"Sometimes, the opponent isn't on the field—it's in your memories."
---
It started like any other cloudy Kamiyama afternoon. Practice was in session. Balls flew, gloves snapped, sweat poured.
Reina was unusually quiet.
"Reina, you okay?" Haruto called from the mound.
She nodded. "Yeah. Just tired." But her throws lacked their usual sharpness.
---
Flashback: The Girl in the Red Cap
That night, Reina lay on her futon, eyes tracing the ceiling cracks like they were scars on her memory.
She remembered it clearly.
Last year.
The regional girls' baseball team.
She was the starting shortstop.
Fast hands. Cold focus.
But there was her—
Shiori Kanzaki. Captain. Golden arm. Red cap.
They clashed.
Every. Single. Game.
"You don't smile. You don't trust. You're not a team player."
That's what Shiori had said.
Reina had walked out. Never returned.
The next day, the team lost regionals by one run.
---
Present: The Friendly Match Request
At school, Sōta ran into practice holding a flyer.
"Guys! There's a nearby club team looking for a practice match! They're called… wait…"
He squinted.
"…The Scarlet Swans?"
Reina froze.
"Did you say Scarlet…?"
"Yeah. Ever heard of them?"
Reina's hand clenched her bat a little too tightly.
"They're a girls' team. A good one."
Kento looked confused. "We're playing against girls?"
Riku smirked. "You say that like we won't get destroyed."
Haruto narrowed his eyes at Reina. "You okay with this?"
She didn't answer right away.
Then—
"Yeah. Let's play."
---
Match Day: Red Caps and Tension
The Swans arrived in neat uniforms, focused and fast. And leading them, wearing that same red cap, was Shiori.
She saw Reina instantly.
"You play with them now?"
Her voice was sweet poison.
Reina stood still. "Yeah. Got a problem?"
Shiori smiled. "Not at all. Hope they're better than you were."
---
First Inning: Pressure Points
Haruto pitched a decent opener, but the Swans hit harder than expected. A double. Then a clean RBI.
Reina flinched with every hit, her shoulders tight, her throws slower than usual.
Shiori smirked at her from second base.
"You always fold when it counts."
Haruto noticed. He walked over between innings.
"Reina. Talk to me."
She looked away. "I've played with them before. I failed them. I walked out."
"You're not who you were back then."
She turned to him. "And if I fail again?"
Haruto smiled softly. "Then we fail together. That's what a team means."
---
Third Inning: Letting Go
Bases loaded. Swans up by 3. Haruto pitched. A sharp grounder rushed toward shortstop.
Reina hesitated—but only for a second.
She dashed, slid, caught it clean, and rocketed it to Kento at second—then Kento to Riku at first.
Double play.
The crowd (well, 9 students and a curious cat) erupted.
Shiori narrowed her eyes.
Reina smiled—just slightly.
---
Final Innings: The Mirror Breaks
The Kamiyama team didn't win. Final score: 7–5. But they had held their own.
And for Reina—it was more than enough.
As the Swans packed up, Shiori passed her again.
"You've changed."
Reina shrugged. "So have you."
Pause.
Shiori smiled—not sarcastically this time.
"Good game."
---
Under Kamiyama's Sky
Back at their field, the team huddled in the grass.
Reina stood before them, holding her glove.
"I used to think baseball was a solo sport. But… you guys make it fun again."
Aoi nodded. "We fight. We mess up. But we play together."
Sōta raised a water bottle. "To painful pasts… and better games."
They cheered, sweaty and happy.
And as the sky finally cleared, Reina tossed her glove high into the air—
It spun like a new beginning.
---
End of Chapter 7