Kiyono felt like he was being played in the palm of this woman's hand. Wasn't this a very bad sign?
"You specifically came here, it shouldn't be to hear this, right?" He tried to resist.
"Hmm… although I'm a little dissatisfied, I can't help it when I think it's you."
The blue-haired girl snorted and patted his arm with her gloved hand.
The Lemon incident inexplicably came to mind. That time, Yanami had also seen through his thoughts like this, actively pushing him from behind.
At this moment, Yanami seemed to have thought of the same thing. Their gazes suddenly met, and Yanami showed a sweet, provocative smile.
He took a deep breath and told the girl in front of him about the predicament Eriri was facing. At the end, he asked again—
"If it were you, what would you think?"
"…"
"I'm just an ordinary high school girl. I don't understand these things."
After listening quietly, for some reason, the blue-haired girl let out a heavy snort, secretly gritting her teeth, almost letting out a wail.
I had no idea something like this happened!
Why did she work so hard to get into university back then? Wasn't it to catch up to his pace, to be able to stand by his side with her head held high?
But what was with that woman named Eriri? She achieved her dream from the very beginning, yet she wasn't satisfied and wanted to trigger more plotlines! And she even found the correct strategy!
Thinking of the two of them partnering up, Yanami only felt her stomach furiously secreting acid. The acid surged into her blood vessels, then traveled throughout her body, making her feel sour all over.
Of course, no one was at fault, but she also had to reclaim her champion's glory!
So, what should she do?
Emotions flickered in Yanami's eyes. From her position, she clearly shouldn't support the other party, but…
She could understand that girl's feelings.
That feeling of wanting to stand by an important person, but being afraid and retreating because of a lack of ability. The more dazzling he was, the longer the shadow in her heart stretched. Sawamura Eriri's feelings must be even more conflicted than hers.
So, even knowing what this action represented, and even though she was very jealous, she still chose to reach out.
Yanami thought silently, then looked up, meeting his eyes.
Unbeknownst to them, the vibrant sunset had turned into twilight. Red afterglow passed through the wire fence, casting layers of light spots on the dirt. A metal baseball bat leaned against the bench in the resting area, the scuff marks on its handle plated with a shimmering halo.
An evening breeze blew from afar, and their sweaty bodies felt very comfortable. In this approaching evening, the outlines of both of them gradually blurred.
The girl's voice clearly reached his ears.
"What do you want to do?"
"To be honest, I don't have any ideas right now. Talent and effort are eternal problems. If I were to comfort her, it would be counterproductive. I don't think I currently have the ability to solve it."
Kiyono honestly spoke words he wouldn't say to others. He had been pondering this question but ultimately found no answer.
"I don't think it's entirely a matter of talent."
Yanami said something he hadn't expected.
The girl looked up at the distant sky. Precisely because she had faced the same predicament, she understood that it wasn't a feeling that could be simply summarized by talent and confusion; it was self-doubt, the timidity of not daring to reach out…
"She's just scared. She's running away."
Her slender yet firm voice was like a baseball hitting a glove.
Giving up due to a gap in talent, and giving up by choosing to escape—these seem similar, but have subtle differences.
Escaping…? Kiyono muttered the word, his eyes growing brighter.
"I think I know what to do."
— Clang.
A crisp sound of a bat hitting a ball rang out.
"Did your senpai's ball hit?" Yanami patted his chest.
"Right in the bullseye."
"I meant your heart."
"I meant that too."
The two looked at the setting sun, their elongated shadows leaning against each other.
Yanami narrowed her eyes, then suddenly sighed.
"Ah, someone is going to act like an idiot and show off again, aren't you? Are you an omnipotent hero?" Her tone was almost complaining, yet with a hint of a smile.
"You can come with me. This is the time to show the strength of our bond," Kiyono added.
I can't do that. Yanami turned her head, snorted, and her blue ponytail lightly brushed his shoulder, but—
"As compensation…"
She lightly stood on her tiptoes. The light of the setting sun made the girl's profile and voice seem to be coated in honey.
"Please let me have Kiyono's sunsets all to myself next week and the week after."
The next day at noon, Kiyono had a rough plan in mind. While pondering, he walked towards the Service Club.
When Kiyono pulled open the door, Yukino Yukinoshita still had a cold expression, but just as Yanami could instantly notice his abnormality, he could also perceive Yukino's difference—or rather, she was too easy to read.
The black-haired girl frowned slightly, looking distracted. His gaze shifted to the left, and he saw Yuigahama also looking troubled, only smiling and greeting him when she saw him.
"What happened?" Kiyono sat down and asked curiously.
Yuigahama turned her face and explained, "One of the baseball club members got injured."
An unexpected situation? Kiyono mused slightly. Injuries were common in sports, but the timing seemed a bit unfortunate.
"And… it might even be because of me." Yukino sighed, turning her head to look at the playground outside the window.
Kiyono said, "Oh," and suddenly understood.
"Could it be that someone was slacking off, and you beat him up with the Yukinoshita family's ancestral Aikidō… I'm very sorry, please don't raise your fist and walk towards me. Although I'm a member of the Yukinoshita family, I don't want to experience that."
"Honestly…" Yukino glared at him and sat back down.
"Didn't Yukino make a practice plan for the baseball club before?"
Yuigahama touched the pink bun on top of her head, acting as the explainer.
"The new practice had good results, and because the competition was approaching, she increased the practice volume appropriately at the request of the members. As a result, during the practice match, he suffered a sprained ankle ligament…"
— This wasn't Yukino's fault, he could assert that.
He could completely imagine her diligently searching for information, watching baseball game recordings, and meticulously creating a practice plan these past few days. Perhaps she wasn't as good as a professional coach, but she had done her absolute best.
"No one else blamed Yukino! Besides, it was because he was secretly practicing that it happened…" The energetic girl's dark eyes stared at Kiyono, as if signaling him to think of something.
Kiyono sighed softly.
This was Yukino, always true to herself, pursuing absolute correctness. When she promised something, she would take all the responsibility upon herself like this, even attributing others' failures to her own shortcomings.
He wanted to support this pride of hers.
"So, the injured member can't make it to the next tournament, right? What's this person's batting order?" Kiyono didn't rush to comfort the girl, asking calmly.
"Third batter," Yukino replied concisely. "The doctor said he needs at least half a month of rest."
Kiyono understood why she blamed herself. In baseball, the third batter is the strongest and most versatile hitter on the team. Because they get enough at-bats, and there can be runners on base before they bat, it's easy to score. If the team's third batter can't participate, the outcome of the game is predictable.
"Usually there are substitute players, right?" Kiyono said again.
"Our school is the top academic school in the prefecture. There aren't as many people participating in sports clubs as you might think." Yukino shook her head.
That was true. To achieve results in sports, a lot of practice was inevitably required, and those who could get into this school prioritized their studies, rarely focusing on club activities as a main goal.
Only strong baseball schools would put their main focus on club activities.
Given this situation, Soubu High's baseball club, even if they participated in the competition, would only be a participating team and didn't need to worry too much—but even if they didn't get good rankings, they must have their own goals and invested all their passion into it.
Kiyono looked at the girl's downcast eyes, and a decision formed in his heart.
Cicadas chirped outside the window. The hot summer wind blew over a villa on a certain hillside, lifting the curtains connecting the balcony and bedroom, revealing the situation inside.
In the morning sun, a girl in a green tracksuit with messy golden hair sat at a table, constantly pressing buttons on a game controller, her two slender feet propped up.
However, whether the game was lost or won, her expression remained unchanged, as if she had lost all vitality.
She had been preoccupied with another matter.
Kiyono wasn't coming to find her anymore.
Even though she had been insisting on feigning resistance towards him, once this change occurred, she felt a strong sense of unease.
Had she said something that displeased him?
Or was her attitude too cold?
She felt a bit lonely.
But, this was also good.
She found this environment very comfortable; no need to think about painful things, just quietly live out her student life—not progressing, but not regressing either, just maintaining this state…
—
Suddenly, it seemed as if she heard someone speaking.
Was it a hallucination?
————
The sound came from outside the window, clearer now.
The golden-haired girl strangely put down the controller, stood up, and pulled open the bedroom curtains.
Her room was built in the style of an English castle, with a large balcony on the second floor, just like in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, where the male protagonist recites love poems below, and the female protagonist stands on the noble balcony listening.
She walked to the edge of the balcony, and the steamy summer air rushed over her.
Eriri suddenly froze.
In the brilliant summer light, a boy stood in the open space below her. Kiyono, wearing a baseball cap, looked up at her, a baseball bat slung over his shoulder.
Feeling her gaze, the boy waved at her.
"Stop making that stay face—"
What was this guy saying?
The closer he got, the more her contradictions stood out, yet… what was this feeling?
The boy stood downstairs, his big smile like the hot sunlight.
"Let's go out and play!"
Meanwhile, on the distant other end.
Baseball? Sports?
I love this the most!
The athletic girl closed her eyes.
Simulation, start!
Ugh, uh, what should I say now? "Why are you only coming to find me now"—that won't do at all!
Or should I say, "Please don't bother with me anymore"—that won't do either!