Big Book of Writing

No Strikes (Kazuhiro, BDR:CP)

This is a commission for the same friend, I hope they like this one too!

***

On a hot summer day, there are many things that one can do with their leisure time. For example, you can jump into a cold pool and swim for a while, hold a barbecue, go travelling and shopping all day, or staying inside with the air conditioning on like a reasonable person.

...Or, if you were in the newest class to be enrolled into Hope's Peak Academy, you could be stuck outside and forced to play a mandatory game of baseball for gym class.

Hiroto considered himself athletic enough that maybe he'd have something to do on the baseball diamond, but he found himself being placed in the outfield, where he was sure nobody in his class could hit that far.

He had wanted to go home earlier in the day, due to classes at the academy not being mandatory, but he had heard that his sister was home and binge-watching a new anime series, so there was no chance that he was going back home right now.

If you asked him, it wouldn't be so bad playing outfield, aside from how boring it was. However, there was another reason he was suffering. He had ended up being put next to the most insufferable person in class.

"Out of all people, why would they put ME on the outfield? Don't they realize how valuable it would be to have me playing a role that would help them succeed?!" Kazuya fumed next to him. "Seriously, this is why I hate dealing with teammates."

"You know, maybe they're onto something," Hiroto dryly replied. "You think there's no reason that they put you out here? You know, away from everyone else?"

"Oh, shut up. They put you on outfield too. Nobody's gonna fucking hit it in our direction and you know it," the golf pro grumbled. Hiroto guessed that he was more pissed about his wounded pride than his actual position.

"Literally no one is taking the game seriously. Ume's doodling in the dirt, and she's on third base," the vigilante pointed out, though this only served to make the athlete more cross. "And I thought you wouldn't even show up for class. You do know that attendance isn't mandatory, right?"

"Gym class is the only class I like, but I didn't know that we were supposed to do a team game today," Kazuya explained. "And besides, you didn't skip either."

"My sister is home, so I choose not to be," was what he chose to say in the end.

Kazuya let out a small laugh. "So, you've chosen to be with the rest of those dregs instead of doing literally anything else. Didn't I tell you that you should shake off the rest of these losers?"

"Yeah, the same way I told you that being a prick won't get you into Waseda." Hiroto suddenly spotted a dark blur out of the corner of his eye and called out, "Heads up!"

Thanks to the warning, the golf pro automatically moved and caught the fly ball in midair. The catch counted as an out, and Hiroto could hear Daigo screeching in fury. He must have been the one up to bat. Kazuya threw the ball back to Hana, who was the pitcher.

"Anyways, they don't even like you enough to let you be infield. Or maybe, do you even have any baseball skills in the first place? Let's hope you're not on the same level as that short kid," he mocked.

The only person up to bat they had watched was Yukio, and that's when they lost interest. That didn't stop Hiroto from rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Hey, I have some skills. A bat's as easy to swing as a pipe, right? And I can run-"

"Hold on, what kind of person are you to use a damn steel pipe? For someone who won't say his talent, are you more of a delinquent than I thought?"

"I don't know, maybe you can find out since i'm so 'straightforward'?"

"OI! HIROTO! KAZUYA!" Hana called from the pitcher's mound. "THE TEAMS ARE SWITCHING PLACES!"

"About time," Kazuya huffed, and the two of them began heading to the benches for their turn.

As Hiroto was about to sit down, he was suddenly pushed to the front of the lineup by several other teammates, who wanted him to go first. The vigilante sighed and went to the home plate, picking up the baseball bat and getting into position.

Unfortunately for him, the other team's pitcher was Daigo, who looked like he had volunteered solely because it meant that he could get back at Hiroto and Kazuya for earlier. Hiroto was slightly nervous, but he took a deep breath in and began to focus. He had dealt with things being thrown his way before as 'Revenger Red'. He would be fine here.

Daigo finally threw the ball, which came at rapid speed, and the vigilante hit it hard enough for it to sail far through the air. He immediately dropped the bat and ran, but  began to slow a bit as he approached first base.

"Run, you idiot! Keep running!" he heard Kazuya shout from the bench, and his speed accelerated as he took a glance towards the outfield. Mitsuba and Honoka were bickering over who would get to throw the ball to Daigo, which gave Hiroto enough time to pass second base.

Most of his team began to let out whoops and hollers as Hiroto reached third base, as his classmates finally started getting their shit together and got the ball. By the time the ball got back to the hooligan on the pitcher's mound, Hiroto had already succeeded in a home run.

Half of the opposing team looked like they were about to burst a blood vessel, with some of them scolding Mitsuba and Honoka, and most of Hiroto's team welcomed him with congratulatory pats on the back. Ignoring the bragging of his team to the others, he went to take his place at the back, unluckily next to Kazuya.

"Beginner's luck. Why did I help you," Kazuya muttered, though loud enough so that Hiroto could hear him.

"Shut up. The look on Daigo's face was gold and you know it."