H2
	 Volume 22
	  Chapter 9 (217)
	   He's That Good

 - Page 151 -

(Ch. 9) He's That Good

 - Page 152 -

[At any rate...]
[This summer,]

Sign: Koshien Champions

[The most famous school in Japan is...]

Sign: Meiwa Daiichi Senior High School

 - Page 153 -

[And,]
[The louder the background noise becomes...]

 - Page 154 -

[The more the monster focuses on baseball.]

 - Page 155 -

Coach: Good!
	You may leave, our goddess of victory.

Hikari: Oh,
	thanks for putting up with me.

 - Page 156 -

Coach: It must be hard for Tachibana-kun.
	I wonder how long this fuss is going to continue.

Hikari: Until Hide-chan quits playing baseball.

Coach: The entire time?

Hikari: The entire time.

Coach: I see...
	I guess he must really be that good.

Hikari: He's that good.

Coach: It just doesn't register with me.  I'm too used to seeing him being normal around school.

 - Page 157 -

Coach: Are you sure you only want to be manager during the tournament?
	He might worry without you there.
	He'll feel like he's losing touch with you.

Hikari: Don't you need me here,
	for the archery team?

Coach: Well of course.
	Once you focus your mind on it...

 - Page 158 -

Coach: ...you're quite good.
	...Honestly.

Sign: Kunimi

Punch: (on)(on)

 - Page 159 -

Hiro: Yawwwn.
	It doesn't hurt anymore.
	Guess I could show up at the field.

Noda: Don't rush yourself.
	If you don't let it heal all the way, you'll be constantly spraining it.
	(munch munch)

Hiro: And you'd better stop constantly coming to my house to eat breakfast.

 - Page 160 -

Noda: Haruka-chan asked me to.

Hiro: She asked you to come eat breakfast here?!

Noda: No,
	she told me to take you to the hospital for a proper massage.
	If someone doesn't force you to go, you'll just stay home...
	she said.

Hiro: (damn)
	Why didn't she come herself, then?

Noda: She's on a date.

 - Page 161 -

Kine: Were you waiting?

Haruka: Not at all.

Kine: Well then,
	anyplace you want to go in particular?

Haruka: Nope.

Kine: OK,
	let's go to the aquarium then.

Haruka: We went there in Osaka.

 - Page 162 -

Kine: Don't worry about it.
	I've got plenty of reference materials.

Box: For Jinbei

Haruka: Materials?

Kine: Now now,
	let's go.

Noda: Did something happen?

Hiro: Like what?

 - Page 163 -

Noda: It doesn't make sense.
	Why else would Haruka-chan go on a date with a different guy?

Hiro: I dunno.

Noda: And not tell you about it.

Hiro: It's not like she has to check with me about everything.

Noda: She likes you.

Hiro: Don't go saying that without hearing it from her.

Noda: You idiot,
	anyone with eyes could see that she likes you.
	When she heard you were missing,
	she took a bike out in the pitch dark and rode around looking for you.

Hiro: What do you mean?

 - Page 164 -

Noda: The morning after we lost at the Koshien.

 - Page 165 -

Haruka: ...why.

 - Page 166 -

Kine: That hurt!

Man: Oh!  Me so solllly!

 - Page 167 -

Men: Sukiyaki, tempura, suuushi!
	Geisha, ninja, Mt. Fuuuji!

Kine: Man,
	that was weird.
	Did you see those arms?
	All the guys in the Majors are like that.
	Japanese batters wouldn't stand a chance.

<<Hideo: It's not strength that crushes the ball.
	As long as your timing, body rotation and bat location are there, it flies into the stands.
	It's when you feel loose,
	like you might have even missed the ball, that it goes the furthest.

 - Page 168 -

Haruka: Actually,
	I WOULD like to go somewhere, Kine-kun.

Kine: Oooh, really?
	Sure, I'll take you anywhere you want to go.
	Where'll it be?

Haruka: Meiwa Ichi High.

Kine: Huh?

 - Chapter 9 End -