My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

33. A Jumble of Emotions, the Long-Awaited Ballpark Date…! (2)

Top of the 4th, Lotte’s offense again.

The game was reaching its midpoint, and the score had widened to 5 to 1.

The 5 points were, of course, for the home team, LG, and the 1 point was for the away team, Lotte.

Even though I hoped that Aki’s mood would improve, and wished for Lotte to do well, the results were, predictably, poor, poor again.

The reason why the score gap was so wide was probably because of Lotte’s chronic problem, their dismal defense, which seemed to be holding the whole team back…

“No, why can’t they score on that?! Wow, seriously, wow, wow! It doesn’t make sense, they play like this and they’re still called baseball players? They get paid a salary? Huh, huh?!”

It didn’t seem like the reason why Lotte was losing was important to Aki right now.

Like the saying goes, if you stay quiet, you’re halfway there. I didn’t want to accidentally get caught in the crossfire, so I just kept my mouth shut and watched the game.

Aki was stuck right next to me, arms tightly crossed, breathing in short, sharp hisses like an incredibly pissed-off feline.

“If you’re gonna do something, do it right, ugh, seriously…. I bothered to make time to come see this…!”

She blew a fuse, kneading my shoulder and arm muscles like they were to blame.

She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it, fueled by her anger.

From my perspective, though, hmm.

“……”

It was subtly nice.

How do I put it? Aki’s soft hands kept touching the hard parts of my body, grabbing and squeezing with just enough pressure to not really hurt, it was like getting a massage. I felt a strange pressure, a weird kind of sensation… almost.

“……Ah, again! He missed that?!”

“Wow…. That was close.”

“Augh, seriously! Another strikeout! If a team that only does well in the spring can’t even do well in the spring, what the heck is even the point, you idiots…!”

*Koo-ook*-.

Aki, voice raised to its highest, grabbed my arm hard.

Given the position of her arms crossed, that meant her chest and my arm muscles were naturally pressed together, squishing and mashing all over each other.

I was amazed, for two different reasons.

One was the ongoing string of errors from Lotte that I was seeing firsthand, which made me think ‘Wow, how can they be so bad at baseball?’ – a sense of astonishment.

The other was the unbelievably soft feeling pressing against my arm, making me think ‘Wow, this is crazy….’ – an involuntary gasp.

‘……Wow.’

This soft, tender, warm, and even slightly weighty sensation, was truly beyond words.

Long live baseball stadiums.

Lotte Giants, hooray……!

“Ugh, this is frustrating. …Woo-joo~chan!”

“……Huh? Why?”

“I’m (Atashi) so mad I’m gonna close my eyes, so wake me up if Lotte wins.”

“…….”

Wake her up if Lotte wins……?

I looked at the field.

Lotte, having just struck out, was already switching between offense and defense.

With the team down 5-1, the pitcher who stepped onto the mound was throwing at a pretty good clip, but…

──*Clang!*

The LG batter took a gorgeous swing, sending the ball flying out to the outfield where the Lotte fans were gathered.

Of course, in the process, Lotte committed yet another defensive error.

“Wow….”

Now the score was 6-1.

I glanced at Aki, her eyebrows twitching, and thought to myself:

Looking at the way Lotte’s playing, Aki might never open her eyes again.

‘Aki, 17 years old. A flower in her prime, she falls asleep here from a rage fit….’

“Woo-joo~chan, what happened…?”

“Um, you know, maybe you should just keep your eyes closed…?”

“……Ah.”

Aki’s shoulders slumped, and with a deep sigh, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

It’s because her team is losing that Aki is in such a bad state, and even though I shouldn’t say this, being right next to her…

To my eyes, even Aki’s face, flushed red with passion for the baseball game, looked cute.

“Those idiots, seriously…!”

“…….”

She’s even using rough language she never normally does, so she must be incredibly invested.

I’ve often heard stories about people changing personalities when they’re immersed in driving or games, but I never thought it would be my childhood friend, Aki.

It’s both surprising and cute to see the usually quiet Aki acting like this, so I unknowingly found myself staring at her.

And then, one thought suddenly popped into my head.

Is it possible to kiss her in this situation?

I felt it in the first inning too, but Aki’s current mental state is very bad because of Lotte’s poor performance.

If she’s using rough language she never usually does, it’s clear she’s at least in a state of diminished mental capacity, or something similar. But to attempt a kiss at a time like this, when it’s hard enough to do it when she’s in a good mood…

Would Aki actually accept it?

I know I definitely wouldn’t…

“…….”

Lotte, can’t you do something?

Just for this game, no, at least between the 5th and 6th innings during the cleaning time, it would be nice if they could do well. But looking at their performance so far, I’m worried it won’t be possible.

*Ziiing-*

As I was lost in thought, my pocket vibrated. Wondering what it was, I secretly took it out without Aki noticing, and it was a vibration from a friend tagging me in a group chat where notifications were turned off.

[Basketball Crew – 300+]

It looks like we’ve had a lot of conversations, there are over 300 unread messages.

I absentmindedly went to read them, then glanced at Aki.

Aki doesn’t really like it when I’m on my phone when we go out together.

So I checked to see if she noticed, and luckily or unluckily, Aki was still with her eyes closed, simmering in her anger.

“The Lotte are seriously, *seriously* awful at baseball…”

‘…Guess it’s okay to look.’

Carefully, so as not to disturb Aki’s body, I tapped the screen.

There were so many messages I couldn’t read them all. I scrolled down to check the most recent ones and it looked like the guys had formed a 5-man party and played an AOS game. The reason for their most recent loss was, apparently, ‘It’s all Joojoo’s fault’.

[Yo where the hell did Joojoo go?]

[Always disappears at the worst time, this fake b*stard]

[Just JOAT]

[Joojoo ＜ Likes, hit upvote lol]

[Cut it out with the upvote cheat codes]

[Why is it my fault that you guys lost?]

I was typing with only my left hand, so my reply was a little slow.

I managed to get something sent and in that instant, the chat exploded with messages.

[Why? Because the support player disappeared, it’s obviously your fault]

[If Joojoo’s not there the game just doesn’t work]

[You used to tell me I could only play support]

[That’s a fact, and that tool Dongho is so bad that it’s hopeless]

[Roaming all over, ditching the ADC, just feeding kills. This fucker’s a walking 300 gold vending machine, man]

[Only after the flowers fell, did I know it was spring…]

[I miss you, Ju Woo-joo!]

[Please come back, Ju Woo-joo!]

“Pfft…”

“…Hey, is Lotte winning?!”

I’d laughed at the chat, but Aki, thinking I’d laughed because Lotte was winning, asked me with a voice unable to hide her anticipation.

I lightly stroked Aki’s hair, meaning for her to keep her eyes closed.

“No. Not yet.”

“…Don’t laugh before Lotte wins, Woo-joo~chan. …It’s confusing.”

“Okay, I won’t laugh.”

I was being controlled, even when I laughed, but I let it be. Aki was in a state of mental and physical weakness right now.

[So when’s Ju Woo-joo coming home?]

[Probably around dinner time, why?]

[Why, you ask? Gotta queue up 5-man with him]

[Dongho this b*stard dropped our elo and bailed to go see his middle school friend, ffs]

[Really? How much did you lose?]

[I was Silver 1, and got demoted to Silver 2 after 3 losses]

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Don’t laugh, you fuck]

[Wait, is Silver even still a thing in this game?]

[FR, it’s like every Tom, Dick, and Harry’s hitting Gold/Plat these days]

[Dude, the only ones above Emerald here are the god-tier players, what are you on about, man?]

[Don’t you know everyone from Bronze to Diamond is basically the same tier?]

[Yeah, you Bronze]

[Bronze or Diamond, same difference, lol]

I was just watching them go at it, but I couldn’t hold back, and chimed in at the end.

And boy, did I get a delicious reaction.

[This guy’s firing up the humblebrag engine again]

[Why does it sting so much when he says it, ‘cause he’s Diamond?]

[It’s not ’cause of Bronze to Plat, it’s that he’s Diamond saying it that’s pissing me off]

[Nah, it’s just ’cause it’s him, the god-tier player, that’s getting on my nerves]

[The god-tier player can’t even drop the humblebrag while he’s on a date with his girl… Honestly, I don’t miss it that much]

[Oh, you reminded me of something I’d forgotten, damn it]

[Double-humblebragging b*stard]

[You son of a b*tch]

“Pfft….”

“……Did you win?!”

*Flash*.

Aki opened her eyes.

A moment of panic seized me, I flinched, and in that movement Aki caught sight of the phone I was holding in my left hand.

“……Woo-joo~chan.”

Zzzzz-.

Aki glared at me, eyes narrowed.

There weren’t any actual words, but it was like she was saying, ‘You’re looking at your phone while you’re hanging out with me…?’

“You’re watching your phone when the Lotte are losing, Woo-joo~chan…?!”

“Sorry. It just vibrated suddenly… Huh?”

“You have to focus on the game, if us Lotte fans don’t concentrate, that’s why the players keep making mistakes…!”

‘Even though she had her eyes closed up until just now….’

“Ah, uh huh…”

Saying that would probably lead to some serious fallout so I sheepishly put my phone away.

Aki, who had been glaring at me with those sharp eyes, finally averted her gaze, let out a deep sigh, and pulled her right arm, which was crossed, in even tighter, “parking” my arm in the spot where her soft chest was pressed up against it.

“Woo-joo~chan.”

“……Huh?”

“What do you think is Lotte’s problem, when you watch them?”

I might not know what Lotte’s problem is, but I think I know what my problem is right now.

My arm, wedged between Aki’s breasts.

That strange, soft, warm, and squishy feeling rising from there was so incredibly good, it was hard to keep my face straight.

If I let my guard down, I might break out into a goofy grin…

“Um, I don’t know…”

She dragged out the end of her sentence, getting her expression under control.

It’d look more natural if she was serious than smiling, so I quickly hardened my face and tried, in a way, to think seriously about Lotte’s problems.

Lotte’s problems.

‘…Honestly, isn’t it all a problem?’

Offense, defense, there wasn’t a single thing they did well.

“It’s just, everything….”

“…Everything?”

Aki’s voice went cold.

I hastily added some meat to the bone.

“They’re doing everything so well, it’s like they just need to try a little bit harder. …I can’t really see any specific problems.”

“…Yeah, right? Lotte Giants is the strongest team.”

Whether what I said was the right answer, Aki’s voice softened a lot.

‘Whew…’

I almost stepped on a landmine there.

People say baseball fans are scary when they’re angry, and I think I just got a little taste of that today.

I definitely shouldn’t come to a baseball game with Aki for a while…

The next time I come to the baseball field, it’ll be when Lotte is considered a championship contender.

“Hoo…. Yeah, Lotte is the strongest… I need to cheer them on harder. …Okay, Uju-chan, let’s cheer together! The strongest Lotte, do-or-die Lotte, fighting!”

Shouting “The strongest Lotte” so openly from the premium seats at the LG home stadium, everyone around us was looking our way.

Young and old, they were all giving us the “What are those people…?” look, like I was in a cage with monkeys in a zoo, just staring at Aki and me. I really didn’t want to yell it, but.

“Woo-joo~chan…?”

Aki stares at me, like, why aren’t you cheering already?

So, I have no choice but to mutter softly,

“…Fighting.”

“Your voice is too small, Woo-joo~chan!”

“Fighting…!”

“Like, do you think the players can even hear you? Louder, Woo-joo~chan! Use all the strength you’ve got!”

“F-fighting…! Lotte…!”

“Yeah, yeah, good job, Woo-joo~chan!”

-Girlfriend’s voice is louder~!

-Look at that boy’s face, it’s all red, so cute~

-He’s handsome, but so shy!

‘……I wanna die.’

Forget the kiss time, should I just leave?

I’m shaking all over with shame, but Aki gently pats my head.

“Hehe.”

She doesn’t know how I feel, just smiling prettily.

“Our Woo-joo~chan, should Aki noona buy you something yummy~?”

“……No, thanks.”

She’s pretty, so I’ll let it slide…….

“Huh? 5th inning’s over.”

“……!”

Then, Aki, who had been patting my head, spoke.

Reflexively, I glanced down, and just like Aki had said, I saw the players briefly leaving the field, signaling the end of the 5th.

They were doing maintenance on the whole field, and the players were having some personal time; it was the break they commonly call the “cleaning time.”

I was chatting with the kids, goofing off with Aki, and before I knew it, the bottom of the 5th was already done. But whatever, it’s not really important.

What’s important to me right now, is only the kiss time.

The cleaning time event that starts after the bottom of the 5th, especially the kiss time, which is the main event, is the most important!

‘Kiss time, kiss time…!’

Ah, I’m getting excited…

It was the time I’d been waiting and waiting for, so my heart started pounding.

But showing my feelings like that would be so amateurish. To hide how nervous I was, I secretly took a deep breath.

But then, at that moment.

“Woo-joo~chan.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“We’ve got about 10 minutes of break time, so let’s go outside for a bit.”

“……Huh?”

……Huh?!