Happy New Year♥!　10

【A message for golf and baseball lovers!】

Act 25 [Moni's Challenge]When Moni became a junior high school student, she took lessons while working part-time at a nearby golf driving range.

When Moni was a child, she loved Pokemon and Dragon Ball, and while her older sisters ate matcha parfaits and soft-serve ice cream at the tea shop, Moni was a strange child who would sip tea and tea with tea dumplings.

With her favorite dinosaur-shaped pillow, she was able to sleep alone in the same room as her older sister.

Normally, children want to sleep with their father or mother, but for some reason, she was strange and sometimes slept with her grandfather.

To Grandpa who is having trouble falling asleep and looks sleepy, Ken says,

"Grandpa, let's play a word chain game! Fox."

"Cat,"

"Piglet,"

"Raccoon,"

"Giraffe,"

"Moni loses,"

"It's the giraffe's tail,"

"Pokemon,"

"Grandpa loses."

Ken is already sleepy.

"Next, let's name the country. America,"

"Germany,"

"Kazakhstan."

"Paraguay, Grandpa, Paraguay is in the wrong, so I'm going to the bathroom!"

When he returns, Moni is fast asleep. Ken and Summer brought Moni to the driving range several times in elementary school, and every time she hit the ball, she would say,

"Nice shot, Moni!"

Until now, hitting the ball was somehow fun, imitating her older sister, Hapi.

"If I make a good shot, Grandpa and Grandma praise me."

Before I knew it, I was hitting more than 500 balls every day from the end of my part-time job until closing time.

Sometimes she would go on the course with her grandparents and beat them even though she was still a junior high school student.

"My sister can do anything. I can only do this."

Even with taping her fingers and palms, she couldn't keep up.

Moni spent all her time practicing and became a high school student.

The golf instructor at the driving range said to Moni,

"There's a junior tournament coming up, why don't you enter it?" The results were awful. She was so anxious that she couldn't show her true potential at all. After seeing Moni looking down for a while, Ken and Natsu invited her to play golf.

Ken said,

"Grandpa, you often pick up customers from America as a taxi driver, and they often ask you if you've been to America."

"So?" "I want to go to Hawaii 50 years ago."

When we started talking, he said,

"I hope to play golf at Augusta National someday."

"What's that?"

"I hope to one day play golf at Augusta National Golf Course, home of the Masters."

Of course, I know his dream.

"It's a prestigious golf course that even the president of the United States was turned down for, so there's no way I'll be able to play there."

"But you're free to dream, and you don't need money to do what you want."

"Golf is something to enjoy, and you can't play golf if it's painful."

"If you enjoy what you do, the results will come. Whatever you did when you were little, you made your grandpas happy, right?"

I felt like I had let go of something.

Moni also entered the next junior tournament.

Before the start, Moni let out a sigh.

"Okay, I'm going to have fun today!"

My vision was clear.

When my name was called, I bowed with a smile.

"I'm going to hit it."

(Crack♪)

The pleasant sound of the XXIO hitting the ball echoed through the air.

"Nice shot!"

Moni's ball has a slight draw and is in the center of the fairway.

He shoulders his caddy bag to the ball spot, and with his second shot, he hits a 7-iron to the front of the green, and his approach shot is 50cm from the pin, making for an easy par.

He finishes the first nine holes with 2 birdies and 4 bogeys for 38, 2 over par, and enters the second half.

"No matter what happens, have fun!"

The final long hole, the 18th, is a difficult hole with an OB on the right and a pond on the left, and a narrow fairway.

He's currently 3 over par.

"Yes, I'm going to go all out, intending to put it in the pond!"

If you run away or play it safe, the ball will curve, but if you swing it all the way, it will fly surprisingly straight.

(Snap♪)

"Nice shot!"

Moni's ball lands 200 yards away and rolls down the left side of the fairway.

"Yes!"

He goes to the ball spot, and unfortunately, after the divot, the ball has gone right in.

"Before, I would have been angry and said,Why?' but now, I enjoy it no matter what. It's okay to top it!"

She hit it hard with her second club, a utility club with a 5th club. The ball kicked up brushwood and dirt and stayed in a good spot in the center of the fairway.

"Yes! I hit it well."

140 yards left, the distance to the 7th iron that she practiced the most at the driving range.

She got blistered balls, crushed them, and swung the 7th iron every day.

"I'm going to hit it with all my might. I'm going to have fun. Watch me, grandpa!"

Moni swung as if she was hitting at the driving range.

There was a dry sound (crack!) and the ball flew towards the pin. It rolled down the green and hit the pin.

(Crash, roll)

"Oh, it went in!"

It was her first eagle.

Moni jumped up and down in a cheer. Moni won the junior tournament with a score of 1 over par 73.

He took the championship cup home and told everyone.

"Wow, that's amazing."

"Thanks to you, Grampa, we had a great time playing golf!"

"I see, I see, that's great."

Ken remembered his Mom, Dad, and Jin's Dad, who were all so happy for him when he got into Fushimi Technical School.



Act 26 [Each Dream] They played baseball together until the sixth grade of elementary school, but when they entered junior high school, the baseball club was a boys-only sport.

Gantan joined the baseball club, and Hapi joined the softball club. Gantan and Rintaro of the baseball club had strict practices and were trained by their seniors.

Hapi's softball club was also a strong team, and its seniors included golfers Ayako Okamura and Kakiko Shibuno.

When asked what position he played on the day he joined, Hapi answered pitcher.

When asked to try throwing, Hapi picked up a big softball, which is different from a softball, for the first time and threw it from above,

just like a baseball.

(Smack!)

It was a strike on the catcher's mitt.

"You have to throw it from below, but even so, he's a really good pitcher."

"Yeah, I see."

The ball he threw by imitation was a wild pitch that ended up sticking into the top of the back net.

"Wow, we've got some amazing kids."

During their three years in middle school, both Gantan and Hapi were busy with club activities, and Gantan became a regular catcher, and he grew bigger and became one of the stronger hitters.

Hapi's practice also improved his control over his left-handed pitches, and he became the ace pitcher.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and the two entered high school.

Gantan, Rintaro, and a few other former little league players joined the baseball team.

Hapi also joined the softball team, and the baseball team occupied the right side of the field, while the softball team practiced on the left.

One day, a ball hit by Gantan rolled all the way to the softball team's pitcher's mound.

Hapi picked up the ball.

"Hey, throw me the ball."

"Hardballs are small, aren't they? But they look hard."

"Here we go."

Hapi threw it far.

The liner went over the center fielder's head and landed on the second baseman's glove as a strike.

(Smack!)

The second baseman was dumbfounded when he received the ball.

"What's that?"

"Hey, did you see that?"

Gantan was grinning.

The coach beside him was also wide-eyed.

"Do you know that kid?"

"She's name is Hapi, and we were on the same little league baseball team."

"Where were you playing?"

"She's the pitcher."

"Bring that kid over for a second!"

Hapi came over.

"I heard you used to play baseball - you're a pitcher, do you want to throw one?"

"Are you sure?"

"Sure, Gantan, you catch it! I'll be the umpire."

"Yes."

Hapi stepped up to the pitcher's mound.

He swung his left foot over and threw the ball towards Gantan's mitt.

It had been a while since he last threw overhand, but softball is also thrown from above except for pitching, and softball is heavier. It didn't feel strange.

There was a pleasant sound, and the hardball was sucked into Masatoshi's catcher's mitt.

"Hey, someone step up to bat."

"I'll step up. Can I swing?"

"Of course, is that okay?"

I asked Happy.

"Sure."

Gantan went to the mound and whispered something.

The girls from the softball club were cheering in the gallery like tea-picking bunny girls.

"Good luck, Happy!"

The first pitch, a fastball, went over the batter's high ground as a ball.

The second pitch, another fastball, came into the strike zone.

The batter swung the bat, but it was a foul tip.

"Woohoo! You're doing great, Hapi, you can do it!"

The third pitch, a fastball, was right on the inside corner for a strike.

The batter couldn't do anything.

Gantan sends a sign: scissors.

Happy puts her finger on the seam of the baseball and throws it. The batter swings the bat with perfect timing.

The ball draws an arc and sinks low and on the outside corner, and the bat slices through the air.

It's a strikeout.

The Tea-Picking Soft Girls are having a blast with Donchan.

"Can you throw a curveball on Gantan?"

"Yes, you're a good pitcher!"

"You said Hapi-chan. Do you want to join the baseball team?"

"Eh, girls can join?"

"Yes, they can. There are no lockers or changing rooms, so you just register as a player while remaining a member of the softball team."

"A long time ago, in the American major leagues, there was a time when a male major leaguer was drafted into the military during the war and a female player played in his place. I think it was a true story that was made into a movie called Pretty League."

"Really?"

"How about it?"

"I'd like to try it."

"Okay, I'll register you as a player. You can come here only when you can, so come and join us for practice!"

Hapi practiced with both the softball and baseball teams.

In the summer regional tournament, Hapi's Ujitawara High School won smoothly.

The final game to qualify for Koshien was finally here, against Heisei High School, where Suguru was the pitcher.

Hapi was on the bench as a reserve player.

Top of the 1st inning, Ujitawara High's Suguru pitches well, giving them no runs.

Bottom of the 1st inning, Ujitawara High's ace pitcher Kobayashi pitches well, giving them no runs.

Top of the 2nd inning, Gantan's hit puts a runner on base, but no follow-ups follow, giving them no runs.

Bottom of the 2nd inning, leadoff batter Suguru hits a home run, giving them a 1-run lead.

"Ahh..."

Tea-picking Bunny Girls, Softball Girls The Ujitawara High cheering squad sighs.

Top of the 3rd inning, three batters strike out, giving them no runs. Bottom of the 3rd inning, a walk and an error put them in a pinch with 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd.

A sacrifice fly to right field adds another run.

Then a timely hit makes it 3-0.

Top of the 4th inning, the second round of batting breaks down Suguru, giving them a chance with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd.

The batter is Gantan.

"Suguru always pitches a straight ball outside on the first pitch." Gantan is a targeted one.

Suguru pitches.

Gantan, he hits a line drive to the right.

The ball goes through the gap between first and second base and hits a hit in front of right field.

"Yay! Wow, bang bang♪, bang bang♪"

The tea-picking bunny girls and softball girls The cheering squad of Ujitawara High School cheers.

Two runners score, making it 3-2, but no one follows and there are three outs.

"Ah...."

In the bottom of the fourth, Kobayashi allows a hit, but his determined pitching keeps the score at zero.

In the top of the fifth, Suguru also keeps the score at zero with a mix of fastballs and curveballs.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kobayashi is getting a little tired, and after a walk and a sacrifice bunt, he's in a pinch with two outs and runners on second and third.

Suguru is the batter again.

He swings hard at Kobayashi's fastball, and hits his second home run, making it 6-2.

"Ah...."

In the top of the sixth, an irregular hit and an error by the other team leaves the team with a chance for runners on first and second with no outs.

He bunts the runner to second and third with one out.

A center fly brings the runner home, 6-3.

The next batter picks up a foul, leaving runners on first and second with two outs.

The batter is Gantan. Suguru hits a fastball into the stands for a three-run home run, tying the score at 6-6.

"Yay! Woah, bang, bang♪, bang♪"

A runner is put on base in the bottom of the sixth, but Kobayashi holds them off, scoring no runs.

A foul ball puts a runner on base in the top of the seventh, but Suguru recovers and gets out of the situation with a double play.

In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and no runners on base, Kobayashi's ball, which has lost its power, is hit to right field, and the next batter hits a double over center field, bringing the runner home, making the score 7-6.

The batter is Suguru, who is hitting well.

We're in a pinch.

The manager comes out.

"Ayu replaces Kobayashi as pitcher."

Hapi comes out.

It's a showdown between rivals.

"Hey, aren't you a girl?"

"What, you're still playing baseball?"

"We've been waiting for this moment."

The first pitch was a curveball on the outside corner for a strike. "You did it!"

"Really?"

The second pitch was another curveball, fouled off.

The third and fourth pitches were curveballs and slowballs, making it two strikes and two balls.

The fifth pitch was

"Hapi, let's go for a straight ball," Gantan gave the sign.

"Got it."

Hapi threw a straight ball, which hopped and Suguru cut through the air.

"That's the ball from Fujiyama Kyuji of the Hanshin Tigers!"

"Yay! Woah, don-don♪ Hapi, don-don♪"

The Tea Picking Bunny Girls, who are particularly prominent among the Ujitawara High School cheering squad, and the Softball Girls, who are 17 years old on average, were the noisy drummers who cheered.

The Ujitawara High School cheering squad got out of a pinch and formed a circle.

In the top of the 8th inning, Akaboshi, who continues from the 8th Little League baseball team, fouls off the ball and gets on base with a first ball.

"Yay! Wow, Don Don♪ Don Don♪" No. 9 Hapi bunts the first pitch and sends him to second base.

1 out. No. 1 center fielder Makoto picks up the first ball and sends him to first and second base.

No. 2 pinch hitter Sekimoto makes a perfect bunt to make it a great chance with 1 out and the bases loaded, making it all safe.

No. 3 Rintaro flies to short, and the runners are stuck, with 2 outs and the bases loaded.

"Ahh...."

No. 4 New Year's Day, first pitch is a strike, 2nd pitch is a ball on the outside, and on the 3rd pitch, he hits a straight ball on the outside corner as he had intended.

The ball goes past the second baseman and hits in front of right field.

"Yay! Wow Gantan, Don Don♪ Don Don♪"

The fast Akaboshi returns and the score is finally tied at 7-7, with 2 outs and the bases loaded.

No. 5 Tetchan, two strikes and three balls, Suguru throws a straight pitch low and on the outside, which is his specialty.

Tetchan barely hits it, but it's a slow grounder to first base.

"Ahh..."

It's all over.

Or so you think, but the ball takes an irregular turn and bounces off the first pitch.

"Wow, don't don♪ don't don♪"

Makoto scores, making it 8 to 7. They've finally turned the game around.

But No. 6 Shigenori strikes out, and there's a change of three outs.

In the bottom of the eighth, Happy's leadoff batter holds out and fouls off the ball, but he strikes him out with a straight pitch on the outside, making it one out.

"Wow, don't don, Hapi♪ don't don♪"

The next batter holds out and gets on base with a foul ball.

One out, first base.

The next batter sends the runner to first base with a bunt.

Two outs, second base.

One hit ties the game.

"Wow, Don Don Hapi, do your best♪ Don Don♪"

The count is 2 strikes and 3 balls, and the Gantan sign is a fist "Hapi, go for it!"

"Got it."

Hapi takes a deep breath and swings his bat.

The runner has started.

A high straight pitch.

(Bum!)

(Smack!)

The batter strikes out, and everyone around him goes quiet for a moment.

"Wow, Don Don Hapi, yay♪ Don Don♪ Hapi...." It's the final inning, and if they win, they'll play in Koshien for the first time.

In the top of the 9th, pitcher Suguru uses his last bit of strength to make a 3-out change, and the score remains 8-7.

"Just three more to go."

In the bottom of the 9th, the leadoff batter gets on base with a walk, and there's no outs and a runner on first.

The next batter bunts, and there's one out and a runner on second.

The game is in a pinch with one hit and the score tied.

The next batter hangs in there, and there's a walk, and there's one out and runner on first and second.

Hapi pitches hard, getting the score to two strikes, and nods at Gantan's sign.

A slow grounder to first base puts runners on second and third. The manager calls for the next batter to be walked, and they go for a full bases strategy.

2 outs, full bases.

"One more...."

The next batter is Suguru.

Suguru hangs on and holds out, and it's a full count of two strikes and three balls.

"This one pitch will decide it. I'll get revenge for six years." Gantan's sign is fist. Hapi throws a high straight ball with all his might.

Suguru swings the bat with all his might.

The ball flies over the bat and lands in Gantan's catcher's mitt. (Strike, out, game over!)

"Wow, Don Don Hapi, yatter♪ Don Don♪ Hapi...."

Gantan runs up to the mound.

All the players on the field were on the mound, raising their index fingers in joy.

"We're No. 1, we're at Koshien!"

"It's the Roosevelt Game, and baseball is most fun when it's 8 vs. 7," said the coach.

It was Ujitawara High School's first time at Koshien, but they lost in the first round without Hapi even getting a chance to play, and Gantan and Hapi's hot summer came to an end.Both Gantan and Hapi were finishing up their high school life. "Gantan, what are you going to do with your future?"

"I'm aiming to become a professional baseball player. I submitted my application to become a professional yesterday." "What are you going to do with Hapi?"

"I'm fine with baseball now! I beat Suguru."

"You're really stubborn."

"You're just competitive."

After a while, it's the last day of Moni's pro test.

The 18th hole.

If I can get a par here, I'll pass the pro test.

"It's painful, my heart feels like it's coming out of my mouth!" "Grandpa, help me, big sister...."Looking up at the sky, what a beautiful sky.

"Ah, that cloud looks like Gantan's big brother's face, lol."

Moni's tension is gone, and he remembers his grandpa's words."That's right, have fun."

His tee shots and distances have increased even more.

(crack♪)

The ball was shot out with a high metallic sound and hit the fairway.

The remaining second shot was 155 yards.

"This is also the distance for my favorite 7 iron."

Moni always uses a 7 iron when he plays.

"Lucky seven, I'll go all out."

(smack♪)

The ball went up high and landed on the green, just past the pin. "Yes!"

(corona♪)

Moni passed the pro test with a 2-putt par.

She went home and told his family.

At home, the whole family and baseball team of Gantan and his friends were gathered to prepare for a party, but there was another important event waiting for him.

Today is the day of the pro baseball draft.

Finally, each team is nominating players.

The first pick for the Yomiuri Giants was pitcher Suguru Emoto from Heisei High School.

"Suguru did it."

For a while, the players nominated by each team were introduced, but Gantan had not yet been nominated. Hanshin Tigers' third pick, catcher Gantan Eburi from Ujitawara High School.

"Wooow, Gantan we did it!"

"Yay! Wow, bang bang ♪ Gantan , bang bang ♪"

"Yay! Wow, bang bang ♪ Moni-chan, bang bang ♪"

A noisy celebration with the Tea Picking Bunny Girls, whose average age is now 55, and the Softball Girls, whose average age is 17, beating the drums.

It's a complete mess.

At that time, Hanshin Tigers' seventh round pick, pitcher Hapi Ayu from Ujitawara High School, was picked.

She was selected as a development player.

"Huh, they didn't call my name just now!"

Everyone watching TV, Ayu Hapi was definitely on it.

"You're kidding."

"Hapi, you did it."

"Yay! Wow, don't dong♪ Hapi-chan, don't dong♪"

"Hapi, did you want to be a pro too?"

"No!"

"And I'm not going to go pro!"

"Why not?"

"I was told to only play once on Gantan, so I started playing baseball, but I couldn't quit after losing to Suguru's team."

"I got my revenge in the last game, so that's good. I also felt the limits of what a girl can do."

"That's a shame, so what are you going to do now?"

"I was so moved by Moni's hard work, I'm going to be Moni's caddy!"

"What, why, sis!"

"I'll study while I'm caddying, and I'll aim to be a pro too."

"Hahaha, that's typical of Hapi."

"I'm so glad. Moni-chan, Gantan, Suguru, and I really, really had a lot of fun." Hapi had a sense of accomplishment in having accomplished something.

"Come on, tomorrow will bring a new wind! Let's challenge ourselves."

That night, everyone dreamed of their own future.

(The End)

[Epilogue] Gantan became a regular in her third year as a pro.

Moni won one tour match with Hapi's help.

That year, Hapi passed the pro test and won her first match. Carrying the hopes of the women's golf world on her shoulders, the Ayu Sisters qualified for the LPGA and traveled overseas.

With the aim of winning a major, Gantan also hit a lot of home runs, and performed well enough to have the major leagues in sight.

Five years later, after Hapi had won one major match, Gantan, who had joined the major leagues, proposed to her in Los Angeles.

"Hapi, we grew up like brother and sister, but at some point I started to like you. Hey, why don't we get married?"

"...Is it okay if we do it?"

"Really, really, yay, a grand slam home run!"

Gantan of that year, Hapi and I became a real family, and our conversation went from

"Are you happy!" to "Every happy!"