word count: 1,645
one
"Taking up baseball?"
Masashi's nose flicks the ends of Naota's hair as he leans over his friend's shoulder curiously; the rattle of the classroom's voice shakes his ears.
"No," Naota shoves the club invite deep into his messenger bag and slides into his chair. "Why would I?"
"Why not?" Masashi leans onto Naota's desk. "You have no other clubs, right? So maybe you should try baseball."
Naota feels the paper wrinkle inside and he is more than tempted to fish it out and throw it away. But the thought never lasts. He finds himself still and silent and when Masashi gives him a weird look, he replies, "Maybe," and leaves it at that.
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two
It's a coincidence, Naota thinks, when he passes by the field on his way home. A coincidence when he happens to spot the coach, and a coincidence when he asks if he can join.
Yeah, he thinks, it's all a coincidence.
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three
Gaku swings an arm over Naota's shoulder when it's lunch.
"Gotta girlfriend now, Nao-kun?" He grins and tugs Naota closer, earning a hiss from the latter. "Because I haven't been seeing you after school lately."
"No," Naota shrugs Manabe off and dusts at the wrinkles on his uniform. "I joined a club."
Masashi looks at Naota with surprise. "The baseball club?"
"Yeah."
"You'd look really cool swinging the bat," Gaku and Masashi nod at the thought. "And I'm sure that wasp woman would agree, nee, Nao-kun?"
Naota doesn't fail to notice the way his heart tugs at the mention of her but he plays it off with a shrug. Masashi and Gaku laugh.
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four
"You're a real natural," Naota's new coach, a third-year, helps him with his swings. "Does someone in your family play baseball?"
The club is mainly comprised of scrawny first-years and by the off-chance, Naota and one other are second-years. But they lack official experience so they're stuck at the basics.
"My grandpa's the coach for the Mabase Martians," Naota grunts when the ball collides with the bat, "and my older brother is a professional baseball player. He moved to America."
A few heads turn to Naota's direction but the one that stands out is the coach with his awe-struck gaze. He pitches another to Naota and Naota misses.
"I never would've thought. Anyways, it's good to have you on our team!"
Naota nods and for a moment he thinks he hears a woman's laughter but, when he looks around, there isn't a female in sight.
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five
Their first game is two weeks away and Naota is one-part excited and two-parts nervous as hell.
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six
"'There's been reports of strange activity happening in and around Mabase. Citizens are urged to stay indoors whenever pos-"
Naota glances at the TV before his grandfather switches it off and throws the remote somewhere. Canti looks up from sewing.
"That game of yours," his eyes stay glued to the black of screen, "do well. Or else I'll give you to the neighbors."
"Alright," Naota says, heading to his room. Canti packs up his sewing kit and follows Naota.
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seven
"You've heard right?"
Masashi, Gaku, and Naota spend the afternoon under the bridge, watching the river sparkle under the sun.
"What?" Naota gulps down his bitter drink. Canti is somewhere in the background, playing with roaming butterflies.
"There's a rumour the wasp woman is back," Masashi scratches his knee. "Apparently, one of the elementary kids saw her outside their school and told their parents. They think she's the cause of all the strange things."
Naota pauses mid-gulp and turns to Masashi, half expecting him to burst out into laughter and claim it's a joke. But he doesn't.
"Oh, I actually saw her yesterday," Gaku speaks up; the two boys whip their heads.
"Where?!"
"At my house. Didn't I tell you? She talked to my mom about something but when I asked, my mom didn't wanna tell me. Said it was grown-up's business or something."
Naota and Masashi stare incredulously at their friend but neither are able to form a proper reply.
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eight
The game is two days away and the coach tries to fit in last-minute training.
"Run faster," he lectures, "and when you feel you won't make it to the next base in time, don't run for it. It's better for you to stay where you're at than to get caught half-way there."
Their heads nod like bobble heads and the coach can't help but to smile.
"You guys are really good so don't lose your confidence, okay? Even if we don't win, it's alright."
Again, the only response is nodding heads. Naota feels the butterflies kick in his stomach but he's not sure if it's because of the upcoming game or because he thinks he just saw pink hair pass in the distance.
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nine
The game is one day away and Naota runs laps around the block to cool his head and calm his stomach.
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ten
The summer heat clings to Naota and before he can even get moving, he is already sweating.
"You'll all be great out there," the coach reassures the team, his smile prevalent amidst the nervousness. "Just keep your eyes focused on the ball and swing."
The overall response is, "Yes, coach!" and they break to go to offense; Naota is the last one up to bat.
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eleven
"You've got this, Naota."
The coach's face is two inches apart from Naota's and there is such determination in his eye that Naota can't look away.
"You're one of my best players," he leans in closer, "so go out there and swing as if you're about to save the world."
Haruko's face flashes across Naota's mind for three seconds before he nods.
"Yes, coach!"
He tries to hide the way his fingers tremble when he grips the bat.
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twelve
Two strikes.
Naota cringes at the scoreboard.
One more and the other team wins, he thinks. One more and the other team wins.
He grips the bat hard and envisions Haruko behind him, her arms around his helping to sturdy his stance. The pitcher rears his arm back, twists his body, and when he throws the ball, Naota closes his eyes and swings.
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thirteen
There is silence -
Then, the crack of the ball hitting the bat.
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fourteen
"Run, Naota, run!"
He blinks his eyes open and the ball is still soaring high. His teammates are cheering wildly behind him and in front, the other team stares bewilderedly.
Without hesitating, Naota dashes to the bases.
"Run, run, run!"
He sees her the moment he reaches third, when his neck cranes back and there is the sound of a motorbike right beyond the fence, and only from where he's standing is she visible.
She waves; he smiles.
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fifteen
"We won!"
The coach nearly squeezes Naota's life force out of him and so does a few of the team members but Naota doesn't mind. He made a homerun and gave them the win.
"I can graduate in peace," the coach dabs at fake tears and the team laughs. Naota chuckles breathlessly.
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sixteen
"You really did hit it out of the park."
He catches her outside when the night isn't quite black and there is a streetlight partially illuminating her.
He leaves a foots' distance between them.
"You came back," Naota notes quietly, his voice drenched in disbelief. "I didn't think you would."
Her laugh is just as wild as it was back then and Naota feels his heart race.
"I'm on the run," Haruko drapes her leg over her motorbike and lets it dangle, "of course, from the space police. So I thought while they're chasing me I could stop by."
"Oh."
"And I forgot how fast Earth's time passes so I thought you were still a nose-picking grade-schooler but you're almost a grown-up now. When I come back next time, will you be an adult? A mature adult? Oh the possibilities!"
A woman and her daughter walk past and they stare at Haruko but if she cares, she doesn't let it show. Her eyes are locked on Naota's.
"You're leaving again?"
Naota knows the answer but he couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Have to," she examines her nails. "They're already on my tail, those darn space police. I'm only passing through for a few days."
"Oh."
"Why?" Haruko looks up and smirks. "Thought I'd ask if you want to come?"
Naota stays quiet.
"Oh, silence? Just like last time, you know? Maybe you haven't really grown up at all, Naota-kun."
Naota doesn't move when she swings her leg over the bike and jumps off, and nor does he say anything when she is an arm's distance from him, staring at him (because he's almost her height now) with her sharp green eyes.
"You've changed a lot, kid," Haruko says.
"Yeah."
Haruko opens her mouth to say something else but Gaku and Masashi are running up to Naota, screaming his name. The coach is close behind.
"Ah, well," Haruko pats Naota on the shoulder. "Guess our little reunion has ended. Take care of the guitar for me, will ya?"
She walks back to her motorbike and hops on, starting up the engine and letting it run before yelling one last thing.
"I'll be back," she grins. "And keep hitting those baseballs like you did earlier!"
She is off before Naota has time to react and when the smoke from the bike clears, he can see Gaku and Masashi and the team staring at her fading figure in awe.
"She really did come back," Masashi whispers.
Blinking away the sting in his eyes, Naota nods.
"Yeah."
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seventeen
When the coach graduates and the new school year starts, Naota is appointed as the new coach.
He makes sure to take his team to victory.
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owari