<1> If Only Things Could Stay Like This

Chapter 1: If Only Things Could Stay Like This

The gentle breeze swept across the fields, and the pond reflected the shapes of white clouds.

Children ran joyfully along the ridges between the fields.

Watching this cheerful scene before him, Sawamura Eijun couldn't help but smile. "Alright! I'll give it my all again today! Can't wait for tonight, haha!"

Fired up for the gathering with his friends later in the evening, Eijun energetically began his work—though it would have been perfect if he hadn't tripped over his own feet and rolled into the field.

The nearby farmers, watching this clumsy display, burst into laughter.

Embarrassed, Eijun instinctively narrowed his eyes into cat-like slits, turned around to gather himself, and, with a red face, got back to work.

"Hey, Ei-chan, I heard you fell into the field again today. You're just like you've always been, huh?" Shin teased, draping an arm over Eijun's shoulder with a wide grin.

"Classic Ei-chan!"

"Be more careful next time!"

Their childhood friends surrounded Eijun, playfully teasing him.

"You know, when are you ever going to stop being so clumsy? It's really worrying sometimes," Wakana said, shaking her head at Eijun, whose goofy smile hadn't changed in over a decade.

Scratching his head awkwardly, Eijun mumbled, "Mmm, it was just an accident, an accident. Anyway, let's not talk about it. The game's about to start!"

Hearing the sound of the TV, everyone stopped their banter.

The broadcast camera panned across the Koshien stadium, showing the dugouts of the Kyokujira and Rakuki teams.

The players were warming up, and the captains had already met with the umpire to decide the order of play.

"Wow, the Kyokujira team's passes are still so smooth. So cool! Oh, right, Eijun, isn't one of your high school teammates on the Kyokujira team? That's amazing!"

"Oh, I remember now! It's Kuramochi-senpai, right? The shortstop with incredible speed as the leadoff hitter!"

"Doesn't this mean we'll get to see an internal Seidou showdown? After all, Seidou's savior joined the Rakuki team. This is going to be so intense!"

As Eijun's close friends, they knew quite a bit about his former teammates, especially the ones he mentioned the most—Kuramochi and one other.

Eijun stared at the TV broadcast, momentarily dazed, and instinctively muttered, "Yeah, the so-called 'Seidou's Delinquents.'" He shivered slightly as he said it, then glanced around nervously.

He suddenly remembered he wasn't at Seidou anymore, and years had passed since graduation.

No one would hear him badmouthing them through the TV, and he finally relaxed.

Wakana, noticing his little movements, covered her mouth and giggled silently.

Eijun really hasn't changed at all, she thought.

By the fifth inning, the score remained 0-0.

The Kyokujira team was defending with two outs and a runner on second base.

It was the sixth batter's turn—Miyuki, the catcher.

Miyuki let the first strike go by, took a ball for the second pitch, and then smashed the third pitch, a curveball, into left field for a double, earning the game's first run.

However, the Kyokujira pitcher managed to retire the seventh batter, ending the inning with just one run scored by the Rakuki team.

The match remained intense, with everyone watching the screen in anticipation.

Perhaps spurred by Miyuki's performance, Kuramochi opened with a bunt on the first pitch and immediately stole second base.

With one out, the third batter stepped up and skillfully pulled the ball into right field, allowing Kuramochi to easily return to home plate and tie the score.

Miyuki then directed the cleanup hitter to execute a sacrifice fly, advancing the runner to second base.

However, with two outs, the next batter was quickly retired, leaving the Kyokujira team with just one run in the inning, unable to take the lead.

Both teams ramped up their offense in the following innings, but the game ultimately ended 5-4.

The Kyokujira team clinched victory with a dramatic, game-winning home run by their cleanup hitter and captain in the final moments.

"Wow, that was incredible! I thought Rakuki would dominate until the end, but Kyokujira pulled through!"

"Haha, I knew Tanaka would deliver something big!"

"Yeah, right. Weren't you just despairing a minute ago? Admit it, Ei-chan!"

Listening to his friends argue excitedly over the game, Eijun took a sip of his drink and calmly said, "Actually, in the last inning, Miyuki-senpai and his team still had a good chance to win."

"It's a known fact that Kyokujira has a weak comeback game. But it was just bad luck that Tanaka came up to bat."

"He's been performing exceptionally well this season, with a batting average of .325. If nothing unexpected happens, he's likely to win the batting title this season."

"By the final inning, the pitcher was clearly fatigued, probably losing grip strength. Miyuki-senpai called for a forkball to induce a pop-up, but the pitch lacked movement, and Tanaka smashed it for a home run."

Everyone listened intently to Eijun's analysis and nodded in understanding.

"Still, it's impressive you could tell it was a poorly executed forkball just from watching the broadcast."

"I thought it was a straight pitch!"

"Me too!"

"Same here!"

"You're amazing, Ei-chan!"

Embarrassed by their admiration, Eijun scratched his head awkwardly.

Just then, Wakana's phone rang.

After taking the call, she explained she had to leave for something.

The group immediately nudged Eijun to escort her home.

As they walked together, Wakana glanced at Eijun beside her and suddenly recalled their middle school days.

Back in their third year, after late-night practices, Eijun would often walk her home.

Now, he was much taller, more muscular, and seemed more composed than before.

Although he could still be clumsy at times, his straightforward personality remained unchanged.

Watching him now, Wakana couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.

"If only things could stay like this," she murmured softly.

"Huh? What was that?" Eijun turned to her, his honey-colored eyes filled with curiosity.

Meeting his gaze, Wakana repeated herself without thinking, "If only things could stay like this… Baseball. I don't know what happened, but back in high school, you always seemed so happy playing baseball."

"Even though you didn't end up as the ace, watching you give it your all, you seemed to shine, as if you lit up the entire field. You felt a bit out of reach, but we all knew you were still Eijun—our hero."

Realizing what she had just said, Wakana bit her lip in frustration, regretting her sudden outburst.

Seeing her flustered expression, Eijun chuckled gently. "Yeah, I know. I've always known. Playing baseball at Seidou made me happy, and being your hero—I've never forgotten that. Thank you, Wakana."

His rare moment of sincerity and gentleness caught her off guard, and she blushed deeply. "Oh, well, as long as you know. Anyway, I'm home now. Don't stay out too late, okay? You've got work tomorrow. Goodnight."

With that, Wakana hurried inside, leaving Eijun standing there, a faint smile lingering on his face.

"Goodnight," Eijun replied softly, watching Wakana disappear into her house before turning around to head home.

As he walked along the path, he tilted his head to gaze at the stars in the night sky, murmuring to himself, "Shining, huh? If only that were true." The once-bright honey-colored eyes in his gaze gradually dimmed with an unspoken heaviness.

"I'm back! What the—?! Just how much did you all drink after I left?!" Eijun exclaimed as he entered his now chaotic house.

The living room was in utter disarray, with his friends drunkenly flailing and dancing in the center.

Even Eijun's patience had its limits. "All of you, get to bed right now, you idiots!" he roared, shooing them off.

By the time Eijun finished cleaning up, it was already late into the night.

Sitting at the dining table, his eyes drifted to the photos displayed on a shelf.

One was a group picture of the entire Seidou team; another was of him and his childhood friends.

Eijun muttered to himself, "It feels like I've let everyone down—my friends, my teammates, even Coach's expectations. What a failure I am, Sawamura Eijun." He tilted his head back, downed a glass of water, turned off the lights, and headed to bed.

The living room fell into silence, bathed in silver moonlight. The light reflected off the photos, making them glimmer faintly in the darkness.

A new day would inevitably come, but somehow, it felt like something had subtly shifted.