FUTURE《 ACE 》

“Did you know that people can actually be sealed away in crystal? I never did.”

                 ` ⇢「 ♦ 」» “... How do they get out then?”

She couldn’t help but let out a quiet giggle when the other’s throw curved instead of flying straight. It was a cool throw, but obviously not what the other had intended. “So, do you pitch it like that so the batter thinks it’s going one way, and then goes another?” At least she knew that the pitcher threw to the batter. Not much more than that, though. “It looks useful strategically, but not exactly ideal for a game of catch.”

    [ ✭ ] “A baseball field? Th… That sounds cool. I play baseball. I guess.” Smooth. “I’ll tag along, ‘cause I ain’t got anything planned for today anyway. I’ve got a friend who likes baseball, y’know.”

                    ` ⇢「 ♦ 」» Encountering a baseball player on the train was not part of his plan, but he wasn’t complaining since he was on the lookout for other baseball enthusiasts like him. Hearing his words made his heart soar with joy and excitement wash all over his face. “Really? What position do you play?! I’m a pitcher!” A grin appeared on his face when the other made a decision to assist him on his search. “Perfect. The two of us can easily find a baseball field.”

To be honest, we all wanted to play more baseball with you, Ei-chan

“Hi!” she beams from ear to ear right after, “I was just watching you; it was interesting.” she admits honestly. “But… isn’t that a game you should play with somebody? If you’d like I could use the bat! I’m pretty good, if I do say so myself!” There’s a slight lie there; she’s really not great with sports at all, but she really wants to make a good impression, so if she acts like there some kind of common ground, it’d spark conversation, right?

                    Turning to glance at the source of the voice, he blinked when he noticed a girl around his age was initiating a conversation. Hearing her call his pitching interested immediately fuelled his ego, causing a smile to blossom on his face. A light blush overshadowed his cheeks. Placing a hand behind his head, he lightly scratched the back of his head in a sheepish way. “You think so? Haha. Thanks.” Golden eyes lit up when she mentioned she was a baseball player. Jackpot! Practicing with a real human was always better than practicing with a net. “Oh!! What position do you play?”

Of course, being a few inches from busting his knee cap probably counted as ruining the game. “I’m sorry, I could have really hurt your leg—I guess I should learn how to aim before I try to throw it hard…” She hadn’t understood that part of his explanation; all she knew was that she was supposed to let go of the ball at a certain time, and that she had no idea when that was. Whatever she had just done was obviously not correct. She frowned back at the other’s bright smile, puzzled. “You don’t have to lie to me to try to be nice; it was a bad throw. They’ll get better with practice, but that one wasn’t any good.”

                  “It was a good throw.” There wasn’t a tinge of deceit in his tone. “You put all of your heart in it and gave it your best. That’s what matters.” As a pitcher, he could tell she genuinely did her best; and that was all that mattered to him. “But you are right. You’ll get much better. Now here is how you throw. I’m going to throw straight and show you how it’s done.” A confident smirk appeared on his face as he pulled his arm back and threw the ball. Instead of flying straight, it curved to the left and landed on a patch of grass nearby. Silence. “... T - That is called a moving ball. A type of pitch I’m skilled at. Ha - hahaha!” He just laughed his mistake off. His biggest weakness was his lack of control after all.

     As she saw him scurry back to the table to retrieve the ball, at his little (probably self-directed) comment, Aoi’s eyes lit up like fireworks. So he liked sports too? This was promising–she had hoped that her partner would have had something in common with her but this was nearly the jackpot, the only way it could have gotten better was if he was a swimmer instead of a baseball player. Beggars couldn’t be choosers however, Aoi was content (and still excited) but what was given to her.  ❝ Ah! Do you play baseball? So do I! ❞ she chirped, bouncing next to him.  ❝ What position do you play? Or are you one of those guys who play a little bit of everything? ❞

                    This situation was perfect. He could play catch with her or she could be his batter! Either way, he was extremely pleased to encounter someone who had baseball knowledge. “What position do you play? Were you part of a school team? Did you know that Tsuyoshi Shinjo was the first Japanese player to play in an American team?” His eyes sparkled as he inched closer to her, bombarding her with questions.

How cruel and uncalled for. 

                   ` ⇢「 ♦ 」» Look who’s talking!!!