CH 31

“Excuse me, may I borrow the ground for a while~?”

Hikaru called out.

“Hmm?”

The members of the baseball club who were on the baseball field widened their eyes in shock. Apparently, they were playing catch with the festival guests.

“C-Captain! Come here for a minute!”

They shouted, and someone who looked like the captain, who was sitting on a bench chatting, responded.

“What…Huh!?”

The Captain was also startled.

Because of ……

“…Ah~, I’m sorry, We’ve just had a large number of visitors… …. is everything okay?”

“T-ta-taka…. Takasugi Hikaru!?”

The baseball team members and the general public were astonished.

“Oi, M-Matsuo! You, what’s this all about!”

The captain turned to me and said. Thinking back, it was that guy who tried to recruit me to the baseball team when I was a freshman.

“Ah, Me and Hidetsugu were a battery at Koshien when we were in high school,”

When Hikaru said that, everyone was speechless.

“I mean, didn’t the members of the baseball team know about his career?

“Well, thanks to you being too much of a star, I didn’t stand out. I’m a catcher.”

“But, professional recruiters even came to you. But you turned them down. I wanted to play with you in the pros.”

“Oh, well.”

Everyone’s mouths dropped open when they saw me and Hikaru having a casual conversation.

“…Anyways, Excuse me~, I’d like to do some pitching, may I borrow the field?”

Hikaru said with a smile.

“S-Sure, come on in!”

The captain and the other members of the baseball team bowed their heads.

“Haha, thank you very much!”

Hikaru entered the ground laughing. We followed him. And then the field, which had been nearly deserted until then, was suddenly filled to the brim.

“Ah, Captain, may I borrow some of your things?”

I said.

“Y-yeah. Use them as you like.”

“Thank you.”

I grabbed a glove and handed it to Hikaru.

“Would you like to play catch first?”

But

“No, I’ll throw it right away, seriously.”

“What? You’re gonna break your shoulder, you know?”

“I’ll be fine”

Hikaru smiled.

“I’m already warmed up enough.”

“…As expected of a star.”

I tossed the ball to Hikaru, who took it and twirled it around with his right fingertip.

“”KYAAAAHHH! Hikaru-kun, you’re so cool!””””

High pitched cheers of girls echoed.

“Thanks~”

Hikaru waved with a smile. Meanwhile, I put on my catcher’s mitt and mask.

“Hikaru, are you sure you want to do this? You haven’t even warmed up”

“Yeah. Because that way ….”

The guy who stood on the mound grinned.

“They’ll be excited, right?”

Immediately after.

“”KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!””

The girls cheered like they were about to burst into flames.

“So, since our guests are waiting for us,…  let’s start”

Hikaru smiled fearlessly, but the atmosphere around him changed.

“Ah.”

I bent my knees and took a stance to receive his ball. From there, Hikaru, who had been so talkative up to that point, kept quiet. But he never stopped smiling.

He was smiling, I hit my mitts with my fists.

Silence fell.

The crowd around me had sensed the aura of Hikaru and had grown quiet.

Swinging. He was swinging his right arm. It’s the same as when he was the strongest ace in high school. No, his right arm was much more refined than it had been back in high school.

—It was just a moment.

Bashiiiiiiin!

The echoing sound was sharp and short.

However, it roared with a certain presence.

“””—WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”””

A commotion enveloped the ground.

To get the audience excited with just one ball…

“I knew you were a star.”

I took off my mask, got up and headed for the mound. Hikari also walked over to me.

“You really are the best, Hidetsugu”

“Don’t be stupid.”

When Hikaru and I came face to face, we exchanged high fives. The ground was even more excited.

“Ah, yeah, what were you talking about on stage earlier?”

Hikaru said and looked around. And then her gaze caught sight of…

“Ah, it’s you.”

“Huh…Me?”

Marina Ando was flustered.

“To me, it looked like you were bullying Hidetsugu and his girlfriend …. or his wife on stage earlier. …. or was it my imagination?”

“Ggghh…..”

“Let me tell you, Hidetsugu will never two time.”

Hikaru said. Marina Ando shuddered.

“Wh-why… WHYYYYYYY is this happening?!”

She shouted and ran away.

“…… Well, Hidetsugu. Time to prove it.”

“What?”

“Go ahead, to the mound. You and your wife.”

Hikaru said with a smile. I was confused, but before I knew it, Hiyori was standing by my side. So I pulled her hand and stood on the mound.

“I’m a catcher, though”

“It’s okay, sometimes.”

Hikaru smiled and took a step back. Then Hiyori and I looked at each other on the mound.

“Hiyori… sorry for making such a scene.”

“No, it’s not like that,…. Hidetsugu-san, you were so cool.”

“Naaa….you’re the one who’s so cute, Hiyori.”

“Haauuuuu~……”

Hiyori’s face turned red. I grabbed her chin gently and turned her to face me. Then I kissed her.

I heard people shouting ,” Kya!” but I didn’t care. Hiyori and I put our lips on each other’s as if to confirm our love.

Then, we gently pulled apart. We held hands and turned to the audience.

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, Ebina’s voice was heard.

“This is the ending!”

At first, they probably didn’t understand what Ebina meant, but they seemed to get it right away.

“This is a hybrid of movie and theater~!”

“Amazing~!”

“That was fun!”

and cheers erupted.

“Heh heh! Super director, Ebina-chan’s presents… That being said, the final stage was entirely thanks to Star-sama.”

Ebina said while stroking the back of her head.

“No, no, the movie you guys made was really good~”

Hikaru said.

“Huh?”

“R-Really~!?”

“Yeah. It was refreshing to see Hidetsugu like that.”

“You…”

Seeing me frustrated, Hikaru grinned

“Yeah, that thing on the stage was a charade. But I didn’t expect you to even declare her as your wife. … pfffftttt.”

“You idiot..”

I hang my head while hiding my blushing face with one hand.

“H-Hidetsugu-san”

Hiyori called me.

“I-I was also very embarrassed, …… but it was really fun and a happy time.”

And Hiyori smiled at me like a flower blooming. Then, strangely enough, the sense of shame I had inside me slipped away.

The only thing that filled my heart was the feeling of love for Hiyori.

“Hiyori… I love you.”

I hugged her.

“Yes,…, I love you too.”

There was another round of cheers around us, but I didn’t hear much of it. Hiyori and I were immersed in our own world for a while.

(T/N: Really a sweet couple)