Chapter 100: Discussion

“Oh, is that so?” Masashi didn’t want to ask any further.

Seeing that Masashi showed little interest, the student couldn’t help but excitedly continue, “It’s true! The day before yesterday, wasn’t there a school festival at Kawaki High? In the afternoon, our school played a practice match against them. As you know, Kawaki High’s baseball team is quite famous in the Tokyo area, so everyone thought our school team would lose terribly, with some even saying it could end in a 30-0 defeat. But do you know what happened next?” The student almost spit in Masashi’s face as he spoke.

To be safe, Masashi quickly took a step back.

“After one of our players got injured and left the field, the coach of the baseball club substituted in a mysterious person wearing a mask. Do you know what happened next? That person actually hit a home run! And it was off Kawaki High’s ace pitcher! But what happened next was even more unexpected. In the last inning, that guy hit another bad ball and turned it into a home run! When I saw that, I almost passed out. Now, word has gotten out that anyone willing to sell those two home-run balls will get 10,000 yen for each. Especially the last ball, which is reportedly worth up to 15,000 yen now.” The student continued, his excitement growing.

“Student, I just wanted to ask where the others went,” Masashi said, his tone becoming more irritated.

“Oh, sorry. Here’s the thing—this morning, all the sports reporters and magazine journalists came rushing over to interview our principal and the baseball club coach. Now, everyone is out on the playground.”

“Don’t they have classes?” Masashi asked.

“Who would want to go to class after something so big has happened at school? I was just about to head over to the playground too. Maybe I can get on camera.”

“Masashi, do you want to go too?” another student walked over and asked.

“I’m not going, thanks.”

“Well, we’ll go ahead then. See you!” The two students left the classroom.

Masashi hadn’t expected the two baseballs to cause such a stir, even attracting sports journalists. It completely caught him off guard. It seemed he had underestimated the Japanese people’s passion for baseball.

※※※

“Where’s Rumi? Isn’t she usually on time for meals?” On the rooftop, Masashi asked Kazumi.

“Some reporters came to interview the baseball club today, so she might be late,” Kazumi replied.

“While she’s not here, there’s something I need to tell you. Remember, you must never spill the beans, or I’ll be in deep trouble,” Masashi said, taking the tea cup Kazumi handed him.

“I really don’t understand. Others are dying to get famous, but you, not only do you not want fame, you act like you’ve done something bad and are afraid others will find out. Bro, I’ve realized you’re really strange,” Kazumi said, laughing.

“Have you heard the saying ‘The fear of fame is like a pig fearing to grow fat’? Do you think being famous is really a good thing? Look at those celebrities, from getting married and having kids to going to the hospital for hemorrhoids, they’re watched closely by everyone. It’s not like they’re constantly under such scrutiny, but being treated like a freak at school is never pleasant. So, you have to help me keep this a secret.”

“Bro, you’re so gross,” Kazumi said, laughing while giving him a playful slap.

The two waited for a while, and then they saw Rumi hurriedly running up.

“Sorry, I’m late. There was an interview with the baseball club,” Rumi apologized, panting.

“We already knew. Come sit down. We haven’t been waiting long,” Kazumi said with a smile, pulling her down.

“Looks like our little girl is becoming a celebrity,” Masashi smiled.

“Not at all! Actually, the reporters only wanted to interview the ‘Masked Hero,’” Rumi said, taking a sip of her tea.

“Masked Hero? What does that mean?” Masashi asked.

Rumi couldn’t help but giggle and cover her mouth. “It’s the person who hit two home runs in the practice match at Kawaki High the other day. Since he was wearing a mask and no one saw his face, everyone started calling him that. It’s so funny!”

It was quite a strange and mischievous nickname. People had already started calling him that during the game, and now it had quickly become common knowledge.

“I really don’t understand. It was just a practice match, why are you all so worked up over it? Now even reporters are showing up. It seems a bit over the top,” Masashi sighed.

“But senpai, it’s a home run! Two home runs, in fact! Even in professional games, you rarely see that. If it had been a real match instead of a practice, and if the score had been tied, we could have gone into extra innings. I have a feeling that person might hit another home run. After all, he even managed to hit such an obvious bad ball out of the park. I believe he can do it again!” Rumi’s excitement reminded Masashi of a classmate from earlier that almost sprayed him with saliva.

“You’re really something, you almost sprayed your meal onto my face,” Masashi said with a laugh.

“Stop it, senpai!” Rumi blushed.

“Rumi, if you keep saying things like that, someone might actually get embarrassed,” Kazumi said, glancing at Masashi with a knowing look.

“What do you mean?” the baseball girl asked, confused.

After giving Kazumi a glare for making a face at him, Masashi quickly changed the topic and asked Rumi, “Did the reporters manage to interview that strange person?” He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the thought of himself being called strange.

“No, we still haven’t found him. After hitting that last home run, he mysteriously disappeared. We’ve been searching for him but couldn’t find a trace. The worst part is Coach Koyama. Not only is the principal chasing him down for information, but even the reporters are asking about the ‘Masked Hero.’ But for some reason, Coach Koyama won’t say a word,” Rumi explained.

Masashi smiled. It wasn’t that Coach Koyama was refusing to speak; he probably didn’t know anything. Aside from the fake name the old man had given him before the match, the coach knew nothing about him. But that old guy was interesting—he had actually let a mysterious person like him play in a match. If it had been a real game, Masashi wondered if the coach would have had the same courage.

“But it’s strange. I feel like I’ve seen that person somewhere before,” Rumi suddenly said.

“Uh, the fish is really good today. Kazumi, could you make some more tomorrow? Rumi, what do you want to eat tomorrow?” Masashi coughed awkwardly.

“I want shrimp rolls. Kazumi, could you make me some shrimp rolls tomorrow?” Rumi pleaded.

“Sure,” Kazumi replied, giving Masashi a look that seemed to be both amused and knowing.

Seeing that he had finally managed to distract Rumi, Masashi quietly sighed in relief.

It seemed that the more innocent a person was, the sharper their instincts. To avoid being recognized, Masashi had purposely stepped aside and kept his distance from everyone. Yet, he never expected that this little girl would still catch on, even just a little.