H2
	 Volume 6
	  Chapter 9 (58)
	   Talk About Popular

 - Page 149 -

(Ch. 9) Talk About Popular

 - Page 150 -

Hiro: Strikeout signal?

Koga: Yep.
	He touches his hat, then raises his arm.
	That's the sign he's going to get a strikeout.

Hiro: Can you DO that?

 - Page 151 -

Koga: Oh, he'll deny it himself.
	"It was just a coincidence."
	But when it keeps happening all the time in every game,
	the fans pick up on it and know what to expect.

Hiro: Wait a minute!
	Does that mean he used that stupid signal when Hideo was batting, too?

Koga: Maybe,
	maybe not...

Teams: Meiwa Ichi
	Eikyo

 - Page 152 -

Friend: I'm gonna go buy some juice, Hikari.
	Want some?

Hikari: If you're buying.

Friend: I like that.
	So unreserved.

 - Page 153 -

Shuji: Yo.

Hikari: Hey, Exam Boy, what are you doing here?!

Shuji: Taking a breather.
	They've basically got a guaranteed spot in the Koshien.
	He's a national star, already.
	Soon he'll be a pro player with a ridiculous salary.
	Go on, Hide-chan.
	Take care of me the way my brother used to.

 - Page 154 -

Hikari: Hide-chan wouldn't just abandon you,
	even if you didn't keep trotting out your dead brother.

Shuji: Dunno...  maybe he actually thinks that I'm a pest who's returned to harass him.
	A pest he had just about forgotten.

Hikari: Your brother taught Hide-chan how to play baseball, didn't he?
	The fact that he hasn't tossed baseball aside is proof that he hasn't forgotten.
	Don't worry, Hide-chan is Hide-chan, no matter how famous he gets.
	He's your friend.

 - Page 155 -

Shuji: Thanks for the lecture.

Hikari: Now that I know you're younger than us, your gloominess is kind of adorable.

Shuji: Tch.

Friend: Hikari...

Hikari: Oh,
	thanks.
	Move your butt.
	This is my friend's seat.
	Oh, Shu-kun.

 - Page 156 -

Hikari: Have you tossed it aside?

Shuji: What?

Hikari: Hide-chan wasn't the only one your brother taught baseball to, was he?

Banner: Victory!  Eikyo Academy

 - Page 157 -

 - Page 158 -

Meiwa Coach: The fifth announced strikeout...
	Tokyo is a large place, all right.
	You get all kinds of pitchers.
	Hirota Katsutoshi, Eikyo Academy.
	Looks like he's going to be a regular Koshien participant, starting next year.

Hideo: North Tokyo has Senkawa.

 - Page 159 -

Meiwa Coach: And Kunimi Hiro...?
	It would be a good matchup between pitchers.
	But when you factor in the entire team, the difference is obvious.
	Eikyo's got the pure talent, the best facilities,
	and most importantly...
	Ultimate trust in their coach.

 - Page 160 -

Meiwa Coach: Coach Shiroyama.
	The great commander, with one spring and two summer Koshien championship trophies.

Hideo: He's been coaching for a long time.
	At many different schools.
	Any coach is called "great" once they get old enough.

 - Page 161 -

 - Page 162 -

Hirota: You were a little slow to start there, senpai.
	Take your starting position job seriously.
	There are other good first-year third basemen we can use.

 - Page 163 -

Announcer: Batting 4th, the third baseman, Tachibana-kun!

Banner: Fight!  Meiwa Ichi

Hirota: Talk about popular.

 - Page 164 -

 - Page 165 -

Noda: Were those pitches too tough for him to swing at?

Hiro: No.
	He's just going to accept the pitcher's challenge.

 - Page 166 -

Hiro: Try your strikeout signal now, if you dare.
	Hey,
	wait...

 - Chapter 9 Owari -