Chapter 2: The Pre-Season Has Begun

"That’s all for today. The test next week will be covering this unit, so be prepared for it."

The bell rings, and the morning classes have officially ended. Entering the lunch period, Satou brings a chair and his lunch to my table.

"Hey Kawada, do you have the notes from last week?" Satou says as he eats the sandwich, "I was playing travel ball last week, so I missed out on all the lessons."

"I have them. I'll give them to you later today."

I take out the bento box Sakurai made for me, pretending to be normal. Satou stares at the bento box, seems like he has already caught on.

"So… who made your lunch today?" He teases me with a smug expression.

"What are you talking about?"

"Did Sakurai make this for you?"

I look away from him, hiding my embarrassed expression.

Inside the bento box, there are two onigiris, tamagoyaki, and some sides. Everything requires a lot of time and preparation to make, so it must have been a tiring morning for her.

"You are reading too much into it. I just broke my usual one last night and had to bring a different one," I reply to him and take the first bite of the onigiri.

This is so good. I thought to myself.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. Amari makes me one every now and then," he brags about it with a contented tone. "Anyway, are you coming to practice after school?"

"Yeah, I will. Why?"

"I just received a notice from the coach yesterday stating our invitation to play in the Spring Koshien," he shows me the letter. "I think this is a good opportunity for us to warm up before Summer Koshien comes around."

"I see, has the schedule come out yet?"

"Yep, I will announce it during practice today," he finishes his lunch and packs up his stuff. "I want to surprise everyone else, so make sure you don't tell the others about this until later."

He leaves the classroom. I look out of the window and gaze at the baseball field.

It's almost that time of the year. I thought to myself.

Finishing up the last bit of the onigiri, I pack the bento box into my backpack. I should give her something in return.

—-------------------------------------------

At 4:30 in the evening, the team arrives at the baseball field.

"Now that everyone is here, let's get started," Satou walks out of the dugout. "Because of our 4th-place finish last year, we are invited to play in the Spring Koshien two months from now. 32 teams are playing in the elimination format, and we will play two matches per week up until the semi-final and final bracket."

"Who are we playing in our first match?" Takahara, our first baseman, asks.

"Our first match will be against Funabashi High School on April 5th. They are the powerhouse in the Kanto Region and finished 8th in the Summer Koshien last year," he checks the schedule on his phone. "That's all the information I have for now. I will be sending out the schedule later today."

The meeting is dismissed. Everyone goes back to their spot to continue their practice for the day. Going back to the dugout, I put on my mitt and grab a baseball from the bucket.

"I am throwing a bullpen session today. Can you catch for me?" I throw the baseball to Satou.

"Sure."

—-------------------------------------------

Two hours later, the practice is over. After organizing my equipment and changing out of my baseball uniform, I walk out of the locker room. Around the corner, I notice Sakurai standing right by the dugout.

“Sorry, was that a long wait?”

“Oh no, not at all.”