The correct title of this article is "#4: Pitcher/Card Story".
The substitution of the # and the substitution or omission of the colon are due to technical restrictions.
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Number 4, Pitcher |  |
Hagumi
The Hamburg-steak set was so good~. I can always eat so much at these after-parties!
Kokoro
My fried-shrimp set was really yummy, too! But I wonder why it tasted even better than usual today.
Kaoru
They do say that hunger is the best spice. Think of it as proof of all of the hard work you put in today.
Kokoro
Goodness! Then everyone's meals must have been extra good!
Misaki
Yeah, I actually ate a pretty decent amount... Maybe I'll skip breakfast tomorrow.
Kanon
Fufu, Akari-chan ate a lot too, huh? When her mother came to pick her up, she looked a little sleepy.
Kaoru
She put her heart and soul into that game. And in the end, she gifted us with a most fortuitous hit, did she not?
Kokoro
Ooo~! Today was such a nice day! Hey, everyone! Don't you think it'd be even nicer if we held a concert after this?!
Misaki
No no no... There's no way we can do a concert now, right?
Hagumi
Sorry, Kokoron. My tummy's all full now, and I'm a little sleepy... Yawn.
Kokoro
I suppose that makes sense! Then we'll have the concert another time!
Hagumi
I'll do my best then, don't worry!
Misaki
Hm? Hagumi, what's that you're holding?
Hagumi
Oh, this? It's a Happy-Ranger toy. Akari gave it to me before she left earlier.
Kanon
Wow, good for you, Hagumi-chan. ... But I feel like I've seen this toy before somewhere...
Misaki
I do too. I think it was hanging off of Akari's bag, wasn't it?
Hagumi
That's right. That's why I asked her, "Are you sure?" when she gave it to me, and she answered, "That's how thankful I am to you!"
Kokoro
Goodness! What a splendid thank-you present! You want to give the people you really like things you love, right?!
Hagumi
It wasn't like I was cheering for her because I wanted anything in return, though.
Kaoru
Fufu. It's her way of expressing her gratitude to you. I think accepting her gift was a sound decision.
Kanon
Yeah. I'm sure that figure means a lot to Akari-chan.
Hagumi
I already got my gift, though. I got to see Akari doing her best and being super cool!
Hagumi
Practicing her swings every day, telling me that she'll definitely get a hit... That's why she improved so much!
Hagumi
When I heard her bat go "ping" as she got a hit, I was so happy!
Kokoro
I was super-duper happy, too! So happy, I wanted to run over to her that instant!
Misaki
Yeah. Please, thank me for somehow managing to rein her in.
Kanon
Ahaha... But I totally understand how Kokoro-chan felt. It's such a great feeling when your hard work finally pays off, right?
Hagumi
I know, right?! Everyone's hard work paid off today! Watching all of you practice so much and do so well in our game was a great feeling! I felt like I was floating!
Hagumi
Seeing all of your smiles made me smile too! I guess you could even say that it was like I caught your smiles! We were playing smile catch!
Kokoro
Smile catch... Incredible! What a lovely phrase!
Kaoru
Fufu, so that means that you caught the smile that I bunted your way... Ah, how fleeting.
Kanon
Then, I must have thrown my smile to you when... I first caught your full-power throw, I guess? I was so happy then.
Hagumi
Yeah! I was too, but I was just as surprised! Kano-chan-senpai, you should join our team!
Kanon
Eh... I-I don't know about that...
Kokoro
That's a wonderful idea! I'd like to join too!
Misaki
Hold up, no. This was just a one-time sorta thing. And it was just a practice match. And we only helped out because they were short on players, you know?
Kanon
Th-that's true. It's the downtown shopping district's team after all. I think it might be a little difficult for me to join.
Hagumi
Huh, that's too bad. I wanted to throw my smile back to you.
Misaki
Well, putting us aside... Shouldn't you think about tossing Akari's smile back to her, first?
Hagumi
Right! The other team got off a bunch of hits against me today... Next time, I'll have to get my act together and make sure I look super cool on the pitcher's mound!
Hagumi
We are supposed to play that team again sometime! Next time we meet, I'll have my revenge!
Kaoru
Fufu. Bravo, Hagumi. Next time, though we may be but a captive audience, we'll make sure to watch over that smile of yours.
Hagumi
Alrighty! I'm getting fired up!
Hagumi
Hey, Kokoron! Can we still use your batting cages?!
Kokoro
Of course you can!
Misaki
Wait... No way, Hagumi, you can't be thinking...
Hagumi
Yeah! I'm in the mood for some practice now! How about all of you?
Kokoro
Totally! I want to become even closer and better friends with Mister Ball!
Kaoru
And so the fleetingness continues... I guess you could say we're going into extra innings, no?
Kanon
I-if everyone else is going, then I will, too... It did feel like I was finally starting to get a handle on things... How about you, Misaki-chan?
Misaki
Sigh... I get it, I get it. I'll go. It's not like I can't leave these three to just you...
Misaki
And, well, I did have fun, too.
Hagumi
Yay~! Kokoron, I wanna learn how to throw that magic ball of yours!
Kokoro
Oh, that's a great idea! Then we'll have to have you introduce yourself to Mister Ball, too!
Misaki
Gosh, you're all still so full of energy...
Transcript
Hagumi
Ah, Marina-san, BanG Dreamer-san! Hi!
Marina
Hi, Hagumi-chan. Judging by that uniform, I'm gonna guess you're on your way back from softball practice?
Hagumi
Yup, that's right! I tried super hard today, so now my tummy is super empty!
Marina
Fufu, then it must have been a good practice. Oh yeah, that’s right, Hagumi-chan! I heard that Hello, Happy World! helped out with that softball game recently!
Hagumi
Wow! How did you find out?! Were you there?
Marina
No, unfortunately, I couldn't make it. But you've all become the talk of the town around here.
Hagumi
Oh, really?! That's great! Everyone looked so cool out there, so I'm glad to hear that!
Hagumi
Just thinking about it gets me so bubbly and excited! Hey, would it be okay if I told you two a little about the game?!
Marina
Of course it would! I haven't heard any details, so I'd love to hear what you've got to say.
Hagumi
Yay~! So you see, my team was in a real pinch at first, because we didn't have enough players to even play.
Hagumi
But then my band said they'd help by playing in the game and practiced super hard! In the end, everything managed to work out!
Marina
Wow, that's amazing. Had everyone played softball before?
Hagumi
No, they all said this was their first time! But they looked incredible in our game!
Hagumi
Kokoron became friends with Mister Ball, and Mi-kun got a really great hit in!
Hagumi
Kano-chan-senpai did a great job catching my pitches, and Kaoru-kun got on base with a bunt! Can you believe it?
Marina
Wow, it sounds like everyone did their part, huh?
Hagumi
Yeah! Everyone worked super hard, and at the very end, Akari managed to get a hit in, too! It was so much fun!
Marina
Akari-chan... Oh, she was that girl that was hospitalized before, right? From the sound of it, she's full of energy now, huh?
Hagumi
She is! Akari really wanted to get a hit, so she practiced a lot!
Hagumi
That's why I was so happy when she finally managed to do it! I knew she could, but even so, it was kind of a relief to see.
Marina
Fufu. It always feels good when practice pays off, doesn't it?
Hagumi
Yeah! We ended up losing in the end, but even so, I had bunches of fun! The other team told me they did, too!
Hagumi
And you know what? The other team had this pitcher who threw these lightning-fast fastballs, and she complimented me!
Hagumi
She said, "That was some nice pitching, let's play again sometime!" I was so surprised because that's exactly what I was thinking!
Marina
Ahaha, maybe it's something you can understand about each other as fellow pitchers.
Hagumi
Huh, that makes sense. But you know what? I'm not gonna lose next time! I've got to practice a whole lot before our next game and get way better!
Marina
That's the spirit! You know, I kind of want to see you play now that I've heard all this. You think so too, right, BanG Dreamer-san?
Hagumi
Really?! I'd be so happy if you two could come watch! I'll show you how cool I can be!
Marina
Okay! I'm looking forward to it!