Chapter 2: Me and You (2)

Me and You (2)

"Sorry to ask so much of you," said Sakaki-san's Onii-san, a young man with similar look to Sakaki 

"Yeah, you should be grateful," Hitotose-san replied in an arrogant voice. 

But that Onii-san didn't seem offended. He smiled gently and said, "Yes, thanks," in a voice that sounded as if his vocal cords had been soaked in melted candy.

As I was watching the exchange between Hitotose-san and that Onii-san from a position two or three steps away, I felt a small poke in my side. It was Sakaki-san.　

"My brother is pretty handsome, isn't he?"　

"Maybe." He certainly makes a beautiful picture when placed next to Hitotose-san.

Sakaki-san grins. "Are you jealous?"　

I'm sorry to interrupt when you seem to be having so much fun, but that's not the case. But I also felt it would be less interesting to tell you that directly.

So I said, "Let's have an affair, too."

Sakaki-san was dumbfounded for a moment, but then her cheerfulness melted and she cried out, "Hitotose-san! Minamoto-kun wants to cheat on you with me!"

"?" But Hitotose-san just gave her a confused look.

"Eh?" Sakaki-san looked very dissatisfied.

•

•

In the bottom of the third inning, when the ball thrown by Hitotose-san landed in my mitt, positioned around the batter's knee, an umpire, coming from nowhere I could guess, pronounced the batter a death sentence with a somewhat half-hearted "Strike!"

It was a change with three outs.

Hitotose-san had struck out every batter so far. According to Onii-san, the reason for this is that her throw and controls are at a professional level, and her pitching is brutal.

When it comes to pitching, we are kinda cheating -- reading the batter's mind and outwitting them -- so I can't argue with that.

That said, it seems that the opposing team has a few players who played in a singles league (?) until a few years ago, so I'm sure we will be forgiven with a little cheating.

Hitotose-san came running up to me with a big smile on her face. We headed towards the bench together, but to be honest, I was a little taken aback. I'd never seen her with such a look on her face before.

The team members called out to Hitotose-san, saying something like "Naipi!"　

"This much is easy, so easy." Hitotose-san said, and the people around her exclaimed in delight.

However...　

"Are you okay?" I quietly asked Hitotose-san as I returned to the bench.

Hitotose-san was secretly frustrated with himself for only being able to throw a ball of this caliber.

Apparently, when she was a boy, she could throw over 150 km/h pitch when she was in good form. Her curveballs were also better. She also had better control.

"What?" Hitotose-san looked foolish. It seemed like she didn't want to show her weakness.　

So I laughed. "I wonder if you have a crush on me."

"...So, what's that about?" She frowned suspiciously. "..."

•

•

In the bottom of the seventh and final inning, Hitotose-san was getting weak. The small digital scoreboard read 7-5, and it had just changed to 7-6.

On the mound, Hitotose-san was breathing heavily.

Not only had her physical abilities declined since becoming a girl, but she hadn't trained in the past two months. A pure lack of stamina had caused her control to deteriorate and the power of her pitches to decrease, resulting in six runs being scored in the sixth and seventh innings alone.

(Damn it!)

The ball thrown by Hitotose-san was way out of the strike zone. It wasn't that fast, so even I could catch it. So, although it was still in game shape, the situation was bad.

I stood up and said to the stern man who was acting as the referee, "Excuse me for a moment. Can we have a timeout?"

"Yeah, go ahead." He clearly doesn't look like a decent guy, but his voice is so gentle it's creepy.

Without even a hint of his thoughts, I bowed my head and said, "Thank you," before heading to the mound.

When I arrived at the mound, Hitotose-san pouted slightly and said, "What is it?"

Hitotose-san agreed to Sakaki's request, hoping to use the match as a turning point for herself. In other words, to put it bluntly, she used the match to come to terms with her lingering attachment to baseball.

Hitotose-san seemed to know the opposing team. When she heard the name from Sakaki, she expected this to happen. That's why she accepted. She thought that if they were defeated, she would give up.

But... I'm not sure if it's the nature of pitchers or Hitotose-san's personality, but right now she wants to win.

But I can't offer any advice on technique. So I do what I can.

"That batter," I glance at Maeda, a player around 35 years old, in the batter's box. "Apparently today is his son's birthday, and apparently his kid is asking him to hit a home run."

This is a true story. A small boy was playing a mobile game on the opposing team's bench.

Hitotose-san, with a complex expression on her face that was hard to describe, like a kind of facial expression, criticized, "Whose side are you on, Minamoto?"

"I don't know," I brushed it off, "Isn't it harder to pitch now?" I ask.

"Not really," Hitotose-san brushed a hair out of her face. "Why did you give me that information?"

"I thought I could cause you some trouble."

"...Hmph," she snorted. "That's stupid."

Perhaps the tension in her shoulders had eased a little.

"Well, I'll be back then," I said, leaving the mound.

(Sorry...)

The game resumed. Hitotose-san had recovered slightly, and the count was now three balls and two strikes. Maeda was extremely focused, wanting to impress his son - but his son was focused on a new RPG from a major game company.

Maeda seemed to be waiting for a high fastball.

In this situation, her usual pattern has been to throw a curveball or change up low and outside the strike zone, just barely missing the strike zone, or a high ball that would be a dead ball if avoided. I have no idea about the setup or anything, but somehow I get the feeling that she wouldn't want to do it.

However, the bases are filled and she don't want to give up a walk.

Of course, Maeda knows that we will try to get strikes with this in mind. He also knows that Hitotose-san prefers to pitch straight balls - he already knows her pitching tendencies and her personality.

Another reason why Maeda has narrowed his focus to the fastball is that now that his stamina is running low, the four-seam fastball is more reliable - and her control is relatively stable - than a curveball.

She hesitates for just two seconds, then tries to give the sign for a change up - but then gives up.

I didn't really hear Hitotose-san' voice, but somehow I did.

Instead of making a sign with her fingers, she holds the mitt right in the middle - a sign that says "I will throw it however I like." In other words, it's a dereliction of duty.

Hitotose-san flashed a ferocious smile reminiscent of a mastermind.

And then...

•

•

Maeda was dejected and his shoulders were slumped. Even though he had just hit a walk-off grand slam home run to turn the game around, his son told him he "didn't see it." Even I can't help but feel sympathy for him.

The game ended in a 7-10 walk-off loss.

Hitotose-san didn't look obviously dejected like Maeda. She sat on the bench, sometimes drinking the sports drink Sakaki-san had given her, and sometimes not.

"Good work," Sakaki's Onii-san called out to me.　

"Thank you for your hard work," I said, and the man lightly tapped me on the shoulder and said, "That was a really mean lead."

"Is that so?" If someone who plays baseball says so, then it must be true.

"Yeah," the Onii-san nodded. Everyone around him nodded as well. "Are you in any club activities?"

"No, I haven't done anything."　

"In that case, why don't we play together again whenever you feel like it?" the Onii-san invited me with a friendly smile. However, he didn't miss the moment I glanced at Hitotose-san, and his smile turned bitter as he replied, "Ah, well, if your girlfriend allow it for course, yeah."

I'd ignored it until now, but I'll correct him. "We're just friends."

"Oh, is that so? It doesn't look like it though," the Onii-san said, scratching his cheek, when Sakaki-san spoke in a lively, energetic voice. "Minamoto-kun! Your girlfriend is going home!" Her eyes seemed to exude pressure that said, "You should see her off properly. You're her boyfriend, aren't you?"

"..."

"..."　

I'm not quite convinced, so I try to read Sakaki-san's mind.

(You should comfort her properly. You are her boyfriend.)

It was a little different.

•

•

On the way home, Hitotose-san, like usual, was talking about how her little sister was annoying, how her mother kept telling her to "act more like a girl," how Mikami-sensei's classes were completely useless, how her bra felt too tight, and other such things that could easily be ignored.

It's drizzling. I didn't bring an umbrella, but even if I had, the rain isn't strong enough that I would be unsure whether to use it or not, so I believe my decision this morning was the right one.

"Hey," Hitotose-sa , who was also exposed to the rain like me, said in a serious tone, "You weren't listening, were you?"

"I'm listening."

"So what's my bra cup size?"　

"..."

Because of the rain, I can't read minds right now, so I have to answer on my own.　

I think it was "C".　

"Tch," this person said, clicking her tongue. Maybe she got the answer and my guess was wrong.

"I'm listening carefully," I lied.　

"...Minamoto, do you prefer big ones or small ones?" It's common for Hitotose-san to suddenly change the topic, but this time the change is smaller, so it might not be called "sudden."

"Either way is fine," I said, not lying.

"So you're a butt person?" Hitotose-san asked, sounding disappointed.

"No, I'm a rib person."

"Wow," she said, sounding gross, and distanced herself slightly.

"So what's your sexual preference, Hitotose-san?"

"...smell."

"Oh, really..."

I didn't say, "You look like a girl." Nice one, me.

•

•

•

The rain continued on Monday. The word "rainy season beginning" appeared on the news, so it must be the rainy season. My supernatural powers are on a break.

"Good morning." As I was sitting in my seat in class staring blankly at my vocabulary book, Sakaki-san greeted me with a lively greeting that impressed me as to how excited she could be so early in the morning.　

"Good morning"

"Thanks for yesterday," Sakaki-san said, glancing around the class. "Has Hitotose-san arrived yet?"

"She's taking the day off."

Last night, I saw a RINE called "I Tomorrow Break." Aside from the fact that it's difficult to read because there are no commas and no proper words arrangement, what bothers me the most is the use of "I" as the first person pronoun. At least as far as I know, this is the first time I've ever seen that, even in her own mind.

"Oh," Sakaki-san said with a knowing look on her face.

The moment I asked, "Why are you making a weird face?", I felt a smack on the head. It didn't hurt. "Ouch."　

"Of course you're going to visit her, right?" Sakaki-san completely ignored my protests and said only what she wanted to say.　

"Well, I was curious," I said, and I was planning to go even if no one had said anything.　

"Good." I have a hard time understanding why Sakaki-san looks so satisfied, but if it's good, then it's good.

Although I said I would go, I have never visited Hitotose-san's house. I have only ever been to the front of her house.

Anyway, there was an exchange at RINE that went something like this:

"Can I come over after school?"

"Hm."

"Which 'hm'?"

"You can come over, buy me a cafe au lait."

"I'll buy some black coffee."

"Die!"

So I don't think it'll be a problem if I drop by.

By the way, when Sakaki-san saw RINE, she was grinning, so I muttered loud enough that I wanted to change seats quickly, and she hit me on the upper arm.

•

•

So, I arrived at Hitotose-san's house. It was a fairly large house. The car, which seemed rather fancy, was threatening the poor man like me like a guard dog threatening suspicious people.

But the car will just runs over you and doesn't bark, so it's not a big deal.

I rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, I heard Hitotose-san's voice say, "Wait a moment."

And immediately the door was opened.　

"Hey, come on in," said Hitotose, appearing in fairly good health.

"Yes, pardon the intrusion," I said as I entered the spacious entrance hall, put my umbrella where instructed, and took off my shoes.

I was led to a room that looked like a living room. Just as I had expected from the exterior, the interior was neat and tidy.　

"Since I'm the only one here, you don't have to be so nervous..." Hitotose-san looked at me and stopped talking. "You don't seem nervous though."　

"Yeah, not at all." I think being stable in any situation is one of my strengths. "More importantly, why did you suddenly start talking with 'I'?"

"...Mom is being noisy," Hitotose-san replied, turning away and heading for the door, then asked, "Which would you like: tea, cola, or iced coffee?"

"Okay, coffee then," I said, taking out a cafe au lait from a convenience store bag. "I bought a cafe au lait."　

"Thank you!"

We moved from the living room to Hitotose-san's room and while reading a manga, she suddenly blurted out, "Does Minamoto have a crush on anyone?"

I looked up from the manga I was reading - a story about a double affair in which the main characters all die one after the other - and looked at Hitotose-san. Unlike me, she hadn't taken her eyes off the manga.

"No."

"I see," Hitotose-san turns the page over

"..."

The curtains block the view outside the window, but it still feels like it's raining.　

"Hey," Hitotose-san said in a voice that sounded like a distorted bell.　

"What?"

"If I asked you to have sex with me, would you do it?"

"I wonder," I thought, trying to imagine it seriously. Then, I realized something and let out an "Ah!"

"What is it?"

"I don't have a condom so that's not possible."

"..." Without saying a word, Hitotose-san threw the manga on the floor and stood up. Next, she dug around in her school bag and pulled out a small paper bag, which she threw in just like the manga. "There it is."

"Wow." Since I had the chance (?), I decided to open the paper bag. It had a black-based design. It said 0.01.

Hitotose-san sat down next to me. "Do you think I'm a weird?"　

"No, nothing in particular."　

"Well then──"

"But," I purposely interrupted Hitotose-san, "I don't want to have sex with someone who is forcing themselves to have sex with me."

"..."

Of course, even if I lost my mind-reading ability, it didn't mean I was completely unable to understand other people's emotions. I simply reverted to the way I was a short time ago.

Right now, Hitotose-san seems a lot more tense than usual. In other words, it feels like she's trying to forcefully erase the feeling that she wants to return to being a man.

From the first time I read her mind, Hitotose-san's ego and sensibilities as a man and those as a woman were mixed together, maintaining a delicate balance. And her ego and sensibilities as a man are inseparably integrated with her dream of becoming a professional baseball player.

In short, the reason she suddenly changed her first-person pronoun to "I" and why she wanted to have sex with me was because she was trying to erase her male self and become a complete woman mentally as well, and I think that this was to accept the reality that she could never fully return to being a man and that she would have to give up her dreams.

Well, it's just a guess, so it might be wrong, but right now, Hitotose-san looks like she's in more pain than usual.

So I said, "Aren't you being too hasty?"　

"..." Hitotose-san stares at me in silence.　

"I don't think people's sensibilities or values can change suddenly."　

She has lived her life as a man for 16 years, and it seems unrealistic that the self-awareness she has built over those 16 years could be fundamentally changed by just one sexual encounter.

"You'll just have to come to terms with it slowly," I said, combing her hair. It flows smoothly.

"..." Hitotose-san furrows her brow and her eyes waver. "Easy for you to say that..."

"But if you really can't be satisfied without trying it," I remove my fingers from her hair. "Okay. I'll go along with it until you're satisfied."

"..."

A quiet moment fell, with neither Hitotose-san nor I speaking. Suddenly, I noticed that the rain had stopped.

Then, Hitotose-san sighed and spoke. "...Sigh. Sorry. I lost my composure."　

"Yeah," I thought, not to worry about it, and opened the manga. It was a good part.　

However, Hitotose-san snatched my manga—which wasn't even mine—and said, "Let's eat something."

I looked at the clock and saw that it was past 7 pm. Of course I was hungry.　

"By the way, what are you planning to eat?"

"I'll decide after I see what's in the fridge."　

"I see"

Maybe we'll be cooking. I'm not much of a force to be reckoned with, but is that okay?

If I were to describe Hitotose-san's cooking in a fancy way, it would be, "It conveys the feeling that she's someone who doesn't really like cooking, and only does it out of necessity. I wouldn't say it's bad, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a good cook." In one word, it's "iffy."

Still, sometimes politeness is important. "It's delicious," I said after swallowing the simply seasoned pork.

However, Hitotose-san doesn't seem to believe what I'm saying. (That's definitely a lie) she thought with a displeased look in her eyes as she chews her food.

I racked my brains trying to think of a way to trick her, but in the end all I could come up with was, "But if you said it was made by Hitotose-san, I think there would be people who would be happy to pay for it," which sounded like a compliment but when I think more about it, it sounded more like sarcasm.

"How much will Minamoto pay?"

".... I guess I'll be okay."　

"Hey!"　

"Just kidding. It's so delicious I'd be willing to pay for it with my body." This also came off as sarcastic. It's weird, even though it wasn't intentional. And besides, it doesn't seem like something a man would say in the first place.

"..."

Hitotose-san told me that her younger sister would be coming home from cram school soon, so I decided to just leave.

As we reached the front door, I asked, "Are you coming to school tomorrow?"

"I'll go," Hitotose-san replied

"I see," I whispered. "I'm heading home then—"

"Wait!"

"What?"　

"..." Hitotose-san was twitching her facial muscles.　

What is this guy doing?

Let my curiosity guide me and look into her heart.　

(I want to kiss you. Damn, this is so gross. I want to stay with you longer. No, no, no, I'm not gay. Why are you leaving? I like big breasts. I shouldn't have made him pork. I hug him and he smells. Is it okay? We're just friends. He smells so calming. Oh, come on—)

She was so dizzy from the force of it all. Hitotose-san is completely confused.

But I can't help but laugh. Because she's so different from just a few hours ago.

So—I give in to her request and kiss her.

"!?" Hitotose-san's heart was shocked, but soon she was overcome by a sweet heat. "..."

Eventually, the soft sensation parted, but our noses almost touched, and we stopped, staring at each other.

Our lips then pressed together again, and this time I let myself in—Hitotose-san trembled slightly. As if soothingly, I stimulated her lips, gums, and the mucous membranes of her mouth, and suddenly our tongues intertwined.

Gradually, Hitotose seemed to get used to it, and she began to push into me, or invite me into herself, moving her tongue as if tasting me.

However, perhaps because she was sensitive to stimulation inside her mouth, she occasionally gave small spasms, stopping her movements each time, exposing a large gap. Her hazy mind begged for more, and I responded, filling the gap.

We continued like this for a while, and when we began to understand each other's contours, we stopped and slightly parted our lips. Hitotose-san's hot, humid breath melted away into the quiet entranceway.

(--Ah, whatever goes now.)

Then, Hitotose-san tried to make a move, so I turned my face away and dodged her lips. It was a brilliant dodge, I think.

"...Huh?" she asked in a coquettish voice, demanding it again, so naturally, I dodged.

A hint of dissatisfaction began to seep into Hitotose-san's emotions.

So I said, speaking a little quickly. "You don't want your sister to know about me, do you? Is that okay?"

Of course, this was just an excuse. The truth is, I just wanted to see what kind of expression she'd make if I encouraged her as much as I could and then pushed her away.

Hitotose-san groaned, "Hm" and "Ugh" then spat out a parting shot of "Just go home already" before retreating to her room. I was shocked at how red she was.

"...Hehe."

Humans really are interesting. They're different from me, an awakened one.