﻿Miki
﻿Thank you.
﻿Miki, are you okay?
﻿How are you?
﻿The area where it was hit is a bit serious.
﻿It may take a long time to recover.
﻿I see.
﻿But there's still a long time until next summer.
﻿Take your time to recover and try again.
﻿Let's not assume when she can return to the team.
﻿The first goal is to be completely cured.
﻿Is it that bad?
﻿It's very serious.
﻿At least,
next year is probably out of the question.
﻿From now on, in order to bring Akimoto back to the team,
﻿I will be giving my full support.
﻿You guys should help too.
﻿Miki!
﻿I'm sorry.
Miki lost her chance to play baseball because of me.
That is why the gods of baseball punished me.
﻿I forgot how to throw the ball.
﻿I know you still can't get over it.
﻿But it's not anyone's fault that the accident happened during practice, is it?
﻿I can't forgive myself.
Obviously,
﻿I didn't mean to hit her either.
That's why...
I've been asking myself every day,
did I really not mean to?
﻿Just a slip of the hand?
﻿Because my heart was really full of hate for Miki.
﻿Uncle
Amazing!
﻿This day has finally come.
﻿What?
﻿I...
﻿I am here for you today
﻿I was asked by your uncle, Mikiya,
to heal your heart.
Round 9 [Life is Baseball]
In college, Mikiya and I were the battery in a baseball team
﻿It was a long-awaited message from my old partner.
﻿I felt it deeply.
﻿He said his niece had been hurt by baseball.
﻿He wanted to do something for you.
﻿And now...
your heart is broken
In order to be able to throw a baseball again,
you have to fix it.
﻿You hurt Miki's hand.
﻿And took away more than a year of her baseball life.
Possibly,
you may have even took away her ability to ever swing the bat again.
﻿Is that right?
﻿That's right.
﻿I don't know what I should do anymore.
﻿If you don't know, ask her.
﻿How is it possible to do that?
﻿Why?
﻿Because I am afraid.
﻿I do not have the courage.
﻿That's it, Mai.
﻿Think about the ladies you've met here so far.
﻿They all started out like you are now
﻿Saying discouraging words.
﻿Even so,
﻿they have taken a step forward
Even if they were afraid,
even though they were embarrassed,
they held on with their teeth,
and kept moving forward, didn't they?
﻿Haven't you been watching these people?
﻿I came here hoping you would gain great courage.
﻿I come here every day, to the Natsuha Batting Center.
﻿And,
the time has come.
﻿It's useless.
﻿This time it's your turn to take a step forward.
﻿Do you want to hear my baseball theory?
﻿No, I can't.
﻿I'm scared.
﻿It's alright.
﻿Come on.
﻿Life is baseball.
﻿This is...
﻿The pre-game pitch.
﻿All the players are making their final adjustments before the tournament.
﻿You can practice here too.
﻿Check out your baseball uniform.
﻿Come, let's throw the ball.
﻿I told you I can't do it.
﻿You're the starting pitcher for the game here today.
﻿Absolutely not.
﻿Even if I wanted to pitch, I couldn't lift my shoulders and I couldn't throw the ball.
﻿Think about it.
﻿This is a fantasy world.
And this baseball game.
﻿To say the least,
it's all in my mind.
﻿The game hasn't even started yet.
﻿We will find a way.
For today's game,
no matter what, you have to pitch.
﻿Come, let's prepare to pitch.
Hey.
﻿Sorry.
﻿I didn't know you were the type to cry.
﻿I'm not crying.
﻿﻿You're a trustworthy and unpretentious person.
I like the resolute and determined type.
﻿We're teammates, right? It's okay to cry a little.
﻿Let's make our team the best in Japan.
﻿No matter what happens, I won't give up.
﻿The game is about to start.
﻿I'm going to take off my uniform.
﻿What does that mean?
﻿It means I'm quitting.
﻿You know it and you still make me say it.
﻿What about the game?
﻿It's about to start.
﻿As a starting pitcher, and if you are not there...
﻿I just said I can't pitch.
﻿You find someone else to pitch for me.
﻿Okay, I have prepared other starting pitchers.
﻿But in exchange, you go to the bench and get ready to pitch.
﻿You're a pain in the ass.
﻿No matter what happens, don't give up.
﻿All you have to do is watch the starter pitch from the dugout.
﻿Who is the starting pitcher?
﻿This guy can throw the pitch I want you to see today.
Starting Pitcher: Uehara (Kouji)
Wow!
That's really Uehara.
﻿Watch him pitch.
﻿I want you to pitch like that too.
﻿Let's practice pitching.
﻿Ready?
Strike one.
﻿How's that?
Amazing.
Strike two.
﻿They're all first-rate pitches.
﻿It's true that he is a first-rated pitcher.
﻿But...
Strike three.
﻿What I'm asking you is how Uehara's face looks.
﻿That expression, that mood...
﻿Isn't that the most important thing for a ballplayer?
﻿If you still love baseball, you should be able to feel it.
Strike one.
﻿It's good.
﻿I hope you can find that kind of expression.
﻿If Uehara-san is here,
then I don't need to play right?
﻿No, as long as you are ready to pitch, I will switch you in
﻿Are you stupid? Why would I...
﻿Although you've done a lot of stupid things,
but this is the dumbest thing you've said since I met you.
﻿Let's just start with pitching and catching.
﻿Just short distance.
Ball three.
﻿Come on.
﻿I'm scared.
Nice ball.
﻿That is not pitching.
﻿Come, throw the ball!
﻿I can't do it from this far.
﻿It's okay.
Throw it!
﻿I don't want to hurt anyone anymore.
﻿I hate this.
I see.
﻿I think I misunderstood something.
﻿I think that no matter how much you are afraid of pitching.
your love for baseball,
is still dormant in your heart.
﻿But you're wrong.
﻿You already hate baseball from the bottom of your heart.
﻿There's nothing I can say to a guy who hates baseball.
﻿Since you hate baseball so much.
﻿Just give it up for good.
How can I....
hate baseball?!
Nice ball!
﻿To the mound!
﻿Uncle!
﻿Do you like baseball?
﻿I like it a lot.
Then that's fine.
﻿Change pitchers.
From ﻿Uehara to Natsuha Mai.
﻿Pitcher Uehara is replaced by Natsuha Mai.
UEHARA
MAI
﻿I'll leave it to you.
﻿Yes, sir.
﻿Mai will be fine.
﻿Mai, throw the ball boldly.
﻿Thank you, everybody.
Mai, come and give me everything you've got!
﻿Ready?
﻿Don't be so stiff, it's okay.
﻿But I don't know how I am going to face her.
She said the same thing.
﻿Miki also kept saying that she didn't know how to face you.
﻿Miki?
﻿Yeah, Miki's been having trouble too.
﻿I see.
﻿You two are really clumsy.
﻿I'm sorry.
﻿It's okay.
﻿But Miki has just started doing what she can do.
﻿The things she can do?
﻿Rehab.
﻿It fits Miki's personality, right?
﻿She said she wanted to start. She said she wanted to go to the team to show Mai that she could play normally.
﻿She said that this way, Mai will definitely return to the team.
AKIMOTO
﻿It's been a long time.
﻿Look, the cast has come off.
[squeaking sound]
﻿I told you, I won't give up no matter what happens.
﻿Miki!
﻿Don't cry.
﻿You're going to cry at this time.
﻿Let's go on the field together in the summer of our last year.
Uncle, why are you still following me?
﻿You have to start practicing baseball again.
﻿As a guardian I have to come to see.
﻿What kind of guardian are you?
﻿By the way, uncle,
if you keep watching us practice, they will treat you as a suspicious person.
﻿Don't do that!
﻿Don't worry I will be discreet while I observe you practice.
﻿No, no. You will be caught.
﻿I am saying this in front of you know for uncle's sake, OK?
OK, I get it. I'll go back now.
﻿Well then, I'll see you at the batting center.
﻿See you later.
Go for it!
Mai, do you miss that guy?
No way!
﻿That guy looks like a suspicious person, so I'm relieved he's not here
﻿I'm not sure if that's really the case.
It's true!
But, it is a bit boring now.
﻿I'm sorry you're bored, now go and check the balls.
Eh? That's so troublesome.
﻿I have to go to the office to deal with some documents
I'll leave it to you. ﻿Please hurry up!
Uncle! There's a good ball here.
Life is Baseball Don't be afraid to move forward
He's still trying to take care of me
﻿Thank you.
Hey Mai.
﻿What is it?
﻿By the way, the summer vacation is ending soon, have you finished your homework?
﻿Oh crap. I didn't do it at all.
Not at all??
Ah, I've had enough!
That swing, you seem to have some kind of trouble.
﻿Want to hear my baseball theory?