Big news!
Mizuki apparently confessed his love to Aoba!
And what did Aoba say?
Do you think anyone could possibly turn down someone like Mizuki?
Lucky Aoba!
Geez.
Don't worry about it.
Everyone's just jealous.
You guys would make such a cute couple, after all.
This looks like  田 your 田  handwriting.
Don't worry about it.
That's right;
those who are happy shouldn't need to worry about anything,
right?
You guys!
Stop right there!
How did they find out?
What?
You said it yourself loud and clear this morning.
So they actually heard me talking to myself?
Talking out loud like that doesn't count as "talking to yourself"!
Oh, darn it.
She hasn't given me an answer yet, though.
Did you say something?
We couldn't hear you when you were talking to yourself this time.
That's why it's called "talking to yourself."
You having fun, pitching like that?
Should I swap out?
No, it's fine.
It's hard for me to pitch with you looking at me like that.
Then how do you expect to become a proper pitcher?
There'll be 50,000 people watching you if you make it to the Koshien.
Not watching from this close to me, though.
You dummy, TV cameras will zoom in this close.
But then again, I guess the cameras themselves won't be right in your face.  田
O-Of course they won't!
All right, then.
Sorry for the disruption.
Geez.
What's wrong, Tsukishima?
Your face is red.
Do you have a fever or something?
I'm just angry, that's all.
Impressive.
So you don't regret staying behind with our team at all?
It's too early to regret it.
Yeah.
But after this summer, even transferring to other schools won't help you.
I know.
Don't blame Ko if we don't make it to the Koshien, okay?
It would be the rest of the team's fault if we couldn't make it to the Koshien with me and Kitamura on the team.
Catch some pitches for me, Akaishi.
Hello?
Oh well.
I guess I'll go running instead.
One, two...  田
One, two...
One, two...
One, two...
Could you go home already?
How long do you plan to stick around on one cup of coffee?
That's no way to talk to a senior on your baseball team!
You're just a customer when we're back here at the restaurant.
Neither a successful CEO nor a senior would be treated differently;
we're all equals here.
On the other hand,
this is no way to talk to a customer at your restaurant.
It's Akaishi-senpai.
Who's he with?
That's Kyoko Nakagawa from the track team.
He looks like he's having fun, despite having made all that fuss about her being annoying.
That punk.
Aren't you a jealous one.
Let me get more water.
Now that I think about it, where'd that guy go?
That guy?
The cousin that everyone's talking about.
He left this morning while it was still dark,
saying he was going to walk up a mountain.
He's a good guy, isn't he?
You don't even know him that well.
Am I wrong?
He's a good guy.
I see.
Thanks, Aoba.
I'll take over now.
Let me get a Napolitan!
You punk, so this is what you've been waiting for!
Could you come here for a second, Ichiyo?
Coming!
Sorry, Aoba.
An order of Napolitan for you, sir?
Oh wow.
You actually finished every last bit of Aoba's Napolitan.
Maybe it was because I haven't had it in a while,
but it was actually okay.  田
She tried her best to make it delicious.
Just for you, Ko.
Yeah, right.
You're bound to get better if you fail that many times, whether you like it or not.
She tried her best to make it delicious, just for you.
You're not going to go outside on a nice day like this?
Practice has been getting tough recently,
so I need to lounge around every now and then.
I heard Aoba introduced you to a girl in her class not too long ago.
Oh yeah.
I couldn't do anything about it since Aoba forced me to meet her.
Apparently, that girl thought we were good friends just because we've known each other since we were little.
Aoba was angry, saying you were pretentious for snubbing such a nice and pretty girl like her.
It's not like I said "no" to the girl because I didn't like her.
You haven't been on a date since Wakaba passed away, right, Ko?
I'm sure Wakaba wouldn't mind
if you were to date a girl who really likes you for who you are.
She wouldn't.
Check, please.
Sure thing.
What about you, Ichiyo?
What about me?
Do you actually like Azuma's brother?
I do.
Did you like anyone before him?
Of course.
You've seen them before, also, haven't you, Ko?
A few of them.
I tend to forget about them when we break up.
Other than the fact that I used to like them, that is.
Is that bad?
I can't say.
Hi, Ichiyo!
Hey, Ko!
Where's Yuhei?
We're not always together, you know.
Keep what I told you just now a secret, okay?
I haven't actually told him myself yet.
I'll get going, then.
What did you tell him?
What was it?
What would you like to order?
Hey, Ko.
Come here for a second.
What about the front desk?
Don't worry about it.
It's not like we had a lot of customers today anyway.
I've been wanting to catch one of your pitches
ever since you became ace of the baseball team, Ko.
All right, let me have it!
That's fast!
I'm pretty good, huh?
Wow!
That reached me in no time.
No wonder you're the ace!
Dummy.
There's no way you'd be able to catch them
if he were pitching for real.
No way a substitute catcher from thirty years ago could, anyway.
Right, Waka?
Nice at-bat!
You're not going to praise him for that?
That ball was too easy.
You can't pitch like that against Yuhei.
The really impressive one here is Aoba, since she's shutting them out.
Right?
Oh, Mizuki.
I didn't know you came.
I've been watching from afar so that I wouldn't get in your way.
I knew you were a good guy when I first met you.
That's three outs; change sides!
How much longer are you going to let Tsukishima pitch?
The game's going to be over soon!
What am I supposed to do?
I promised her that I wouldn't sub her out until they scored a run off of her, remember?
You shouldn't have promised her—
Center field.
Get back on defense already.
On the double!
Huh?
Make sure he loses 5kg before the summer.
Yes, sir!
First base!
Out!
A sacrificial bunt, huh?
They're playing some smart baseball,
but they're watching the ball too much when they're up against someone with good control like Aoba.
They should have been more aggressive from the first pitch.
There's no way anyone could get to this one.
I'll let them score a run here and then it'll be my time to shine!
Center field!
That's three outs; change sides!
Sub me out for Kitamura-senpai starting next inning, Coach.
But you haven't given up a run yet.
I eased back a little on a pitch, and the batter crushed it.
Besides, I can't accept the fact that a fluke like that is what saved me.
Fluke, my ass.
Plays like that come as natural to me as sleeping, you know.
Yet you yourself were so surprised that you forgot to throw the ball back home.
Anyway, my eagerness to not give up until the very end was there.
If you were really eager not to give up until the end,
there's no way you would react so slowly after catching the ball like that, Senpai.
Stop complimenting me and cutting me down at the same time!
Those two are at it again.
Those two  田 are 田  alike, you know.
A plus and a plus will repel each other on a magnet, after all.
On the other hand you, Ichiyo, are a surefooted girl while I'm a slouch;
you pay attention to detail, while I just breeze along;
you like to keep tidy, while I go around making a mess all the time...
Do you have nothing but negative things to say for yourself?
Not at all.
You're hardworking, while I'm lazy;
you're honest, while I'm a liar.
Huh?
You're nice, while I'm meddlesome. Huh?
Geez, I can't hear any more of this.
He looks like he's enjoying himself, as usual. Your brother is, I mean.
Yeah.
It's all thanks to Tsukishima's sister.
What are you talking about?
He was  田 born 田  with that personality.
He used to force that kind of personality out of himself.
Before he met her, that is.
All right, Ko.
Don't strain yourself just to get back at Tsukishima, okay?
We're still adjusting your pitch right now.
You got that, ace?
Sure thing.
Strike!
Around how many km/h was that pitch just now?
I can't say.
He's not pitching his hardest, after all.
But he has good form and isn't straining himself.
Strike!
All right, we won!
They did score a run on us,
but we somehow managed to squeeze by with our lead from the first half.
It would have been a shutout if it weren't for somebody we know.
Don't forget about our promise, Mizuki!
I know.
What promise?
He promised to pay for my movie ticket if we won this game.
So you're going on a date, then.
A date?
He's just paying for my movie ticket.
It's just going to be the two of you, right?
Yeah.
That counts as a "date," right?
Of course it does.
But I sure am hungry.
You want to go eat something on our way home
to commemorate the new baseball team's first victory, Ko?
I can't let you do that.
You'll be going on a date with  田 me 田  on your way back home.
One, two...
One, two...
Why are you eating?
Going out with you is making  田 me 田  lose weight.
You should lose weight also!
Tsukishima walked by just now.
She's with her cousin, isn't she?
She said she was going to go watch a movie or something.
No, she was by herself.
By herself?
Sorry I'm late.
Oh don't worry about it.
I just got here, also.
Stop lying.
Ichiyo told me that you left thirty minutes ahead of me.
Why do we have to meet up here when we live in the same house anyway?
Well I thought I could create a better mood this way.
What mood?
Don't worry about it.
Let's go.
Try to guess which one I want to see.
I bet it's this one.
Wrong.
It's the one on the right.
Are you sure you're fine with that movie?
O-Oh no.
I just thought it wasn't your type of movie, that's all.
You didn't seem all that into it after the first half of the movie either.
That's not true.
I remember everything that happened.
Like what?
Let's see...
like that scene where the smoke from the bonfire kept following the guy in the direction he was running.
 田 That's 田  what you remember?
But there were so many other scenes that were better.
How did  田 you 田  like the movie then, Mizuki?
I really liked it.
It made me laugh and it also made me cry;
the movie was full of nice people and the kids were so cute...
That movie's actually from a few years back, isn't it?
Y-Yeah.
This was like a revival screening.
Aoba, could we hang out a little more?
Are you all right?
Why do you ask?
You don't seem all that energetic ever since that movie.
Oh that's rubbish.
Look! We're so high up!
But I guess this wouldn't count as "high" for you, Mizuki.
Since you climb mountains that are higher than this and all.
Yeah.
You're amazing.
Last year...
last year I almost died after getting lost in a snowy mountain.
At that moment I thought, "I want to see Aoba one more time."
Since you can't rule out death when it comes mountain climbing,
I thought I'd come tell you my feelings for you,
so I wouldn't regret it later.
It's not just mountains that you can't rule out death from.
That movie we just saw was one of Waka's favorites.
I see.
You're right.
It's not just mountains, after all.
So you guys  田 did 田  watch the movie together.
Yes, we did.
Which movie?
That's none of your business.
"The Field of Rape Blossoms."
"The Field of Rape Blossoms"?
Yeah, it's the one Waka liked a lot.
I bet you don't remember it.
I went to go watch it with her.
I still remember it.
Liar.
Waka was all angry and said you were asleep the entire time!
I wasn't asleep the  田 entire 田  time!
I still remember everything.
Like what?
Well, let's see...
I did watch it a long time ago...
See, what did I tell you?
The only types of movies you can sit through are action flicks, anime, and horror movies!
Wrong!
You forgot "slapstick comedy" in that list.
What are you all happy about it for?
Either way they're all movies that you don't need to use your head for!
What did you say?
Let's leave this loser alone and go, Mizuki.
You punk!
You can't call a senior from your baseball team a "loser"!
Smell you later, Kitamura- 田 senpai.
Why you—
What's all the ruckus about?
Leave me alone.
I mean, help me.
Now I remember!
That scene!
Where the smoke from the bonfire kept following the guy in the direction he was running.
What are you talking about?
The movie, man!
Well, forget it.
God, I'm starving!
Let's hurry back home.
You're all energetic now.
Huh?
Oh no, nothing.
I'm just talking to myself.
Maybe I should have played baseball, also.
Aoba's going to play in a game with a girls baseball team?
I'd never even thought about girls baseball before.
Ouka Women's University won the national collegiate league last year.
A few of their players are actually on the National Team.
I want to see how Aoba pitches against this kind of a lineup.
With you pitching for us, we won't know who'll come out ahead in this game!
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Twenty-Two:
You were underestimating it, weren't you?
I leave myself in your care.