2025-10-14: Batter Up
- Log: Batter Up
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Batting Cages in Hirasaka, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: October 14, 2025
- IC Date: July 26, 2012
- Summary: Ichika and Hyousuke head out to blow off some steam at a batting cage. Unfortunately, neither of them is any good at baseball.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
A school uniform was hardly the most appropriate attire for the batting cage. That much was something that Hyousuke realised without having to think much on the subject. However, with time being of the essence before more patrons began filtering into the establishment, he'd foregone changing into something more comfortable, having headed there straight after his last test for the day had finished. He'd still not bothered to do much more than wash it, however. Creases lined the fabric, clearly visible as it hung loosely over his body, untucked and arranged haphazardly over his frame.
Hyousuke swung the bat lazily through the air, wanting to get a feel for its heft before he started swinging it properly. He hadn't the faintest clue as to whether it was a good one or not - there was no branding on it to speak of, and the thing itself seemed to be in respectable condition, if a little unpolished. It had a fair degree of heft to it though, while still remaining easy enough to manipulate, so he supposed that it was good enough for him. All that was left was to wait for Ichika to join him before he could finally start letting off some steam.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika arrives likewise in uniform, modified as per usual. It's a nice enough Wednesday, after another day of finals. Her uniform is in rather better shape, but is still delinquent-coded with the way she wears it--midriff bared, skirt entirely too long.
but she walks past the counters after a moment and then into the cages, glancing around.
"Batting cages, huh...? I admit, baseball's never been my thing, but..."
She can see the appeal.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Not my thing either." He said, turning the bat over in his hand, idly fiddling with it to keep himself occupied. "But the arcade's packed, so I figured we could try this." With that said, he set his sights on the pitching machine at the far end. He studied it as closely as his distance would allow, wanting to take stock of the situation before he started, but ultimately concluded that there wasn't much to see. So, with his investigations concluded, he took up what he hoped was an acceptable stance, and readied his bat to strike. "You ready?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika picks up a bat too, extending her arm with it experimentally to get a feeling for its weight. "Works for me," she says. "It's not the first time I've held a bat or anything." Usually she uses them for vandalism! But this is not about that.
She doesn't really study the machine or anything, instead taking up a stance, too.
"Ready!" Ichika says, centering her stance and waiting for the pitch.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
The first of the pitches came out, arcing quickly towards Hyousuke. He swung wildly, using it more like a club than as something for sport. His was a technique that Ichika might have found familiar - after all, he was cut from much the same cloth as her, and he'd used it on much more than just balls being tossed his way.
For all the strength he put behind the swing, the precision behind it was lacking severely. The ball glanced off the edge with a dull thud, before dropping unceremoniously to the ground while Hyousuke awaited the next pitch.
"How's the tests going?" He asked, not caring to stand there in silence. "I don't think mine have been going great."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika is a little more careful--she goes for attempted precision. However, she anticipates it too quickly, and it means she's missed by the time the ball finishes crashing back behind them. ...Gives her a moment to notice the similar technique, though.
"Tch," she says, but the sigh is good-natured. "I think they're going OK," she says. "Not amazing, but I'm pretty sure I got some right. I might not fail."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"That's all I'm hoping for." Hyousuke mused, sounding a little resigned as he did so. The next ball that flew at him, as if in mocking response, glanced off the end of his bat, before careening away. He'd hit it, of that there could be no doubt, but it was hardly as if his 'success' was anything to crow about. "If I can make it past this year with a passing grade, then..." Then what? A distant, almost absent, look appeared in his eyes, before he blinked it away and returned to speaking with Ichika. "Then I'll count it as a win. Dunno if I'm gonna manage English though."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Resignation... The second one, Ichika's a little too late on, trying to compensate; it glances over her bat as she answers. She hasn't managed to hit the ball yet, but she's getting closer. And with that passing grade...
"It'd be a start," she says. "...But I think I'm OK on them. I've been studying with Kashihara. He's really good at making the material make sense, you know? And I need to be OK at language for what I want to do..."
A pause. "English is hard," she agrees.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Kashihara... The guy from the dance class?" Despite speaking to Ichika, his focus seemed to primarily be on the pitching machine. Not that settling his eyes on it like a hawk did much good, however. He swung too soon, missing the ball entirely as it dropped to the floor with a quiet thud. If it annoyed Hyousuke that he'd not managed a clean hit on even one of the baseballs so far, he didn't show it. His expression hadn't changed much since he'd entered, and what little shifts could be seen were mostly born of him waiting for the next ball to come out. "You think he'd mind teaching me stuff too? I could use the help with... A lot of stuff."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Right," Ichika answers. But this time... This time she hits! Not evenly; it hits a little too high, but she does hit, and it's very satisfying. Ichika vocalizes a little noise about it, a 'yes'.
...it's fine if he's not very expressive. Ichika doesn't mind that.
"I think he'd be OK with that," Ichika says. "I think he wants to be a teacher... so we get to catch up on stuff we missed, and he gets to practice."
"He's helped me out a lot. I can't answer for him, but I think you got a good shot."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Her clean(er) hit didn't go unnoticed. Hyousuke stole a glance, taking note of it and wondering how she'd managed it, before that telltale cranking from the machine opposite him signalled another pitch. He swung again, trying his best to land something - anything - that was better than the last, but the result was much the same as before. A short and dull clang filled the air as he caught the ball on the bat's edge, causing him to clench his jaw in frustration. The expression was stifled before it had a chance to linger, but it had been there nonetheless.
"Think you could ask him to meet up with me?" He asked, sounding a little more hopeful at the prospect of having someone help him figure things out. "If you're vouching for him, I'll give the guy a shot. Hell, I'll do anything if it makes algebra easier. Maths is hard enough when it's just numbers, I don't need someone throwing letters at me too."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Crank! She doesn't get this one; she's still trying to get a feel for the machine, and maybe she just got lucky. She glances back at him and shrugs expansively.
But clang! She doesn't comment on it; just swinging the bat with her strength is already doing a lot for her. ...Her expectations aren't that high.
"Sure," Ichika says. "I can do that."
Algebra... "Right?" Ichika agrees. "I think I kinda get it now, but it's still not something I like..."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
The quality of his swings varied, though never seemed to go past 'barely adequate.' He tried a number of different swings, hit it with more precision than power, then tried the reverse when it didn't pan out. But none seemed to have the desired effect, and despite his best efforts, Hyousuke couldn't keep from letting it show. It was subtle, be it through the creases on his face or the faint twitch of his lips, but it was there. Talking, he hoped, would distract him from frustration at something that was supposed to help him let off steam.
"I never got all that smart stuff. Always was a little..." Another clang cut him off before he could finish, leaving them both with just the implication. "Maybe your guy helping'll turn things around though." Another swing, and another half-failed hit. But the impact sounded - and felt - noticeably more solid than the others. Not by any huge amount, but even as distracted as he was, Hyousuke noticed it - and responded with a quiet "Get in!"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika continues not to have so much luck with the further swings; she hits a couple of times, but doesn't really get the center. Just trying it, just getting some muscle action going, is helping her some. But then, she's a little less despairing about finals, too.
...She notices his frustration, but isn't sure what to do about it.
Clang. "Me either. That was the others' stuff. I did OK, before I got super behind, but..." Swing. Clang!
"It's worth a shot," Ichika agrees. But then--
"Nice. Better."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke's swings were imprecise, indelicate things, clearly intended more to hurt and break than knock back a speeding ball. Yet, he kept trying, spurred on by that singular success. He didn't get much better, but there was some scant degree of hope that he could do better, and that was enough to keep him going.
"Want to go celebrate when this is all over?" He asked, readying another swing as the machine creaked to life once more. "I've got nothing but time once we're free. Apart from tutoring, if your guy helps me out, but I'm sure he won't mind us taking a few days."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika's are more about trying to hit the ball than trying to hurt anything; she sees a challenge in front of her and she tries to go for it. She may not manage more than one near the target, but if she kept at it, she'd get pretty decent.
...Maybe not so much today, though.
"Sure!" Ichika answers. "Me, too. Wanna bring some friends? We could make a thing of it."
"Oh, yeah, he wouldn't mind. He's got stuff to do too. THough..."
"You should know, I'll be mostly out in Iwatodai for the summer. ...Going home from the dorms for a while."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke's next swing missed entirely, though anyone perceptive enough would have noticed that it wasn't the mention of her leaving that had distracted him - it was the mention of home. For the briefest of moments, his fingers tightened around the handle enough to turn his knuckles pale, before he relaxed his grip and swung into another ball. Whether his movements were lazy or distracted it was hard to say, but there wasn't as much force behind the swing as he'd given to others.
"I'll see who's good for it. 'They've all probably got plans, but I'll ask. Speaking of which, when're you out? I'll try not to have too much fun while you're not here." A smirk accompanied his remark, but even that faint hint of a smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika's pretty perceptive. ...It was meant to be a casual statement, but...
"Cool," Ichika says. "And I'm still coming, obviously." She pauses. "...Heh. yeah... Well, it's not like I won't be back now and then, even before school's back out. And maybe you can come out to Iwatodai, too."
She shakes her head, and misses the next swing by being distracted talking. "...After finals."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"That'd be nice."
Even he had to admit that it was a fairly bland response, but its shortness made it no less genuine. "No idea what it's like over there, so you're gonna have have to be a tour guide for a while. I never really got out past our turf much." Another swing, another clang, another thud as ball came to a stop. Hyousuke's improvement seemed to have plateaued, but even so, he was still some scant bit better than when he'd walked in. "Hope you don't mind if I don't do the same. I'm not going back there."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika smiles back at 'that'd be nice. "Sure, I can do that. I spent a lot of time out there after... I was done with him." 'Him'. "While I was waiting for the new semester." Clang!!! Hmm.
Ichika's OK with where she's gotten.
"I don't mind at all. We all have places we don't want to go. ...For me, it's most of Yumezaki."
"But it's pretty, you know? Really modern. ...Lotta French stuff, if you're into that kind of thing, too."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"They got French teas there too? Dunno what a French tea'd taste like, but if it's as good as their baking, you'll have to drag me back here." It wasn't entirely clear whether he was being serious or not. Given how he'd reacted upon taking a single sip of a fruit tea he'd not tried before, few would be blamed for not knowing. He didn't dwell on the subject though, choosing instead to refocus his efforts on making the last few swings count. "Hope they don't have French prices though..."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Probably!" Ichika says. "If nothing else, there's this nice cafe. Good coffee. I know where that one is. Has some pastries, too."
...She isn't going to drag him. If he likes it over there that's fine!
Instead, "...Heh. Nah, not that bad. Just a lot of French names for stuff, some influence... stuff like that."
"I'm not sure why."
But regardless of why, there it is!
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Maybe we'll find out when we get there."
Hyousuke wasn't hopeful, but then again, it didn't seem to be what interested him about the place - a notion that only grew stronger with the smile he flashed at her. It was a small thing, with his lips not so much curling upwards as twitching slightly into place, but there was warmth even to that. The last whirr of the pitching machine had him snap back around to it, however, and swap that smile for a look of focus. In the split second between the arm curling and the ball closing the distance, he furrowed his brow, and shifted into position.
The clang was a loud one, born more of force than a solid hit. The ball had only caught the end of the bat, and spun wildly out of control the very moment it bounced off. But it had been a hit nonetheless, and a remarkably solid one given his performance. With it done, he loosened his grip on the bat, and turned towards Ichika. "That does it for me. I'm gonna get something to eat and head back. You in?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Warmth! That's a change from him, definitely. Ichika feels like she's getting to know him a little more...
Her last swing is wild, but she laughs a little anyway. "Guess I'll have to practice if I want to steal any bases," she says.
She sets down the bat, and nods. "Sure," she says. "Let's go."
She's for that.