My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

32. A whirlwind of emotions, the highly anticipated baseball stadium date…! (1)

We watched a movie and had lunch.

Now, there’s only one thing left on our schedule.

It’s around 2 PM now, the time when general admission opens for the baseball game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

“Woo-joo~chan, Woo-joo~chan! I think we can go in now, let’s go!”

“Uh-huh, okay.”

Aki, excited because it’s been so long since we’ve watched a baseball game live, bounces ahead of me with light steps.

I follow her leisurely down the premium seating entrance, thinking to myself.

Honestly, I don’t really like baseball.

To be exact, I don’t like it enough to come see a game in person like this. Truth be told, I don’t even know the rules of baseball, and I don’t really know which teams have which players.

The only thing I know is that there’s a team called the Hanwha Eagles and they have a star, major league caliber player named Ryu Hyun-jin? Besides that, you could say I’m completely clueless.

So, then why exactly am I here at Jamsil Stadium with Aki?

That’s because…

‘…I want to kiss her.’

As an excuse, I want to use the Kiss Cam event during the short break in between the 5th inning.

I want to kiss Aki… !

“Oh, right. …Ahem, Woo-joo~chan. Thanks!”

“……Huh? What are you thanking me for?”

“You upgraded us from general seating to premium seating because of me, right. …Th-thanks for thinking of me. …Yeah.”

“Ah…”

I was wondering what it was.

Feeling a bit guilty for some reason, I clear my throat and look around the premium seating area, which is much quieter compared to the general seating entrance.

The reason we, who are still students, can use the premium seating area that costs 80,000 won per person is all thanks to the kindness of Kim Seung-woo’s uncle.

So, yeah, Aki should be thanking my uncle, not me.

“I told you earlier, it wasn’t my money. It was Kim Seungwoo’s, my friend’s uncle, who talked them into upgrading it.”

“Heeh, alright. If Uju-chan wants to think it that way, then let’s just say that’s how it was?”

Like that, Aki just wouldn’t believe me.

The reason she doesn’t believe me, well, it’s probably because I’m stubbornly hiding the messages I exchanged with Kim Seungwoo.

Truth is, if I showed her the texts, she’d believe me right away, but then it’d come out that I’d asked Kim Seungwoo to catch us during the kiss time.

If that got out, Aki would turn bright red and berate me, “Uju-chan, hentai (pervert), hentai…! Ah, was the reason you’ve been getting close to me this whole time… that, that, perverted reason…?!”

Not to mention, all the trust I’ve built up would crumble in an instant.

The situation where I’d be devalued from ‘an irreplaceable childhood friend’ to ‘an untrustworthy beast, a pervert’ is something that shouldn’t happen even in death, so the secret is absolutely forbidden.

“……We’re here. Let’s go sit.”

I’ll apologize to Kim Seungwoo’s uncle properly later, for now let’s just focus on what’s in front of us.

Coming out of the passageway, the first thing I see is the premium seating area.

The official name is the Terrazone, and unlike the regular seating where chairs are tightly packed, it had group seats for four people each, placed at regular intervals.

It seemed worth the 80,000 won per person; the chairs themselves were spacious, and the tables were far enough apart to make moving around and viewing comfortable.

“Whoa, the seats here are really wide. Uju-chan, should we sit at the very back?”

“Wait a minute, you can’t just sit anywhere. The seats here are also assigned.”

“Ah, really? Where are our seats?”

“Um…. Ah, there. The very front.”

There’s no special reason why our seats are in the very front.

According to what Kim Seungwoo said his uncle told him, in the premium zone, the front seats have the best camera angle.

So, we’re right at the front.

“Whoa, check this out. They have a dedicated app where you can order food, pay, and have it delivered right to your seat, Woo-joo~chan!”

“I heard you have to buy your own food in the regular seats, but they deliver here?”

I guess the premium seats offer a different level of convenience. Money really does buy you an advantage in life.

Confronted by this fragment of capitalism (?), I carefully sat down.

This is originally a four-person seating area, but they said they left the other two seats empty so that only the two of us would be visible when the camera zoomed in. It wouldn’t look good otherwise.

Meaning, it’s just Aki and me in this seating area.

‘…I’m getting nervous for some reason.’

“Woo-joo~chan, I think it’s starting!”

“Ah, yeah.”

I turned my gaze forward, trying not to show that I was nervous.

Looking at the large electronic board right in the center of my view, it seems that today’s game is between the home team LG Twins and the away team Lotte Giants.

A screen went by showing each team’s starting lineup, substitute players, past head-to-head records, and experts’ predicted win rates. Soon after, majestic background music began to play and a short video clip showing the highlights of the home team, LG Twins, began to play.

And then, play ball.

A giant text saying that the game has begun appeared and the scoreboard and the close-up face of the current pitcher showed on screen.

“Woo-joo~chan, over there. Do you see that person?”

“Huh? Who?”

“I mean the person sitting in the LG dugout. The one with the bushy beard, who looks like a foreigner.”

“Yeah, I see him. Why?”

“…We need to be careful around him.”

“Huh?”

“That guy, that’s Austin Dean, he won the Golden Glove last year, you know? He’s a re-e-eally good hitter. His bat is just unbelievable.”

“Bat, what’s… that?”

“Ah, a bat is….”

*CLANGGG*—!

Just as Aki was about to start explaining, the first batter smacked the ball beautifully, sending it flying.

The ball soared so high and far it was hard to track with the eye, almost going over the fence… but almost.

*Thud.*

Unfortunately, it hit the wall just before the fence and fell down.

-Whew, that’s a relief.

-How’d they catch that again?

-Almost a home run from the first guy, damn.

Since this is LG’s home field, you could hear sighs of relief and the occasional curse mixed in the murmurings all around.

I quietly listened to the conversations around me, then, suddenly curious about Aki’s reaction, I glanced at him.

“……Muooot.”

Aki’s cheeks were puffed out wide.

Looks like he’s terribly disappointed that the ball didn’t go over the fence.

“Aki.”

“……What?”

“Were you… a Lotte fan?”

“Yeah, I’ve been a Lotte fan since I was a kid. Didn’t you know, Woo-joo~chan?”

“Ah, really? I didn’t know…”

Since I don’t care about baseball at all, I didn’t even know which team Aki was a fan of.

“Then, Aki will keep cheering for Lotte, right?”

“Yep, yep! Of course, I have to. Oh, what team will you cheer for, Woo-joo~chan?”

“Me? Hmm…”

If I were thinking simply, it would make sense to cheer for the LG Twins, who are based in Seoul. But since Aki says she’s a Lotte fan, I’m hesitating a little.

I heard somewhere that if you cheer for a different team than your girlfriend when watching sports, it can lead to fights.

Of course, it’s not like Aki is my girlfriend… but still, there’s no need to create conflict by cheering for a different team, right? It’s not like I have a favorite team either.

“Then, should I cheer for Lotte too?”

“Ah, really? You’ll cheer for Lotte with me, Woo-joo~chan?”

“Yeah, sure, why not… anyway…”

I was about to say it’s more fun to watch if I’m cheering for someone, when…

Aki, looking so happy that I’d cheer for Lotte, suddenly grabbed my arm and linked it with hers.

“Hehe, okay! Let’s cheer for Lotte together, Woo-joo~chan~!”

SQUEEZE—.

Something soft is pressing down on my arm.

And then, an indescribably tingly sensation.

A feeling of breathlessness just from being still, and a strange, pleasant feeling that’s just… just…

Climbing up my spine, up my arm. For a moment I straightened up my back.

“Woojoo~chan, wanna hear me explain the Lotte pitchers?”

“……Yeah, go ahead.”

“Heh, alright. First, see the guy on the mound right now? He’s the starting pitcher today. His pitches aren’t bad, but his mentality is a little…”

“……”

Aki was, like, explaining it all really passionately.

Honestly, it wasn’t really sinking in.

No, actually, it didn’t matter how many pitchers there were, who had a good mentality or not, who threw well or swung the bat well…

It wasn’t my concern.

I just wanted this time, with Aki’s arm linked in mine, to never end.

Who was good at baseball or not, it didn’t matter to me at all.

‘…Ah, I’m glad I came to cheer.’

Thank you, Lotte Giants.

For gifting me this blissful time.

Even if your league ranking is forever at the bottom… in my heart, you guys are the eternal number one team.

“Ah, strikeout… They’re gonna switch now.”

“……”

I snapped back to reality.

Wait, what? It felt like he just got on first base a little while ago, and now they’re switching already?

No joke, it feels like less than 10 seconds have passed since she linked arms with me. I looked where Aki was pointing and, yeah, the Lotte’s attack was really over.

‘What is this, some kind of hyperbolic time chamber…’

Just blinked and opened my eyes, and it’s already the bottom of the first?

If I zone out for even a second, the kiss time will be over too, won’t it…?

…Gotta get my head in the game.

“Huh? That guy’s the starter today? I don’t think I saw him on the scoreboard earlier.”

“…Who is he? Is he famous?”

“Well, he’s not, like, super famous…”

Aki’s looking at me with this expression like she’s debating whether to tell me or not.

Wondering what could be making her hesitate so much, I blurted out,

“Why? Is he someone I shouldn’t know about? Is there something going on?”

“No, it’s not that… Um, if I tell you, Uju-chan might get a little shocked. Are you okay with that?”

“I’m fine, what is it?”

“Ah, never mind. I won’t say it… If you’re curious, Uju-chan, I think it’s better if you look him up yourself…”

“Hmm, okay?”

Now that she didn’t tell me, I’m even more curious.

I’ll have to look him up later.

“…Ah!”

*Clang!*

A clear, sharp sound echoed throughout the baseball stadium.

The starting pitcher’s powerful pitch had been perfectly hit by the opposing batter.

It was an insult to compare it to the slow, low pitch they’d made during the top of the first.

– Uh-oh, you missed that?

– Shit, did your glove get a hole in it? What the fuck are you doing, you b*stards!

– He’s running, he’s running!

The outfielder couldn’t snag the ball, and a catastrophic blunder occurred as it slipped right through and dropped to the ground.

The left fielder, having lost the ball, scrambled to pick it up and throw it, and the shortstop, receiving the ball, hesitated between throwing to 2nd or 3rd, ultimately not throwing at all. That delay lasted about 10 seconds.

Ten seconds in real life is nothing, but in a ball game, ten seconds is a ridiculously long time, enough to decide the outcome of the game.

– No way, they’re scoring…

– Ah, shit, just fucking throw the ball or don’t.

– Shouldn’t we investigate if those b*stards were betting on this?

The score is now 1-0.

The LG Twins had scored the first point, capitalizing precisely on the Lotte’s error.

“……Wow.”

They couldn’t even do the most basic thing, a throw. Even I, who doesn’t know anything about baseball, could see that defense was awful.

“Aki, that just now….”

“──Agh, you idiots, you couldn’t even stop that~?!”

It wasn’t just me who thought they messed up; Aki grabbed my arm so hard it felt like it would break, then shouted at the top of his lungs.

He yelled so loud that everyone around us was staring.

“Hey, Aki. Your voice…”

“No, seriously…! Why, why couldn’t they catch that?! Agh, aghh~!!”

“……Oh, um.”

And on top of that, Aki, shouting with a voice full of resentment, grabbed my forearm and shook it back and forth, clang, clang.

I’d suddenly been demoted to a cheering stick, or something similar.

Well, for some reason, I didn’t feel bad about it.

…Though, there was one thing I was worried about.

“I told them to change the outfielders a long time ago! This damn perennial loser, this damn Lotte! This damn defense! What, what are they gonna Dooo~!!”

Right now, Aki is at least at a mid-level of her 5-stage upset, bordering on full-blown medium-rage.

If we were given a kiss-cam moment in this atmosphere…

Would trying to kiss her just get me slapped, with her snarling about “getting fresh when I’m in a bad mood”…?

“It’s all the fans’ fault, the fans! They always say ‘This year will be different’ so the dumb fans all believe it, and that’s why their defense doesn’t improve! Augh, AUGH!!!”

“……”

I was genuinely starting to get worried…