𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 [𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐮𝐲𝐚 𝐬.]

𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧.

katsumi frowned as kiryu made a double play, getting both ryosuke and jun out. katsumi put her helmet down, humming in discontent. 'i wanted to bat...' she pulled her mitt on, smiling at jun as he stomped back to the dugout.

"player change!" kataoka called out. "pitcher change from furuya to sawamura, and left fielder miyuki to furuya. furuya... you'll be playing as the left fielder. but you'll be in right field in the summer's league tournament. you must do your role of fielding properly!" furuya sweat dropped, and katsumi smiled softly, taking her notepad out and drawing something, before handing it to him.

he tilted his head, looking down at the paper and seeing a smiley face. he smiled lightly, and katsumi grinned, walking into the dugout. kataoka looked to eijun. "sawamura, you'll just..."

"yes! yes!" eijun yelled.

"well, you'll just have to pitch properly." kataoka walked away, and katsumi giggled.

"nothing's really expected of you, huh?" kuramochi snickered.

"don't say it!" eijun growled.

"haha... if he really expected nothing from your pitches, then he wouldn't have put you on the reserve!" kazuya smirked. "you have your own unique abilities! just believe in yourself, and pitch! well then... it's starting!"

"let's go!" eijun yelled. "i'll be letting them hit like crazy, so please... take care of the rest!"

"hehe... don't you get the jitters now!" kuramochi smirked.

"i've heard that if they get too many hits off you, you'll be replaced immediately!" furuya muttered, walking to left field.

"ah, even i'm starting to get nervous." haruno gasped.

"me too, but at least katsumi-chan is getting a break." akina murmured.

"oh, you're right... poor thing is probably in pain." haruno frowned.

"ganbette, eijun!" haruichi smiled from the dugout, smiling wider as katsumi sat down next to him, hugging her stomach inconspicuously.

"play!"

katsumi clicked her fidget cube nervously, eyes fixed on eijun's pitch. the batter didn't move, and the ball hit kazuya's mitt loudly. "nice pitch!" the catcher called out. eijun looked down at his hand, chuckling softly. he pitched once more, the ball flying to right field. katsumi frowned slightly, slumping down on the bench. haruichi smiled softly.

"you want to be out there, don't you?" he asked her. she nodded, puffing her cheeks out. "i do too..." he looked back to the game, and katsumi nudged him slightly. she smiled at him, and he returned it.

"mwahaha! you fell for it!" the two looked up, seeing eijun throw the ball to yuki in attempt to stop the runner's steal. katsumi glanced down to his feet, deadpanning.

"a balk..." haruichi and katsumi sweat dropped.

"how was it?!" eijun laughed maniacally. "that was the pickoff move chris-senpai personally taught me!!" katsumi looked to chris, who sweat dropped.

"balk! runner advances to second base!" kazuya smiled in shock and eijun gasped.

"w- why?!"

"your leg was completely lifted towards the home plate. that's a balk no matter how you look at it." yuki explained, throwing the ball back to eijun.

"sorry... he's a guy that learns really slowly..." chris muttered.

"ah.. i know..." kataoka replied. katsumi and haruichi looked at each other, and katsumi giggled slightly. the corners of haruichi's mouth turned up, and he looked back to the game.