Genius, talent. She used to think these were two thorny words, but for some reason, now that she said them, she didn't feel pain or helplessness.
"Is something so obvious even worth saying?" Kiyono smiled.
The sky gradually darkened.
Kiyono looked up at the beautiful sky, caught between night and dusk. Why was he standing here? For Eriri, for Yukino, for his ideal self—
He raised his bat.
Until the bright moon set in the west.
The day before the baseball game, Kiyono once again stood on this field.
This week, he had dedicated almost all of his free time to practice. The skin on his hands had broken and healed, forming calluses, and even in his dreams, he heard the sound of baseballs.
And the rewards were extremely obvious.
—The Second Miss's favorability had increased.
Lemon's and Eriri's favorability had also increased… This wasn't so good, was it?
Of course, the most important thing was his batting skill.
Clang.
Seeing him effortlessly hit one incoming ball after another, Lemon stretched, inadvertently showing off her graceful curves. Then, she looked up at the sky, a smile of mixed emotions on her face.
Summer sunsets were always so vibrant and hot, just like their hearts. And when the fiery red of the setting sun extinguished, it was equally lonely and romantic.
—Today was the day she left.
This was a very short story, ending in just seven days.
No movies, no dates, no cafés.
She simply accompanied Kiyono to play ball, exercise, encourage, argue, improve, and then lay on the grass under the sunset and breeze, watching the clouds together.
But she was incredibly satisfied.
This was enough.
Their eyes met, and with just a bat and a baseball, they understood the passionate thoughts in each other's hearts. She preferred it this way.
Lemon bent down to pick up the last baseball from the bucket, slowly rotating it in her palm, feeling its hard, cold touch. She looked up and gave the young man a gentle smile.
"Kiyono has become an excellent batter!"
"It's all because you pitched so well," Kiyono said humbly.
Lemon walked up to him.
"Sorry, Kiyono, I might not be able to be there in person to cheer you on for your game tomorrow."
So that's it. Kiyono seemed to have realized something, and a complex expression appeared on his face.
But Lemon's eyes curved into two crescent moons, showing no regret, because—
"I believe you will perform wonderfully and move the hearts of every audience member."
She said it with such conviction.
"Is that even a question? I'll hit the ball beautifully, for both of us." Kiyono smiled, a hint of melancholy at their impending farewell.
"Then I can rest easy."
After saying this, Lemon looked up at him, her beautiful purple eyes reflecting his figure. Looking at him like this, the girl blinked.
"This week, you were very cool."
She put her hands behind her back, as if to imprint his current image in her heart, looking intently at his face, slowly retreating a few steps, and then, a captivating smile appeared—
"I like this passionate side of you."
Therefore—
The future me will no longer stand still. I will hold your hand tightly.
Let us be partners again, side by side, in another distant world.
Lemon left the field, her silhouette dashing.
Kiyono kept staring at her figure until she disappeared at the end of the world.
What a strange week…
After witnessing Lemon's disappearance, Eriri also knew that this trio was about to disband.
She suddenly felt a little dazed. In these seven days, she had only watched Kiyono continuously swing the bat, and she herself had continuously picked up balls, as if she had sweated out all the moisture of the entire summer.
Even though for them, this was an insignificant, limited seven-day period in their lives, they still embraced it with enthusiasm, diligently and earnestly dedicating themselves, constantly pushing forward.
Closing her eyes, she could still hear the sound of hitting, the shouts of encouragement, the chirping of cicadas… It was the harmony of summer.
This must be what he wanted to convey to her.
The girl took a deep breath, her golden hair fluttering in the wind. As usual, she silently picked up the balls, then approached the young man, her expression serious.
She had made up her mind.
"Kiyono, come with me to a place!"
"Is this the part where the heroine reveals her past?"
You really are…
Kiyono packed up his baseball equipment and followed Eriri to her house.
"Wait? Miss Eriri? Isn't this CG scene cut too abruptly? I'm not mentally prepared yet…"
At the door of her room, Kiyono resisted desperately.
Eriri was too lazy to retort. With a cold face, she forcefully dragged him into the room, as if pulling a dog on a leash, and then led him to the balcony.
She pushed open the door.
The view suddenly opened up.
The moonlight, like water, made the entire balcony ethereal and translucent, with stars scattered across the sky.
In the distance, a continuous line of lights could be seen, like sparks in the darkness. A festival seemed to be taking place there.
The night sky, seemingly close enough to touch, hung with a crescent moon.
"Hmph, this is my secret base, you know. When I'm in a bad mood, I usually come here."
Under the blue night sky, Eriri tilted her head to look at him, her voice cheerful.
"So, being with me made you feel bad? I'm sorry, it's all my fault…" Kiyono feigned sadness.
"Are you a troublesome heroine?!"
Eriri's mouth twitched.
She walked to the front, placed her hands on the railing, and looked towards the distant festival.
"Also, when I'm making a decision, I also look at the sky here."
She didn't turn around, continuing:
"Tomorrow, you're playing against Shiramine Academy, right? They made it to the semifinals last year. Can you win with dead weight?"
Actually, she didn't care about winning or losing. Kiyono was just an external helper. But after witnessing his struggle these past few days, she wanted Kiyono to achieve results.
"I'll hit it out." Kiyono smiled, giving an ambiguous answer.
The girl was silent for a while, as if she wanted to say something. It was her first time proactively revealing her inner thoughts, and the words lingered on her tongue.
Finally, she stretched out her hand toward the night sky, a captivating smile blooming on her face.
"Hmph, the first one to be moved loses. I've been moved by you. Now, I will move forward, okay?"
She turned her head, her expression serious.
She wanted to respond to Kiyono, who had fought with all his might.
That brave, straightforward, gentle, and dazzling boy had inspired her with his actions.
That frightened, weak girl decided to take his hand.
Kiyono swallowed the joke he was about to make, gazing at her silently.
"So—"
Eriri walked over, extended her fist, and gently tapped his chest.
"You have to win tomorrow too. At least, look cool, okay? I'll be cheering for you."
She smiled like that.
The bright moonlight shone on her, the light and shadows soft.
A summer-scented breeze blew between them.
So that's it. Everything he had done wasn't in vain.
"I'll hit the ball straight into your heart."
Eriri said nothing more, just looked up at the beautiful moon.
—The day of the game arrived.
For most students, this was an ordinary day, but in the eyes of athletes, it was a once-a-year opportunity. She and Kiyono should have been part of the former, but by a twist of fate, they were drawn into the latter.
Something hot seemed to surge within her, as if witnessing something, anticipating something, searching for something.
Kiyono was about to stand on the field; just thinking about it moved her immensely.
So—
She also had to face herself seriously.
Eriri took a deep breath. On this important day, she no longer wore her long hair down, but tied it into twin tails as usual, and put on over-the-knee socks.
The girl arrived at the county stadium by car. To be honest, this was her first time watching a baseball game. Her first impression of the stadium was its spaciousness. The green turf shimmered in the sunlight. This place held the dreams of countless people, and also buried countless dreams and sweat.
Eriri glanced at the positions on the field and deliberately found a spot where she could clearly see the batter; the wire mesh was right in front of her.
She scanned the stands and found that not many people had come, likely all friends and family of today's competing teams—she also spotted Yukino and another unfamiliar blue-haired girl.
The moment she saw the blue-haired girl, for some reason, a strange sense of familiarity arose in her heart, and she was also certain that the other party was definitely connected to Kiyono!
Their gazes met in mid-air. The girl gave her a thumbs-up, and Eriri also nodded in a friendly way, then sat down.
In the past two days, she had secretly looked up some information and knew that the current games were just regional qualifiers for advancement. The teams varied in strength; strong ones might even be Koshien-level, while weak ones were on par with middle schoolers.
Soubu High was right in the middle, at the level of a typical high school. With good luck, they might even make it through two rounds.
But… their school's draw seemed to be quite unlucky this time, having drawn Shiramine Academy—although they weren't a traditional baseball powerhouse, they were frequent participants in the semifinals and quarterfinals, with professional facilities and coaches. Compared to Soubu High, it was practically a dimensionality-reduction strike.
Eriri's gaze shifted to the area where Soubu High was. The team members were dejected, their movements stiff, clearly visible even from her position.
—In a trance, she saw that high wall again.
This high wall had been chipped away by Kiyono, creating cracks during these seven days.
She was looking at the young man through those cracks.
The game began.
Eriri didn't like watching baseball games; they were boring and long, and the visuals weren't as easy to understand as in manga. But now, she was incredibly focused, because that person was there.
The sun grew hotter.
In the bottom of the first inning, the disparity in strength became apparent. Soubu High's first two batters were struck out directly, their bats clanging on the ground like shattered dreams, while the opposing pitcher stood on the mound, still appearing at ease.
What kind of feelings were they experiencing standing here now?
After a year of hard practice, they faced opponents who were more talented and worked harder than themselves. They might even go home after the first game… Would they feel it was meaningless?
Then, she looked at Kiyono again.