I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

Chapter...? Something flying in the distance [Postscript]

It looks like summer is really coming, so the days are unexpectedly long... So... So I want to wander around?

Not understanding the principle behind this, I walked to the riverbank, a place I would never normally go.

The same wind that blew the smoke from the factory on the other side of the river also blew my hair... the difference is... my hair was moving, while the smoke was drifting in that direction without stopping.

The smoke, dyed into incredible colors by the setting sun, looked like a strangely shaped airship heading towards an unknown place.

"..."

I sat down on the riverbank and quietly watched...this scenery that I didn't know when it would disappear.

"Bang!"

A familiar sound came from the distance... Is it... baseball?

"Ah...Oh no..." Then some people exclaimed.

It looks like someone is playing baseball... I hope they won't knock me down...

Just as I realized this, I was hit hard on the head... I was so lucky. Judging from the strength of it, it must have been a baseball.

With this level of luck, it seems I'll have to buy a lottery ticket when I get home... But first I'll have to wait until I stand up...

"I'm sorry..." A voice that sounded very energetic appeared... and extremely familiar.

"Oh, isn't this my junior?" The guy seemed to have seen my face clearly and said something that was enough to prove her identity.

I remember...it's her...the white one...

"Oh...ah..."

I was knocked to the ground and looked up at her.

"What a coincidence..." she said, lowering her head to pick up the baseball next to me, and then she held out her hand to me. "You look like a truant boy lying here, so you'd better get up quickly."

...It's been a long time since school ended, okay...

But I didn't respond to her, and of course I didn't hold her hand. Instead, I stood up by myself.

"Hey... well, never mind..."

She seemed a little concerned that I didn't hold her hand.

"What are you doing here, junior?"

She asked me while fiddling with the ball in her hand.

"...Just looking around." I replied coldly, then looked towards the smoke.

"Ah...are you looking at that?" She followed my gaze and looked over there. "Well...it's really nice, but it gets boring after looking at it for too long, doesn't it?"

He said and looked at me.

As I was about to answer, several people seemed to be calling her and asking her to throw the baseball over.

"Okay! Here you go!" she said and threw the ball hard in one direction.

"Oh...it seems the ball speed is quite high..." She muttered to herself while looking over there, then suddenly turned to me, "What do you think?"

"..." Why are you asking me...

“I don’t really understand this…”

The rules of baseball are really complicated...so I'm not very interested in this sport.

"What? You don't even understand such a simple exercise?" She seemed very confused.

"...Is it that simple?" I always feel a little bit unbelievable.

"Yeah, it's very simple." She smiled at me, "Just hit the flying ball with a bat, right?"

....Looking at her serious expression, I actually had nothing to say.

...as long as you are happy...

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"You seem a bit listless... Did you suffer a breakup?"

She asked me this after staring at me for a while.

"No... I've never been in a relationship, how could I possibly fall out of love?"

Don't say such unlucky words...

"The most painful thing is to break up without ever being in love... For example, when the person you secretly love has a partner..." She looked at me and said, "Hasn't this happened to you?"

"Of course not..."

I was just annoyed by that guy just now.

"Is that so..." She frowned as if thinking, "Anyway, I guess you've encountered some troubles."

"..."

Is that kind of thing... a bother?

"Well... I guess... you could say that..."

"Oh, that's good."

You look so excited... Are you so happy that I'm in trouble... Are you a demon who takes pleasure in other people's suffering?

"Since you're feeling so annoyed, how about playing baseball?"

"what?"

..................

Why exactly?

Why am I standing in this empty space...

"Joan...who is he..."

"Friends, friends." The guy responded to other people's questions while walking towards me and holding out the bat in his hand in front of me.

"....What?"

Even though I knew the answer, I still subconsciously pretended to be stupid.

"Of course, I'll hit the ball that's coming at me."

He pointed at the boy behind him and said, "Xiaolong is a very good pitcher."

What the hell are you asking me to do? I can't even hit it!

"No...I'm still..."

"Take it."

Before I could even say, "I'd better just watch from the side," she had already shoved the bat into my hand.

...I can't stand it.

I glanced at the guy across from me...Xiaolong?

He was also looking at me at this time and gave me a friendly smile.

It shouldn't be too difficult...

As I thought about this, I glanced at the guy next to me holding a ball glove.

"Xiaolong is asking if you are ready." he said to me.

"...Oh...I see..."

Although I had no idea how they communicated, I decided to give it a swing.

So, based on my impression of batsmen from movies and anime, I assumed a batting stance.

The guy on the opposite side seemed to understand that I was ready, so he made a series of movements to shoot the ball.

Then...

"Snapped!"

Before I knew what was happening, I heard a sound...

"Good shot..." the guy who caught the ball next to him shouted.

Ha... When did you vote?

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"Bang!"

The familiar sound rang out again.

"Ooooh! It flew over there!"

What followed was Bai Qiong's surprised cry... Of course, the most common expression was excitement... So energetic.

I don't know what she said, but the two guys ran in the other direction.

....Maybe they were asked to pick up the ball...

Thinking of this, I looked up at the sky...there was still heavy-looking smoke floating in the air.

"Hi, sorry for the wait." Her voice suddenly appeared in my ears.

"Nothing..." I checked my phone. "It's getting late. If nothing else, I'll just..."

"Of course I have something to say." She suddenly interrupted me.

".....What's up?"

"You haven't hit the ball yet, you can't leave like this."

"......ah?"

. . . . . . . . . . .

".....Where are the others?"

I glanced at the empty space where we were the only two left.

"Home, of course," she said, bouncing the baseball in her hands. "Now I'm the pitcher, and you're the batter."

"...Why do you have to make me..."

"Swoosh!" she suddenly shouted, interrupting me.

Then, with her forceful interruption, I felt a gust of wind passing by my ears...

"Hey! If you hit me just now, someone would have died!"

I shouted at her.

"Oh...why don't you catch it properly?"

"How can I catch it? It's flying so fast and so powerfully, there's no way I can catch it!"

"Really?" She pulled another baseball from the basket beside her. "So, will troublesome things be told to you before they bother you?"

“…”

"Surely not? Just like this!"

As he spoke, he made a pitching motion.

"Wait! You..."

Before I could finish my words, a very fast straight ball flew past my face.

"Hey! This is too dangerous!"

"Why don't you swing?"

She ignored my complaint and asked me this question.

"It's impossible to hit it, right? I haven't practiced it before."

I can tell from the look of that ball... This guy must have practiced before, there's no way I could possibly hit it...

"...Tsk."