Here I am with a new translated chapter!

Well, since it was two updates in a row, I honestly have nothing to add. I just want to say that I will answer all the reviews from now on, so if you have any doubt or whatever, don't hesitate to comment that I will answer absolutely everything.

I hope you can enjoy this chapter!

The exit of Fujimi Academy became a controlled bustle as the students left the institution amidst various chatter and laughter.

Oblivious to all this, Takashi walked silently through the crowd. His body was perfectly covered thanks to the long leather jacket he usually carried, although the hood of his sweatshirt also helped to better hide his face from all the crowd.

There were two ways to survive in this academy of spoiled brats without being bothered.

One was to go completely unnoticed and camouflage yourself in the crowd or just hide. Something Takashi knew how to do very well.

His slow and silent steps perfectly mirrored his shadowed face, being completely impossible to know what or who he was thinking about. That doubt seemed to be answered in a very discreet way when the teenager caught how a beautiful purple hair vanished from behind the barred door, causing him to stop for a short second.

"WWOOAAHH!"

That moment of reflection was nipped in the bud when he heard a scream, and the characteristic sound of things collapsing followed shortly after.

Takashi turned his face in silence, watching as a backpack and a figure lay sprawled on the ground.

"Why don't see where you're walking, you fat idiot? Is the grease affecting your vision too?" the twisted and really annoyed voice was not long in coming, and Takashi knew immediately whose fault it had been that this person had tripped.

"I-I'm sorry, Eiji..." The chubby guy apologized as best he could as he put his glasses back on, earning a laugh from the tall, stocky blond.

"Be more careful next time, Hirano Kohta." Eiji's words sounded relaxed, but it was clear that if he wasn't insulting you, then he would find another way to annoy you.

That was proven practically instantly when the oxygenated blond kicked the backpack to send it away, forcing poor Kohta to crawl on the ground in order to retrieve it.

Yeah...

Unfortunately, not all people could go unnoticed like Takashi, as physique made a big difference.

After all, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to think that that student who went by the name of Hirano was the only one with weight problems at the Academy, omitting certain teachers.

In fact, now that he thought about it, Takashi found it curious to find a person worse than him in such a prestigious Academy.

That meant only one thing...

"Eiji-kun!" The shout of the Mitakashi sisters forced Takashi to leave his conclusions for another time.

The teenager brought both hands to his hood to pull it even tighter, making sure that neither Eiji nor the twins would discover who he really was.

Takashi moved forward, downplaying the conversation those three had started, as he had an important goal in mind, so it didn't take him long to leave the Academy with hurried steps.

But before focusing completely on that objective, his eyes turned one last time to that beautiful solitary purple hair that was already in the opposite corner to the one he was supposed to go to.

Without further ado, the young man turned his gaze to the front and resumed his course for home.

BEGINNING OF ARC-CHAPTER 1: INDISPENSABLE CHANGES!

180 days to the fall of Japan.

Takashi rushed into the front yard of his house, and as expected, his initial objective was instantly revealed.

There stood his parents, standing in the driveway along with suitcases indicating their soon to be traveling.

"Takashi!" The woman greeted her son with the typical love that a mother always shows, making the young man feel a bit uncomfortable at the overly affectionate reception, but he still did not hesitate to reciprocate the embrace.

"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to arrive on time. The Academy took a little longer than usual to open the exit." Commented Takashi, who after sharing the hug, did his best to pull away from his mother when she tried to give him too many kisses on his cheek.

"Don't worry. We'd wait for you anyway." Clarified his father, who merely ruffled his hair, making it clear who was the calmer of his parents.

The talk was abruptly interrupted when the distinctive sound of a horn echoed in the air. Takashi and his parents looked back, seeing that a black limousine had arrived.

"Mrs. Komuro, Mr. Komuro." A balding, fair-skinned man in a formal suit stepped out of the limousine, adjusting his dark glasses.

The two aforementioned immediately became serious. Especially when they focused their gaze on their son, who was watching the newcomer with his usual typical lack of emotion.

"Well, it's time to go." His father placed a hand on his shoulder after those words, causing the young man to turn his gaze back to him.

"The food is already served. Remember if you need anything you can buy it." Mrs. Komuro looked somewhat distressed, and showed it openly by rubbing her shoulder in discomfort. "You know, we'd really like to spend more time with you. But we can't give up our work."

"Don't worry, Mom." Both parents were surprised to see their usually expressionless son hand them a smile. "I'm very grateful for the effort you always make."

"Takashiiii!" His mother cooed with comical tears as she hugged him very tightly.

"Take care of yourself, brat." His father gave him a half smile as he placed a hand on his hair as a farewell.

Finally, Takashi watched silently as his parents left for another business trip.

"See? I told you not to worry about anything." Mr. Komuro commented with a faint smile as he entered the limousine along with his wife.

"I know, but...!" Those were the last words heard from his parents, as the chauffeur closed the door.

The bald man gave Takashi a short glance, giving a slight nod as a gesture of greeting, and Takashi responded in kind.

The young man waved to his parents one last time until the limousine was out of sight.

He entered his house, and the silence of the place was absolute. Something that was really usual in his day to day life, so he had really gotten used to it by now.

That was probably the reason for his serene attitude.

Takashi sat down and made room for lunch while he turned on the TV to watch the news in complete silence.

After cleaning things up, the young man went straight to the second floor to end up in his bedroom. Once he lay down on his bed he grabbed the baseball on his desk and started throwing and catching it with a lost look on his face.

As always, he was going to stop to think and rethink all the things that have been happening to him for hours and hours.

It was his usual routine.

Eat breakfast, go to the Academy, eat lunch, lay in his bed, eat dinner, and go to sleep.

Or in other words...

Think about his past, think about his mistakes, think about his past once more, think about his mistakes again, and finally regret.

"Wallowing in the past does no good."

A routine so ingrained in him that it would find its resounding end on this exact day.

"You can only do your best in the present to make the future bright, so I don't think you should waste your time tormenting yourself over things that are already behind you."

Takashi caught the ball for one last time. His gaze visibly hardened after remembering the talk he and Saeko had.

Takashi sat up on his bed and couldn't help but grimace a little.

After all, those words had hit him much harder than he would have imagined.

His somewhat conflicted gaze focused on his closet, making his expression even more conflicted.

Finally, the young man made a decision as he stood up and approached the piece of furniture that held one of his most valuable treasures.

Takashi opened the cabinet and immediately bent down to bring his hand to a bag. He stroked the surface for a short moment, then opened it.

Takashi pulled out a beautiful baseball bat that possessed a rather peculiar firm on its base, something impossible to overlook when the very eyes of the owner reflected that firm.

Finally, the baseball-loving teenager snapped out of his little trance and sobered his gaze immediately.

"Maybe I should play a little to distract myself..."

That was how the Komuro's son went out to the backyard of his house to have a little fun, and that, at first glance many might say it was a bad idea.

And they were right.

His bedroom window shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Shit, I'm so rusty..." Was the only thing he could think to say in this embarrassing situation as he rubbed his hair and looked at the huge gaping hole in the window.

"...I think it would be a better idea to go to the park."

That was how Takashi Komuro made the smart decision to leave his house and start his way to the nearest park.

He definitely would have never imagined that this little accident would allow him to meet a certain chubby boy who would become his best friend and brother.

In fact, it was quite funny that they both ended up causing another accident when the two collided heavily the moment Takashi turned a corner.

"It hurts...!" Kohta rubbed his face in pain as he fell to the ground from the hit, as did Takashi. "Are you all right? I'm really sorry." He instantly apologized as he picked up the baseball bat that had rolled to his position.

"Don't worry, I wasn't very attentive either." Takashi accepted his apology without much trouble, tilting the book he had dropped.

At that moment Takashi noticed something curious, as the cover of the book possessed a very striking assault rifle. The same thing happened to Kohta, who noticed the firm of the bat more clearly once he retrieved his glasses.

"Oh, thank you." That small moment came to nothing when Kohta accepted his partner's help, as did Takashi.

"Just a moment..." Once he was back on his feet, Takashi took a closer look at him and immediately recognized him. "Are you Hirano Kohta?"

"And you're the one who always leaves class in the first five minutes!" The chubby boy exclaimed in great surprise as he pointed him out.

Although his classmate's gesture had been somewhat rude, Takashi's attention was directed to another, much more important point.

"Are we in the same class?" Takashi tilted his face slightly to the side, causing Kohta to feel slightly put off.

"Do I draw so little attention that even you don't even know we're in the same class?"

"Don't take it personally." Takashi raised his hand quickly to defend his arguments. "It's like you said. I'm barely five minutes into the class and I've never really noticed my classmates."

"Hum, I guess that makes sense." Kohta adjusted his glasses after thinking about the answer. "Why do you always drop out of class anyway? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Kohta added the last as an afterthought, knowing that perhaps it wasn't a question he should have asked.

"Let's just say it's a complicated matter. I'd rather not talk about it..." Takashi commented somewhat warily, making the chubby boy a little nervous about the sudden change of attitude.

What he didn't know was that this was Takashi's usual attitude these days.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you. Everyone has our problems." Kohta gave a slight bow to apologize, something Takashi received in his own way as he waved his hand dismissively.

"Forget it." Was all he said, then taking a better look at the outfit he was wearing. "Were you working out?"

"Yes, I want to lose weight!" Kohta exclaimed proudly after his words, though he returned to his usual relaxed and nervous attitude when he said the next words. "Although I've been working on this for a while now and I'm still not getting any results..."

That conclusion made Takashi feel a little sorry for him.

It was true that the protagonist had become very reserved and introverted because of past experiences. But certainly Kohta Hirano was a man who had even more bad luck than him according to his point of view, so it was impossible not to feel some empathy.

Maybe it was because Takashi never stopped being someone empathetic and kind-hearted, only he thought he wasn't anymore.

"Want to play?" Kohta looked up in genuine surprise as he watched Takashi tip the baseball towards him with a slight smile. "I don't have any partners and it's hard to do it alone. Besides, you'll keep moving, so it will benefit both of us." The chubby boy's face lit up rather peculiarly at what he heard, though it took him almost no time at all to return to his melancholy expression.

"But, I don't know anything about baseball." He remarked with distinct dismay.

"You don't have to know." Those words caused him to raise his gaze, his eyes widening slightly as he watched Takashi smile at him. "There'll only be two of us, so nothing else you have to worry about but throwing the ball and batting!" He exclaimed with a toothy grin, making Kohta's spirit feel renewed.

"Then let's do it!" Kotha shared his partner's enthusiasm as he accepted the ball and smiled back.

The air was blowing with complete freedom in the park.

Birds were singing and there were different couples having a good time together.

Children were having fun playing different games while other people were looking for the shade of one of the trees to read in the tranquility of nature.

In the case of our protagonist, he was in the middle of the large park enjoying a moment he had long forgotten.

He had forgotten that gratifying sensation that his hands transmitted when he held on tightly to a bat.

At the other end stood Kohta. His gaze was as serious as ever as he pitched and caught the ball, studying a possible perfect trajectory with his eyes.

Finally, the ball came out at a great speed, and as expected, Takashi couldn't hit it.

"I'm a lot more rusty than I thought." Takashi couldn't help but click his tongue as he watched the ball go into one of the nearby bushes.

"Take it easy. You said you haven't trained in a long time." Kohta commented with a condescending smile as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"You're right, but it's annoying not to have hit even one hit. With this one I've now had 18 strikes in a row." Takashi's annoyance was more than substantiated after what he said. "But it's not just that. I don't know any pitcher who is as accurate as you." Takashi's annoyance took a back seat when he showed great curiosity. "Are you sure you've never played baseball before?" Takashi threw the ball to him, being caught by his partner with clear difficulty.

"My aim is due to something else." It was the chubby boy's short reply that ignited Takashi's curiosity even more.

"Did you practice any other kind of sport where you need aim?" He asked him with much curiosity, unable to help but frown when he got another strike.

"Hmmm, maybe yes? I'm not sure it can be considered a sport." Kohta commented with some nervousness, something Takashi easily picked up on.

"It's thanks to that that you managed to get into Fujimi Academy, am I right?" That conclusion caught Kohta's attention a lot, who could barely be able to catch the ball. "Don't look at me like that. It's obvious that you need to be very outstanding at something to get into that academy. I was a great hitter before I started dropping out, so they considered me an athlete with good potential." Kohta couldn't help but doubt those words a little as he watched Takashi get his 20th strike.

"Yes, it's thanks to that. But, it's hard for me to believe that you got in just because of your high level of athleticism." Kohta tried to be as condescending as possible with his words so as not to upset Takashi.

"Now that you mention it, I will most likely be in big trouble if I keep acting this way." Takashi stated, unable to help but get a little nervous as he remembered that his performance last year wasn't very outstanding, and this year he hasn't even attended classes.

"I know it's none of my business, but I think you should at least attend the classes where you have to show your potential. Otherwise, you run great risks of being expelled when this year ends." Commented the chubby boy rather sheepishly, as he was never good at lecturing anyone.

"I know. I guess I have no choice but to put up with them, if only for that moment." Takashi handed the ball back to him, stepping into a stance once again.

Kohta immediately understood the implied insinuation. He now knew that his lack of responsibility was mainly due to the fault of other people, though he didn't know who they were.

But as he said before, that was none of his business, so he wasn't going to ask unless Takashi wanted to tell him on his own.

"We're in the same class. I know I may not be a great example of strength, but you can talk to me if you need to be distracted." The chubby guy stated, ready to throw what would be the next strike for Takashi.

Or at least, it was what he thought.

"I'll keep that in mind." Takashi hit the ball with such force that it astonished not only Kohta, but everyone near the impact.

After all, the ball flew so far and high that it was impossible to tell where in the large park it had landed.

"Well, you were good after all..." Kohta thought aloud unable to hide his surprise, as he had even lost sight of the ball almost as soon as it started its trajectory.

"That was a good hit." Takashi stated with a smile as he placed the bat over his shoulder.

"Hum, I even believe it's a danger to play in a place with so many people. Come to think of it, it will be almost impossible to find the ball." Kohta added as he rubbed his hair.

"Don't worry." Takashi opened his backpack, revealing a large amount of balls. "I have many more at home."

Those last words finished convincing Kohta, and now he did believe that Takashi was a big baseball fan.

"Okay, but try not to hit so hard." Kohta commented a little nervously at the thought that Takashi might accidentally poke someone's eye out.

"Don't worry, I'll be more careful." The brown-haired man returned to his stance, finding it impossible to hide his happiness after hitting his first possible home run in so long. "To be fair, next time we get together we'll have fun with your hobby." Kohta's face lit up like never before in a long time after hearing those words.

"Are you serious?! Does that mean we're friends?!" Takashi couldn't hide his surprise after hearing Kohta's words.

After all, he had never had any friends other than Rei, Hisashi and Saya. Now he didn't even consider Rei and Hisashi as his friends, and he wasn't on very good terms with Saya either due to the shocking attitude of both of them.

Therefore, it was impossible for him to hide his smile after making a new friend.

"The fat guy and the useless guy from the Fujimi Academy. That sounds fucking good." Takashi gave him a toothy grin, and Kohta shared his gesture immediately.

The two stayed practicing for several hours, chatting about various not-very-interesting topics until dusk came.

Takashi returned home, and once he was in bed, he had to admit that, for the first time in a long time, the feeling of having Rei on his mind didn't affect him too much.

Therefore, he was able to fall asleep much faster.

Takashi started the next day without much ado, opting for a quick breakfast. The only thing that really changed was when he picked up his backpack. He had been in a hurry to leave, but stopped at the dorm door to give the baseball bat a look.

Finally, Takashi arrived at Fujimi Academy in his typical attire, although there was one very important addition to his figure. That addition was the bag that accompanied his backpack.

As expected, Takashi couldn't bear to see Rei and Hisashi's face once he entered the classroom, so he didn't even wait for the teacher of that class to arrive to take attendance.

This time, Kohta's curious eyes followed him along with Saya's sad and angry look.

Takashi leaned his body on the railing he always went to as he watched in complete silence the boisterous sound coming from the gym, which was not far away from his current position.

"If I didn't mistake the times, it'll be on to the next hour, so I must be quick." Takashi thought with a frown as he looked at the building, making it clear that he was planning something.

"Hey, idiot." The very recognizable whiny voice of a certain teenage girl brought him out of his thoughts.

"Are you coming to lecture me again, Saya?" Takashi didn't even look at her, his gaze continued to focus on the gym.

"This time I didn't come here to put up with your bullshit. You're coming with me whether you like it or not." Saya clarified with a snort of annoyance as she folded her arms.

"Just give me a few days."

It wasn't the answer she was expecting, but it still surprised her completely.

"It wasn't easy for me. He was my best friend, and he knew all along that I loved her. And as for her... Even if I don't want to, I still love her, I love her very much." Takashi turned his body to face her face to face after so long. "But I know I can't go on like this. For me, for my parents..." Takashi clutched his hands tightly on the railing, opting for a face that let it show how affected he was.

It was the first time he had fully opened up since "it" happened.

"For that, I'm only asking for a few days."

Saya fell silent after hearing Takashi's last words. Although her expression looked as solemn as ever, the fact that her arms clenched tightly indicated that she understood him more than he thought she did.

"Takashi..." Saya seemed to snap out of her little stupor once she mentioned her friend's name, then let out a big sigh. "Very well, I'll leave you alone for a few days." Her shoulders slumped in defeat after saying those words.

"But if you're lying to me..." Saya's gaze hardened again and her eyes glittered dangerously as she adjusted her glasses.

"I promise I'm being honest." Takashi instantly raised his hands in defense as he saw that his friend wanted to kill him with her eyes.

"Alright, I'll trust you." Saya nodded with her typical seriousness, then started to walk away without even saying goodbye.

"Hey."

Still, Takashi's call made her stop.

She turned her face to see the young man give her a faint smile.

Saya had already forgotten what his smiles looked like a long time ago.

Until now...

"Thank you for caring all this time, and I'm sorry for being a jerk." Takashi couldn't help but rub his hair with slight shyness after saying those words.

"Hmp!" Saya snorted in disgust as she turned her face away. "At least you recognize that you've been acting like an idiot!"

"Yeah..." Was all Takashi could say, unable to help but roll his eyes at his friend's cutting attitude.

Still, he was happy.

After all, he knew that was the way Saya was.

The young girl left on the way to her classroom, though unlike yesterday, when she felt sad and angry, she was now leaving with a smile on her face.

Recess time did not take long to arrive, and neither did Takashi's plans.

Earlier it had been said that one way to avoid trouble at the Academy was to camouflage himself among the students and go unnoticed.

Takashi entered the gym through a back window with his hood securely in place after making sure the teacher and freshmen had left the premises.

The other way to avoid trouble was the complete opposite, as long as no one knows who you really are.

Takashi closed the door carefully, and once he made sure he was completely alone, the young man took off his hood and observed the spacious place completely empty. He then opened his bag and took out his baseball bat.

The young man wasted no more time and went to the storeroom to retrieve one of the many pitching machines in the place.

For the next 15 minutes of the break he was practicing without authorization inside the gym, leaving a big mess of balls scattered everywhere.

As soon as the alarm went off, Takashi acted quickly and took the bat to his bag and left the gym through one of the back windows so no one would notice.

"Crap, I need to improve my falls..." He thought to himself as he rubbed his butt in pain.

Takashi ran as best he could until he reached his classroom. The burst in was so sudden that everyone looked at the young man with some astonishment as he came in banging on the door.

"Oh, young Komuro. I thought you didn't want to come to my classes anymore." Stated the professor as he looked at the list. "I guess you decided to rethink things in a better way." He concluded with a slight bow of his shoulders as he added his name to the list.

Takashi said nothing, all he did was go to his seat. And, as usual, Eiji took the slightest opportunity to tease him, putting his foot in the middle to make him fall down, causing much of the room to laugh quietly, except for Saya and Kohta.

"As you know, today we were going to have a special participation with the third graders, so today's sports activity will be divided into two sports." The professor started with his explanation, completely ignoring what had just happened, as was usual every day.

This didn't matter to Takashi, though.

After all, he paid much more attention to his words.

"With the third-years? That means..." The memory of that purple hair assaulted his mind practically instantly.

"Hey, what have you been up to?" Kohta slyly smacked him, snapping Takashi out of his thoughts.

"You'll find out when we go to the gym." Takashi's whisper was even lower than normal to make sure no one heard.

That answer made Kohta's doubts turn into outright curiosity.

"Hmmm..." The teacher brought both hands to his waist with a relaxed look.

"CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!" The man's calmness vanished completely as all the second year students watched in some amazement as the gymnasium was in absolute disarray with baseballs everywhere.

"Don't-don't tell me that..." Kohta mentioned with his eyes rolling, though Takashi acted quickly as he covered his mouth to make sure he didn't keep talking.

Saya saw this and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the very suspicious attitude of both men.

Though there was something that caught her attention much more.

"Since when do those two talk to each other?" She thought with narrowed eyes.

"Sorry we're late, prof!" A woman's voice made everyone turn around, and they immediately recognized her.

"Yuki-chan! How have you been?" Eiji took no time at all to approach her to greet with a very friendly smile, being answered by her.

"Oh! Eiji-kun!" The young girl exclaimed with much joy as she hugged the man lovingly.

The second graders' murmurs didn't take long to start. Even the Mitakashi twins seemed to show some respect when talking about Yuki Miku, the self-proclaimed most beautiful student of Fujimi Academy.

It was natural, as she had a very well endowed body and her kind and cheerful attitude helped her stand out a lot among the boys. Her short orange hair and the black headband she wore in her hair also made her look great.

But, if you paid attention, there was certainly something off.

After all, for a good amount of students at the Academy she was very pretty, but three out of four men in the institution will always say that the first place goes to another woman.

Even though Yuki proclaimed herself the prettiest, deep inside she knew that wasn't true.

And it was obvious who that first place belonged to...

All the murmurs were immediately silenced when Saeko made her way through the third-years. All the men, including Eiji himself, looked at her with an absolute amount of respect.

Yuki couldn't help but grit her teeth as everyone's attention was diverted to that woman.

After all, not only was she much prettier than her, but the cold attitude and great power that Saeko possessed made her look like an unreachable woman.

Even Eiji himself did not dare to look at her for many seconds without turning his gaze.

If Yuki had self-proclaimed herself as the prettiest, then Saeko could self-proclaim herself as a Goddess and no one could say anything to her about it.

"What happened at the gym?" Saeko stopped at the entrance as she saw the big mess inside, something that served to stop all the men from acting like idiots.

Although in Takashi's case, he kept looking at her without taking his eyes off her.

After all, it was practically impossible for him to forget the whole conversation they had yesterday.

Kohta seemed to notice this, so he started to look at him in confusion.

"That's what we're trying to find out..." Commented the professor with a slight sigh of exhaustion. "We can't waste too much time on this, so..."

The professor continued talking, but Saeko was no longer listening to him.

The reason?

It was simple.

Her eyes had caught a certain brown man in the crowd, so she couldn't help but keep looking at him.

Takashi and Saeko's gaze remained connected for a great amount of seconds without anyone noticing.

It was strange.

They both felt strange.

They couldn't understand why a simple conversation had planted such a strong mark on them that they wouldn't even allow them to look away.

A look that indicated only one thing:

"come and keep talking to me."

They did not understand. It just happened, and somehow that rare feeling pleased them.

Saeko really wanted to know more about Takashi.

Takashi wanted the chance to share his thoughts with Saeko once again.

That feeling...

It seemed impossible to leave their bodies...

Until a key question from the professor snapped them out of their reverie.

"What do you say we practice a little baseball?"

END OF CHAPTER!

I hope you enjoyed it!

Now that most of the important characters have finally been introduced, I'd like to start building and solidifying the relationship between Kohta, Saya, and, most importantly, Saeko.

I'm very excited to be able to create one of my favorite pairings with one of my favorite waifus, so I'm really looking forward to continuing this project.

I hope and I'll see you with a new chapter in a few days.

Thank you so much for reading, and thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote!

And remember that I accept any help that has to do with the translation!