Chapter 125: July 22nd (Thursday) — Ayase Saki
I was sitting beside Asamura-kun, when I noticed him suddenly stand up out of the corner of my eye.
He loudly shouted his best friend's na.
Just then, I heard a tallic clang. I quickly looked back at the green field.
Where's the ball? There!
The ball, which had blended in with the blue sky and white clouds, finally ca into view as it bounced onto the grass.
It was rolling through the middle of the fan-shaped outer field while an opposing player frantically chased after it.
Maru-kun, who'd already started running, was sprinting on the white line drawn in the shape of a diamond, and reached the second corner.
A hit? That's called a hit, right?
I turned my head towards Asamura-kun, who was probably happy. To my surprise, he was still standing, shouting loudly.
"He did it!"
It was an expression and gesture I'd never seen him make before. He swung his fist in sheer joy.
Watching him, a smile crept up on my face. It felt contagious. Good for him.
I lightly tapped his hip. He turned around in surprise.
"That was great, wasn't it?" I said with a smile.
Asamura-kun looked surprised for a second before quickly sitting back down. Apparently, he hadn't even realized he'd stood up.
The ga was nearing its end, and although Maru-kun had made a hit (apparently called a double), the subsequent players couldn't score. They only managed to get one point back.
By now, they were already three points behind.
And, in the next inning, they let the opposing team score another point, making the gap even wider.
The ga ended like that.
Eight to four. Suisei High lost.
The players lined up and then walked from the bench to the stands, bowing their heads in gratitude.
Maaya took the lead, and we all stood up to applaud their efforts.
My smartphone buzzed.
Maaya:[After cleaning up, can you step out for a bit?]
When I looked up, I saw Maaya waving to from the front of the stands.
I put away the drink I'd opened, told Asamura-kun and the others that I'd be back shortly and headed to the concourse.
I t up with Maaya. It seed that her group had also finished cleaning up.
"Good work today everyone~! Thank you!"
Maaya waited for a response, then said, "We're having a little get-together near the station. Those who want to join, head to the restaurant~. If you have other plans, feel free to leave!"
"Got it," everyone replied.
"You guys are having a 'thank you' party?"
"Well, we ca out during sumr break, so it'd be nice to chat a little, dontcha think?"
"Makes sense."
"So, like, I was thinking of surprising Maru-kun and the others in the hallway by the players' locker room. Wanna co with, Saki?"
I was thrown off by Maaya's request. She was holding a bouquet of flowers.
Isn't that what they call ambushing soone? Isn't that annoying? Don't they have post-march etings and their own get-togethers after club activities?
"It's okay, I've already talked to the club. I just wanna hand them a gift on behalf of all of us," she said, lifting up the bouquet to show .
Ah okay, so she's the representative of the Maaya cheering squad.
"Then shouldn't you have invited Asamura-kun and the others too?"
I felt that way, but Maaya vaguely responded with, "Well, y'know," implying that she preferred it to be just .
"Please! I just wanna hand this over and say a few words!"
I decided to go along with it, thinking it wouldn't take too long anyway. If it drags on, I'll just send a ssage. With that in mind, I followed behind Maaya. I'm not super close with Maru-kun, though. I wonder if it'll be okay. I hope it won't be awkward.
There were stairs leading down to the first floor not far from the concourse, and at the bottom was a hallway leading to the players' changing rooms. We decided to wait near the exit, thinking that we might get in the way if we got too close.
Soon after, the players began to erge. Maaya being Maaya, she apparently knew a lot of guys in the baseball club. As she passed by, she exchanged greetings and "Well done's" with them. So nicely offered, "Want to grab Maru for you?" but Maaya politely declined, saying that we were already waiting for him.
Maru-kun was the last to co out. He kept looking back into the locker room, as if checking on sothing, then bowed to those inside and stepped out. He walked with his head slightly down.
When he noticed us, a subtle smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Great job today," Maaya said, handing him the bouquet.
Maru-kun's eyes went wide in surprise as he accepted the flowers.
"Sorry."
"It's from everyone who ca to support you. For the entire baseball team. We figured you should receive it since you're captain."
"Ah."
Maru-kun admired the bouquet while standing to the side of the hallway so as not to be in the way.
Taking a deep breath, he paused for a mont before finally speaking.
"Well... they were strong," he said, then paused again for a second. "They were just too good. Sorry to disappoint even though you all ca to support us."
He gave us a wry smile, but I could tell from his swollen, reddened eyes that he'd been crying a lot before coming out. Yet, Maru-kun always made it a point to be the last to leave, looking out for everyone else first.
Maaya stepped forward, trying to peer into Maru's downcast face.
"Hey, we ca to support you on our own, you hear? You don't have to worry about that. Yep, it was fun to watch. I'm totally satisfied!"
She tried to make it sound cheerful, but I could tell her voice was higher than usual.
"I… also had fun. It was my first ti watching a baseball match."
"See, see. If Saki says so, then it must be true. If it's just coming from , you might think I'm just blowing smoke!"
"Not wrong."
"Heeey! That's an! You're really gonna say that? Well, whatever, if you'd hit eight balls in four tries, we would've won, right? Boo!"
"Hey now, how the heck am I supposed to get more hits than at-bats?"
"Use two balls! And if you have two pairs of hands and feet, it's physically possible!"
"You mad scientist. Narasaka, we seriously need to discuss what the word 'physical' actually ans one day."
"Bring it on!"
They're really close, huh? I thought to myself as I watched their playful banter. When did these two beco such good friends?
Maru-kun cracked a smile watching Maaya puff out her chest and act all high and mighty. But a second later, that grin contorted into a grimace.
"Haha… you're really sothing…"
After glancing up at the ceiling as if he was trying to hold sothing back, Maru-kun suddenly looked my way.
"Hey, Ayase."
"What?"
"How did Asamura look?"
"Huh, Asamura-kun?"
"You were watching with him, weren't you?"
"Um…"
Well, that's... we were together, but…
"Maru-kun, you've been saying for a while that you wanted Asamura-kun to watch you play at least once, haven't you?"
He has? But if that's the case, then he should've just invited him directly.
"If I only invited Asamura, he's the type who'd just co and watch on his own."
"And that's a problem?"
"Well, yeah... I wanted him to watch, but I also wanted soone to watch him watching ."
So soone watching Asamura-kun, who was watching Maru-kun?
I tilted my head, not really getting it.
"Hmm, it's hard to explain," Maru-kun said, his gaze wandering to an open window on the side of the concourse.
Sumr spread out under the sunlight, accompanied by the sound of cicadas.
"Do you know what the WBC is, Ayase?"
"I don't," I answered honestly and was t with a wry smile.
I an, I've never really been interested in sports. I haven't even watched the Olympics.
"It's short for World Baseball Classic. It's basically a competition to determine who the best baseball team in the world is."
"The world… Umm, so it's a big baseball ga, is that right?"
"Yeah, sothing like that."
Maru-kun told a story from his childhood.
It was a little after the end of analog TV broadcasting, around the ti LCD TVs beca widespread. That made HD broadcasts on big flatscreens beco accessible to everyone. That sumr, a big flatscreen ca to Maru-kun's house, and since he was already an ani fan, he beca glued to the TV.
Then, that autumn, the WBC was held.
His entire family would watch the gas together, and while Maru-kun was initially frustrated because he couldn't watch his ani, he quickly beca captivated by baseball.
The sight of pro players competing on the world stage left a lasting impression on young Maru. Running around the field, pitching, and hitting. Not to ntion the breathtaking pitching duels and exciting slugfests. Sadly, Japan couldn't clinch the title that year, but the sight of players chasing that small white ball profoundly influenced him.
It was thrilling to watch. It made his hands sweaty and his heart race. The excitent he felt through the screen was incomparable to any other form of entertainnt, and young Maru began to dream of making others feel the sa exhilaration through baseball.
"So you were thinking about that while playing baseball…"
"Not really."
I couldn't help letting out a, "Huh?" So he wasn't thinking about that?
"I continued playing baseball because I loved it, but it wasn't like I was always thinking about that while playing. As a kid, maybe, but the better I beca, the more I felt the gap between pro players and . I began to think it might be impossible for . So, over ti, I stopped thinking about it."
"I… see."
All three of us fell into silence for a mont.
"So, yeah. After a lot of things happened, I recently rembered why I started in the first place. Well, I guess it was probably because of the parent-teacher interviews."
I wondered why he was bringing up the past, but it turned out Maru-kun had started thinking about his own future aspirations.
Being a third-year high school student, everyone starts thinking about their future.
"I asked Asamura sothing a while ago. About what soone needs to be a pro athlete."
"Umm... talent?"
Maru-kun chuckled.
"You two... you really are two peas in a pod."
"What do you an?"
"Ah, well, that's another story. Anyway, Ayase, what do you think talent is?"
"The ability necessary to perform a certain profession," I answered imdiately.
Maru-kun nodded deeply.
It's a common misconception, but the term "talent" doesn't inherently an an ability derived from genes or birth. I once heard from Mom that when talking about talents you're born with, we often use the term "innate" or "natural" before it. That ans if we have to use qualifiers like that, the word "talent" itself isn't necessarily about being born with it.
That's a perspective you'd expect from my Mom, who'd learned the skills of bartending out of necessity. The ability necessary to perform a certain profession.
Mom also said so professions might heavily rely on genetic abilities. Though, I'm not sure how genes would influence bartending skills, to be honest.
"Solid answer. But it's also not the complete answer. I used to think the sa way. That's why I was always conscious of the skill gap between and pro players."
"Yeah, I get you."
Even though I love cooking, I've never been inclined to pursue a career as a chef. I just don't think I've got the chops for it. Well, I also don't really have the drive to get better either. If it tastes good to , that's all that matters.
So, just like my cooking, Maru-kun continued with baseball simply because he loved it?
"But I started thinking there's more to it than just that. Like I told Asamura, I reckon for pros, it's all about if they can bring in the big bucks with their performance."
Maaya chose that mont to jump in.
"So it's like, whether people think it's worth paying to watch?"
"Exactly. That's it. That's why scouts notice you, and how you gain fans. It's that 'star quality.' Being good is essential, but it's not the only thing."
"Oh, Maru, always with the complicated stuff."
"It's a complex topic. And, as I've also told Asamura, I'm not confident that, beyond my technique, my play has any appeal to the audience."
As Maru finished speaking, it finally clicked for what he was expecting from .
"In essence, you wanted soone to watch you play and give feedback?"
Maru-kun nodded.
"Not feedback from every single spectator, obviously. If I could do that, my play would have already caught soone's eye."
Though, he probably held so hope for that too.
"But, you know, I just wanted to play in a way that would move my friend's heart. This is my last year in high school, after all. I didn't want to have any regrets about the ti and effort I poured into baseball," Maru-kun said quietly, before turning to .
"So how did he look?"
"Yeah… umm…"
There wasn't any point in lying, and I didn't want to either, so I just told him what I saw Asamura-kun do. About how Asamura-kun, who'd been watching quietly, had spontaneously stood up and cheered when Maru-kun made a hit. About the frustration on his face when the last out was made. That it was my first ti seeing him make expressions like that.
Maru-kun listened in silence until the end, then replied, "Gotcha."
"I really wanted to win and show it off to him, y'know? Man, I feel so pathetic."
"It's okay! You did your best!" Maaya said with a pout.
"Look, in a competition, just 'doing your best' doesn't really an much. It's not a contest of who tried harder."
"Hmph."
Maru-kun shrugged at the frustrated face Maaya was making. I got what he was saying. It's not about who tried the hardest. But then—
"But, you said that when you were a kid, you watched the… WBC was it? Japan didn't win, right?"
"Right, they ca third… I think."
"So why did you start playing baseball after watching that?"
Maru-kun looked stumped by that.
"Well… I was moved by how hard they tried to win, I guess…"
"Then, if Asamura-kun was moved by your performance, isn't that worth sothing? Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Unless… you weren't really trying your hardest?"
"I was!"
Maru-kun's voice unintentionally rose in his defense, and he snapped his mouth shut quickly.
Maaya gave his broad back a playful pat.
From down the hallway, I heard his teammates calling out, "Oiii, Maru." Looks like we'd chatted for a bit too long.
"We should probably head back now."
"O-oh… Thanks for the bouquet, Narasaka."
"Not good enough!"
"Huh?"
"Such a common, formal 'thank you' is boringgg! Do it again! C'mon, think of sothing! Like calling 'Princess Maaya' or 'Lady Maaya'!"
"Wha-! You idiot."
With a look of disbelief, Maru-kun abruptly turned away and started walking towards his teammates.
"How an! Isn't that an?"
"I said I was grateful... Maaya."
With that, he strode away.
"Alright, let's head back too. Let's go... Maaya?"
"D-don't look at !"
For so reason, Maaya's face was beet red, and she was looking off into the distance. She seed frozen in place.
...But we're keeping Asamura-kun and the others waiting.
Once Maru-kun's figure disappeared out of sight, only Maaya and I were left in the narrow first-floor hallway.
A lukewarm breeze blew in through the hallway window, which was just a square hole.
"Should we go now?"
"Ah, yeah. Sorry for keeping you waiting," Maaya said, and we started heading for the stairs leading up to the second-floor hallway.
But Maaya stopped after a few steps. I hurried back to her.
"What's wrong?"
A tear dropped from her downcast face, making a small, ink-like stain on the gray concrete floor.
"Maaya...?"
I tried to peek at her face, but Maaya buried it in my chest. A muffled sob escaped.
"It's not fair. It's really not fair."
"Maaya."
I think this is the first ti I've seen her cry. It wasn't loud, just a suppressed cry as she continued burying her face in my chest. All I could do was gently stroke her back.
In between her sobs, Maaya told about how hard Maru-kun had been working for this sumr's tournant. I didn't know how she knew so much about it, but Maaya told everything. About how he'd even started running in the early morning on cold winter days. And when they'd t up on a rare day off, and he was so tired that he fell asleep face down in a cafe (So they were eting up in places like that.) He even sacrificed watching his favorite late-night ani to make sure he got enough sleep, and he stopped going to events.
"Events?"
"He even skipped Comiket! Maru-kun did!"
I wasn't really sure what that was, but it seed important. Maaya had been so imrsed in Maru-kun's efforts that his loss felt like it was her own.
"But... But, y'know, the one who really wants to cry is him. So, y'know—"
She couldn't cry in front of him, so she'd been holding back. The loud cries of cicadas outside the window seed to drown out Maaya's quiet sobs.
Clouds hid the sun, dimming the hallway. The light pouring in faded, and the tear stains on the floor faded from view along with it.
"Sakiii…"
"Yes, yes. What is it?"
"Thanks for coming with ee."
"I get it, I get it."
I continued patting her back, but Maaya's sobs just wouldn't stop.
Well, this is all I can do anyway.
To call her my "best friend" might be stretching it, given I hadn't been there for her enough. I hadn't even realized how close Maaya and Maru-kun had beco.
"Uh… sob. Sakiii…"
"Mm?"
"He really did try his best, didn't he?"
"...Dummy."
"Uh?"
"What if I said he didn't?"
"Mm... I'd be mad."
"Then it's the sa no matter what I say, isn't it? Maru-kun said it himself."
"What did he say?"
This girl… Playing dumb when she's usually way more perceptive than …
"He said he wanted to play in a way that would impress his friends, right? So, what really matters to Maru-kun is how he looked to his friends, not . Just like how he wanted to show off to Asamura-kun."
Maaya lifted her head.
Oh dear, her tears have made all her foundation and makeup run.
"Here. Wipe your face, wipe your face," I said, as I pressed a handkerchief to her face.
"Mm…"
"Aren't you his friend, Maaya?"
"Sniff… Maybe."
"Then there's no point in saying, 'I think he did his best.' You should tell him as many tis as you want. Because that's genuinely how you saw it, isn't it?"
I spoke slowly, letting the words sink in, and Maaya nodded again and again with her face buried in the handkerchief.
Yeah, my opinion doesn't matter.
In any story, side characters have a big impact on the main character, not so random bystanders. I don't really know Maru-kun that well. In his story, I was nothing more than Background Extra A. I wasn't soone deeply connected to him.
But—What about Maaya? Did she just get to know him as a classmate and then, by so twist of fate, found out about his situation and began cheering him on?
Or maybe she wanted to be more deeply involved—like, wishing to beco a nad character in Maru-kun's story.
—How do you see him?
—It's sothing you should tell Maru-kun yourself.
Saying as much to Maaya, I started to wonder who I was really talking about here.
The clouds broke, and sunlight returned.
The light streaming in from the window cast a square shape on the floor.
There were no traces of tears left behind.
***
After parting ways with everyone at Shibuya station, I was left alone with Asamura-kun.
The sun finally began to tilt towards the western sky, and the blue sky gradually darkened from the east.
I snuck a peek at Asamura-kun's face as we walked down the evening street.
When I asked if he was tired, he thought for a mont and gave a vague answer, as if unsure if he was or not.
I couldn't suppress a laugh. I an, there's no way he wouldn't be tired after cheering so passionately.
As we turned into a narrow street, the hustle and bustle of the city faded away. It was replaced by the loud chirping of cicadas.
As we walked through the park, Asamura-kun asked about what happened when I t up with Maaya. But I apologized, telling him it was Maaya's private stuff and I couldn't talk about it.
Asamura-kun didn't press it any further.
It's a quality I really admire about him; he respects other people's privacy. But that doesn't an he intentionally tries to distance himself from others.
...Or maybe he does?
Maybe the Asamura-kun I first t did try to keep his distance. I felt the sa way back then. Honestly, I think I was the one more inclined to keep people at arm's length though.
Like a solitary island in the sea. Like an impenetrable stone.
I wanted to be strong and have the skills to survive on my own. Asamura-kun seed to feel the sa way.
He didn't give off the sa obvious "stay-away" vibe like I did. He had Maru-kun, a close friend, after all.
In my case, I even tried to keep Maaya at a distance. And still, she patiently waited for . Until I t Asamura-kun and slowly dismantled the thorny cage I'd built around myself.
Little by little, step by step. Maaya was incredibly patient.
That said, she beca super close with Maru-kun without even realizing it. When she goes for sothing, she throws patience to the wind and really goes for it.
"Social butterfly" is a term Asamura-kun often uses to describe Maaya. But if you ask , I'd say Maaya is just really good at maintaining the right distance with people. She approaches those she's comfortable with easily, and with soone tricky like , she gradually bridges the gap.
I'm the total opposite. I've always struggled with how close or distant I should be with others. Probably because I've been pushing people away ever since I was a kid. So, most people get fed up with my coldness and distance themselves early on. The face of a certain new junior at work flashed up in my mind. At first, they seed to warm up to really quickly, but maybe because I felt uncomfortable, it feels like they've been keeping their distance lately. Relationships are complicated.
At the edge of the park, I saw a parent and child playing catch.
"Did you ever do that with Taichi-san?"
I was probably inspired to ask him that because we were literally on our way back from watching a baseball ga. I hadn't really intended the question to be that deep.
Asamaru-kun's response was that he used to spend more ti reading than playing sports. I could have guessed that, even if he didn't tell . That definitely fits my image of him.
Still, he knows way more about sports than I do. He brushed it off, saying it was just because he read sports novels and manga. It was obvious he knew more about baseball than I did during the baseball match.
When I pointed that out, Asamura-kun called it a novice's perspective, while also saying he was embarrassed that he'd shouted and gotten really animated when he was cheering.
"I got so caught up watching him that I got carried away too. Thinking about it now, I probably looked pretty stupid."
How can you say that? Especially when your friend was so happy about your reaction.
I was uncharacteristically adamant in my denial. I knew Asamura-kun said those words because he was embarrassed, but I felt the need to correct him.
Maaya should tell Maru-kun how she felt.
But when it ca to Asamura-kun—
I stole a glance at the lover walking beside . Asamura Yuuta—I want to keep being his lover. I don't want to go back to being just another naless passerby.
So, I passionately explained how I felt seeing him support his friend. If I wanted to be seen as an important character in his story, then I should be the one to tell him that.
I rember myself on the volleyball court, shrinking and cowering. I also rember the faces of everyone who was cheering on.
The right distance. Maaya didn't hesitate when it ca ti to step forward.
I took a deep breath.
"I want to hold hands. That okay?"
He looked at , a little surprised, then down at his own hand. It stayed hovering in the air, so I firmly extended mine.
"Mm."
My heart raced as my hand hung in the air. Asamura-kun gently took it. We let our hands naturally drop between us.
We'd stopped walking at so point, so continued forward, our hands intertwined.
"You know, seeing you cheering your heart out like that, Asamura-kun—"
I'll be the one to tell him.
"I thought—you looked really cool."
The noisy cicadas were a blessing. Had it been quieter, he definitely would've heard the loud pounding of my heart.
I tightened my grip on his hand, not wanting to let go.
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