Chapter 43 - Chapter-43~Ball Game Tournament~

"Good work, everyone. This is the end of the final exam. The only event this semester is the ball game. I'd like to use this HR time to decide the teams. Chairperson, come forward and decide."

Mashima-sensei, our homeroom teacher, instructed us.

In the classroom after the test, some students are smiling, some are in despair, all are happy and sad about how well they did on the test, but all seem to be equally liberated for now. There was an air of relaxation in the air.

Mashima-sensei leaves the students to their own devices when making decisions like this. She only occasionally interferes.

The chairperson of the committee stepped forward, biting her tongue and saying, "Hiya Hiyai!"

With a practiced hand, the chairperson began to write the details of the team formation on the blackboard.

The boys' baseball team was A only.

The girls' volleyball team will have two teams, A and B.

There will be a tournament regardless of grade.

Baseball is a time-consuming game, so there is a special rule that the game ends after five innings. Cold games are also applied. The school wants to play as many games as possible.

In this respect, baseball and soccer, which take more time but can be played by a large number of people, are probably just right.

The ground is large enough to hold two games at the same time. There aren't too many classes, so it'll be over soon.

All they have to do is decide the defensive positions and the order of play.

As I was thinking about this, the chairperson nominated Yamada and asked him to organize the teams.

I see, Yamada is the only one in this class who is on the baseball team. Yamada has been watching the boys' moves during gym class, so he should be able to divide them appropriately.

Anri and I had never been good at group selection.

It reminded us of bad memories from the past. But this time, I don't feel anything that bad.

... If I can't make it to the baseball game, I can go to the gym where Anri is.

Anri whispered to me.

"... If I can't make it to the volleyball game, I'll go see you, Makoto."

She was thinking the same thing as me. I nodded my head, feeling a little tickled.

I hope my face doesn't turn red.

So, I went with the flow and thought about the plot for the next post.

And this morning, Saeko-san sent me an email with instructions for proofreading. I haven't checked the attached file yet, but I'll check it as soon as I get home and beat the deadline.

In front of me, Yamada and the others were making a lot of noise.

I casually looked at the blackboard.

It seems that I've been placed as an alternate, as I expected. ..., but it was written in a slightly worrying way.

For some reason, my name was boldly circled, and I was labeled as a back-up.

... No, I have no baseball experience, okay?　Oh, I'll tell Yamada that later. ...

Anri makes a bȧrė voice in the seat next to me.

"Fue!?　Ah, no, eh, you're going to play in the first round!　What should I do, Ma-Makoto?!"

Surprisingly, however, none of her classmates took any notice of Anri's tone of voice. Rather, they were watching her with warm eyes. I wondered, but I had to let Anri fall first.

"I-it's okay. I'll come see you."

"I-I'm nervous. ... Oh, I-I mean I'm not nervous! O-Oi, don't look at me!"

My classmate averted their gaze without saying anything.

Miyazaki-san was holding back her laughter in her seat.

Anri plopped down on her desk to hide her embarrassment.

I, for my part, felt a little heavy-hearted as I started to need to talk to my classmates other than Anri.

"Ou, Shinjo!　You've got pretty good muscles after all!　Don't worry, your muscles won't betray us!　I'll take care of it!"

"N-no, listen to me. I've never played baseball before.　What's your secret move?"

"Huh?　Well, don't worry about it!　I'm looking forward to the ball game!"

Yamada slapped me on the back and went off to her club activities. ... There is nothing constructive that can be said about this. He was not listening to me at all. Or rather, it seems to be a matter of decision in his mind that it's a backdoor move.

My position is as a backup right fielder. This is the outfield, I believe.

There's not much time left before the ball game. Beat it into your head. ..., but I'm not really interested in watching professional baseball.

I've only ever thrown a rock at a riverbank.

I have never even swung a bat in my life. ... It's okay, I'm an substitute, so I'm sure I won't get a chance to play. I'm sure Yamada can handle it.

Anri being Anri, I could see her face wrinkled up between her eyebrows for the first time in a long time. She usually wears glasses, but today she was looking at me and wrinkling her brow.

She looked more annoyed than angry.

Anri was with Miyazaki-san, the leader of the A team.

Both Anri and I are not good at talking to anyone. I'm especially bad with students. It reminds me of the past.

"… Beautiful skin …"

"W-what do you use to take care of your skin?"

"Eh, what's with the blonde hair?　Uwa your hair is super smooth."

"Your face is so small ..., yeah, you'd look amazing alongside me."

"Yes, yes, you're in trouble, Shinozuka-san. Let's get on with it!"

Anri was standing there. She glanced at me from time to time, but I didn't know what to do. I can't decide if I should go in there or not.

"I-I-I have never played volleyball in my life. And I'm not even athletic. ..."

Miyazaki-san, who was wearing glasses, smiled at her. She looks like a mother.

"Right. I'm a leader even though I've never played volleyball before. I don't even know the rules.　So, our class should enjoy volleyball rather than win or lose!　Hey, why don't you have fun with us too, Shinozuka-san!"

Saito-san no longer wears flashy outfits and reminds me of her old self. ... It's the same soft smile she had back then. ... I still don't know how to interact with Saito-san.

The wording was the same as when she was dressed fancy, but it reminded me of Saito-san's words when we were talking in the library.

Anri gave a small nod, confused.

At that moment, a student appeared, coming into the classroom like a bullet.

'Miyu-chan!　I've finished my test!　Finally, now I'm free to—— heh?"

My stepsister Haruka stormed into the classroom.

She coughed a little shyly when she saw Anri talking with Saito-san and me watching from a little distance.

'Go-gohon, eh, uhm ...'

Haruka bowed her head as she looked at me.

Ah, thank you very much..., T-Thanks to you, the test..., um, I'll report back when I know the results ...."

For some reason, she used honorific language. Maybe she doesn't know how to interact with me.

... Don't worry, I don't know yet either.

"Y-Yeah, let me know when you get the results. ... Haruka, Good job."

When I said that, Haruka nodded repeatedly and hid behind Saito-san.

Saito-san smiles bitterly. And Haruka staring at Anri. Anri is puzzled.

Saito-san opened his mouth.

"You're good at volleyball, aren't you, Haruka? You'll have to teach me later, but ..., why don't you teach Shinozuka-san how to play volleyball aswell?"

""Heh?""

Anri and Haruka let out strange voices at the same time.

_______________________

~To be continued~