Oofuri chapter 20:

This is the final script that DV and I have collaborated on. He made suggestions and corrections
and I used my best judgment to take his corrections into consideration. Blue and black font do
not matter anymore  The blue font just means that that is a correction that DV made.

55
?:My legs won't move.

?:It's like I'm underwater.

?: I can't reach the ball like this.

?: It's the bottom of the ninth and the score is tied? Not cool.
?: I'm begging you—

?: Please don't hit it!

56
?: Whoa!

57
?: Ngaa—ah!
?: Snap out of it!

58
boys: Shh!
box: The faculty supervisor is sleeping in the next room.
?: You were having a bad dream,
?: [Get up!]
?: [Good morning!]

?: so I tried to wake you up.

sign: [Goal: Top 8!]
?: Sorry, waking up to someone suddenly grabbing my face was freaky!
?: You can’t put someone in a body lock just for sneaking up on you! Are you some kind of
secret agent? (lit: A North Korean spy, abducted Japanese from 1977-83.)
?: Whatever, give it a rest.

５９
？: No change in the starting lineup?

?: Nope. There's no problems, right?

?: About Takeshi,
?: he’s really improved huh?
?: It’s like he’s really become stronger since the tournament began.
?: He’s always had guts,

?: but I thought Naomasa was the best player.

?: You really pushed him hard.

？：So you noticed.

60
?: Because I could see how much effort he was putting into it.

?: Is that a compliment?
?: Maybe.

?: Thanks.

?: Kids are amazing, aren't they?

?: I can't believe I was like that two years ago.

61
?: Are you going senile already?
?: I’m going ahead.
?: [Hey, even though we were talking so nicely] (hey, hehen hou we har haking ho nihehi)
# What was this weird thing in parenthesis? So weird. XD No changes, I guess.

?: I’ve got to peel a hundred potatoes for breakfast.

?: Thanks for the hard work.

box: For you

box: Is it all just a distant memory already?

?: I'm really jealous of them.

dudes: [G'morning!]
?: Morning.

63
?: [G’morning]
?: Hey

?: Takeshi!
?: Y-yes?!

?: [What time is breakfast today?]

?: [7:30.]

?: You're in the starting lineup today.

?: Seems coach was debating it but...

63
?: I told him to give you a shot.
?: Th-thank you so much!
?: If you work hard like always, it’ll probably be fine,
?: but don’t forget your place.
?: Got it!

64
Sign: [Notice: After the first match,
admission tickets are no longer valid.
There will be no refunds.]
black sign: [Today’s high school baseball game
starting time/ school name/ visitors
1 10:00 Sebayama Bijoudai-Sayama
2 12:30 Nishiura Kounan
3 --

hana: We’re going to finish this one quick and easy!

There are going to be a lot of people watching today.

Hana: I’m going to the bleachers by third base.

Saka: It's fun when the field is so close.

Saka: You can relax.
Suya: Yeah.

65
Suya: I wonder if all the games after the fourth round are at Field 3. Anyway, it’s way closer for
us than for Kounan.
Saka: Where’s Field 3?
hana: [Is everyone here?]

Suya: Omiya. Omiya, not Ageo, right?

Hana: I’ve always known that

Hana: …since mom’s some kind of high-school baseball nut. (Mom: Azusa!)

miha: Th-this
miha: It's different from the opening ceremony
but
nice
…I guess.

hana; Omiya is Omiya but today it’s the municipal field.

miya: Oh.
Hana: The opening ceremony was at a prefectural field
right by here.

hana: If we win here, the next game we play will be over there.

66
miha: Something about that field… Hanai-kun seems happy.
miha: [I want to continue the conversation...]

miha: It’s a big place. He likes big places maybe?

miha: B-Because it's big?

hana: Huh?

Hana: “Because it’s big”?

Hana: Do you mean the prefectural field?

Hana: I guess the prefectural field is but the qualifying field is the same size as this one.
[a kernel of the captain’s knowledge]
Saka/izumi: What are they doing? (It’s two different conversations.)

miha: If it isn't the size... then...

miha: B-because of the opening ceremony?
hana: Huh?
hana: The opening ceremony is there every year?

?:....No way
?: ...yeah.
?: And then…

67
hana: Even with the prefectural games the last game of the tournament is played here…
hana: Even for prefectural games, the last game is played here…
hana: You might not know since you were in Gunma,

Hana: but in Saitama, the local TV station broadcasts all of the prefectural games.
?i: TV?!
Izumi: Whoa!
Saka: Seriously?!
Hana: [My parents, geez… they said, today at least, no matter what, we have to win. Give it a
rest already.]

Miha: O-okay! I'll work hard, too!

dude: Yuuto!
saka: Hey!

68
saka: Shou-chan!

saka: They're my senior friends!

izumi: I'm gonna go ahead.
saka: I'll catch up soon.

shou: It's been a long time!

saka: It really has!

shou: Hey hey,

shou: do you have a uniform number?

saka: Yeah! There are only ten players on my team.

shou: 10! You made it to the fourth round with only 10?!
shou: So lucky!

69
saka: Yeah.
saka: I guess.

shou: And you're really all first years too?!

saka: Ah,
saka: yeah.

shou: Amazing!
saka: Well,
saka: we’re just lucky, I guess.

Shou: There's nothing “lucky” about it! Our coach scouted your team thoroughly.
Saka: Huh?

Shou: I was looking into Nishiura too.

?: Hey hey, everyone's listening!

thought: Nishiura…
thought: They're all first years.
thought: If only I had gone there, I could have been a starter, too.

70
shou: In the next match we're going to be rivals, but good luck today!
shou: Well, except I won't be playing. See ya!

saka: I'll cheer you on too! Good luck!

saka: Is it possible that

saka: Nishiura is becoming famous?

box: Prior to the game both team’s starting line ups will be introduced. First is Bijoudai-Sayama
high school.
?: Oh, hey, it's Suyama.

71
Hanam: The boys are taking the field.
mom2: Oh, yeah, they said they'd start warming up first.

Hanam: It would be nice if the games were always at this field though, wouldn't it?

Hanai: At first they had used Field 10.

[My left foot was always exhausted from driving there!]

Mom2: Going to tape it was such a hassle!

[Mrs. Hanai, you drive manual? You’re amazing!]

Hanam: And now they’re going to be on TV!

mom2: Really? Are they going to be on TV?

hanam: I wonder if I should dress up!

mom2: Wait, isn’t this supposed to be about our sons?!
[No way! You're too much!]

>72

SYmom: Oh hey, who's the guest seat reserved for?

HNmom: It's for the vice-principal.

HNmom: It looks like the cheerleading team might be coming today.

SYmom: Oh, wow…

HNmom: Well, the TV crew as well, but still.

SYmom: Say...
SYmom: If they secure a victory today

SYmom: the team will be

SYmom: one of the top 16 in Saitama!

>73

[And now follows the introduction of today's officials]

Hanai: Shinooka, are there any changes to the initial lineup?

Chiyo: None for either school.

Chiyo: For Bijou, there are two to three relief pitchers for each game.
[Japanese, right: Wow! Shinooka is amazing!]

Suya: Wow, relief pitchers?

Suya: And furthermore, three of them…

Abe: Even if they have three,

Abe: In this day and age, a strategy that uses so many pitchers is probably a desperate measure.

>74

?: What's that supposed to mean?

Abe: Bijou changed their coach two years ago, right?
Izu: Oh, is that so?
Sakae: Yup.

Abe: Their previous coach retired the year before that, so there was
Abe: some talk about how the new one is a lot more like a student.

Abe: Our seniors avoided them.

Taji: Ah! My previous team didn't go to Bijou for those 3 years either.
Hanai: Oh...

Izu: That reminds me… I vaguely remember Bijou being pretty good but..
Izu: I don't remember seeing them last summer. It was because it was the coach's first year, I
guess.
Chiyo: Hm… let's see. Last year, they lost in the second game of the first round.
>75

Shino: They had one win in the autumn preliminaries and lost in the first game of the prefecture
round.
Shino: But in the spring they made it to the top 16 and now they're D seeds!
Momo: She sure works fast…

Taji: In that case, isn't their coach pretty awesome?

Taji: What with four games in the first year!

Momo: Well, just judging from this tournament, I guess.

Momo: But still, having to rely on three pitchers for a single game must be stressful.

>76

Chiyo: Being able to accomplish that around age twenty is quite a feat.
Mizu: [Twenty, eh?]
Izu: [College sophomore?]
Hana: [Hm... which reminds me...]

Taji: Coach, how old are you?

[Inner voice]
# What is “[Inner voice]”? Is that Tajima’s thought, but that doesn’t make sense. Does it mean
“Small voice”?

Momo: Hm? 23!

Abe: [23]
Izu: [23..which means... 3 years older than my brother and...]
Hana: [6?]
Hana: [No wait, 7 years older than us?]

>77

Hana: [That's...weird.]
Hana: [Is it weird?]

Hana: [Wait, this sort of thing shouldn’t matter, right?]

Hana: [Oops.]

Abe: [Number 8 Karata, eh?]

Abe: [He's been hitting pretty well in this tournament.]
 [Bijou didn’t settle on a starting catcher until autumn.]
[They were so busy with the relief pitchers strategy that they must have had their hands
full.]

>78

Abe: [Since Bijou’s decided on the catchers, they must be ready to show off their full
potential.]
Abe: [As for dangerous batters, #4 Wada and the previous catcher, now right-fielder,
Miyata…]

Abe: [Since we're here watching,]

Abe: [maybe I should give some pointers to Mihashi.]
Taji: [My brother's wife is 23 years old.]
Taji: [Ever since her pregnancy, she's developed quite a large chest,]

Miha: [Abe-kun… are you quitting as a catcher?]

Abe: [...]

Abe: [He seems to be pretty well relaxed after all.]

Abe: [I guess I'll leave him to Tajima.]

>79

MrVP: [...]
MrVP: [This many people have come, eh?]

HNmom: Oh, hey!

HNmom: Aren't you the vice principal? Nice to meet you!
Prin: Ah, nice to meet you, too.

HNmom: Thanks for coming even though it's so hot out.

# I assume this is Hanai’s mom:
HNmom: [It's not a problem!]
MrVP: Now, the same applies to all of you.
Lady: [The match will be broadcast on TV tomorrow y'know!]
Lady: [Suyama-san is upstairs too]

HNmom: I’m looking forward to working with you!

HNmom: Whatever I can help out with!
HNmom: Oh, right, I should introduce the cheerleading team captain to you.

>80

MrVP: [Cheerleading captain?]

MrVP: [Hama-chan... Hama-chan?]
MrVP: [Hamada?!]
HNmom: Come on!
HNmom: Mr. Vice Principal!
[Hamada who got held back a year due to excessive absences from school?]
Hama: Eh, Mr. Vice Principal?
[He seems to be doing fine this year, but…]
Hama: Sir!
Hama: You came for us!

>81

Hama: It's really hot, so take of yourself, alright?

Hama: This is a list of the cheers we do. If you would like to, cheer along with us!

MrVP: Ah, Hamada, you too. Your outfit looks really warm, are you going to be okay?

Hama: We'll be fine!

Hama: Don’t worry about us!

MrVP: I see! Alright!

MrVP: Go do your best!

>82

MrVP: I'll be cheering as well! Give it your best, Hamada!

Hama: Lookin' forward to it!

HNmom: Why do you look like you're crying?

MrVP: [The minute you let your guard down, these youngster will get to you, eh!]

Hama: Was that Kaji?

Hama: What's the situation like inside?
Ume: Oh hey, Hamada!

Ume: It seems like the game has ended!

Ume: A called game in the seventh inning for Bijou.
Hama: All right…

Hama: You all ready?

Hama: Ready, right?

>83

Aya: G-Give me a bit more time…

Mia: No!
Mia: Take them off now! The game is getting started already!

Aya: ...
Aya: Yeah, I guess.
Mia: [Come on already, it's really hot y'know!]
Mia: Well then, here's goes!

Aya: Okay!
Mia: We're ready!
[Cheergirls?!]
[There were going to be cheergirls?!]

>84
Hama: ...Your socks… got shorter.. I see…
Hama+Ume: [Seeing so much skin... is making my heart race.]
Ume: Let's go!
Aya+Mia: []
Ref: Play ball!

>85

>86

Bguy: Oh wow… Nishiura's really lively.

Roka: Their third game was before the summer holidays, I think.

Bguy: But seriously, their coach sure has a weird batting order, huh?

Roka: Probably since their cleanup, #4 Tajima got injured, right?

Bguy: Ah, that's right!

Bguy: They have "Tajima Yuuichirou"!

>87

Bguy: I wanted Tajima.

Bguy: I hoped he would join our club and be a pillar for our freshman team.

Roka: I guess you can blame our scouting… No matter how hard we tried to reach out to him,
we couldn't get though.
Bguy: Well, I guess so…
Bguy: It's probably my fault…

Bguy: If we reach our target in this tournament

Bguy: I'm sure this situation will do a complete 180, starting next year!

Roka: What was it again? To be in the top 8?

Roka: That seems a bit unrealistic…

Bguy: I think it's pretty realistic!

Oofuri p88-103

p88
1) SFX shift

2) SFX tap

3) [Two outs, but he’s bunting!]

p89
1) [Safe! Safe!]
SFX (Mitt) Whap (Big) Bam!

2) (right) [Oh, he’s fast… Really fast!]

(left) [Five seconds flat?!]

3) […So]
SFX (top right) Glance (centre) Glance (Bottom left/ right) Natter Natter
(standing woman) Bijou? (Inbetween SFX) Bijou’s coach?

4) Taki: [He’s doing well… is he still injured?]

Roka: [He’s back to playing third base so I doubt it.]
SFX (right) sit (left) jerk
(arrow) score board

5) (top right) [I see.] (bottom left) [So it’s Kounan’s problem.]

SFX (trumpet) pa pa ra pa pa ra pa pa ra

p90
1) [In the last game Tajima bunted four times. Why didn’t that third baseman do anything?]

2) SFX (right) (trumpet) pa pa ra pa pa pa (bat) grip

(left) (trumpet) pa pa pa ra pa pa pa

3) SFX clang

4) SFX (bottom) rise (top) stop

p91
1) SFX (top) fall (big) smack

1/2) SFX (cheering) Yeah!

3) [The first run!]

SFX tap
4) [Ready!!]

p92
1) [It’s fine. We only need to be cautious of Tajima, right?]
SFX (far right) (drum) boom (crowd) Ooh Ah Ah (Batter) swish
(catcher’s mitt) whap (bottom left) clapping

2) Taki: [After all, he’s just a first year. He probably can’t hit that far.]
Roka: [Onto the attacking side.]
SFX flip

3) [Ah, is that the peculiar pitch?]

4) (top right) [That’s him. (bottom left) Mihashi.]

SFX (Mihashi) Twitch twitch

p93
1) SFX (Mihashi) lift (background) throw

2) SFX Whap!

3) Taki: [They’re…just playing catch?]

Roka: [Watch closely]
SFX (Takii) tug

4) (bubble) [He held Tousei to 4 runs with that pitch.]

Taki: […]
SFX grab

5) SFX Blah Blah

p94
1) (right) [You’re wrong.] (left) [What Tamaken said then was…]

2) (right) [MAKOTO!] (left) [!!]

SFX BADUM

3) Mako: [Yes?]
Taki: [Sort out those rowdy first years!]
Mako: [Got it!]

4) [And the second and third years! Don’t get carried away just because you won one
game!]

5) centre: [Hey pay close attention!]

left: [We’re playing them in the next game!]
 SFX (right) YES (left) yes! yes!

p95
1) Taki: [… So?]
spectator: [Huh? Ball’s slow, isn’t it?]
(banner) Exciting Koushien

2) Taki: [The catcher’s supposed to be impressive right?]

Roka: [Just watch.]
SFX (Takii) sit (left) (trumpet) pa pa pa pa pa pa pa ra

3) SFX (right) (trumpet) pa ra pa (catcher) whap (left) (trumpet) pa pa pa pa

4) […]

5) (top right) [His starting strategy is strange.]

umpire: [Strike!]
(bottom left) [He’s calling for all breaking balls.]
SFX (catcher) whap (bottom) (trumpet) pa pa pa ra

p96
1) (top right) [According to the former captain of Tousei, who played Nishiura]
(bottom left) [That “fastball” is their strikeout pitch, so it seems they refrained from
using it until the end of the game.]

2) [So that’s his peculiar pitch. Also…his control looks good.]

SFX clang

3) Roka top right: [100 out of 100]

Taki: [You’re joking!]
Roka bottom left: [I’m not. Just watch and see.]

4) Taki: [Even so… what about it?]

Roka: [That pitcher…]
SFX (right) clapping (left) Nice one, shortstop!

p97
1) (top right) [In the two games I watched]
(bottom left) [He hasn’t once shaken his head at the catcher.]
SFX (right) (trumpet) pa ra pa ra pa pa ra pa ra pa! (centre) Nice pitch
(left) Pitcher, nice one
1) (top right) [In the two games I watched,]
(bottom left) [he hasn’t once shaken his head at the catcher.]
SFX (right) (trumpet) pa ra pa ra pa pa ra pa ra pa! (centre) Nice pitch!
(left) Pitcher, nice one!
2) (main) [‘Cause if he shakes his head you can guess which pitch is coming, right?]
(left side) [So the catcher just changes the sign until the pitcher nods.]

3) (right) [No, it’s not like that.]

(left) [I have to hand it to him, for every pitch,]

4) (right) [Mihashi is truly]

(left) [throwing according to the catcher’s signs.]
SFX swish

p98
1) Taki top right: […]
Taki bottom left: [Which means…]

2) (bubble) [We just have to hit those slow breaking balls.]

umpire: [Strike!]
SFX (left) (trumpet) pa pa pa pa ra pa pa pa
(centre) (cheering) Oh oh oh (catcher) whap

3) (top right) [If the pitcher never says anything, we should just study the patterns in
the catcher’s pitch selection.]
(bottom left) [A single human mind is easy to read.]
(bottom left side) [There has to be some kind of consistent strategy.]
SFX (right) clapping (bottom right) Nice one, pitcher! (Mihashi) Two out!
(big diagonal) OH OH OOOOH!

p99
1) Taki left: [And if the pitcher’s control is good, it makes the job easier.]
Taki left side: [How many games do you have data for?]
Roka: [With today’s data, three.]
SFX (left) (batter name?) Takato! (centre left) (trumpet) pa pa pa pa pa pa

2) [That should be enough.]

3) (top right) [The best eight,]

(bottom left) [you’ve seen it, right?]

p100
1) (Scoreboard centre) Oomiya City Stadium
(Teams) (left and top) Nishiura (right and bottom) Kounan
(Names) (from left) Izumi, Sakaeguchi, Suyama, Tajima, Hanai, Oki, Abe, Mizutani,
Mihashi (from right) Nishihiro, Tanimura

2) Hama: [We’re going to do the yell exchange!]

(sign) Yell
SFX OOOOH
3) (right) [First, hurrah Nishiura!]
(left) [Next, hurrah Kounan, please!]

4) (box) [Winning team, Nishiura High School, please do ground maintenance.]

(Mihashi bubble) [That’s Hama-chan’s yell.]
SFX Hoora—y!

p101
1) Miha: [Today too…We won…]
Abe: [We won today too.]
SFX Hoora—y!

2) Miha: [Uh oh.]

Miha bubble: [He was thinking the same thing!]
Abe: [What?]
SFX (top) stretch stretch (left) Ho raah

3) Abe top: [And left]

Miha right: [We won today, too.]
Miha left: [Thanks to Abe-kun.]

4) Miha right: [U-Um so is Abe-kun l-leaving]

Miha left: [Nishiura…?]

5) Miha: [A-ah!]
Abe: [There’s no way I’m going to leave! Why do you keep saying that, you idiot?!]
SFX grind grind

6) Miha: [L-Leave?! Don’t leave! Okay?]

Abe: [Is that it?! You want me to leave?! Or you don’t want me to leave!?]
(Hana) [Stop screwing around and do your stretches!]
SFX gri~~~~ind

p102
1) (right) [E-eh?! If you quit,]
(left) [I won’t be able to p-pitch!]

2) Abe right: […]

Abe left: [Oh, so that’s what it is.]
Miha: [It’s true, s-so…]

3) Abe: [How do you find something to be negative about every time we play?]
Miha: […?]

4) Abe right bubble: [I’ll say it as many times as it takes.]

 Abe right main: [For three years, I’ll be the catcher for all of your games.]
Abe centre: [If I say I’ll do it, I’ll do it! Got it?!]
Miha: [A-ah! Yes!]
(Hana) [If you don’t want to do your stretches, do ground maintenance!]

(End of chapter 20)