"Some bruises fade. Others turn into friendships."
---
Kamiyama's sky was cloudy again. Not with rain—just the kind of soft, grey that made everything feel a little slower.
Haruto wiped sweat from his forehead as he watched Tomo swing again and miss completely.
"Okay… okay, keep your eye on the ball this time."
Tomo nodded, determined. Sōta lobbed a soft underhand pitch.
Tomo stepped, swung—THWACK!
The bat connected. The ball shot up into the air… and came down fast.
Straight onto Tomo's ankle.
CRACK.
"AHH!"
He fell instantly.
---
The Chaos Moment
Everyone rushed to him. Reina knelt down beside Tomo, inspecting his leg.
"It's swelling fast," she said, frowning.
Kento pulled off his jacket and folded it under Tomo's head. "We should get help."
Aoi was already sprinting toward the school. "I'll find the nurse!"
Sōta looked panicked. "I didn't think I pitched that hard!"
Haruto stayed kneeling next to Tomo, gripping his hand.
"You'll be okay," he said, trying to smile. "You hit the ball, man. You really hit it."
Tomo's lips trembled. "It hurts like heck… but that was my best hit ever."
---
At the Nurse's Office
Tomo lay on the bed, ankle wrapped tight.
"Nothing broken," the nurse confirmed. "But no baseball for a week."
Tomo's face fell.
"But we've got a rematch in four days..."
Mr. Inoue entered quietly with a cold pack.
He said nothing, just placed the pack gently over Tomo's foot and walked out again.
Reina blinked. "...Was that a supportive gesture?"
Haruto chuckled. "That was his version of a hug."
---
The Practice Without Tomo
Back at the field, things felt off.
Haruto stood at the pitcher's mound, but something was missing. No excited yelling from first base. No off-key humming. No clumsy footsteps chasing flies.
"Weird, huh?" Sōta said, walking over. "He's only been gone an hour, and the silence is awkward."
Haruto nodded. "He's not our best player. But somehow… he's our heart."
---
The Surprise Visit
The next afternoon, practice was sluggish again. Reina fumbled her throws. Riku looked bored. Even Kento missed two easy catches.
But then—
A familiar voice called from the fence:
"Y'all suck without me."
Everyone turned.
Tomo stood on crutches, grinning like a kid who just got free candy.
Aoi ran over. "What are you doing?!"
He shrugged. "Couldn't stay away. Figured I'd heckle from the sideline."
---
The Real Practice Begins
With Tomo cheering like a lunatic, the energy shifted.
Sōta's throws tightened. Reina cracked a clean hit. Haruto's pitches gained accuracy.
And when Kento dove full-length to catch a grounder, landing flat in the mud, everyone burst out laughing.
Even Mr. Inoue—standing far off—smirked. Just a little.
---
Under the Fading Sky
As practice ended, Haruto gathered the team. Tomo sat on a crate nearby, smiling.
"We're not the best. Not even close," Haruto admitted. "But today showed me something."
Sōta raised an eyebrow. "What? That Tomo's voice carries across the entire field?"
Everyone chuckled.
Haruto continued. "That we've become more than players. We've become friends. A team."
Reina tossed a water bottle at Haruto's head. "Getting all mushy now?"
Kento nodded. "He's right, though."
Aoi whispered, "Let's keep going. One step at a time."
---
They stood together under a sky that had forgotten its rain—sweaty, bruised, and messy.
But for the first time, they weren't just kids on a field.
They were something more.
They were Kamiyama's baseball team.
---
End of Chapter 6