Chapter 18:

Strike Three

MINUS • PLUS


The first day Yukio challenged him, Maekawa was really amused.

“So you’re getting better, huh? Aiming for the big leagues?”

Although he was in the same class with Yukio, he always practiced with the seniors, for good reason; he was their best batter. It was also why Yukio went to him. He would be able to bowl without any inhibition, and know that if he manages to win this duel, he won’t be far from bettering the seniors.

He had practiced a lot, and gotten much better. None of the clubmates he practiced with were able to hit him anymore. If they had any other coach, he would’ve either sent Yukio to play with the seniors or guided him. But sadly, the one they had only clapped at them occasionally and left without saying anything.

Their practice was over for the day, and most of them were already changing in the locker room. “Don’t think I’ll show you any mercy, okay?” Maekawa smirked.

Yukio just smiled a little.

“Oh, by the way,” before taking his stance, Maekawa added, “if the ball goes out of the ground, you will search for it.”

Yukio prepared himself. This was the moment. Not only did he have speed, but all his practices also added ‘accuracy’ in his arsenal. But he had no idea whether it was enough for people like Maekawa. He was about to find out.

After the first ball swooshed past the bat, both of them stood still for a few moments.

A friend of theirs, Haru, was observing their duel, and he was the one who returned the ball to Yukio’s hand.

“Well done!”

The word finally grounded his thoughts. He had done it! He had beaten the best batter of their club!

“Not bad,” Maekawa was still standing with the bat, pretending that nothing happened. “Come on! You still need two more strikes, right?”

The second time, he did hit the ball. But it went up high in the air, and Yukio had no problem catching it.

Now the signs of irritation were visible on his face. Students who were about to go home had gathered around them. Somehow they realized the importance of what was going on.

“It seems I am a bit tired today. Not that it matters against a newbie. Alright, give it your all this time. Show what you’re capable of, and I’ll do the same.”

Yukio was a bit worried. He only wanted to see how good he was. It wasn’t his intention to aggravate Maekawa, someone he looked up to.

Should I be a bit slow…

He shook off the thought the next moment.

He is right, Yukio thought, I am a newbie. And if he can’t play me, that just means he isn’t as good as people think he is.

Taking a deep breath, Yukio took his stance. Maekawa did the same, with a stern expression in his face.

And then they gave their all.


At first, Yukio wasn’t sure what happened. The ball had left his hand, hit Maekawa’s bat, and disappeared.

Was it a home run?

Even before he saw the ball, he knew something was wrong. Maekawa had thrown away his bat, and he was walking away. As Yukio looked at him, suddenly the ball dropped behind the place where he was standing.

As he checked the ball, he realized that it had gone up and dropped roughly where Maekawa had been standing. And the wooden bat showed a particularly long crack, which didn’t look anything like the ball marks such bats normally had.

Puzzled, he left the ball and the bat in the clubroom. He walked home all alone that day.

He had no idea that he’ll also be alone tomorrow.

And the next day.

And the day after that.


“Hey!”

Maekawa pretended that he didn’t hear him.

“Hey!” This time Yukio was louder.

Reluctantly, Maekawa turned towards him.

“Wanna play again?”

Saying the past few days had been bad would’ve been an understatement. Not only was he shunned by everyone in the baseball team, even his classmates had stopped talking to him. Even Asano and Haru. And whenever he tried to talk to Maekawa, he got no response.

And there was nothing he could do. He kept coming to the practice, but most of the days he just practiced pitching at a corner, alone. The teachers read the atmosphere, and they had also started avoiding him.

He had no idea just one student could influence everyone like that. It was worse than bullying. It was worse than the time Onee-san left him.

It was better when I didn’t know Maekawa, Yukio had realized.

Today he was grasping at the last straw. He intended to bowl a few normal pitches, without any pace, and let him have his fun. If it meant he could have another chance at a normal life…

He didn’t expect that everything would go back the way it was before. He was never an idealist. He just hoped they would take pity on him, and let him hang out with them like before. He would pay their restaurant bills, and whatever else they ask him. And then, after a few days, he would leave the club because he isn’t ‘good enough’.

And that’ll be the end of it.


Yukio made sure that the first pitch didn’t have any extra pace. Maekawa swung his bat, and hit the ball out of the ground.

The people observing them started cheering.

So far so good, Yukio thought while searching for the ball.

By the time he found the ball and returned, everyone had left. Maekawa was the only one standing on the ground, looking at him with a stern face.

“You did that intentionally, didn’t you?”

He didn’t know what to say.

“Did I forget to mention it? Do your best. Today I’m not the least bit tired.”

But if he did his best…

He prepared his next pitch. He wouldn’t do his best, as he didn’t want to take that chance. But this time there would be more pace.

Show that you are as good at batting as people think you are, Yukio prayed.

He pitched, and the ball went clean past Maekawa’s bat.

For a few seconds, his mind was blank. He had no idea what to do.

When Maekawa walked up to him with a smiling face, he regained his composure.

There were just the two of them. No one saw him this time.

Was Yukio in the clear?

After patting his shoulder, Maekawa said, “Well done. Try to do a curveball this time, okay? Good luck.”

Yukio was almost beside himself. Not only he wasn’t angry, he was giving him suggestions! Did he realize that playing Yukio could be good for his batting as well?

With renowned spirit, he prepared himself for the next pitch. Maekawa was also ready with the bat.

As he pitched, Maekawa swung his bat. But it didn’t hit the ball.

It hit Yukio.

He could’ve sworn that it wasn’t an accident. The bat was intentionally thrown towards him. If he didn’t guard himself at the last moment, it would’ve hit his face.

Yukio fell on the ground; more due to shock than the force of the bat. His right arm stopped the bat, and it was hurting like hell.

He was suddenly on the verge of crying.

After coming near him, Maekawa spat on the ground.

“Pathetic.”

He wasn’t even trying to hide that he did it intentionally. Probably because there was no one around them.

After he turned and started walking, Yukio’s pain suddenly turned into rage.

Why was this happening to him?

It was Maekawa who talked to him first. Although he later discovered why, he fulfilled his part, and kept paying for them. He joined the baseball club to help his classmates, and to get closer to people. He did everything that was asked of him, everything that he needed to do. And this is what he got in return?

So this was the true face of the person he admired so much? Someone who makes friends just to exploit them? Someone who is so bad at batting he can’t hit the ball of a ‘newbie’?

And he was calling Yukio 'Pathetic'?

“Hey!”

Before Maekawa could turn around properly, the bat struck his right hand, hard.

With a loud cry, he fell on the ground, face down.

“What? Already injured? Did you see me screaming when you throwed this bat at me? Huh?”

Finding no answer, Yukio targeted his left hand this time.

With another scream, he turned around. His eyes were directed at Yukio now.

And Yukio was tasting a delicious fear.

“What? Wanna play? This is the only game you can play, right? Not that you can hit a single pitch of mine. Proper pitches, I mean.”

“D… damn you!” Maekawa was finally talking, “You bastard, just see what happens to you…”

“YOU THINK I CARE?!”

With all his power, Yukio swung the bat.

This time aiming for his head.


“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Thank God he’s alive, otherwise even I couldn’t have stopped the criminal charges. Do you know how much I had to pay to shut his family’s mouth? Do you?”

“How could you do that, Yuki? How? What if he died? And for what, a baseball game? What is wrong with you?!”

“To think that my sister was raising such an insolent child…”


Blood, blood everywhere.

He was standing over an ocean of blood.

His hands were red, and full of scars.

Several corpses were floating in the ocean around him. They had a familiar face.

His own face.

Suddenly, the ocean vanished.

There was just darkness. Another look revealed the ocean was filled with black soot, with a dying ember in its midst.

A scream filled the atmosphere, as the ember vanished.


When Yukio regained consciousness, a pair of large eyes were observing him.

He quickly raised his head, realizing he wasn’t in that building anymore. It was a big house that almost looked like a storage shed. He was lying on a bed, with a white cover on top of him.

He was wearing a white T-shirt and white jeans. Not the dress he was wearing when… he left his apartment.

And a young girl was staring intently at him.

She had European features, yet looked pacific. Her dress was the strangest one Yukio had ever seen. It looked like she wrapped a bandage around herself, but it was actually a piece of long cloth sewn that way. And it also made her features prominent…

“Good morning, Yukio-kun!” The girl said as he was staring at her. At her face.

Exiting autopilot, Yukio suddenly felt very confused.

What happened? Where was he? It definitely wasn’t the place he was protecting. Then…

“Who are you?” He somehow forced the words out.

“Oh, I am sorry. I should have given my introduction.”

Her Japanese sounded strained, indicating it wasn’t her native language. Was he still in a different world?

“Hello. I am Wei. Wei Barog.”

“Hello…”

He was trying to decide whether to ask her their location or the outcome of his battle with the Tiztaanian, when someone entered the house.

“Sugi!” Yukio exclaimed.

So it meant Amanda did look for him, and he was saved by-

“Listen, Yukio.” Sugi interrupted his thought process.

“Before you speculate anything, let me tell you the truth.”

“The truth?”

“Yes.”

Then Sugi said something that confirmed all the suspicions he had for a long time.

“Ever since the beginning, everyone has been lying to you.”

“What do you mean…” Yukio uttered, but he knew what Sugi meant.

“And before I say anything more,” Sugi took out something from his pocket, “You need to tell me where you got this.”

He was holding a ring.

The one Yukio found on Earth 2.0.