Name: Akira Takizawa

Age: 14

School: Nishira High

Extra-Curricular: Baseball team (batter/backup pitcher)

Friends: Mihashi, Abe, Tajima

I wasn’t too thrilled about starting high school, especially since I was abroad in a different country.   I mean, of course I’ve always wanted to go to Japan, but it still when you’re the ‘foreign kid’. I was roaming the grounds for an extra-curricular to join when I heard someone call out to me. “Young lady, would you come here a minute?”

I turned to see a woman in a jumpsuit standing by a bunch of guys my age. I ran over to here and asked what the matter was. Then she squealed, making me jump. “I knew it, you are Takizawa!” I nodded frantically, wondering what she wanted with me.

“You were a star batter back west weren’t you?” she asked with her eyes sparkling. I gulped and turned pale. I was hoping that reputation hadn’t followed me. “You’re gonna join our baseball team, right?” she asked earnestly. I looked to might right, started by the boys.

They were all staring at me, waiting for my answer. “I, uh.” I said twiddling my fingers. “I’m sorry…but I can’t.” The coach’s smiled dropped into a sad face. “But why not?” she asked. A chill ran up my spine. “I…I just can’t.” I said. “You could at least show us what you’ve got first.” I turned to see a boy with spikey black hair handing me an aluminum bat. I was hesitant at first, but eventually I took it. The coach shouted triumphantly, making me jump again. One demonstration couldn’t hurt, right?

I went to the girl’s locker room and took off my skirt, so I could wear the shorts I had hidden underneath. I trotted up to the field and headed for the batter’s box. The boy who handed me the bat was the catcher, so he was waiting for me there. “How long have you been batting?” he asked. I fixed my helmet and shrugged. “Since the beginning of junior high, I guess.” I mumbled. He held out his hand and tried to look friendly. “My name’s Abe, it’s a pleasure to be catching for you today.” I shook his hand, a little embarrassed. I held the bat with both hands, trying to get a good grip on it while Abe crouched into position. I looked at the pitcher’s mound and saw a boy stare at me, kind of skittish. He must have been pretty nervous. Then the other players crowded behind him to watch. I took a deep breath and got into my stance. The boy took a deep breath and wound up for a pitch. As it came at me, I noticed that the pattern was a fast ball, and once it came towards the box I began to swing. Clink! The ball soared over the park and my hands tensed. Triple, please at least make it a triple! I thought. But no such luck, I’d hit a homerun. I looked at the guys, who were now staring where I’d hit the ball, completely amazed. “Awesome!” Abe shouted behind me, making me jump again. He looked at me over excitedly. “What else you got?!” he asked. My face started to sweat. The other guys ran over, congratulating me. I fixed my helmet sheepishly. “Well…uh, I can hit a double off a screwball, and a curve. And sometimes…” I wasn’t sure if I should say anymore. “Yeah and sometimes?” one of the boys asked, completely wound up. “Sometimes, I can hit a single off a slider, and even...” I gulped and fixed my helmet again. “A triple off a forkball…at least sometimes I can.” That really wound them up, especially the coach. “So you’re gonna join the team, right?” the same guy asked. I looked around and felt a sense of warmth. They actually wanted me to be a part of their team. I’d never been shown that kind of compassion, even in junior high. All my teammates there called me a showoff. But…these guys thought I was cool. “Sure…why not?” I said. They all shouted in triumph and coach ran over to hug me, or rather crush me. The energetic boy grabbed me and shook my hand. “Yurichiro Tajima, it’s nice to have you on the team Takizawa!” I tried my best to smile, but then the other players kept bombarding me with names. If coach hadn’t dragged me off to the locker room to try on my uniform, I might have fainted. I would have to ask the team manager about their names later.