Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093087122434729/episodes/16818792435560819394
At last year’s sports festival, I was a setter in volleyball and a catcher in baseball. In middle school, I was a midfielder in soccer.
What all these positions have in common is that they require a great deal of brainpower and can be seen as supporting roles.
I’ve done a lot of research on him.
After all, in my short yet long life of eighteen years, there’s no one else I’ve been this interested in.
And the conclusion I’ve reached is this:
“Hayami Ren isn’t particularly physically gifted. What’s special about him is his mind.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
Suddenly, Sanada Tsubaki uttered those words, and Shiramine Hisui, sitting next to her, narrowed her eyes.
In front of them, a heated game was unfolding on the field across the fence.
The top of the second inning ended with no runs scored by either team.
One out, first base.
“What I mean is, he’s not exceptionally athletic, but he’s exceptionally good at putting his knowledge into practice.”
That’s why he’s good at not only soccer, but also baseball, volleyball, and basketball, which he probably has little experience with, Tsubaki added.
“I guess you could call it talent. Yeah. I don’t know if he’s aware of it himself, though.”
Hisui looked unamused as Tsubaki spoke cheerfully.
“Excuse me, Chairman.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“I don’t care about that kind of thing.”
“Oh?”
Hisui took a deep breath and stared at Hayami, who was stepping up to bat.
“The reason I like Ren-senpai is not because he’s good at sports or because he’s smart.”
At least, that’s the Hayami that Hisui knows.
“Good luck, Ren-senpai.”
So far, it’s been a good start.
There was one hit and one error, but they managed to keep the score at zero.
“…Alright.”
During the previous physical education class, I had already confirmed Aota’s pitching style.
I should be able to handle his fastballs and curves.
As soon as I stepped into the batter’s box, I exhaled deeply.
It wasn’t so much tension as it was fear. My heart was racing, and my spine was tingling.
First pitch. It was a fastball.
It was a tight inside pitch, and I couldn’t even swing at it.
“Strike!”
“…Yeah, right.”
The ball speed was around 120 km/h. For a professional, that’s pretty slow. But…
“Come on! Next one!”
“Bring it on, I’ll hit it back!”
The second pitch followed. This time, it was on the outside.
It was slightly off the plate, but it was still a strike. It was just that the pitch was so well-placed that he couldn’t swing at it.
“Damn…”
He couldn’t hit it. If the pitcher mixed in some breaking balls from here on out, it would be difficult to even make contact with the bat, let alone get a hit.
“Hayami! You’re tensing up! Calm down!!”
“…Yeah.”
I’m scared. My legs were shaking.
I thought losing was inevitable. But recently, I finally realized that wasn’t the case.
I’m scared of letting someone down.
Third pitch. A fastball.
A high inside pitch. I forcefully swing the bat.
“!”
The sweet spot of the bat hit the ball. However.
“Foul!”
“Damn, I swung the bat a little too early.”
The ball flew high over the line. Unfortunately, it was a foul, but I’m keeping up.
If I had delayed the timing of my swing a little more, it would have been a home run.
“Whoa, that was close. You’re amazing, Ren. Even after using the corners like that, you still hit it here.”
“Hah, don’t underestimate me, genius.”
I try to act tough, but I’m the one who’s cornered.
I take a deep breath and get into position.
Aota is definitely going to try to strike me out with the next ball.
The fourth pitch. It was suddenly thrown.
“Huh!?”
It wasn’t a fastball or a curveball.
“—I got hit earlier, so this is payback!”
A slow ball. It was a slow, gentle ball similar to the one I had thrown earlier.
“Guh! I can’t lose… I can’t take this!!”
However, a momentary confusion lingered, slowing my swing and preventing me from reacting in time.
The result was a metallic screech like a discordant note as the ball hit the tip of the bat.
“!”
I ran. The ball rolled toward third base. I hoped it would be a foul ball, but it wasn’t.
However, my not-so-agile legs couldn’t keep up, and I was out.
“Snap out of it, Hayami. These things happen.”
When I returned to the bench, Itakura spoke to me.
Half encouragement, half motivation.
“…Yeah, I know. I’ll leave the offense to the others.”
“That’s fine. For now, sit down and conserve your energy.”
“No, I want to prepare for the next inning as much as possible. Igawa, can you catch?”
“Sure, I’ll help you out.”
Anxiety, impatience. All sorts of emotions were swirling around in my mind.
Still, my spirit was not broken.
＊＊＊
“…It seems the game is over. Apparently.”
It was stated calmly, almost ruthlessly, by Tsubaki.
“Why? It’s still the top of the second inning. We don’t know if senpai will get another at-bat… but according to the rules, the final could go into extra innings up to the fifth inning.”
“No, that’s impossible. At this point, since Hayami Ren couldn’t hit… no, since he was struck out in the worst possible way, there’s no chance of winning anymore.”
Even more confused now. Hisui tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face. Then she asked,
“But that doesn’t mean senpai is definitely going to lose, does it?”
“That’s true. Even if they lose this game, Hayami and the others have a reason. The pitcher who was supposed to pitch got injured. That’s a good enough excuse.”
That was true.
The reason Ren had been practicing so hard was to defeat Hasegawa Aota alongside Itakura. However, with Itakura now injured, the situation had become completely reversed.
“And this is just my guess, but even if there were such circumstances, Hayami Ren s the kind of person who couldn’t accept it… who would blame himself instead.”
“But…”
Hisui was about to argue, but…
“Batter out! Change!”
The top of the second inning was over.
“—I understand, Hayami-kun. For you, expectations are probably like poison.”
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