[Misawa] Dear Mr. Fox

After that game in May, Chris invited everyone to his house for the weekend.

"My son's second birthday. And it happens to be the same day as Sawamura."

The foreigners patted Sawamura on the back and laughed exaggeratedly, and Sawamura was almost (inexplicably) grateful at this moment.A group of people just got together again on such a noisy weekend.The first time I went to Master's house.In a single-family house in the suburbs, the garden is well-maintained, and tulips and poppies are blooming in the fence.The teacher's wife is also of mixed Asian descent, with long black hair.The younger son has dark cocoa-colored curly hair like his father, and he can already speak simple sentences, fluent in both English and Japanese.His favorite gift is a children's baseball glove from Sawamura.The big foreigners surrounded him, the beautiful little princes and little angels were full of praise, and they couldn't wait to hold him in their hands.

Dad went to Japan again, saying that he still couldn't let go of that place.

Hearing this, Sawamura heaved a sigh of relief.Otherwise, that funny uncle would almost have a heart attack when he saw him.There are people around the barbecue grill in the garden. Sawamura tried to sneak around with his own food, but was caught by Xiaoshouxing.Holding a storybook in his hand, he hugged his calf tightly.

Read a story?I?Sawamura pointed at himself.

This kid loves to listen to Japanese, so troublesome.The teacher stepped forward and added.Gentle voice and smile.

No, I especially like children!He found a patch of lawn warmed by the sun and sat down with the little one on his lap.Spread out the book.I've heard this, go on.He was amazed at the language skills of the two-year-old.As expected of a child from Chris-senpai's family, what did I do when I was two years old.

He cleared his throat:

"Come and play with me," suggested the little prince, "I am very distressed..."

"I cannot play with you," said the fox. "I am not tamed yet."

"Ah! I'm so sorry," said the little prince.

After thinking for a while, he said again:

"What is 'taming'?"

"You are not from here," said the fox. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm here to find someone," said the little prince. "What do you mean by 'tame'?"

"Men," said the Fox, "they have guns, and they hunt, and that's a nuisance! Their only saving grace is that they keep chickens, too. Are you looking for chickens?"

"No," said the little prince, "I'm looking for friends. What do you mean by 'tame'?"

"It's a long-forgotten thing," Fox said. "It means 'connection.'"

"build connection?"

"Exactly," said the fox. "To me, you're just a little boy, like a million other little boys. I don't need you. You don't need me either. To you, I'm just a fox, and the others Thousands of foxes are the same. But if you tame me, we will be indispensable to each other. To me, you are the only one in the world; to you, I am the only one in the world.”

The smell of barbecue wafted from the other side of the garden.The gentle breeze is mixed with laughter, come here, you two, we are going to sing happy birthday.The little guy jumped up from his lap and ran crookedly towards that side.Sawamura also closed the storybook and stood up.

"little Prince".He didn't even remember the title of the book that day.But he could never forget the story of the fox.

Foreigners toasted him with bubble wine.They speak English very fast, but they can understand a lot without too much effort.They talked and danced happily. Before this, Sawamura had never seen anyone who was noisier than himself.They compared the ball Sawamura threw in the previous games. It was awesome, that speed, that beautiful arc. When they first came to see this little Japanese pitcher, they didn't expect it at all——

It's all thanks to Senior Chris!Sawamura returned with confidence.

But before that?Why is he coming to the big leagues?

It's not a logical thing, but he and Chris don't know it very well.Around this time last year, the supervisor suddenly asked him if he was interested in the entry system.Sawamura never thought about it before, and when he was in the team again, although he had never been sent to the second army, he could only be regarded as a very good reliever and relief pitcher.Experience is limited.Ball speed isn't an advantage either.

Since the supervisor said that there is no problem with the ball team, the seniors also urged that it was a good opportunity to challenge themselves, so they passed the bidding in a muddle, successfully negotiated with the other party, and signed a three-year agreement.I only got in touch with Chris before signing, and it happened to be his team.

Could it be that Master was the one who set the strings this time?I don't like Xiao Zecun...

Chris on the other end of the phone seemed to hesitate for a long time.As if this is such a difficult question.

not me.I'd also like to know who pulled the strings.

It was getting late, and the small lanterns on the outer wall were lit up.The foreigners dragged him to drink again.Sawamura was really tired. He had to get up early the next day and his drinking capacity was low, so he found Xiaoshouxing as an excuse, saying that there was still a story that he hadn't finished reading.

"Come on, the little ones are already asleep." When he moved the grill and chairs into the house, Chris laughed and poked him.

He lamented the cleanliness and delicacy of the house, not at all like a family with a two-year-old child.His footsteps also became cautious involuntarily.One wall was covered with large and small photos, and with Master's permission, he went up to look curiously.The growth trajectory of the little guy.The wedding photo of Master and Master's wife is so happy that it is enviable.

"When is Sawamura going to get married?" His wife brought them Earl Gray tea.sober up.

"There are too many good girls around this guy, he must be picky."

"Even Master said so!"

There are also photos of Chris as a child.Slightly faded color photo.Practice your swing with Papa Animar.Photos from elementary school graduation.He was also in the group photo of Seidou High School's graduation ceremony, when he was competing with Miyuki for the second button of Senior Chris' jacket.Speaking of this matter, the master and mother laughed together.As for the button, it seems that Tanba-senpai took it away in the end.

You look at this one again.Chris said suddenly, pointing to a photo of a middle school game scene.Dad took it at random, and the sundries in the study room were just turned out from under his drawer recently.

Master's middle school days!So cute and handsome, so heroic and handsome...

Take a closer look.

Sawamura fixed his eyes, not knowing what to look for.Then the memories that glowed with old hues suddenly glowed with jewel-like colors.

A familiar face.

Hat worn crookedly.Black-rimmed glasses that take up most of his face.Smug smile.Obviously so short.

Sawamura was stunned for a while, for a while, and then laughed out loud.The first time I saw him, I didn't expect Miyuki in the Little League era to be so stupid.There are still many embarrassing things, although we are not too familiar with it.They sat down by the sofa, and the teacher's wife made another pot of black tea later.The night outside the window also changed from dark blue to a more mellow color, harmonizing with their voices.Sorry, Sawamura.Then Chris said.After staying in the United States for such a long time, I always want to catch up with you when I see you.For some reason, it was Miyuki who talked about the past the most.You remember, the last time I talked about the occasional encounter with Miyuki in Paris, you were the one we talked about the most among the teammates.Miyuki also said that it was the appearance of Sawamura that allowed him and me to have more and more intersections, and there were endless topics to talk about.Now I have a little bit of this experience.

"But I don't understand." Sawamura replied.

Probably because I was always called an idiot.Really a fool.So there are too many things that I don't understand.

Say disappear and disappear.Miyuki who hasn't appeared in his world for so long.Why now, after talking about it, come back again.Let that guy who does whatever he wants occupy the gap in his memory, as if he will never be able to touch it.Just like Miyuki in high school.

He said to Chris.

Sometimes I think Miyuki is just a tanuki, or a fox.Living in the human world, wearing a human mask, learning how to be a human, but it doesn't really mean to integrate into everyone.Miyuki appeared by everyone's side, Seidou's savior, then the captain, and then kept appearing in everyone's topics, but no one seemed to know what Miyuki was doing or wanted to do after taking off the catcher mask.Before, I was patronizing my own affairs, watching Miyuki pass by my world, allowing him to change my world, accepting this fact as a matter of course, watching his back disappear and gradually leave my world.However, when I talk to Master now, I always think about what to do.How should I approach Miyuki's world?It's so strange, why did I suddenly have this idea?

What is Miyuki, who is no longer a catcher, to him?

Because I am an idiot, I have never been good at various problems.Let it go for so many years.