttered.

When Kōshū looked at him questioningly, Hayakawa Aki explained, "Miyuki-kun is very good at guessing what the pitcher and catcher are thinking. That's why he doesn't work as hard at batting practice as the others, but he still gets pretty good results every time he bats."

"Huh? You know that glasses kid?"

"Yeah, I know him." Hayakawa Aki noticed Kōshū's strange expression. "What is it? Did something happen between you and Miyuki-kun? During the last practice game, he even asked me for your email address."

"...So it was you?"

Hayakawa Aki was full of question marks at that, but he could roughly guess why. "Didn't I mention that I only came to West Tokyo after moving? Back when I was in East Tokyo, Miyuki and I were neighbors, and we played baseball together. He was already a catcher back then."

Kōshū clicked his tongue in amazement. "Hayakawa-kun, are you friends with him?"

"Hard to say. I can never quite figure out what Miyuki-kun is thinking. But once, I invited him to my house, and he didn't refuse."

"Just because he didn't refuse an invitation... Is that what friendship is like for Japanese people? Then if I invited you to my house, would you come?" Kōshū looked at the catcher before him, who seemed rather simple at a glance, and threw him a straight ball.

"Huh? Wait, you mean Kōshū-kun and Sasaki-kun's house?"

Kōshū had only asked casually because lately he had been feeling like he wanted to make friends in the baseball world. But seeing Hayakawa's flustered look, and considering how earnest and good-natured he usually was, Kōshū's mischievous side surfaced.

"Yes, hurry up and agree. I'll teach you—this is how Chinese people make friends." Nonsense. Unless they were already good friends, Chinese people would not casually invite someone to their home.

Although Hayakawa-kun was a little awkward about it, he was persuaded and nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Tonight. Do you eat onions? My dad said he's making Hamburger Steak today. I'll message him and ask him to prepare more ingredients." Even as Kōshū spoke, he had already started composing the email.

"Huh, I'm eating directly at Kōshū-kun's house? But I haven't told my family yet."

"What's so hard about that? My dad already replied." Kōshū raised his phone. In the latest email, Mr. Sasaki's reply was simply: OK.

Seeing that it was already a done deal, Hayakawa-kun could only message his family. As he typed, a thought suddenly surfaced. I feel like Kōshū-kun and Miyuki-kun could become really good friends. Is that just my imagination?

Over the remaining innings, Edogawa Little League's pitcher Hasegawa remained as fired up as ever, striking out batter after batter. Unable to get any offensive support, the opposing pitcher barely managed to create outs with his recovered fastball control and solid Slider. The score remained 2–0 until the end.

"Edogawa Little League won." Hayakawa-kun opened his phone and muttered as he typed, "I'll message Miyuki to congratulate him."

But Kōshū immediately covered his phone with a hand. "Hayakawa-kun, you should stop messaging Miyuki from now on. He might trick information out of you. We're opponents, after all."

"Ah, but Miyuki-kun knew I was coming today. Wouldn't it be bad if I didn't send a congratulatory message?"

"What? So that guy invited a whole bunch of people like a peacock showing off? Did you tell him I came too?"

Hayakawa Aki instinctively knew that if he said yes, Kōshū would definitely keep nagging him about something else. So he turned his gaze toward the stadium and said against his conscience, "No. I only replied to Miyuki-kun that I would come."

Fortunately, Kōshū was in a hurry to leave and did not notice.

Dinner that evening was exceptionally elaborate. As the first friend Kōshū had invited home since coming to Japan, Hayakawa-kun received an enthusiastic welcome from both Mr. Sasaki and Shen Qing. Even Lang Zhi was a little sour, speaking to Kōshū with a hint of jealousy. "How nice. You made your first friend since coming to Japan. Look how happy Mom and Dad are."

Kōshū rolled his eyes, then immediately realized this was the perfect opening to deal with Lang Zhi. He threw an arm around Lang Zhi's neck and said warmly, "What's wrong, Lang Zhi? Don't say that. Actually, you were my first friend after I came to Japan."

Lang Zhi looked at Kōshū in disbelief and raised his arm. It was Kōshū's first time seeing someone get goosebumps just from something he said.

"Ha ha ha ha!" He grabbed his drink and dashed excitedly back to his room as though someone were chasing him down to beat him up. Lang Zhi remained where he was, unwilling to get involved in such a childish game.

He opened his phone and searched through his contacts, wondering who he could invite to his home. No, in order to surpass Kōshū, what he needed now was to see who might invite him to their home.

Damn Takano. Ever since he came along, I've had to keep doing things that challenge me. Lang Zhi searched through the list but could not find anyone like that, so he directed all that resentment at Kōshū.

A thump of a door closing came from upstairs. Mom and Dad were still tidying up in the kitchen. After thinking it over, he decided to help them first, then go bother Kōshū later.

When Kōshū closed the door, Hayakawa Aki was still secretly looking around the room. Seeing Kōshū come in, he quickly sat up straight.

Thinking back to how he had interacted with friends back home, Kōshū pretended not to notice Hayakawa's discomfort. He also felt a little regretful. Hayakawa's considerate behavior lately might have only been for the sake of the team, yet Kōshū had invited him over because of his sudden desire to find a friend in the baseball world.

But since he had invited Hayakawa over, Kōshū naturally began talking about his middle school days, including things he had not understood since coming to Japan. Gradually finding his footing in the conversation, Hayakawa began talking about his own middle school years as well.

"By the way, doesn't Coach Ninomiya need to go home? He goes back so late every day. I heard he has a son."

Hayakawa then displayed a gossiping ability that astonished Kōshū. He not only knew all about Coach Ninomiya, but also clearly explained the personalities and circumstances of the assistant coaches. Kōshū was also good at keeping a conversation going, and the two spent over half the night talking because of that shared interest in everyday social gossip.

When Hayakawa Aki was about to go home, Mr. Sasaki insisted on driving him back. Lang Zhi squeezed into the car too, but when they passed Mou Sen, Lang Zhi wanted to try a new item. The group got out and had a late-night snack before they were finally satisfied.

After that day, Hayakawa Aki felt that Kōshū had become his friend. When he told Kōshū so, he was mocked. "Do you really need to confirm that? Are you some girl waiting for someone else to confess to you? If you get along well, you're naturally friends. Are Japanese friendships too twisted, or do you just not believe in yourself enough?"