The members of Kinoshita Little League had the field to themselves for only half an hour before another little league team arrived. They had relatively few players, just over ten, and when they saw the heated defensive drills underway, they seemed a little intimidated.
"Are we really going to share a field with them?"
"Won't we get squeezed off to one side?"
"Splitting it half and half would be fairer, right?"
The players' private murmurs did not interfere with the exchange between the two teams' coaches. The woman leading the other team was young, with a whistle hanging from her chest, ready to blow it at any moment to quiet her players.
"Coach Ninomiya, your club always has so many people." Even though they were meeting for the first time, she spoke as if they had known each other for ages.
"Head Coach Yoshinaga, it is a pleasure to meet you." Coach Ninomiya seemed completely oblivious to her attempt at familiarity.
"Don't be so serious, Coach Ninomiya. I've never had two teams share one field before, so what should we do?" The young woman casually pointed at the white-haired old man behind her. "Our team's old immortal came along today because he wanted to take a hot spring bath while he was here. This winter, it feels like every gap in his bones is letting in drafts."
The old immortal she referred to had once been the team's head coach. When Coach Ninomiya had seen him last year, his back had still been perfectly straight. Now, he resembled an apple left out too long, his height and build both having shrunk by a full size.
Coach Ninomiya stepped forward and took the old man's hand. "Head Coach Yoshinaga, how have you been?"
"Huh? I already ate. I had a little