They're not open yet, Ko.
Huh?
Oh, they open at ten.
Wow.
Don't "wow" me.
You've been coming here for how long now?
Let's see, it's almost been about...
Ko!
Heya!
Don't "heya" me.
Didn't I tell you that grade schoolers should show high schoolers a little more respect?
High schooler Ko, then.
This is your first time meeting her, right?
This here is...
Wakaba Tsukishima.
Mitsuru Adachi
（Serialized in Shogakukan's 「Weekly Shonen Sunday」）
Created by
Toshihiro Nakazawa
Nobumasa Sawabe
Planning
Masato Hayashi
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
Let's play catch, Waka!
I'm playing with Ko now, so let's play later.
When's "later"?
When Ko goes back home.
Go home already, will you?
Aoba!
Morning.
Look who finally decided to wake up.
Where's Momiji?
She went off somewhere with Ko just now.
Give these to Ko to eat when he comes back, will you, Ichiyo?
Okay.
Geez.
What's with this family and spoiling that guy so much?
I'd say you're the odd one out.
You really loved Wakaba, didn't you?
And Ko would always have your beloved Wakaba all to himself.
I wouldn't mind it so much if he was a proper guy.
He's rude, irresponsible, slow to wake up,
and his room's always a mess!
He's so insensitive that he'd walk around wearing shirts with holes in them.
It's like everything he does ticks me off—
I see.
You guys are alike.
You and Ko, I mean.
I see.
You thought she was Wakaba, huh?
Yeah, it almost knocked me off my feet.
She's in the fifth grade right now;
the same age as when Wakaba died.
She was only that big, huh?
Yeah.
I'm hungry now, Ko.
Let's go home.
Okay.
Thanks for playing with me, Mister!
The pleasure's all mine. I haven't exercised like this in a while.
Thanks for letting me borrow this.
But I have to say, you're quite impressive Missy.
I never thought a grade schooler, not to mention a girl, could throw a ball like that.
Ao used to throw much better than me when she was my age, right?
I guess.
By "Ao" do you mean...
the pitcher from that middle school baseball team?
Do you know her, Mister?
Oh yes.
The liquor store's son right here has told me a few things.
About the baseball team, at least.
More importantly, are you sure you're okay, old man?
I'm not going to be responsible if you pass out from fatigue, you know.
It's nothing a little drink can't fix.
Well then, liquor store's son,
say "hi" to your father for me.
Who was that old guy?
He's a regular at the store.
I don't know much about him,
but I see him show up at the store once a week, getting all excited while talking about booze.
So that's why he smelled like booze.
Let's go back already, Ko!
Sure thing.
I was supposed to have lunch with my granddaughter at noon, right?
Yes, sir.
Such a nice day.
I'm home!
And I'm hungry! Do we have any snacks?
Here, go eat these with the guys.
Did Ao get up yet?
She's working out in her room.
I told her to take a break if she's feeling tired,
but she said no, and said she's really upset about something.
Upset?
Could it be Azuma?
She doesn't like to lose.
Damn it!
Hey, we should be getting back soon.
Sorry, just a little longer.
He's at it again.
"Again"?
Yeah.
He's been at it ever since his home run record got broken.
You guys are alike...
How?
You guys don't like to lose.
Since when did table tennis become an outdoor sport?
Ever since the Acting Principal said it should be, of course.
I must thank you for listening to my unreasonable requests,
Acting Principal.
There's no need to thank me.
As long as you come up with the answer within three years, that is.
In exchange...
I know.
It is vital for someone like me to keep coming up with answers in order to survive,
if only to raise my own value as a coach.
That reminds me,
I heard you were planning to have a scrimmage against the Prefab team before the Summer Tournament.
Are you planning to promote a few players to first-string?
As I've told you before,
there aren't any worthwhile players on the team outside of the players I've brought in.
However, I must say that there are a few amateurs who seem to be getting the wrong impression.
I thought it'd be a good idea to silence the fertilizers' whinings before they make a big deal of it...
by showing them exactly how a real team plays.
I see.
So you're picking on the weak? I like it.
I hope you come and observe as well, Principal.
Don't forget the "Acting". I'm the Acting Principal.
The twelfth graders were out running in the rain.
They sure are fired up.
This is going to be their last summer, after all.
I wonder if they really think that
they'll make first-string if they stand out during the scrimmage.
They probably wouldn't be doing this if they didn't.
What do you have there?
This is our starting roster for the scrimmage against the first-string team.
First batter: center field, Tsuneki.
Second batter: shortstop, Kayama.
Third batter: second baseman, Sekiguchi.
Fourth batter: third baseman, Makihara.
Fifth batter: pitcher, Me.
Sixth batter: left fielder, Miya.
Seventh batter: catcher, Akaishi.
Eighth batter: first baseman, Nakanishi.
Ninth batter: right fielder, Iwai.
The twelfth graders will be batting from first to fourth.
But we won't really be going on the offensive until you come up and bat fifth.
We'll need you to get on base somehow
and Miya, the best bunter on the team, will sacrifice you to second.
After that, Nakanishi or I will get you home.
I can't think of any other order that can get us runs against the first-string team.
We'll get their guard down with our first four batters and leave them open for attack.
Sounds interesting, right?
It does, but is this really up to us tenth graders to decide?
Us, you say?
Coach Maeno was the one who came up with the batting order.
I was actually waiting for Senda to be relegated back to the Farm,
but it seems like he's holding on by a thread.
I don't think he'll go very far as a pitcher,
but with his footwork, defensive skills and his shoulder...
I think he'll make a good shortstop who likes to show-off.
Don't you think so, Akaishi?
I agree.
Sadly, there's nothing we can do about it.
Let's go with the players we have on that roster for now.
Kitamura,
let me have a good dream, okay?
Out of the way!
It's hard enough practicing in such a small area like this.
Go run off somewhere when we twelfth graders are practicing, will you?
Let's make it to the first-string!
Prefab, fight!
Prefab, fight...
Miya, Iwai, what's with you guys today?
I'll do my best, Akaishi.
Let's show them exactly what the Prefab team's made of.
Yeah.
We're counting on you, Kitamura.
You're our beacon of hope.
Prefab, fight!
They're all fired up, huh?
Yeah.
But either way,
we'll have to know more about our enemy before we pick a fight with them.
One two, one two...
Let's take a little break, Miya.
Yeah.
Okay, let's give it another shot.
Yup.
One two, one two...
What are they up to now?
Watch where you're touching!
They've got good batters, as I figured.
Yeah.
I guess they're not "baseball transfer students" for nothing.
That's Kamikawa, who we predict will be pitching first for the first-stringers.
And just as I thought...
he's an annoying pitcher who will toss change-ups every now and then.
Change-ups, huh?
Is that the best fastball you can throw?
You haven't changed much since last fall.
I expected your speed to improve by at least four to five km/h before the summer,
but I guess I hoped for too much.
What did you say?
Only luck can save you if that's all you can throw.
You'll need to throw five km/h faster if you want to make it to Koshien.
I joined this team because you, Kishibe, and Miki were among its members.
Along with that mercenary coach,
I calculated this team had the highest chance of making it into the Koshien.
Don't you dare make my calculations go wrong.
Four km/h to go.
I can't hear what they're saying,
but I don't think teamwork is one of their strengths.
You can't really say much about our relationship with the twelfth graders either.
I guess not.
But still...
What?
Is that guy really a high schooler?
Make sure these balls sparkle for us, okay, Chubby?
Sure!
She always works hard without a single frown on her face. What a nice girl.
I didn't see her when we were in middle school, so she came here from a different school, right?
Yeah, she'd been living abroad in America apparently.
Now that you mention it, we have another one of those "lived abroad" girls around, don't we?
Right, Ko?
What's wrong? You're spacing out.
Nothing.
Oh yeah, did you see this?
These are the profiles for the transfer students on the first-string team.
Yeah.
It's full of guys who really stood out in the little and senior leagues.
Of course it is.
They'd have to be, for that coach to bring them here by force, that is.
Yeah...
I'm home.
Welcome back!
Hey, you idiot son of mine!
Since when did our liquor store become a bar?
So I hear you guys are playing a scrimmage against the first-string team in two days?
Come on Dad, what did I tell you about telling people unnecessary things?
How about it? Do you think you can win?
The entire school would flip over if we win.
Then just flip it over.
You don't like that coach or that principal, right?
He's not the principal; he's the "acting principal" or so he says.
Just win it!
Win and leave them blowing bubbles in frustration!
Bubbles?
All right, let's drink beer next!
Yeah!
Bubbles, bubbles! Look, I'm blowing bubbles!
Good one!
Well, that all depends on how our top pitcher performs.
Hey, Ko.
Is Aoba here?
I think she's over at the house.
Oh, okay.
You don't see that everyday;
Ko's looking for Aoba ?
You want something from me?
Come with me for a bit.
Come on, where are you taking me?
Let me hear what you think.
Huh?
I've never actually pitched in a real game,
so I have no idea if I'm doing this right.
Plus Akaishi and Nakanishi will never say anything to make me lose my confidence.
I get it.
You're nervous about your debut game, aren't you?
Dumbass.
We're playing against a team with elite players from all around the country.
I'm going to get hammered, no question about it.
The real question is whether I'll be put together something you could call a baseball game.
Quite submissive, aren't we.
Can you see the ball?
Yeah.
Then here I go.
Come on!
What do you think?
Huh?
I guess it's not bad.
Really?
All right!
Wait, why are you getting all happy for?
I only said it's "not bad".
Then it's good.
A "not bad" from you is the best compliment I could expect.
All right, it'll work out somehow.
Oh yeah.
Treat me to the Napolitan over at Clover Café
if I manage to hold the first-string team to ten runs.
It's got to be cooked by Ichiyo, of course.
See ya.
Five runs.
Make it five runs.
Cheapskate.
Who are you calling a cheapskate?
It's finally time.
I think the liquor store's son was on the third base side.
What the hell's "P" supposed to mean?
Who cares.
More importantly, why are all the people sitting on the first base side?
They even have the brass band playing.
Ever since the Acting Principal said they should, of course.
You there, Missy!
Yes?
It seems you can only watch today's game from the first base side.
Huh?
What's going on?
Don't ask me...
This is their roster.
First batter: center fielder, Miki.
Second batter: right fielder, Onoda.
Third batter: shortstop, Kishibe.
Fourth batter: first baseman, Azuma.
Fifth batter: third baseman, Kubo.
Sixth batter: catcher, Takizawa.
Seventh batter: second baseman, Ishiguro.
Eight batter: left fielder, Ogura.
Ninth batter: pitcher...
Huh?
Who's their ninth batter again?
You guys have to do better than that, Senpais.
Don't get so cocky just because you're pitching for the first-string, you bastard!
How scary!
That would have been a home run if you had actually hit it.
The first-string team's attack will begin with Miki, their center fielder.
Overall he's deft with the bat, can handle any pitch and likes to hit to the opposite field.
Seems like you've got a considerable amount of data on us.
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Nine:
Let's Shut Them Out!
That's the kind of fastball I wanted you to have, Kamikawa.