H2
	 Volume 29
	  Chapter 9 (287)
	   I Know That!

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(Ch. 9) I Know That!

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[North Tokyo, 2nd round...]
[Senkawa High makes its appearance.]

Scoreboard: S

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[Starting pitcher, Kine Ryutaro (3rd year)]
[2nd Base, Yama Motojiro (1st year)]

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[10-2,]
[called after 7 innings.]

Scoreboard: O
	S

Koga: D-did you see, Haruka?!
	Senkawa High's first step toward consecutive championships!

Haruka: First step toward consecutive Koshien appearances.
	You have to win the tournament after that.

Koga: We didn't use our ace,
	we didn't make any errors,
	and the game was called.

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Koga: A perfect victory!

Haruka: Two failed sacrifice bunts,
	One missed sign,
	Three failed cut-off throws that don't get counted as errors.
	Two baserunning blunders...
	Perfect?

Koga: We didn't use Kunimi!

Haruka: Our baseball is still undisciplined.

Koga: I know that!
	But we played this well without our ace!
	That shows a lot of team strength!

Haruka: Of course it does!  Kunimi-kun can't win all by himself.
	Noda-kun, Yanagi-kun, Sagawa-kun,
	they could be national all-stars!
	Even Kine-kun, if the judges were blind-

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Haruka: We have a great team.

Koga: What's your point?

Haruka: That it's still hard to get to the Koshien!
	Plus, it would be miraculous for us to make it in three straight times from our very first year.
	And winning it twice would be a miracle of miracles.

Koga: Well,
	that's true.
	When you think about it...

Haruka: Yes,
	your job is to be calm and think.
	I'm the one who believes in miracles, so butt out.

Koga: Uh,
	what?

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TV: That was a perfect victory, Coach.
	How so?

Sign: Meiwa Daiichi Baseball Team
	Boardinghouse

Koga: Failed bunts,
	missed signs,
	poor relay throws,
	and foolish baserunning.

Reporter: Oh, but you didn't use Kunimi-kun,
	there were no errors, and you won by a wide margin.
	Wouldn't it be good to say that the conquest of your second straight Koshien is well underway?

Koga: No, that would be foolish.

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Koga: The road to the Koshien is a long and difficult one!

Coach: Sounds like he's acting.

Hideo: His eyes must be twinkling behind those shades.

Coach: Well, time for the southern favorite's turn.

Player: How about our ace?

Coach: He's starting, of course.
	The papers aren't taking us seriously enough.
	We have to show them loud and clear.
	That this team is better than the one that won last summer...

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Scoreboard: Akaoka
	Meiwa Ichi

Haruka: That's a perfect victory.

Shima: Five home runs.

Ohtake: Called after five innings.

Players: And a no-hitter.
	With no errors.

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Sagawa: And without their clean-up hitter.

Yanagi: He only came in at the end to field, never got to bat.

Kine: (keh)

Hiro: He looked happy, though.

Noda: The strongest team in Meiwa Ichi history...

TV: That was a perfect victory,
	Coach.
	Yes,
	it was perfect.

Hiro: Jerk.

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Sign: No boys allowed!
	Managers' room

Hikari: (scrit)(scrit)
	(scrit)(scrit)

Miho: I can't keep up.
	Good thing I never made her my enemy.

Hikari: (scrit)(scrit)

 - Chapter 9 End -