Chapter 52 The Struggle of the Athletic Deaf (Part 2)

“What…!?”

How do you know about it?

Did Kazamihara or Ginji tell you!?

“I know you’re shocked, but I found you two together at the… festival, and you forgot that I was there.　I was too busy with the takoyaki cafe at the time.”

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking…!

Damn, I was in such a hurry at the time, I thought you didn’t care that me and Shijoin-san were together…!

“Well, that wasn’t the only thing that convinced me, but… I was convinced when I saw both of you like that afterwards. I don’t know about the natural Shijoin-san, but I’m sure Nihama-kun is serious about her.”

“Gu… Well, if it’s Fumihashi-san-san, I don’t mind saying it… I’m embarrassed, but I’ll admit it. I like… Shijoin-san.”

I’m not going to be able to fake it, so I decided to say how I feel.

There seems to be a lot of leaks regarding this lately…

Then the Fumihashi-san-san said, “Huh…!　Oh, I knew it…!　Wow…!” And her cheeks became even more flushed like a cherry.

…Why is it that you are more embarrassed than I am when I was the one that confessed?

“Oh, I see. …Hmm. I’m really excited to hear that two people who are close to each other are in that situation. Hey, hey, you already kissed her or something, right?”

“No, I haven’t. …Or rather, I’m not in a relationship yet…”

“What…? What are you doing when you’re that close to her then?”

“Don’t blame me for having a dead face all of a sudden!”

Don’t give me your usual Fumihashi-san gaze!

It’s like you’re calling me feeble!

“Well, that’s enough about that… To purposely come to softball practice on a holiday, perhaps you just don’t want to show your lame side to Shijoin-san. Or rather, there isn’t any other reason huh.”

“Yes, that’s totally true. It’s not for class or anything, I just want to be cool for a girl that I like.”

After all, a woman’s power of deduction increases when it comes to romance, or so it seems, and she completely hits the nail on the head.

I had no choice but to come clean since my background had been completely discovered.

“Okay! Then imagine it! Imagine Shijouin-san cheering for you, Shinhama-kun! Fill your head with the thought of wanting to show the person you love how cool you are!”

“Yeah…?”

“I saw you at the festival, and you’re like a runaway locomotive once you get going, aren’t you? That’s why, with that kind of momentum, you’re so fired up to show the person you love what’s good about yourself! I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that.It’s not uncommon in sports to make up for one more push with energy!”

In order to overcome the feeling of uncomfortability, Fumihashi said to let the most passionate emotion, love, burn brightly. At first glance, this may seem like a comforting psychology, but if you recall… It’s something I’ve always done.

Whether it was the cultural festival or the final exam, it was always my feelings for Shijo-in-san that were the driving force that drove me.

“I’ll try it…! Throw me the ball, Fumihashi-san!”

“Okay! It’s going to work this time!”

Just like before, I moved away from the scene.

By the way, you’re a really good girl to be so accommodating to me, Fumihashi-san.

I would have been absolutely stuck on my own, and all I can say is thank you.

“You’re in position! Let’s go then!”

From afar, Fumihashi shouted, and the ball was thrown up into the sky of the park.

And I, from my hunched position, dashed after it.

As I watched the ball, I anticipated where it would fall.

(Oh… balls are “scary” to me, if you ask me.)

For a few moments, I think about it.

It is instinctive to be afraid of flying objects, but not only that, I have an aversion to balls in general.

It’s probably because of my dislike for exercise as a whole, as Fumihashi-san said, it’s got some pretty old roots in me.

However…

My regrets about my youth and my feelings for Shijoin-san are even deeper than that.

(Picture it… the event-loving Shijo-in-san excitedly cheering me on! Maybe she will cheer me on by name! And if I do well, she might praise me later like she did during the test!)

It’s not a matter of “I don’t want to show my uncool side,” but a matter of “I want to show my cool side.

It’s not about evading, it’s about attacking.

It was at this point that I realized that I was a much simpler and more romantic guy than I had imagined.

The edge of my mouth naturally relaxed.

My aversion to the ball fades, and my awareness of the carrot dangled in front of me is inspired by the fact that what is falling is not a threat, but an opportunity.

The cheers of the imaginary Shijoin-san gave me the extra push that I needed.

I held up my glove and stared at the white ball as it fell.

I stared at it, determined to get it, and kept my eyes on it until the end.

I saw the trajectory of the ball and opened my glove wide, but without rushing or letting go of my body.

And then—

Plop! With a light sound, I felt a strong impact on my glove.

The white ball had indeed been caught in my hand.

“Oh–?　Oh– oh– oh– oh– oh– OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Yeah, yeaahhhhhh!”

As soon as I found the ball in my glove, I, of course, shouted a cheer while Fumihashi rushed towards me.

“Amazing–! That’s amazing, Nihama! I’m going to cry–! This is the kind of joy a mother feels when her baby starts walking on its own feet–!”

“Thank you! I feel like I’m being rude to the max, but it’s all thanks to Fumihashi-san –! I really appreciate it!”

Objectively speaking, it was just a mediocre fly catch, nothing great, but both me and Fumihashi dominated by a mysterious emotion that welled up in us.

You could say that our brains had become stupid.

Oh, I see. …So this is the sports guts inspiration we’ve seen so much of in manga and anime! The joy of being able to do what you can’t do with effort…!

“Well then… let’s move on!

And then, after sharing the excitement for a moment, as if to regain her energy, she continued.

“To… the next?”

“Yeah! You’re far from finished if you can only catch one pitch! You need to practice catching flies, liners, and ground balls so that you can catch them all perfectly!

Yes, that’s absolutely true, but …….

“No, but it would take a lot of time to do that, and I can’t let Fumihashi-san help that much…”

“What are you talking about? Nihama-kun has just taken his first step, and I can’t leave you here! Gather your energy!”

She declared with fire in her eyes and a strong tone of voice.

There’s something… different about the atmosphere…!

(This is… a mysterious emotion that has lit a fire in me as a gymnast…!　I’m totally in the mode of a senior member of a club mentoring a junior member…!) [TLN: This is from Fumihashi pov]

“Come on, let’s go! You’ll have to train until you can catch any course perfectly! And the only response I should hear is a “Yes! That’s it! I’m going to go hard, so be prepared!

“Yes…?”

“No! Keep your voice up!

“Yes, yes, yes!”

I raise my voice instantly.

It was like I was in an athletic club.

“Yes! I’ll do it, Nihama-kun! I’ll make you a full-fledged softball player, just like you asked!　Let’s go for it!”

I felt sweat run down my cheek as I heard the sound of Fumihashi’s voice with maximum enthusiasm.

I really appreciate it, I don’t know if I can hold on … or can I…?