Chapter 4 Ever since they had graduated from high school, things had changed between the group of girls who had once called themselves champions of justice. They were still as close as ever, but the realities of life after school meant that they rarely had the time to get together as they once did. Minako was caught up in trying to break into the entertainment business, Rei had taken on more duties at the shrine in addition to her priestess training, and even Usagi, who should have had plenty of free time due to being a ronin, filled her days with cram school classes and whatever alone time she managed to steal with an increasingly busy Mamoru. That was why Makoto was so happy that everybody had agreed to come to the game to watch Asanuma play, with the exception of Mamoru, who had to work. It would have been even better if Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru had been able to join them as well, but, unfortunately, they were even busier than the core group. “Wow, look at all the people! It’s almost like Koshien,” a wide-eyed Usagi said once they made it inside the stadium. The place was almost packed to full capacity, making it difficult to even walk in some places. “It’s a pretty important game, from what Asanuma-kun tells me,” Makoto, who took the lead, informed the others with a grin that had not left her face since they arrived. Since she was the tallest of the group, she was best able to maneuver them through the crowd. “The teams are currently tied, so whoever wins today will win the series.” “Who are they playing anyway, Mako-chan?” Rei asked. “I don’t think you ever told us.” Before Makoto could answer the miko‘s question, however, she noticed that one of their group was lagging behind, something having caught the blue-haired girl’s attention. At first, Makoto thought it was the guy garbed in a wild costume who was dancing near the men’s restrooms, but then she spotted a couple of college-age kids walking by, dressed in matching sweatshirts from the rival school. Tokyo University sweatshirts. “Oh, no…” Makoto felt like a complete idiot. She hadn’t realized Asanuma's team was playing against Ami’s school. When she asked him what game they should come and see, all she had been worried about at the time was finding a weekend game so that everybody would be able to come cheer him on. She hadn’t even thought to ask who Meiji would be playing, even though she should have known Tokyo University might be a possibility since both schools were in the same league. “Ami-chan, I’m so sorry!” she apologized. “I didn’t realize. If I had known…” “What’s going on?” Minako interrupted, wearing the same confused look Rei and Usagi were sporting on their faces. Apparently, they hadn’t seen the sweatshirts. “Mako-chan, why are you apologizing to Ami-chan?” “They’re playing Toudai,” Ami answered for her, “my school.” Makoto frowned. The fact that Meiji was playing Tokyo University certainly put them in a tough bind. They had come to cheer for Asanuma and his team, but Ami couldn’t exactly root against her own school, especially considering how many of the spectators were wearing Toudai’s colors. “What are we going to do?” she wondered aloud. “We can’t root for both teams, can we?” “It’s okay. I can still quietly cheer for Asanuma-kun while supporting my school. You guys go ahead and root for Meiji. I don’t mind, since you came to support Asanuma-kun,” Ami said, never one who liked to cause trouble. Rei shook her head, however. “Actually, I think I’ll join you, Ami-chan. Toudai’s the underdog, so I don’t mind. Besides, Toudai is my father’s alma mater. I suppose I have a family obligation to cheer for them,” she said with a sigh, apparently not too happy about the last part but willing to put her father issues aside in order to support Ami. Usagi, on the other hand, couldn‘t switch sides. “Sorry, Ami- chan, I have to stay with Meiji. I promised Mamo-chan I would, since he can’t be here to cheer on Asanuma-kun himself.” “I promised Asanuma-kun I would cheer for Meiji as well,” Makoto announced with an apologetic shrug in her roommate‘s direction. “I can’t break a promise.” “Then I’ll be Sweden,” Minako declared. “Huh?” the other girls said in unison. Even Ami, who usually took it upon herself to correct Minako’s many misquotes, looked confused by her latest mangling. “You know, I’ll be neutral. I’ll cheer them both on.” Ami sighed. “I think she means she’ll be Switzerland.” “That’s what I said. Didn’t I?” Violet eyes rolled. “Come on, Switzerland. Let’s go check out the souvenirs before the game starts. I want to get a program. We’ll meet you guys back at our seats,” Rei said, grabbing the blonde’s arm and pulling her toward one of the many booths set up. Once the two of them were gone, Makoto again took the lead, guiding Ami and Usagi to their seats behind right field. Most baseball fans probably would have considered them terrible seats, as they were far from home plate and not even in a good position to catch foul balls, but they were the perfect spot to watch Asanuma play. And, as an extra bonus to the odango-haired blonde, the concession stands were nearby. “Mmm, it smells so good!” Usagi said not a minute after they sat down, her nose sniffing the air, which was filled with the mouthwatering aromas of hot dogs and popcorn. “I think I’m going to go get something to eat. You guys want anything?” “Usagi-chan, I brought lunches for everyone,” Makoto reminded her, holding up a large bag containing five large obento boxes. She had gotten up extra early that morning in order to prepare the special lunches, which included everyone’s favorites. “I know, but we still need drinks, and some snacks wouldn’t hurt…” Knowing it was pointless to try to stop Usagi when it came to food, Makoto smiled and waved her hand in the direction of the concession stands. “Fine, fine. Just don’t ruin your appetite.” “I won’t, Mako-chan. I’ll be back as fast as I can,” she promised before running off. After Usagi left, Makoto turned her attention to the Meiji dugout where some of the players had recently appeared from the locker rooms. A few of them started doing stretches and other various exercises in front of the dugout, while two of the players -- the first two batters, or so she assumed -- grabbed an armful of bats and began swinging them around in order to decide which one they would use in the game. In the bullpen, the pitcher was already warming up, his fastball as impressive as Asanuma had claimed. “Do you see Asanuma-kun yet?” Ami, who was sitting in the seat behind Makoto, asked. “No, not yet… Wait, there he is!” Spotting the newest member of the Meiji University baseball team’s starting line-up walking out of the dugout to join his teammates in the pre-game exercises, Makoto grinned and pointed him out to Ami. “Look, there’s Asanuma-kun!” Her squinting roommate reached for the pair of binoculars she wore around her neck, prepared as always. “Where? I don‘t see him.” “The one on the right. See? He’s number 23.” “Oh, there he is! He looks so serious.” “It’s a big game. He doesn’t want to disappoint the team.” “He’s playing right field, right?” Ami asked, bringing down her binoculars. “Yeah. Most of the action usually goes to left field, but Toudai supposedly has a lot of left-handed batters in their starting line-up, so he really needs to be on his game. I hope he can handle the pressure. He’s worked so hard for this opportunity…” Unconsciously, Makoto brought her hand up to her mouth and bit down on her thumbnail. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt as nervous as if she was one of the players out on the field. If she could feel that way just watching as a spectator, Makoto could only imagine the emotions running through Asanuma at that moment. “I’m sure Asanuma-kun will do fine, Mako-chan,” Ami assured her, lightly squeezing her shoulder. “We’re all here to support him.” “Thanks, Ami-chan.” A few minutes later, Minako and Rei returned, the blonde having procured an air horn Makoto remembered seeing one of the vendors selling near the stadium entrance. Rei immediately took a seat beside Ami, but Minako, who remained standing, couldn’t resist trying out her new toy, much to the annoyance of those sitting around them. Only the miko, who sat reading the program she had bought as if nothing happened, managed to keep from flinching at the harsh sound. “Isn’t this thing great?” Minako asked, letting out another loud blow. “And it was only 600 yen, too. Asanuma-kun won’t be able to miss us cheering for him.” “And neither will anybody else, for that matter,” Makoto said, taking her fingers out of her ears. As Minako’s seat was right next to hers, she had gotten the worst of it. “Minako-chan, couldn’t you have bought something a little quieter to show your support for Asanuma-kun? Like a foam hand or a flag?” Minako pouted. “Oh, come on, Mako-chan, lighten up. You sound just like Rei-chan. It’s not like it’s my fault that the noise makers were the only neutral cheering devices. As the Sweden--” “-- Switzerland --” Minako either ignored Ami or didn‘t hear her, not missing a beat. “--of our group, I couldn’t possibly buy any team-related merchandise.” “Well, at least wait for the game to begin.” Grumbling, Minako reluctantly agreed and plopped down in her seat as Rei pulled two tiny capsule-shaped foam plugs from her ears. So that was how she could remain so calm and serene even with all the noise Minako had made. Makoto wondered if Rei had brought the earplugs from home in anticipation of what would most likely be a very loud game or if she had bought them from a vendor after Minako had made her purchase, but before she could ask the miko, Rei asked, “Hey, Mako- chan, where’s Usagi-chan? You didn‘t lose her, did you?” “Oh, she went to get refreshments.” “Already? But the game hasn’t even started yet.” Makoto shrugged. “Well, you know Usagi. She couldn’t resist the temptation once she smelled hot dogs and pop--” “I’m back!” a cheerful voice sang as its owner took a seat on the other side of Makoto. Rei rolled her eyes. “Speaking of the devil…” Makoto fought back the urge to do the same when she turned to her left and saw the huge box of sweets and junk food sitting on Usagi's lap. She must have spent her entire allowance at the concession stand. Just a quick glance at the box revealed it contained one medium tub of popcorn, a bag of cotton candy, two hot dogs, and more candy than Willy Wonka’s factory produced in a single year. “Usagi-chan, you didn’t buy all that for yourself?” Ami asked, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible. The blonde blushed. “Uh…no?” Minako, having also spotted Usagi’s stash, reached over Makoto and grabbed a chocolate bar from the top of pile. “Ooh, Snickers!” she squealed, ignoring Usagi’s none-too-subtle glare as she opened the package and took a bite. “Mmm…chocolate…” “I wouldn’t mind some Pocky myself,” Rei commented, looking over Usagi’s shoulder at the selection. “Did you get any strawberry?” Even Ami couldn’t resist the temptation to take advantage of Usagi‘s “generosity,” her hand tentatively reaching down for the large plastic bag of fuzzy sweetness. “It’s been years since I had cotton candy…” As tasty as the hot dogs looked, though, Makoto refused to give in, remembering the bag sitting at her feet. Even if the rest of the girls insisted on ruining their appetites before lunch time, she wasn’t about to let her hard work go to waste. “Usagi-chan, did you remember to get the drinks?” she asked the odango-haired girl instead. “Oh, yeah, they should be around here somewhere…” Looking relieved that Makoto hadn’t wanted any of her goodies, Usagi began digging underneath the pile of candy, which evidently wasn’t as big as it first appeared, and pulled out a six-pack of canned tea. “Here we go. I wasn’t sure what everybody wanted, so I thought tea was the best bet. Who’s thirsty?” Four hands, including Makoto’s, shot up, and Usagi passed out the cans, taking one for herself and setting the final one aside for later. Just as Makoto pulled back the tab on her drink, she noticed the Tokyo team, who would be pitching first, taking the field. The Meiji team was back in their dugout, save for the first two batters in the line-up, who had decided which bats they wanted to use and were warming up with a few practice swings. “Looks like they’re about to begin,” she announced to the others, cringing when Minako once again blew her horn. “Hey, you said to wait until the game started,” Minako reminded Makoto with an innocent shrug. Luckily for Minako, Rei grabbed the offending noise maker out of her hand and hid it inside her purse. Minako pouted for a minute, but she got over her disappointment quickly when Ami offered the use of her binoculars. “Wow, Meiji has some hot players,” she said, practically drooling as she focused her sights on the first player at bat. “Is it too late for me to switch to the Meiji side?” “Minako-chan, you shouldn’t root for a team just because they have cute players,” Rei scolded. “But look at number 12. He’s built like a Greek god!” That much was true. Shielding her eyes from the bright afternoon sun, Makoto focused her attention on the batter, who, from what she could see, was very good-looking, with bronzed skin and toned, strong arms. At another time, she probably would have joined Minako in the boy -crazy blonde’s open admiration of the player’s beauty, but instead, she glanced over at the Meiji dugout where Asanuma, who would be batting third in the line-up, was waiting, and smiled. “Asanuma-kun looks pretty good today, too,” Minako said, causing Makoto to jump in surprise. Had she noticed her staring at him? “W-What?” The blonde grinned. “Come on, don’t you think he looks nice in that uniform, Mako-chan?” “Yeah, he…he looks good,” Makoto stuttered, looking away from the others so they couldn’t see how pink her cheeks had become. She needn’t have bothered, however, for the game had begun and nobody was paying attention to her. ***** If there was one thing Kitagawa Akira loved as much as chemistry, it was the game of baseball. His job left him precious little time to indulge in his favorite pastime, though, so, whenever he got the chance to attend a game, he allowed his inner child to let loose. It was only the second inning of the Toudai/Meiji game, but, already, his throat felt dry and scratchy from screaming so loud. “You know, Akira-kun, if you aren’t careful, you’re liable to lose your voice,” Dr. Nakajima, who had come with him to the game, warned, though he seemed more amused than worried. “Remember, you’ve got classes to teach tomorrow.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Akira knew his colleague was probably right, but that still didn’t stop him from yelling at the top of his lungs when Toudai earned their first run of the game. Dr. Nakajima shook his head in mild exasperation. “Just like a little kid, you are. Never listening to your elders.” “Gomen, I can’t help myself. You know how I get at games,” Akira apologized with a grin once the crowd settled down. Plopping back down in his seat, he reached over and grabbed a handful of buttery popcorn from the large bucket in his mentor’s lap. “Hey, get your own.” Akira rolled his eyes and popped one of the kernels in his mouth. “Like you really need to eat all that. Didn’t you tell me that your doctor told you to watch your diet more closely at your check-up last week? I doubt a large tub of popcorn with extra butter is going to help lower your cholesterol,” he scolded, wagging a finger for good measure. The older professor made a face at the reminder, but reluctantly passed the bucket over to Akira. “Fine, take it,” he said, with an overly dramatic sigh. “You’re not going to let me enjoy it anyway.” “Ooh, free food!” Dr. Nakajima chuckled just as his cell phone began to ring, playing Pachebel’s Canon. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and frowned when he saw who it was on the Caller ID. “Who is it?” Akira asked, surprised by the confused look on his face. “It’s the lab, but I… I have to take this,” Dr. Nakajima said, standing. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Akira watched as the portly man made his way underneath the stands, then sat back in his chair. His mind refused to concentrate on the game, however, wondering why the lab was calling Dr. Nakajima on a Sunday. Hardly anybody came in on Sundays, unless it was absolutely necessary. Dr. Nakajima wasn’t gone long. He returned about ten minutes later, a serious look on his face. “What did the lab want?” Akira asked. “Is there a problem?” “I’m afraid so, Akira-kun.” “Nothing serious, I hope.” “I’m not sure,” the geneticist admitted with a slight frown. "Kamina-sensei didn’t give me many details. Apparently, some of the genetically-modified mice I created for that experiment we’ve been working on have been showing signs of illness. He’s doing the blood work right now, but it sounds like we might have an epidemic on our hands.” “An epidemic?” Akira stood from his seat, all thoughts of the game replaced by concern for the experiment, one of his most important. “Does Kamina-sensei think it might be a side effect of the drug we’ve been giving them?” “We won’t know for sure until the tests have been completed and studied, but, from the symptoms Kamina-sensei mentioned, my thought is that the disease was caused by outside forces, rather than something related to the medication or genetics. The sick mice were all confined to one cage, while the other mice show no symptoms at all, despite taking the same drug. In any case, I‘m sorry to cut the day short, but I really should go over there and get this sorted out.” “I’ll go with you,” Akira volunteered, already gathering his things. Dr. Nakajima shook his head, however, motioning him to sit back down. “No, you stay here and watch the game, Akira-kun. I can handle this. More than likely, it’s just your garden variety communicable illness, nothing to be concerned about in regards to the experiment. There are still plenty of subjects in group C left, and as long as we caught this early enough, the others probably won‘t be affected. The infected mice have been quarantined until we decide what to do with them.” “Are you sure?” “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Dr. Nakajima said as way of an answer. “Cheer double for me, okay?” “I will.” ***** “Go, Toudai!” Ami had to admit the game was more exciting than she thought it would be. She hadn’t even pulled out any of the books she had brought along just in case she got bored, too caught up in cheering for her school’s team -- not that she would have been able to study anyway. Ami prided herself on being able to concentrate in almost any situation, but that list did not include a stadium packed with overzealous fans, over a third of which who sounded as if they were in possession of one of those air horns Minako had bought. Parched after yelling so loudly, Ami reached down for the last can of tea Usagi had set aside. Instead of the can, however, her hand accidentally wrapped around Minako’s wrist, the blonde evidently having the same idea. “Oh, Ami-chan, did you want this?” Minako asked, offering her the can. Ami shook her head, motioning for Minako to keep it. After all, she had gotten to it first. “It’s okay. You take it.” “You sure?” “Yes, it’s fine. I’ll go down and buy some more,” Ami said, standing from her seat and grabbing her book bag, which held her wallet. “Does anybody else want anything?” Everybody else was fine for the moment, thanks to Usagi’s box of junk food, so Ami headed down to the concession stands and got in line. Judging by the length of the line that it would be quite awhile yet before she reached the register, she sighed and pulled out her history textbook from the bag, turning to the chapter on the Crusades. “Getting a head start on your homework, Ami-chan?” The male voice, which sounded vaguely familiar, startled her, causing Ami to drop her book on the ground in surprise. The man behind her bent down to pick it up, and, as he stood back up, she realized it was Professor Kitagawa. “Kitagawa-sensei!” “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized with a grin, handing her back the book. “Here, I believe this is yours.” Taking the book, Ami nodded and hugged the book close to her chest. For some reason she couldn’t quite understand, her heartbeat, which had sped up at the shock of hearing his voice, had yet to resume its normal rhythm. In fact, it felt like it was beating even faster, something that seemed to be happening more and more lately whenever she found herself in close proximity of Professor Kitagawa. “T-Thank you.” “You know, we really must stop meeting like this,” he said, referring to their chance meeting at the grocery story just a couple of weeks before. “Imagine running into you here at the game of all places. You never struck me as a baseball fan.” “Oh, I’m not really,” Ami confessed, trying to ignore the rapid pounding in her breast. “I’m here with some of my friends. One of my roommate’s friends plays for Meiji.” The professor arched an eyebrow. “Rooting for the competition? I must say that’s rather bold of you.” Ami blushed, wishing she hadn’t mentioned that last part. “I’m not. I mean, I do hope Asanuma-kun does well, but I still want Toudai to win or at least tie with Meiji.” “It doesn’t look very likely at the moment,” he declared with a slight frown. “They’re kicking our asses out there -- pardon my French.” Just then, the line they were in significantly shortened. Ami put her book away, not needing it anymore, and the two of them moved up before a couple of Meiji students could cut in front of them. “Are you a fan?” Ami asked, switching her bag to her other shoulder. “One of the biggest. My family thinks I’m a baseball nut,” the professor admitted with a chuckle. “I try to make every game I can, but it’s not easy with my hours at the lab and whatnot. This is actually only the fifth game I’ve been to this season.” “Are you here with anybody?” “Nakajima-sensei came with me, but he left in the middle of the third inning. A problem at the lab or something like that. He was rather in a hurry to leave, so I didn’t get all the details.” Pausing, the professor seemed to consider something, his face then breaking into a smile. “Hey, why don’t you come sit with me, Ami-chan?” he offered. “The faculty always gets some of the best seats, and, with Nakajima-sensei gone, his seat is just going to waste. Seems like such a shame. Besides, I’d really like to repay you for that fantastic lunch you brought me if you would let me.” Professor Kitagawa wanted her to join him for the rest of the game? Under other circumstances, Ami would have jumped at the chance to spend more time with her favorite teacher, but when she remembered Makoto and the others waiting for her in the stands, she sighed. As much as she would have loved to join him, she couldn’t just ignore the girls, especially when this was one of the few times they had all gotten together outside the monthly Crown meetings since graduating high school. “Thank you for the offer, sensei, but I probably shouldn’t. I’m here with my friends, and it would be rude to blow them off. We don’t get to spend much time together anymore.” “Oh, right. I understand. Maybe some other time,” he suggested, seeming a bit disappointed. “Yeah, maybe.” After that, silence fell between them, the professor flipping through his program while Ami pretended to study the menu above the booth, though food was the last thing on her mind at the moment. Would the girls really mind if she sat with Professor Kitagawa for at least a couple of innings? After all, she had pretty much missed the third inning already and probably some of the fourth while standing in line. What was a couple of more? Besides, since Dr. Nakajima had left, the professor didn’t have anybody else to keep him company. Surely they would understand… “Maybe a couple of innings wouldn’t hurt,” Ami said, turning back around. Professor Kitagawa looked up from his program in surprise. “But aren’t you and your friends having a girls’ day out? I wouldn’t want to spoil your plans.” “I don’t think they would mind.” Unzipping her bag, Ami began digging around for her cell phone. Hopefully, one of the girls still had her phone on so she didn’t have to go back and tell them where she was going. “I’ll just call --” “May I take your order, miss?” Looking back up, Ami noticed that they had finally reached the front of the line. The man behind the counter taking orders was looking at her expectantly. “Oh…um…” “Don’t worry about it,” Professor Kitagawa said, pulling out his wallet. “I’ll take care of your order. Tea and a hot dog sound good?” “No, I couldn’t --” “I insist.” The professor cut in front of her and gave the man his order. “One beer, one tea, two hot dogs, and a bag of those sour- cream-and-onion chips, please.” “Coming right up,” the man said, grabbing a beer and tea from underneath the counter before starting on the rest of the order. “Ami-chan, the phone call?” Professor Kitagawa reminded her. “Oh, right.” ***** “Go on, go on, go on… YES!” Screaming as if she had just won the lottery, Makoto jumped up from her seat and pumped her fist in the air as Asanuma slid into second base just before the baseman caught the ball, allowing two more runners to make it home. What an amazing play! The crowd went wild, even managing to drown out the noise of Minako’s air horn, which she had dug out of Rei’s purse when the miko wasn’t paying attention. It was amazing that Makoto even managed to hear her cell phone ring over the racket, but, when the faint strains of her ringtone started playing, she pulled the phone out of her pocket and brought it to her ear. “Moshi moshi?” she shouted, plugging her other ear with a finger to block out some of the cheers. As it was, she could just barely make out the caller’s voice on the other end. “Ami-chan, is that you? What’s taking so long? You just missed Asanuma-kun’s amazing double.” The caller spoke up. It was indeed Ami’s voice. “Gomen, Mako- chan,” she apologized. “I’m still down at the concession stands.” “Still? How long does it take to buy a can of tea?” “The lines were terrible. I just now made it to the front.” “Is there some kind of problem?” Makoto asked, wondering why Ami had called her when it sounded like she would be back in a matter of minutes. “Did you forget your wallet or something?” “Actually…I wanted to ask if you wouldn’t mind if I sat with Kitagawa-sensei for a while,” Ami said. “His friend had to leave the game early, so he offered me the extra seat. It would only be for a couple of innings. I’ll be back by the seventh-inning stretch.” Makoto arched a doubtful eyebrow. “You want to sit with your professor?” “Yes. I know you wanted us all to spend the day together, Mako- chan, but Kitagawa-sensei is all alone, and I--” “Sure, go ahead,” Makoto suddenly answered, a sly smile crossing her lips as a thought came to mind. They would miss her, but, if Makoto’s suspicions were correct, Ami hadn’t run into Professor Kitagawa at all. Ami just wasn’t the type of person to blow off her friends to spend quality time with a teacher, no matter how much of a genius she was. Besides, that story seemed a little bit too unbelievable. What kind of professor offered his student a free seat to a baseball game, even if it had been vacated by a friend? That positively reeked of favoritism. No, Makoto had a gut feeling that Ami had, in fact, ran into the mystery boyfriend for whom she had made that delicious lunch a few weeks previous. Actually, the more she thought about it, she realized they must have planned the whole rendezvous days ago. Ami had seemed surprised when they arrived at the stadium and discovered that Meiji was playing her school, but, really, how could she not have known? There were probably flyers and posters about the game all over campus, and Ami was nothing if not observant. Even if she wasn’t much of a fan, Makoto found it rather hard to believe that Ami wouldn’t have known beforehand. On the other end of the line, Ami sounded surprised that it was so easy to get her to agree. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” “It’s fine, Ami-chan. Really,” Makoto assured her, still grinning. “Have fun.” “Thank you for understanding, Mako-chan. I’ll see you guys later.” “Bye.” “Bye.” After hanging up, Makoto put her cell phone back in her jacket pocket and sat back down. By that time, the crowd had calmed down somewhat, and Meiji was taking the field. Though she knew Asanuma probably couldn’t see her, she waved to him as he took his spot in right field. “Who was that, Mako-chan?” Minako asked, referring to the phone call. “Oh, that was Ami-chan. She apparently ran into somebody down at the concession stands, and they invited her to sit with them. She’ll be back by the seventh inning stretch, though.” “You said it was okay? I thought today was supposed to be girls’ day out.” Makoto shrugged, unable to hide a small smile. “Let’s just say that I have a feeling that Ami-chan will have a much better time with them than she would with us,” she said mysteriously, just as a Toudai batter made contact with the ball, sending it straight in Asanuma’s direction. She and the others once again jumped up from their seats to cheer. “Go, Asanuma-kun! You can do it! YES!” ***** “That’ll be 2000 yen with your faculty discount, sensei.” Akira pulled out his wallet, and, after paying the cashier, he grabbed the box of food and went over to where Ami had just finished her phone call. “All set?” he asked as she put her phone away. Ami nodded. “Mako-chan didn’t mind. I promised to be back by the seventh inning stretch, though,” she said, turning back around to face him and frowning at the box of food in his hands. “Kitagawa-sensei, you really didn’t have to buy me anything.” “Nonsense. Just consider it a ‘thank you’ for all the hard work you’ve been putting in at the labs these past few weeks, although a tea and hot dog hardly seems adequate enough to convey my gratitude.” After double-checking that the man had given him the extra relish he had requested for his hot dog, Akira jerked his head to the right. “Come on. The seats are this way." Taking the lead, Akira led Ami to their seats, which happened to be right behind home plate. Ami’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she saw where they would be sitting. “Wow, these are fantastic seats,” she breathed as she sat down in Dr. Nakajima’s vacant spot. “Much better than ours.” Akira grinned. “One of the better perks of the job,” he said, passing Ami her tea and hot dog. “If you and your friends are ever in the need of tickets to another Toudai game, just come see me. I can get you a really good deal.” “Oh, no, I couldn’t take advantage of you like that, sensei!” Ami insisted, wearing the same look she had worn when he offered to buy her food. “Well, the offer still stands anyway.” Looking up at the scoreboard, Akira fought back the urge to swear in front of his student. While they were down at the concession stands, Meiji had managed two more runs, bringing the score to 5-1 in favor of Toudai’s rivals. “Oh, man!” he exclaimed instead, slapping a hand on his knee. “Two more runs? They’re killing us out there.” “It’s not so bad. They still have five more innings to catch up." Despite the fact that he knew the odds of Toudai managing a victory were about on par with winning the lottery, Akira couldn’t help but smile at Ami’s optimistic outlook on the situation. He could tell that she wasn’t much of a fan. “You really don’t follow the team, do you?” “Guilty as charged. Why?” “Well, if you did, you would know that this year’s team has a reputation for losing steam in the second half of the game,” he explained, pulling back the tab on his can of beer. He took a quick sip before continuing, “If they don’t start off strong and earn a lot of runs in the early innings, they can usually kiss a victory goodbye. It’s almost like they decide to give up. They‘ve only had one come-from- behind win this entire season, and that was against Rikkyo, the weakest team in the Big Six. Even then, we only beat them by one run, a lucky homer by Izawa.” “Oh.” To further prove his point, Akira nodded his chin in the direction of the current batter, who had just received his second strike. “See? Did you catch that? That was a easy hit, but Shiraki completely missed the ball. The players are losing confidence in their abilities.” “Maybe they just need a little more encouragement,” Ami suggested, standing up from her seat. Much to Akira’s surprise, the usually quiet girl cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, quite loudly, “Come on, Shiraki-san! You can do it! Keep your eye on the ball!” When Ami brought her hands back down, she looked rather self- conscious, as if she couldn’t believe she had done it either, but her encouragements seemed to help. Shiraki hit the next ball clear into far left field. The left fielder tried to catch it, but missed, allowing Shiraki to easily run pass second and slide into third for a triple. The crowd, including Akira, went wild. He couldn’t believe it. “Amazing! I never knew Shiraki had it in him. He’s a great catcher, but he’s not known much for his hitting ability,” Akira said, looking over at Ami incredulously. “If I believed in such things, Ami-chan, I’d think you were some kind of lucky charm.” Ami blushed furiously, waving her arms in front of her. “I didn’t do anything, really.” Maybe not, but the next three players at bat each managed to get a hit, including a double from Takahashi. The gap between the scores lessened to 3-5. Unfortunately, the next batter hit a fly ball caught by the right fielder -- who happened to be Ami’s roommate’s friend -- to end the inning, but the Toudai crowd was going nuts. Even Ami, appearing to have gotten over her embarrassment, started jumping up and down, screaming with the best of them. The beginning of the next inning was just as exciting. After a pitching change on the Toudai side, the relief pitcher managed to strike out the first two Meiji batters with only eight pitches. Though the third batter hit a single, the batter after him couldn’t make it to first thanks to a quick play from the right fielder, thus ending the top of the inning. “They’re really turning it around,” Akira marveled, sitting back down as the teams switched sides. “If this keeps up, we might actually be able to win this thing. Imagine that -- fifth-ranked Toudai pulling a victory over first-ranked Meiji. What a coup that would be!” While Toudai seemed to lose a bit of their steam during the second half of the inning, they still managed to earn another run, bringing the score up to 5-4. Only one more run and the score would be tied. As the game continued on to the sixth inning, Akira sat on the edge of his seat, his muscles tensed and his brain in high gear as he mentally calculated the probability of each of the Meiji batters getting a hit. The Toudai relief pitcher was still packing the heat when it came to speed, but Akira noticed that his pitches were becoming a bit more wild and erratic, even allowing an unintentional walk on the third batter. His eyes narrowed as Shiraki, the catcher, failed to catch a pitch thrown too far to the left. “Keep the nerves in check, Takamori,” he muttered, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his clenched hands. “As long as they don’t score any more runs, we’ve got a good shot of winning. Don‘t blow it for us now.” “He needs to start throwing lower,” Ami said. She, too, appeared to be deep in thought, her brows furrowed together. “He keeps pitching them high, and the batters are expecting it.” Akira nodded, agreeing with her assessment of the situation. “He also needs to stop with those fu--stupid curve balls. His fastballs are more effective. His speed is good, so he should use it to his advantage.” The next pitch -- another curve ball, much to Akira’s consternation -- soared into left field, but luckily, the left fielder was able to make an easy catch, resulting in the second out of the inning. With two runners still on base, though, Toudai really needed the next out. One solid double could bring another run home, and the next batter up for Meiji was the league’s top hitter, who was responsible for nearly all his team’s runs. As Yamada took his place beside home plate, Akira slid up to the edge of his seat, and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ami had done the same. The formerly boisterous crowd subdued to a funeral quiet, and even the band had stopped playing, its members all waiting with baited breath. The pitcher threw the first pitch. The 97 mph fastball flew right through the strike zone. There were a few scattered cheers from the Tokyo University fans, but Akira knew better than to celebrate just yet. Yamada had a reputation for letting the first ball go as a way to gauge the pitcher’s skill. It would be the second pitch that would really tell the story. Takamori tried another fastball, but this time, Yamada’s bat connected with the ball, sending it to the far left outfield. For a few horrifying moments, it looked like it might be a home run. However, at the last moment, a sudden wind curved even further to the left, allowing an eager fan in the stands to catch it. A foul. Akira could sense the collective feeling of relief from the nearby Toudai fans, a sentiment he shared. If it had been a home run, Toudai, most likely, would never have been able to catch up. The next five balls were also fouls. Yamada, who seemed shocked by the fact that he had two strikes against him, went after every pitch, whether it was good or not. It wasn’t until the eighth pitch that he managed a clean hit, but fortunately, it fell infield. The shortstop easily fielded it, throwing it to the first baseman just before Yamada touched base and ending the first half of the inning. “That was close,” Akira sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Almost too close.” “At least Meiji didn’t earn any more runs,” Ami reminded him. “Yeah, but if it wasn’t for that freak wind…” The beginning of the second half of the sixth inning did little to inspire Akira’s confidence. The first batter struck out and the second hit a fly ball directly to the center fielder, who didn’t even have to move from his spot to catch it for the second out. When Akira saw the third batter come up to the base, he nearly declared the inning finished right then and there. The freshman shortstop had the worst batting average in the starting line-up, though he was very strong in the field, as he had proved in catching Yamada’s ball. Any hope he had of keeping his current hero-status, however, would depend on whether or not he screwed up his at-bat. The boy was obviously nervous. He kept backing away from the base to wipe his undoubtedly sweaty hands on his uniform or to tighten his glove, causing some of the Meiji supporters to begin to boo. Finally, after about the fifth attempt at a stall, he walked back up to the base and got into position, determined to play. He earned two strikes right off the bat. “Oh, I don’t think I can watch this,” Akira said, turning his head to the side and shielding his peripheral vision with his hand. "Ami-chan, tell me what happens, okay?” “Sensei, don’t you think…Oh!” “Oh?” Akira hesitantly looked back over at the field, eyes widening when he saw the ball flying straight down the center. “Oh!” he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat with the rest of the fans. It looked as if it might be a home run. The ball showed no signs of dropping, soaring right over the center fielder’s head. He tried to run to the back of the field, but he was too late. The Toudai crowd erupted into cheers when the ball finally landed safely in the stands, Akira’s voice among the loudest. “Home run! 5-5! Whoo!” In fact, he was so in the moment, Akira didn’t even realize he was hugging a blushing Ami until the next player came up to bat. He abruptly pulled away. “Uh…sorry about that, Ami-chan,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I have a tendency to become a little overexcited when it comes to baseball.” “I-It’s okay,” she said, bending down to gather her things. "Actually, I probably should start heading back to Mako-chan and the girls.” “But you still have half an inning before the stretch. That‘s when you decided to meet back together, wasn‘t it? You don‘t have to leave so soon.” “I know, but…” She let the rest of the sentence die off, throwing her bag over her shoulder. Akira noticed that Ami appeared to be avoiding looking directly at him, her cheeks still slightly red from before. “Thank you…well, for everything,” she said, giving him a polite bow. “I’ll see you on Monday, sensei. Goodbye.” “Ami-chan…” He started to ask her again to stay, feeling they shouldn’t leave things so awkward between them after what happened, but, just as Ami began climbing down the stairs on her way back to her friends, Akira felt his cell phone vibrating in his jeans pocket. Deciding to let her go, he pulled the phone out and brought it to his ear. “Moshi moshi… Yes, Nakajima-sensei, I’m still at the game… What? Are you sure?… No, I didn’t… Okay, I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Bye.” ***** Her heavy bag swinging against her hip, Ami walked as fast as she could to her original seat with Makoto and the girls, her heart pounding and her cheeks flushed. When she finally spotted Makoto, who appeared to be sitting all by herself at the moment, Ami took a moment to catch her breath and compose herself. The last thing she needed was one of her friends guessing what had happened and reading too much into it. Minako, especially, would have a field day if she knew. The blonde still insisted she had a crush on Professor Kitagawa, no matter how many times Ami denied it. “Ami-chan, what happened?” Makoto asked when Ami walked up. “You look like you’ve just run a marathon.” “Huh?” “Your face, it’s all red. You didn’t run over here, did you?” “Oh.” Ami brought a hand to her cheek, which felt warm to the touch. “Hai, I didn’t want to be late.” “You didn’t need to worry,” Makoto said, chuckling. “You do realize that the seventh inning stretch happens in the middle of the seventh inning, not the beginning? You still had plenty of time.” “Oh, right. Silly me.” Of course, Ami knew perfectly well when the seventh inning stretch began, but if Makoto wanted to believe she had gotten the time wrong, she wasn’t about to correct her and face having to answer questions about why she had come back earlier than expected. “Where is everybody?” she asked, deciding to change the topic as she sat down in her seat in the row behind Makoto. “Usagi-chan went to get us some more drinks, and Minako-chan dragged Rei-chan to the girls’ room. They should be back soon.” Makoto turned around in her seat to face Ami and grinned. “So, how was it?” “How was what?” Green eyes rolled, and Makoto giggled. “Hanging out with your 'professor,’” she clarified, putting a strange emphasis on the last word that Ami didn’t quite understand. “Why are you asking it like that?” “Oh, come on, Ami-chan, you don’t really expect me to believe you ditched us in order to watch the game with some professor.” “Mako-chan, that *was* the truth,” Ami said, confused. Why would Makoto think she had lied about that? “I was with Kitagawa-sensei, just like I told you. You could ask him yourself if you wanted.” “You were?” “Yes, I was. Who did you think I was with?” The brunette shrugged. “Well, actually, to be honest, I thought maybe you were with whoever you made that lunch for that one time, your secret boyfriend.” “Mako-chan…” Ami felt her cheeks start to warm again, but she managed to hide it by knocking Rei’s program off her chair and bending down to pick it up. If only Makoto knew how close she was to the truth… “Well, in any case, did you have a good time with Kitagawa- sensei?” Makoto asked. “You know, I can’t imagine actually wanting to spend time with a teacher outside of the classroom. Wasn’t it a little weird?” “No, not at all.” Still trying to hide her blush, which deepened when she remembered the hug, Ami began flipping through Rei’s program. “It was nice. Kitagawa-sensei is a huge baseball fan, so he was really into the game.” “Well, you two definitely had a lot to cheer about,” Makoto playfully pouted, turning back around and crossing her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe Toudai managed to catch up with Meiji.” “But Asanuma-kun’s been playing well,” Ami reminded her, causing Makoto to smile proudly. “He really has, hasn’t he? Did you see him catch that ball at the end of the fourth inning?” Ami nodded. “Hai, that was a great catch.” “And he’s been doing fairly well at the bat, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to keep him on the starting line-up even after the usual right fielder came back. Wouldn’t that be great?” Ami was about to agree with her when Minako and Rei arrived back from their trip to the restroom, with Usagi not too far behind, carrying four bottles of water in her arms. “Oh, Ami-chan, you’re back early,” Usagi said, handing two of the bottles over to Rei and Minako, who then resumed their seats. “If I had known, I would have bought another bottle. I’m sorry.” “It’s okay, Usagi-chan. I‘m fine,” Ami insisted. “Where were you, anyway, Ami-chan?” Minako asked, twisting open her bottle and taking a drink. “Mako-chan was being super mysterious about your whereabouts. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you ran off to meet with some gorgeous guy.” “Please! Ami-chan isn’t like you, Minako-chan,” Rei declared with a roll of her eyes, failing to see Ami once again burying her face in her program. “She was probably helping somebody with their homework, right, Ami-chan?” “Oh, she just ran into one of her professors,” Makoto answered in a bored tone of voice, for which Ami was grateful. “He had an extra seat, so he invited her to sit with him.” Minako frowned. “That was the big secret? That‘s so dull, Ami- chan! Wouldn‘t you have rather stayed here with us?” “She’s lucky she went. She didn’t have to go nearly deaf from that stupid horn of yours.” Minako stuck her tongue out at Makoto, then yanked Rei’s program out of Ami’s hands, startling her. “At least tell me it was that young professor you’re working for. I might be able to forgive you for ditching us if it was for *him*.” “Minako-chan…” “Aha! So it was him!” she said smugly. “Where are those binoculars of yours? I’ve got to get a look at this guy.” Grabbing Ami’s binoculars, which Minako had apparently forgotten she was still wearing around her neck from earlier, the blonde brought them up to her eyes and started scanning the crowds. “Now, where were you sitting?” Ami sighed, wishing everybody would just let the subject of Professor Kitagawa drop. First Makoto, and now Minako… Still, knowing that Minako wouldn’t stop until she got an answer, Ami said in a defeated voice, “The seats were right behind home plate. He’s wearing a red polo shirt, jeans, and a Tokyo University baseball cap.” Focusing the binoculars on the spot Ami described, Minako frowned. “I don’t see him, Ami-chan. He‘s not there.” “What?” Ami, in an uncharacteristic move, yanked the binoculars from Minako’s hands, nearly choking the blonde with the strap as she looked through the lens. “A…mi…chan…can‘t…breathe…” But Ami barely heard her, staring in disbelief at the two empty seats in the third row. Professor Kitagawa was gone. ***** As Akira exited the stadium, which was in full roar as the seventh-inning stretch began, he kicked an empty beer can littering the ground and sighed. He really should have known better than to have invited Ami to come sit with him. What if she decided to sue him for sexual harassment because of that hug? His career would be over. He would just have to explain to her again that he didn’t mean anything by it and hope that Ami understood. That was about all he could do, but it would probably be okay. Ami had been surprised and flustered by the hug, but she was smart enough to realize that he had just been excited by the home run. Akira shook his head, pushing his thoughts of what had happened to the back of his mind. For the moment, what he really needed to worry about were those sick mice at the lab. Dr. Nakajima had called him with news that whatever disease had infected the first group had apparently spread to a second cage. Catching a bus outside the stadium, he arrived at the Institute of Medical Science, grabbed his lab coat and notes from the office, and headed down to the sub-basement where the research animals were kept. Dr. Nakajima was speaking to the technician in charge of the care of the animals and Dr. Kamina, who was also working with them on the experiment being performed on the mice. A frowning Akira joined them, not liking what he was hearing in the least. “So you’re saying that it’s possible that the mice in Cage 5 of Group C have been in contact with those in Cage 4, the quarantined set?” Akira asked the technician after he had been brought up to date. “Kamina-sensei wanted the two cages to breed,” the technician explained, sounding as if it wasn’t the first time he had been asked. He looked positively terrified. “I was only following instructions. It wasn’t my fault.” “Nobody is saying it is your fault, Kaji-kun,” Dr. Nakajima said, rubbing his forehead. “If Kamina-sensei ordered you to breed them, then you did nothing wrong. I would like Kamina-sensei to give me a straight answer as to *why* he ordered the breeding, though. That was not part of our experiment.” “Nakajima-sensei, you were the one who wanted data on how the drug would affect developing fetuses,” the other researcher reminded him. “Yes, but there was no need to test during this cycle. We haven‘t even determined if the drug works yet.” “Time is money. The experiment was going well, so I saw no reason why we shouldn’t test the drug on a limited number of pregnant mice. There was already a surplus of subjects for this experiment anyway.” “Yes, a surplus that may turn into a deficit if this disease infects anymore of the cages, Kamina-sensei.” “I’ve told you, Nakajima-sensei, the preliminary blood work indicates that--” Sensing the beginning of a major argument, Akira interrupted before things could become more heated between the two older professors. Dr. Nakajima and Dr. Kamina had never been the best of friends, a rivalry going at least as far back as when Akira was still an undergraduate, if not earlier. “Kaji-kun, were cages four and five the only ones assigned for mating?” he asked the lab technician. Kaji nodded. “As far as I know, cage five is the only group that had contact with the infected mice.” “Then we will destroy cages four and five and continue on with the experiment as planned,” he decided. “We’ll have a smaller pool of data, but it should be enough. Kaji-kun?” “I’ll get right on it, sensei,” Kaji said, bowing to the three of them before heading to the quarantine room to get rid of the mice. After the technician left, Dr. Kamina also excused himself, leaving Akira and Dr. Nakajima alone in the animal lab. Since he was already there, Akira pulled out a notebook and began taking notes on the mice’s physical appearance while Dr. Nakajima stood against the wall, arms folded over his chest as he glared at the door where Dr. Kamina had just exited. The older professor looked remarkably like the little kid he had accused Akira of being earlier that day. “Honestly, Akira-kun, why I let you talk me into collaborating with that idiot, I’ll never know,” his mentor said with a shake of his head. “He could have ruined the entire project.” “Maybe so, but even you have to admit that he’s one of the best in his field,” Akira reminded him with a slight smirk, his hand moving fast across the page as he described the general appearance of the mice in cage three. “Yes, well, I’m sorry I had to pull you away from the game so you could play referee between us.” “It’s fine.” “What was the score when you left?” “Five to five at the beginning of the seventh inning.” “A tie? Impressive. I didn’t think Toudai had it in them to do so well against Meiji,” Dr. Nakajima said. “Sorry I had to miss that. You weren‘t too bored without me there, I hope?” Having finished with the mice in cage three and deciding that the rest could wait until later, Akira closed the notebook and turned around. “Actually…I had some company,” he admitted, hoping he didn’t sound as guilty as he felt. The memory of the hug had come back to haunt him. “Oh? Anybody I know?” “Mizuno Ami-chan. I ran into her down at the concession stands and invited her to come sit with me.” Dr. Nakajima did not look happy upon hearing that bit of information, his lips pursing together in a straight line across his face. “You invited Mizuno-san to sit with you at the game?” “It was no big deal,” Akira insisted. “I just wanted pay her back for all her hard work over the past couple of weeks, that‘s all.” “Are you sure?” “Of course.” His mentor seemed to study him for a moment, his eyes staring at Akira with a strange mixture of concern and worry that he couldn‘t quite understand, but, before the older man could say anything more, his cell phone rang. As Dr. Nakajima moved to answer it, Akira let out the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and started refilling one of the cage‘s water bottles, which he noticed was almost empty. Logically, he knew he shouldn’t feel so guilty about what had happened at the game. It was just a silly hug that had meant absolutely nothing. It wasn’t as if he had kissed her or anything like that. Still… Dr. Nakajima flipped close his cell, startling Akira from his thoughts. “That was the department head,” he said before Akira could ask who was calling. “He wants to go over some things with me before tomorrow’s faculty meeting, so I’m going to head over to his office. I'll see you tomorrow, Akira-kun.” “Yeah, tomorrow.” His mentor lingered for a second longer than necessary, again staring at Akira in that peculiar way that made him feel uneasy, before heading to the door. “Do me a favor, Akira-kun,” Dr. Nakajima said after swiping his ID card through the slot that opened the door, causing Akira to look up. “Yes?” “Be careful, okay?” ***** Back at the stadium, the game had ended. To the surprise of nearly everybody in attendance, Tokyo University had managed to pull an upset victory over Meiji, earning one more run in the last inning to break the tie. The Toudai fans were still celebrating the win, Minako among them, standing in her chair and blowing her air horn as loudly as she could. Apparently, the so-called “Switzerland” of the group had been cheering for the victors the entire time. “I knew Toudai would win,” Minako shouted over the noise as Makoto and the other girls rolled their eyes and began gathering their things together. Raising her free hand up in the air, she gave her trademark V-for-victory sign. “I knew it the entire time. The underdog always wins in situations like these.” Rei, putting her program in her purse, scoffed. “Please, Minako- chan! If you were so certain that Toudai was going to win, why didn’t you join me and Ami-chan?” she asked, causing a faint pink blush to cross the blonde’s cheeks. “That was because… That was because I didn’t want to cheer against Asanuma-kun’s team.” “Sounds to me more like you just wanted to make sure you could say you cheered for the winning team no matter who won. Now get off that thing before you fall through and have to pay for a new seat.” Minako childishly stuck out her tongue at the miko, but finally hopped off her chair. “Hey, why don’t we head to Crown?” she suggested once everyone had gathered all their belongings. “I feel like playing some games. It‘s been a while.” “Games? But I already used up all my money to buy snacks,” Usagi pouted. “Don’t worry. I’ll lend you some money, Usagi-chan.” Turning to the others, the aspiring actress put on her best “please, please, please” face. “What about you three? Want to come with us? It‘ll be just like the good ol‘ days.” Rei and Ami agreed, but Makoto told them to go ahead without her and she would meet up with them at the arcade later. Knowing that Asanuma had to be bummed about his team losing the game, she wanted to catch up with him before she left. The other girls said goodbye, and once they had left, Makoto headed down to the dugout, hoping she could catch him before he headed to the showers. “Asanuma-kun!” She caught him just in the nick of time. Asanuma was one of the last players off the field, talking with a couple of his fellow teammates and a man who appeared to be one of the coaches as they headed back to the dugout. Upon hearing his name, Asanuma looked up, and Makoto blushed as one of the players let out an appreciative whistle. “Yo, Asanuma, is that hottie your girl? Man, you lucky dog!” the whistler said, patting Asanuma on the back. Asanuma ignored his remark, running over to the spot below where Makoto stood in the stands. His smile was bright as he took off his cap and waved it at her. “Mako-chan, you made it!” “Stay down there. I’ll be down in a minute,” she called down to him, already heading toward the flight of stairs she knew led down to the locker room and dugout. By the time she made it down to the dugout, the other players and the coach had already left. Makoto ran over to Asanuma and surprised him with a huge hug. He was still sweaty and stinky from the game, but she didn’t mind at all, rather liking the masculine odor of his perspiration. “Hey, what was that for?” he chuckled once she finally pulled away from him. “You were wonderful out there, Asanuma-kun!” Makoto exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve seen you play better.” The smile on his face from seeing her abruptly disappeared, turning into a frown. “Yeah, but we still lost, and against Tokyo University of all schools. Sure, we’re still number one in the league, but it’s kind of embarrassing to lose to a fifth-ranked school.” “That doesn’t matter,” she insisted, shaking her head. “The team still did well, and you were the star player.” At that, Asanuma bashfully looked down at his cleats. “Mako-chan, don’t start giving me a big head! Motosuwa-sempai will be off the injury list soon, and I’ll be back to playing benchwarmer.” “Well, even if you are, I’m sure you’ll start next year. Didn’t you tell me that Motosuwa-san was a senior this year?” “Yeah, but I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.” Looking back up, he seemed surprised that she was the only one there. “So, where is everybody else? Didn’t they come?” Makoto nodded. “They’re on their way to Crown at the moment. I told them to go on ahead so I could invite you to come with us. I‘m sure they would love to see you again. It‘s been forever since we‘ve all been able to hang out together.” “I would love to, Mako-chan, but I’m afraid our coach has decided to call an emergency practice in about an hour and a half,” he said with a loud sigh. “He only gave us enough time to clean up and get something to eat.” “Oh.” Makoto tried to hide her disappointment by smiling. “Well, maybe next time.” “Yeah. Rain check?” Again, she nodded, just as one of the Meiji players -- the whistler from earlier -- appeared in the doorway of the dugout leading to the locker room. He had obviously just showered, for his dark hair was damp, and he wore nothing but a towel around his waist. Noticing a blushing Makoto staring at him, he flirtatiously winked at her, not embarrassed in the least by his lack of clothing, then turned his attention to Asanuma. “Hey, Asanuma, forget the chick and get your ass in here. The guys want to go for pizza before practice.” “I’ll be there in a minute,” Asanuma said, giving Makoto an apologetic shrug. “I guess I better go. Thank you for coming. I really appreciate you and the other girls coming to support me, especially Ami- chan, since we were playing against her school. Tell her I’m sorry about that. When I told you about the game, I forgot that she went to Toudai.” “I will,” Makoto promised. “And Asanuma-kun? You really were great out there today.” Asanuma grinned. “Thanks.” ***** When Ami and Makoto finally returned home after spending a few hours at the arcade, then going out to a late dinner with the girls, it was almost nine o’clock. The brunette pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, letting them in. “Boy, what a day,” Makoto said, stretching her arms high over her head almost as soon as they walked inside. “I’m exhausted. Mind if I call dibs on the bath? I think I’m going to take a short soak, then head on to bed. I have early class tomorrow.” However, Ami, her thoughts elsewhere, hadn’t heard her. In fact, she had been rather distracted all night long. “Hmm?” “I was asking if you minded if I took my bath first,” Makoto repeated with a slight frown. “Oh, yes, sure, go ahead,” Ami replied, slipping into her favorite pair of blue slippers before taking a seat on the couch and pulling out one of her textbooks from the bag she had brought with her to the game. “I wanted to do my last bit of reading before taking my bath anyway.” “Thanks.” Makoto started toward the bathroom but turned back around, a concerned look on her face. “Ami-chan, are you feeling okay? You’ve been really quiet tonight, quieter than usual.” “I’m fine, Mako-chan.” “Are you sure?” As she turned to the correct page in her history text, Ami resisted the uncharacteristic urge to roll her eyes. She was beginning to get annoyed by all the inquiries into her health, though she knew she had been acting strangely. Each of her friends had asked if she was alright at least once during the night. “Yes, I’m sure. Go take your bath.” “If you say so.” Makoto didn’t seem quite convinced, but she let it go, continuing onto the bath as Ami forced herself to concentrate on the words in front of her. Not even reading about the Crusades managed to get her mind off of what had happened, though. Why was that hug affecting her so much? She didn’t understand. Like Professor Kitagawa had said when he apologized, he had just been excited because of the home run. There was nothing more to it than that. It wasn’t even all that intimate, more like a hug between friends. If that was the case, though, why had he left the game almost as soon they had parted ways? Was it embarrassment? Guilt? And, even more importantly, why did her cheeks feel like they were on fire every time she thought of that brief moment she had been in his arms? Just when Ami was about to give up studying for the night, she heard the sound of her ringtone coming from her book bag. She dug her cell phone out and brought it to her ear. “Moshi, moshi. Mizuno Ami speaking.” “Ami-chan?” the male caller said, causing Ami to sit upright on the couch as soon as she recognized his voice. “It’s Professor Kitagawa.” Though she wasn’t sure why, her heart began beating faster against her rib cage. “S-Sensei?” “I bet you’re probably wondering why I’m calling you so late,” her professor guessed with a chuckle that sounded far too strained to have been natural, as if he was trying to make it seem like a casual phone call. When Ami neither confirmed or denied it, he continued in a more serious voice, “I just wanted to apologize again if I made you fell uncomfortable today at the game. I was way out of line.” “It‘s okay,” Ami said softly into the phone. “I understood. That home run really was amazing. You were just excited. “Yes, I know, but it was still inappropriate for me to hug you, and I do hope that this doesn’t affect our professional relationship in anyway. If you would like to quit, I would understand, of course, but--” “I have no intention of quitting, Kitagawa-sensei. I love my job, and I enjoy working with you,” she interrupted, a bit surprised by the strong conviction in her voice. Until that moment when he suggested she might want to quit, she hadn’t realized just how much the job meant to her. “As do I, Ami-chan,” he said warmly, returning the compliment. “I’m glad to hear that. You’re the best research assistant I’ve ever had, and it would be a shame to lose you, especially over such a silly misunderstanding.” Ami felt her cheeks warm, and, even though she was the only one in the room, she sunk down on the couch. “T-Thank you for saying so, sensei.” “I meant every word.” On the other end of the line, Ami heard Professor Kitagawa let out what she assumed was a sigh of relief. “So, now that’s taken care of…how was the rest of the game?” he asked, surprising Ami with the abrupt change of subject. “What?” “I had to leave right after you went to rejoin your friends, so I don’t know the final score. Was either team able to break the tie?” “Actually, Toudai managed another run in the ninth to win the game,” she informed him, still a bit confused. “They won?” Even though it sounded as if the professor had pulled the phone away, Ami could still hear his triumphant “Yesss!” on the other end, causing a small smile to tug on her lips. When he got back on, however, his voice was calm, almost detached-sounding. “That’s great. I’m really proud of them. To win a series against first-ranked Meiji is amazing, especially for a fifth-ranked school like Toudai.” Ami couldn’t help herself. She started giggling, finally managing to relax. She felt so silly for getting so wound up in the first place. “What’s so funny?” Professor Kitagawa asked, though he didn’t sound offended in the least. In fact, Ami suspected he was trying to hold in his own laughter. “I heard you.” Ami then proceeded to do a fairly accurate imitation of his “Yesss!” “Hey, I warned you that I was a bit of a fanatic…” “Yes, you did,” she said, smiling. The smile turned into a frown, however, when Ami remembered he still hadn’t mentioned why he had left the game. “So why did you have to leave the game early?” she asked. “Oh, I had to go play referee between Nakajima-sensei and Kamina -sensei down at the labs. Honestly, those two fight like little kids sometimes.” “Oh. Then you didn’t leave because of…” “Because of what?” Ami shook her head even though she knew he couldn’t see her. She should have known it had been something like that. Again, she felt silly for blowing things out of proportion in her mind. “Nothing. Never mind.” “Well, anyway, I should probably work on my lectures for tomorrow,” he said. “I’m really glad that we got things settled between us, Ami-chan.” “Me, too.” “See you tomorrow at the lab?’ “I’ll be there,” Ami promised. They said their goodbyes, and Ami ended the call, putting the phone back in her bag. She felt better, having talked to Professor Kitagawa about what had happened, but a part of her still felt confused. Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away and stood to head to her room, nearly bumping straight into Makoto on the way. The brunette had just come out of the bath, a large, fluffy towel wrapped around her body and wet hair cascading over her bare shoulders. “Bath’s free,” her roommate announced unnecessarily. “I left some of that new shampoo I was talking about the other day in there. You really ought to try it. It smells really good.” Ami nodded, though Makoto’s words weren’t really sinking in. "Thanks, Mako-chan.” There was a brief silence between them, and Ami could tell Makoto wanted to ask her again if something was wrong, but instead, she just moved out of the doorway so Ami could go in. “Well…goodnight, then, I guess.” “Goodnight.” Ami waited until Makoto had gone to her room and closed the door behind her before she entered the bathroom, abandoning her previous plans to go to bed. Maybe what she really needed was a nice, long relaxing soak to get her mind off of things. Inside, she stripped off her clothes and washed herself, using some of the shampoo Makoto had left behind for her to try that made her hair smell like jasmine. She then lowered herself in the still-hot bathwater, moaning softly at the feel of her element against her bare skin. Sitting back so that her entire body from the neck down was submerged in water, Ami closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, a meditation technique Rei had taught all the girls for the times when the stress of school and battles became too much to bear. It took a few minutes, but, eventually, she felt her body finally begin to relax, and her brain along with it. This was exactly what I needed, Ami thought to herself, treading her arms leisurely through the water. She sighed with pleasure, imagining herself in what Rei called her “happy place,” a beautiful sandy beach on the coast of the Sea of Japan. She had been there only once before, when she was a little girl. It was the last family vacation she remembered where her parents had been truly happy and not just putting on a show for her benefit. Thinking back on that time always made Ami feel safe and loved, but, this time, as she imagined herself on the beach, it was not as a happy-go-lucky six-year- old building sandcastles with her parents, but as an full-grown adult, sunbathing in a revealing navy bikini that she would never dare wear anywhere but in the safety of her own imagination. The Ami who was in the tub vaguely realized she was blushing, but she didn’t try to push the image away as somebody began slathering sunscreen over her exposed skin, massaging her muscles as their hands made their way down her back. The Ami in her mind was laying on her stomach, her chin resting on her folded arms, so she couldn’t see who the stranger was, but whoever it was had magical hands. She didn’t even object when the stranger decided to untie her skimpy bikini top, too caught up in her euphoria to notice or care. Once the man had finished -- she was almost certain he was a man, for his hands felt larger than a typical woman’s -- Ami rolled over on her back so he could start on the other side. She managed to catch a brief look at her dark-haired masseuse, but, because the sun was so bright, she threw an arm over her eyes, shielding them from the blinding light before she could match a name to his face. The man started with her feet and worked his way up, kneading her calves and thighs with the skill of a master bread-maker. By the time he reached the apex of her legs, the Ami in her mind was practically crying out for more. He surprised her, though, by abruptly stopping and changing position. His new spot, kneeling behind her head, provided enough shadow so Ami no longer had to cover her eyes, but unfortunately, the shadow also obscured his features so she still couldn’t tell who he was. As he had done with her legs, he started with her hands and moved upwards, though he wasn’t quite so thorough as he had been previously. It was more of a light rub than a massage, the coolness of the sunscreen lotion being applied by his warm hands sending shivers up Ami’s spine. After he had finished with both arms, Ami sat up, making it easier for him to work on her shoulders, and sighed with contentment as he kissed the back of her neck. He took his time, working out all the knots and kinks that had built up in her muscles, then, after a brief pause to squeeze out more lotion, moving onto her stomach and breasts. Involuntarily, the Ami in the tub began copying his movements on her own body, her legs spreading apart as the Ami in her mind rather boldly took one of the man’s hands and guided it downwards. Soon, both Amis’ breaths were short and shallow, and the Ami in the tub let out a loud moan as she reached her release. The moan of her counterpart, however, had been interrupted by the man covering her lips with his as she craned her neck to finally see his face. A very familiar face. Gasping when she realized who it was, the Ami in the tub opened her eyes in shock and yanked her hand out from between her legs. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she stared at the offending hand in disbelief of what she had just done. It couldn’t have been him. There was no possible way she could have been fantasizing about…about… But there was no mistake. The man in her fantasy was Professor Kitagawa Akira. DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. As always, thanks to I Abibde/Samuraiter and Starsea for editing. Koshien is the most prestigious tournament in Japanese high school baseball. Tokyo University (Toudai) and Meiji University are a part of the so-called Big Six, a league of six universities also including Keiou, Rikkyo, Hosei, and Waseda.