Mabase, a frequently clouded city. The boy rarely cared of the polluted smoke. Naota. That was the name of the boy of twelve. Always carrying around a bat. Again. Naota was now more careful than ever, wearing a bandage around his forehead, hoping that something extraordinally painful should sprout out of his head. So far these days, no luck, so it was a reminder of the alien that left few days ago.

I didn't know whether she would come back or not. Both Haruko and Mamimi. I still can't get Mamimi's words out of my mind. "Sayanora Naota-kun..." And then there is Haruko... "No, it'll never work out" She took off without another word... After I said that I loved her, it was never the same again. Ninamori said I changed a little. Said that I am better off without Haruko and Mamimi now. Said that it will make me a better person. Maybe it's true...

Eri quickly pressed a button for a bitter drink before Naota could even reach out. "Hey! That's my drink!"

Eri, a purpled hair girl, thrusted the can into his palms. "I'm going to be late for practice!" was her reply, and she took off running across the bridge of Mabasee.

Naota could care less now. He forced himself to drink the already over half empty can. "I could care less..." He and two friends walked off to school, Naota fairly ahead of the other two boys.

Everything is the same now and then. Everyday, Ninamori would steal my drink. I still can't get the taste of beer out of my mouth. I'm always wondering why Ninamori behaves this way, towards me, that is. Why doesn''t she do this to others? Maybe it is just the way my life is...

"Nao! Dinner!" Naota's father, Kamon, called from downstairs. Normally, Naota would simply walk down the stairs and join his father, grandpa, and Canti, but today was different, as if his personality changed. Monny shouted again, "Naota! I made your favorite gene-spliced soybeans!" Naota gave no reply and remained in his room, plucking a blue instrument he found the day Haruko departed.

At the dinner table, Naota's father actually worried for once. "He hasn't eaten today... I have an idea!"

Naota's grandpa yelled at him. "Your ideas are crap! They never work!"

"Aah... But I know that this one will work."

"I'm telling you to forget about it!" The grandfather jumped his son and broke the table.

"GET OF ME!"

"NOT UNLESS YOU FORGET ABOUT THAT STUPID IDEA OF YOURS!" Canti resumed to eat his own food. "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT" The words escaped his mouth, but Kamon had his fingers crossed. "Alright! I won't do it!"

The grandfather gave a sigh with relief and continued to eat his soybeans. "Good..."

Kamon gave a quick smirk and shouted out, "Oh, Haruko! You're back from vacation!"

At the mention of Haruko's name, Naota rushed downstairs, only to find his father doing a horrible imitation of Haruko's voice. "Yes, manny! I'm back from vacation! - So how was it? Did you bring me more souviniers(sp?) - Yes! I just came back from Hawaii again so I brought you these " His father's voice was cut off.

"Shut up!" Naota was on the brink of tears. This was an insult to him. A game.

I nearly cried then. I actually believed that Haruko would be back. But then again, if she was, she would have came in in silence. Or at least came to me first. A scene flashed back into Naota's mind. "You're the one that I met first, Takkun" True. I was the one that she met first. Or so I thought.

Here, at the baseball diamond, Naota practiced his batting with a red bat the day after. Each swung was filled with sadness and anger, but always missed the ball like before. Today, Naota brought the guiter he found with him. Why didn't the 1961 Gibson EB-Zero get pulled out of my head rather than the one I used to hit that giant ball? Haruko would have surely stayed because she envied the power that bass had. The Atomsk. "Ouch!" A ball was thrown at his head, but Naota had a different theory, that it was a bass that stuck his head. "Haruko?"

"No. It's me." Ninamori entered the area. "Why do you keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" Naota replied.

"You know what. Trying to be like Tasuku, trying to imitate his swing. And bringing that thing." She motioned her head towards the instrument that Naota brought.

"Oh..."

"So, why are you doing this?" Naota gave no reply. Instead, he left towards the bridge. "Naota!" Ninamori ran after the boy. "I'm trying to be serious here!"

"You call asking stupid questions serious?"

"If you want to be that way, fine." She thrusted the guitar at Naota. "You forgot this." Ninamori took off across the bridge. Naota's eyes followed her until he couldn't see her purple head, then he headed towards home.

Again, it was time for dinner, and his father's idiotic shouts wouldn't bring Naota downstairs. "I made fresh gene-spliced soybeans again!" Canti's screen filled with japanese words translated to: You're lying. Those are microwaved from yesterday.

"Psh... At least he can't hear that."

In Naota's room, again, he plucked the same strings over and over. He gave a sharp sigh and suddenly craved for food, so he went downstairs, rubbing his right-eye, and sought to the dinner table. His eyes went wide as he saw a sight he thought that he would never see again. Haruko. Her pinkish hair over her green eyes were hovered over a bag of super spicy curry bread. Naota struggled to say words. "Ha-Ha-Haruko..."