After the Game and Dinner

The game ultimately ended early in the top of the ninth, with an 8–2 score.

(Middle school softball played nine innings. Hardball baseball, like the Little Senior League that Miyuki and Chris played in, had seven innings. To confirm that Diamond no Ace softball used nine innings, I specifically checked the first episode of the anime.)

After the game, Sendou texted Sawamura and told them to wait for him. He had laughed so much that he needed a moment to recover, or he would not be able to walk.

"Hahahaha! What kind of game was that? I'm dying! Eijun, I never expected your empty swings to be so incredible—as a comedian! Hahahaha! My stomach hurts!"

"Who are you calling a comedian?! Damn it, I'm really mad!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry!"

"But Eijun, you weren't pitching at full strength, were you? Why? Otherwise, you shouldn't have allowed so many runs, right?"

Although Sendou knew the reason, he asked anyway to make it seem logical. Even without knowing about the Quirk Ball, anyone could see that Sawamura's throwing motion was incomplete.

"Because Eijun's pitches are scary! You never know which way they'll break!"

Wakaba answered before Sawamura could speak.

"What's that? It sounds interesting!"

"Interesting?" Sawamura's little ears instantly perked up.

"Wahahaha! Sendou, have you finally decided to play baseball with us?"

"I refuse!"

"Mmph, mmph, mmph!"

"Are you a puppy? Why are you baring your teeth?" As he spoke, Sendou opened his mouth and smiled, revealing two rows of tightly clenched teeth.

"Ahhh! Damn it!"

"Hahahaha!" This time, everyone laughed along. They all knew Sendou loved teasing Sawamura, and they always enjoyed watching the show.

It's been more than three years before I knew it? Sendou thought as he watched them fool around.

Even Sendou himself did not know how he had blended into this group. It had happened without him noticing, as though it had always been meant to be.

Seeing the look in Sendou's eyes, Wakaba nudged Sawamura.

"What is it, Wakaba?" Sawamura asked.

This idiot, Wakaba thought.

"Nothing!" Wakaba could not bring herself to say it directly, so she brushed him off.

"Damn it, we'll definitely make it to Nationals next year!"

"Like hell you will!"

"What did you say, Sendou?!"

"Nothing."

"That's a lie! I heard you! You're looking down on us!"

"No. Your fundamentals are just too poor. I don't know what Nagano is like, but a lot of middle school teams these days temporarily recruit Little Senior League players to compete. If you want to go to Nationals, maybe in ten years!"

"Then what do you think we should do?" Sawamura's voice suddenly dropped.

"Give up. You."

"You bastard!" As expected, Sawamura immediately bristled at those words.

Everyone else knew that Sendou had enjoyed teasing Sawamura over the past few years, and that most of what he said was true, leaving Sawamura unable to refute him.

So no one except Sawamura got angry. They knew their own level, too. They mainly just wanted to play baseball with Sawamura, so they did not care much about winning or losing.

Besides, Sendou saying that meant he was actually starting to be tempted.

But with Sendou's somewhat tsundere personality, he definitely would not say it himself. He needed an excuse, and only Sawamura failed to notice.

(All one could say was that Sawamura was popular. This team was basically made up of friends who had no interest in baseball, or even sports, yet they had been dragged in and willingly trained hard.)

"Eat less of your lunch boxes. Don't forget, I'm treating everyone to barbecue tonight."

"Meat! Hooray! Sendou's meat is the best!" Though they already knew Sendou would treat them, they still eagerly expressed their gratitude.

"It's to repay you for showing me such a great game! I laughed so hard I couldn't straighten my back. It was way better than television!"

"What did you say, Sendou?! You bastard!" Sawamura, who had been glaring at Sendou the whole time, immediately shot back and made as if to charge at him.

"There, there, calm down!" Sendou said, patting Sawamura on the head.

In truth, though, Sawamura could only pout and throw a little tantrum.

"Just you wait! I'll definitely make it to Nationals next year!"

"Cheers!" Of course, they were using juice. Japan absolutely did not allow anyone under twenty to drink alcohol.

The moment the meat entered Eijun's mouth, he forgot all the unpleasantness from the day.

There was enough meat prepared for the nine members of the Baseball Club plus Sendou's family—a total of twelve people—to eat their fill with plenty left over. After all, Sendou could not live without meat.

"Delicious!!!"

"No matter how many times I eat it, Sendou's barbecue is still the best!"

"Of course. These are seasonings brought over from China."

"I'm definitely going there someday!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!" They chatted noisily while eating barbecue, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Ever since Sendou had become close with them, he treated them to barbecue several times every year. After all, he was a carnivore himself and ate a great deal of meat every year.

"Sendou, have you ever been to China?" Sawamura suddenly asked.

"I've been a few times, but I never stayed very long. Japan's individual vacations are too short. That place is paradise for foodies!"

"Foodies? What are those?"

"A foodie is someone who loves delicious food most of all. Someone willing to endure hardship and trouble just for one bite of good food. Like how you love baseball."

"I see!"

Sendou fell silent this time. Whenever he heard about the homeland from his previous life, he was filled with a complicated feeling—perhaps longing, perhaps something else.

"I'm full! Do you guys want to play cards? Or chess, if you prefer. I'll wait until you're done eating. I'm going to read manga first," Sendou said, having lost his appetite.

Sendou always used manga, music, and things like that to calm himself down.

"Sendou seems upset. Why?"

"Everyone has all kinds of things going on. Don't ask too much about it," Wakaba said.

"Okay."

"Alright, leave Sendou alone. He's fine. He often gets like this when he remembers something unpleasant. It's nothing serious. Everyone, keep eating and cheer up!" Sendou's Grandfather said, clapping his hands.

"Yes!"

"How about playing cards later?"

"I'm in!"

"I want to play games!"

And so, everyone's topic shifted to what they would do after dinner.

Last night nearly killed me. I clutched my head in pain until the middle of the night. My whole body felt so awful that I wanted to die. I feel like I'm about to get sick again, so I wrote a little in advance. We'll see tomorrow. I can't guarantee how I'll be feeling. Please, don't let me get sick. I started feeling awful the moment I finished writing. Good thing I trusted my premonition.