Chapter Text
“Oi, Eijun! You got a mail. Your mom said she’d put it on your desk. There’s no name on the envelope, so we don’t know who’s the sender. Did you check it yet?”
“Huh? A mail?”
“Well, yeah. It looks like a bunch of letters or something like that. The envelope looks thick, but when we took a peek inside, we only saw a bunch of papers.”
“What?! You guys took a peek on it?! Don’t just go around opening my mails, Grandpa! What if it’s something a confession letter for me?!”
“HAHAHA! There’s no way you got a confession letter, kid. You’re not even popular at school!”
“Aargh! Shut up, old man!”
True to what his grandfather had informed him, the envelope indeed looks very thick. Eijun flipped it, eyes scanning every inch of the light brown envelope paper for a hint of whoever sending it to him. There’s only one line scribbled at one corner of the envelope:
“From the future”
Eijun frowns. “Is this a prank?”
Carefully, he opened the envelope and takes out the papers. There are so many papers inside. It’s probably even thicker than his science notes.
He takes the first paper and begins reading it.
“Yo! How are you doing, Young Sawamura Eijun?
If this letter arrives at the time that we predicted it would, then you must be busy doing preparations before going to Seidou around this time.
You must be surprised to get an anonymous letter like this, right? Right?? HAHAHA! You don’t have to lie! I’m your future self, so I know you very well!”
“Huh?! My future self?! Don’t be joking! I’m not that dumb to believe something like this!” Eijun grouses, offended.
Out of curiosity, he continues reading the letter.
“Hehe. Sorry, sorry. You must’ve freaked out right?”
“I did not! I’m not freaking out! Who would even believe something so stupid like this?!”
“I would love to tease you more, ehehe, but unfortunately there are more important stuffs that I have to tell you here.”
“Important stuff? What kind of important stuff?”
“You see, the thing is, 3 years from now on, you will lose one of your dearest friends. And the sad truth is…it’s mostly your own fault.”
“Huh? My friend? I-Is it Wakana? Nobu? Or… Wait, wait, wait! This is just a prank, right?!”
Eijun gnaws at his lip. Even if it’s just a prank, this sounds far too cruel to be a joke. Seriously, who bothered to write him stuff like these just to prank him?!
“That’s why, by writing these letters, I sincerely wish you could pave the path of your own future towards a better one, Young Sawamura Eijun!”
Eijun deadpans. “That definitely sounds like something out of shonen manga.”
“By the way, I remember Kuramochi-senpai and the others used to tease me for being an airhead. But you’re actually not that dumb right?? I mean, at least you’re smart enough to understand what I am saying here, right? Right??”
“HAH?! Who is this Kuramochi guy?! Who dare calling me dumb?! Is this sender really my future self?! What kind of person calling their younger self dumb?!”
“Listen, your seniors at Seidou might seem mean at first, but they are actually good guys. Trust me. They’re the ones who will later help you thorough your baseball career. Even after graduating, they will still be in-touch with you and be there to support you. So, you have to treat them with the respect they deserve! Understand, kid?”
“Ugh! I’m not a kid! How old is this sender?! Is this letter coming from my middle-aged self? Wait, wait, wait. This is just a prank! It’s just a prank, right? I mean, there’s no way! I’m only reading this because I’m curious! It doesn’t mean I’m dumb enough to fall for this kind of prank!”
“Ah, well. Let’s just get to straight to the important points.
Young Sawamura Eijun, I have a mission for you: You must go against the fate in order to save the future of your soon-to-be dearest people!”
“My soon-to-be dearest people? What does it even mean? Is this person talking about the people who are going to be my teammates in Seidou?”
“Listen, you can’t keep depending on others to guide you through everything!
Seriously. Please don’t be the naïve kid like I once was. While there’s still the chance, please do your utmost effort to save yourself from all the painful regrets that your future self is carrying now. Also, more importantly, please take care of all the people at Seidou that you will come to cherish greatly.”
“People at Seidou…?” Eijun wonders aloud.
To be perfectly honest, he’s been rather anxious about going to Seidou. He isn’t sure what kind of people will be awaiting there.
Moreover, Seidou is located at Tokyo! He’s born and raised in this small village in Nagano. Thorough his 15 years of life, there’s only a couple of times he’s been to Tokyo. Eijun isn’t sure what kind of kids who lives in big metropolitan cities like Tokyo are like.
How the Tokyo kids usually greet each other? What kind of things they usually do when hanging out with friends? Are they going to make fun of his accent? Do they play baseball better than him? After all, unlike in his old middle school, Seidou is a fancy school. There are many fancy schools in Tokyo. The kids in Tokyo probably are used to practice with those fancy training machines.
Many of Tokyo kids probably could pitch better than him.
Many the kids in Tokyo probably could play baseball better than him.
It makes him feel challenged, but also…anxious. A little.
To be told that he will have supportive teammates and upperclassmen at Seidou makes him feel kind of reassured.
“No! Wait!” Eijun shakes his head, slapping both of his own cheeks harshly. He scowls. “Argh! What am I thinking, falling for a stupid prank like this?! This must be mom and dad’s stupid attempt to reassure me! Yeah, that must be it! They must be very worried about me, that’s why they bother writing these stuffs. It makes sense, right?”
Eijun pauses. He glances at the piece of paper in his hand again.
Come to think of it, if it’s his own parents who really had written this, then how come they know that a person named Kuramochi will become his upperclassman at Seidou?
Moreover……
“Please cherish the people who are dear to you while they are still next to you, especially the seniors who help you through your highs and lows and the teammates who fight together alongside you.
Please don’t be a spoiled junior who takes his seniors’ kindness for granted like I once was.
Please let people know whenever you are grateful of them, and let them know whenever you need their help. Please don’t push them away. Please trust them, keep them close, and take care of them as much as you able to.”
Eijun shudders. Somehow, those words feel like a personal jibe to him.
“I-Isn’t this too emotional for a prank letter…?” he mumbles.
“But more than anything, I wish for you to do this one thing: Please take care of Miyuki Kazuya. Please save him.”
“Miyuki Kazuya…?”
For some reason, the name sounds oddly familiar. Is this person also going to be his teammate at Seidou?
Eijun flops back to his bed, mind whirling to dig his memories.
“Miyuki… Miyuki… Is there any Miyuki at school? If I remember correctly, that girl who sat behind me at 4th grade was a Miyuki. But, uh, no. It couldn’t be her. ‘Kazuya’ is a masculine name, so it must be a guy. I’m pretty sure her name began with an ‘A’ anyway, like ‘Ayase’ or something.”
As his memory trip goes, Eijun lets his eyes roam around the room, until it lands on a sport magazine on his study desk, the one that he’d bought a couple months ago. Eijun blinks owlishly.
“…Wait. If I’m not mistaken, that catcher’s name is Miyuki, right?”
He jumps out of his bed and quickly flips open that magazine, arriving at a certain article. He widens his eyes.
Miyuki Kazuya.
That catcher’s name really is Miyuki Kazuya. This…this couldn’t be a coincidence, right?!
Now, the question is, why is he asked to save this guy? Are him and Miyuki Kazuya going to be close friends in the future? Is something bad going to happen to Miyuki Kazuya?
He scrambles for that piece of paper again, curiosity eating at him.
“Miyuki-senpai might be an annoying senior who teases you a lot, but despite everything, he truly is a caring friend and dependable ally. Believe me.
If it’s not for Miyuki-senpai, I probably wouldn’t have become the pitcher that I am now. If it wasn’t for Miyuki-senpai, making it to Koushien multiple times probably would’ve been nothing but a pipe dream for our team back then.
Miyuki-senpai is just amazing like that, hahaha! But it’s not only Miyuki-senpai, you know? All of my teammates in Seidou were truly amazing people. They were honestly the best teammates that I could’ve asked for.”
Eijun widens his eyes.
‘Koushien?! Multiple times?! Are you kidding me?!’
He might not really up-to-date to most of baseball stars of his country, but everyone in Japan has heard about Koushien. It is the most awaited baseball tournament all year long, even more so than most of pro ball games.
Is this person seriously telling him that he and his future teammates at Seidou will someday make it to Koushien? No way! This must be a joke!
He quickly scans the rest of the words on that page, excitement running through his veins.
“Yet, despite everything, what I did to Miyuki-senpai during my 2nd year of high school back then was unforgivable.”
…Wait, what?
“The year before my seniors graduated, I did something horrible to Miyuki-senpai, and my other seniors even had to suffer too because of it.
Because of that one mistake, Miyuki-senpai had to lost everything; his career, his future, everything he’s worked so hard for suddenly meant nothing because of my fault.
Because of that one mistake, my seniors couldn’t graduate with happy smiles the following year. I took away the victory and happiness that they should’ve deserved that year. I made their hardwork all year long gone into waste.
They’re always there for me, always had my back whenever it mattered, yet I ended up repaying their kindness by throwing away their hopes and dreams. Hahaha. I really am the worst, aren’t I?”
Eijun grimaces. This letter begins to sound rather depressing. Is the writer really his future self? No way!
If he makes a mistake, he’ll immediately apologize and fix whatever it is. He won’t drag it long until it becomes uncontrollable, let alone letting other people get hurt because of his own mess. That’s how his grandfather had raised him. He’s no way near as melancholic as this person!
…Right?
“Even so, none of my seniors blamed me for it. I wish they would. I keep wishing they would. But none of the hate I expected ever come.
Even Miyuki-senpai himself kept waving off my apologies. He kept reassuring me that he was fine, that he wasn’t upset at me at all. But he lied. Deep down, I think, I’d always known that he lied to everyone. Miyuki-senpai has always been a good liar. I knew that, yet I never called him out on any of his lies.
I was scared. I was so scared. I got swallowed up by my own guilt and failed to understand what Miyuki-senpai must’ve gone through back then.”
…No. No way.
Whoever this depressing person is, this couldn’t possibly be his future self. There’s just no way.
“Miyuki-senpai was the captain before me, so out of anyone, he must’ve been the one who understood the most that the team might crumble if I were to breakdown. That must’ve been the reason why Miyuki-senpai tried to stand strong thorough his remaining high school days. I should’ve realized it sooner.
We were partners. We shared the same dreams. We stood on the same field countless of times. I should’ve realized that there’s no way Miyuki-senpai could’ve accepted everything so easily. I should’ve realized that it must’ve taken a lot out of Miyuki-senpai not to let his frustration on me. I should’ve realized that no matter how many times I got on my knees, it’s just hard for Miyuki-senpai to accept my apologies.
Even so, I was too naïve to realize any of that. I allowed him to feed us with lies. I thought if Miyuki-senpai could still laugh, that should’ve been enough. But I was too naïve. We were all too naïve.
Now, looking back on it, I think I’ve finally understood the reason Miyuki-senpai gave up on us ever since that time.
But it’s already too late now. Miyuki Kazuya is not here with us anymore.”
Miyuki Kazuya…will not be with them anymore? He will be gone? Is this true?
Is this person telling him that…Miyuki Kazuya will die young?
“I wish to change that. Everyday I wake up wishing I could’ve changed many things. I wish to be able to talk to my old teammates without painful memory of Miyuki-senpai’s death haunting us. I wish for us to laugh again. I wish for our friendship to be back at that time during high school, when all we worried about were only training and training and winning Koushien together.
More than everything, more than going pro, winning Koushien, or wining any other tournaments, I just wish to be able to somehow make it up to Miyuki-senpai and all of my dearest teammates who got hurt along the way.
Even in another universe, I wish there is a world where Miyuki-senpai could get his own happy ending, where all of us could laugh together again.”
The first page ends with that. Eijun stares hard at that piece of paper until his gaze could probably burn a hole between the lines. He swallows thickly.
Everything has been…confusing, to say the least.
At first, he’d been so sure that this letter is a prank letter. Just who would’ve believed that they’ve gotten a letter from their future self? He might be the worst when academics is concerned, but he is not that dumb!
But then again…the letter is too suspicious to be a prank letter.
If whoever the sender is had wanted to prank him, why would they use Miyuki Kazuya’s name? Sure, having witnessed Miyuki Kazuya’s ability with his own eyes, Eijun has come to respect and admire the older boy quite a lot. Yet, he is nowhere near as close to Miyuki Kazuya as he is to Wakana and his other teammates here in Nagano.
Why would this person want to make him believe that Miyuki Kazuya will be dead because of his mistake? Are they trying to prank him by guilt-tripping him? If that’s the case, then whoever this person is should’ve fooled him with future death of his family or any of his close friends instead.
Yet, the fact that this mysterious sender seems to keen on making him feel guilty towards Miyuki Kazuya is rather……
Making up his mind, Eijun scrambles to grab his phone, immediately dialing one of the numbers he remembers by heart.
“Good evening. This is Aotsuki Wakana speaking—”
“Wakana!”
“Ei-chan? What are you doing dialing my family’s phone at this hour?”
“Uh, I forgot your cell number.”
There’s a sigh coming through the speaker. “So, what’s your excuse? Did you get a nightmare or something?”
Nightmare, huh? He hadn’t even considered that possibility.
Eijun pauses to pinch his arm—it hurts. So, no, this isn’t a dream.
“N-No, no! Nothing like that! I just, um, need to ask you something. If that’s alright with you, I mean!”
He hears a yawn across the line before Wakana speaking again. “Well, you already woke me up, so shoot. Just spill it!”
“Okay. Um. How do I say this… Uh, Wakana, can you promise not to laugh at me no matter what I’m going to say?”
“Ei-chan, honestly, I’ve witnessed you making a fool of yourself countless times. Hardly anything you do will amuse me anymore, dummy.”
“Oi, that’s rude! By the way, what I was going to ask is, uh, about time traveling.”
“Time traveling?”
“I mean, like, going from the future to the past? Messing with the order of time and stuff like that, yknow?”
“Ei-chan, that sort of stuff only happens in fiction.”
“I know that! But, uh, what if you suddenly got a letter from your future self telling you to fix their past mistakes so you could have a better future?”
“What are you talking about? Is this about a manga? Is sci-fic your favorite genre now? Are you trying to get me to read another shonen manga? Just give me the title, then. I’ll check it out when I got some free time—”
“No! I mean, uh, something like that? Just indulge me now, Wakana. Please!”
He hears another sigh. “Fine. If you ask me, obviously, that shouldn’t be scientifically possible. I mean, unless humans manage to build a time machine in the future? But to be honest, if I were to get a letter like that, I’ll just chalk it off as someone messing with me.”
“…Oh. Right. I see.”
“What happened, Ei-chan? You’re being suspicious. Did you get pranked by someone?”
“Ehehe, something like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing! Anyway, thanks, Wakana. Sorry to disturb your sleep! Please say ‘hi’ from me to your family. Good night!”
Eijun quickly turns off the call before his best-friend could probe him further. He lays back on his bed, sighing deeply.
Everything’s so confusing.
So, those letters are a prank, then? Wakana is smarter than him, so he probably should believe her. Even so…
Even so, his intuition is telling him to believe those letters, as bizarre as it might sound.
Argh, whatever! It’s late. He better sleep sound. Maybe when he wakes up tomorrow, those stupid letters will disappear.