News rode the wind into the March plaza from the distant city.
“A grand slam! They won thirteen to zero!”
Kopo raised his voice, and Tacchi uncrossed and recrossed his long legs to turn around.
“A grand slam, huh. There’s a man out there who does the heaviest job in the heaviest moment.”
“I want to do that too! A grand slam!”
Kopo picked up a stone and threw it toward Dragon God’s Pond. It sank with a magnificent splash.
Tacchi sighed . “Not a shred of sense to it, but…”
“Quiet! It’s contagious , that guy’s coolness!”
“…Contagious, huh.”
Tacchi narrowed his eyes slightly. Ripples spread across the pond, warping their reflected faces.
The distant city’s cheers didn’t reach this far, but by the spring pond’s edge, two small shadows stood side by side.
Margin note: That night, Kopo went to sleep with a piece of paper on his desk that read “Grand Slam Home Run Training Plan.”
【Today’s Drop】
- World Baseball Classic (WBC) Opens: The 2026 WBC began play. Team Japan faced Chinese Taipei, winning 13–0 in a seven-inning mercy -rule victory, highlighted by a grand slam from Shohei Ohtani.
This is an English translation of “満塁の朝”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).