Middle School

In the blink of an eye, Sendou had become a middle school student. Naturally, he enrolled at Akagi Middle School, the closest school to his grandparents' home.

"I'm planning to start a Baseball Club. Join us! Let's make it to Nationals together! Hahahaha!"

"I refuse!"

"Why?" came a particularly distinctive howl.

"We're already companions, aren't we? Close friends! Wouldn't it be great if we all worked hard together?"

"Companions? Close friends?"

"The Going-Home Club is the best! I finally get to enjoy a few years of leisure, so how could I possibly join you? Give it up!" Sendou finally said, shaking his head.

"And please don't shout indoors!"

After the other person left, Sendou vaguely heard his conversation with the others, things like, "Did he fail again?"

But before long, the Baseball Club was still established, even though it had a girl in it. Of course, it was the adorable Wakaba-chan!

After that, he once again witnessed just how shameless Sawamura could be. Their homeroom teacher was tormented half to death.

Sendou could not help laughing every time. For the first time, he was not the one being tormented—whether it was arranging Practice Matches or asking for club funds.

Even Sendou himself did not realize that he had gradually been influenced by the other boy.

Sendou often went to watch them practice as well. Every time, they greeted him enthusiastically and invited him to join, and every time he refused, they smiled and said it was fine.

But their practice was really just a mess. Even Sendou, an amateur himself, could tell how terrible they were.

They were completely fooling around. No matter how long they kept this up, they would never improve. Yet they looked so happy every time.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back. You're late again today. Did you go watch the Baseball Club practice again? If you like it, join them! You were the ace cleanup hitter in Little Senior League. What a waste!"

"No, I'm just a beginner too. They're simply too entertaining."

"Is that so? Go wash up and eat."

"Sendou, join the Baseball Club! We'll definitely make it to Nationals!"

"You completely missed the point. I didn't refuse yesterday because you guys can't make it to Nationals, okay? Though you definitely can't make it anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah—no! We'll definitely make it! Definitely!"

"Do whatever you want. None of that matters anymore." Sendou gave up on continuing yesterday's argument.

"Eijun!"

"Hm? Don't tell me you're joining baseball? I knew you'd come eventually."

"Hey!" Sendou was speechless.

"That's not what I meant. You said you're going to Nationals, but do you know anything about the other teams in the prefecture? At least from what I can see, the people in our Baseball Club are even more inexperienced than beginners."

"Well..."

"Have you practiced the things I gave you over the past few years?"

"Of course!" Sawamura would never doubt his companion's words. Besides, over the past few years, he had learned that Sendou did not talk nonsense when he was being serious. The only problem was telling whether he was genuinely serious or merely pretending to be.

That guy was really bad. In some ways, his personality could be called downright awful.

"That's good." With that, Sendou left.

"That's it?" Sawamura shouted from behind him.

But Sendou ignored him completely. He had already learned what he wanted to know.

As for the baseball team, it was enough for them to have fun. He had watched those people, and only one or two of them had barely passable talent—meaning they were just a little better than ordinary people, and that was only if they worked hard and received proper guidance.

Given that many schools selected players with more free time from the first- and second-year students in Little Senior League to join their school teams, Nationals was simply out of the question.

The days passed just like that.

During that time, Akagi Middle School's Baseball Club practiced like elementary schoolers under the leadership of an amateur teacher and an amateur captain, without making the slightest progress.

(In the original work, even by their third year, they only knew not to hold the bat backward. They still made basic mistakes, and a whole group of them could not even handle Ground Balls properly. They did not win a single game throughout middle school, which showed just how outrageously amateurish they were.)

"Sendou! Tomorrow is our first match in the Prefectural Preliminaries. If you have time, come watch us!"

"Mm, sure! I'll go!"

"Got it, if you don't have time, it can't be helped... Huh?... What? You're coming?"

Sawamura went from speaking with a smile, to suddenly choking up, to crying out in shock. It was so funny that Sendou could not help covering his mouth and laughing.

"Yeah, I'll come watch! Just don't lose too badly, Eijun!"

"Hahahaha! You've finally taken the first step toward leaving that evil Going-Home Club behind!!!

...,

Wait, what do you mean, don't lose too badly? We'll win! We'll definitely win! Damn it!"

"Idiot!"

"Idiot? You just called me an idiot, didn't you? Mmmmmm!"

Sawamura glared with those completely nonthreatening eyes, an expression that only made people want to laugh and think he was cute, as though he had no idea where he was even exerting his strength.

"Hahahaha, that's the look, Eijun! So cute! Hahahaha!"

Sendou's long-hidden sadistic side had finally awakened completely.

"Hmph, I'm going home!"

"Hahahaha, be careful on the way!"

"Damn it!!!" Sawamura's unwilling shout came from the distance.

"Akila, why do you tease him every time?" Wakaba asked from the side.

"Isn't he cute? What is it, has my girlfriend come to question me this time?"

"Girlfriend? What nonsense are you talking about?" Wakaba turned around and followed Sawamura away.

"Wakaba! Tell Eijun and the others not to prepare lunch tomorrow. I'm treating them to barbecue at my house!"

And just like that, he had driven away his two best friends one after another.

"Tomorrow, huh? It should be their first and last game this year! That really will be a match I can't afford to miss," Sendou muttered in an inexplicable tone.

"I'm home!"

"Oh, Akila, welcome back! You're in such a good mood today. Did something good happen?"

"Grandpa, nothing happened!"

"Then you bullied Eijun again! Honestly."

"He's cute, that guy. I'm heading out again soon! I just came back to get some money!"

"What do you need money for?"

"To buy some ingredients. Our school's Baseball Club has its first game tomorrow. After the match, I'm inviting them here for barbecue. Those guys' game will be entertaining."

"Especially Eijun. That guy definitely won't disappoint me. I'm already looking forward to it. Oh, Grandpa, do we still have the seasonings and lamb Dad brought back last time?"

"There's still plenty! Don't worry."

"Then I'm heading out!"

"Thank you, Eijun. Thanks to you, Sendou has become much more cheerful." Sendou Junichi silently thought as he watched his grandson leave.

Today, I finally finished filling out the application and received the electronic version of the contract. Once I print it, I'll probably mail it out tomorrow. It has been a week since I received the site message at around fifteen thousand words, but various matters kept me from finishing the application until today. I started publishing this book at such a busy time because of certain circumstances in my life.

But readers, rest assured: my goal in writing is to create a work that people can reread again and again.

For example, I reread Mitsuru Adachi's Cross Game several times every year. Over the past few months alone, I've already read it three times. Its details are perfect, and even though I know the ending, I can still read it with intense interest.

Maybe a few chapters will feel boring to some readers, but that would either be because my current skill is limited or because I wanted to convey something, such as setting up later events or providing introductions and explanations. Some people may have already noticed that I am a rather stubborn person. I will not easily change the overall direction of the work unless someone can truly offer a suggestion that makes me feel it would be better that way.

The prerequisite is a complete suggestion, one with an overall train of thought. I cannot change the entire direction of the book just because readers do not want a certain outcome.

That is unrealistic. I believe someone without their own convictions is not suited to writing. Finally, I hope those who enjoy this work will offer plenty of support through recommendation votes and future subscriptions, so I can end my life of living off my parents. As for monthly tickets, tips, and things like that, I do not really know what they are, so I can only say this: please contribute within your means. Nobody has it easy.