Editing Rapid Fire King:Volume1 Chapter 4 (section)

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Takamura tilted his head at Naka’s explanation.

“Said too much about what?”

Naka waved the roster at him as if to say “forget it”.

Takamura did not understand. Less about baseball and more about what?

But when he tried to ask again, Naka only held out a hand to stop him.

“I said too much. I was being ridiculous. It would only hurt you to hear it.”

He refused to say more.

But the conversation had given Takamura a lot to think on.

…''A regular spot, huh?

Holding one of those spots was part of what he considered the fun of baseball.

He liked baseball.

But he also did not think of playing as a regular and winning games to be his main goal in the sport.

Did that make him dispassionate?

Why?

…''Because I’m only playing baseball because I like it.

You could maybe call it a hobby.

Meanwhile, other people worked hard at it.

Takagi probably worked harder at it than him, so did that make the other boy more suited for the regular spot?

…''Is it wrong for me to be here?

It scared him that he had nothing he could say to deny that thought.

Feeling something cold in the bottom of his heart, he gulped. He was at a loss for words.

“–––––”

But Naka spoke to him instead.

“Hey, now. Don’t get all bent out of shape over it.”

“Oh, right.”

He looked down at the roster, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

…''Becoming a regular because you enjoy baseball and wanting to become a regular to enjoy playing baseball aren’t quite the same thing, are they?

Which stance was better for a high school baseball player?

His stance was generally preferred. Especially by the adults.

…''But it isn’t enough.

“Do you want to be a regular?” he asked.

Naka looked up and gave a clear answer.

“I do. And I know I can.”

His voice was low. Low enough to reverberate in Takamura’s ears and the pit of his stomach.

''I had a feeling,'' he thought.

The others did not just want to enjoy getting good at something. They were aiming for a regular spot and looking beyond even that.

They had a goal, and that let them get serious about it all.

…''Serious, huh?

That was where the difference between him and them was found.

There was a difference, but he could still be with them for now.

He could be with them because he was good at the game. But what if the time came that he could not?

…''Would I want to get even better at baseball so I could be with them?

He did not know.

He had never asked that question before. He had never considered the possibility of losing his spot here.

But now someone was moving to take that spot.

…''What if he catches up?

Just as he thought that…

“Huh? What are you doing here?”

The clubroom door opened and a second year stepped in.

Naka turned toward him and showed him the roster sheet.

“Choosing players. Kanbayashi, we’ve got you as cheerleader.”

“Cool. I’ve always thought I had some nice legs.”

Kanbayashi did not sound all that interested as he began rummaging through his locker.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, I just thought we could play some catch to work off lunch.”

Kanbayashi shut his locker and looked to Naka and then Takamura.

After a moment’s hesitation…

“Senpai, the first years like how you play shortstop. They were talking about it on the train back from the last practice match.”

“Were they?”

“Yeah. The first years were playing outfield behind you, right? They said they could tell which way the ball would fly based on your movements. I play first base, so I’m not really sure what they mean.”

“Hah. That’s what shortstop is all about.” Naka crossed his legs. “Shortstop might look like an awkward in-between position, but Takamura has to move forward or shift side to side to tell the outfielders which direction he thinks the ball is going to go.”

“Oh, is that how it works?”

“Not everyone can get all fired up about the pitches and catching fouls like the first baseman.”

“Hey, I pay attention to other stuff. Sometimes.”

Naka smiled bitterly as he got to the point.

“The shortstop is like the defense’s control tower. He’s gotta see the big picture. He has to move before actually chasing the ball. Not many people can do that.”

Takamura scratched his head at that.

The unexpected praise was a little embarrassing.

Kanbayashi then gave a casual look around.

“Come to think of it, the girl from the newspaper wasn’t her yesterday.”

Naka looked up.

“Iwa-san was here today, but she’s been out a lot lately.”

“Eh?”

…''Iwata’s been out?

That was the first Takamura had heard of it.

They were in different classes and they did not go to or from school together. Well, they did sometimes, but not always.

Naka was in Iwata’s class, so he would know about this. Still…

“Is that true?”

“Yeah, you didn’t know?”

He had not, so he tilted his head.

“But she’s here today, right?”

Naka nodded with a look that said “you really didn’t know?”

“Yes, but she’s been out once or twice a week recently. When people ask about it, she always says she’s busy at home. She hasn’t told you anything?”

“No, she hasn’t.”

…''She’s busy at home?

He recalled seeing her on the Super Cub last night, but he did not think that was her helping out at home.

While he wondered about this, Kanbayashi seemingly spoke his mind.

“Do you think something happened?”

Naka gave him an unpleasant smile.

“Oh? Curious, are you? You into older girls? You’d better be careful with Iwa-san. She’ll knock your front teeth out.”

“No, um, the girl who works as her assistant is more my type.”

“Oh, the one with the brown hair?”

“Yeah, her. Don’t you think she’s cute?”

Takamura and Naka exchanged a glance, looked to Kanbayashi, and gave their conclusion in unison.

“She’s way out of your league.”