Wanna take a swing?

The short-haired boy with black hair had great determination in his eyes as he waited for a response. Neo, on the other hand, was confused.

"What do you mean by 'swing'?"

The boy chuckled lightly.

"Well, you just have to hit the ball with the bat."

Neo observed the remaining baseball team members who were practicing. There were four boys besides the one he was talking to. One was tall and slim with black hair, running alongside another boy who looked very similar to the one he was talking to, except his hair was shaved short. Neo's focus turned to the other two boys: one of average height with light brown hair and the other one short with red-dyed hair. Both were practicing their swings, and Neo was startled by the sound when the boy with brown hair hit the ball.

"I've never done this before."

The black-haired boy was disappointed with the response, seeming even annoyed.

"That wasn't the question. Do you want to give it a try?"

Silence hung in the air, as if time had stopped and even the wind had ceased for a moment to observe Neo's response. He looked from side to side, thinking about his answer.

"I want to."

The black-haired boy smiled and turned to the rest of the team.

"Shio! Get that bat for me."

Neo looked curiously as the shorter boy with red hair grabbed a blue baseball bat from a bag on the ground.

"And what's your name?"

"Neo, and yours?"

Shio handed the bat to the boy.

"Takeshi."

Looking closely, the bat had an arrow-shaped sticker with the words "Blue Lightning" on it. Neo shook it slightly, feeling its light yet heavy weight. He felt a nostalgic sensation as he sensed its movement, as if the object was an extension of his arm.

"Now that you're used to it, are you ready?"

Neo stood still, waiting for something to happen, looking from side to side, and finally at Takeshi's face with uncertainty.

"Oh, right... I forgot you don't know what to do. Look, I'll explain it to you," he pointed to one of the corners of the diamond on the ground. "First, go over there."

Neo walked to first base.

"Shio, you're going to pitch."

Shio looked concerned.

"Are you sure? The kid barely knows what to do."

"Yes, and I want you to go all out, pitch as you normally would."

Shio was surprised.

"Alright then. Don't complain later if the kid can't even see the ball."

Takeshi just smiled, and Shio looked annoyed as he took his position. The other boys on the team gathered to watch what would happen next.

"Now, get ready to swing, that is, just hit the ball and send it far when Shio pitches."

Takeshi stepped back, and Neo assumed a perfect stance. Had he really never played baseball before?

Shio prepared to pitch, and Neo's breathing became heavier. All the noise around him became muffled, until it disappeared completely. It reached the point where he could only hear his own breathing and the beating of his heart—it was just him and the ball he needed to hit.

The red-haired boy took a leap and threw the spinning ball with force, confusing Neo's vision. He couldn't predict where it would be or when he should swing. Without realizing it, his body was already moving, and at the moment the ball came close enough, Neo closed his eyes.

He heard the thud of the bat, which made him open his eyes. He had hit the ball and sent it far away, so far that it went beyond the school.

That was a surprise. Shio was the most surprised of them all. Takeshi seemed satisfied, as if he had been expecting it.

"Sorry, guys, I ended up losing your ball. If you want, I can go get it for you."

Neo was very happy to have hit the ball but felt bad for losing someone else's ball right after meeting them.

"Don't worry about the ball. That was impressive, kid. I can see you have a future as a batter," said the tall, slim boy.

"Thank you," Neo said, smiling.

"That was really impressive. I hardly ever hit one like that," said the boy with brown hair.

"What's your name again?" Shio asked.

"Neo, my name is Neo."

"And hey, don't you guys have manners? Introduce yourselves," Takeshi complained.

The tallest boy approached.

"Sorry for my lack of manners earlier. My name is Pietro."

He extended his hand, and Neo shook it.

"Nice to meet you."

Neo looked at the boy with the shaved head, who was a little distant from the group. Unlike the others, he seemed quiet.

"That's my brother Tadashi. He's not one to interact much. But it doesn't mean he's a bad person. I'd say he has his own way of speaking," Takeshi said, noticing Neo's interest in his brother.

Tadashi waved at him, and Neo waved back.

The boy with brown hair approached and lightly slapped Neo on the back.

"So, your name is Neo. Man, that hit was really impressive. I can only do something like that by luck, if at all."

"And what's your name?"

"Maeda. My name is Maeda. And by the way, this shorty here is our best pitcher. His name is Shike, but we call him Shio."

Shike was irritated by what was said about him.

"Hey, don't call me shorty." Everyone looked at him as if they found it strange that he would get angry about something that was true, and he responded, "You guys are just too tall."

Neo laughed.

"Nice to meet all of you."

Everyone had introduced themselves, and Takeshi added at the end.

"Our team isn't complete today. Lenner is out with his girlfriend, and Nagoya must be helping his grandmother at the store. Maybe one day you'll meet them."

He extended his hand to Neo. They shook hands and gave a light shake.

"Nice to meet you, Neo."

The boy felt a bit pressured, not because of the handshake but because of the penetrating gaze from Takeshi.

"Nice to meet you too."

As they let go of each other's hands, Takeshi looked at his watch.

"Guys, it's time to eat. Let's wrap up the practice for today. I'm sure everyone's starving."

"Great, I was already starving," said Maeda.

Everyone agreed and started to leave, leaving Neo alone. Takeshi looked at the lonely boy and said,

"Neo, do you want to have lunch with us? I'll treat you."

"Sure," Neo said with a smile.