episode_0032

I watched a movie and had lunch.

Now there is only one schedule left for us.

You can watch a baseball game at Jamsil Stadium, which is open to the general public starting around 2 p.m., the current time.

“Uju~chan, Uju~chan! I think we can go in now, let’s go in!”

“Ugh, okay.”

Aki seems excited to watch a baseball game for the first time in a long time, and runs ahead of me with bouncy steps.

I thought to myself as I followed Aki leisurely down the aisle reserved for premium seats.

to be honest. I don’t really like baseball.

To be exact, I don’t like baseball enough to come see a baseball game in person like this. It’s not that I don’t know the rules of baseball, and I don’t know which players are on which teams.

All I know is that the Hanwha Eagles team has an outstanding, major league player named Ryu Hyun-jin. Other than that, you can consider him completely illiterate.

But, why did I come to Jamsil Stadium with Aki?

That’s right.

‘… … ‘Because I want to kiss you.’

The short break that begins after the end of the 5th episode, under the pretext of the event that takes place in the middle of it, Kiss Time.

Because I want to kiss Aki… … !

“Oh, indeed. … … Hmm, space~chan. Thank you!”

“… … uh? What are you thankful for?”

“I heard that they upgraded from economy class to premium class because of Atashi (me). … … Ma, thank you for your consideration. … Yes.”

“Ah… .”

What else can I say?

Feeling a bit prickly, I cleared my throat and looked around the premium class aisle, which was very quiet compared to the economy class aisle.

The reason we, who are still students, can use the premium seating aisle, which costs 80,000 won per person, is all thanks to the kindness given to us by Kim Seung-woo’s uncle.

So, it’s true that Aki should be thankful to his uncle, not me.

“I told you before. I didn’t do it with my own money. I was upgraded because my friend’s uncle told me about Kim Seung-woo.”

“Hmph, okay. If Uju~chan wanted to do that, should we just say that he did that?”

Like this, Aki never believed me.

The reason I don’t believe it is probably because I kept the contents of the message I shared with Seungwoo Kim hidden.

In fact, I can make you believe me right away if I show you the chat that we exchanged, but then it will be revealed that I asked Seungwoo Kim to catch us during kiss time.

When exposed, Aki’s face turns bright red and says, ‘Uju~chan, hentai (perversion), hentai…’ ! Ah, the reason I’ve been friendly with Atashi until now was because of that perverted reason… They will criticize me by saying ‘?!’

It would be a bonus for the trust I had built up until now to be destroyed in an instant.

A situation where I am devalued from ‘an indispensable childhood friend’ to ‘an untrustworthy beast and a pervert’ should never happen, even in death, so keeping secrets is strictly prohibited.

“… … We’re all here. Let’s go and sit down.”

I’ll make a formal apology to Kim Seung-woo’s uncle later, but for now, let’s focus on the task at hand.

As you exit the passage, the first thing you see is the courtesy premium seats.

This place, whose official name is Terrazon, differs from the general seating area where chairs are arranged closely together, where group chairs that can accommodate four people are arranged at regular intervals.

It’s not like it’s a premium seat that costs 80,000 won per person for no reason. The chairs themselves are spacious and the tables are quite far apart, making it easy to move around and enjoy the view.

“Wow, this place is really spacious. Uju~chan, shall we sit in the back?”

“Wait a minute, you can’t sit anywhere. There are assigned seats here too.”

“Oh, really? Where are our seats?”

“Hmm… . Ah, there it is. First.”

There is no particular reason why our seats are at the front.

According to what Seungwoo Kim’s uncle told him, in the premium zone, the front row seats have the prettiest camera angles.

So it is at the front.

“Wow, look at this. They say that if you use the dedicated app, you can order food, pay for it, and even get it delivered right at your seat, Woohoo~chan!”

“I heard you have to buy something to eat in economy class, but I guess delivery is available in this seat?”

Premium seats are different in terms of convenience. After all, if you have a lot of money, you don’t have to lose money.

Faced with the side of capitalism(?), I sat down cautiously.

This seat was originally meant to seat 4 people, but when they zoomed in, they said they left the seat empty because it wouldn’t look good if only the two of us came out.

In other words, there is no one else in the seats here except Aki and me.

‘… … I’m nervous for no reason.’

“Wooju~chan, I think it’s starting now!”

“Ah, yes.”

I turned my gaze forward so as not to show that I was nervous.

Looking at the large electronic display board right in the middle of my field of vision, it looks like the home team, LG Twins, and the away team, Lotte Giants, are having a game today.

A screen listing each team’s starting players, replacement players, past opponents’ records, and experts’ predicted winning percentages passes, followed by magnificent background music, and a short video showing the performance of the home team’s LG Twins players.

Next, play ball.

From this moment, a message announcing that the game had started was displayed in large letters, and a large screen appeared showing the scoreboard and the face of the pitcher currently pitching.

“Wooju~chan, come on. Do you see that person?”

“Huh? Who?”

“The person sitting on the bench over there near LG. A person with a bushy beard and who looks like a foreigner to everyone.”

“Uh, I can see it. Why is that person?”

“… … We have to be careful of that person.”

“Huh?”

“That person is Austin Dean, who won the Golden Gloves last year? He’s a really, really good player. The bat is absolutely ridiculous.”

“What is the bat…? ?”

“Ah, the bat… … .”

Jaeaeang──!

Just as Aki was about to start explaining, the first batter hit the ball beautifully and sent it flying.

The ball flew so high that it was difficult to follow it with the eye, and almost went over the fence. … . Although it was obvious.

Tuk.

Unfortunately, it hit the wall right in front of the fence and fell down.

-Wow, that’s a relief.

-How did you catch that again?

-I almost saw a home run from the first hit, hey.

As this is LG’s home stadium, sighs of relief and occasional swear words can be heard from everywhere.

I was quietly listening to the conversations of the people around me, and suddenly I was curious about Aki’s reaction, so I glanced at him.

“… … Ugh.”

Aki is puffing out his cheeks.

It seems like he was disappointed that the ball didn’t go over the fence.

“Aki.”

“… … Why?”

“Were you a Lotte fan?”

“Yes, you’ve been a Lotte fan since you were young. I didn’t know, Uju~chan?”

“Oh, really? I see… .”

Since I have no interest in baseball, I didn’t even know which team Aki was a fan of.

“So, Aki will continue to support Lotte?”

“Yes! Of course I should. By the way, which team are you rooting for, Uju~chan?”

“Me? well… .”

To put it simply, it is right to support LG, which is based in Seoul. But when I heard that Aki was a Lotte fan, I was a little worried.

I picked this up somewhere, but it was said that if you and your girlfriend are rooting for different teams when watching a sports game, you might end up fighting because of that.

Of course, I’m not saying Aki is my girlfriend… … . Still, there’s no need to cause trouble by rooting for another team, right? Because I don’t really have a favorite club.

“Then should I just support Lotte?”

“Oh, really? Are you going to support Lotte too, Uju~chan?”

“Ugh, sure. anyway… .”

The moment I was about to say, “It’s fun to watch while cheering for someone.”

Aki, smiling brightly, seemed to be so happy that I was rooting for Lotte, and wrapped his arms around me.

“Hmph, yes! Let’s support Lotte together, Uju~chan~!”

Kuuuuk-.

Something soft presses down on my forearm.

Then, a touching feeling that cannot be described in words.

Just by sitting still, I felt like I was suffocating, and a strangely good feeling… … .

It goes up the spine and arms. For an instant, I straightened my back.

“Wooju~chan, would you like me to explain Lotte’s pitching staff?”

“… … Yes, please.”

“Hmph, okay. First of all, do you see anyone on the mount right now? That person is the starting pitcher today. The ball isn’t bad, but the mentality is a little… .”

“… … .”

Aki is trying hard to explain something.

To be honest, I couldn’t hear it very well.

No, in fact, no matter how many people are on the pitching staff, no matter who has a good mentality or not, no matter who throws the ball well or swings the bat well… … .

It wasn’t my business.

I just hope that the time Aki has his arms around me will never end.

It doesn’t really matter whether someone is good at baseball or not.

‘… … Ah, it was good to cheer you on.’

Lotte Giants, thank you.

Thank you for giving me such a happy time.

Even though the league performance is in the lower tier… … . In my mind, you guys are a forever team.

“Ah, strikeout… . I will shift now.”

“… … .”

I came to my senses.

What is it? I think I left first base a little while ago, but it’s already a shift?

It’s not a joke, but it doesn’t seem like even 10 seconds have passed since we crossed our arms. When I looked in the direction Aki’s finger was pointing, I realized that Lotte’s attack had indeed ended.

‘What, it’s not the room of spirit and time…’ .’

I just closed my eyes and opened them in the first episode.

If you let your guard down for a moment like this, kiss time is over… … ?

… … I need to come to my senses.

“Huh? That person was the starter today? I don’t think I saw it on the electronic display board earlier.”

“… … Who is that person? Are you famous?”

“Well, he’s not that famous… .”

Should I say this or not? Aki looks at me with an expression as if he is worried about something.

I suddenly became curious as to why I was worrying for so long, so I asked.

“Why, what’s wrong with you? Isn’t it okay for me to know?”

“No, that’s not it… . … Well, if I tell you, Uju~chan might be a little shocked. Are you okay?”

“It’s okay, what is it?”

“Oh, no. I just won’t say anything… . If you’re curious, Uju~chan, I think it would be a good idea to look it up yourself… … .”

“Umm, really?”

Now that I’m talking, I’m even more curious.

I’ll have to look for it separately later.

“… … Ah!”

Jaeaeang──!

A cheerful sound echoed throughout the baseball stadium.

The starting pitcher threw the ball powerfully, and the opposing batter hit it with a perfect trajectory.

Compared to the ball that went forward during the attack at the beginning of the first inning, it was a slow and not high enough ball to be rude.

-Oh, did you miss that?

-What the fuck, is there a hole in your glove? What are you doing, you bastards!

-Run, run!

A disaster occurred as the defender in charge of the outfield failed to catch the ball, and it went down and missed.

The left fielder, who missed the ball, hurriedly picks it up and throws it, and the shortstop, who took the ball, hesitates whether to throw to second or third base and fails to throw the ball. The delay was about 10 seconds.

In real life, 10 seconds is not a big deal, but 10 seconds in a ball game is an incredibly long time that can be the difference between victory and defeat.

-No, this is home-in… .

-What the fuck, if you want to throw the ball, throw it or not.

-Shouldn’t we investigate whether that bastard played Toto or not?

The score is 1-0.

It was the LG Twins who accurately caught Lotte’s mistake that took the lead.

“… … Wow.”

I can’t believe I’m not good at saying sorry, which is the most basic of basics. Even as someone who doesn’t know baseball, the defense just looked a bit harsh.

“Akiya, just saw that… .”

“──Oh, you idiots, you can’t block that one thing~?!”

As if I wasn’t the only one who thought he couldn’t do it, Aki suddenly grabbed my forearm and shouted at the top of his voice.

We shout so loudly that everyone around us looks at us.

“Hey, Aki. The voice… .”

“No, really… ! Why, why, why can’t I get that?! Oh, oh wow~!!”

“… … Uh, um.”

And on top of that, Aki, who shouted in a voice full of anger, hugged my forearm and shook it back and forth.

Najiman was suddenly reduced to a light stick, or something similar.

Well, for some reason I didn’t feel bad.

… … However, there is one thing I am worried about.

“That’s why I told you to change the outfielder a long time ago, this guy is last forever, this guy is last! Damn defense! How, what are you going to do~!!”

Currently, Aki is in a state of middle pain, which is equivalent to the minimum of the five stages of pouting.

If we were given kiss time in this atmosphere.

I tried to kiss him, but I was in a bad mood. Wouldn’t it be nice to get slapped, saying I was being manipulative? … ?

“This is all about the fans, the fans! We always say that this year is different, but all the foolish fans believe us, so that doesn’t mean our defense isn’t improving! Oh, oh oh!!!”

“… … .”

I started to get really worried… … .