Hiya~ With this update, I'm officially 2 days behind schedule. Oh darn
Anyway, here's chapter 6, a (hopefully) nice change of pace from the previous three chapters. Enjoy ;)
Chapter 6 – Showdown!
'A… baseball match?' I said as I looked at the sheet of paper Yuri had just given me. The yellow evening sun was smiling at us outside the windows, and the tense atmosphere that had developed yesterday was gone. 'But… what does this have to do with us?'
'Naturally, you three are going to participate in it,' Yuri said with her feet crossed on the wooden table.
The idiot that had disappeared yesterday was sitting straight-legged on the ground and resting his head against the wall. He didn't seem to be surprised, since his eyes didn't open. Beside me, Kanade had that blank expression on her face again.
'I had a feeling you'd say that…' I muttered. 'What I want to know is why you want us to join.'
Yuri looked surprised. 'Isn't that obvious? This is a friendly match between our school and Kaze High School.'
'So?'
'Are you even paying attention? Look at the list of players on the other team!'
I looked at the sheet of paper again. Our school was sending regular players on the team, but I knew none of the players from the other team. After all, how should I? I had no business with the baseball team, let alone a baseball team from another school!
Wait, something caught my eye… Amidst the nine players that will be playing for the other school, one is…
No way!
'Hinata? Hinata will be playing for Kaze High?' I exclaimed.
'That's right. This will be Operation: Retrieval again. This time, Kanade will be joining you as well.'
'But… what do you want us to do?'
'What else! You need to secure three places on the team. Make sure you're playing for our school. Persuasion, violence… do whatever you need to. That's the first step. We'll figure out the rest later.'
Don't say such things with a straight face. 'But, Yuri,' I protested. 'All the members that will be participating have already been chosen! Doesn't this say here that members of our school's baseball team will be joining? And what's more, the match is tomorrow!'
'Don't give me excuses. You will succeed this time, or else it's the penalty death game!' Yuri shot me a glare.
My eyebrows twitched. 'Hey, wait a minute. What about the message?' I gestured at the computer Kanade had taken from the storage room that was now sitting on top of the wooden table beside Yuri's. 'Don't tell me you don't intend to get to the bottom of it!'
'Oh, we will,' Yuri said. 'But this takes priority for now. This is a chance we can't miss! Retrieve Hinata at all costs. Operation start!'
/ / / / / / / / / /
'Secure three places, huh? This should be a piece of cake,' Noda says with a smirk as he, Kanade and I headed for the baseball field. Our school wasn't large enough to have one, so the match would be held in a nearby baseball field, about half-a-mile away next to the Girls' Dorm.
To be honest, securing places wasn't what I was worried about most. After the ruckus we'd caused yesterday in the Girls' Dorm, I would hate to be recognized by one or two girl students.
'Don't worry,' Noda said. 'It was midnight, and we managed to escape quickly. I doubt anyone has taken a good look at our faces.'
You're way too optimistic… And I still can't believe you really had the guts to pull those stunts off…
'And the teachers got really angry this morning too,' Kanade said beside me. 'Remember what they said when they found out the teachers' lounge had been broken into?'
'Yeah, they were so pissed off,' I agreed and shuddered. 'It was so scary. I seriously hope we won't get caught.'
Noda scoffed. 'You wimp.'
'We're here,' Kanade said.
It was almost 5 p.m. The evening sun had yet to set behind the mountains. The field was gleaming with light and tiny motion; the baseball team from our school was practicing amongst themselves. Figured. They had an important match tomorrow, after all.
Noda was the first to speak up after we'd entered the field. 'Who here is the captain?'
The whole scene froze as the team turned towards us, and their stares hurt, though I seemed to be the only one who was feeling uneasy. Noda was wearing a confident smile, and Kanade's face was blank.
A tall, tanned third-year student of massive physique wearing a white baseball cap and uniform walked toward us. 'That would be me.' His voice was deep. 'Who are you? What business do you have here?'
'We want you to give us three places on the team for tomorrow's match!' Noda said confidently with a finger pointing straight at the captain's face.
I put a hand on my forehead. We're so dead.
'You want… three places?' The captain looked like he couldn't believe a thing he had just heard. 'Do you mean tomorrow's friendly match against Kaze High?'
Noda brushed his nose once and smiled. 'Of course.'
'I'm sorry, I must be missing something here,' the captain said with a frown. 'Did our coach send you? One of the teachers maybe?'
'Nope, we came of our own accord.'
I could hear other members of the baseball team start mumbling. 'Are they out of their minds?' and 'Who do they think they are?' were two of many I overheard.
'Come on, captain, we don't have time to deal with these idiots! We've still got a game to play!' one of the younger members shouted.
'Yeah!' a few other members chimed in. Their voices were loud though they were far away.
'Hey, be quiet,' the captain said calmly before turning to us again. 'I'm sorry, but all the participants have already been picked. Unless I've got permission from our coach, I'm not authorized to give you permission to play in the match. Maybe you would like to join the team during our next tryout? You can check out our recruitment poster on the second floor of the school's main building, if you're interested. Now, if you'll excuse me.'
He turned to leave, but Noda grabbed him by the sleeve. The captain looked over his shoulder with a glare in his eyes.
'In that case,' Noda said with a smirk. 'We'll challenge you! If we win, give us our places; if we lose, we'll clean each and every baseball for ya.'
'Hey, stop,' I said and grabbed his shoulder. 'This is enough! He's made his point. There's nothing we can do.'
Noda flung his shoulder out of my grasp. Then he pointed his giant axe at the captain with a swing and said in a dark voice, 'Yes there is.'
The captain didn't seem to be intimidated by Noda's aggressive move. Instead, he seemed amused.
He laughed once. 'You? Challenge us? You really don't know your place, kid. Besides, you don't even have enough members.' He paused. 'But since you're so determined, I guess one game won't hurt. Come back here when you've got enough nine players on your team. We'll be training here until eight at night. Just remember your promise.'
'But captain!' someone on the team immediately protested.
The captain waved his hand. 'If they win, we can count them as backups, though the chance of even that happening is pretty slim.'
'No way,' Noda said in that dark voice that sent chills down your spine. 'There are three members on our team, and it will stay that way. We're not challenging you to a normal game. We just want to see who the stronger player here is. We're having this dual my way.'
The captain seemed even more intrigued. 'What do you suggest?'
Noda brushed his nose again. 'Send three of your strongest players and choose a pitcher. The three of us will take turns batting, and we will count the number of home-runs we get. The same goes for your team. Whichever team gets the higher number of home-runs wins. Substitutions are allowed for pitchers any time in the game. Got it?'
The captain smiled. 'I understand.'
This is crazy! I thought. Even if we're playing against amateurs, I won't be able to hit a home-run that easily. And Noda's suggesting they send the strongest players against us. The dual's in their bag already… I scanned the field and met the angry stares the team members were throwing at us. On second thought, this way, the game will end quickly, and Yuri can't blame us if we've tried our best already, right?
'Then… Let's go!' Noda shouted and punched the air.
Kanade and I waited as Noda went and borrowed three bats from the team. Then he thrust two of them at us. Kanade received one and I reluctantly took mine as well.
'So… how should we decide the batting order?'
'I'll play last,' Noda said. 'You two choose first and second places.'
'I'll play first, okay?' I asked, and Kanade nodded.
I did some stretches to warm myself up before heading towards the home plate. The assigned pitcher on the school's baseball team giving me an intense look was a little kid no taller than Kanade. He was toying with a baseball in his hands while glaring at me and smirking all at the same time. I guessed they were trying to make fun of us.
'Not at all,' the captain said calmly before patting his short teammate's shoulder. 'This guy was a legend in his junior high school days. You'll lose faster than you think if you underestimate him.'
A legend, huh? I thought they wanted to humiliate us with some weak players, but it looks like their intention is to end this dual as quickly as they can. Well, I guess that's good for us, since we'll only be wasting time here.
'Play ball!' the catcher behind me shouted. I pulled my bat slowly backwards and bent my legs slightly to hold a ready stance. The small pitcher turned his body and raised his left leg. And then…
Thud. 'Strike one!' the catcher behind me shouted before I could even swing the bat. One second he was still holding the baseball, and the next I was looking at afterimages of his pitching motion. Even the air was still around me; I couldn't even feel the rushing wind.
The catcher threw the ball back and I shook my head to concentrate. I knew from the beginning that we'd lose, but I still had to give it my best…
'What do you think you're doing, punk?' Noda started shouting. 'Swing the bat, you idiot. Swing the bat!'
I'm trying… I thought without bothering to turn around just to be glared at by Noda. I needed to concentrate.
Thud. 'Strike two!' the catcher shouted. My mind didn't catch the motion at all. Dang… he's fast.
'Damn it, Otonashi.' Noda threw his axe to the ground furiously before picking it back up. 'Don't just stand there.'
I grunted. This is my last chance, I thought as the catcher threw the ball back again. I have to get it no matter what.
I shut my eyes and channeled all my energy to my hands. I didn't really know how to do that but I did my best anyway.
My eyes flew open, my concentration level at 100%. Time seemed to have slowed down a little as the pitcher raised his right hand and foot. I didn't wait for my mind to register the pitching motion. I swung the bat.
Thud. 'Strike three! You're out!'
I hung my head and dragged the bat across the floor as I made my way back. I didn't know I would be this bad…
'These guys are a bunch of jokers,' the young pitcher scoffed. His voice was high-pitched and definitely childlike.
'Oh yeah?' Noda shouted at him, completely pissed off. 'Let's see how you handle my batting!' He rolled up his sleeve and looked ready to go.
'Hey, wait,' I said as I stopped him. 'It's Kanade's turn.'
I could see he still had the urge, but he restrained himself eventually. 'Hmph.'
I turned to the blank-faced white-haired girl. 'Be careful, okay?'
Kanade nodded and headed towards the home plate.
I had to be really honest. Among us three, I had the highest hope for Kanade's batting. I remembered well the baseball showdown between her team and Hinata's team back in the Afterworld. She had been the leader back then, and had led the entire school team. Though our team had won that game, it was due more to luck and other factors than to true abilities.
Speaking of true abilities, if she did have the Angel Player software right now – a lot had happened yesterday (or this morning, to be exact) that had already convinced me something like that really could exist in the real world – maybe she could write a 'home-run' program, or more generally an 'accuracy' program or whatever. I was sure they could come in handy…
Therefore, it really surprised me when Kanade had three consecutive strike-outs. She didn't even attempt to swing the bat. She was out faster than even I was.
'Damn it, you two never do anything right,' Noda grunted as he walked up to the home-plate with his bat in one hand and his axe in another. 'I can't tidy up after you in every single mission, you know.'
That's funny. I recall you being the one who broke everything during our last mission, we have yet to tidy up after you… I thought as I stole a glance at the Girls' Dorm.
Noda marched towards the home plate.
'So finally it's your turn, huh?,' the pitching kid said in a smug voice. 'Don't worry. I'll take care of you in less than two minutes.'
Noda scoffed. 'You better start taking me seriously, punk. Just watch as I send your balls over the fence one by one.'
The kid laughed. 'I'd really like to see you do that. Oh, I know. Let me pitch an easy one for you first. I don't want you crying in the baseball field if you can't secure one hit, let alone a home-run.' I frowned. The kid was starting to get on my nerves…
I had fully expected Noda to explode right about now, but surprisingly he kept his cool. 'Don't make me laugh.'
'Are you ready?' the kid asked.
Noda ignored him and gripped his bat tightly in one hand, while still holding his stupid axe in another.
The kid pulled back his body and threw the ball.
Wham! Noda hit it right in the centre of the bat with one hand and did a weird follow-through. The loud impact suggested that it was going to soar for some time. My gaze followed the ball until it landed safely outside the fence.
'Hah! Take that, you punk,' Noda shouted.
'I- It's a home run…' I mumbled. I couldn't believe it. Even as a spectator, I couldn't see the pitch clearly, but Noda had no trouble sending it flying.
Even the whole team looked surprised as some of them began whispering in awe. The kid was especially pissed off. He grunted and shouted, 'Don't be so full of yourself. That was just a lucky hit!'
The sneer returned to Noda's face. 'We'll see about that.'
The kid gritted his teeth and pitched.
Wham. Noda hit another home-run with an identical hit and follow-through. Then he hit a third one and a fourth one. It was like he was on a roll.
'Wow, I never knew Noda could hit like that,' I said, half to myself and half Kanade, who was standing beside me.
'Mm-hmm' was the answer she gave me.
'Okay, that's enough,' the captain said calmly as he laid a hand on the fuming little guy's shoulder. 'You did a great job.' He turned to Noda and said calmly, 'I'll admit it, you are a better batter than those two…' Hey I heard that… what does 'those two' mean?
'But if you think you're ready to take on the team, you're dead wrong,' the captain continued. 'Substitution!'
'Hmph, you're finally taking me seriously, are you?' Noda scoffed. 'It doesn't matter if you're the captain or not. You can send a hundred pitchers at once for all I care. I'm still going to hit them all over the fence.'
The angry stares on the baseball team returned. And if any of them were impressed by Noda's batting, they didn't show it. Noda sure knows how to piss people off…
Again, the captain didn't seem to be thrown off by Noda's verbal challenge. Instead he walked up to the pitcher's mound quietly. Then he pitched.
It was nowhere near as fast as the kid's pitches, and for a second there I thought Noda was going to have it real easy. But just when the bat was going to come in contact with the ball, the ball suddenly ducked and flew into the catcher's glove.
It was a wicked curveball.
'Go captain!' 'Nice pitch, captain!' 'That's our captain for ya!' 'How do you like that, you moron?' The shouts from the team instantly filled the field.
So that's it. A thought suddenly occurred to me. It suddenly became obvious to me why Noda could handle the kid's pitching and not the captain's. Noda wasn't really that good at baseball; he just had the brute strength to go with it. Sure, the pitches from the kid were fast, but they were just fastballs, and the pitches were always going in the same direction. When Noda saw that after he watched me and Kanade play, it shouldn't have taken him long to realize all he had to do was bat in the same way again and again…
Of course, you would be an idiot if you couldn't guess what happened next. Noda was a good pitcher, considering the sheer force was enough to knock away the bats from our opponents' hands. Even the captain's bat was nearly thrown off course. In the end, though, we still lost, and the scores were 7-to-4. By the end of the dual, the sun was invisible to us and the moon was making its way above our heads. We had officially failed another mission.
That wasn't the worse part. Noda volunteered to go back and report immediately after the dual. He took off running before we – or at least, I – could raise any objections. Naturally he didn't come back to fulfill his promise. And Kanade and I were the ones who had to wash the baseballs until dark because of that. I swear. When it comes to things like that, Noda's really smart…
Hey, at least our mission was finished, right? Seriously, did we really need to play in the match to get to Hinata? Of course I knew that would be the most convenient way, but we could always speak to him after the match, right?
I was just about to trudge over to our supposed hideout and propose that to Yuri the next day after school, when I heard a ruckus on my way downstairs. It was the second floor where all the junior classrooms were located. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some students wearing white baseball caps and uniforms. In the centre of the group was Noda.
'The pitcher you played yesterday, Shizuki, called in sick and can't make it in today's match.' The captain's deep voice was loud and clear across the corridor.
'We want you to play in his place. We want you on the team.'
I seriously hope I didn't write the baseball scene too badly. I'm not too familiar with baseball. Fine, I haven't played baseball once in my life. So if you think the scene was a bit strange, please do tell me~
Anyway, until the next chapter :D
