However, hearing Tetsu yell such words about her son, even if it was in favor of the other, really annoyed her.
Her eyes narrowed and she threw the cushion in one swift motion, nailing him in the back of the head with precision and knocking him to the ground.
“AH”
Thud
In the next moment he got up to his feet and glared at the woman with a red face, only to see Yuki and Naomi in laughing fits.
“Hahahaha! Nice shot Yuki.”
The two high fived, reveling in the hilarity that just took place.
Tetsu could only sulk quietly afterwards, feeling like a kid who had been bullied by the other kids at school.
‘I just wanted to watch the damn game’ He complained inwardly, crying silently.
Back on the field, Daichi had finally recovered after a few moments. He felt a wave of disappointment, yet he was happy for his brother.
He knew how much the guy had to overcome, starting from his injury. He also knew how hard he worked to get where he was, even bringing up his teammates around him.
Unknowingly, tears began to pool up in the corner of his eyes as he felt a feeling of jealousy well up from within him.
He wanted to play with his brother.
Why couldn’t he have been the one catching Ken’s pitches right now?
Yet as his thoughts moved there, Ken approached him and placed his large hand on his shoulder.
“Nice fight bro, you had me scared for a while there.”
There was no gloating in his tone, nor any malicious undertones. Daichi could only nod, not yet having a chance to balance out his emotions. Just as he was about to turn around without saying anything, he heard his brother’s voice.
“The game isn’t over yet. If I see you giving up I’ll beat the crap out of you.”
Daichi paused for a moment, feeling the lump in his throat slowly disappear. A moment later a smile appeared on his face and he turned around to face Ken.
“Haha, I wouldn’t dream of it.”
After that he returned to the dugout, saying a few words to the next batter before letting him go.
“Ken figured out his forkball was compromised. He even found out what was giving it away.” Daichi said to his coach.
Coach Narukami was feeling frustrated, yet hidden beneath was exasperation. Not only for turning away such a talent, but also for the fact Ken had hidden his curveball for a whole 7 innings.
In the end, he nodded and patted Daichi on the back.
“You played well under the circumstances.”
It sounded like a compliment, and it was. The coach couldn’t have expected anything more from Daichi, who had been a star player for him even in his first year of high school.
“Alright you lot.”
He turned to face everyone in the dugout, his expression serious.
The players turned their attention to their coach. Some of the younger players looked a little demotivated, however the older one’s still had faith.
“First off, I’ll start by tell you that you’ve done well so far against a tough opponent.”
Coach Narukami moved his gaze over all of his players, feeling a sense of pride. Sure they hadn’t been able to get any runs, but they had been close a few times, yet were stopped by a single player.
“That being said, you shouldn’t be satisfied just yet…”
He clenched his fists, feeling his old knuckles crack under the pressure.
“The game is not over. No matter how far behind we are, as long as the game is still underway, we have a chance.” He said, his tone brokering no discussion.
“It’s only 2 runs.” Yatsuo piped up, his face turned up in determination.
“He’s right. I need you all to do your best to get onto base, no matter what it takes. As long as we can do that, we have a chance to make a comeback.”
“Strike”
While the coach was holding his pep talk, the game had resumed, yet he paid it no mind. He needed to make sure that his team was motivated, otherwise they had no chance in the next two innings.
“I need you all to promise me that you won’t give up. Not until the final siren rings.”
Everyone in the dugout looked amongst each other, ensuring that they were all on the same page before nodding towards the coach.
“Alright let’s bring it in.” Yatsuo took charge, holding his large hand out into the middle of the players.
Even Coach Narukami joined in, placing his hand amongst the players.
“OSAKA!”
“FIGHT!”
The Osaka players felt as if a spark had been lit underneath them, there blood boiling from their morale spiking. Unfortunately it took a little bit of a hit when the umpire yelled out something.
“Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover”
Daichi wore a wry smile as Satoshi made his way back to the dugout. However, everyone seemingly ignored their defeated compatriot and went to put on their fielding gear.
Coach Hanada wore a proud smile on his face as he welcomed everyone back to the dugout after successfully taking out the clean up batters of Osaka. His eyes focused on Ken in particular as he approached.
“That was a nice curveball. You used it at the proper time too.” He commented, sticking his fist out for a fist bump.
Ken obliged, his body feeling a rush of dopamine.
“I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but it turned out well.” He admitted.
It was currently the top of the 8th innings and the quiet Yuki was up to bat. They had gotten through the hard part of the game, having already faced the dangerous batters 3 times.
As long as Ken could deal with the next 6 batters, he wouldn’t have to face Yatsuo or Daichi in the 9th innings. Since they were the two who had scored hits off him, it was in their best interest to keep them out of the batters box.
‘We just need to hold on and then it’s the finals…’ Ken thought, his gaze moving to the crowd and trying to locate his father.
‘If I win the finals, then dad won’t have to work overseas anymore.’ He thought, his mind filled with hope.
Has Ken crushed the hopes of Osaka with his curveball?
As they say, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings…
20 chapters releasing today, the rest to be released the following Monday.
Counter: 8/20
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