Nyanta & Pomeko

Chapter 49: A different feeling than before

"We've got to get back to the game, right?　Shinjo!　Can you keep up with me?"

"N-no, I'll go separate ......."

"Let's race to the field!"

"O-oi, I'm talking——"

　I had come to watch the girls play volleyball, thinking I wouldn't be able to play baseball anyway.

　Then, before I knew it, there was Yamada beside me .......

　This guy seemed to have his eyes on Tanaka-san, and was cheering loudly.

　Then, when our class's volleyball game was over, he suddenly started talking to me.

　I started to run to the ground, pushed by Yamada's momentum.

　Yamada is on the baseball team, so he is the key to our strength. ...... Oi, aren't you supposed to win the game and go on a date with Tanaka-san?

　Apparently, from Yamada's point of view, his love for Tanaka-san outweighed the baseball game.

　...... For crying out loud it makes me smile to see it at all.

　Yamada, running beside me, was in a good mood.

"Hey, Shinjo, you look like you're having fun!　Shinozuka-san was very active, wasn't he!　I mean, you've stopped laughing like that!　It's much cooler that way!"

"Not really......"

　I touched my face. I'm sure I was laughing.

　...... Anri had been working really hard. I'm sure she will come to watch the baseball game after the volleyball is over.

　I didn't want to go to the ball game, but for some reason I felt an irresistible urge to go to the game.

"Oh, I see it. –A tie!?　Oh well, I'll turn it around from here!　Shinjo, you're batting for me next!"

"O-oi?!"

　Yamada hadn't started the game yet. The other classmates fought hard and somehow managed to keep the game tied.

　Just then, the enemy class was out and it was time for a change of offense and defense.

　Yamada just said that to me and blended in with the rest of his classmates.

　I could only watch from the outside.

　I still can't get used to this atmosphere.

　I feel alienated, but it's my fault that I haven't been proactive in getting closer to my classmates.

　......, but the feeling is different from the past. It's not the same nasty feeling I had back then.

　Yamada gets patted on the head by his classmates and chats with them. He is a great communicator. ...... Yamada is amazing. I don't know how to have a conversation like that.

　This is the first step in bringing Haruka and I closer, but it's only the first step.

　Slowly, slowly, I'm getting a sense of distance from her as a family.

　The biggest student in the class, Hirano from the judo club, sent a bat at me.

"...... Shinjo. Bat. Next. Substitute hit. I hate baseball. Please take my place."

　Hiratsuka, the most flirtatious guy in the class, was beside Hirano, who, unlike his appearance, had a mild face.

"We're not a baseball team!　You can just strike out!　Yamada's going to be so excited anyway. I was just trying to show Miyu-chan a nice side, you know~, Miyu-chan wasn't here...... Well, I guess you'll bat for Yamada, then."