Chapter 22

[Based on translation by narwhaltortellini]

SUMMARY:

As they finish warming up, Abe makes sure Mihashi is feeling good and tells him not to pace himself too quickly since the other team has three pitchers. Mihashi is feeling good and tells Abe that he thinks Abe is the reason he is able to feel this way, because of the help Abe has given him regulating his pitch count, stretching, and getting him more onigiri. Mihashi says he wants to win. Abe is touched and embarrassed, and resolves that he will get another win for Mihashi.

Kazuki watches from the stands and notes the lack of change in Bijou's batting order and that Kurata is the regular catcher, though he'd thought when he played them in a practice match that Miyata was a good choice. He remembers beating Bijou in the practice match, and then thinks of the numerous other practices they won, and thinks to himself that he is the one who should really be down there playing instead of Abe/Nishiura.

As the game starts, the first batter lets the first ball go by without flinching. This is the first pattern that Bijou has noticed in Abe's pitching. He gives a ball to any batter he's never faced before. Next, Abe choses a slider in the area he knows the batter likes. The batter once again does not flinch, because this is the second pattern they have noticed in his pitch calling. Abe picks a pitch that looks like it is headed for the batter's favored section of the strike zone, but eventually swerves into something unhittable. Abe then picks a shoot on the outside corner (rather than the inside where the batter likes it), and the batter hits it, making it to first base.

The Bijou team members relay to the coach that Abe's pitch calling went exactly as predicted. The team is a little surprised, and even Takii admits to himself he wasn't sure it would work.

The second batter pops the ball up and it is caught. He tells Takii he thinks it was a fastball, which surprises them since they were not expecting it yet. Takii tells the batter to try to remember how it felt and think about how to keep it down. He thinks about how Nishiura's win against Tosei could not have been a fluke because Nishiura clearly collects data on other teams and knows how to use it, whereas Tosei was completely unprepared. He thinks Nishiura's luck is over now, though, as Bijou has collected data on them in turn.

The third batter once again lets the first pitch go by. Abe and the rest of the team are made uneasy by the other team's apparent abnormally high tendency to do this. Abe notes that the pitch both the first and third batters let by was a slider, and the first hit a shoot. Abe wonders if the batters are waiting to see a shoot, as that would make their hitting patterns make sense. He wonders if there is some habit in either he or Mihashi that is allowing Bijou to know what kind of pitch is coming. Abe decides to ask for a shoot on the outside that will turn into a ball to test if that is really what they are aiming for.

The batter, seeing that the pitch is aimed for the outside, knows it must in that case be a shoot and that it will head farther out. Despite it being a ball, knowing this much he is able to swing and get a hit. The ball is low and almost becomes a foul, but stays in, and Bijou's runner makes it home, so that Bijou has one point, one out, and a runner on second. Abe is disturbed by the way the batter reached for the ball so surely as if he knew exactly where it would go.

The announcer talks to the representatives from Nishiura and Bijou. Next up to bat is Wada, Bijou's captain. The announcer asks the men what sort of kids the batter Wada and the battery Abe and Mihashi are like, and basically spoon feeds the nervous men the very generic answers that Wada is a “dependable” captain and that Abe and Mihashi are “diligent and spirited” students.

Back in the game, Abe notes that Wada has the highest RBI on the team and that first is open. He figures he can risk walking Wada for a chance to see if they are really aiming for the shoot. Abe sends Wada a slider that turns into a ball, and he doesn't flinch. Wada likes the outside (at least according to the data for that tournament, though Wada notes to himself he actually does not), and Abe choses another slider on the inside, and Wada hits it. He makes a home run, and scores two more points. Abe now knows he was not waiting for a shoot.

Abe goes to talk to Mihashi, and asks to feel his hand. The two touch, but jerk away from one another embarrassedly. Abe makes sure Mihashi knows that the runs were his fault, and apologizes. He tells Mihashi they will start throwing the fastball now, even though it is just the first inning. After he is left alone, Mihashi notes that Abe's hand was just as cold as his own. Mihashi throws adds in his fastballs and gets a strikeout and a popup for the remaining two outs, surprising Bijou.

When they get back to the dugout, Abe reports to Momokan, explaining the mix of pitches he used, and his former, now disproven, theory that they were aiming for a shoot. He says the frequency with which they let the ball go by and their hitting patterns are strange, almost as if they knew what kind of pitch is coming. Momkan agrees Bijou seems abnormally sure-footed.

Izumi asks Tajima if they can do something for him, and Tajima calls over Mihashi. The three play rock, paper, scissors, and Mihashi loses. The two pounce violently on Mihashi, surprising everyone. At their surprise, Tajima explains that they have decided to tickle one another as a means of relaxation, a method Izumi thought up because of his nerves being leadoff batter. Shiga sensei confirms that laughing, even by force, can make one relax. Hanai is still a little flustered that making someone else laugh can make you relax yourself. So he tries it on Mihashi, and confirms that it feels almost like you're getting tickled yourself. Izumi finally heads out to bat.