Kamisama no Memochou:Volume 5 Chapter 4 - Revision history

Teh Ping at 13:00, 29 May 2018

2018-05-29T13:00:07Z

Teh Ping at 12:10, 29 May 2018

2018-05-29T12:10:28Z

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Teh Ping at 07:19, 20 May 2018

2018-05-20T07:19:26Z

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Teh Ping at 13:38, 16 May 2018

2018-05-16T13:38:24Z

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Teh Ping at 14:21, 12 August 2017

2017-08-12T14:21:04Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:21, 12 August 2017
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	...At the game center.		...At the game center.




			As my dad was often deployed everywhere for work, I never made many friends from elementary school to middle school--if I did write such things, Alice would probably have chided me "Think about how emotionally retarded you are instead of blaming your dad's redeployment!" But in any case, I did have a period when I spent my time after school alone, at the game center

			Such an illness (I don't think it's wrong to call it an illness) eased up a lot later on, one because the fighting games fad cooled off, and two was because my older sister started managing my finances, and I had no money to spend.

			In other words, the passionate flames in my heart were never vanquished. With a battlefield and fuel, surely it will be blazing again.

			"You'll be addicted anyway! Starting now, Vice-Admiral Fujishima?"

			Soon after the second semester started, Major invited me to play an online baseball game called 'Power Playball'. Like an arcade game that can be connected to others, this game required lots of money. Thanks to the salary Yondaime gave me, my wallet became a lot fatter.

			'PowPlay' (This shorthand's weird, but it's a given terminology) requires many players to register their teams with their identifiation cards, and battle online in the entire country. The best concept of this game is the massive player databse. Unlike ordinary baseball games where only a few actual baseball players are available for choice, one an automatically generate a player with unique values and fitting name just by entering a person's name. It appears to be composed based on the massive amount of online data.

			For example, by entering the name of a famous racer like Senna, Prost or Schumacher, a character with high speed will be generated, while a characters named based on a professional golfer will have higher contact and arm accuracy stats, while a pro wrestler will be a power hitter. If the name entered was that of a politician or artiste, the player character generated would have unique values that 'might seem fitting'. Thus, it was a major topic on the internet, and attracted the attentions of players who weren't that familiar with baseball. Even if the name entered was an anime or manga character, the unique values generated can be rather believable; it's really amazing. If the name entered is a baseball player's, the character will naturally have the corresponding values. Even the little details like Kuwata Masumi muttering to the ball before pitching, or Kiyohara Kazuhiro dealing with dead balls will be reflected on the characters, so there had been decent revivews on it. However, the higher the values of the players in game, the higher the cost needed, so it's unlikely to put all stars like Suzuki Ichiro, Ochiai Hiromitsu, Oh Sadaharu and Nagashima Shigeo into the batting lineup. Besides, entering names of ordinary people will create characters that are somewhat decent, so quite a few people named the characters based on their own names.

			The appearance templates of the players in the game are all fixed, but the uniforms can be customized with different patterns, and I too got a unique place in the game through the internet; it's not an overstatement to say that my team's famous. I had all the heroines from the Dragon Quest I to IX as my starting players, and had the image of my customized characters plastered on the uniforms, resulting in it being a subject of report by a few blogs and news stations (just to note, the team's very weak).

			"As to be expected of you, Vice-Admiral Fujishima. Our 'Drive a Phoenix' team uniform shall be in your care."

			"Please deal with that questionable team name first. I don't want a picture I draw be famous for that kind of team..."

			"What's wrong with this name? It means 'Driving a Phoenix! Of course the Phoenix here refers to the F-14 Tomcat fighter jets missiles, nothing to do with a team that couldn't be created after losing to Rakuten in a trial..."

			"Who are you trying to bluff here!? Isn't your ace pitcher called 'Horie'?"

			"His strongest weapon is a forkball that falls like the stockmarket!" Hey! watch your words! "Anyway, a Phoenix has a fiery, ferocious feeling, so a dazzling golden glowing bird piccture!"

			So I had an Oyakodon picture pasted on the uniform, but Major was infuriated. Didn't you want a fiery, dazzling bird!?

			<span style="font-size: 300%;"><center>*</center></span>

Teh Ping: Created page with "==The Twenty One Balls on that Summer== At the end of summer, the white ball seemingly absorbed by the blue sky of the field captured my heart. My summer vacation was wrecke..."

2017-02-10T14:06:59Z

Created page with "==The Twenty One Balls on that Summer== At the end of summer, the white ball seemingly absorbed by the blue sky of the field captured my heart. My summer vacation was wrecke..."

New page

==The Twenty One Balls on that Summer==

At the end of summer, the white ball seemingly absorbed by the blue sky of the field captured my heart.

My summer vacation was wrecked by work. It was not about wasting my life fooling around with the NEETs or helping Alice move the Dr. Peppers around. It was actually about coordinating an event. Including the prior kidnapping incident,my summer vacation slipped away while I was running around.

I couldn't say that such a summer vacation was not fulfilling, but as a 16-year-old high school boy, I do want to lose myself in some things a typical high school student would do.

Entering November, this youthful passion continued to erupt and expand, seeking a place to vent, and then it exploded.

...At the game center.
 

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:00, 29 May 2018
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	“No, who am I supposed to look for?”		“No, who am I supposed to look for?”

	“Enough already, give that Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~ a call.”		“Enough already, give that Kusakabe Masaya a call.”

	“Eh, ehhh!?” Why mention his name now?		“Eh, ehhh!?” Why mention his name now?
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	Yondaime prompted me to call, and I had to take out my phone.		Yondaime prompted me to call, and I had to take out my phone.

	Of course, once Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~ heard about this, he was flabbergasted, and clicked his tongue about twenty times or so.		Of course, once Kusakabe Masaya heard about this, he was flabbergasted, and clicked his tongue about twenty times or so.

	<em>“Can’t you deal with this in a smarter manner? You thought you have a chance of winning?”</em>		<em>“Can’t you deal with this in a smarter manner? You thought you have a chance of winning?”</em>
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	“You don’t have to force yourself there. It’s not like we have to have a manager during the match…”		“You don’t have to force yourself there. It’s not like we have to have a manager during the match…”

	~~“Kiichi Nemoto~~ was a baseball player from a famous school in Kyoto, and in his second year, he became their ace pitcher.”		“Nemoto Kiichi was a baseball player from a famous school in Kyoto, and in his second year, he became their ace pitcher.”

	Alice buried her face in the pile of dolls, and after a while, I turned back, and saw her eyes. Kiichi ~~Nemoto~~. Nemo-san, so she’s referring to that Octy?”		Alice buried her face in the pile of dolls, and after a while, I turned back, and saw her eyes. Nemoto Kiichi. Nemo-san, so she’s referring to that Octy?”

	“His team was defeated in the quarterfinals of the summer Koshien. Soon after, there were news of him being involved in baseball gambling and match fixing with a gang, and soon after, he dropped out of school.”		“His team was defeated in the quarterfinals of the summer Koshien. Soon after, there were news of him being involved in baseball gambling and match fixing with a gang, and soon after, he dropped out of school.”
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	“Match fixing…in high school baseball?”		“Match fixing…in high school baseball?”

	“There were still records in the magazines and news. It was said that a relative of Kiichi ~~Nemoto~~ owed the gang lots of money, and he had to obey. The details of how the match fixing happened came out too.”		“There were still records in the magazines and news. It was said that a relative of Nemoto Kiichi owed the gang lots of money, and he had to obey. The details of how the match fixing happened came out too.”

	Alice showed the results of her investigations on the screen. I had a look, and gasped.		Alice showed the results of her investigations on the screen. I had a look, and gasped.
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	“…Is this…form of match fixing even possible?”		“…Is this…form of match fixing even possible?”

	“He did it. Kiichi ~~Nemoto~~ was a pitcher with such an ability, but he had to do so to earn money.”		“He did it. Nemoto Kiichi was a pitcher with such an ability, but he had to do so to earn money.”

	Startled, I recalled what Octy had said.		Startled, I recalled what Octy had said.
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	Alice’s voice was filtered through the dolls.		Alice’s voice was filtered through the dolls.

	“It was thirty years ago, and there was no scorebook. There is nothing to indicate ~~Kiichi Nemoto’s~~ pitching profile. What pitches does he have? How much he sweated, what he said; everyone had long forgotten about him.”		“It was thirty years ago, and there was no scorebook. There is nothing to indicate Nemoto Kiichi’s pitching profile. What pitches does he have? How much he sweated, what he said; everyone had long forgotten about him.”

	It’s true that there were a thousand baseball players gathered upon that passion-ladened Mecca every spring and summer, and other than the winners, everyone left behind will be defeated, crying, and going their separate ways, forgotten.		It’s true that there were a thousand baseball players gathered upon that passion-ladened Mecca every spring and summer, and other than the winners, everyone left behind will be defeated, crying, and going their separate ways, forgotten.
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	“Huh. Your tongue is as sharp as ever.”		“Huh. Your tongue is as sharp as ever.”

	I watched them bicker worriedly, and at this moment, another car appeared by the riverbank. It’s a white wagon, and when the door opened, there were four middle aged men dressed in floral shirts. From what I could tell, they too was yakuza. A man wearing a cream-colored summer suit and sunglasses stood out; it was Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~. So, these guys are the umpires? It might sound recreational, but this certainly seemed formal. They even had their umpire gear and facemasks prepared.		I watched them bicker worriedly, and at this moment, another car appeared by the riverbank. It’s a white wagon, and when the door opened, there were four middle aged men dressed in floral shirts. From what I could tell, they too was yakuza. A man wearing a cream-colored summer suit and sunglasses stood out; it was Kusakabe Masaya . So, these guys are the umpires? It might sound recreational, but this certainly seemed formal. They even had their umpire gear and facemasks prepared.

	But once I saw the last person hop out of the wagon, I was dumbfounded.		But once I saw the last person hop out of the wagon, I was dumbfounded.
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	“I heard from dad, so I came to cheer you on! It’s my first time seeing a baseball match!”		“I heard from dad, so I came to cheer you on! It’s my first time seeing a baseball match!”

	She grabbed my arms as she said so, while Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~ eyed us unhappily.		She grabbed my arms as she said so, while Kusakabe Masaya eyed us unhappily.

	“Assistant-san, which position are you playing?”		“Assistant-san, which position are you playing?”
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	“W-wait a moment!?”		“W-wait a moment!?”

	I got around the back net, and stood between Octy and Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~.		I got around the back net, and stood between Octy and Kusakabe Masaya .

	“Nishimura-san isn’t here yet, and we agreed that the match will start at 12!”		“Nishimura-san isn’t here yet, and we agreed that the match will start at 12!”
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	“Huh? Kusakabe, did I mention this to you?”		“Huh? Kusakabe, did I mention this to you?”

	Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~ too narrowed his eyes behind the sunglasses, and shrugged.		Kusakabe Masaya too narrowed his eyes behind the sunglasses, and shrugged.

	“Never heard of it. All I know was that you called us to be here at 11.”		“Never heard of it. All I know was that you called us to be here at 11.”
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	I was speechless. Yondaime, who hurried, too remained rooted to the ground ‘we’ve been had’.		I was speechless. Yondaime, who hurried, too remained rooted to the ground ‘we’ve been had’.

	We left the important booking of the field to the enemy, and that was the grave mistake we made. It was all Octy’s plan. Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~ gave a look at the four umpires, who from afar had such a conversation, “Guess we have to start now.”		We left the important booking of the field to the enemy, and that was the grave mistake we made. It was all Octy’s plan. Kusakabe Masaya gave a look at the four umpires, who from afar had such a conversation, “Guess we have to start now.”

	Thus, even if they lost, they wouldn’t be gravely affected, and they could eliminate our best player, Nishimura-san. This was a double play on Octy’s part.		Thus, even if they lost, they wouldn’t be gravely affected, and they could eliminate our best player, Nishimura-san. This was a double play on Octy’s part.
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	The headwind came down the cycling track by the riverside, and finally brought us cheers and the sound of the bats. I could only sense Nishimura-san’s body heating up. The bicycle ferrying both of us went down the green, grassy slope, and we both hopped off, falling over. The brown skinned girl seated at the bench was the first to notice us, “Mr Assistant!” and she stood up, waving at us. However, I looked past Meo’s shoulders, towards Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~, and was gasping for breath.		The headwind came down the cycling track by the riverside, and finally brought us cheers and the sound of the bats. I could only sense Nishimura-san’s body heating up. The bicycle ferrying both of us went down the green, grassy slope, and we both hopped off, falling over. The brown skinned girl seated at the bench was the first to notice us, “Mr Assistant!” and she stood up, waving at us. However, I looked past Meo’s shoulders, towards Kusakabe Masaya , and was gasping for breath.

	“…One run difference…?”		“…One run difference…?”
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	“What kind of a joke is this!?” Octy, standing on the pitcher’s mound, spoke up, his face devoid of a smile.		“What kind of a joke is this!?” Octy, standing on the pitcher’s mound, spoke up, his face devoid of a smile.

	“This isn’t a joke. I’m a player-manager. Kiichi ~~Nemoto~~. You’re a baseball player from Kansai, you should be very familiar with the first Mister Tigers, Fujio Fujimura. Now experience the terror of the words ‘I’ll pinch hit’.”		“This isn’t a joke. I’m a player-manager. Nemoto Kiichi. You’re a baseball player from Kansai, you should be very familiar with the first Mister Tigers, Fujio Fujimura. Now experience the terror of the words ‘I’ll pinch hit’.”

	“Respects, nee-san!” Rocky shouted from first base.		“Respects, nee-san!” Rocky shouted from first base.
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	“Eh?”		“Eh?”

	Meo looked shocked and excited as she hopped out from the spectators stand, and ran onto second band. I glanced aside at Masaya ~~Kusakabe~~ who was behind the net, his sunglasses unable to disguise his heinous look. The home plate umpire too looked back at him, but he did not indicate anything; perhaps he agreed to let her participate.		Meo looked shocked and excited as she hopped out from the spectators stand, and ran onto second band. I glanced aside at Kusakabe Masaya who was behind the net, his sunglasses unable to disguise his heinous look. The home plate umpire too looked back at him, but he did not indicate anything; perhaps he agreed to let her participate.

	A gaudy looking Alice returned to the bench, with everyone rushing forth to welcome her.		A gaudy looking Alice returned to the bench, with everyone rushing forth to welcome her.
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	“The record is in the baseball game you hated.”		“The record is in the baseball game you hated.”

	Octy’s half-opened mouth was shaking. Perhaps he really didn’t want to believe this. But I did find the record in the game. Entering the name Kiichi ~~Nemoto~~ in ‘PWLB’ would result in a player profile, and that was our intel.		Octy’s half-opened mouth was shaking. Perhaps he really didn’t want to believe this. But I did find the record in the game. Entering the name Nemoto Kiichi in ‘PWLB’ would result in a player profile, and that was our intel.

	“Don’t be silly.” Octy spat hoarsely. “How can the game…possibly have data on me? I just pitched a few times in the koshien…”		“Don’t be silly.” Octy spat hoarsely. “How can the game…possibly have data on me? I just pitched a few times in the koshien…”

	“That game has a public database. Do you know that everyone can add new data into the database? In other words, someone added a ‘pitcher ~~Kiichi Nemoto’~~ into the database.”		“That game has a public database. Do you know that everyone can add new data into the database? In other words, someone added a ‘pitcher Nemoto Kiichi’ into the database.”

	I shut up, and watched Octy’s face clear like the dispersing clouds.		I shut up, and watched Octy’s face clear like the dispersing clouds.