Chapter 70: Afterstory & Prequel – 4: The Old Powerhouse High School That Never Made It to Koshien but Has a Solid Reputation in the Prefecture

“Hey, Kyugo! Did you hear? A new girl manager is joining this year too!”

“…Huh?”

It was right after the entrance ceremony. On a sunny spring afternoon, in the baseball club’s locker room, as I was in the middle of changing into my practice uniform, Obayashi, my battery partner and classmate, excitedly brought this up. Obayashi was our dependable catcher, larger than me both vertically and horizontally. His features were well-defined, though he carried a bit too much body fat. Honestly, I couldn’t help but envy how easily he could gain weight.

Obayashi’s announcement stirred up excitement among the buzz-cut crew around us.

“Oh, I heard that too!”
“That’s three years in a row with a girl manager!”
“I also heard we’re getting at least fifteen new male members this year.”
“Even outsiders are starting to recognize that we’re serious about Koshien!”
“Take that, soccer team!”

The second- and third-years, numbering over twenty, were shouting things like this. The last comment, brimming with hostility toward the soccer team, came from Mitaka, our captain. No wonder you’re a benchwarmer, Captain. The soccer team gets three girl managers every year anyway.

Well, in short, it fell to me to bring these overly excited fools back to reality.

“Calm down, all of you! Especially the seniors. Our baseball club forbids romantic relationships, doesn’t it? Isn’t that right, Captain?”

“Huh? What? The Captain doesn’t know about such a rule. Since when…?”

“Starting now. I just made it a rule.”

“That’s tyranny! You’re only a second-year, even if you are the ace and cleanup hitter! Trying to run the team over the Captain’s head…! Well, if it’s Kyugo’s rule, the Captain will obey.”

This absurd muttering from our diminutive captain drew exasperated remarks from the second-years.

“You’re actually going to listen to him…?”
“What’s with this captain?”
“Why does he refer to himself as ‘Captain’? What’s he going to call himself after he retires?”
“Hope he cracks a rib.”

Despite their comments, the third-years, who carried the most weight in the team, ultimately sided with me.

“Well, if Kyugo says so, it can’t be helped…”
“Yeah, we’ve made it this far following his lead.”
“Honestly, banning romance brings peace of mind. At least this way, no one’s sneaking around trying to snatch the manager, I mean, Tachikawa-chan.”

This last remark from the captain was met with solemn nods from everyone. Captain…!

Honestly, the reason I declared this new rule wasn’t anything noble. I just didn’t want the incoming manager to be ogled by these guys. Seriously. Even if there’s no chance in hell that any of them would actually date her, just the thought of her being looked at with pervy eyes makes my blood boil. I’d probably want to kill someone over it.

That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want Maika to become our manager.

And yet, that girl…! I had a bad feeling about this, and unfortunately, I wasn’t wrong. She ignored my warning and joined the club anyway.

Even though she’s been giving me the cold shoulder for the past two weeks, in the end, she just can’t stay away from me and wants to support me up close, huh? A tsundere, are we? Too cute. Wait, no. Too annoying. Way too much trouble.

Once I finished changing, I turned my back to the rest of the team to hide the stupid grin creeping onto my face. Before leaving the room, I added one final note.

“I heard Tachikawa-san is dating the basketball club captain. This no-dating rule doesn’t apply retroactively, so those who already have partners are safe.”

Not that anyone else in our club besides Tachikawa-san has a partner anyway!

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Chapter 70: Afterstory & Prequel – 5: The Former Heroine

“Kyugo-kun, what’s with this gloomy atmosphere? Why do these guys all look like they’ve just experienced a collective heartbreak? The new recruits are going to have the worst first impression of the team!”

On the baseball field, right in front of home plate, the scene was set. Twenty-six second- and third-year members stood in two neat rows, their expressions grim. Opposite them stood fifteen nervous new recruits, lined up and waiting. Between them, with a stern expression, stood our chief manager, Ogikubo-senpai, her twin pigtails swaying as she furrowed her brows and demanded an explanation.

“They all look like they’ve been dumped.”

As Ogikubo-senpai pointed out, the second- and third-year members were all wearing defeated expressions. Mitaka-san was even shaking with sobs, his shoulders trembling. Yet, for some reason, he kept his face straight ahead. You don’t need to act so composed like a captain here. Save that for when we lose the final game of a tournament or something.

Meanwhile, standing off to the side of the group in her tracksuit was Tachikawa-san, the fluffy, sweet type of girl. She tilted her head slightly with a delicate, fluffy smile. Manipulative. This act of hers had deceived the entire baseball team. And now, the result was this—everyone was visibly unsteady, both mentally and emotionally.

“Honestly… Focus on baseball already. No more wasting time on romance. Relationships are banned starting today. Mitaka, I hope you break a rib.”

That’s Ogikubo-senpai for you. I completely agree with every word she said. She really is the most reliable person in this baseball club. For reference, our coach, old man Watanabe, is out with gout and utterly useless.

Anyway, the point is, there’s no time to be distracted by things like romance. We’re going to Koshien—no, I am going to Koshien. To fulfill the promise I made to Riko—to take her to Koshien—I need everyone here, including myself, to focus completely on baseball!

“Well, since Mitaka’s out of commission, I’ll handle things for now as the chief manager. Let’s start with introductions from the new recruits. Just your name, the team you came from, and your position will do.”

“W-Wait a moment, Ogikubo-senpai.”

“What is it, Kyugo-kun? Sorry, but if you’re asking about the frequency of your own self-pleasure, I can’t help you. As much as I’d like to manage the team’s… schedule as the chief manager, Mitaka stopped me, saying it would cause trouble with the High School Baseball Federation if they found out. Honestly, they’re so outdated.”

This person is unbelievable. It’s clear I need to get it together. Nearly 80% of the team was now awkwardly leaning forward, and the new recruits were no exception. Maybe I should transfer schools.

“Ogikubo-senpai, you really should stop blaming everything on the Baseball Federation. Anyway, that’s not what I meant. I was asking about the first-year girl manager. Didn’t Maika tell you anything about her?”

Scanning the line of first-years, I couldn’t spot a single girl. There’s no way Maika would be late… right?

“Huh? No, I haven’t heard anything from Maika-san. But if you’re looking for the new girl manager, she’s right behind you.”

“What?”

Her response sounded like the punchline to a cheap ghost story. I let out a dumbfounded “Huh?” before I could stop myself, and at the same time, I felt something soft cover my eyes from behind.

Soft… yeah. No mistaking it. These were definitely someone’s—specifically, a young woman’s—hands. Unlike the hands of my two younger sisters, which I was well-acquainted with, these hands were soft but not plump or squishy, just thin and cool to the touch.

“Who do you think it is, Kyugo-senpai?”

I expected a teasing “Guess who~” in a playful tone, but what I got instead was a flat, formal question in polite speech.

“I-I don’t know. Who is it?”

The hands slowly released my eyes. Hesitantly, I turned around. What I saw was a girl, a head shorter than me, looking up at me with an expressionless face. She was a beautiful girl, no doubt about it.

In other words…!

“Long time no see, Kyugo-senpai. It’s Nakano.”

“W-Who…?”

“It’s Nakano.”

“I don’t know you! Who are you?!”

“Don’t you remember? I’m Nakano. The girl whose feelings you toyed with.”

“Seriously…?”

This pale-skinned girl with a black bob haircut said it with the unchanging, doll-like expression of a porcelain figurine.

Maika… Where the hell did you go? Oh, right, I told you not to come. Damn it.