Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, four years had gone by.
Kitamura Kou had now entered his third year of junior high.
Inside Kou's room on the second floor of the Kitamura Sporting Goods Store, Kou sat casually on his bed while chatting with his friend Nakanishi Daiki.
"You want me to play sandlot baseball?" Kou asked.
"Yeah," Nakanishi replied. "Remember those guys from the neighborhood team back in elementary school? They've been asking about you lately."
"Oh?"
"They've been organizing a game and invited some other acquaintances too. Of course, you're playing as well."
"I don't mind."
"It's just for fun anyway," Nakanishi continued. "Winning or losing doesn't matter. None of us are serious players. Everyone likes baseball, but we're basically a bunch of people who hate hard training and don't have much perseverance."
Kou smirked.
"Isn't there one fat guy who actually has perseverance?"
Nakanishi looked embarrassed.
"Well… he quit after three months."
Kou laughed.
"Alright then. Let's rebuild the team properly. We could even order custom uniforms."
"We don't need uniforms!"
Nakanishi kicked Kou lightly and shouted in irritation.
"The game is this Sunday, don't forget!"
"I know, I know," Kou replied helplessly.
Nakanishi glanced at the two alarm clocks beside Kou's bed.
"Are you really going to wake up on time with just those?"
"...Probably," Kou answered uncertainly.
Later that day, Kou arrived at the Tsukishima Batting Center.
"Ah, Kou! Welcome," Mr. Tsukishima greeted him warmly. "Want some coffee?"
"No thanks."
Kou looked toward the batting cages.
"Who's that guy?"
Mr. Tsukishima glanced over.
"He used to come here often, but it's been a while."
"So who is it?"
Curious, Kou walked closer to the batting cage.
When he finally saw the batter clearly, he froze.
It was actually Nakanishi.
Kou raised an eyebrow in surprise and immediately turned to leave.
"At least take a few swings before you go," Mr. Tsukishima said, tossing him a batting coin. "It's on the house."
Kou caught the coin but shook his head.
"No thanks. I'm heading home."
As he walked away, he muttered quietly to himself.
"As long as we have fun, winning or losing doesn't matter… huh?"
Then he began jogging down the street.
"Kou!"
A cheerful voice called out behind him.
Kou stopped and turned around.
Tsukishima Wakaba was running toward him from the café.
"I heard you're playing sandlot baseball this Sunday," Wakaba said excitedly.
"Yeah. Nakanishi is organizing it."
Wakaba smiled brightly.
"I haven't seen you play baseball in a long time. I'll come cheer for you!"
"Suit yourself."
Kou shrugged.
"I'm going to practice a little first. See you later."
With that, he jogged away and disappeared around the street corner.
Sunday arrived.
Near the riverbank stood an old, slightly worn sandlot baseball field.
"So Kou is your pitcher?" someone from the opposing team asked.
"Yeah," Nakanishi replied confidently while adjusting his gear. "Don't worry about getting hit by a pitch. His control is excellent."
"That's right!" Wakaba added proudly. "Kou is amazing!"
Someone nearby chuckled.
"Really? I remember he used to walk a lot of batters. That would totally ruin the game."
"I won't let you talk about Kou like that!"
Wakaba puffed out her cheeks angrily.
"Kou is super amazing!"
"Alright, alright," Nakanishi said, stepping in to calm things down.
"We're just here to have fun. That's what sandlot baseball is about."
Just then, Kou's voice called out from the field.
"Nakanishi! Let's warm up."
"Coming!"
As Nakanishi walked toward him, he said,
"It's been a while since we formed a battery together."
"Probably since sixth grade," Kou replied.
"So about three years ago."
Nakanishi crouched down into a catcher's stance.
"Start by loosening your shoulders. Just throw lightly."
"Got it."
Whoosh—smack!
Whoosh—smack!
Whoosh—smack!
Each pitch cracked loudly into Nakanishi's glove.
The surrounding players stared in shock.
Those "light throws" were already reaching around 130 km/h.
Only Wakaba looked completely unsurprised.
Her expression clearly said:
"See? I told you Kou was amazing."
Nakanishi stood up.
"Change pitchers," he told a nearby teammate.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Kou protested. "The game hasn't even started yet!"
"You play right field," Nakanishi said calmly.
"I told you to wait! I'll pitch seriously once the game starts!"
"Seriously?" Nakanishi blinked.
"You told me to loosen up and throw lightly!"
Nakanishi turned to another teammate.
"Tanaka, you're pitching."
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" Kou shouted in frustration.
Nearby, a scruffy middle-aged man with messy hair and a beard happened to be passing by.
Hearing the lively cheers from the field, he stopped.
"Such energetic boys," he murmured with interest.
Curious, he walked closer to watch the amateur sandlot game.
"Last inning!"
"The score is 9–8!"
"Two outs, runners on first and second!"
"A single will tie the game! An extra-base hit will win it!"
The batter muttered nervously as he stepped into the box.
The pitch came.
Whoosh—
CLANG!
The ball rocketed into the gap between center field and right field.
The runner from second base rounded third and sprinted toward home plate.
Kou sprinted after the ball.
He reached it just in time.
Without hesitation—
He planted his feet and unleashed a powerful throw toward home plate.
Whoosh!
The ball shot through the air like a bolt of lightning, flying straight into Nakanishi's glove.
The runner had only just reached the plate when—
Tag!
"OUT!"
"Three outs! Game over!"
"We won!"
Cheers erupted across the field.
The scruffy man watching from the sidelines stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"That throw…" he muttered.
"It smells like money."
"Good game! That was fun," Kou said with a satisfied grin.
"It's been ages since I played sandlot baseball."
Suddenly—
Nakanishi grabbed Kou by the front of his shirt.
"What the heck were you thinking?!"
"Huh?"
Kou blinked in confusion.
"Pitch seriously," Nakanishi said firmly.
"You want me to pitch seriously?"
"Yes. Not loosening up. Not holding back."
"Throw with everything you've got."
Kou grinned.
"No problem."
He raised both arms overhead.
His left leg lifted.
His body twisted.
Then he stepped forward explosively.
In a smooth overhand motion—
He fired the ball.
The baseball shot forward like a ferocious beast, roaring toward Nakanishi.
The sheer speed and power made Nakanishi's eyes widen.
His pupils shrank.
He couldn't react.
He remained frozen in his crouch—
As the ball screamed past his glove.
CRASH!
It slammed into the wire fence behind him, embedding itself deep into the metal.
Silence fell over the field.