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Tatsuo was described by many people in his life as athletic. For as long as he could remember, all he wanted to do was run around and play games. Baseball was always a favourite of his. Watching or playing, it didn’t matter. If it was baseball, Tastuo enjoyed it. Baseball was one of the only things in life that Tatsuo could say brought him the same joy he felt when he was younger. When he got banned from playing, Tatsuo didn’t know what to do with himself.
Masayoshi, on the other hand, never really considered himself an athletic person by any means. He wasn't unfit - quite the opposite actually, bar the occasional cigarette - but he wouldn’t exactly go out of his way to play any kind of sport. The most exercise he would usually get was by chasing down people who absconded during arrest. There wasn’t much muscle to him, at least not in comparison to those around him. Masayoshi much preferred sitting around playing mahjong.
Which was why he couldn’t quite believe that he had a bat in his hand, staring forward to the machine that relentlessly threw baseballs towards him.
The batting cage in Kineicho wasn’t too dissimilar to the one in Kamurocho, Masayoshi thought to himself - rows of machines ready to spew out endless amounts of baseballs, should the user require it, with rows of netted spaces for players to try their luck or practise their skills. One thing that was glaringly obvious was just how green everything was. From the ground, to the mesh, to the metal framework; Everything was green. He wondered if there was a reason for it. Colour psychology would argue that green makes people feel optimistic - which he supposed was rather fitting for a space that peoples’ competitive side shone in.
“You know, I usually use bats for different reasons. Think this is the first time I’ve ever used one to actually play baseball,” Masayoshi remarked, missing yet another ball as it hit the netting behind him. That was the tenth one in a row. Surely he’d start improving at some point.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Tatsuo asked from beside him, hitting home run after home run as though he came out of the womb doing it. It was an innate talent - something he was born to do. “Bats should only be used for playing baseball, Ma-chan! Any other use is a disservice to the sport!”
“What I meant was-,” Masayoshi paused. With how passionate Tatsuo was about the sport, Masayoshi figured that maybe it wasn't a good idea to admit that he'd oftentimes find himself cracking the wooden tool across some poor thug’s skull. “Nevermind. Just a passing thought.”
Tatsuo simply shrugged, readying the bat as the automation on the other side of the room spat out another ball. While he wasn't really considered a serious man, the look in Tatsuo’s eyes as he analysed everything before him, gearing up to take another swing, left most in awe. The stark change in personality made it clear to everyone that Tatsuo deserved to be on the pitch. Deserved to be working alongside his teammates. Deserved all the fame and fortune that playing baseball should have given him. It was where he excelled.
Masayoshi placed his own bat down, leaning it against the mesh as he stood and watched. “Do you ever think about going back? To playing professionally, I mean.” Those words caught Tatsuo by surprise, turning to look at his other half as his target went just past his head and into the netting. His old career wasn't something that he had really spoken to the detective about, still considering it somewhat of a sore spot. A shrug was Tatsuo’s first answer, before placing the bat on his shoulder with a sigh. “I'd like to. Maybe not the big leagues, though.”
“What about coaching? Even just, like, children or something.”
Tatsuo hadn't thought of that. When he imagined his return to baseball, it was always him playing. The thought of being able to introduce other people to the sport, enabling them to become what he couldn't. It brought a smile to his face. The idea of coaching children made the smile grow wider. Tatsuo imagined little kids running around, with helmets way too big for them and eyes that held so many hopes and dreams inside. Maybe he could inspire them to become mini versions of him. Get them to see all the nuances and subtleties in baseball that most were blind to. “Hehe, I think you might be onto something!” was his eventual reply, a giddy feeling settling into his stomach as he brought the bat back down and readied to take another swing.
That smile was one of Masayoshi’s favourite things about Tatsuo, he decided. The smile that announced to the whole world Tatsuo’s determination. “I think you’d do a great job at it, if that means anything,” the detective hummed, picking up his own bat once again. He wasn’t leaving this cage until he’d hit at least one ball; Doing his job could wait.
Idly, Masayoshi wondered how Tatsuo did it. Not baseball, though that did make him curious. No, instead he wondered how, despite everything, Tatsuo always managed to bounce back ten times as strong as before. No matter what happened in his life, the writer found a reason to keep on going. Found a reason to be. That was another one of his favourite things about Tatsuo - his unwavering determination to get his life back on track.
Each and every day, Tatsuo made Masayoshi proud.
As the younger man swung his bat forward with all the precision and strength he could muster, a loud crack emanated throughout the batting centre. Then, after a few short seconds, the blaring sound of a home run rang out through the establishment.
“Woah, Ma-chan, look at you go! Your first hit, and it’s a home run! Good job!” Tatsuo cheered, grinning at Masayoshi as he clapped.
Each and every day, Tatsuo made Masayoshi proud.
Today, Masayoshi did the same thing.