Reaching for the Stars

Part II, Chapter 7

Prologue

A trans-Japan passenger train moves through the snow-blanketed horizon at about a hundred kilometers per hour. Skies of clear blue accompanied that train and a river that had frozen up in the peak of winter was starting to flow alongside the railway once more. A large rail bridge stands proudly over that icy river too, linking the plain white snowfields to a quaint city starting to wake in the early hours of the day. A curve in the path then brings the train to turn and cross that bridge into town with a loud horn heralding it's approach.

"Ohashi Station, Ohashi Station." The PA system announced as the train gradually came to a stop. The train doors slid open and the slew of commuters trickled out of the train. Bringing my own things along, I followed in suit. This was going to be my new home; the start of my new beginning.

At the train station

"Satoshi!" A boy my age called out from the crowd, waving a hand to call my attention as he held on to a parked bicycle with the other. The round glasses resting on the bridge of his nose were quite familiar. I think I knew who this was.

"Yuusaku!" I called, returning his gesture. I then walked over to where he was with my things in tow. Looking at his bicycle though, I couldn't help but notice the obvious difference in quality between our bikes. "Whoa, that's a nice bike!

"I might say the same about yours." He said rubbing his chin with interest, "Vintage 1980's model?"

I wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a joke. Unlike my bike, his bike was relatively new and his handlebar padding was actual handlebar padding, not makeshift badminton racket grip-tape.

"It's an old bike," he then added laughing heartily, "but the maintenance work is amazing. Keeping a bike in that condition for five years, let alone twenty, is already impressive let me tell you."

"Oh, I see." I sighed in relief, "For a moment there, I thought you were making fun of me."

"Now why would I want to do that?" He said with a smile. "You're going to be living in my town after all, so I wouldn't want to start on the wrong foot."

Just as I remembered from our brief encounter in the concert for Haiti in my old town, he was the friendly and sociable type. The calmness and casualness in his tone made him easy to approach. I think we were going to get along alright. He then extended his hand to me and said,

"Anyways welcome to Ohashi; the town of the Great Bridge (which I think you crossed on your way here). The town's nothing like Osaka, but I think you'll like it just fine."

Giving him a nod of appreciation, I took his hand and shook it firmly.

"Thanks a lot, man."

"So," Yuusaku suggested happily, "what do you say to a game of softball?"

Eh? Softball? The only thing I knew about softball was that it descended from baseball somehow. I used to remember Francis talk about softball all the time though, but I mostly forgot everything he said about it anyways. He was quite the softball fan, I recalled, and his stories more often than not left me and Kouji bewildered by how little we knew about the game (though Kouji barely knows anything to begin with). Yuusaku saw my uneasiness at his mention of the game so he smiled and said,

"Don't worry, I'll teach you."

Before I could say anything else, he got on his bike, prompting me to do the same. We pedaled out to the exit then were on the way to a nearby ballpark. This was for the better, I guess. There's nothing wrong with trying something new.

I followed Yuusaku on bike through town that morning, Yuusaku making sure to stop every so often to show me some of the places he knew. He showed me through downtown, the bike path by the thawing river, the large rail bridge (which he seems to take much pride in) and even some construction site where a multi-story apartment building was being built.

It was going to be the tallest building in Ohashi, he said, and that most of the rooms were already bought up by wealthy patrons – most of which would have more money than I would ever make in a lifetime. Rather than being awestruck by the ridiculously high rent for even a meager studio apartment though, I was more worried about the fate of the two-story rent house that sat under the shadow of the apartment. Even though the frame of the building was still incomplete, the towering structure was already blocking most of the morning sunlight. I guess those poor folks'll have a hard time drying their clothes when it's done. They should consider moving.

Leaving the site of the tragedy waiting to happen, Yuusaku and I carried on through town and went up an elevated path lined with cherry blossoms starting to bud in the face of the dying winter. As soon as we reached the top, a large building complex greeted us. What was this place?

"It's Ohashi High." Yuusaku explained as we walked on, "This is where we'll be going for High School in April. The ballpark's just on the side."

"Ah, so if we… wait a second…" I stopped, remembering something all of the sudden

"Yeah?" Yuusaku asked, puzzled by the frightened look on my face

"S… school starts in April, right?" I stammered

"That's right." Yuusaku nodded, "We still have to get through 3rd term before we graduate in March."

March? I was going to graduate on January! I remember Ritsu and Azusa graduating sometime in January, but Yui-senpai, Mugi-senpai graduated in March… So that must mean… there's a chance I never really finished Middle School! Just my luck…

"Maybe your school runs on a different system." Yuusaku explained, "Australian schools have their graduation on January. Perhaps you went to an Australian school in Osaka?"

Just then, I recalled a number of things about my school that I found a little strange. First of all, most subjects were taught in English with the exception of Social Sciences and Japanese (duh!). There was a weird flag (probably the Australian one) flying alongside the Japanese flag at the flagpole area. Then, whenever most of my teachers talk amongst themselves in English, they say things like "g'day mate" and stuff… To top it all off, our school mascot was a Kangaroo for crying out loud… sheesh, I should pay more attention to my school!

"So you did finish Middle school." Yuusaku laughed, "You worry too much, you know that?"

"Still!" I complained, "I'd be in a lot of trouble if I didn't finish!"

"Well, think of it this way." Yuusaku consoled, "You have a three-month vacation before school starts."

"You're right." I sighed in relief. The two of us then carried on until we reached the ballpark at the side of the school. We parked our bikes nearby and brought the softball stuff Yuusaku had onto the field.

"So, Satoshi." He said handing me a softball glove, "All you have to do is catch the ball okay? Try to predict where the ball will go so you'll be ready to catch."

"What if I don't catch it?" I asked nervously

"Then you get hit. Simple as that." Yuusaku laughed, "Remember, just because it's called softball doesn't mean that the ball is soft. But don't let that bring you down!"

I think I would've felt better if he didn't mention that… Sadly, I wouldn't have any time to mope around.

"Okay then, think fast!"

"What!"

Almost instinctively, I braced myself and covered my face with the glove, not wanting to be nailed by the paradoxically hard softball. In a flash through, the ball landed smack in the middle of my glove and I caught it without too much trouble.

"Good catch Satoshi!" Yuusaku cheered, asking me to throw the ball back to him. For another forty minutes or so, we passed the ball back and forth until the action became like second-nature. Over time, my throws became stronger somewhat and my catches gradually became planned rather than impulsive jerks of the hand. When we had tired ourselves out, we took to the nearby benches to grab a breather.

"So," he said turning to me, "you stayed with Ami-chan for the past few days right?"

"Yeah." I nodded, opening my water bottle to have a drink.

"Was she doing alright when you were there?" He said, taking out a sports drink of his own and taking a gulp

"I guess so, yeah." I said, "She seemed to be healthy and hearty enough."

"Ah, that's good." He replied happily. He then adjusted his glasses calmly and asked, "Tell me something though Satoshi, what do you think of Ami?"

"What can I say?" I asked half-complaining, "She's pretty and kind and talented and... gah, why are you asking me this? Isn't she your girlfriend!"

"Girlfriend? Gosh no." he laughed, "She was my neighbor when we were kids, so we're childhood friends more or less. We both grew up here in Ohashi till she and her family moved to Tokyo for their careers. She does like to flirt-tease, i'll tell you that, but we're not like that.."

I kinda noticed that actually...

"She CAN get scary sometimes though." I noted, "A little snobby too, but it's not too bad."

"Ah, you saw that side of her too. That's good." Yuusaku said with a smile. That's good? What did he mean by that? Before I could ask him though, he stood up with the softball in hand again and said, "Anyways, ready for another round?"

"Sure."

I got off from the bench and the two of us started passing the ball around again. I had just caught the ball when the sound of distant footsteps plowing through the snow reached my ears. A voice of mixed surprise and excitement quickly followed it crying,

"AH, PEOPLE!"

Curious, Yuusaku and I turned to the source of the ecstatic voice to see a girl with short hair jogging over to where we were. Even from afar, the cheerfulness in her eyes was clear to see and an air of energy was about her. She then called out to us and said,

"Do you mind if i join you two?"

"Ah, sure thing." Yuusaku said immediately, "The more, the merrier. Is this alright with you Satoshi?"

"Yeah, why not." I said

"Alright then!" The girl said with a wide grin, "The name's Minori Kusheida, and you two are?"

"Yuusaku Kitamura." Yuusaku said shaking the girl's hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Hey there," I said extending my hand to her as well, "I'm Satoshi..."

Oh shoot, I was just about to tell her my real name. The girl tilted her head puzzled, wondering why I stopped all of the sudden.

"Satoshi...?" she hummed, trying to figure out the rest of my name.

"Satoshi..." I continued hesitantly, "Satoshi Tanaka, that's right."

"Ah, well nice to meet you Tanaka-kun." She said shaking my hand anyways, "I hope I didn't psyche you out or anything, hehe. I've just really been itching to play some ball, so I guess I got over-excited."

"Is that so?" Yuusaku asked interestedly, "You're a softball player then."

"Yup!" She said excitedly, "I played in Middle School varsity, and hopefully, I'll make it to the Ohashi High varsity team too."

"Ohashi High, huh?" Yuusaku continued, "So that means the three of us will be going to the same school!"

"Oh, what a coincidence!" Minori smiled, "Future classmates then! That'll make this game even more interesting!"

"But I'm only a beginner." I warned, "This guy here just taught me how to catch the ball just now... I don't know anything else."

"Well then, I'll teach you how to hit the ball then!" Minori offered energetically, "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

Yuusaku then quickly handed me the bat and before I knew it, our game was about to begin.

"The next batter for Ohashi High," Yuusaku said, "We have the freshman Satoshi Tanaka! This is his first time on the plate so all eyes are on him today!"

He was mimicking a sports commentator as he stood out in the distance, using his catcher's glove as a sort of amplifier. Minori playing the pitcher, though she was technically my enemy in that sort of setup was cheering for me as well, chanting 'Sa-to-shi! Sa-to-shi!' in the same way someone like Yui-senpai would. It was a little embarrassing, but I knew they were trying to encourage me. Tapping the bat on the ground, I prepared to strike.

"Keep your eyes on the ball Satoshi, and stay calm." Minori said as she positioned herself to throw, "Believe you can hit the ball, don't ever think about missing."

She then tossed the ball and cried,

"Now give it everything you've got!"

Here goes! Feeling my heart beat faster and faster, my grip on the bat grew tighter and I swung at the ball with all of my might. I somehow managed to hit the ball and the ball went flying out of the park.

"HOME RUN!" Yuusaku and Minori cheered at the same time, the both of them running to me with high-fives. The three of us laughed heartily as we retrieved the ball at the far end of the park. We then came back and played a few more rounds together, each of us having a turn to bat. At the end of the game, they brought me to a popular family restaurant in town and we had a quick lunch together, already planning yet another game in the near future.

It was a strange feeling, having the time of your life with complete strangers but after such an exhilarating game, we were quick to warm up to each other. In a ballpark surrounded by snow, the three strangers from different walks of life slowly became inseparable friends. Coming into a whole new town like this, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Indeed, the winter was giving way to spring. This future, the future I made with my own hands, was starting to look bright once again.

To Be Continued

Epilogue

A young man stands on the veranda of a two-story rent house with a hamper full of freshly-washed clothes at his side. Picking up the clothes one by one, he diligently pins each one onto a hanging clothesline under the sunlight. Just then, another I-beam was erected onto the frame of the apartment building that was being built next door, blocking yet another patch of sunlight from the previously unhindered laundry line.

"DARN THIS APARTMENT!" He muttered angrily, doing his best not to express his fury out loud, "PRETTY SOON, WE'LL HAVE A MOLD INFESTATION IN HERE!"

Pinning up what laundry he had left, the man turned around and retreated back into the rent house.

"At this rate," he thought, "my school clothes... my mom's work clothes... they'll take a longer time to dry. My Middle School graduation's coming up too..."

Looking out to the frame of the apartment, he simply sighed in defeat.

"I guess I'll have to wake up earlier then..."