I wonder what Mr. Sunglasses has to say now.
After being forced into playing a close game against us "fertilizers", that is.
He's probably just shrugging it off as a practice game.
The first-string's roster hasn't changed since the game, after all.
How do you like that fine defensive play?
No, we've had one change.
We're getting ice cream, right?
You're going to get fat if you keep this up.
Ko?
Oh, I'll pass.
Mitsuru Adachi
（Serialized in Shogakukan's 「Weekly Shonen Sunday」）
Created by
Toshihiro Nakazawa
Nobumasa Sawabe
Planning
Masato Hayashi
Rei Anami (TV TOKYO)
Shin'ichirou Tsuzuki
Planning Assistance
Toshisato Okuno Shin Omura Takenori Ichihara
Masato Hayashi
Supervisors
Original Planning Assistance
Michihiro Tsuchiya
Series Composition
Yuji Kondo
Main Character Design
Maho Takahashi
Tomoyuki Matsumoto
Koichi Imano
Art Design
Subcharacter Design
Prop Design
Kayoko Ono
Miki Tsubouchi
Hiromi Komine
Yutaka Kuramoto
Art Director
Color Design
Photography Director
Editing
Nobuhide Tanaka Toshiyuki Kuroiwa
Kotaro Nakagawa
Takeshi Takadera
HALF H・P STUDIO
Music Producer
Music
Sound Director
Sound Production
「Summer Rain」
Lyrics／Composition: Kentaro Kobuchi
Arrangement: Kobukuro
Kobukuro
（Warner Music Japan）
Opening Theme
Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment
TV-TOKYO Music
Warner Music Japan
Music Assistance
Ryosuke Sakurai
Animation Producer
Animation Production
Shunji Aoki Naohiko Furuchi
Producers
Osamu Sekita
Director
Shogakukan Shueisha Production
Production Studio
SUBTITLED BY ANBU
One, two, three...
Hey, Kitamura!
I've come to invite you out since I thought you'd be bored.
Come hang out with me for a bit.
Why do I have to hang out with you?
Come help me clean the storage area if you're bored, Ko.
Oh, I actually have to do something with a friend.
Let's have another good game today, Itoyama.
Yes, I feel the same way.
They're quite the sluggers, aren't they?
Those three have been clean-up hitters since eight grade,
and they've improved greatly over the last year.
That's quite impressive.
That top pitcher you guys had in last year's practice game...
his name was Senda, wasn't it?
They got quite a few hits off him last year, if you remember.
I'd expect them to be scoring at least ten runs between them today.
That sure is intimidating.
Tsukishima.
What's up, Yashiro?
Well, I was wondering...
would you go on a date with me if I get a hit today?
What?
Hold your horses!
Go on one with me if I hit a double!
How about if I manage to steal a base?
Please go with me if I get on base twice!
You're not aiming high enough!
You should at least be setting it to hitting a home run on each at-bat!
Well that's kind of a stretch...
Besides, we have you as our top pitcher this year.
Shouldn't one or two runs be enough?
The top pitcher we had last year was flaky, though.
I can't believe you guys!
Hey, guys, still playing hard?
Your top pitcher from last year is here to provide his wisdom on your ongoing efforts.
Hello!
Don't hesitate to ask if you need advice!
I do have a 2-0 record against Fourth Middle School, after all.
Basking in past glory, are we?
Now that you mention it, Senda...
We heard you got cut from the first-string.
And that you're no longer pitching.
And that the team manager's turning you down at every turn.
Come on now, focus on the game ahead!
Why are you here?
He dragged me here.
Shouldn't you be practicing your pitching in your free time,
instead of watching the middle school team play?
If you don't want to lose again, that is.
You're right. I guess I'll head back.
Play ball!
What's with those clean-up hitters?
They hit more pitches than that back when I played against them.
Right?
Nice pitching, Tsukishima.
Thank you.
I got it!
Safe!
They're starting to get a feel for her pitches, huh?
Get a hold of yourself, Tsukishima!
No, she's doing it on purpose.
Let's keep hitting them!
Out!
Great job, right field.
This is just a practice game, after all.
The pitcher's starting to tire!
Bat more aggressively!
Strike three!
That was boring.
I couldn't give them any advice in that game.
Not that anyone needed advice from you in the first place.
The new "Gun Fighter" is out!
Let's give it a shot.
I'll pass.
M-Midori!
How dare you leave me hanging,
Kei'ichiro!
Ow...
I really forgot about it, I swear!
Don't you lie to me!
You didn't sound all that enthusiastic when I called you about it yesterday, either.
Well why would anyone be enthusiastic about practicing baseball on a Sunday...?
So you did leave me hanging on purpose!
No, I didn't!
I went to watch some of my underclassmen play a practice game!
Seishu played Fourth Middle School, and shut them out 3-0.
There you go again with your lies.
I'm sure you've heard
that Fourth Middle has a great lineup with strong clean-up hitters playing for them this year.
I'm telling the truth!
Seishu gave up just four hits, conceded no runs, and struck out twelve!
Ask the guys over at the middle school team if you don't believe me.
Struck out twelve?
Who was pitching for them?
Aoba Tsukishima, the middle school team captain.
And here I was thinking Seishu wouldn't have any decent guys
since someone like you ended up becoming the top pitcher for them.
She's a girl, not a guy.
A girl?
What's wrong?
Did you hurt something?
No, it's nothing.
Come on, put your backs into it!
T-Tsukishima,
aren't we going a little too fast?
And how did you guys do in the game again?
No hits in four at-bats.
One single.
No stolen bases.
One on-base from a dead ball.
You guys aren't training hard enough.
Run!
Captain Tsukishima sure is fired up, isn't she?
Yeah.
But the team won't lose so easily as long as she's pitching, right?
That's why she's training them now while she can.
While she can?
She won't be standing on the mound with them once they get to high school, after all.
So you're Aoba Tsukishima?
Huh?
I'm Midori Koganezawa, a tenth grader playing for Satomi Girls' High School's hardball baseball team.
Kei'ichiro's told me all about you.
Kei'ichiro?
He goes to Seishu's high school, doesn't he?
I'm talking about Kei'ichiro Senda, my cousin.
Why do you have that photo?
I've never lost to any guy in baseball since I was in grade school.
Naturally, I chose to attend Satomi Girl's High because of their fabled girl's baseball team.
But it's hard to come by decent pitchers either way.
I don't care if it's only for three pitches;
fight me!
Hold on a second!
Sorry, I have a hungry cat waiting for me back home.
You ate too much, Nomo.
Hey, Ko. Thanks for your hard work.
Sign this for me.
Here you go.
Long time no see, huh?
You haven't been coming around too much recently.
Oh, my sides have been hurting lately.
Is that so?
The token dispenser machine broke so I've got all these tokens left over.
And here I was thinking I'd let you have at it...
That's funny.
I feel all right today for some reason.
Welcome!
Excuse me,
is Aoba Tsukishima here?
Are you one of Aoba's friends?
She's not back yet.
She said she was going to stop by some place after practice today.
I see...
Hey, come on!
How much longer are you going to hog it all to yourself?
Will you let me bat already?
It won't do me any good unless I'm hitting off the fastest one!
I am warming up to go up against Aoba Tsukishima, you know.
I'm sorry.
Oh.
What?
There's another batting center about an hour away if you take the bus from the train station.
They have machines there that can pitch up faster than 130km/h.
Why do I have to get on a bus and go that far just to hit a bunch of fast balls?
Aren't you going up against Aoba Tsukishima?
So that's why you're waiting here.
If you'll excuse me.
Flowers?
Oh, nothing.
Some angry girl is inside waiting for you.
Saying she's going to have a match against you or something.
I need to come up with a better excuse next time.
Who is she?
She came out of nowhere and challenged me all of a sudden.
To a flower arrangement fight?
Yeah, right!
More like, it's none of your business!
Oh, so that's for Wakaba.
Why don't you start worrying more about yourself than others?
You should be ashamed for losing so pitifully.
The first-string team is already playing at the regional qualifiers, too.
Looks like I'm just going to be hanging out all summer!
Thank God.
Especially since it looks like next summer's going to be a busy one.
Huh?
I've been waiting for you.
Ow!
You could really hurt someone suddenly bumping into them like that, Kitamura-senpai.
Huh?
Owwie!
My arm!
Looks like I shouldn't pitch for the time being.
What a bummer.
I-It wasn't...
Happy birthday, Waka.
Oh yeah, it's June 10th today.
All right!
That means I'm going to go over to Ko's to eat cake later on.
You wanna come, too, Ao?
I guess not.
Could you take over the counter at the café for a bit, Aoba?
Coming!
What are you just standing around for?
Yes, yes, I'm coming.
Did you hear, Tsukishima?
Yes, I'll take your order now.
Not that!
It looks like that punk Kitamura's out to betray us!
Betray us?
Yeah.
Nakanishi told me just now
that he saw that punk in front of the station carrying a ton of bags,
helping the Acting Principal's daughter with her shopping.
Did you say "A home search warrant"?
I said, "the Acting Principal's daughter"!
You know, the first-string team's manager.
Oh yeah, that cheeky-looking one, huh.
Yeah, she's just about as cheeky as you.
Ow!
Anyway, he's trying to suck up to her,
so he can make the first-string team by himself somehow.
Then I guess it's not much of a surprise.
He wouldn't hesitate to do something like that.
That's just how he is.
I see.
More importantly,
this Midori Koganezawa girl is your cousin, right, Senda?
Midori?
Why do you ask?
She's ambushed me a few times now.
She keeps telling me to have a match with her, even if it's just for three pitches.
That dumb bitch.
You're better off not going up against her.
I won't.
There's no reason for me to.
She's really persistent.
She always asks me to practice with her on my days off.
Plus she keeps telling me
that she's going to play for the Women's National Team some day when she's not all that skilled.
The Women's National Team?
Welco—
This place isn't fancy at all.
Surprised?
Oh, not at all.
Give me four delicious iced coffees.
But I have to say you're really impressive, Missy.
You sure bought a lot of things.
It's all because I had someone to carry it all for me.
It's an honor to have been able to serve you.
What's with that guy?
I'm so disappointed in him.
I thought he had more backbone than that.
I'm supposed to be the only brown-noser here!
By the way, Kitamura,
you played in that scrimmage game they had the other day, right?
Oh yeah,
didn't you get a few hits?
I completed a cycle in four at-bats.
On the mound, I struck out nine batters including the clean-up hitter that the whole country's been talking about.
You suffered a 6-5 walk-off loss after giving away three consecutive home runs to the clean-up hitter.
Papa and the coach both mentioned your name.
Oh really?
So what's this "Mycle" thing again?
Did you hear that? She called it a "Mycle."
Is she really the baseball team's manager?
This store's leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Come on, give me a break, Aoba.
I can't have her get in a bad mood now.
Oh?
Just think of it as a birthday gift to me, okay?
And the iced coffee tastes exactly as I thought it would.
Let's get out of here.
Sure, sure.
Let me get the check.
That'll be fourteen dollars.
Put it on this.
We don't take cards in this store.
In this day and age?
I don't have any change on me.
Then I'll just have to report you for defaulting on a restaurant bill.
Let me take care of this.
Put it on my tab; I promise I'll pay later.
We don't do tabs here.
Please, I'm begging you!
Think of it as a birthday present to me.
Thanks, Aoba. I got it from here.
How could he do this on Waka's birthday...
Huh?
Nothing.
Midori!
Is your arm better now?
Will you stop it already?
Quit barging into my territory!
What are you talking about?
More like,
you should be out practicing with me on your free time,
not drinking coffee in a place like this.
Since when do you have a say in where I can go to drink coffee?
Shall we do this then?
You wanted a match, right?
Y-Yeah.
That's three strikes!
Batter out!
And that's how it is.
Hey, have you decided which high school you're going to yet?
You're, of course, going to play for the girl's baseball team, aren't you?
Why don't you come to our school?
I'm planning on just attending Seishu High School.
Wait a second here!
Seishu only has a boys baseball team, doesn't it?
You know that girls can't play in official games, right?
Why would you go to Seishu when you won't even be able to play for them?
Good luck getting into the Women's National Team.
I'll get you next time!
Hi, Aoba!
Did you guys go shopping?
Yeah, in front of the station.
What about you? Coming back from practice?
I guess you could call it that.
Oh, by the way, we saw that guy.
The boy from Kitamura Sports.
You know that kitty teapot they had over at Haraichi's Fancy Accessories store?
He came to the store to buy it,
but someone else got to the last one before he did...
And that really was the last one since they stopped making those last year, right?
Then he begged the girl who took the last one to let him have it,
but the girl was a real bitch.
I'll let you have it.
But you have to accompany me all day today in exchange.
And then...
Okay!
...is what said.
I wouldn't have listened to anything that bitch said.
I was really disappointed in him.
Right?
He wanted it.
Huh?
He wanted it no matter what.
I don't see the Prefab squad anywhere.
They're on a secret training mission.
They're off in some isolated, far away place,
training their butts off day and night...
That couldn't possibly be right.
What, no way!
It's him we're talking about here,
so he's probably slacking off by himself somewhere...
All the other guys wouldn't be trying so hard if the top pitcher was a slob like that.
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Thirteen:
Summer Training?
Let's go Prefab!