After getting off the train, Hiratsuka Ryosuke walks home. As he approaches the river, a charming voice calls out from behind him.
"Little Ryosuke~"
Ryosuke doesn't stop. He continues walking.
Tap, tap, tap.
Quick footsteps follow him from behind. He feels a light pat on his shoulder. "Oh, how cold. You're hurting your big sister's feelings," Yukinoshita Haruno says with a mournful tone.
"Yukinoshita Haruno, we aren't that close. And stop calling yourself 'big sister' in front of me," Ryosuke says, stopping and glancing at the girl beside him. He wasn't going to acknowledge her, but her use of "big sister" bothers him. The only "big sister" he acknowledges is Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Haruno's brown eyes light up with interest. She covers her mouth with her hand and feigns surprise. "Oh, is Little Ryosuke a sister-con?"
Ryosuke ignores the eccentric girl. He feels like nothing good ever comes from her. He speeds up, trying to put distance between them.
"Little Ryosuke, don't be like that. You've met Yumeno Sakiko, right? I went to great lengths to get them to be your illustrator. Aren't you touched?" Haruno tries to take credit.
Ryosuke's face shows a rare look of surprise. You were behind all of this?As I thought, nothing good happens when I'm involved with this person. His face darkens, and he walks faster.
"Hey, why are you walking so fast?!" Haruno says, running after him and wrapping her arms around his arm.
Ryosuke feels his right arm sink into something soft, like pudding. But he has no lewd thoughts. He simply stops and looks at the girl beside him. "What do you want? Why are you always bothering me?" he says coldly.
Seeing that Ryosuke isn't leaving, Haruno lets go of his arm but stays close. The river breeze blows her bobbed hair. She tucks her hair behind her ear. "What do I want? Isn't it obvious?" She then adds, "Yukinoshita is so pitiful." She starts counting on her fingers. "Let me see. She has a lot of rivals."
"There's the childhood friend Nibutani Shinka, the cute Nishimiya Shoko, and that diplomat's daughter from the art exhibition today. What was her name again?" Haruno pretends to think, then claps her hands. "Ah, Sawamura Spencer Eriri! My, they're all very cute girls."
"Ryosuke, is there a problem with a big sister keeping an eye on her sister's brother-in-law?" Haruno asks, smiling warmly at Ryosuke.
"That's a ridiculous reason. I asked Shizuka-san, and I'm not engaged to your sister. Stop trying to get close to me," Ryosuke says. He looks at Haruno and warns her, "And stop disrupting my life, you sister-con."
"What gives a sister-con like you the right to say that? Little Ryosuke," Haruno says, feigning great offense.
Her face changes as fast as the weather in June. One moment she's complaining, the next she's smiling brightly. "But it's so strange that Little Shizuka would lie to her own brother. You're more of a big brother than a little brother to her. I wish I had a big brother like you... I'm almost jealous of Little Shizuka."
"The thing a person wants most is always owned by someone else. And to the person who has it, it holds little value," Ryosuke says without any emotion. "It's a rare miracle for what you want to be the same as what you have."
"Whether it's a tragedy or a comedy, it's all based on whether that miracle exists. That's how the world works."
"Yukinoshita Haruno, what you have is better than what most people in this world have." Ryosuke doesn't know why he's saying these things. To him, the present is more important than the past or the future. He shakes his head and walks away without waiting for her reply.
Seeing that he's actually leaving, Haruno drops her act. "Hey, Little Ryosuke! I have a real reason for finding you." She runs up to him and hands him an invitation.
"What's this?" Ryosuke asks, looking at the invitation without taking it.
"An invitation to my birthday party. It's on July 7th." Haruno's face is sunny, but her smile doesn't reach her eyes. "Yukinoshita always celebrated my birthday with me. I hope you'll come this time."
"I'm not interested," Ryosuke says. He just wants to leave. What is this? Does she really see me as a substitute for her sister? He isn't interested in Haruno's party. He's been to a similar one before, at his sister's birthday party when he was a child. The birthday party was just an excuse for important people in Chiba to gather. At the party, glasses clinked, and the fates of countless people were decided in conversations. The hosts were the heads and heirs of powerful families. If it weren't for her status as an heir, few people would care about Haruno's birthday.
Haruno doesn't follow him this time. She stands in place, waving the invitation. "That's a shame. Little Shizuka will be there too."
In a flash, the invitation is in Ryosuke's hand. "I understand," he says.
"Make sure you come, Little Ryosuke~" Haruno smiles as if she has completed a task. She waves and says goodbye.
Ryosuke puts the invitation in his pocket. He sees a boy with a troubled look on his face standing under a cherry blossom tree.
"Hiratsuka, are you free?" Hayama Hayato asks calmly.
Ryosuke nods. He has time today, and he has no ill will towards Hayama.
Hayama smiles and says casually, "Then let's go somewhere to relax."
A Baseball Battle
At the batting cage, Hayama Hayato swings the bat with all his might. The composite bat makes a satisfying sound as it hits the baseball. Ryosuke never expected Hayama to bring him here.
After finishing a set, Hayama turns to Ryosuke. "How about it? Want to give it a try?"
"I've never played baseball," Ryosuke says honestly. Baseball is a very popular sport in Japan, especially the Koshien tournament for high school students. If a student performs well in Koshien, they can become a star with a high income. Since he's already here, Ryosuke walks into the cage next to Hayama. He holds the bat tightly and stares at the pitching machine. A baseball flies towards him. He sees the bat as a sword and the ball as a target to be cut down. He focuses and becomes one with the bat.
CLANG! CLANG!
One by one, the balls are all hit. Hayama is surprised. Ryosuke is not only good at kendo, but he's also good at baseball. A fire lights up in Hayama's eyes. He picks up his bat and says brightly, "Hiratsuka, want to have a little competition? Ten balls each."
Ryosuke nods. He has a feeling he knows why Hayama came to him.
They both get serious. One ball after another, they are all hit. Ryosuke says calmly, "Hayama, you seem to care a lot about Yukinoshita Haruno."
Hayama is briefly distracted and misses a ball. He doesn't reply. He focuses again for the next ball. The competition quickly ends. The final score is 10 to 9, with Hayama losing by one ball.
"I didn't know you were so good at baseball, Hiratsuka. Have you really never played before?" Hayama asks, wiping his sweat with a towel.
"I haven't. I just saw the bat as a sword and the ball as an attack to be cut down," Ryosuke replies.
"That's so like you, Hiratsuka," Hayama says, shaking his head. He then says to himself, "It seems she's very interested in you."
"She doesn't interfere with things she's not interested in. She plays with things she likes until they break, and she completely destroys things she hates. To her, you're the former, and I'm... the latter." Hayama's expression is complex. There's disappointment, envy, and a bit of frustration. But Hayama is good at regulating his emotions. His face quickly returns to normal.
"Hiratsuka, how many years have you been doing kendo?" he asks.
"About six years," Ryosuke says casually.
Hayama clenches the towel in his hand as if he's made a big decision. He turns to Ryosuke and says seriously, "I've only been doing kendo for a month. But I want to challenge you in my third year, Hiratsuka Ryosuke."
Ryosuke sees the determination in Hayama's eyes. He doesn't say that Hayama would still lose even after three years of practice. He never makes fun of people who work hard, no matter the result. He knows this is a challenge that Hayama is making, knowing he's going to lose. Hayama thinks Ryosuke's silence means he's not even worthy of being a rival. But Ryosuke's next words reignite his fighting spirit.
Ryosuke says just as seriously, "I accept your challenge, Hayama Hayato."