H2
	 Volume 7
	  Chapter 1 (60)
	   Whose Fault Was That?

 - Page 5 -

(Ch. 1) Whose Fault Was That?

 - Page 6 -

Meiwa Coach: Fukui, you're at third base next inning.

Fukui: Huh?

Meiwa Coach: Got that, Tachibana?

Tachibana: Yes.

 - Page 7 -

Ump: Three outs!
	Change sides!

PA: In to replace Tachibana-kun at third base,
	Fukui-kun!

 - Page 8 -

Noda: He'd get another at-bat.

Hiro: Yeah.

Noda: Was it that dead ball?

Hiro: Dunno...

Hikari: Hide-chan!

Hideo: Yo.

 - Page 9 -

Hideo: It's no biggie.
	The coach ordered me to have it checked at the hospital, just in case.
	Keep watchin' the game for me!

 - Page 10 -

Noda: Now he's calling his strikeouts every time he gets two strikes on the batter.

 - Page 11 -

Haruka: That's the eleventh one.

Koga: Double-digit strikeouts against Meiwa?

Noda: Who's faster, him or you?

Haruka: Kunimi-kun is faster.
	WAY faster!

Noda: Luckily for you,
	Haruka-chan's entirely partial eye for speeds is perfect.

Hiro: Oh,
	I see.

 - Page 12 -

Guys: What a great game.
	It's a pitcher's duel, Meiwa's Ichinose Makoto and Eikyo's Hirota Katsutoshi.
	Those two are basically the best left-handed pitchers in Tokyo.

Shuji: Did that Hirota guy go to middle school in Shizuoka?

Guy: Yeah, that's right.
	But Coach Shiroyama found him and brought him here.

 - Page 13 -

Shuji: {Hirota Katsutoshi...}

 - Page 14 -

Banner: Fight!  Meiwa Ichi

 - Page 15 -

Teams: Meiwa Ichi
	Eikyo

 - Page 16 -

Reporter: Meiwa's powerful lineup only managed four scattered hits and struck out twelve times.
	Nice pitching, Hirota-kun!

Hirota: It doesn't matter if my team loses.

Reporter: So, Tachibana's homerun...
	that must have been tough.

Hirota: He really had me fooled.
	I guess I didn't have to worry about that dead ball after all.

Reporter: Actually, according to the hospital,
	his arm was broken.

Hirota: A homerun with a broken arm.
	He won fair and square.

 - Page 17 -

Photographer: But you went easy on him, didn't you?

Reporter: That's right,
	you got your announced strikeout in his first at-bat.

Hirota: How many times must I tell you guys?
	That's just a habit of mine I do during games.
	The strikeouts are a coincidence.
	More importantly, is Tachibana-kun OK?

Reporter: Well, he'll have plenty of time until the spring preliminaries.

Hirota: I hope he recovers and starts hitting again.
	...or else I'll look like the villain here.

 - Page 18 -

Noda: Takin' a piss.

Sign: Bathroom

Hiro: Make it quick.

Noda: Yessah.

Hikari: Long time no see.

 - Page 19 -

Hikari: Was the last time we met when you hit me in face as hard as you could?

Hiro: Excuse me.
	Whose fault was that?

Hikari: Mine.
	That's why I didn't hit you back.

Hiro: Are you waiting for someone?

Hikari: Yes,
	my friend's in the bathroom...

Hiro: Hmm.
	Sorry.

 - Page 20 -

Hikari: I told you it was my fault.

Hiro: But still...
	I mean,
	violence...

Hikari: ...can be necessary sometimes?
	Some things you never learn unless you get hit.

Hiro: What did you learn?

 - Page 21 -

Hikari: That you...

Hiro: Are what?

Hikari: Are a good guy after all.

Hiro: Want me to hit you again?!

Koga: Haruka, let's go!

Haruka: Okay,
	coming.

 - Page 22 -

[For those of you who noticed the references to prefectures in the first volume...]
[This is Tokyo.]
[Senkawa is in North Tokyo, Meiwa Ichi is in South Tokyo.]
[Tokyo is separated into northern and southern blocks in this story.]
[So,]
[with that out of the way...]

 - Chapter 1 Owari -