Ticks Me Off!
Glad I managed to make it tonight.
It's been another crazy week.
Murata's been in the working world for a few years now,
and he's still all-in on that corporate slave life.
The ballpark is the place he goes to relieve stress.
For the baseball-loving Murata, there's a particular moment that gets him excited.
When you leave the tunnel with its dim fluorescent lighting,
pass through the gate leading to the seats...
and all of a sudden, you can see everything!
It never gets old!
It's like entering a new world where I can forget all about the company and my work.
Excuse me.
Hello, Murata! This is quite a coincidence!
New Employee at Murata's Company Shimizu Hotaru (Age 23)
Sh-Shimizu?! What are you doing here?
What am I doing? I'm watching baseball, of course!
Y-Yeah, makes sense.
Welp, back in the old world again.
Would you like to watch the game together?
Do you mind if I sit next to you?
Well, y'know... I don't do any cheering or anything...
I'm not much fun as a companion.
That's no problem at all!
I prefer to take it easy, too.
I "take it easy" by watching solo, though...
Oh, well.
Hey, Murata...
Please don't laugh at me, but...
Wh-What?
I watch my games in a uniform. Excuse me!
You brought a uniform to the office with you?!
Not quite. I keep one at the office!
So I can go anytime I like!
That's a great new hire my company made!
You drink beer?
Yes!
Excuse me!
Coming!
Oh, it's Ruriko.
Hey, mister. Can't remember the last time you called me over.
Um... I'll take two, please.
Two?
Brian's butt still looks great!
Sh-She's just my junior at the office.
I see.
Ruriko was thinking...
Kinda... ticks me off.
Kojiro popped it up!
Out!
Hey, Kojiro's gonna be fine.
He's got that WRC+ of 120, after all.
Still using that tidbit she got from Murata
Right, Mr. Regular?
Huh? Yeah...
That's true.
Sabermetrically speaking, Kojiro's putting up really good numbers.
Baseball is a "sport about failure," so you're right.
You can't get too worked up about the outcome of any one at-bat.
Kojiro has great fielding stats, too.
He has incredible coverage for his age and a +8.0 UZR!
UZR = Ultimate Zone Rating A metric for how many runs a fielder prevents.
Y-You know your stuff!
Well, I was a manager for my school baseball team.
Ninsta...
You got a Ninsta account?
Oh, Ninsta?
I'm afraid not.
What a waste!
No Ninsta, huh? You're really missing out!
I'm so ignorant about that kind of thing...
It's embarrassing.
Well, you might have fun giving Ninsta a try.
Thanks for the purchase!
Also incompetent with social media
Ruriko was trounced.
One fried chicken meal pack, please.
One fried chicken meal pack! That'll be 1,200 yen!
Here you go.
Thank you!
You're doing a great job again today, Yamada.
Hardly, but I'm doing the best I can.
Here's your meal!
Thanks. Later!
Thank you for coming!
Welco—
P-Prince Charming!
Welcome!
Will it be one mega-portion ultra meal pack, as usual?
Y-Yeah, please...
And I'll have the same!
What's going on?!
Who is she?
My prince... Who is she?!
Who's that girl showing off her legs?!
Since we've got our meals, should we get another beer?
Y-You think so? Okay.
Excuse me!
Coming! Thanks for the business!
Brian's finally up!
Here you are, miss!
Thank you.
Here you are, Mr. Regular!
This is awful! I forgot to give them their change!
No! Stop that now, Natsuno!
Don't bring your personal feelings into the job!
Excuse me—
Enjoy!
Yamada Natsuno's respect for Ruriko increased on that day.
The second-floor concourse in Chiba MotorSuns Stadium.
Amid the hustle and bustle of the vendors,
one item that never fails to be popular in all stadiums is the player tie-in meal pack.
Spicy Kalbi Shishio
Samurai Taste Kojiro Meal Pack
Mitsui Reto's Fried Victory Meal Pack
The Meal Pack Capriccio
They encourage a feeling of closeness with the players,
make the game feel like an event, and are very well-received.
However...
I'll take one Shishio meal pack.
That'll be 1,200 yen, please!
Here you are!
Welcome!
Kojiro's wife, Yuki, let out the deepest of sighs.
Kojiro... Why aren't you selling more?!
You've sold as many as Mitsui!
One Kojiro meal pack, please.
One Kojiro meal pack. That'll be 1,200 yen!
As the wife of a professional baseball player,
I need to support my husband in these small ways!
Here you are.
Thank you for coming!
He's sold one more meal pack than Mitsui now, at least.
I'll take two Mitsui meal packs.
A young woman ordering Mitsui lunch packs?!
Mitsui's as far from handsome as you can get!
Mitsui Reto (Age 28)
A left-handed finesse pitcher six years out of college has a fan that young?!
Kojiro's meal packs are one sale behind...
H-How could this happen?!
Here, another person let out a deep sigh.
Girlfriend of Chiba MotorSuns Pitcher Mitsui Reto Kondo Kisa (Age 25)
I wanted him to beat Kojiro's meal pack sales, so I ended up buying two!
As the girlfriend of a professional baseball player,
I need to support my boyfriend in these small ways!
Miss!
Coming!
One beer, please.
Thanks!
Hey, a Mitsui meal pack!
Pretty intense.
Y-Yes.
Now and again, I see young women who are fans of guys like Mitsui or Kojiro.
I love people who march to their own drummer.
Here.
Thanks.
Thanks for the purchase!
Now, it's time to eat!
That's the woman who bought the Kojiro pack.
Th-Three of them?!
W-Welcome!
Kojiro meals!
Mitsui meals!
All you've got!
A-All right...
Thank you for coming!
Welcome!
Huh?
They're all out of the Kojiro meals?
The Mitsui meals, too!
I loved the subtle flavor of Japanese broth with the slow-stewed vegetables.
Really makes you think of Kojiro.
And I wanted the pure manliness of the fried chicken and white rice in Mitsui's.
Too bad. I'll take a Shishio meal pack!
And I'll have a standard.
E-Excuse me!
C-Can I return these?
Kojiro takes the lead with a two-run homer!
And he crosses the plate!
The starter, Mitsui, comes off the bench to congratulate him!
This meal pack is way too heavy!
Mitsui, are these really the flavors you like?!
There's pumpkin in it! Kojiro hates pumpkin!
Is he even approving these?!
It feels like they could become good friends.
Would anyone like a beer?
Different Faces
A rain shower has struck this game between the first-place Fukuoka Styx
and the fifth-place Chiba MotorSuns.
We're looking pretty good today!
Indeed, indeed!
Would anyone like a beer?
Hey, mister! What's up?
Hey, Ruriko!
Loving the raincoats.
You okay out in the rain like that?
Hey, no worries.
I've got plastic wrap over the cups so they won't get dirty.
Not that! It's you we're worried about!
Oh, right...
Well, guess I'll buy a cup.
Me, too!
Thanks a ton!
Well, guess I'd better keep at it!
You sure you shouldn't pack it up already?
Oh, don't worry about me.
The makeup I spent an hour applying washed off in a second,
so I'm long past caring.
She's oddly intense!
Must be hard for Ruriko out in the rain.
Still... I splurged on this nice seat to treat myself,
and it happens to be on the day that it rains.
Still, a seven-run lead in the middle of the fourth against the first-place Styx!
And we're back to the top of the order with Shishio, who's already got two hits today!
MotorSuns
Order
Position
Name
(SS)
Shishio
(CF)
Yagino
(RF)
Nokogiriyama
What's all this?
What's got you so happy?
R-Ruriko...
Don't see you in these seats a lot, mister.
I'm treating myself.
Y-You're thinking that my face looks different today, right?
Wh-What?
The rain washed my makeup off, okay?!
I didn't say that. Or even think it.
Never mind.
As a thank-you for getting to see a different side of me,
you'd better buy a beer, okay?
Um... sure, please.
Really?!
Thanks a bunch!
Attention, all!
Interleague play is over, and we're left in fifth place.
But we of the Chiba MotorSuns aren't just going to sit around.
Let's use today's victory to propel us,
to claw back the six-game lead from the first-place Styx!
He sure loves to give a speech, huh?
Hey, talk louder!
You going into politics?
Today is Mitsui's girlfriend's—Kisa's—birthday.
Let's put a win on his line!
Shishio! He never misses a chance to tease me!
Guess we'd better live up to it.
Let's score some more hits this inning!
Yeah!
Yeah, the players are really raring to go!
But the rain's coming down harder...
The umpires are talking.
Don't tell me...
No way.
We have an announcement.
Due to the weather conditions, a rain delay has been called.
What the hell?!
Let them play!
A rain delay has been called.
Damn it! We're gonna lose our momentum!
You'd better not call it off, okay?!
Rain Delay
I'm cold. My hair's a mess. I wanna go home.
This stinks.
Middle Schooler Sodegaura Megumi (Age 14)
I wish we hadn't come.
Office Worker Sodegaura Koki (Age 43)
Want to take shelter in the concourse?
It's gonna be so crowded. No way.
What do I do, then?
I wish rain would just die already.
I totally get you!
I've barely sold any beer today thanks to this stupid rain!
They just called us back in, so I was on my way out.
Wh-Who are you?
Just a passing drenched vendor girl!
What are they doing down there, anyway?
What's the tarp for? Are they gonna have a picnic or something?
How should I know? Probably not that, though.
They lay down sheeting to prevent further soaking of the turf.
Hey, Sun-Shiro's out!
Sun-Shiro!
His umbrella's too small!
He comes up with great gags, too.
Nicely done, Sun-Shiro.
That's an old cheer theme.
They do it during rain delays to keep the players' and fans' spirits up.
Must be hard.
Is it okay to have their instruments out in the rain like that?
I said that I don't care.
I really love this ballpark.
I love it most on rainy days.
You don't just see the players.
You get to see everyone in the park working their hardest.
It's a truly wonderful thing.
Man, and here I am, whining about my low beer sales!
Don't say that! I was talking about you vendor girls, too!
Well, it lets us see a different face of the park,
and lots of unusual things.
I guess we can cut the rain some slack, just this once.
Thank you very much.
Huh? For what?
Nothing.
Well, see you when the sun comes out!
Your dad here had better buy a beer from me then.
Okay?
A different face, huh?
Rain Delay
Man, is it ever gonna let up?!
Please! Come out, blue sky!
Shishio, stay focused.
Right.
Kisa!
Victory for Kisa!
It's my precious day off...
Please, I need this reward!
Rain Delay
Hey, look! Blue sky!
I bet we'll get to resume!
Hell yeah!
Yes!
The ups and downs that the weather brings...
That's just one of the joys of an open-roofed stadium.
After that, the game resumed.
The MotorSuns held their early lead...
and won!
Next Time
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A Good Kid
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So Many Treasures
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Going Off-Script