H2
	 Volume 3
	  Chapter 5 (24)
	   I Was Too Late

 - Page 77 -

(Ch. 5) I Was Too Late

 - Page 78 -

[Summer vacation.]
[People will relax, wherever they are.]
[Except for high school seniors,
and the Baseball Club.]

 - Page 79 -

Player: Ah.

Noda: Don't just stick out the glove!  You have to get your whole body in front of hits like that, okay?!
	Next!

[Their kind principal had allowed them the use of the school field for practice until the day of the game.]
[And considerately allotted them the ridiculously hot time of 11 AM to 2 PM...]

Bugs: (zzt)(zzt)

 - Page 80 -

Bugs: (zzzt)

Bucket: (slosh)

Hiro: Whewww.

Haruka: Did you get the starting lineup decided?

Hiro: We're barely scraping by in everything, lineup included.
	Besides...

Haruka: Besides?

 - Page 81 -

Haruka: Don't look that way...
	They all really love baseball.

Hiro: I know that.
	Not one of them isn't giving his all out there.
	Now if we had an actual field and actual coaches,
	they'd be out there making real plays.
	...given enough time.

 - Page 82 -

Hiro: Eight more days...
	We need a firm center line in order to make it a decent game.

Haruka: Catcher is Noda-kun.
	Pitcher is Kunimi-kun.
	Second is Yanagi-kun, assuming he actually shows up...

Labels: (Note: home plate is at the TOP, not the bottom)
	Home: Noda
	Pitcher: Kunimi
	Second: Yanagi?
	Short: Arikawa

Haruka: The problem is center field.

Hiro: Someone who has fast legs, a strong arm, and knows a lot about baseball...

 - Page 83 -

Hiro: And possibly overconfident, selfish, show-offy and generally dislikable,
	too.

Bugs: (zzz)

 - Page 84 -

Kine: I decline.

Hiro: What the hell?  You said you'd help us if we came and asked.

Kine: Exactly!
	You should have taken up my offer at the time.
	A man's value increases and decreases constantly.
	The guy who saves the Baseball Club from its untimely demise won't come cheap.

Hiro: How much are we talking about now?

Kine: So glad you asked.  (heh...)

 - Page 85 -

Kine: A entire, day-long date with Koga.
	With a kiss, as well.

Haruka: No way!

Kine: You could at least think about it for one panel before refusing.

Hiro: Sorry for bothering you.
	(bonk)

Kine: Are you sure about this?!  You should hire me now, while you still can!
	My stock rises the closer it gets to gametime!
	It won't be a date with a kiss anymore!
	It'll be a night-long date, with a bit of SE-
	OOF!

 - Page 86 -

Kine: GOAAAAAAAAAAAL!

Haruka: Maybe I should have spent one panel thinking it over...

Hiro: God knows we don't need any MORE wasted space.

 - Page 87 -

Haruka: But we need Kine-kun's strength, don't we?

Hiro: We need someone with fast legs, a strong arm, and a lot of baseball knowledge,
	and possibly overconfident, selfish, show-offy and generally dislikable.
	But we don't need a low-down creep who takes advantage of the distress of others.
	Don't worry.
	I'll just make sure not to let the ball get hit into the outfield.

 - Page 88 -

Hiro: Rewind that part one more time.

Tape: (kyuru kyuru)

 - Page 89 -

Hiro: That was a tricky pitch,
	but he hit it straight back.

Noda: Man, and that was their 7th hitter, too!

Hiro: Here's the 8th, Kudo.
	Damn, they're all good.

 - Page 90 -

Hiro: Hello?

Hikari: Aha!
	So you WERE over there after all!

Hiro: Hideo isn't here.

Hikari: Of course not, he's with me.
	We're at the public pool.
	Wanna come and swim?

Hiro: You moron!
	Didn't Hideo tell you what kind of position we're in right now?!

Hikari: It helps to take a breather sometimes.
	You're probably watching a video of Meiwa's batters and moping over what to do.
	Noda-kun's with you, right?
	We'll be waiting.

Hiro: We're not going!

 - Page 91 -

Hikari: There are lots of pretty girls with small swimming suits here.

Hiro: Not going!

Hikari: You thought for one panel.
	We'll be waiting.
	*CLICK*

Hiro: Hey!
	Hey!

Noda: Hikari-chan?

Hiro: She says come to the public pool with her and Hideo.
	They're already together,
	I don't see why she'd want any other people in the way.

Noda: Really.

 - Page 92 -

Noda: You got dragged along on a lot of their dates in the past,
	didn't you?

Hiro: Hideo's not so good with girls.
	He asked me to introduce him to her,
	and the first time they met he hardly said a word.
	He just whispered in a tiny voice.  I had to translate for her.
	Damn, it took almost a YEAR for them to be able to talk by themselves.

Noda: He grew all that way himself.
	You and I were still kids in junior high.  It was like, girls or guys, no difference.

 - Page 93 -

Hiro: I was especially slow to mature.

Noda: You were a midget.
	Everyone thought you were still in grade school.

Hiro: Shut up.

Noda: It's all good.  You got popular by 9th grade.
	I remember you getting more chocolates than Hideo from the girls on Valentine's Day.

Hiro: Yeah.
	I was too late.

 - Page 94 -

[Summer vacation...]
[People will relax...]

Sign: Public Pool Entrance

 - Chapter 5 Owari -