H2
	 Volume 27
	  Chapter 5 (263)
	   Who Was Pitching?

 - Page 77 -

(Ch. 5) Who Was Pitching?

 - Page 78 -

 - Page 79 -

Noda: Oh,
	you're awake.

Hiro: Come on, man, let's go!
	Time for the game!
	What are we hanging around here for?!

 - Page 80 -

Kine: Huh?

Rain: (splash)(splash)

Hiro: Did today's game get cancelled
	on account of rain?

Noda: Oh come on,
	what time do you think it is?

Hiro: 7 o'clock.

Noda: At night.

Hiro: Uh.

Haruka: His fever seems to have gone down.

Hiro: What happened today?!

Haruka: We won, 2-1.

 - Page 81 -

Hiro: We won?
	Who was pitching?

Noda: You were, of course.
	And you hid your fever from us.
	I knew something was odd this morning.
	You hid the thermometer somewhere, and your uniform was unbuttoned.

Hiro: I pitched?
	2-1?
	I gave up a run?
	ME?!
	How?
	Who got the other two?

Noda: Hey,
	does someone want to read Pages 59-76 for him?

 - Page 82 -

Headlines: It began with a homer (Leadoff batter, first pitch)
	And ended with a homer!! (Kunimi's two-run blast)
	A nervous start for
	SENKAWA
	Called for rain after 7 innings

 - Page 83 -

 - Page 84 -

Weights: (clank)

Coach: What's going on?
	Why are you in here on a nice day like this?
	Why don't you go outside and swing the bat a bit?

Hideo: This feels pretty good, too.

 - Page 85 -

Coach: Apparently Kunimi had a cold...
	I hope he's all right.

Hideo: He is, now.
	He wasn't before the game.
	He doesn't even remember what happened.

Coach: And he still pitched that way?
	Insanity.
	He doesn't quite look like it,
	but I think he's still hiding an incredible tenacity for baseball under his surface.

Hideo: I'll show it to you.
	I'll draw it to the surface this summer.

 - Page 86 -

Coach: Age 17...

Hideo: Are you jealous?

Coach: Smartass.
	You could say I'm jealous that you're 17,
	but I was once 17, too...
	I had the same year you guys did...
	Come on out on the field,
	it's nice out.

 - Page 87 -

Pitcher: Hey,
	what happened to your back-to-center hit, Ueki?!

Ueki: Sorry,
	ever since I hit Tachibana on the head back up the middle, I just can't...

Pitcher: Yeah right!
	If you were that afraid, you wouldn't swing so hard!

Ueki: (conk)
	Busted.

 - Page 88 -

Players: You were scared shitless at the time, though.
	Yeah,
	you were dead white in the face.

Ueki: Of course I was.
	If anything happened to Tachibana Hideo,
	the entire NATION would be after my blood.
	Back to center!

Pitcher: That's going into
	the left field stands.

Ueki: When things like that happen,
	it can mess up your form.

Pitcher: Then fix it, already!
	This is why you never get chosen to play in the starting lineup!

 - Page 89 -

Ueki: Hey Tachibana,
	you wanna take a turn?

Hideo: No,
	I'm going for a run.

 - Page 90 -

Announcer: A hit!
	A hit!
	Midorikawa Higashi's fifth hit of the day!
	One out, bases loaded!

 - Page 91 -

Scoreboard: Senkawa
	Midorikawa Higashi

Koga: Time out!

PA: Player subtitution for Senkawa High.
	Catcher Ohtake-kun moves to first base,
	Batting fifth, firstbaseman, Ohtake-kun.
	In for the firstbaseman Yamaguchi-kun, the catcher, Noda-kun.

 - Page 92 -

PA: Batting ninth, catcher, Noda-kun.

Hiro: You all right?

Noda: You MADE me sit out,
	even though I said I was fine.

Hiro: I can't push you with a fever like that.

Noda: You're the last person I want to hear that from.
	Besides, I got this from you in the first place.

Hiro: Don't worry about it.

 - Page 93 -

Noda: I doubt I'll remember what happened today,
	so fill me in later.

Hiro: Sure thing.

Ump: Fair ball!

 - Page 94 -

Announcer: He steps on the base,
	and fires a bolt to first!
	An easy double play!

Noda: Man,
	my head is killing me.

Koga: Those guys are peas in a pod...

Haruka: Really...

 - Chapter 5 End -