Souta Fushimi – One Week Later
The moment we got back to Nagano, something had changed.
Eijun was waking up earlier.
I was pushing myself harder.
Neither of us said it out loud, but I knew we had both seen it. That level. That connection. That dream.
We weren't just playing baseball anymore.
We were chasing it.
The summer sun beat down hard, but we didn't stop. We were practicing in my backyard again Eijun pitching, me catching. Sweat dripping. Hands blistering.
Eijun stood on the dirt patch in my backyard, glove under his arm, twisting his shoulder around in lazy circles.
"Alright!" he chirped. "Let's do five to the inside!"
I crouched down, flashing the sign.
Eijun's eyes lit up. He loved it when I called pitches, even if we were just messing around.
He took a deep breath, then began his motion still a bit wild-looking, like he was stretching too far. But it was smoother now. More focused.
He landed, rotated, fired, 'thwack.'
Just barely off the inside edge.
"Too much tail," I said. "But close!"
He scrunched his face. "I tried to hold it a little longer like Uncle Kazuki says. Maybe I held too long…"
His analysis wasn't perfect, but he thought about it, processed it.
Pitch two. Inside corner, much better.
Pitch three. Low and in. "Strike!"
Pitch four. Wild.
Pitch five. Nailed it.
He pumped his fist. "YES!! Nailed it!"
Then he tripped over his own feet jogging back to the bucket and faceplanted in the grass.
"…I'm okay!" he shouted into the lawn.
I sighed, smiling. That was Eijun.
Unrefined, learning, trying hard.
Eight years old, but already walking a different path.
Later That Evening – Under the Lantern Light
We were sitting on the wooden deck outside my house, our arms sore and our legs like jelly. Fireflies blinked in the grass.
"Hey," I said, breaking the silence.
Eijun tilted his head.
"You think we could go to the US next year to see a real MLB game? Not an exhibition one but a real one during MLB season."
He blinked. Then his face lit up like someone flipped a switch.
"That would be… amazing!"
We looked over at my dad and Eijun's uncle sitting a few feet away, quietly talking over cold drinks.
Eijun and I stood up and walked over.
"Dad," I began.
"Uncle Kazuki," Eijun added.
They both looked at us.
"We've been thinking…" I started, carefully. "Do you think next summer… we could go to America?"
"To see a real MLB game," Eijun added. "During the season."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "You sure it's not just for hot dogs and ball caps?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "We want to see that level. In its real form. On its real stage."
Riku looked at Kazuki.
Kazuki grinned. "You hear that?"
"Yeah," Riku said softly. "I hear ambition."
Kazuki leaned back, folding his arms. "Well… if you two train like maniacs and keep your grades up…"
Riku chuckled. "We'll talk about booking tickets come spring."
Eijun lit up. "YES!!"
I just smiled, letting it soak in.
A goal. A journey. A promise.